[I dream in darkness. I sleep to die.]

[Sheera]

The trickle of the stream and the occasional splash of a fish was all that could be heard at first listen. If one were to listen more closely, the sound of the shallow breaths of a young creature in the shadows of a nearby den could be followed to the sight of a more-than-overly-disturbed-looking she wolf. Sleeping, as she may be, her whimpers, shallow breathing, and series of twisted facial expressions hinted at the terrors flashing through her slumbering mind. The unsettling sight continued to war on in the young she wolf’s mind for several uncomfortable minutes until, finally, the dreamer was put at ease by an unusually loud splash of a fish.
Tylani’s dark blue eyes opened, her ears still hearing the pleasured voice of a now faceless brute. She adjusted her curled up body into the sphinx position and calmed her breathing to a silent, natural pattern. Surveying the surrounding area with not only her eyes but her scent glands and acute hearing, as well, Ty quickly erased the emotions and memories triggered by the night terror. All was quiet, excluding the natural sounds of the world, as Ty pushed herself to a sit, checked the area one last time, and padded out of the den, her mind, strangely, already serene.
Her young form unusually small as a result of her premature birth; she had slept in a den that many wolves would have found to be cramped and uncomfortably small. Now, having left the den, she shook out her fur, creating her daily illusion of a more-average size, and surveyed the area for any type of potential threat. It seemed no one was in the near area, so she padded up to the stream, stepped in with her front paws and pushed her whole body in with her back paws. Immediately, after she dipped under the water for less than three seconds, her small size was emphasized.
She swam down the river for quite a while, enjoying the refreshment. After dipping her head under one last time, she paddled to the bank of the river and regained ground. Her dark, charcoal fur clang to her unusually small build and her skeletal, meatless body gave a very loud hint that she couldn’t have been the best eater around. Scarred over teeth marks were apparent around her throat and sketched into the thin scruff of her neck. Ugly, deeply carved scars were apparent on her prominent hipbones.
She sat, panting heavily from the effort of swimming and the lack of food, her sides heaving. She was a beautifully disturbing sight; emaciated to the bone but nicely structured and beautifully layered in soaked, charcoal fur. Her eyes were shining a lovely baby blue color in the early sunlight, making her unhealthy state seem less frightening. She didn’t even bother to check the area as she lowered herself to a sphinx position and rested her delicate head on her paws; a large part of her life was looking for food, not finding a sufficient amount, and then sleeping so she would have enough energy to look for food, later. She sighed, not feeling any sadness towards her pitiful state or unfulfilling life; she knew no different, how could she expect anything more?

[.Rabid Lycan.]

A blaze of gold pierced through the fragile fabric of leafy canopies that hung far above. Nettles and dew-soaked daisies blossomed along the winding path of churned gravel and shriveling leaves, their outgoing petals permitting a preview for the early passerby. But not every creature was as keen to stop and drink in the splendor that the summer dawn had to offer.
And even the serenity of the morning sun could not hope to conceal the reek of foul intentions.
Stamping heavily on an unsuspecting flower, the ebony sheen of fur bristled with indignation. The rank odor of humiliation had faded since the previous week, but it still left a sore taste on his tongue. Digging dual claws into the ground, his sickles shifted the earth, eyes cold with restrained rage.
No matter.
Wandering along the gentle curves and bends of the waterway, his orbs turned to observe the gentle shimmering of water. The glassy complexion, like liquid crystal—so calming. He halted in his pacing, the ease of self-control once more slipping under his grasp.
That is, until a scent reached his attention.
Wavering for a moment, the brute immediately set off in the direction of the aroma. It was not prey, but a wolf. But the distinction was decidedly inconsequential.

[Sheera]

An alien sound, an alien scent. the alarms went off, immediately, in her resting mind.
In a split second, Ty was to her paws. Her vision blurred as her weak body reacted to her sudden, quick movement. She willed herself to keep her face from becoming good friends with the earth beneath her. After her vision had cleared, she focused on finding the source of the unsettling stink. Her eyes shining a light blue hue, she faced the direction in which she felt the unwanted noise and scent was streaming from.
Remembering her soaked fur, she quickly shook out as much water as she could, attempting to fluff out her coat to enhance her size. She had no time to allow the air to drink the water from her fur, she had to make peace with the fact that she was about to face a potentially dangerous stranger looking her smallest.
Facing the direction of the sound and scent, Ty sat, ears twitching, looking lazily interested in the coming wolf.

[.Rabid Lycan.]

The pace quickened, the rhythm of his swaying limbs in sync with the idle rise and fall of his shoulder blades. His frame was not delicate, but not of the heavy build that his family was infamous for. He was not short, but not tall. Thin, but not too thin. His glossy coat shimmered with every bound, but his eyes were the most intimidating—cold, icy. Above all, calculating.
It was not long before the gaze rested on the figure emerging from the surrounding shrubbery. Slowly, the male slowed, studying the female even before he brought himself to a halt. Size, possible age, position, site of pressure points.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“Good morning.”

[Sheera]

The scent washed over her, stronger now, warm as she inhaled it. The wolf, the scent revealing his gender, was getting closer and quickly, too. Normally, a female with absolutely no ability to fight back in her unhealthy state would have made an attempt to flee; one with cautiousness and fear would have turned tail and ran; or leaped into the water and followed the stream; or something other than sit there and allow this possibly sick, violent male to strut right up to her waiting form.
Instead of holding fear and cautiousness, Ty only showed lazy interest and false welcoming towards the brute who appeared. She surveyed him, not really looking for anything in particular. She let her emotionless eyes meet his cold, icy gaze, taking in his words.
"Good morning. What can I do for you?" her voice was dull, her eyes switched from emotionless to calm. Body relaxed, Ty waited to hear the brute's response, not quite noting his could-be intimidating eyes, or at least not letting it sway her.

[.Rabid Lycan.]

His breathing slowed, the inhales and exhales of his laboring lungs soothed by some imaginary promise of harmony and redemption. That warm, euphoric promise. He blinked slowly, noting her response. Not fearful, no. Calm, tranquil. Not confidence, but certainly not terror, so far as he could distinguish. And he find that disturbingly attractive.
One step. One lunge. All he needed was to abandon all knowledge of right and wrong, all notions of justice and spite—he could be just like his brother, his father, his family. A coldblooded murderer, or a hot-blooded fiend and scourge of the innocent. Either way, the very suggestion of blood lust carried with it an oddly comforting wave of power. Sweet release.
This fae was not Sanceul. She was not an exception. She was his for the taking.
He blinked slowly, and remained still.
“Just passing through, thank you. Having a bit of sport—hunting, you know. I figured I would follow the river for a while, what with the heat lately. Never know when a little cool down would be in handy, isn’t that right?” He paused. “What are you doing out here, miss?”

[Sheera]

She flicked water off of her ears, taking in his words. This wolf wasn't in a rush to leave her to her lonesome as many wolves "passing through" were. Light blue eyes blank, she stared through him instead of at him. She wasn't one to make conversation and she didn't intend to, either, but here he was barking about the weather and what-not. She focused her eyes and put a dash of interest in there to give her a little charm.
"Indeed," she said in a firm tone.
She let her eyes stray off to the river and its gentle flow and smiled at it, her ivory teeth staying hidden behind her charcoal lips. She let a few moments of natural silence go by before she answered his question.
"Well, I was taking a recreational swim," she stated, lifting a paw and flicking water off of it, "and, I am just about to go out hunting."
Don't wolves know not to talk to strangers? her tail twitched as she thought this to herself but she kept her stance calm and intrigued.

[.Rabid Lycan.]

Just reach out and touch her. Just a bite. That warm pulse of blood beneath her skin; it could be yours. You deserve it. You want it, and deserve it. You’ll feel better once you get this over with. No one will come after you. There’s no one around. Even if they did, you know wolves. You know a lot of wolves. Or maybe don’t kill her. Just the mission. Focus on the mission. She’d thank you for it. You know she would. It’s all okay. Okay.
He shifted a small step back, glancing toward the nest of thickets that bordered the stream. “Nice a day as any for a swim, I suppose. But what a pleasant coincidence. I scented deer, probably a small herd, a couple miles in that direction. I know it may sound odd to say this, but… would you like to accompany me? Deer are especially difficult to bring down without a pack; we could both get in a meal and separate from there, if you’re uncomfortable. And, erm, if I may say so,” he turned his gaze toward her for a moment, offering a small smile, “you look famished.”

[Sheera]

Sounds suicidal. Awesome.
She stood up and shook the loose water from her coat then sat once more. Tilting her head, she gave him a blank look. She sniffed the air, not really searching for anything in particular but adding to the silence that followed his offer. She didn't feel fear, no, fear was for the weak and dead. She felt the need to be away from this wolf, not out of fear, but out of her need for aloneness and her hatred of companionship. She bent her head apologetically, her ears flipping backwards, but her eyes remaining blank.
"Thank you for your offer but the taste of deer makes me gag, I really must decline," she said in a simply serious voice.
I wonder if I've ever had deer, thoughts of the many bloodied, unidentifiable carcasses she's eaten from floated through her mind.
"But, in any case, I really must be going; I have many-a-rabbits to kill," she concluded, her voice all business.

[.Rabid Lycan.]

His skull tilted at an angle, eyes narrowing yet another imperceptible amount. A faux hurt of sorts entered his eyes, dimming the blue of his gaze. “Are you positive? Really, I would have to…” He froze, pupils shifting quickly to the top of his skull. A light breeze had ruffled his coat, carrying with it the dim promise of yet another arrival.
It was a familiar one, this time.
Now?
He swallowed, nodding slowly. “…very well, if that is your decision. Farewell, then.” He brushed past her, resuming his calm stride down the river’s edge. But the odor haunted him. Yet, all the same , it wasn’t entirely unwelcome.
I needed to vent.

Elsewhere, a massive brute ghosted his way through the brush, on the prowl for flesh and not particular of the provider. He blinked, lacking subtlety in his movements and intentions. With the aged gray of his muzzle and the exhaustion in his lungs, the demon was no doubt a shadow of his former self.
And yet, lust for thrill beckoned Mephisto onward into the woods, the gurgling of some nearby river a pleasant sound.

[Sheera]

Ty's eyes glazed as he left, her aloneness soon to be restored. She pushed the thought of feasting on a meaty deer into the back of her mind. Her paws told her to go the other direction. Before she could let her paws guide her away from potential danger, her stomach twisted as if someone had ripped it apart from the inside. An overwhelming roaring in her ears caused a whimper to escape her jaws. She thrashed her head violently trying to rid herself of the pain. Her vision was painted black as the pain throbbed on and the roaring grew louder.
"Oh fuck, not again, not now..." she whimpered, trying to fight the effects of her emaciation. She thrashed her head one last time and fell to the earth, lying on her side, her ribcage heaving with her breath.
The rebellion of her body had only lasted less than a minute but not without making her whimper and scream like a helpless pup. She remained still on the heated earth, aside from her heaving sides, eyes strained, trying to clear the remainder of the ink out of her vision.
Once her vision was clear, she curled into a tight circle and gnawed at her stomach, willing it to stop feeling pain, promising she would feed herself, later. Her ears pinned tightly against the back of her head as she muttered curses that sounded quite foreign.

[.Rabid Lycan.]

By some unforeseeable whim of the moment, the twin sapphires shifted their gaze over his shoulder for a final glance at the fae. To his surprise, the stoic female of moments previous had shriveled into a burdened, pain-ridden shape melting into the earth.
Lucifer halted his advances, watching in a sort of transfixed wonder. Confused, sure. Not quite entertained, either. Just curious. Slowly, the brute shouldered his way toward the collapse wolf, studying her with sharper intensity. For a moment, the alarming stench augmenting on the breeze could be ignored.
Quick.
“Are you alright, miss?”

Mephisto, his potential targets downwind, had not yet noticed his company. Slowly, he ambled through the trees, slow yet powerful steps leading him toward the rushing of water.

[Sheera]

"Ta gueule!--" she quieted her foreign curses as she was startled by a familiar voice, "excusez-moi..." she apologized, lifting her head to view the return of the wolf she had only met within a few minutes ago. Her gaze was glazed as she focused on his chest. She narrowed her eyes, slightly, then pushed herself to a lazy sitting position.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to startle anyone. Just a slight bellyache, I suppose," she explained slowly, her voice serious, "do you still need a hunting partner?"
She narrowed her eyes, biting her lip in frustration;
Companionship is weakness. In one way or another, this is a suicide attempt.
She caught a new scent on the breeze; one she had not distinguished from this brute in front of her. She stared in the direction of the scent in frustration; how many fucking wolves lived in this damned world?

[.Rabid Lycan.]

Despite the stinging irritation that crept along his spine, Lucifer’s maw bore a rather gentle grin at her suggestion. Bowing his head in a slow nod, he managed to lend a voice to his thoughts. “A hunting partner would be perfect, my nameless lady.” A momentary anxiety settled about his body, the augmenting scent of his father steadily obstructing his concentration.
He cleared his throat. “It’s just this way, when you’re ready… unless you need help walking, or anything?”
How am I going to do this? It’s such an inconvenient opportunity.

[Sheera]

Oh-ho-ho, look who's going on a suicide mission. an amused voice giggled in her mind.
Oh-ho-ho, the same wolf who doesn't give a shit. she growled in return.

She gave a smile then pushed herself to her feet. Her eyes were distant as she balanced on her paws, her limbs shaky. Ignoring the vertigo that threatened to pull her back down, she shook her head and took three uneven steps, refusing the offer.
"Now, what kind of hunting partner would I be if I couldn't even walk on my own?" her eyes glittered with amusement as she took a step towards him to semi-prove her point.
Her fur was now only wrapped in a dampness, her emaciated form now hidden by her voluptuous coat. She shook out her fur to further her size illusion.
"Ah, we are both nameless at this point. Introductions, anyone?" her voice was blunt, but, sprinkled with playfulness, it should not have been offensive.