be

I’d be the immediate forgiveness in Eurydice; Imagine being loved by me.

He can feel it like an ache in his bones; something unwelcome and better left forgotten, but persistent in its need. Like clockwork, almost, Fox's bloodlust is quite a regular but rare occurrence, and it's only one time out of the month that he's seized by the urge to kill something. But unlike many of his Ancient kin (Kiada included, as it happens), the hunter struggles hard with it, and truth be told, he probably leaves it a lot longer than necessary before admitting that it's time to go out and hunt.

All that is to say that he's very not-himself in the days leading up to that moment. This morning finds him with his hands braced against the cottage kitchen counter, hazel eyes shadowed by sleeplessness and hunger as he stares at the fine rain falling outside. Hissing out a soft curse under his breath and wondering if he might put off the inevitable by virtue of not wanting to go out in the bad weather, the hunter straightens and rakes a hand back through his hair, knowing it's no good.

Fox Sinclair

this is your sport

but she's not playing a game

Fox has never been one to be too excited about the blood lust, nor had she ever seen him actively enjoy it. It’s something she finds interesting given that he’s a monster hunter, but she supposes it boils down to duty over the act of enjoying it. It’s part of the reason why she loves him, even when he pushes it off and becomes a bit of a dick like this. She gets it.

She also comes prepared, because while Fox is busy cursing at the rain, Kiada’s stashed something away in their icebox, ensuring that it stayed frozen until the day came. She knew it was almost time, given how long it had been. “Hey grumpy gills.” She gently prods her greeting, coming into his view at his side and setting down a frozen and very much needing to thaw cake. “Happy BloodLust Day.” Paired with a gentle jazz hand for emphasis, the Harpy starts to reach for him instead. “This is your consolation prize for when we’re done.” Because yes, she’s absolutely coming with him.

do not think you are safe because you love her

do not think she won't stain her mouth red with your blood too

KIADA

I’d be the immediate forgiveness in Eurydice; Imagine being loved by me.

Fox's what the fuck did you just call me is tempered by the fact that this is Kiada and not some randomer out in the street, but his frown belongs on the face of some dark and brooding man, rather than the hunter she wakes up alongside. The expression does fade a fraction - in confusion if nothing else - at the sight of the cake, and an arm moves automatically around her as she reaches for him.

"I see you have had this planned," he says dryly, drawing her up against his chest and letting his eyes flick to the weather outside again; any hopes he's had of putting this off have been well and truly buried by Kia's consolation prize. "I suppose this means we should be on our way, doesn't it?"

Fox Sinclair

this is your sport

but she's not playing a game

“Of course I do.” She hums, moving quite willingly into his open embrace, pressing herself up against his warm chest. “You have tells.” She says, poking him in the chest lightly and with the sweetest most saccharine smile she has. Her arms wind around his middle and she starts to walk him back once he makes his okay, taking him toward the door to slip their raincoats on, before she takes his hand.

“Do you have a place in mind or whatever we find closest?” Kiada was more of an equal opportunist, but she would do whatever Fox wanted, and would do so quite gladly. The rain outside still pours and there’s a chill in the air that their rain jackets thankfully brace against, and with their fiery shifts she hopes they’ll hear up quickly.

Either way, she intends to make it worth his while.

do not think you are safe because you love her

do not think she won't stain her mouth red with your blood too

KIADA

Your leg, ahh! It’s caught in a bear trap some quicksand moss! Quickly you sink in up to your knee as what you had thought to be just a patch of dry moss begins to slowly devour you. If you aren’t freed in about 30 minutes, you’ll lose the leg.

You’ve encountered Quicksand Moss! It should be fairly easy to escape from, though you might experience lingering pain or swelling in your leg.

Quicksand Moss - Quicksand moss has the appearance of dead moss, although in reality, this brown colour is due to it consuming animals instead of sunlight. It grows anywhere a regular moss or lichen would, but grabs any creature foolish enough to come near and quickly digests them.

I’d be the immediate forgiveness in Eurydice; Imagine being loved by me.

"Yeah. Sorry..." Fox at least manages a wince at that, knowing his own dour mood (and sleepless nights, and raw food diet) are absolutely not the best way to deal with something that's altogether inevitable. He'll work through it properly one day, he promises.

Not today though, apparently.

Nevertheless, it's with a resigned sigh that he accepts Kiada's coaxing, shrugging into his coat and drawing the hood up, ready to head out into the increasing downpour to find something that will help him to feel better.

Only it appears that, not one single step out the door, and something is already out to fuck him off even more. "What the fuck--" Fox blurts as they sink into the quicksand moss. One of his hands is still braced against the doorframe, allowing him to use it as leverage to yank his leg free, but he's none too fucking pleased about it.

"Are you fucking kidding," he growls, shaking out his leg and reaching to the side of the door for a shovel he's propped against the outside of the building. Even as the rain begins to drum on the back of his coat, he's shovelling up the patch of moss and promptly YEETing it away from their immediate path.

Fox Sinclair

this is your sport

but she's not playing a game

They nearly make it completely unharmed and on their way, before their feet sink into the quicksand moss and Fox is already pulling himself out and the Harpy uses him like a fence post to crawl herself out of. She manages to keep her shoe and gather her composure despite looking like she wanted to breathe fire, she softens to see him rage about the quicksand and cheers a little squeak of sound of appreciation. “My hero.” She gushes, despite knowing it wouldn’t land well.

Once it’s taken care of and the moss is gone, she scouts the area quickly as the rain drenches her hair, dripping as she tugs him along into the rain, heading straight for the forest line. “Let’s take it out on something, yeah?” She asks, already feeling the rage burn within her as she lets him go to shift, turning into that fiery crocodile, rain steaming along her back where it hits against the heat.

do not think you are safe because you love her

do not think she won't stain her mouth red with your blood too

KIADA

I’d be the immediate forgiveness in Eurydice; Imagine being loved by me.

Kiada's hero is still glaring out into the rain with his mighty shovel in hand, and he grumbles his way to returning the weapon tool against the side of the house, before locking up and falling into step beside her. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea," he mutters, and at least his sour mood has a direction now, distracting him from what has to happen next. Kiada is the first to shift, a reptilian figure hissing and steaming its way into the forest line, and Fox is soon to follow.

The fyrhund's paws hit the grass and the mud with ease, and he quickly picks up his pace to lope through the trees after her, snout lowered, body sizzling where the rain hits it. It doesn't take long to pick up on an encouraging scent, either, and he slinks through the woods with little else on his mind, until up ahead, one of the first luxere of late Leafchange is grazing in the rain.

Fox Sinclair

this is your sport

but she's not playing a game

She doesn’t know if she’s ever seen his shift, and she’s acutely aware of it as she starts to guide them through the forest line. She takes the lead until he figures out just what to chase after with that bloodhound-like nose of his, whereas she was more akin to being like a shark. If there was blood in the water, she was already on her way there. As it stands, it’s her turn to follow him as he starts shifting the path, the Lial darkening and wilting plants in her path as her stomach drags against the lush growth of leafchange.

She spots it right after he does – the glowing figure of the first luxere of the season to be grazing amongst the grasses. Now, Kiada has satisfied her bloodlust not too long ago and she isn’t out of her mind enough to charge ahead before he does. No, instead, she watches it with a hint of sadness, given that suddenly the sight of such a creature reminds her of Auni, and her heart lurches a bit with the memory.

It's enough of a distraction and faltering that Fox will get to dive in first, while she reminds herself that the Luxere that had once been her companion was certainly not this one – nor related to this one – and was hopefully still living a wonderful life somewhere with Chuy.

do not think you are safe because you love her

do not think she won't stain her mouth red with your blood too

KIADA

I’d be the immediate forgiveness in Eurydice; Imagine being loved by me.

With no Attuned bond between them, Fox is oblivious to Kiada's reluctance, or the nostalgia that paints her thoughts a softer colour. No, he's entirely focused - as is his bloodlust - on the doe in the distance, the pulse jumping gently at her throat, the glow of her antlers. Crouching low in the wet grasses, the hiss of rain against the hot stone of his fyrhund hide is the only real clue as to his presence, but even that is lost in the downpour.

When Fox strikes, it's fast and its brutal, a gout of fire erupting from his parted jaws as he leaps away into the undergrowth. Spooked and singed by the sudden attack, the doe turns to try and leap away, but the fyrhund is on her before she gets more than a few steps, tearing into her flesh and feasting well before she's taken her last breath.

Fox Sinclair

this is your sport

but she's not playing a game

She watches, still faltering, still stuck in her thoughts until Fox lunges and goes after the creature. The doe spooks and Fox is quickly on her heels, and only when the blood is tainting the air with iron does the lial move.

She’s slower than he is and she’s pretty sure it’s almost dead by the time the crocodilian creature noses her way in against its flank, biting on the flesh there to pull from the bones. Each strip is swallowed down her gullet, careful to ensure that Fox gets the majority.

All the while she tries to let her mind go from what they’ve attacked, she’s sure that between the two of them, the doe is far gone and hopefully the sweetness of the cake is enough to soothe the burn left behind mentally.

do not think you are safe because you love her

do not think she won't stain her mouth red with your blood too

KIADA

I’d be the immediate forgiveness in Eurydice; Imagine being loved by me.

The growl that erupts from the fyrhund's throat at the approaching lial is feral at best, but only as some vestige of sanity takes hold does he make room for her at the doe. Fox feasts until the white of bone is bared to the sky and the doe's pelt looks like rags, and no sooner does he finish when he shifts back, panting and covered in blood.

"Fuck," he hisses softly, spitting out crimson onto the wet earth and trying to wipe at his mouth with hands that are too coated red to make a difference. His expression as he looks over the mostly eaten luxere is one of near shame, and he shakes his head. "Fuck. It didn't need to die like that."

A clean death would have been one thing, but being literally eaten alive? If he didn't know that he'd need to do this all over again, it would have made him sick.

Fox Sinclair

this is your sport

but she's not playing a game

They feast and feast until sated and only then does the lial come to terms with it, especially in the face of the bloodied man that shifts back into himself, having a crisis of his own. Everything of her own feelings on the matter get put on the back burner, the Harpy shifting back and equally covered in blood, moves to tentatively wrap her arms around his back, pressing her cheek against his shoulder.

“It’s okay, Fox.” She says gently, clearing her throat softly. “It’s just nature, right? No different than how a wolf would take one down.” Something that occurs quite often in Halo time after time, but she doesn’t mention that tidbit, sure that he already knows. But she understands how hard it is. If it were anything other than a luxere she might have not understood it so deeply.

do not think you are safe because you love her

do not think she won't stain her mouth red with your blood too

KIADA

I’d be the immediate forgiveness in Eurydice; Imagine being loved by me.

It isn't okay, but Fox doesn't say that. Leaning gently back into her embrace, the hunter's gaze never leaves the fallen luxere, even if a calloused and bloody hand comes up to cover Kiada's as her arms twine around him. "I suppose so," he murmurs, though he imagines that a wolf doesn't feel the same churning in its stomach or bone deep guilt. Clearing his throat and doing his best to swallow back his feelings, Fox glances back to the harpy.

"Do you mind if I meet you back at the cottage?" he asks softly, his voice almost swallowed up in the rain. "I just want to..." He nods at the carcass. "I don't feel right, leaving it out in the open like this." And maybe a little bit of time to himself - and some hard labour - will make him a little more pleasant to be around.

Fox Sinclair