Sun Mote Copse Fitter, Happier, More Productive

For @Arunik'ra! Hunt roll is a 4!

When he had finally separated from Eshamun, she bid him hunt -- so hunt he did. He spent the rest of the day beyond where he and the sisters had come to rest, tracking the scent of a fox who had taunted him with his scent, yet left no other signs of his presence. It was a game of patience, but eventually, Khalba spotted movement within the brush -- a flash of red against the returning green. He set his exhausted limbs to moving and took off in pursuit.

The creature gave a harrowing chace, but in the end, the fox was not the victor. With a crack, it's neck snapped -- and after a few final twitches, it's body hung limp in Khalba's jaws. He dared not eat his kill now -- it would have been selfish to do as such.

With his fox in tow, he returned to the Sun Mote Copse just as the forest was enveloped in the dark cover of night. He took shelter beneath the trees, and laying the fox before him, he gnawed hungerly on one of its mangled forelimbs.

ty for starting!!

eshamun had returned; and while she was clean of pelt, arunik'ra knew she had fervently performed the ritual molech had demanded of her. arunik'ra was pleased to see eshamun so devout to completing molech's will; surely the many-tined god had great destinies laid out for them.

she needed chasteberries for their store if they were to perform their summer vigil, and as she swung beneath the wiry boughs she caught a glimpse of the man that had helped eshamun satisfy molech's hunger. if he was skilled enough, perhaps he had satisfied eshamun as well. arunik'ra did not hide the wry smile that stole across her muzzle, nor did she conceal the long stare in which she took in everything of ar-khalba's form.

He stirred to the sound of footfall; a twig snapping beneath the weight of someones's forepaw. Ceasing his gnawing, Khalba lifted his head from the fox to see the form of the priestess, illuminated in the flickering glow of the moonlight shining through the windswept tree branches. He squinted, unable to discern her stare.

While he lowered his head in respectful deference, a smile graced his features. He pushed the fox laying in front of him forward, a silent offering to the priestess.

as ar-khalba noticed he was being watched arunik'ra shifted, her stare softening. she had not yet discerned what he was eating, but the gesture was clear. with a silent flick of her tail the sunflare took position alongside him, lying in a supine position that suggested great familiarity between them. she was not ginger with the fox's remains -- in savage hunger she consumed it, white bone and dark gristle snapping between her slavering jaws.

He need not wait long for the priestess to accept his humble offer. It was a bittersweet thing, as the pain of hunger had taken to his belly, but the kill he had claimed did not belong to him. No, it belonged to Molech -- and by extension, it belonged to the priestess. She took to his side, laying face up as she took the offering in her jaws. 

Khalba scooted over just a tad, enough to give her proper space she deserved (and not to impede with his presence), but not enough to dispel the closeness between them. There were few he would allow himself this nearness with. The sisters were the only wolves he trusted -- and having nearly grown up with them, his bond to them was unshakable.

His stomach growled as he watched her eat, but he spoke nary a word. He would take the scraps when she had had her fill.

arunik'ra noticed the slight amount of space the male offered her. their closeness left her as content as the fox had; with a push of her limb the red priestess proffered the remains to ar-khalba. she had never possessed much of an appetite for flesh; at least, not of the consumable variety. she lifted her muzzle, sampling the gentle breeze that played through the copse. "a fine night as any, as molech would see it." arunik'ra commented, savoring the soft balminess of the air about them.

He tried to keep his eyes off the fox as she ate. In a way, he figured if it stayed out of sight his want would abate, but it remained constant in his periphery. Thankfully, it was not long until the priestess had finished taking what she wanted. The fox was then passed forth. With a smile, he expressed his gratitude before taking the fox in his jaws to tear away the scraps.

The silence of nightfall was broken by the sound of snapping bones. Like twigs, he broke them with haste to get to the rich marrow beneath. 

As he gnawed happily on the remains, the priestess spoke -- addressing him directly. He had never been the wordsy sort. Usually, he only spoke when spoken too. "It's pleasant," he said, slowing himself enough to speak. "Especially when the the heat of the day dies out." This cool breeze, it was surely a blessing from Molech. Sometimes, it was easy to find happieness in the little things.

arunik'ra closed her eyes, and in a way, in that gesture she had closed off an entire section of the world. she let the dark hum about her, felt the intensity of the night rise -- even the punctured snaps of bones and gristle seemed to gain new meaning in her committed and unseeing darkness.

it was interrupted when ar-khalba spoke, but arunik'ra did not mind. she opened her eyes, the roundness of her pupils slendering into harsh slits. "it is pleasant." the scarlet priestess conceded, crossing a single angular limb atop another. "do you know what else is pleasing, ar-khalba?" she cast him a wry glance, savoring the pause -- "doing one's duty." a disappointing way to end an inquiry that seemed like it was leading somewhere.. "have you done your duty with the ekar-aji?"

She agreed, though there was no reason not to, especially on an agreeable night such as this. By the time the priestess spoke, Ar-Khalba had stripped nearly every bit of meat that remained on the fox. Though there was nothing left for sustenance, he found enjoyment in gnawing on the bones that he had yet to break.

Without pulling away from the carcass, Ar-Khalba directed his gaze toward the priestess and lifted a brow. Quiet, yet intelligent -- he knew her question was rhetorical the moment it was spoken. He lifted a brow, waiting as she paused before filling in the gaps. His service, it was pleasing indeed.

He nodded his head in agreement. "There is nothing more satisfying than being of use, Priestess," he answered. Oh, how her mother had trained him well. "I have done as she asked, fulfilling my duty to Molech as a consort." It was a source of great pride to know he was serving his God though his actions, and it had been great fun for him as well. And when the time came for the Priestess to answer Molech's call, Ar-Khalba would serve without hesitation.

must be a rough life right? LMAO. last post for me with her but i will be starting a new thread for us shortly!

while her inquiry may have been awkward to some, it seemed simply natural to arunik'ra -- it was her deportment to know the clan was fulfilling their duties to molech. she simply nodded in rejoinder, pleased with his devout service to both eshamun and molech. when the time came, arunik'ra would call for his attending, and she had no doubt the male would comply.

she rose, a slim silhouette against the darkening sky. "good." the thin female supplied, making her leave. she would leave ar-khalba to his carcass, content he had performed his duty.

So hard :P.  I'll go ahead and get this archived!

She was pleased -- as would Molech when the time came to deliver a sacrificial litter unto the many armed God. The thought made him prideful; a rare feeling for a male such as he. He quickly quashed his pride away. Such a thing was sinful, and so, Khalba slipped behind a mask of humility. He nodded.

Soon, the priestess slipped away, leaving him behind to deal with the remains. He rose from the spot, leaving the broken bones to be strewn across the ground uselessly, but he took the head for himself. He carefully placed the head on the top of an ant mound; soon it would be made pure -- a proper offering to his God.

Now, he only needed time. He left his offering behind and trailed into the copse in search of a comfortable place to sleep.