Shadewood Half of him an angel, the other death

Darcia returned to the shadewood, as he felt he always would, and began to occupy himself with a hunt. The sun would be setting soon, and in the shadows of the titanic forest, the earth was cool underfoot— ideal conditions to carry out a strenuous chase. But the large male didn't have an appetite for something quick and easy. His nose turned up over the abundant trails of rabbits and weasels and such, instead honing his senses to something that might feed him for the next few days rather than the next few hours. As a lone wolf, his success rate for larger prey would be diminished greatly, but the swain was not to be daunted by the task at hand and he trusted his own vast experience as a survivor and a killer to get it done without help.

From the west, long shafts of light pooled through every break in the treeline as the blazing summer sun sank steadily on the horizon. Darcia padded forward with intent, his steps light and near-silent despite his immense size. He was following the beelined scents of a small deer herd, and it wasn't too long after he'd begun that he started to see them appear through the well-lit trees. Giving them a wide girth, Darcia circled like a shark, or a vulture, and his eyes scoured the twenty or so grazing bodies in search of the smallest and weakest of them all.

Awooo!  Hope you don't mind Medea butting in.

The vicious queen's travels were steady and deliberate as she carved her way into Teekon.  Towering giants loomed over the she-wolf, shielding her form from the high and unwavering sun as she moved forth towards what she reckoned to be the heart of the woods.  Summer travels suited her well; she was unburdened with the threat of freezing or starvation following the cold driving out prey.  Just as well, prey was something she had noticed here.  These lands bore no strong scent (other than one, strong and masculine); wolves seemed to weave themselves in and out of the shade like ghosts.  Better for her, a different kind of competition than an entire conglomerate; and one much easier to defend herself against.  It was unlikely that anyone here was going to sin her for feasting.

And feast she did.  Once the sun started to relinquish its throne and the red-pink hues of sunset rode the horizon from the west, the intimidating titaness occupied herself with a hunt.  Though she often prefered to hunt small game, feasting more often to in turn be free to go where she pleased, she felt safe here.  It would be time for something bigger and undoubtedly more ambition — deer.  She fixated on a large herd, weaving through the forest following cross-hatched patterns of smell.  It was not long before she was nearly on top of them, but as soon as she realized her position and set her target she noticed the god of this dominion, the king of the Shadewood, had beaten her to it.  

Her posture remained confident, her tail up and chest out not as a sign of dominance but rather one of self-assuredness, concealed from the prey by brush and foliage but possibly not to the marble-carved swain.  She would not impose on him, but rather wait for him to strike and help him take it down.  Should he choose to share, the better for the woman.. but if not she would have no problem finding a better place to be.

Thanks for joining! I adore the way you write :D

Darcia was focused so singularly on his chosen task that he didn't notice his hunting company from across the way. He only had eyes for an old crippled doe, bony and shrunken by some illness or such, and an easy target as far as he was concerned. She would surely be slower than any of the other full-bodied deer or their long-legged offspring, and he honed each of his senses on her, the tender-hoofed of the herd.

He positioned himself from the most advantageous angle he could manage, and slunk as close as he dared without alarming the fleet ungulates to his presence. Darcia directly faced his quarry, knowing that when he sprang, she would have a difficult time pivoting in time to avoid his assault. The gargoyle's heart raced with anticipation, his blood roiling in the low sun's heat as his muscles tensed suddenly with the fluid motion of a powerful leap. All of the deer reacted in a blast of fear-scent and noise, as they careened in all directions to avoid the dark-caped predator as he surged towards his intended.

And just as he had predicted, the old maid was too slow to miss him— and his teeth latched onto the round of her weakened hip as the two began a power struggle for their individual survival.

I completely missed the notification for this thread somehow.  What the heck?!
Sorry for the delay!  And thank you very much, I'm flattered. (swoons)

The shieldmaiden went unnoticed.  For a moment she debated abandoning her plan, because she did not want him to think that she didn't assume he was capable, or that she were attempting to steal his kill from him. Still, she went through all of this effort tracking the herd and if she intended on staying in the Shadewood for any period of time it seemed as if they were destined to meet along the way.

The she-wolf stalked closer to the edge of the clearing and the unfortunate soul the behemoth was tracking, crouching and waiting for the man to launch.  He moved so quick once his calculations were determined that it nearly surprised her, the brute a bolt of lighting — precise and deadly.

Medea darted out of her hideaway, covering the acreage between them quickly and aimed to latch on to the other side of the doe, making sure even in her assault to give the man his space.  Her teeth clamped down and broke into soft flesh and tissue, blood spilling down her maw and chest.

They were in this together now.

As he weighed down the backside of the doe, Darcia suddenly became aware of another, opposite force, pulling mightily on the doe's front half. His immediate reaction was instinctively unfriendly. He snarled through a pound of flesh and deer-fur— a wolf possessed by the hunt and the spray of blood running through his teeth— but as his quarry bucked helplessly and weakened against the onslaught, his focus returned to the task at hand, and eventually he felt glad for the foreign body assisting him. The old ungulate surely had no escape now, and even as he thought this, the doe buckled to her front knees with a bleating cry out into the clearing; calling for a family that would not dare return to save her.

Darcia released the haunch and tore instead into the doe's tender belly, spilling all manner of gut and gore as the deer cried its last cries and became too weak to even hold itself up. From the corner of his eye he watched the wolf who had so bravely joined his hunt, though made no move against her as his jaws filled with intestine and sweet hunger distracted him from retaliation. Besides, it weren't as if there wasn't enough to go around; but he did want to make sure the titanness remained on her side, away from him.

She startled so much when the baron unleashed that primal growl that her grip nearly loosened, letting the maiden fall to the ground. She caught herself just in time, and not long after that it would seem that the two would succeed in their efforts, the doe's body hitting the earth with a mighty whump!

With little regard to Medea the king began his feast upon their kill, ripping the ungulate open to bury his face in gut and gore.  He made no effort to dissuade her from joining him, though no invitation would come either.  She first lowered her muzzle towards the deer and gently prodding to test the reaction of the other and when it seemed fine at last she filled herself truly for the first time in a while.

She would wait until they were both finished before even thinking about pestering him with conversation, and then smooth things over.  Greetings.  She paused a beat, weighing her words as what she said to him now could determine how pleasant her stay was in the Shadewood. Thank you for allowing me to feed. I had no intentions of stealing your kill from you.

She shifted her weight between her paws, stretching out and rolling, unwinding her muscles after a chase. But, as you know, two wolves are often better than one.  Her flews went back, a smile dancing upon her lips and she chuckled freely — so surprisingly self-confident in the shadow of such a giant.

Though he felt the she-wolf join him through the pull and rattle of the body he dug into, Darcia remained unconcerned with her presence as he ate his fill. As far as he was concerned, there was plenty for the both of them, and despite the absence of recognition between them, he wasn't inclined to waste his energy chasing her off. She had helped to some degree, as well, which further entitled her to a share he might not have given otherwise.

After a small feast, Darcia retracted from the kill, his forehalf deeply stained and his mouth still slick with clinging innards. He was still hungry, and could have eaten pounds more, but he was careful not to gorge himself, lest this meeting with the stranger turned violent. He didn't want to be weighed down by an over-full belly and the mistake of eating too much when the queen-colossus lingered so near. He watched her fully now, able to take in more of her than he'd bothered to before, and when she spoke, he tilted his head slightly kept his expression even.

"Well met, stranger. Thy certainly made the task easier," he replied, licking his chops and reclining neatly unto his haunches in a glaring show of unconcern for the unspoken threat to his kinghood that she presented. Though she clearly had the capacity to be victorious in a fight, she hadn't made a single threat to him, and Darcia was inclined to take wolves at face value— confident as he was to hold his own against any menace thrown his way. "I am Darcia," he told her then without invitation. "What may I call you?"

She dipped her head at his name and the niceties he offered. I am Medea.  The titan watched him carefully as she made her next statements.  If this was going to happen, it might as well happen now.

She rambled, clunky words spilling out of her mouth and into the space between them. I intend on staying in the Shadewood for some time and resting, so long as you don't mind.  It seems your scent is strong here, so I do not want to offend you.  Best to be direct.  She licked her chops, grooming herself from the gore that smattered her deep pelt.

Although their size matched, she noticed that he was more elegant than her, rolling with English tongue and graceful moves.  She shifted uncomfortably, waiting for a reaction from the male, muscles gripped and tense — just in case.