She could hear it calling her. Literally beckoning for her to fall prey to its tantalizing allure. It did not help at all that her companion was for the she-wolf succumbing to her wants, teetering along the border of home and the wild. Her time spent from the pack had only just passed and now she desired nothing more than to return to the wild and strange. She did not intend to renounce her responsibilities, not so soon after becoming part of a whole. However she did long to toughen her paws again on the winding path. To trek across sharp stick and stone til her pads swelled with blisters and she was forced to rest within Nature's bosom. It was a craving slowly eating away at her.

She was naked within nature. No kills or armor to decorate her frame only her blessed hide made pale gold under the faint moonlight. She fancied herself to be alone with the world quiet, asleep around her. Not even her nameless companion dared disturb the entrancing silence. She stood with her back to the sunflower border of Ichika, Optime muzzle delicately poised skyward with song. It was the plead of a restless soul for deliverance; for a swift and satisfying reprieve from the torment she had dealt upon herself. Why she felt she could so easily detach herself from what she knew was beyond her. Leaving her traveling band was not nearly as difficult as remaining stationary.

The Nomad harbored no regrets, but wants... desire. Such a peaceful community encapsulated by love for the other. No torment, nor struggle. Only so much could she bare before the restless part of her wanted out, to taste danger... to be a part of the world that demanded only her fittest abilities. She wanted part of that world again... if only for a moment.

Above circled her companion owl, riding the currents of his own wing beats. He was carefree, not at all like the prowling restless beast under his protective gaze. He watched as she set herself into a pace, trudging the line between responsibility and freedom with heavy steps.

Her desire continued to eat at her. A taste; that was all she had received and now she wanted the whole of it, to prolong her stay within the wild and unknown til she had her fill. It felt selfish, the desires of a child having what was not good for them. But the rewards of the sinful were always so much better... even if for a moment.

Thunderous steps that were not her own forced the Nomads gaze from the ground to around her. A growing agitation fueled by relentless longing set the female on edge, the nape of her neck and tail bristling to fine points on end as wary crept into her pulsing veins. She turned from the borders of Ichika to the wild leading into the Mountains and met the long face of what made such heavy sounds. A temper lurked beneath this impressive steed. She needn't see it in its eyes, but she could smell it, as plainly as she could smell the musk of its rider. Masculinity personified without so much as an ounce of subtly. She felt her heart quicken with each breath she took of power... pure and unbridled. So much of it reminded her of her Shepard and it about brought her to her knees in disbelief. She could not control the smile as it crept to her muzzle, delicately parting her maw with moisten tongue wet her lips. He uttered a strange word and all she could do was smile in response, not yet able to control herself enough to speak.

It was simply too good to be true.

"You..." she breathed at last. Her ears twitched as if hearing her own voice for the first time. Carefully her gaze drifted from male to steed, admiring the the terrifying union of power and control. "You are the first I have seen ride this animal," she gestured with a dip of her muzzle to the horse. Slowly she lifted her eyes to the frigid hues of its master. "I cant imagine it was easy to break."

As the steed circled her, so was the small crowd circled and scrutinized by devilish eyes. The owl had gone on long enough without acknowledgement and swooped down to clutch the shoulder of his companion. Anxious talons danced and grated through her fur, caressing the flesh beneath in surprisingly gentle strokes. He was the mirror of her tension, her agitation for being eyed by a beast of burden when it was uncalled for. But she was quiet, simply letting her eye follow the the beast. And as it lumped around to her back, she did not move but let it and the nameless male survey her without protest. Her companion on the other hand, was not so keen to let their eyes wander without a fixed gaze. His head winding completely around before snapping forward again as the beast settled and the armored titan dismounted. He took flight again feeling the subtle twitch of the woman's shoulder and resumed his hover.

Formalities were for the pleasant encounters, as it were. And the aura exhibited by this mountain of steel, fur and flesh was anything but. She was silent to his question again, unable to catch the breath to utter a sensible response. Now that her call was heeded, she felt foolish for having sang in the first place. She had been heard... now what?

Her pulse quickened still whilst her heart ran rampant with an answer. She knew what she wanted to ease her restless spirit. But how could a mere stranger even fathom her dilemma? It was futile to even attempt to explain. But her loose tongue would not have her silent for long. "Have you...ever had a desire," she began softly. "But felt it was wrong to fulfill it? To have tasted it and wanted more?" She wet her lips once more as if the divine taste remained upon them. "I fear I am ailed by two wants...two desires."

What had him so wary of her, she wondered. What set him on edge that he couldn't keep himself still? Like watching an agitated snake in skin too tight for its body, she knew better than to approach, let alone coax any manner of ease upon him. A snake shed its skin when it was good and ready.

She had confessed her desires and left them to his interpretation. In her mind she spoke of her lust for battle... for danger and her want to return to the Endless Path. It came as a surprise to hear his thoughts on the matter. The aspect of mating hadn't crossed her mind. Rarely did it ever. In due time she would breed but it was not her choice of when, it was left to the Shepard of the family to dictate when that would be. Somehow she felt even away from the Nomads some sign would convey the blessing of her beloved Shepard. It was highly doubtful that this encounter was such a sign.

The towering mass uncrossed his arms still baring down upon her. She was reluctant to look away. The predatory sense warranting her full attention to his display. Every nerve screamed that she stay firm even to something as small as a gaze. To look away was to show weakness... to admit she was succumbing to his display. She hadn't heard this voice in so long she dared believe it was absent. How pleasing to know it still lingered...

"You'd fight a stranger," her voice descended to a whisper. Her gaze for the first time ventured south to his heavily clad form. There was no question in her voice for the answer was painfully clear. He was a beast built for battle. Slowly she slide a leg back while adjusting her form to accommodate the shift in weight. What tension she had accumulated ebbed away as she grew more relaxed, more used to his presence. "But clearly not mate them..." she taunted, gesturing with a relaxed paw at his armor. "It must ruin your chances on both counts."

He was a proud male, not that she hadn't suffered the likes before. But it was so much so she wrinkled her nose in disgust. To take pride in one's abilities was one thing. But to be proud of the lives taken so that one would feel more confident about themselves... She clicked her tongue against her fangs in disappointment. She let her leg slide back into repose again her weight shifting with the change to rest comfortably. She wouldn't enjoy fighting with a murderer, regardless of the challenge he would present.

It was her turn now to bare her arms across her chest, a dexterous digit seeking to twirl around an unkempt lock. She had gone from excited to utterly disappointment. A pathetic sign this was, if that is what it was to be. Formidable foe or not, she did not want to linger even as his voice caressed her ears with question. She flicked her tail dismissively, already with her shoulders tipped as she was about to turn away. And then the most horrid sound disrupted the calm.

The woman stared in disbelief at the colossal form, a hand to his belly to nurse its wailing. She didn't know what to think. Somehow this felt surreal. She would have rather had him attempt to jump her than to have this... this moment dispelled by a cry of hunger. He just couldn't be real. The male that apparently killed at will couldn't even remember to feed himself? It was too comical to think about but as she did and really, truly tried to understand how this was possible, she found herself chuckling at the image. "Wow," was all she could manage in response to his pardon. The look of disbelief now taking permanent residence.

She had been so ready to leave, but now found herself compelled to stay. A crack in the facade; something other than muscle, blood and steel. "I assume it's 'he' that does the killing then?" she teased while braving a step closer. "Instead of all this-" what ever 'this' was "- you should have mentioned you needing a hunting partner. With that metal burden on you, it is a wonder you are able to eat at all." She was growing bolder now seeing as the titan in front of her had an ailment that needed tending to. Vicious as a pained animal became, there was nothing like the pang of hunger to cripple even a Lord. She said nothing more on the matter, rather she let the crack and groan of her body do the talking for her. Muscle and bone realigned itself to adjust as her large form was brought down to all fours. She settled for her bulked, her senses more awake and welcoming to the predatory urge overtaking them. She raised her head to look at the other expectantly huffing softly with tried patience.

He was hungry, wasn't he?

The scent of Ichika must have been thick on her. And the fact that he knew of the generous Jiryu was shocking to her as well. She waited with some semblance of patience for the male to discard his armor, letting her mind wander with the assumptions of the mentor-pupil relationship. The Lady Nayru seemed too kindhearted of a girl to be trained by this aggressive brute. It was most likely there was some aspect she did not know. It was fortunate however, and less of a coincidence to know this male knew of her home and its leader. The evidence convicting this meeting as not the sign of her Shepard continued to stack in her favor.

Disrobed from his metal garb, he at last stood in true naked glory, as it should have been, in her eyes. Without the metal covering his form, she was able to see the embodiment of power unsheathed, free to reign without constraint. Her claws sank into the earth, raking innocent shoots by their roots from their earth beds. She felt the urge to grab on to something. Was it control? She hadn't believed it to be slipping at all...

Same as she, his body shifted from two legs to four with little difference in his size from when he was lowered. She had anticipated something more sinister when he came nearer, though what she didn't know. The nip, however, was harmless and almost comforting. The Nomad shook herself from her mild stupor noting her nameless companion's eagerness to take off and fill his empty belly. She followed in silence, her footfalls coming quietly in pursuit. Her first steps back into the wild and she hadn't even acknowledged it. So focused on the scent of prey and of the leading form ahead, she hadn't even noticed her desire fulfilled.

The hunt was all that consumed her thinking. Head and ears low, her steps becoming lighter and more even, she slipped from leisurely stride to stalk. She quickened her pace to take alongside the larger male, her head still lowered with muzzle inches from the ground to catch a scent however faint.

It was not hunger that drove her, but the desire to unleash her pent up energy. A spar would have done nicely for her but a hunt was much, much more rewarding. Nothing bested the surge of adrenaline that came from running down prey. The sheer terror that lit their eyes as death bore down on them with relentless tooth and claw. The fresh taste of first blood... not to ease hunger but to declare rite. The mark of the hunter; a bloodstained smile of satisfaction.

Then dinner sounded below them. X'yrin lowered herself to the ground alongside the eager wolf, visually devouring mounds of succulent meat from its tender hide. She turned to her circumstantial comrade, sharing the same hunger lust that consumed his gaze. She smiled to his questioning face. Anticipation nipped at her paws making them dance til she couldn't stand it anymore and forced herself to stand. She lowered her muzzle to roughly nudge her companion's thick shoulder to get him moving. Time was crucial now. As the seconds ticked by she felt granules of her composure slipping away to naught and pure desire threatened to overthrow caution and take her whole. She growled softly for his ears alone enough to convey her want for this kill and their urgent need to move.

There was no plan nor direction. Only instinct could be relied upon in this dire time. X'yrin followed without protest, body crouched low, her belly nearing scraping the ground. There was time nor care to acknowledge it. All that mattered was this were how she needed to be and where would be orchestrated by her hungry conductor. She paused as he surveyed their location, checking that the does hadn't caught their scent. She felt the gentle rustle of her mane as the winds turned against their favor making each moment all the more crucial.

Poised among foliage but still within sight of her companion, she awaited his certain gesture to move. While the bulls fought among themselves for their right to mate the does, two terrors built of muscle and glistening fang spelled doom for one. Silently the autumn golden reaper crept, giving the pair and wide berth til the scent of their musk, their heated flesh was more than she could bare.

Death swept into the midst of the collision donned in furs of gold and grey. Startled stupid the would be victor scrambled away to his harem, not bothering to waste the energy to save the inferior bull. She could smell the life coursing through his pulsing veins fueled by adrenaline and fear. There was no hesitation. Only the freeing release of sheer power colliding with the shoulder of the bull. Her claws slipping so easily into its hide whilst wild, full drawn fangs sought its throat. She wanted the taste of first blood. To revel in it... to reward her dormant lust with what it was begging for.

He could harass the beast all he wanted. She didn't care if he took out the legs from under the crying animal, so long as her tongue tasted its living essence. She felt her hold slip, her weight dragging her down tearing through tender meat. She was not nearly heavy enough to topple the beast but was certainly able to fatally wound it.

She thrust her claws again into its shoulder literally hoisting herself to its throat. A back leg scratched at its side to aid her til at last she could smell the blood within its throat, thrusting her teeth into its mark to taste its sweetness. The animal struggled valiantly, but it was still weaker to the predators. It swung its head defiantly hoping to throw its killer, but she only clung harder, sank deeper til she felt its pulse beneath her fangs.

Gradually it began to slow yet continued to fight against the inevitable until it eventually stopped dead, its tremendous weight and that of the female bringing it down.

The elk began to topple and the female released her kill having felt that last trickle of its life spill down her awaiting throat. She darted from the elk as it hit the bloodstained ground. The aroma of its blood in the air an intoxicating incense that elicited on ecstasy she hadn't felt in many moons. She caressed her lips fondly, savoring stolen life as reward for their efforts. Yes... it was a shared kill. The strung entrails of the poor beast was proof enough of this. So focused on her own indulgence she hadn't noticed the terror her nameless companion commit... how he magnificently desecrated the body of its precious meat.

She turned to him at last, feral eyes devouring his blood-soaked form. She felt her claws again sink into the ground, killing once more the innocent flora beneath her heavy paws. Adrenaline still coursed through her veins, each gasp for breath through flared nostrils and parted maw delving her deeper into the male's scent. The cocktail of gore and musk too incredible not so succumb to its allure. Sense had long since left her. What remained was not the proudly cultured female, but a beast groomed for the kill driven by her lust and instinct. She raised her head expectantly, peering hard into his icy gaze while lapping the the gore from her muzzle.

He seemed to have forgotten about the kill he clearly needed. His eyes bore harder into hers, his powerful limbs drawing him purposefully nearer. Her ears slapped back against her skull to his growl. Her eyes averted and head lowered submissively. Only her tail depicted something other than full submission. Softly she whined as if to appease him, to stroke the ego of the dominant beast. But only when he was within reach did she rid herself of the passive farce and rose to her full height, ears snapping forward and lips reared back as she returned his curling lips. An easy submission to power was simply not a part of her. Only the civilized mind practiced such behavior... and hers was nowhere to be found. Her voice shook with a growl of a different kind; one of challenge... of dare.