(o) Silver Tongue, Pearl Teeth

Always running his mouth, yeah he's got a few scars

There is something deeply, primally satisfying in the fear, the panic Nate inspires in the other man. Like a part of him he never really stepped out of fully, that is more than happy to wash over him as again as soon as he leans into it a little bit. And it's so easy like this, the weak protests against his grip doing nothing to sway him, to loosen his hands. Once he has the other where he wants him, Nate goes still again, not breathing, not blinking, not moving an inch, just a wide, savage smile that didn't reach Nate's icy eyes aimed at the other man.

A low laugh left Nate at the stumbling words that left his victim, the sound humourless. There were so many answers to the question why. Because he wants to, because he can, because it's easy. "I'm doing this because you insulted me." He offers instead, head tilting from side to side as he looked over the younger man. "Apologize for calling me a monster, and I'll let go." A simple enough deal, offered in Nate's most trustworthy tone, though it's not as if the other has many options beyond doing what he wants.

NATE

The breathless quiet, the utter statue-like stillness of the man would have been eerie under normal circumstances. Under these, close enough to see the pores in porcelain skin, it was terrifying. Kel wrapped his hand around the wrist that held his shirt, tugging ineffectually as he squirmed and struggled, trying to get away. The sturdiness of his tunic betrayed him, proving an excellent grip for Nate as he forced the young hunter to confront him up close and far more personally than Kel had ever wanted.

The Ascended's shadow blocked out the moonglow, casting the Abandoned into darkness though the silver of sharp fangs still caught glints of starlight, silver and wickedly sharp in the cutting smile. There was no warmth in those eyes that Kellan could find, no mercy for one who had transgressed -

Except he hadn't. Not really. Not when the other man had led him down that road and then waited to spring the trap.

It was hard to trust a man who had moved like quicksilver and overpowered him so easily. Harder still to give in to a bully who would never stop pushing for what he wanted if Kel gave in. But this was no normal bully, and Kel was afraid down to his core, thoughts flickering and shattering like broken glass as he tried to find a way out.

A breeze swirled frantically through Nate's hair, Kel reaching out with what small power he possessed to... what? Vaguely annoy the other man? He had lost his command over the wind along with the strength of his body when he'd come through the portal and he realized that he was really, truly helpless in a way he hadn't been in years.

But for the first time in his life he had nothing to lose, either.

"Go fuck yourself," he spat, though his voice quavered at the end, the veneer of bravado paper-thin as he went still as well. Still as a human could be, at least, muscles trembling, chest heaving, and fear-sweat trickling from his brow past eyes dilated in fright as he waited for the chance to break and run.

Always running his mouth, yeah he's got a few scars

There is a long, long moment of silence that stretches between them, and within it, Nate lets himself revel in the feeling of control he has. He makes no move to interrupt it, waiting patiently, silently for the younger man to respond to him. The only thing that moved, on his side at least, was his hair, wind that hadn't been there before swirling around him, just him.

Perhaps though, he left it too long, gave the other man too much time to think, because he can all but see, all but feel the resignation sag through the body he's holding, and with it, a kind of deathbed spite he also recognizes.

For the first moment after the words are spat at him, Nate doesn't move, keeps up his facade of unaffected stillness, but his face cracks soon enough, a low, deeply amused chuckle spilling from him. He cocks his head, eyes flicking over the other mans face quickly, as if searching for something, and then, in another blur, he's moving again, tugging the other man this way and that, hoping to use surprise to get Kellan how he wants, turned around and facing towards Haulani, with his caught arm over his chest, and Nate hovering over a shoulder.

"Not quite what I wanted to hear, kiddo." He rumbles smoothly, once they're still again. "But I gotta give you points for boldness. S'why I'm gonna give you a headstart." He pauses then, to let his words sink in, to give the other a chance to pipe up once more.

NATE

That frozen moment after his prideful outburst was the worst, Kel thought, the stillness extending on for what felt like minutes. It could only have been seconds, but time moved differently between each beat of his heart, rapid though it was. He didn't know if the other man would attack him or fling him away into the geysers, strike him or use those fangs as an animal might, to rend and tear. Or simply flay him further with that acid-coated tongue that purred and pierced his defenses so effortlessly.

The chuckle threw him off his balance, amusement that he hadn't expected from the earlier anger, and for a moment he blinked--

He struggled against the manhandling, adrenaline lending a frantic strength to trembling limbs as he tried to pull free, only to be trapped in a mockery of intimacy, pressed against the Ascended's chest as cool breath whispered against his ear. A shiver wracked him, a shudder of fear as he tried to shrink in on himself in spite of his earlier bravado, but there was no escaping the words that poured, all smoke and gravel, down his spine.

It took a moment for them to sink in, and when they did he froze again as he realized just how far away the city was. How far away any hope of rescue was...

If anyone in that pit of vipers would lift a finger to help him even if he could make it to their doorsteps.

Something in him shifted within Nate's grip, a twist of despair, black and wicked and deep as he hung in the predator's embrace. "You... you're going to hunt me? Like some kind of beast?"

Always running his mouth, yeah he's got a few scars

Nate seems to barely register the struggle Kellan puts up, unwilling arms pulled and twisted regardless of their owners wishes. There's still a smile on his face, though it's the kind the other man will feel, rather than see, his cruel amusement dripping from his words, the feeling only growing as the seconds stretched longer, as the man in his arms was silent.

He has to resist the urge to laugh again as the realization seemed to strike, the question hanging in the air while he considered it. "I'm not going to hunt you." He offers after a moment, seemingly having just made the decision. It wouldn't really be a hunt anyway, not with how easily he could close any distance between them.

Shifting so he can rest his chin on the younger mans shoulders, Nate hums, low and amused, into his ear. "But I might chase you." The words are barely louder than the hum was, and as soon as they leave him, Nate is straightening, looking out towards the city.

Another laugh rumbles through him, and then his arms are pulling away from Kellan completely, a firm hand shoving against his back as Nate roared out "Run!". He didn't know himself if he was actually going to give chase yet. It depended on what Kellan did, really, if he could find more reason to terrorize the other man.

NATE

He was familiar with bullies and with men who were happier being feared than respected. There were some in every town, and they weren't uncommon in the small caravans he led through the Forest, sometimes among the guards and other times the merchant master himself. Kel had never been in a situation like this before, though, overpowered and overmatched in every way, unable to break free even when he exerted his full strength against the Ascended's effortless steel grip.

He'd never been alone with someone who openly reveled in their cruelty, playing with him like a cat with a mouse, and he was exquisitely, terrifyingly aware of the closeness of those fangs to his neck, made all the worse by not being able to see them as he trembled against Nate's chest, wondering whether he'd see the dawn.

His heart felt like a hummingbird flinging itself against the bars of his ribs, racing, racing while he panted short, shallow breaths. There might have been a certain macabre poetry to the situation - the hunter becoming hunted like the deer and conies he had so often killed - but Kel couldn't see it in the moment. He knew better now, than to believe the fanged beast at his back even when Nate said he wouldn't hunt...

And he was right not to, unable to hold back his shudder at the feel of the other man's chin on his shoulder, the flinch away from that velvet hum where only a lover's lips should have been. The idea of a chase was no less frightening in the dark night than a hunt when the mercurial creature could change his mind between one moonbeam and the next.

Kel could feel the way Nate's amusement rumbled in the chest pressed against his back, a quiet thunder that vibrated against his body, promising destruction in its wake. He wasn't prepared for the sudden release, the shove that sent him stumbling so that he almost fell from the shock and the sudden momentum. The young hunter twisted to look at Nate with wide amber eyes, the anger and shame almost, almost hidden by the fear in them before he spun and sprinted - not for Haulani, not for a town that held no hope for him even in the bright light of day, but towards the jungle to the south, bow clutched tight in his hand as he sought the safety of the trees.

If he could just open up a little space between them, gain the safety of the branches, he might yet have a chance to turn the tables on the monster in a man's shape.

Always running his mouth, yeah he's got a few scars

There is no poetry in Nate's mind, accompanying his idea, his little game. He's running on instinct, more or less, this particular cruelty coming easily to him, justified in his own mind with the same ease. The other man deserved to be afraid, for a moment, a breath, the amount of time it took him to run back to safety.

He can't tell if it's the roar, or the shove, or some combination thereof, but the sight of the younger man stumbling brings enough of a mean grin to Nate's face that he decides to just let the other run, to stay where he is until he's alone again. He takes a single, threatening step forward when amber eyes turn back towards him, the last warning the hunter will get before Nate really does start moving, though he doesn't seem to need the encouragement.

It's a little bit of a surprise as Nate watches the other make a beeline towards the trees, instead of the city. Sharp blue eyes follow the sprint, now quietly interested in what the other would do, what the trick was here, though Nate still doesn't move, arms crossed in front of him.

NATE

That threatening step gave his feet wings, but more, it gave him certainty that the fanged man would chase him, cruel mockery of the hunt he'd promised not to undertake. Running meant nothing compared to the speed with which he'd been grabbed before, the ease with which he'd been grappled. Fear clouded Kel's mind and judgment, adrenaline spiking hard and giving him a false clarity as he closed the distance to the trees, slinging his bow onto his back in a fluid, practiced move as he reached the jungle fringe. The trees here were strange, but he'd been among them long enough for callused hands to find the catch in their bark, to swing up the trunk in a scramble, expecting any moment for his heel to be caught and jerked back down to the ground.

No hand came and he made it to the first branch, a dozen feet off the ground and broad enough to crouch on as he unlimbered the bow again, eyes seeking first at the trees base, then back along his path.

Kel was surprised to see the Ascended still standing where he'd been left, watching, waiting...

For what? A longer headstart to make his unwelcome game more of a challenge? Kel was panting still as he drew an arrow and set it to the string, but he forced his lungs to still even as his heart tried to race faster. He was no beast, to be run down in the dark for some monster's amusement, and that resolution steadied his arm as he drew and let fly in one fluid motion, an arrow aimed not at the other man's heart but at his foot, hoping to pin him in place and lame him while Kel made good his escape.

Always running his mouth, yeah he's got a few scars

If that was where it ended, Nate would have been happy to leave it, to spend the rest of his evening alone, letting the anger and irritation bleed out of him slowly over the next few hours, finally returning home when he was calm, bright again. The stranger seemed to have disappeared among the trees, Nate not caring enough to keep track of him past that.

Sharp ears heard the whistle, though Nate had nowhere near the kind of experience to know what it was, apart from strange. He might not feel pain, but it is difficult to ignore the feeling of an arrow piercing through flesh, pinning him to the ground and immediately reigniting every scrap of callous rage he had let burn out with the other mans fleeing.

His reaction is immediate, reaching down to snap the arrow's shaft and lift his foot, testing it with one step before breaking into a sprint, following the path the other man had taken into the woods. The injury seems to hardly stop him, though he can feel the way his body protests. It won't be long, he just needs to reach the trees, to beat the other in a chase.

With his advantages in the dark, it should be easy.

NATE

He saw the arrow strike true despite the distance, the moon's light revealing the fletching even as Nate twisted and bent. Kel wasted no time waiting to see what would happen after that, dropping to hold the branch by one hand and hang beneath, then to the jungle floor beneath, landing cushioned by bent knees and soft loam.

He was up and running between one breath and the next, not realizing that the Ascended was already hot on his trail as he dodged into the darkness of the trees, realizing his error too late. There was moonlight enough to see by even below the canopy if he was walking slowly, but trying to run was more of a desperate careening stumble through unseen underbrush as he darted from one tree to the next. He kept his bow held tightly in one hand, a weapon and a shield of paltry effectiveness if the other man grabbed him close again, but as his breath panted heavily in his chest all he could do was hope that the darkness of the night would hide him from his pursuer, and that the injury to the Ascended's foot would slow his speed enough for the frightened human to escape into the deeper Green.

Always running his mouth, yeah he's got a few scars

There was no real plan behind his pursuit, no overarching itch to be scratched by casual cruelty, all that fuelled Nate now was anger, and he was a beast well used to its grip. His eyes were sharper in the dense forest, still dark despite the best efforts of the moon above, and his ears too were well tuned, picking up the sound of a desperate crashing through the underbrush.

Pinning him to the ground would have been a good plan, with anyone else, any other race. But Nate was made bolder by the pain he didn’t feel, more prone to stalk and chase even with the injury. He followed the sounds of panicked flight, his own motions quieter, though not completely hidden. He was still a man rushing through an unfamiliar jungle. There was simply more intention to his motions, the directions he chose. And he could feel, with each passing step, that he was coming closer to his quarry, to something that he could call revenge, despite the way his own actions had driven them to this place.

NATE

A minute of panicked flight, less then two, and Kel dared to slow as he reached a ravine he needed to take more care in navigating. The downward slope was tricky in the dark and he didn't want to fall and twist an ankle. Besides, he should have put enough distance between them to make tracking him difficult in dark (ignorant to the Ascended's abilities as he was). He was nearly to the bottom when the whisper of disturbed leaves in his wake heralded a predator on his trail, far closer than he had anticipated, and his blood turned to ice in his veins.

Heedless now of injury he scrambled up the other side, knees and hands blackened by loam as the scent of bruised and broken greenery filled the night with a pungent astringency. His heart pounded, breath coming in short, panted gasps as fear twisted through him, lashing at his feet as the young hunter grabbed for branches that broke beneath his weight and plants that that slid from his grip as he hauled himself up the incline. Once he fell, an unseen rock slicing into his arm with a sharp pain that focused him even as hot blood trickled down to mix with the soil and Kel hesitated a breath as he forced himself to move with more precision, scrambling over the lip of the ravine at last and running, running, running through the night.

Ahead there was light, an almost startling brightness after the deep shadows of the nocturnal jungle, and Kel stumbled into the clearing before he could stop his momentum, looking around in desperation for a way out. The meadow revealed little, but it was a space across which he could sprint...

But the moonlight would reveal him easily to the hunter in his wake.

There was no time to go around, no time to think, and after another moment's hesitation he started to sprint across the open ground.

Always running his mouth, yeah he's got a few scars

If there had been a satisfaction in just threatening Kellan, there was a primal joy in chasing him, something truly monstrous surging through Nate as he ran through the trees, the dark. It felt like power, felt like the first time every part of his ascension had been worth it, and what a funny place that had been to end up, when he had started the evening cursing the choice.

There is no concern for injury or danger. Just the howl of the hunt, as Nate followed the panicked crashing sounds ahead of him, the panting breath as he came closer and closer. Even the scent of blood, mingling with freshly uncovered dirt and bruised plants, sending him into even more of a frenzy.

Despite his night vision, his heightened sense, his heightened speed, every advantage Nate has, there is something that moment that Kellan has more of. Luck. Nate reaches the edge of the clearing as the hunter is halfway across it, a distance he can close in a breath, heralding the end of the chase, the predators drive singing through his blood. It's not meant to be though. A rock, a stray root, perhaps even an especially tough clump of greenery, whatever shape Kellan's saviour takes trips Nate up, sending him rolling head over heels, his speed working against him as he rolls into a jumbled heap, stunned for the time being.

NATE

He heard the thud behind him of a body hitting the ground and he risked a glance over his shoulder. The Ascended was down but far too close and Kel sobbed in a breath as he turned around and redoubled his efforts to cross the clearing and reach the shadows of the other side. He hated the feeling of being exposed beneath the moonlight, vulnerable.

Prey.

The other man had nearly caught up to him once. He could probably do so again, Kel knew, especially now that he had even less of a headstart, but he was stubborn and refused to give up. If he could find a defensible place, some rocks to put his back to, he could set up an ambush...

It was going to be a long, lonely, terrifying night in the jungle while he found a place to hide and wait for sunrise.