I'm where the spiders go

so give me your prayers up on your feet
and i'll give you a show, it helps fill the seats

The beautiful thing about the Black Lake was that on the way there, one steps through civilization only to be inundated by trees and forestry and all the creatures that thrived within it. At this present moment, given that it’s Longheat and the sun is already staring to wane toward a sunset, bathing the world in warm golds, the glint of something blue traversing through the shade captures the butcher’s gaze. A bloatbeetle, it looks like, but Asta isn’t that interested in getting wet from water if they were to tackle this particular fauna.

Regardless, he looks toward Danta with a raise of his brow, as if unsure if that would possibly satisfy the Maverick’s hunger. Personally speaking, he doesn’t think it to be enough, but perhaps if they go the way the bloat beetles had come from, they might be able to find something bigger. Like an Allogator or a deer, perhaps. “I suppose we could always wash up after if we find another one of these?” He suggests, before he’s leaning forward and tilting toward the path it had come from, tail twitching behind him like he’s a pointer dog catching a scent. “I could try to convince a deer to pull away from its herd?” With the one lingering under his skin, he might stand a good chance at guiding one toward Danta.

Astaroth

so give me your sins, give me your lies
but whisper your love, and i'll whisper mine

// sun comin' up on a dream come around //

Danta is already wrinkling his nose towards the bloat beetle, as if to tell Asta right away that it's not really what he's craving. In truth he should really be craving anything to take away the sting of bloodlust in his veins, but hey, if he's going to briefly lose his mind, it may as well be on something tasty. Lingering a few feet from Asta as he scouts the path, Danta's hands are in his pockets and his eyes on the sky, the sunset soaking him in hues of gold and amber.

"No, I want to hunt with you today," he says softly, kicking at a pebble underfoot. He doesn't want to stand around and wait for Asta to rush some prey animal at him; he wants to feel a part of it. Slinking up behind the butcher to wind his arms around his middle, Danta lets out a long sigh and buries his face against the other man's back, closing his eyes to consider their hunt.

"Maybe a pack of wolves. Or a bear," he says, smiling into Asta's shirt. "Though deer would be easier, I'll admit."

Dantalion

// one hundred years from the empire now //

so give me your prayers up on your feet
and i'll give you a show, it helps fill the seats

It has been a long while since he’d hunted by foot, but the prospect of it with the Maverick at his side is one that he very much is interested in, even before the other Ancient wraps his arms around him and presses against his back. He sinks into the touch and hums a note of agreement, his arms lifting to rest along the strong arms that keep him close. Dully aware of the space Danta presses his head into his back, the butcher relaxes even more to feel him return back to normal in the time it took them to get to this spot.

“A bear sounds perfect to sink our teeth into.” Abandoning the idea of the deer nearly immediately, despite how easily it would be to snag one, the butcher seems more than willing to scout however long it took to find one of the bears that roamed the forests here.

He twists slightly, tail brushing against the outside of his lover’s leg, arm hooking around the Maverick’s shoulders as he shows a little bit of his own flexibility. “Now, if I were a bear… where might I be?” He asks the rhetorical question, already taking a step to pull Danta with him into the shadows of the canopies, perusing for any dens that might be near enough for a bear to be bumbling around within.

Astaroth

so give me your sins, give me your lies
but whisper your love, and i'll whisper mine

// sun comin' up on a dream come around //

"Yeah?" Unable not to smile as he peeps over Asta's shoulder, the idea of hunting a bear seems ever more tempting now that he knows the other man is on board. "Well, what are we waiting for?" Nothing at all, as it happens, Danta tucking himself all too easily against his lover's side as they march into the undergrowth, the Maverick tucking his hand into Asta's back pocket.

Where indeed would a bear be in these woods? "We're goin' on a bear hunt," Danta half whispers, his words playful and sing-song. "We're gonna catch a big one."

He draws away from Asta so he can prowl properly through the branches, ducking under low boughs and peeking around trunks. "A forest! A big dark forest. Can't go over it, can't go under it, we've got to go through it."

Which is about when the bear does appear, charging through the undergrowth with a roar and causing Danta to have to throw himself to the ground, rolling to get out of its way.

Well then.

Dantalion

// one hundred years from the empire now //

so give me your prayers up on your feet
and i'll give you a show, it helps fill the seats

What are they waiting for? It’s a good question that immediately has them moving into motion - the butcher slipping his arm around Danta’s shoulders as they pick the path deeper into the forest. The canopy filters the sunlight into a golden green haze that encompasses the heat of Longheat. Birds flit through the branches above, diving away from both the Ancients and the space the bloat beetles have been escaping from.

And all the while, the butcher’s quite content to listen to the singsong hum of his lover’s voice - clinging to it releasing him as he continues and the butcher uses him as a beacon to trail after. The paces are different, Asta lagging behind the Maverick as he bends to snag the dagger in his boot, that way he’s at least somewhat prepared. The chains clink lightly against his antlers, right when his head snaps up as he feels the air around them change.

The bear bursts through the undergrowth and he watches as Danta dives to get out of its way as it charges. The butcher grits his sharp teeth, slipping to side before he lunges at the bear, trying to latch on and dig the dagger deep into its fur at its side with a growl.

Astaroth

so give me your sins, give me your lies
but whisper your love, and i'll whisper mine

// sun comin' up on a dream come around //

Springing back to his feet with the delicate clink of chain and bone, Danta is breathless with adrenaline and grinning like a maniac as the bear continues to barrel past. Asta's blade does catch it in the side, but it doesn't hold, tearing through fur and flesh as it continues to charge, roaring in pain and anger. The scent of blood immediately fills the air, and for Danta, suddenly nothing else matters.

With eyes dark with bloodlust and his teeth bared, he waits for the beast to lumber around before launching himself at it, heedless of its teeth and claws and aiming to rip right into the wound Asta has already opened. With some quick and reckless manoeuvring, he finds himself more or less clinging to its back out of the way of immediate harm, snarling and trying to find a good place to maim and tear.

Dantalion

// one hundred years from the empire now //

so give me your prayers up on your feet
and i'll give you a show, it helps fill the seats

At the very least, the butcher remains upright, even as the splash of blood paints the air with iron as the bear bolts past. It sparks that steadiness to Asta’s attention, the predator sizing up the prey even with the beautifully reckless movements Danta makes as he watches him lunge at the open wound Asta’s blade had caught.

The butcher’s gaze darkens a touch, calculating before the next strike he intends to make has him bolting from where he was, the blade flipping so that it pointed out. A distraction that doesn’t seem to bother the bear too much — that is until the butcher’s hand lifts, flaring heat and fire at the bear’s feet, incapacitating its attempt to continue to run.

While, yes, still being quite painfully aware of everything that’s going on. It’s Asta’s own quiet and calculating chaos before it’s unleashed. It has the butcher’s approach scorching more flame into the legs of the bear, giving Danta those moments to find the spot to maim and tear, to rip the bear apart with his own hands. Because if Danta doesn’t get started on that, well, the butcher’s method would be far less fun for the Maverick, he assumes.

Astaroth

so give me your sins, give me your lies
but whisper your love, and i'll whisper mine

// sun comin' up on a dream come around //

Let it never be said that their claims of working well as a team are unfounded. As Asta goes for the bear in precise, calculated movements, all flame and blades, Danta takes full advantage of every opening he provides. The bear snarls and staggers at the heat from the fire, allowing Danta to tear further at the wound on its side. Soaked with blood and letting his own fire sear and char at the thick ruff around the creature's neck, once he's reasonably certain he can go for its throat, he wastes absolutely no time in it.

It means, of course, that the bear is more or less forced on top of him, Danta sinking his teeth in deep and refusing to let go as he topples onto the forest floor. Smoke and blood fill the air, and the gasping roars of the bear grow quieter as the seconds tick by, as its weight grows heavier against the Maverick's body. Not that he's thought as far as potentially being crushed by their prey, of course - he's a little busy right now.

Dantalion

// one hundred years from the empire now //

so give me your prayers up on your feet
and i'll give you a show, it helps fill the seats

It’s a beautiful mix of their chaos - where Asta was calm and collected and calculating, Danta always went for the throat (or weak points, at least). Asta should know, Danta often went for his in the past. But with no cane and a very active attention despite the bloodlust carving through his veins, he refuses to use his haunt. Instead, choosing to take his lover’s approach in fighting it off with fire and brute strength.

He suddenly starts moving when Danta carves the wound open further, a sudden urgency as he realizes the Maverick’s body is now under the bear, which allocates for Asta to surge forward, dagger and fingers gripping into the shoulders of the bear to tug sharply, pulling the bear off of Danta enough that when it does fully begin to collapse, it might not completely squish the Theocrat beneath it’s heavy weight.

And, because he can’t entirely help himself, he surges forward in the process to bite with the sharp edges of his teeth, adding to the tug even if he comes away with a mouth full of fur. At least the tang of iron was there.

Astaroth

so give me your sins, give me your lies
but whisper your love, and i'll whisper mine

// sun comin' up on a dream come around //

With Asta's assistance, Danta feels the heavy weight of the creature begin to lift, and he shifts his weight enough to topple himself over with it. From there, alas, it's the beginning of the end for the bear. It stops struggling soon after Danta gets his teeth - and a knife slid from his boot - into its jugular, spraying them with hot crimson, and with its dying roar, the Maverick leans in to feast.

The ecstatic thrill of sating that lust for violence and death has his heart hammering with adrenaline, and he doesn't have the sense to look up from the meal until a long few seconds have passed. Once a sliver of himself works its way back through, however, he at least shifts and straightens up a little to give Asta room, knowing the butcher's preference to... well... butcher.

Panting and wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand (it makes no difference), he tips his head up towards the canopy overhead, as if he might have just gained a fraction of peace for a moment.

Dantalion

// one hundred years from the empire now //

so give me your prayers up on your feet
and i'll give you a show, it helps fill the seats

Once he’s sure the bear isn’t going to squish his lover, the butcher settles again, spitting out the bits of fur that have tried to lodge themselves in his mouth so that he can take his time, snagging strips off of the bear with the dagger while Danta sates the violent excitement that often was his bloodlust. Content to wait, stripping it in little snack sized bites, the butcher’s own bloodlust begins to sate as the creature finally gives its last cry.

He’s settled on his knees at the bear’s side, working at the portion of the beast’s hindquarters, seeking out the lean portions. And when, eventually, he notices Danta sitting back, the butcher’s attention flits from the bear back to his lover as if realizing he’s finally sated his own bloodlust.

Which means it’s time for Asta to get to work. Flashing a bloodied smirk to his lover, the butcher immediately gets into motion - flaying fur from skin, revealing pale meat beneath it that he carves out with both the dagger and his fingers, immediately snagging bite after bite until he’s had his fill with his precise carvings. Only then does the butcher’s own bloodlust fully depart, leaving him in that peaceful reverence as it always had. Sitting there on his knees, bloodied hands in his lap, eyes closed and horned head angled up toward the canopy just as his lover’s is, taking those short and long meditative breaths.

Astaroth

so give me your sins, give me your lies
but whisper your love, and i'll whisper mine

// sun comin' up on a dream come around //

The evidence of Danta's bloodlust, in comparison to Asta, is absolute carnage. There's little left of the bear's throat, and from the initial wound in its side the Maverick appears to have dug around to find the creature's liver - always a fan favourite in their house, of course - before considering himself finished for the time being. He doesn't waste time take the time to carve and strip and slice, though he can only ever admire his lover for it when he comes back to himself enough to see what he's done.

And unlike when their prey is more human in shape, today there's no residual violence, no latent urge to cause further damage. No, this time Danta blinks slowly across at the butcher, the ghost of a smile curling across his mouth, and starts to slink over to join him. If Asta's eyes are still closed then the press of Danta's lips might be the first indication to him that the Maverick has closed the distance between them; all but creeping into the other man's lap, his kiss is soft and slow and deep, his arm hooking around Asta's shoulders as if that might stop them from toppling down into the grass.

Dantalion

// one hundred years from the empire now //

so give me your prayers up on your feet
and i'll give you a show, it helps fill the seats

It’s two sides of a coin. Where Asta’s carnage is methodical and calculating, Danta’s are spontaneous chaos. But at the end of the day, it ends with the same result. Both of them bloody and content, like happy cats after a long hunt of chasing that damn mouse around the barn. Content, fat, purring. The last of which, the butcher is only minutes away from doing himself in his quiet reverence, so trapped in it that he doesn’t hear Danta’s approach. Doesn’t see his approach.

All he knows is that suddenly his lover’s sinking into his lap with a kiss pressed to his lips, and without any ounce of hesitation like there otherwise might be when it came to being caught unaware, the butcher’s arms slip around him int urn, pressing into the kiss with his eyes still closed, humming a soft content note into the press of their lips. He breaks after a moment, the tang of iron in the air vibrant, as is the mess coating his hands and clothes, the same that splatters across their mirroring gold chains and the bones that hang from Danta’s chest.

He surges forward after a moment, pressing Danta’s back against the still warm carcass of the bear, seeking another deep kiss, pushing each and every reverence into his lover, worshipping and taking as much as he can from his Theocrat.

Astaroth

so give me your sins, give me your lies
but whisper your love, and i'll whisper mine

// sun comin' up on a dream come around //

Humming something low and approving in the back of his throat as Asta claims his mouth a second time, Danta sinks back into the still warm fur, threading his fingers through the other man's bloody hair and hooking one leg around his waist as if to keep him close. (As if he was ever going anywhere). Take away the blood and the carcass and it might be a scene from a fairytale, the sun dappling through the branches overhead, the sweet grasses swaying in a warm, gentle breeze.

Only after having thoroughly kissed the blood from Asta's mouth does the Maverick consider drawing back, brushing his nose against the other man's and tilting his head back to look up at him. With blue eyes warm with contentment and his body feeling heavy with the sudden urge to nap out here in the wilderness, Danta lets out a long sigh and nuzzles against the butcher's jaw.

"I don't suppose we could just have a little sleep out here?" he asks, raising his eyebrows hopefully.

Dantalion

// one hundred years from the empire now //