Molaki had to stop himself from physically deflating and rolling his shoulders, realizing that Erest wasn't' going to leave them. The older male was not stupid, and knew Molaki well enough to not trust him. The plan was to have one of the other wolves escort them, hoping that Erest would be too balls in on himself and want to rush to the city first to tattle on the young Second to his father and The Tri - the three highest ranking governing body of Alphas.
As a Second, Molaki was being groomed for leadership, and nearly always only took direct orders from the Tri's himself. He knew that if he got one of the other wolves in the hunt alone, they would be forced to submit if he wished to set the doe free, and he would deal with leadership later. But Erest, also a Second, was older than him, and was given hierarchy on this excursion.
It was scandalous enough that Molaki defied a direct order to leave the doe where she lay. Even though he was sizing up Erest as the male cooley walked back to him, he would have to kill him, not just dominate him. He believed he could.
But even though everything in the white haired male's body screamed that he should protect the shivering doe at all costs, he simply couldn't kill a fellow second and live life on the run. With her? The girl he didn't even know the name of? It didn't matter that she overwhelmed him with the scents of.... Autumn rain, softness, cardamom. He couldn't shake off the feeling of wanting to curl around her and ingulf himself in the smells of comfort, but he also knew that he shouldn't. And she certainly shouldn't, couldn't, sense the same as he did.
When the rest of the wolves were out of eyesight and earshot, Erest whirled around, looking right past Molaki to rake Asta up and down with his eyes.
Her lower lip shivered, threatening to sob again, her dark green hair matted to her temple, the loose twin braids she had tied them in messed by her struggle. The deer tended to have hair coloring that was camouflage even when they shifted into their human; browns, auburns, and even greens.
Though it was optional for all species, they often also kept their animalistic ears - for better hearing, and because they were a crutch to express their emotions more clearly. Right now, both wolf men had their ears snapped back as far as they would go.
Erest was back in Molaki's face, but this time, he inhaled deeply, before snorting air back out at him, an insult within the predators.
"You stink of desire... Truly. Disgusting."
To his own surprise, Molaki flinched at the accusation, a split second of eye diversion meaning he has submitted, even is slightly. The older dark haired man let a smile inch up on the corners of his taunt lips, before crossing his arms and starting to stalk off.
"Get the bitch up. If you so much as think of setting her free, I'll catch her and slit her throat in front of you."
Molaki and Asta both knew he wasn't lying, her whimpering and him growling, but having no retort.
He turned around to the female, crouching back down to her level, trying to look less threatening, softening his face. He wanted to lick his lips and whine, anything to express smallness and compassion, but he couldn't emasculate himself to a deer in front of Erest, even if he had started picking his way back home in the brush.
Molaki outstretched a hand, still low to the ground, his knuckles almost scraping the dirt. He made sure to keep his claws away, his eyes pleading.
"I'm sorry. You have to come with us."
He wanted to assure her that he would keep her safe, and everything would be okay, but.... he didn't want to lie. He wasn't sure, at all.
Asta swallowed hard, still shaking like a leaf as she tentatively, slowly, reached out her own small hand to let the wolf help her to her feet. Erest's voice rang in her ears, over and over.
'You stink of desire.'
As she got up, she felt like a fawn unfolding for the first time, wobbling at first as blood rushed to her head. Almost falling back down, the male - Molaki, she reminded herself - held onto her elbow, trying his best to steady her. The girl looked up at him suspiciously, but had no strength, leaning her whole body weight into his chest as though she had given up.
Molaki wanted to growl, to yell out to Erest who was out of sight in the tree's but surely still watching them. The girl was in shock. She had used all her strength to run, and when her body realized the end was here, she shut down. It was something that almost never happened to predators, but was a mercy mechanism for prey. Even if she could snap out of it, he figure her legs would cramp and stop working before they reached Lykos' City walls.
He sighed, putting his opposite hand on his temple as he considered.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I have to pick you up."
If she was truly in shock, the doe wouldn't be able to protest, and sure enough as he scooped her up, the girl went limp like a doll in his arms.