The devil may cry

@Starling
A shadow slipped through the snow, delighting in the gathering darkness. Cold silver eyes, as frigid as the snow beneath them, gleamed in the night. Muzzle was stained red from a recent kill, and lingering traces of lust were still present in the brute.

Crescendo stopped when a light scent hit the male. Female. His favorite. The raven that Crescendo had acknowledged as his stalker was perched, stooped on a low lying branch. It's beady eyes stared at Crescendo before winging it's way over and perching on his back. Crescendo flicked his ear in recognition, and it settled into his thick fur. Silver eyes scanned for the female, wondering if she was nearby.

He would wait.

following her encounter with the pleasant male mordecai, starling had been in relatively good spirits. there were fox to chase, things to smell, mice to torture.. she had spent the rest of the afternoon happily indulging in these three things -- and when night fell she had sought refuge among the flatland's generous tussocks.

as it was, she was not incredibly shielded by the elements -- it was a balmy enough night that sleeping under the cloudy skies was without its share of unpleasant rain or inclemency. what she did not account for were other things -- things like her.

she awoke quite quickly when she heard someone about. her muzzle snapped up from the frozen grass and she listened, breath held as she scented a male about her. it didn't smell like mordecai, and starling had no interest in chancing a random encounter in the ominous dark of the night.

His paws were quick to take him to the female, who he towered over. Somehow, the raven had managed to stay on his back, though looked distinctively disgruntled. Oh, how perfect. A small, defenseless female lying on the ground, ripe for the taking. His eyes gleamed, and he strode confidently toward her.

"Hello, ma'am. May I comment on your beauty?" he was feeling a tad sophisticated tonight, and decide to be civil to the female for as long as he could. This could be a game, one to test his limps before he... No, don't tempt yourself, he scolded himself. He tried to appear as if it were perfectly ordinary for giant, handsome strangers to randomly flirt with strangers at twilight.

starling reclined in the copse of grass, hoping the wolf would pass her by. as it was, he didn't. she felt a sinking in her stomach but rose anyway, giving the male a wide berth as she did so. he was huge -- but most interesting was the raven that had come along for the ride with him. starling made no point in shielding her curiosity -- it reminded her of an alpha wolf she had met in the salvajes, though he too had turned out to be less than friendly.

sadly, starling was incredibly susceptible to flattery and as he commented on her lovely looks she offered a knowing and coy smile, turning her rosy cheeks to the side with feigned bashfulness. "you may." she deigned in response, fulling expecting a further battery of compliments regarding her winsome features.

So flattery was a go. he could have some fun with this, he thought gleefully. "I am truly honored to be in the presence of one of such immeasurable beauty. I have not seen any female who could best you, nor have I seen another half as refined as you. It seems that everything about you is perfect." With that little spiel, he bent down and gave her a light kiss on the cheek, then glanced away to hide the lust swirling in his eyes. As he did, the raven soared silently into the night. He turned back when he had his emotions in check.

"Forgive me, I did not mean to be so forward. It is just that it is impossible to resist you, my dear" So far, so good. He would have her yet.

LMAO crescendo u dog

starling practically squirmed with delight under crescendo's adulation, a smugness convalescing across her little muzzle as he issued lofty praise for her earthbound beauty. it was true, she was a beautiful thing -- it was not her fault she had been born so pretty. the gods had been good when they shaped her, giving her a svelte frame and structuring her with an appealing, pleasing countenance.

she was as pretty as she was stupid. it didn't even occur to the royal git that she was being played a fool -- she lapped up his accolades thirstily, as a queen would expect from her subjects. his kiss, however, she had not been expecting -- with surprise she reeled back and eyed him snobbily, unsure of his approach. "well, i'll say!" she hooted, fluttering her eyelashes at him as he retreated. "and what is your name, kind sir?"

Crescendo chuckled inwardly at her unexpected reaction. But he let nothing show on his face. "Ma'am, I am Lord of Darkness, but am more commonly known as Crescendo" He arched his back in a stretch before sitting beside the dark female. He ran his muzzle through her dark fur, silver eyes gleaming as he inhaled her scent. He made as if shocked, and inched away. "A thousand pardons ma'am, but as I said before... I can not resist your charm." "That is," he begun carefully after a short pause "If you want to be resisted." He would lay it on thick, then thicker. This was fun.

lord of darkness. starling couldn't say she favored that title.

when he sat next to her she felt quite at ease despite his thick flattery -- what perturbed her next was his contact. it was unwanted contact.

starling puffed up in the manner a sparrow would when offended, her plumage lifted and iridescent fur gleaming as she turned stiffly to him. she tried her best to ward him off by giving him quite a disapproving stare -not that it would do anything to stop him.

"you flatter me." she replied, articulating the well-groomed vocabulary she had been taught as a youth. "and what is a lord doing at night alone?" she hoped to steer him away from.. her -- and one thing she knew that set garrulous men into a state was talking about themselves.

Crescendo was sad. Not yet. But he would humor her, get her relaxed, and then...

"I am only exploring the surrounding territories, for my pack is powerful and looking to expand their mighty territory." the lie slipped out easily, same as the many others that had come before it. He suddenly bolted up and gazed into the trees, a low growl on his muzzle. A flicker of movement, a pair of eyes....
He wondered who had been watching. Hopefully, something he could kill.

the poor little dove fell tail-tip over paw for crescendo's veiled lie, her interest piqued by his mention of a powerful pack. she liked powerful packs -- more than anything, she liked power.

afterall, what type of princess would she be if she did not lustily seek the highest pinnacle?

her attention riveted to him, she couldn't help but interrupt. "powerful pack?" she interjected, clearly interested -- but before she could press forwards the male suddenly bolted upright as if disturbed by a monster in the woods.

this caused every hair on starling's little nape to lift -- with a yelp she practically leaped into his lap, expecting him to do the gentlemanly thing and protect her from whatever devil plagued the woodlands beyond.

Crescendo looked at the female cowering behind him, scared. To be honest, she wasn't his type. "My apologies, miss, for I must go kill whatever had the nerve to disturb us, and then return to my pack. have a nice night." With that he twisted, gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and leaped into the undergrowth. A few snarls and yelps later, he was gone, carrieing the limp body of a coyote in his jaws as he headed for home. It had been fun.