Growing roses in the disarray

Firelight roared into view only seconds before a familiar feline shape parted through the hedges on the opposing time. The boar's squeal drew Pixiu's attention, and had he been a younger man not quite so school in the ways of temperance and restraint, he'd have sailed through the fire itself if it meant reaching the pig before his counterpart. Now, a man much older and with far too much blood on his hands, he slunk forward with his wings spread just in case Maea's attack missed and the boar tried to flee.

Wrong on both accounts, it was with a snarl that Remi finally did lunge forward, though not to Maea's aid. She was more than strong enough to shake off a few bruised ribs if the boar had managed to do that much, and from experience the Bastion knew that there was nothing that softened the ache of pain better than revenge upon the creature who had caused it.

Fanning down his wings now that the had slightly more room, he launched himself into the air meaning to land on the other side of the boar. Opening his jaws wide, Remi roared at the creature and spread his wings again, wanting to buy his counterpart time to get back on her feet.

the bastion

Maea

And I only needed one more touch
Another taste of devouring rush

Had she known of Remi's faith in her ability to take care of herself, Maea might have wept for joy. It was more credit than she gave herself most days. She proved him right soon enough too. The ferocious roar and the arrival of a new threat from above had the boar dodging to the side, then darting towards the path that Maea had just come from.

She snarled and rolled back onto her paws, and leaped at the rump of the animal as it passed her by. Digging her claws in deep, she hung on and bit down onto the thick hide, savage pleasure flooding her senses at the pained squeal it gave off. While she was heavy and did her best to topple the prey over, she was still dragged a good number of feet before they came to a halt just by the row of hedges. Wobbling, writhing, eyes glazed over with pain and fear and death angst.

But the tiger held on. And slowly, as its strength flowed into the grass along with the spilled blood, the boar went down, and did not rise even as Maea pounced, closing her teeth around the thick throat. She stayed like that long after life had fled from the animal; adrenaline mixing with the bloodlust in a near trance that erased all thoughts from her mind.

It could almost be called peaceful.

But the room was so quiet
Whose side am I on?

Base by Skylark, Art by Midjourney

Watching Maea hold herself against the pig with all the approval of father teaching his offspring to hunt, only when the boar's strength began to flow in tandem with the blood flowing from its sides did Remi advance forward. The growl that reverberated from the back of his throat was as close as he could come to a purr in this form, and now that he wasn't in possession of a tail capable of inflicting death, the leonine creature let his tail sway back and forth with rhythmic approval.

That he was the more powerful of the two was not reason enough to help himself to what unarguably was Maea's kill, and so while the bright coppery-tang of blood already had his mouth watering and his claws itching to sink into the boar's thick flesh, still he patiently waited for the tigress to come to in her own time and allow him in.

the bastion

Maea

And I only needed one more touch
Another taste of devouring rush

The politeness was much appreciated, and spared them both a lot of snarling and posturing. It was not much longer before she had convinced herself that the boar really was properly dead. At that point the chewing began, and she shifted aside to let Remi join her in the ripping and tearing, munching and licking that ensued.

Her approach to the whole sating of bloodlust affair was probably a bit different from most of her kin. Never letting it rise above a certain point, but also never sating it fully - so that the simmering was a constant, even itch at the back of her mind. If it was always there, she always felt it. Would never be surprised, never be overwhelmed and lose control. It took no small amount of self-control to keep it that way; but it was so much better than succumbing the the darkness of some of the impulses it awoke.

A side effect was of course that she wasn't overly hungry. Sooner rather than later, once the immediate desire was quenched, the tigress settled into the grass to clean her paws, leaving the majority of the kill to her more seasoned companion. She'd had plenty of fun doing the hunting; it pleased her to be able to share something with a friend in such a simple, uncomplicated way.

But the room was so quiet
Whose side am I on?

Base by Skylark, Art by Midjourney

if you need to, darling, lean your weight to me

With his claws pressing into the soft soil as he patiently waited, when Maea did give him the all-clear to approach, Remi would leave behind deep grooves in the earth as a testament to just how unnatural waiting came to him in this particular body. Helping himself to a bit of the boar's thigh, the pixiu's teeth scored away its flesh as his tongue helped to clean the remaining sinew from its bones. Though Remi had no bloodlust per se to satisfy, there was something wildly primal within that quieted and softened with every blood-soaked bite of meat.

Though Maea was smaller than he was, still Remi judged that she'd abandoned the kill rather early. Wondering if perhaps that was simply for his benefit, the pixiu forced himself back a few paces, where beast gave way to man.

Seemingly unbothered by the blood coating his arms, mouth, and neck, Remi leaned against one of the hedges with a satisfied sigh. "Mmmm. That was very good." He murmured softly, his accent morphing the words nearly as much as his bloody lips were. Tilting his head back and breathing deeply, he closed his eyes and nodded vaguely toward the remainder of the boar. "I can help you bring that back to the Grounds if you like."

we'll float away

Maea

And I hope that you don't suffer
But take the pain

Still licking blood from her fingers, Maea shifted back and felt the smaller form constrict around her meal. A little dazed and more relaxed than she had been in a long time, she smiled lazily at Remi.
"Mmmmh, agreed. Fun chase, too. I actually enjoyed it." A revelation, another step taken on the path towards acclimatizing; it felt good.

Casting a glance at the remains of the boar at Remi's offer, she considered only a moment before nodding.
"It would be a shame to waste so much food. I would be grateful." Reaching out to squeeze a bloody hand with less hesitation than last time, she hoped her gratitude would come across. "Thank you. I'm glad we could do this."

It might be a while before she was able to stand and move. It didn't matter though; whether in shifted silence or quiet conversation, the night was promising to continue just as pleasantly as it had begun.


{FIN}

Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay