[RQ] Earn the stripes

Maea

Waking from the dream
Witnessing the smoke that's rolling in

The best way to get used to unfamiliar things was, in Maea's experience, to repeat them over and over until they became familiar. The taste of blood, the ability to shift, all the instincts of the tiger and the simmer of bloodlust like an ache behind her eyes that ebbed and flowed; all of these were things to accustom herself to. An answer to her biggest problem - the risk of starting to hunt people - was to simply never let the bloodlust overcome her sanity. That in turn meant regular hunts for smaller prey, which in turn required a steady, slow simmer that made her slightly more on edge than normal, slightly more fond of raw meat and far less anxious about sating her needs. It was not a perfect solution, but it would do for now.

Stalking rabbits at the outskirts of Jack Tar Landing also proved a good way to pass the time while waiting for her guest to arrive. Armed with her throwing disc and decent amounts of patience, she prowled the dry hills with the wind tousling her hair and little thought about anything except the present. It was almost relaxing; and when a careless rabbit poked out of its burrow, she quickly felled it with a throw of the Lasracha.

Chewing her meal slowly from a high perch on a rocky outcropping, she tried not to think too much about what she must look like in that moment. Better to focus on the brilliant sunlight, and the vastness of the southern horizon, and how the ocean waves crested as they fled the strong winds. A scent of brine was in the air; soon enough that wind would start to cool as seasons turned. Strange, how quickly time passed. It felt like it was only yesterday she met Vi's demi-god for the first time.

The end is what you fear
The scent of embers lingers in the air