Otter Creek Beneath the mockery of the moon

wanderlust had taken hold of the girl, and while she still sought a great adventure that would take her around the Wilds, she thoughts that a brief one would do for now. She had set off south, toward the mountains- and was determined to cross them. For in the past she had visited the peaks, yet never had she seen the other side. and this she sought to do now, if only to see what, exactly, would be on the other side. 

she had departed early that morning, and now, as the first signs of dusk settled upon the land ripe with the warmth of spring, she found herself descending the opposite foothills a grin gripped her maw, though exhausted, she was pleased. the burbling of a river could be heard plainly over the slight whispering of the breeze, and there she would sate her thirst. but first, she reclined upon her haunches for a moment, catching her breath. she would find somewhere to rest, for a time, survey the flatlands she found herself in. 

With no one really paying attention to her, Nyx found that she was old enough to leave home alone. Never before had she gone away herself, despite her urges - she was too afraid for what would come after. She now knew that even if she stayed away for days, almost no one would notice; invisible to both parents and without real friends, the rest of Blackfeather would never bat an eyelid. This was alright; she had Damien and he was everything she needed to finally throw Mother off the throne.

She followed the river, crossing it to get closer to the mountains when she spotted her; a young girl, fairly close to home and simply sitting there. Astrid's smile wavered and her ears perked. An urge; she felt an urge to dispose of this girl whom she found prettier than herself. With her only a small trip away, Damien would maybe encounter her. Nyx couldn't let that happen.

She carried her speckled frame sneakily toward the other, wanting to go behind her instead of just ramming into her side. She did so with care and patience; steps quiet and out of the wind that raced over the land. Even if she were to be noticed, the girl looked rather tired and had probably wasted her stamina on whatever journey she was on.

blissfully unaware of the other was she, though there was a prickling down her spine that she did not quite know the meaning of. had she been older, more experienced, she may have known it as the eery sensation that something was amiss. but even if she had been aware of the other, she likely would not have paid her much mind. she lacked wariness, the girl, the kind that came with being far too secure for too long, with no semblance of the danger the world had the potential to carry.

Her eyes glazed over, the light that often twinkled in both eyes disappearing more and more with each passing minute as she crept closer. She'd take every inch of beauty from the pathetic girl; teach her not to come close to her home and Damien ever again. Nyx would get rid of the competition without mercy - not even considering the possibility that the girl and Damien might not even like each other. That didn't matter; the girl was pretty and needed to be punished for it.

Finally, she was close enough for a lunch and so she did - referencing the memories of her fight with her brother. She made almost no sound as she attacked. Attacking from the back did not seem challenging just yet - she shifted slightly to the side for comfort and went for just above her throat - near the base of her right ear. She hoped the shock would immobilize the young sprite so Astrid could do whatever she pleased.

the dull scrape of claws against earth, the sound of something having been thrust into motion directly behind her had the girl whip her head around suddenly. somehow, she was both too fast and not fast enough- reacting too slowly to have any hopes of countering an attack, yet whipping her head around just fast enough so that the fangs of the other pierced easily the soft skin of her cheek. pure shock and a bitter fear had her maw open in a soundless yowl, her body twisting away yet no counter offered. 

even if she had any knowledge of battle beside the rudimentary skills instinct lent her, she could not offer an attack. her muscles seized in fear, blue gaze wide, a horrible tightening in her chest as she wondered at a thousand things, most importantly why and how the black demon had suddenly appeared, and what of the screaming pain of her face.

She mumbled something that resembled "how dare you, Ipik" but it ultimately got lost in her pulling and maiming on the other's face. Her speckled frame tried to drape itself over the other's back, paws probably scratching her sides as Astrid tried to stay balanced. She tried to force the other on the ground, wanting to reach her face and... perhaps...

Yes! That was it! If the other couldn't speak, she'd never be able to try anything with her Damien! Pushing and her mouth filling with blood, she tried to get the other's mouth open for something that would soon be presented as a gift for her Forest King.

she was pushed toward the ground, a weight upon her back preventing her from rising. her heart raced as a rabbit might, pursued by a predator. there was nothing to focus on but the pain, that burned across her face, and fear that exploded through every nerve, urging her to flee yet holding her rooted in place. she had no time to consider the how or the why, rational thought abandoned. 

then something tried to force her jaws apart, and there was a confusing clatter of fangs on fangs as the other ultimately succeeded. there was a pressure, and then a wave of fear and pain that finally compelled her to flee, to flee and do nothing else. she ripped her head away, but more than that, there was a pulling of flesh and the absence of something in her maw. and then she did fight, with all the girl had, writhing and twisting and howling a shapeless sound, face awash in blood. the only thing she could do was get away.

Nyx was enraged by the other's beauty - by the possibility that she might entrance Damien and steal away the one she wanted more than her own sanity. What first had been a silent assassination of some sort had turned into a cluster of limbs and soft yet spine-tingling growls from the star-kissed Apaata. The strange thing was that Nyx didn't even wish for the other to die. She simply wanted her to be so deformed Damien wouldn't even think of talking to her. Not that she'd be able to talk back if it ever did happen though...

Before she knew it, she was atop the other and had wiggled her own muzzle into her maw. Something soft and rubbery dribbled some saliva into Nyx's mouth but she grabbed it. She hardly had to pull; the girl finally sprung into motion again and on both ends did they pull on her tongue. Ultimately, Astrid got the winning piece and the thing came out with blood and the scent of victory. Nyx's work was done...

She dodged the other's attacks the best she could, the girl's inexperience with this kind of thing making it fairly easy for the goddess of night. She would allow for the other to run, but would chase her for a slight duration (tongue dangling from her mouth) just for the heck of it.

perhaps later she would curse the fear that held her in place, but now that same fear lent fire to her paws. she ran, with thoughts for nothing else, only to get away. In the space of a few moments, the wraith of a girl had robbed her of much, robbed her of more than the girl knew. her writhing granted her escape, and then she ran- the knowledge that the girl lay on her heals urging her ever faster, mindlessly, lending everything she had to her paws, the urge them to travel faster, longer.

The deed had been done and that was all that mattered. Never again would the stranger even dare to come close to these parts of Teekon and Nyx was proud of herself. Damien would be hers even if she needed to maim the face off of every girl that came into his life. She sprinted behind the other for a while, making sure she would not stop and look around to see Nyx standing there with a smirk. After, she slipped back into the shadows of her kind and disappeared as fast as she had come. Back home would she go - tongue of the other still clamped tightly between two rows of bloodied teeth.