getting ahead of ourselves

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

Let's go fill the firebowl with blood, Edmund had said.

What an amazing idea, Danta had confirmed.

And so here they are, with the sun setting bloody on the horizon, prowling the Outer Islands for anything that might be worth sinking their teeth into.

The Ancient's bloodlust isn't out of control by any means, but he's at the predatory equivalent of yeah, I could eat, and so there's a hungry look in his eyes as he meanders along the shoreline to spy anything in or out of the waters.

"I heard there are allogators out there. Echo sharks, too. Though I don't know how I feel about getting wet, so maybe we can just pick off a nice, juicy deer." Flashing a fanged grin to the younger Ancient, little does Danta know that they might just get both.

Up ahead, the water is bloody, and if they slow their steps and move quietly, they'll spot a large allogator feasting on the carcass of a stag.

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Edmund returns the grin and flicks his tail eagerly, "Sounds good." Just a few seasons ago the idea of actively harming any creature would have had the teen biting his lip anxiously and blinking away tears. Yet now, the hum of fire in his blood is stronger than that of a mere Abandoned. A raging wildfire as opposed to a soothing campfire. And right now, it sings with words of desire and violence. Spotting the bloodied waters, Edmund pauses, crouching low behind a bush. He eyes the allogator before whispering to Danta, "We need both." It'll be wonderfully cyclic to fill Mother's offering with the blood of both predator and prey. Slowly so as not to disturb the branches beside him, Edmund shifts into his molten tiger. The feline remains crouched and stalks forward to get into a proper ambush position. Edmund Reborn In Fire

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

"Both is good," Danta confirms, having dropped to crouch behind the same bush as Edmund, though soon enough there's a tiger where a baby Ancient had once been, and the show is ready to get on the road. Raising his eyebrows, visibly impressed, Danta gives his hunting partner time to get into position before shifting as well, though a large, ebon feathered bird takes his place.

With a beat of his wings, Danta takes to the air - he and Edmund don't have the Attuned bond to rely on, but hopefully the call of the wild in their blood will make this a fairly straightforward kill. Rather than ambushing the allogator - he'll leave that to his massively clawed friend - the gore crow circles overhead to annoy the reptile. And if his mere presence alone isn't irritating enough, his cries of "Meat!" will surely do the trick.

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Call of the wild indeed. Danta's loud cry is enough of a distraction for the allogator to give Edmund a prime opportunity to attack. Once he's close enough to pounce, the molten tiger gives a little wiggle and leaps. He lands straight onto the reptile's back and quickly moves to bite its neck. There's a tussle as the allogator tries to shake the cat off of it's back but between the sharp claws and sting of metal dripping onto its scales, the reptile soon stills. Edmund looks up at Danta, blood on his muzzle and gives a feline grin, quite pleased with himself. The young Ancient then begins the process of shifting back so that the two of them can collect the blood for Mother. Edmund molten fur, molten heart

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

Cawing his delight at the quick dispatch, Danta doesn't try to hide that he's impressed. Instead, as Edmund shifts back the gore grow takes the opportunity to perch on the reptile's back, pecking out one of its eyes for a quick bite to eat. Only once he's had his fill does he shift back into the long limbed blond, helping to steer the creature towards the shore. "I think this will do nicely. We can hunt a deer after we've gotten this to dry land." They can't use the allogator's prey. They didn't kill it, after all.

Danta has come prepared, at least, and when they make it to shore, he leaves promptly into some nearby bushes. When he returns it's with a hand cart, so they might be able to take their prizes back to the Temple and bleed them nice and fresh. "You ever tried allogator?" he asks Edmund conversationally.

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Edmund nods, "Sounds good." It does make sense to only use what they've hunted now that he thinks about it. Mother only deserves their best effort. Dantalion quickly brings the cart and the younger Ancient moves to help him load it. Once the allogator is in place, Edmund considers it for a moment as they begin to take it to the temple. "I haven't tried it." Locked onto the idea now, he reaches over and rips a small chunk out of the allogator's side where his claws have left the flesh exposed. Popping the morsel into his mouth, Edmund lets out a noise of surprise as his eyes widen. "It's tasty." Look at him, eating raw meat from a kill. Mother would be so proud of how far he's come. At least, he hopes so. Edmund Reborn In Fire

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

Rumbling their cart along with a surprisingly chipper step, it will take more than a hot minute to get all of this back to the Inner Quarter, but Danta is happy to keep an eye out for deer on the way. "Tastes like chicken," he announces to his young Ancient friend, reaching out to tear off a piece of allogator flesh for himself as they walk.

And it's only a few seconds later that Danta's steps slow, his eyes narrowing through the dusk at what he swears is a deer-like shape cutting into some forestry nearby. Putting a finger to his lips and abandoning the cart for now, he beckons Edmund to follow as he prowls away in search of their next kill.

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Edmund tilts his head in consideration, "You know, it does." He hadn't placed the taste beforehand but now that Dantalion said so, he could taste the resemblance between the two meats. Was allogator also a white meat? He falls into step with the older Ancient, content in the brief silence. It was nice to be comfortable in the presence of one of his own. When he'd first been transformed, Edmund had been worried about fitting in. How had it been phrased to him? 'Born under Safrin's starlight?' Something like that. Thankfully he's outgrown that, and his potential is no longer hindered. Dantalion slows and Edmund freezes beside him. Catching on quick when he sees the deer's passing shadow, he stalks after the Maverick. Even with his bloodlust mostly sated, he finds himself running an eager tongue over his fangs. Edmund Reborn In Fire

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

Danta is nothing if not thorough - and a glutton, and eager to sate any and all desires at a moment's notice. And so as Edmund joins him it's with a quick smile to the boy and nothing more before he's once again a black mass of feathers. Taking to the air, the gore crow is able to blend easily in with the spindly tree branches, more than happy to act as a compass for Edmund.

The deer, suspicious of predators but not of crows, barely glances skyward at the sight of the dark winged bird, and Danta banks to the right to indicate that his fellow hunter should go that way as well. If all goes to plan, perhaps the deer will encounter the claws of a molten tiger as it emerges once more from the foliage.

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

As soon as Danta begins to shift, Edmund does as well. A gore crow takes to the sky, and a molten tiger crouches behind an incline. Following the crow, the tiger silently makes its way to the deer. Ducking in shadows and staying low to the ground, Edmund channels as much stealth as he can. The deer is far flightier than the allogator, and far less distracted. Locking onto the deer once it's in sight, the tiger settles into the grass and waits. The deer, unaware of the danger, makes its way around a bend in the bushes. Within a heartbeat's time, Edmund pounces, sending startled birds into the air. The deer lets out a sound of distress, but it's cut off as the Ancient sinks his teeth into its neck while dodging stray hooves. Edmund is getting good at this whole hunting thing it seems. Standing over his kill, the younger Ancient looks up and waits for Danta to reappear. Edmund molten fur, molten heart

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

The majority of the birds are startled, but not the very smug looking gore crow watching from the spindly branches at the top of a tree. Swooping down once Edmund has taken the deer down and landing on human feet instead of hippy-hoppy little crow toes, Danta rises smoothly from his crouch and nods, impressed.

"We'd better get this on the cart as well, before I get too hungry," he remarks; these kills and their blood are for Dygra, after all, and it would be a shame to spoil them before they can get them back to the Temple. "Dragging it is probably easier. There's rope in the cart."

So saying, he disappears briefly before returning with said rope to bind their second kill of the day.

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Edmund shoots Dantalion a look before echoing the other's thoughts, "You better not. These are for Mother!" He stands protectively in front of the deer until the other Ancient returns with the rope. They get the deer secured without much trouble and soon start pulling it back to the temple. It's not the lightest load, but Edmund tries to walk fast so as little blood spills as possible. After a brief silence he eyes Dantalion with slight concern, "Do you want to hunt more after this, so you get to eat?" Bloodlust and hunger were horrible when left unattended. Edmund and Milo would know. Edmund Reborn In Fire

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

Holding up his hands as if to promise Edmund that he'll behave (he will not), Danta focuses on pushing the cart while his fellow hunter pulls the deer. It's a long road to the Inner Quarter, and he half hopes they'll be able to hail down a passing skyship to take them the majority of the way. Glancing across at the boy as he speaks again, it's with a fanged smirk and a nod of gratitude that he considers his proposal.

"I wouldn't say no," he murmurs. "We'll see what we can spot on the way back? I feel we may have scared most of the prey away at the moment." Still - there's always more prey, Danta has found, if you know where to look for it.

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

Edmund sends Dantalion a fanged grin, "We'll find something." The two carry on after a pause the younger Ancient's curiosity gets the better of him. "You were one of the Ancients that were woken up, right? What was life like before that?" He'd never heard of Mother Dygra or Ancients before the awakening, making him think it was many millennia ago. What was the world like back then? The war had led to a complete shift in the continent's structure. Was the prior form how it had always been? Edmund had been wondering about it all for some time but had never had the chance to ask. Maybe Dantalion would indulge him, but knowing the other Ancient, there was no telling if what he chose to share was true or not. Edmund Reborn In Fire