Dragoncrest Cliffs you and i, we still have a while left

I'm on a writing buzz tonight! @Vercingetorix <3
Setting Sequoia Forest, late morning, pre-war.
Time 12/20, second part of this!

Like any doting mother, Kiomaralis would have been aghast at the situation her daughter was in:

The she-wolf had turned evermore into Verx in her sleep, from belly to her flank. By the time the light of morning found them, her small, ivory body was cradled against him, further due to the pull oh a hefty arm. Her belly was pressed into his sturdy side; her thin forelegs crumpled to her breast; and her hinds loosely tangled along his own.

Aure woke, drowsily and without urgency or bearing; her imperfect face nuzzled into the crook of his throat. Lethargically, she realized two things: one—that her mamă, truly, was not apart of her life in Teekon, and that she must make her own rescissions. And two—that she didn’t mind how his plush, thorn-tipped paw felt between her delicate shoulders.

Taking the time to let Verx’s heft rest upon her, Aurëwen unfurled her heavy eyes, and allowed him to rouse on his own time. On her part, she merely pressed her forehead into the column of his neck once more.

Sluggishly, she stumbled over fragments of last night, and all of what she’d told him... but they were lost among the fog that still held her mind. The fog that’d come from not simply slumber, but from the veil of warm, heady fondness skulking specifically in her chest.

The late mortification of what had almost occurred last eve—whatever it had been—finally made her tremble, when it snagged her attention. ...As did the yawn of complaint from her stomach, petering off with a grumble. She was left flushing from her throat up. Even more so had been, unsurprisingly, the groggy, unrefined behavior in which she’d acted out through all of it even before then. Somehow, she’d still ended up being ravished.

Her heart stuttering violently, whispering to her how it didn’t mind being ravished, Aure burrowed herself into his void-colored pelt. Almost praying he doesn’t wake up, now. O Doamne.... At least, this morning, she might be able to finish telling him.

There was nothing--nothing--like waking up next to a beautiful woman. Even if space was at a premium. Even if the weather was at its hottest or coldest. Even if the entire world was crashing in around you. The feel of a soft pelt, the serene look on their face as they slept. . .God. It didn't get better than this. Ever.

Verx had roused slightly along with her, but kept his eyes shut, enjoying the warm, sweet scent of her and the way she'd nestled into his embrace. Then her stomach rumbled, like far-off thunder. He tried mightily to keep a straight face, to keep up all the appearances of deep slumber. Then his own belly twitched--oh god--

A pfffft of laughter escaped him, a snort through his nostrils, and his eyes popped open, warm and mirthful.

You hungry, bounkola? he chuckled, drawing her closer and resting his chin atop her head. As if responding for her, his own belly growled, an angry, impatient sound. Looks like you're not the only one.

"N-no! I order you to go b-back to zleep," Sputtering helplessly, she felt the chin atop her head, his words rumbling against her brow, and his own stomach rumbling even louder. It took all of her willpower to not break out in her own mirth. "I don't vant you to zee me like fhis, Berx," her painstakingly-flustered voice muffled against his thick pelt. "It iz so unladylike." She delved into him even further, smelling salt and loam and male, and decided to quiver against him for a few more moments.

And then she squirmed, thin shoulders wriggling before she was able to sit up, mouthing shyly at his shoulder as she parted. "We could hunt soon, if you wanted?" His paw that'd held her captive had raked, lightly, from her shoulder to a bony hip as she'd gotten up. The brana now gazed down at him timidly, trying to ignore it - and the fact that every pale inch of her was ruffled. Her feelings, whatever they were, were just as mussed up. 

Aure didn't look herself over until she realized what she'd been staring at Verx. "O, I look-" She didn't finish her sentence, too distracted by a sudden crest of self-consciousness as she turned to groom a stubborn clump of down.

He pulled back to stare at her, incredibly amused by that sentiment. Not ladylike? he echoed. I know ladies get hungry, too. You're not foolin' me, babe.

Verx laid back as she sat up, and he watched her preen, his face impassive. A smile bloomed over his face once more, though, when self-consciousness caught up to her again, and he clambered to his paws--Hey, now--and promptly hit the top of his head against the low redwood ceiling.

Ow, he said blankly, seeing some stars. Blinking rapidly a few times, he hunched over (still dwarfing her, though) and stared at Aure, his grin a tad goofy. You look beautiful, he completed her sentence. His muzzle found a lock of hair that had escaped from the rest, near where her jaw met her neck, and he ran his tongue along it to smooth it out. . .

And then began to nibble along her throat, despite his better judgment. Mmm, he whispered, bringing his lips to her ear. Can I hunt you down instead?

At his blunder, a bright, rare giggle nearly made its way from her -- almost. If she hadn't heard his next words, she might have felt sorry for him, and would've kiss his poor skull.

'You look beautiful.'

The warmth that tore through her from the neck up was almost instantaneous; her blood sang, clutching her heart before climbing through her breast and throat to bed down onto her cheeks. Her head whirled towards him, mouth open and ready to protest; but that gave him leave to minstrate himself upon her person. His breath, his tongue lavishing her jawline; his fangs, delicate but fervid, at her throat.

But... she'd been raised an heiress, and it was impolite to turn down a compliment. No matter how untrue it seemed to her. At his next question, the surge of a blush beneath her fur reinforced itself. Otherwise, she lingered where she was, holding back a noise that she knew was more embarrassing than her hunger--for food. Not for him, of course. Obviously.

However, she couldn't stop herself from saying, "Why pursue prey that has already been spoiled?" Carefully, she craned her neck to meet his wave-silvered gaze, the side of her muzzle pressing along his own. Something distant and almost tender in her own eyes - pulled taught by those fabled scars. "Surely you may want to hunt some--something more... flawless? Less frigid? Not so boney?" She added, a soft, mirthful murmur leaving her.

As he towered over her, small as she was, she still needed to lean into her hocks to regard him properly. Her tail feathered behind her uncertainly; holding herself against him as much as she did from him. Fute. Whatever this was -- whatever he was -- she hoped she could meet his nipping words adequately.

Her remark sent his brows flying high, but before he could question it, she continued. He shook his head, eyes soft. You're flawless, he murmured, tracing the angular curve of her alabaster shoulder with his nose. Bones and all.

There was something like a storm building up inside him, something that made him come closer and closer still, wrapping his neck around hers like a serpentine, sidling up next to her. There were tiny moans caught in his throat as he covered her cheek, her jawline, her neck in kisses. He was on fire for her, and had just clasped her slender nape in his mouth when he snapped back to reality.

The reality of, Oh yeah, perhaps you shouldn't bone your new packmate in the first moon of her arrival here, you fuckin' manwhore.

Hunt, Verx mumbled against her fur, slightly embarrassed. Right, let's, uh, go hunt. He peeled himself away, heat rolling over his body in waves, and felt loose in places that should be stiff and stiff in places that should be loose. Goddamn this woman.

He slipped from the hollow of the redwood, eyes cast a bit tersely toward her as he waited for Aure to emerge.

Aure had always prided herself in being virginal -- untouched, innocent in that factor, at least. It was humorous how quickly things turned. It'd gone from innocent(?) gestures, to giving him something far less innocent to act on. Her control on her arousal was slipping -- it had to be that, making her burn so cold and bright for him -- especially when Verx advanced, words and kisses pressed into her throat, her neck, her shoulder.

She knew her scent had to be heady by now, a bit listless and helpless in what she was supposed to do; but it was a lost cause when she opened eyes enraptured and took in the sight of him: fangs bared in a slight snarl at the sight of her, shivering so fervidly for him. Just as weak, strangled moan was about to leave her lips -- he pulled away. Right. Hunt. You idiot, she snapped to herself. It's only been a DAY. Give it a few months, for Hvaldr's sake.

But when she emerged into dawn's light from the hollow, she felt even more exposed than she'd just been -- but she met his eyes again. Her body acted of its own accord; head cocked to one side, no demurity or smile to be found, her body coiled and wavering. Her pupils blown black and abysmal with lust and level to his own; the stare she gave him was predatory and utterly self-indulgent. She seemed to forget who and what she was, so aching she could barely see straight. 

'You're flawless' , he'd said. Jaw working, she purposefully, faintly bared her throat to him; any bystander would've just seen it as her looking up to him. 

The breath she released was shaky, low; her voice cracking a bit, "What do you want to eat?" Asked it, as if they weren't standing in the middle of sequoias, where anyone could see. But she caught herself, as if knowing where all his bawdiness finally originated from, and finally tugged her gaze away, to scan the area for possibilities, "To eat. F-for food, I mean. Not me. I mean--" 

Not that she wouldn't mind, given her rather unangelic behavior. But she moved herself away from him again, taking long, prowling strides to nowhere in particular. She needed to work this out of her body; this thing that growled under her skin, as much as she'd like to let him i--

...Damn him.

If he looked straight in her eyes, he'd fuck her. Swear on his mother's grave, he'd do it right here and now. Temptress. (As if he wasn't partially to blame.) Verx stared resolutely ahead, rolling his shoulders idly in contemplation of her question.

Eat. . .eat. . .what did he want to eat. . .what did he actually want to eat? Food-wise?

Anything, really, the brute said, noncommittal. Anything that's got meat. Whatever we stumble upon first. Without warning, he began to pad away, his long, powerful strides carrying him quickly from the tree they'd slept in. Slept together in. Well, sort of.

God, he was an asshole.

She blinked after him, dimly heard his words, and then followed. When she finally caught up to him, she willed herself to not focus on the strain of his shoulders beneath his coat; or imagine how his jaws, currently set in resolution, might feel around her own ruff again; or last night's press of him him him against her, on top of her, as they'd slumbered.

Aure kept her distance from him, trailing behind once more and keeping a keen eye on their surroundings. A couple of several beats of silence tittered on, and she passed the time half-mindedly admiring the sequoias. Then, she heard it; the faint crackle of frost from vegetation -- somewhere near, but also not. Immediately, she lowered her head, a notch creasing her muzzle as she skulked past Verx.

She stilled where she was, staring frostily at the tangle of sprawling, reaching roots of a redwood; a glimpse of downy, winter fur and great ears. Rabbit. The pale she-wolf started, and then hesitated, turning her head towards Verx in a silent inquiry, but kept her eyes pointedly on a holly bush -- did he want to catch it instead?

He watched as she slipped past him, a pale specter among the redwoods. He shook his head at her silent question. Have at it, he mouthed. Verx was too big to hunt small game with any semblance of finesse. She would do much better at the task.

The brute instead slipped away, staying close but placing himself into the shadows, where it was unlikely he'd scare off any quarry Aure found. He settled slowly down on his haunches and regarded the proceedings with an impassive stare, meant to cloak the many feelings--both physical and emotional--churning in his gut.

A faint lift of her chin was her only reply, leaving him to melt into the shadows as she brought herself back to her claim. Holding her lithe form on stiffened limbs, the brana settled into a lurking gait for the tangle of red, breathing low and thanking the heavens for the still air.

She may not have been born a feline of the mountains, but she tapped into the knowledge of them nonetheless; paws became deft, body became featherlight, and only stopped for the half of a heartbeat to be careful. Cording her lean muscles, she sprang from root to root, claws whispering as she hurried along; teetering, then, on the knotted rise of a root that held her higher up than the rest. With barely a breath and thought to spare, she lurched out of sight, merely a flicker against the morning gloam as gravity and her intent tugged her down.

A flurry of white and a shriek later, Aure bounded back up the rise of root that she'd just leapt from, hackles in disarray and eyes frigid, unseeing. Pale chest fluttered, she warily unhinged the hare from between her scarlet-smattered jaws, and yipped softly for Verx's attention - wherever he'd situated himself, now. In the meantime, she began to pick her way down the tangle. Loner that she used to be, it was only right, by rank, to let him eat first ... right?

He gave a nod of approval to the kill, though he knew she wouldn't see it, obviously. It was good--quick and clean. No complaints to be had. 10/10. Gold star. A lot better than he would have done (let's be honest, he would have pummeled the shit out of it and who really wants that?).

Nah, he said, shaking his head as she offered him the kill. You earned it, you eat it. I can find something around here for myself. He couldn't deny the quiet thunder of his stomach once more, but it wouldn't be very gentlemanly of him to take her food. . .

And again, let's be honest. He was in desperate need of some Gentleman Points after the rakish stunt he'd pulled inside the tree.

"But... hm," the brana furrowed slim brows at him, more in bewilderment than disdain; not that there was anything to be found of that in her face, at least. Instead, she merely shook her head as well, "All right, then. I'll be here when you're done. Don't take too long," Taking her kill with her, she brushed past him, giving a jovial bump to his flank with a boney hip as she flitted by. Carrying herself away from him in a light trot to through the frost-limned underbrush in search of a place to eat.

---

Whether or not he took several minutes or the half of an hour, it was fine with her, anyways. Aure allowed herself to mull over everything that'd happened this morning, and, again, the night before, half-heartedly grooming the blood from her and blunting her claws with tedious fangs. She'd returned to her previous kill-site, lounging along the roots and waiting for his return; wondering if he'd caught something for himself... or merely broken his neck doing so, and huffing softly at it all.

It didn't take too terribly long; all he really had to do was find a rabbit and lull it into enough of a sense of security to sit on it. He gobbled the small meal up like a snack, bones and all. Still not really sated, he traveled back to Aure, licking his bloodied chops.

God, I could go for a real damn meal, Vercingetorix remarked, heaving a sigh. He eyed her, trying not to think about the flesh on her bones. Not for consuming. . .well, not in that way. I suppose rabbits and turkeys will have to do until we find something better.

Or we could just fuck. Although he supposed he'd be even hungrier, after that.

wanna wrap this one up? <3