[M] Body Maintenance
#1
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WARNING:This thread contains graphic hunting procedures. Viewer discretion is advised.
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Zalen has just left Anathema territory and is moving south west. All welcome. Hoping maybe for another loner wolf but not a requirement. Image credit to jaysk@flickr.




It was early morning and the chill of the night hung above the grass and lichen but was being driven off by the sun in the tree tops above. All was silent for a moment, but then a light rumbling could be heard, panting, dashing, the breaking of twigs and then a crash through the undergrowth. A fawn was running for its life and just a few yards behind the trig form of Zalen bounding after it.

He was well rested now, after having spent the night in Anathema lands, but now he had departed and was on the hunt for breakfast. It had been several days since he had had a decent meal and this fawn would do nicely. In no time at all he was upon it, claws digging into its hind quarters and ripping through bone and flesh like paper. In an instant the fawn was down and with a snap of his immense jaws on its tiny neck he quickly ended its life before it could endure any suffering.

He sat for a moment and stretched his arms above his head and then each leg individually. It was always very awkward for him to run in optime form, but he had chanced upon the fawn with no time to shift before the chase had begun. But it was just as well because this form allowed for easily evisceration of the carcass, which Zalen commenced in doing with a sharpened forefinger claw. He removed all the unwanted organs; spleen, bladder, stomach, intestines and lungs and the left the iron rich liver and still beating heart. What a feast this would be! Before he tucked in he made a small prayer of thanksgiving and blessing for the fawn, it having given its young life to help sustain his. And then as he finished he literally face planted into the meal, splattering droplets of blood in every direction.


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#2
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Hope this is what you were looking for. Smile Did you have anything specific in mind for this thread?


The day looked to be bright and warm again. Lucia had lost count of how many days in a row that would be. It was humid, thick and musty. What was needed was a thunderstorm, but the more the obsidian female seemed to hope for one, the less they seemed to happen. However, there was still time. It was early enough in the morning for the weather to change course, and with the morbid chill from the night before still tickling the sunrise, there was a chance. That was all that the dark-furred woman needed.


Having slept rough again, this time on a branch not too far up one of the many trees, Lucia found it difficult to keep the rising sunlight out of her general direction. Groaning miserably, she tossed and turned on the branch for what seemed like a millennium, but it was no use. She could not get back to sleep, and the lurking hangover probably didn’t help none either. As such, Lucia was tempted by the idea to snatch up another bottle of whiskey, which she had hidden (badly) by the base of the tree, and devour the lot. Not only would it be likely she could sleep the day away, it could also stop the constant growls and grumbles from her stomach. She hadn’t eaten properly in days; she just didn’t have the motivation. She would pick and choose between berries and mushrooms every now and then, but it was not satisfactory. There was nothing better than the blood lust.


It was almost as though someone had read her mind. As soon as thoughts turned to her stomach, the morning bird songs and natural quietness of the woods was interrupted. The sound of running hooves and panting jaws took place of the irritating happy-go-lucky birds, and that peaceful atmosphere Lucia now despised. Rising from her wooden perch, she swung her legs around so that they dangled in the air whilst she sat upright. Looking around, a small snarl slipped from her jaw as Lucia’s malachite eyes fell upon the culprits.


Through a small break in the shrubbery came a fawn, racing for its life. Its little beady eyes were wide and fearing, and Lucia could almost taste the sweat on its brow. Its little heart must have been pounding in its chest, but Lucia felt no sympathy. Instead, she felt lust; the lust to want its flesh in her mouth and its blood down her chin. However, this was not to be. This tiny ineffectual creature was already being chased, and Lucia was in no mood to challenge them for the meal.


Watching the fawn shoot past her tree, the dark femme quickly took interest in the chaser. An athletic male, there wasn’t anything overly impressive with his muscular form, but he was attractive enough. They shared similar colouring in their fur, though Lucia faired herself slightly darker, and it appeared the male had orbs of green, but from such a height, it wasn’t as easy to tell. The creeping headache from her binge the night before was not a great help either.


Snorting bitterly as the male carried on by without even a glance at the female, Lucia swung herself down to the ground. Moaning grumpily under her breath, she rose to a stand and stretched. It was too early. She should be sleeping. But the smell of food and the idea that nearby someone else was enjoying such a delicious meal was no easy thing to ignore. Lucia planned to walk on by, see if the stranger would offer a starving female any food, devour it and move on. She wasn’t big on conversation, and she wasn’t particularly great with men these days either. She held little regard for them, viewed them as users. Her theory was that she would use and abuse them back just as hard. That she would hurt them harder than she had been hurt in the past. Lucia was all about revenge nowadays, and she trusted no one.


Walking a little down the way from where she had spied the cat-and-mouse game moments before, Lucia’s eyes narrowed as the sight of blood and organs came into her view. The stench was beautiful as it tickled her nostrils, her lips quivering with desire. Saliva was building in her mouth, but Lucia refused to drool. She was too proud to be desperate for even the tiniest scrap of food. She would just have to hope that her thinning body or her ruffled good looks were a good enough way for her to insert herself into this gory feast.


Standing there, statuesque and blank in expression, Lucia waited. She wanted to speak, wanted to ask for a bite, a scrap, the tiniest taste, but she didn’t. Not only out of pride, but the mouthful of saliva she was holding in. It would not have looked good if she spoke and dribbled all down herself. That would just not do. So she watched, watched as the shadow-painted male devoured the flesh, the liver and the heart... watched as blood splatter flew all over the ground. Watched as yet another creature lived a better life than her.


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#3
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Word Count :: 308 :: Not really, it was just supposed to be a meet more people thread. At this point in time Zalen hasn’t met another loner wolf so it’d be good for him to know he’s not the only one. Zalen is a gentleman so he’s definitely going to offer the rest of the carcass.

Zalen was basically inhaling this meal. It was wonderful. The sweet, iron taste of the blood quenched him like fresh spring water. The meat was delicate and tender due to the age of the fawn. He had just finished devouring the rich liver when he heard a faint sound. His ear pricked in its direction before the rest of his body turned to meet it, and he was shocked to see another wolf had joined him. For a moment he went into defense mode, ears back, upper lip curled. He must have looked like a demon in that moment, face covered in blood, fangs bared slightly. But then he saw the look in her eyes and he calmed. She looked very hungry, “Good morning.” he said softly, still a little put off by her sudden appearance.

It was strange, almost like looking into a mirror. She was the darkest ebony, like midnight with no stars, save for the emerald eyes which were much more vibrant than his own. But still, he found it interesting that in the short time he had been in this land he had encountered two individuals that shared his appearance, though he supposed it wasn’t that uncommon of a visage.

Looking back at what remained of the fawn he quickly surmised that there was enough left to offer her at least a satisfactory breakfast. He wiped his face with a clawed paw which just helped in smudging the blood deeper into his fur. But at least he was trying, he didn’t want to appear like a slob in front of anyone. He turned back towards her and gave a small wag of his tail, “Would you like to join me? I’ve pretty much had my fill…” He gestured towards the carcass and took a small step back, allowing her some room. “You look hungry…”

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#4
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Woot for rambling a little too much...


Desire was a strange thing. It was strange how the brain could want something so much that it could affect everything within someone. It could affect their heart rate, their salivary glands, it could make their hands shake and muscles quiver. It could also make them kill, fight, and a myriad of other things. Desire was powerful, dangerous even. No wonder Lucia thrived off it, and today was no exception.


She stared longingly at the carcass, eyeing up every detail. The torn flesh, the slowly cooling blood that trickled its sweet smell through the air, the sound of crunching bones and chewy muscles… It was no secret that Lucia had an obscure fascination with death, and as she stood there silently watching this male devour this once living, breathing fawn, Lucia felt at peace. There was nothing better than a little bit of death to make the day pass after all, and though it did not come often, she was glad when it did.


Having become fixated by the tiny cadaver, Lucia paid little attention to the fact she had been spotted. If it wasn’t for the fact that the stranger had gone on the defensive, she might never have noticed. Watching his lip curl and his ears flatten, Lucia felt a small smile cover her own dark lips. There was something attractive about this male, perhaps the amount of blood across his jaw.


After a moment or two of staring, the smile having faded slowly from her face, Lucia almost felt disappointed when his body language shifted again. He didn’t view her as a threat. That was peculiar. She was a threat, a big one, surely? Or at least, that was her opinion anyway.


When the words passed through his lips, Lucia had to suppress the urge to laugh manically. It was not a good morning, it was terrible. It was warm, she was hung-over, and she was sober. There was nothing good about this morning at all. Unless of course he offered food, that would be something of a good thing she supposed. Though she had to question why he would. Would it be for sex or alcohol? There had to be a reason. Men never offered anything for free. They used, abused and then disappeared. She would have to keep her guard up around this one; he seemed all too nice, perhaps even fake, to not want something in return.


Feeling a glare slide over her vision, Lucia stared silently at the male. She was trying to read him, figure him out. She didn’t trust him one bit, and she especially didn’t like his attitude. Admittedly he had food, but was that reason enough to be all cheery in these early hours? Lucia didn’t think so. It was suspicious. Maybe he thought she would give him sex, maybe he thought she would tend to his every whim. Her mind raced with possibilities. Her paranoia was out of control, but even so, she remained glued to the spot. The chance of a proper meal was all too tempting for her to turn tail and run. She would stay, she would study him. If he tried anything, she would turn on him.


“I suppose you could call it that,” Lucia replied eventually, her tone cold, untrusting. “Personally, I think it’s a relatively ugly morning, but then again, that doesn’t change very often.” She watched his face carefully, her eyes shifting over him at a relatively fast pace. She wanted to catch every detail; she wanted to know his every move. Males were sly creatures. She was certain he would not be any different.


Her ears perked, muscles tightened. He had turned away from her. She felt her toes clamp into the dirt beneath her. Why had he done that? What was he planning? She felt her lip twitch as she swallowed the saliva in her mouth. Luckily, however, it seemed she once again had made the wrong call. He turned back to reveal a slightly less bloodstained face, an improvement for certain. Lucia sighed under her breath; he had definitely got her pulse up then.


He took a small step away from her. Lucia’s eyes followed him carefully. She was on edge now, nervous almost. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, drumming against her ribcage. She felt almost as exposed as the small carcass in front of her, but as he gestured towards it, his lips speaking kind words at her, Lucia slipped out of her delusions.


Walking forward, eyes never moving from the stranger, she nodded in thanks. It was the polite thing to do really. It was his food after all. Yet, she still questioned his motives; she still didn’t trust him whatsoever. Taking a huge bite, blood dribbling down her chin and her pupils dilating in pleasure, she felt a psychotic smile slide over her face. If there was a heaven, this was it, and this male had given it to her. Whatever he wanted in return, she didn’t care right now. All that mattered was that the blood lust had taken her, and that she could bathe in this luxury.


Swallowing, she turned her head toward the stranger. Blood dripped off her chin, staining her already darkened pelt. Her eyes looked almost black from the dilation, though there remained very slight slivers of green if one were to look close enough. The scar across her eye wrinkled as she licked her lips, and spoke as gently as she could. This was difficult considering, but she tried her best.



“Thanks I guess…”
A pause, a moment of thought, a question firmly on her mind. “And what do you want in return for such a delicious meal? There has to be something…”

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#5
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Word Count :: 381 :: That is awesome rambling, I wish I could write as well as you. BTW when Lucia had saliva in her mouth and was afraid to speak that brought a hilarious image to my mind :-D oh and hopefully Zalen will now BLOW HER MIND with his awesomeness.


This female seemed tense, and angry, and sad, and disturbed. It was almost too much for him to take in. To him it was like he could feel every thought of hers radiate towards him and hit with a power that prickled his skin. But he remained calm, absorbing these feelings, changing them, and then putting out their opposites in her direction, like a plant taking in carbon dioxide and releasing fresh air. When she spoke about the “ugly morning” a soft smile came to his face, she had obviously had a rough night before, or maybe many rough nights, it was not unusual for her to be in a mood. He wondered why he was not more wary of this one as he usually was of females, perhaps the fact that he had met the crazy Panda wolf the other night completely changed his view of women.

She was still tense as she began to eat and Zalen slowly sat on his haunches and watched her without trying to be too obvious about it. He took a deep breath in and noticed a faint scent of alcohol on her. “Well that explains the mood.” he thought with an inward smile. He had only had one encounter with that hume elixir, when he was still with his adoptive brothers in the south west woodlands. They had completely gone out of their minds that night, had run through the woods like complete maniacs, howling at the moon and other crazy things. His eyes closed for a moment and a smile tinged with sadness came to his blood covered lips. Those had been good times.

Once again Zalen put his attention on the female who was close to finishing. Despite her cold demeanor she was a beautiful creature, it was a shame Zalen lacked the skills to woo. As she swallowed the last gulp and turned to him what she said astounded him. What did he want from her? He was a bit stunned at the question. For a moment he just looked at her quizzically in silence and then a smile came to his face and before he knew it he was chuckling. When his giddiness subsided he looked at her with calm eyes, “In return you must give me your name.”

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#6
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Oh, muse, where have you gone! Sad .... & Yeah, I know what you mean. Saliva-mouthed Lucia is funny! Big Grin Don't suppose you have AIM do you? Maybe discuss how things will roll in futher detail? Smile ...Great post btw!


The stranger seemed so at peace. Lucia wanted to scream at him, wanted to tell him to be angry, be violent. She wanted spitefulness, she wanted hatred. Her mind could not possibly begin to fathom these pleasantries from anyone, especially a male. What made it considerably worse was that smile. She had seen it many times before in her travels. It was soft, angelic. It was the archangel of all smiles, and it made her sick. She could almost feel the bile build up in her throat. What was he thinking? Why was he smiling? She had not said anything remotely funny, had she? It was an ugly day, revolting in all its sunshiny jolliness. How could he not see that? What was this peace he revelled in? All these thoughts spun round her head so fast. She thought her mind might just cease to work, that she might just keel over and die. Not that she would complain about that, it would just be irritating that it would happen in front of a man.


It was apparent, however, that he was watching her intently. This made Lucia extremely uncomfortable. Part of her wanted to gouge his eyes out, and part of her wanted to cry. It made her feel like a monster, made her feel unsightly. It made her feel like a freak. A small warning snarl escaped the depths of her throat as she let one malachite coal slide over his direction. She wanted him to back off completely, disappear maybe. But that could lead to him taking his food elsewhere, and that would just not do. She needed to use this, use him even. The hunger wasn’t leaving any other way; pride would have to take a back seat on this one.

It was during the silence between them that Lucia noticed the paint around his right eye. This confused the ebony female. She couldn’t understand why anyone would want to mark themselves. She hadn’t many scars at all, but they haunted her every day. In particular, it was the one across her left eye. Every reflection, every meeting, every… well, everything. It was there glaring back at her no matter what. It wasn’t how she got it that kept the dark cloud above her head; it was simply the fact she had been stupid enough to let it happen. It was with this thought that her mind drifted, floated off into some distant memory that should have been locked tightly in one of the many rooms in her labyrinth of a mind.


She could smell the ashes cooling; she could taste death in the air. There was thunder in the distant, and a crow cawing somewhere nearby. She was staring at the shell of a wooden cabin, charred flesh tickling her nostrils. Her mother was in there once, but whatever was left, she didn’t want to know. It was clear that she hadn’t made it out because of the thick musk in the air. Lucia’s heart ached, it screamed out a thousand times. She felt lost, alone. She felt anger.



Lucia snapped back into reality, a shiver shooting down her spine. The flashbacks were a royal pain in her backside. She really needed to do something about them. Looking back at the male beside her, her sight having drifted during her little vacation down memory lane, she noticed a sad smile on his face. Her lips parted as though to ask why, but she stopped herself. Her brain cursed her for even considering being nice to the stranger, as though it was forbidden. Twisting her lip into dark smile, Lucia remained silent. Her mind still pondered on the past, it wanted to go back there again.


It tried, it pushed and it shoved at the frail obsidian woman. Her mind screamed and clawed, trying to bring back memories she could not be bothered to relive. She knew what was next. The death of her father... he was the reason for that scar. She had hunted him down, tortured him, and burned him alive. As a last struggling attempt, he had swung at her, catching her eye and causing the wound. He was the reason for her mother’s death; he was a disgusting excuse of a wolf. She had rid the world of him, but he lingered. He had marked her, and the only thing that went through her mind at that point in time was simply that she should have seen it coming. Silly, silly Lucia…


‘In return you must give me your name…’
The words brought Lucia back to reality as quickly as she had slipped away again. That was a stupid thing to do really, considering her lack of trust with this man. He could have attacked her at any second, she had let her guard down again. She growled bitterly under her breath, making a mental note not to do that again. Lucia hated her mind sometimes, and she most certainly hated herself.


“Uh-huh…”
She responded, staring emotionlessly at the stranger. She tilted her head slightly, trying to work him out. There had to be a hidden motive, there had to be something else going on here. Nobody was this nice, and that went especially for men. “Lucia…” She finally muttered grumpily, having failed at any sort of seeing into his soul. Lucia hated closed books; she hated those who could lock their thoughts and feelings away. It was jealousy mostly, and Lucia could be a very jealous character indeed.


“…You?”

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#7
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Word Count :: 339 :: Hopefully we can flesh this out more in pms… pms? Really? Haha.


While he had been distracted in watching her eat he hadn’t noticed the change in the atmosphere. The morning sun had disappeared; the air had thickened around them. The sky became pregnant and heavy. But he was too interested in this femme fatale to take notice of the weather. The darkened wood made her seem even that more ebony and it transfixed him. There was something unexplainably ethereal about her, but instead of angelic it was demonic. It excited him a little, because she was so different from him.

He noticed that as she ate her eyes seemed to glaze over and her chewing became robotic, almost like her soul had left her body. It was somewhat frightening; he wondered what she was going through, what would cause any creature to become so abject. But something about that look was extremely familiar and he tried to place it in his mind.

She responded to him facetiously, again with a cold demeanor. His soft smile had turned into a more intense gaze, but none the less still friendly. “Zalen.” He spoke, and an instant later the distant sky rumbled with an oncoming storm. Both ears swiveled back to the sound but the rest of him remained motionless as he stared at her. That’s when he remembered. That look, the distant gaze, it had been one that had many times been on the face of his mother. The thought of his dead parent seemed to suck the air from his lungs. His mother was kind and raised him well, but he would catch her at times with that look and a cloud of despair hanging over her crimson head. She never had a chance to tell him what caused her so much pain, he was too young and they were separated too soon.

Zalen came back from his reminiscing and looked at Lucia, “You remind me of my mother…” Before the words left his lips he regretted them. He hardly ever spoke of his mother, it brought back painful memories.

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#8
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WOTD: Abject.
Lonnng and rambly, haha! My muse is toying with me... Sad ... And Lucia's all wet... XD


The thunder cracked into the fragile atmosphere, the dark clouds rolling in quietly and undetected. Lucia had been paying little attention to the world around her, finding it bright and early. It had not occurred to her that it would change, as it rarely ever did. But for whatever reason, nature seemed kind today, bringing rain to her doorstep, and though it was yet to bleed from the heavens, just knowing it was coming made Lucia’s body quiver in excitement. This, however, didn’t change the fact that she still did not like how much the stranger stared at her. She could feel movement in her stomach, frustration and nerves squeezed together into a tiny ball that played pinball with her organ, slowly working its way up to her throat. It would eventually reside there for an undecided amount of time; it would be irritating as hell.
What was he thinking about? He stared at her so hypnotised. Lucia knew she was fascinating, and it wasn’t particularly for great reasons. She had scars, tattoos, piercings… her fur as dark as night, which some considered a bigger sin than the body modification itself. They were strange, their beliefs were messed up. How could fur colour affect somebody? It didn’t make them good or evil; it didn’t make them destined for heaven or hell… did it? Lucia’s mind questioned everything. Yes, he was definitely making her uncomfortable, for she now pondered on the pointless questions that meant very little to her. She did it simply to forget he was watching her.


It took him a while to respond to her question. This vexed the ebony female greatly. She was impatient these days, finding herself annoyed by the tiniest details. Perhaps it was the daily hangovers that crept over her so often in the early mornings, or perhaps it was simply the fact that she found many of those she came across stupid, or just simply oblivious to everything. So many females she had spoken to did not understand how men used them, how they were swept off their paws simply for sex and occasional conversation, only to one day be left in the dust. It frustrated Lucia beyond words… not because she cared about them, but simply because it meant there were more men out there who felt they could get away with that shit. That was the crime here. That was something Lucia just did not want to deal with, god forbid she ever came across anything like that again.


‘Zalen’
he had said, his voice shockingly soft. Lucia’s mind tried to process this. He was quiet, calm, gentlemen of sorts. This didn’t fit with her theory, it didn’t fit with her evidence. She dug her claws into the ground slightly, angered by the whole ordeal. Lucia hated not knowing something for certain, hated feeling like something was trying to turn her world upside-down. This was one of those moments, well… it was one big rabbit hole, sending her spiralling into wonderland without so much as a cheesy Cheshire smile and a manically laugh that could easily match hers without much effort.


“Zalen, huh…”
She replied quietly, a small rumble in her voice. The racing of her mind, the constant abject thoughts and feelings, it burned her skull like acid. She wanted it to stop, but she wasn’t done eating yet. She had to shove through it, had to deal with the current situation. With that, she took another bite of the carcass, determined to get at least one more decent mouthful before the rain came to wash the nicer tastes away.


Silence rolled in, bar the occasional rolling thundercloud making a name for itself in the nearby surroundings. She chewed quietly, staring like a freshly untouched canvass. She was blank, uncaring. This conversation was purely to make time go by; she was not being friendly in any way. She would keep telling herself that. It helped her convince herself that this whole scenario was just one big sexual encounter with her skull.


Another growl escaped the sky above them; the rain would be here soon. Lucia could feel her whole body tremble with anticipation. Something about the magnificent power of a storm touched every part of the ebony female. It was the magnitude of it all. The flashes of lightning that tore through the sky, the bullets of rain that tried to rip through the flesh of the world, the growls of thunder that matched the sound of fighting wolves. It was magical in her eyes; it was different… like her. It made her feel at peace in a way, but it would never last long. The alcohol, however, was a different story. That always worked so well.


‘You remind me of my mother…’ The statement caught her off guard. Her eyes snapped back into reality, and she stared at him silently. She was stunned, amused even. It took all her strength not to burst into a fit of maniacal laughter. Her mind threw out all sorts of insults and jokes she could make, but Lucia found little function in her mouth. She was speechless it seemed. Was it the thunderstorm making this male say such ridiculous things, or was it simply that he was just another bag of hot air, like all the rest of them? If this was some coy way of making her fall into his gaze, agree to be his personal slave, or anything of the sorts, it was badly done. That was not a compliment whatsoever, even if his mother had been some sort of martyr or princess, or anything really. Lucia was just plain Lucia; she was not the reincarnation or resemblance of anyone or anything. The idea that anyone could think otherwise just pissed her off even more.


Letting out a small snarl of disapproval, Lucia finally found the ability to speak again. Yet, as her dark lips parted, tongue about to roll words through their silence, the rain fell. Powerful droplets crashed around them, the sound was music to her ears. A cruel, macabre smile stole her face, and something psychotic shifted in her eyes momentarily. Looking around, she felt her body relax slightly. The weather always had affected Lucia’s moods, and the fact that it was no longer hot or bright sunshine made her feel so much better. The hangover was slowly slipping away, the rain clinging to her fur and her hair glimmering as it slowly became soaked and flattened against her back. She shook herself down slightly, and her green eyes turned back to the strange male in front of her. Lips parted one more time and the words that followed were dripping in sarcasm. That was all she could muster. Lucia did not care for others anymore; she did not want to communicate with pleasantries and sympathy. Instead, she just pretended she was emotionless… pretended that nothing mattered to her. It worked, for she could act extraordinarily well, but the mask could only stay on for so long. One day it would crash and burn, but when that day would come… well, that was as unpredictable as the weather these days, it seemed.


“What a very strange thing to say… Don’t tell me… She was an utter lunatic too, right?”

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#9
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Word Count :: 479 :: I really don't know what to do next... my brain isn't working.


Zalen felt stupid for what he had said, and vulnerable, especially in front of this girl. She could easily rip his soul right out of him now if she only tried but a little. But what had been said had been said and there was a no taking it back now. His chest tightened with nerves and pent up emotions and he tried to suppress these. The darkening sky just seemed to heighten his discomfort exponentially. Why in God’s name would he bring up his mother to a complete stranger and one who seemed to want to be anywhere else but here nonetheless? What a fool he was. For a moment he wished desperately that he could just run away from this ridiculous situation he had put himself in, but he sat at the base of a tree like a lump of coal and remained.

He noticed that as the weather changed so did Lucia. The humid air seemed to release some of the tension in her muscles. This relaxed Zalen too, and he realized that despite his friendly nature he had been somewhat on edge the entire time she had been there. It was because there was something explosive about her, like she could just go off at any minute. The only reason he had stayed is because he had dealt with wolves like that before and knew that it made no difference whether to stay or leave. If they want to kill you they would do it one way or another.

Zalen looked back at her to see how she would respond to his unusual statement but just at that moment the sky broke and large rain drops fell around them. It felt good, and the cold drops caused the warm ground to steam. Soon Zalen was drenched, the long strands of his mane that had come loose from the braid in the chase of the fawn clung to his face or started to curl slightly as they dripped. The earth at the base of his feet began to stain red as the blood was washed from his face. In fact that whole area that the two of them stood in began to get saturated with the fawn’s blood as the rain water mixed with it and spread out.

Zalen listened to her response and for whatever reason, either from the fact that what she had stated was far from the truth or rather that this whole budding conversation was so unnerving caused Zalen to laugh out loud. But luckily his nervous laughter was somewhat silence by another crack of thunder, this one much closer to the pair

After he regained his sanity he spoke again, “No it’s not that. It’s your distant gaze that reminds me of her.” He stood from his haunches and gave his body a shake, sending water and blood away from him.

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#10
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That's cool. I thought it was a lovely post by the way Smile


Lucia always had liked the effect water and blood made. She couldn’t help but watch as they mingled on the ground beneath her. It was almost like Mother Nature herself was cleansing the area. The rain had fully drenched her now, her long dark hair flat against her back, and covering part of her face. Little droplets dripped down from the ends of her hair, causing her to blink rapidly as they fell into her eyes.



It was a strange feeling, sharing her joy with another. It was probably well established at this point how the weather had shifted Lucia’s mood, and thus, he would know what made her feel better. This was not something that the ebony female desired to happen. In her mind he could use this against her somehow, make her fall into a trap… or something, anything. She was just sure he would use her; she just couldn’t prove it yet.



Evaluating the male that stood in front of her, Lucia couldn’t help but notice how his hair had started to curl. It hadn’t occurred to her at first to look any further than his face, but after dragging her eyes across him once more, the gaps began to fill. She caught glimpse of the braid in his hair, the loosened grip sending little wisps to get flattened against his body by the downpour. His face was smoother than she imagined, the blood now fading around his mouth. The silver loops in his left ear glistened in her vision, reminding her of her own two loops that resided in her right ear. Eventually she wanted more but since her return she had not acquired the tools to do so, but at this point, she was also contemplating just doing it with her daggers.



Realising she was now in fact staring at the peculiar male, Lucia diverted her eyes toward the canopy. Just past the tops of the trees, through little gaps in the leaves, Lucia managed to see part of the lightning. She wondered if it would hit any of the trees around them, whether it would cause a fire anywhere, but most of all she just wondered what it was like to fly in a storm. She wanted to be a bird, she wanted to see it like them.



Another rumble of thunder came and went, but it wasn’t that that caught Lucia’s attention. Laughter had rose from the silence between the two, and like clockwork, Lucia’s head had snapped back around to glare at the dark gentleman. She felt a small snarl catch in her throat, it almost stopped her breathing. Letting it subside back into the pit of her stomach, the ebony woman let him have his moment.



Once the laughter had died, Lucia feeling particularly annoyed that it had been because of her words, she walked past the stranger. Her steps were light and gentle, contrasting greatly with the overall image she tried to give about herself. She stopped at the base of a tree, turned back to face him, and sat against the bark. The wetness tickled the back of her legs and tail as she curled it around her. Staring blankly at him, clearly not amused by the fact he had laughed at her, Lucia spoke. It was quiet under the loud cracks of thunder, but whether he heard her or not, well… she didn’t care.



“And who says I have a gaze? Maybe you’re just imagining things… Ever thought of that?”
She paused, flicking her head in an awkward manner, trying to get the hair out of her eyes. She was too busy fiddling with the pouch in her lap to use her hands. That and it was just too much effort at the moment. “And what kind of name is Zalen anyway?”


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#11
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Word Count :: 475 ::Apparently Zalen has magic name knowing powers now...


Zalen was slightly amused as Lucia finally seemed to take interest in him. He could nearly feel her eyes travel across his form. But it didn’t feel like she was sizing him up in anyway just checking him out like he had done to her while she was eating. He watched her lithe form as she moved to lean against the tree. Obviously his laughter had annoyed her, seeing the small snarl she had given, but at this point Zalen just attributed the little snarls and scoffs as part of her personality. She was as dark as the fur upon her skin.

The thunder was coming more rapidly now, and the flashes of the lightening above them caused the area to send shadows in every direction for a moment. He realized they probably weren’t in the safest of areas, surrounded by all these trees, but it did not seem to perturb her so Zalen let it be. It was then he noticed her fiddling with a small brown pouch that was connected to a belt at her waste. He had noticed it before but had not given it much interest. He still wasn’t used to all the hume objects he had seen on the individuals he had met; Theodore’s gloves, Panda’s… everything. The only objects of the extinct race he owned were the two earrings in his left ear, but those had been given to him by his mother rather than scrounged from crumbling hume settlements. He took notice of the daggers attached her belt and was confused. Why would a luperci need hume weapons? Were their claws not sharp, fangs not piercing? Zalen had always defended himself with the weapons mother nature had given him, so why settle for a cheap hume knock off? He shook his inky head, clearing his thoughts like an etch-n-sketch as well as ridding his eyes from stray droplets.

He listened to her sarcastic response, but there was something different there; a question. So it seemed she was taking more than visual interest in him now. “I don’t know, what kind of name is Lucia?” He gave a little smirk. He wished he could play her game as well as she but he just lacked those skills. He had always fallen behind when it came to sarcasm, even when he was with Cody and Keylo, who were masters of the art. With a small sigh he decided to answer her, “It means thrower… or hitter. Something like that. I’m not sure why my mom gave me such a name. Ironically I don’t throw or hit better than anyone else.” Again with his mother! He just needed to shut up about her. He looked back up at Lucia with a small smile, “But I know what your name means and I must say that is the biggest irony of all.”

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#12
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Haha, awesome! Big Grin


Lucia caught him eyeing up her daggers. She wanted to comment, make some sort of remark about how she could peel his flesh off the bone in a matter of seconds, but the words never came to pass. Instead, she simply smirked knowingly, though it quickly vanished. She didn’t like displaying emotion, no matter what type it happened to be. She also didn’t like the way this meeting was going. They were talking; discussing things… it was unnatural to the dark female. It wasn’t how her daily routine was supposed to go. She would usually be drunk by now, so why wasn’t she? Maybe that was the male’s idea… to distract her from her usual things. Maybe he had been spying on her, maybe this wasn’t an accident at all.



Having now managed to get the hair from her eyes, Lucia watched her companion closely. She was still fiddling irritably with the leather pouch, but at least now she felt like she was getting somewhere. It seemed stupid really, trying to smoke a cigarette in the rain, but she felt like it was definitely a good time for one, considering how things seemed to be going, and how she felt as a whole.



His smirk surprised her. She didn’t picture him as the type to have such a nature. All that had come across so far was arrogance, but with how Lucia was, she would call anyone that who laughed at anything she had to say. It was a mesmerising moment; she could almost say that she found it attractive on him. It suited him. However, Lucia, being who she was, quickly shook those thoughts away. It was no use getting involved like that again. She would just get used, hurt, destroyed… all over again. She would have thought her mind would have learnt that after the last time.



Pulling out a cigarette from the leather pouch after what seemed like minutes of struggling, Lucia cupped it in her fingers whilst placing it in her mouth. The other hand held a lighter, which after a few tries spurted out a feeble flame in the downpour. Sucking in the smoke as the tip began to glow orange, Lucia inhaled the poisonous cloud with a deep sense of pleasure. It touched every part of her body, her eyes half-closed as she exhaled. Smiling quietly, Lucia only then remembered that her coal-coloured companion had spoke only moments ago.



Looking at him, she shook her head slightly, droplets shooting off in every direction. The rain pressed on, attempting to destroy her nicely burning cigarette, but as she cupped it in her fingers, it remained dry… for now. Having another drag, she parted her lips to speak. The smoke bellowed out with every word, perhaps giving off some demented dragon impression, if one saw things from that perspective.



“Thrower… Hmm… Your mum definitely is a strange one by the sounds of things.” She paused, toying with the idea of letting another sly smile on her face. Her lip twitched, tried to curl, but she halted it. It wasn’t the time right now; she just didn’t have the effort in her. Being a bitch wasn’t always so easy. “Are you a mummy’s boy or something?” She said it casually, no tone, no nothing. It was a genuine question, and Lucia was sure that if he was such a thing, she would definitely turn tail and run. She couldn’t be dealing with emotionally screwed up men. They were even worse than the normal kind.



“Oh, and as for my name…”
She added quietly on the end, a small pause in-between the words. There was sarcasm in her voice now, a coy smile on her face. The scar on her eye wrinkled darkly, and smoke flowed around her like a protective barrier. “What can I say... My mother had a sense of humour.”


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#13
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Word Count :: 419 :: OOC


Keen eyes watched her nimble hand pull out of the bag something that Zalen had not seen in quite some time. A cigarette he believed they were called. With puppy-like curiosity he cocked his head to the side as he watched her light it and take a drag. His nose wrinkled as the smell hit him, it was strong but not that unpleasant in this weather. The smoke mingled in the misty air and then dissipated. Something about it was calming and Zalen felt his eyes droop.

He only half paid attention to her next words, his ear slanted lazily in her direction. But when the topic of motherhood once again came up Zalen closed his eyes. He let the wave of emotion run over him, pain, anger, hatred, the need for revenge that he knew would never come. He tried to stay away from these dark thoughts, the thoughts that made him realize that not only could he not save his mother’s life, he couldn’t save Keylo or Cody either. Everyone close to him was dead.

He looked up at Lucia with fierce eyes, “My mother was murdered when I was just a pup.” He closed his eyes angrily and turned his head away from her, feeling that in some way she could see how shameful he was.

A growl rose in his throat as he remembered that fateful night, a dark moonless night in the dead of winter. He remembered how his mother had stood over him, hackles raised, becoming a fiery demon he had never imagined she could become, all so she could protect him from the horde that had them surrounded. There had been a flurry of movement, snarls and barks and yips of violence all around him. He could smell blood, and over the fray he heard his mother telling him to run… and like a coward he did. The biggest regret of his life was that he had run. He should have stayed by her side to the bitter end. Zalen felt hot liquid press behind his eyes and his blood boil. Those goddamn coyotes. He hated them. He wished he could wipe their kind from the face of the earth.

The sky above them broke again with a burst of violent thunder and this snapped Zalen back to the here and now. He looked up at Lucia with a face that barely hid the emotions roiling within him. He grunted out a sigh and a part of him wished for a cigarette.

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#14
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I hate my muse, lol. Hope this actually made sense...


His head cocked, nose wrinkled as the smoke danced its way to the male’s nostrils. Lucia felt an amused smile steal her darkened lips, she half expected him to cough. He seemed so innocent in that moment, for just that split second. It seemed almost strange that Lucia found him to be untrustworthy in her eyes. But the moment didn’t last long; her mind always had a way of bring back the negativity. Snake’s face flashed in front of her eyes, and that smile faded into nothing but silence. She just sat there, watching her male companion. He seemed lost in thought, a dark cloud moving over his face as though it mimicked the clouds above them.



She stared, curious. But it wasn’t long until she got her answer. His eyes were fierce, angry… Lucia smiled secretly. It seemed like this gentlemen had a dangerous side, so in her mind, that simply gave her evidence toward her theory. Maybe he just pretended to be nice, maybe now all the skeletons were coming out to play. Lucia toyed with the idea of provoking him, seeing if she could get him to snap, but she didn’t. Instead, she sat there, placing the cigarette in her mouth lazily. It was almost like an uncaring aura had overtaken her, but that was not the case. She could relate to the male’s situation. She had been in a similar boat.



Exhaling, the rain now beating even harder against her body, and the world around her, Lucia threw the cigarette into the distance. It was no good to her anymore, having been put out by a large raindrop that had found a way around her shielding fingers. She sighed deeply, confused about how she should go about the situation. Part of her wanted to laugh at his reaction, the turned head and closed eyes. It was clear he was angry; he was just downright pissed off. But what could Lucia do? What did she want to do? She could offer words of comfort, but why would she do that? This male… well, that was it. He was male. She didn’t want to help him, didn’t think she needed to. But he had offered her his food. She shook her head, muttering something inaudible under her breath.



Looking back at him, she parted her lips. She went to speak but a growl met her ears. Her eyes narrowed, thinking it was directed at her, but as her eyes focused on the other, she saw he wasn’t even looking at her.



Waiting, she stared up at the heavens again. Her eyes blinked furiously as the rain pelted down her on like pebbles. She opened her mouth slightly, the droplets tickled her tongue. It wasn’t until a particularly loud bit of thunder that Lucia realized she still had company. Snapping her neck back toward the darkened male, she caught his gaze. His eyes looked sad, maybe a hint of regret in them as well. She could read him like an open book and it made her feel better. She didn’t feel as exposed now, and that meant things weren’t all as bad as she thought they were.



“Don’t know why I’m telling you this,”
she spoke, her voice empty and flat, “but whatever… you look all pathetic over there, so maybe I feel sorry for you…” That was the closest Lucia could get to being friendly to a male. There was hidden caring somewhere in the pit of her broken heart, but it wouldn’t surface. It couldn’t surface. She was too proud, and too paranoid.



“My mother was murdered too… by my father.”
She smiled to herself. She could hear his screams in her head again. “I got him back for that though. He’s dead… and trust me,” her eyes flashed dangerously, a smirk on her face as she stared through the male in front of her. “He didn’t die quickly either…”

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#15
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Word Count :: 326 :: I have a feeling this might be drawing to a close, what do you think?


He watched her flick away the cigarette, both thankful and disappointed to be rid of the scent of it. He looked at her again, watched as she tried to formulate her thoughts for a response. Would she laugh at him? It didn't seem past her. Would she use this new found knowledge to spite him in some way, call him weak and a coward like he knew he was? His tail twitched nervously on the soaked ground as he waited. Why did he care so much what Lucia thought? Perhaps because she reminded him of his mother he sought her approval.

Zalen regained his calm demeanor as she spoke. Well, that explained a lot about her. Having one’s mother be murdered and killing one’s father must change a person. But he hadn’t been changed… or had he? Was he so different from her? The only difference was she wore the darkness on her sleeve whereas he kept his buried inside. But Zalen had kindness in him, he had joy, he reveled in these things on a daily basis. This femme seemed to have driven those things from herself, perhaps seeing them as weakness. He understood her now, and wasn’t sure whether to pity her or what. He did empathize with her greatly though and in that moment felt more connected to this cold wolfess than he had anyone else he had met.

The rain still pelted them, but the thunder was rumbling past, heading towards the mountains. The air was so heavy he supposed Lucia could have cut a slice of it with one of her daggers. Zalen gave his whole body a shake, causing his fur to stick up madly in every direction. “You’re lucky… in a sense. You were able to avenge you mother. I was never granted such a chance.” He shook his head again, half-heartedly, “You and I… what we went through… we are survivors I suppose, just surviving in different ways.”

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#16
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WOTD: Canonical.
Oh muse, you failed me... & err, if you would like it to be? Old Lucia made an appearance. Haha.


Lucia watched as Zalen shook himself down, rain drops flying everywhere and his fur sticking up. For a moment or two, her eyes showed signs of laughter, but it passed as quickly as it came about. She was no longer able to process such things. Positivity just wasn’t in the cards for her.




He had called her lucky. This made Lucia’s lip curl, undecided of whether it was an amused smile or a disagreeing frown. Maybe it was both, but either way, she did look very strange. “I wouldn’t call it luck,” she paused, pushing herself up from the soggy earth. Soil clung to her fur, a small dip now present beneath the tree where she had once been sitting. Now on her feet, she looked back at the male and continued to speak, though tiny slivers of amusement had begun to steal her voice. “It wasn’t so much to avenge my mother either,” she paused, a twitch in her lip that tried so hard to be a smile. Lucia didn’t allow it. “Mostly just for a bit of fun… The avenging part didn’t really come into it until afterwards…”




She watched him shake his head. She had the sudden urge to ruffle his hair, but the ebony female fought against it. There was something drawing her to this male, but she couldn’t place her finger on it. She decided in her mind it was something to do with charm. He was charming her, getting her to trust him… or attempting to. Lucia would not allow herself to be fooled. She couldn’t let her guard down, yet as she began to lose herself in thoughts, trying to persuade herself that she wouldn’t be lead astray again, she heard herself speak. “…You look like a porcupine who has been hit by lightning, you know? It looks quite ridiculous on such a handsome man!”




The words rolled off her tongue without warning, a strange tone in her voice. It was flirtatious, blunt. It was not canonical behaviour for Lucia. Her mind shouted at her, beat her skull from the inside-out. Lucia winced, her face now filled with shock and horror at her unnatural behaviour. What was he doing to her? Why was this happening? She stared at the floor, embarrassed, listening as everything went quiet and she waited for some kind of response. She expected laughter, but the question was, would she get it?


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#17
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Word Count :: 394 :: Sorry I didn't really expand the conversation in this one. ^_^'


Zalen was slightly appalled by the way she casually spoke of killing her father, like it was nothing more than a game. Zalen considered life a precious thing now that individuals dear to him had their lives snuffed out. But here was this dark girl, basically mocking life with every sneer. It saddened him, but once again deep inside there was the tickle of excitement he had felt earlier. Something about her I-Don’t-Give-A-Shit nature was intoxicating to him. He wished that he could take on her mindset somehow, even if just for a moment. The idea of not caring seemed kind of… pleasant.

In this moment of lust of carelessness he watched her move. She stood and he was suddenly slightly aroused by her slender figure. As he realized this he got a somewhat sick in the pit of his stomach. He could not be attracted to any female, especially this one. Sexual interests always led to disaster, at least in his experience. He would not permit himself to become fascinated in such a way. Forcefully he buried these desires deep into his mind where they would be dealt with later.

Lucia then said something that blew Zalen’s mind. Was that a joke? A flirtatious joke? His first gut reaction was to stare at her slack jawed, but he stopped himself. Instead he looked at her emotionlessly and then put the silliest, goofiest grin on his face and reached up to ruffle the fur on his head, just making the spikiness of it that more intense. He laughed a bit but then calmed and looked at her again. How much he wished he could reach forward and push the strand of hair sticking to her face aside. What was this girl doing to him?

Finally the rain began to die down, but the thunder could still be heard in the distance as the storm rolled over the mountain tops. The carcass of the fawn was now muddy and soiled and hardly noticeable, the rain having washed the blood away. Zalen looked at Lucia with wanting eyes, but a wanting that was neither sexual nor fiendish, but instead a wanting to understand. The way she looked now, eyes downcast and silent, she was like a beautiful statue on a pedestal too high for him to reach. He could say nothing lest the moment be broken.

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#18
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Hope this is alright. Poor little Lucia... Tongue


Stillness was all that greeted the woman’s obscure behaviour. It seemed like the seconds dragged, the pit of her stomach unsettled with confusion and her malachite eyes burning into the ground beneath her. She could see him slightly still; no matter how hard she tried to look elsewhere. Her flesh was tinkled pink, flushing and warming with her embarrassment. It wasn’t until the other responded with the most whimsical grin Lucia had ever seen that her head slowly came back to join the gaze of her companion, lip twitching as she tried to hold off the small smile that tried to steal her face.



He seemed to know how she felt. He ruffled his fur, something Lucia had earlier considered doing, and it stood on ends. She chuckled slightly, quietly, and shook her head. “You’re a strange creature.” She paused, biting her lip. She was always one for honesty, but now her honesty deceived her. It didn’t fit with anything, it was an odd piece of a puzzle, and this vexed the dark female greatly. Glancing over the top of the male, she tried to pretend she wasn’t about to say what rolled off her tongue. Her mouth parted again. Still chewing her lip, the words seemed audible enough. “You’re not so bad, you know?” She looked at the ground, eyes touched by sadness. “…For a man.” There was contempt in her voice; it wasn’t clear whether it was at herself or the man in front of her, but something about that sentence deeply upset her. Perhaps it was the fact that he threw her entire theory out the window, or maybe it was the strange behaviour he had her doing.



It was at that moment that her mind reared its ugly head, whispered in her ear like her shoulder devil, or a demented demon in her skull. Maybe this was what he had planned all along… Maybe this was all a game and she had fallen for it. Paranoia came flooding back, violently twisting her heartstrings, scratching at her eyes. Still staring at the floor, small crystals lined her ivy coals. Realising this, the dark female snorted in disgust. She wasn’t about to let anyone see this, including herself. She shook it away as quickly as it came, bringing her eyes back to her strange companion slowly.



As she did, the rain began to weaken. Somewhere in the distance Lucia caught the sound of thunder, she was glad the storm still raged. This, in her mind, was hope that her own rabidity still remained, that she was still herself and she had simply had a moment of weakness. She revelled in decadence; she wouldn’t change this… especially not for a man.



Staring at him blankly, completely void of the moments that trailed away into their memories, she waited. She wanted him to say something, wanted him to steal her confusion away, make it alright. But part of her wanted him to laugh at her, hate her, and hurt her. She wanted to solidify her theory that all men were interested simply in themselves and what made them happy… She wanted him to be the villain. Just like her.

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#19
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Word Count :: 390 :: Zalen is going to touch her now, hopefully she doesn’t bite his hand off. BTW, using the most ridiculous word of the day ever in this one, I’m sure you can’t miss it.


When Lucia could hardly contain a smile it warmed his heart. So this femme did have a soul of some kind it seemed. Her quiet laughter caused his heart so skip a beat, it was like the tinkling of broken bells and it was lovely. There were aspects of her that did in fact lend themselves to her name sake, like glimmers of bright light in the abyss. These parts of her the overwhelming good in him clung too while the ostracized dark part of his soul lusted after the rest of her.

‘You’re a strange creature’ she said and his head cocked so ever slightly to the side as the grin crept back onto his features. As confusing as this girl was to him he was to her and this made him no longer feel at a disadvantage in this situation. She seemed to be struggling to get every word out and he knew conversation like this was probably few and far between for her as it was for him as a well. And the way she spit out the sentence ‘You’re not so bad… for a man,’ revealed even more into her dark soul. Her father killing her mother, strike one against men; her killing her father for fun, strike two. Now the last piece of the puzzle was whatever strike three had been, something as traumatizing as her mother being killed most likely. But now was not the time to ask that question, now was the time to calm her nerves. Zalen wouldn’t hurt her, he couldn’t even if he tried. She was like an inverted mirror of himself and she was also like his mother. Lucia would be the last person on earth to receive his scorn now, even though they had only spent about half an hour together.

“You’re not so bad either… for a woman.” And now that he was in a zugzwang, Zalen took a risk. He stepped towards her and gently pushed that annoyed strand from her cheek with a sharp claw. He hesitated only for a moment before touching her, realizing this was probably a bad idea, but nothing ventured nothing gained. As the forefinger pad of his paw moved against her cheek he felt for the first time her warmth and the soft nature of her fur. He inwardly shuddered.

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#20
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So sorry about the wait! Sad ... & this post sucks. Yours was awesome though.


It took a moment of silence for everything to shift. He had tilted his head, stared at her. There was a slight smile across his masculine features. Lucia could feel her mind splitting, tearing itself in half. Part of her wanted to swipe away this grin he displayed, claws out and blood spilt… The other part, she liked it. She wanted to watch him smile over and over again. What was happening to this dark female? How could such a creature gain this kind of hold on her in such a short amount of time? Her brain raced, every thought bursting through the dusty corridors, screaming out with confusion. She didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t know what to do.



Standing there, quiet and contemplative, Lucia’s eyes flickered between the floor and her obsidian companion. It wasn’t until he had stepped forward that he fully caught her attention again. She felt her knee twitch, she wanted to step backwards. Her feet remained still, glued to the ground. There was an air of nervousness about them, like teenagers in the back of a car in the middle of the night. She had this feeling one other time. This lust, desire that consumed her veins in a second. It was more powerful than the blood lust, it was more powerful than any other emotion she could display… and it reminded her of Snake.



It wasn’t until his hand touched her face that her entire body changed. Lucia stared at him, tears in her eyes. For a moment, the blurred vision seemed to twist and distort his face. She could see olive eyes and tanned fur. She could see Snake, but as soon as it appeared, it faded back to Zalen. She breathed sharply, her chest heaving in and out. Anxiety took hold of the coal female, her feet felt like lead. His fingers seemed to weave through her fur and for a second or two; she could feel herself tilt into his touch. She wanted to stay there, make it last forever.



A tear crept down her face. She had cried in front of a male. Realizing this, she pulled away with a small snarl erupting from her throat. Turning her back to him, she stared emptily at the floor. If there was ever a time she felt truly alone, it was now. He had given her something she hadn’t felt in a long time. He had listened to her, spoken to her, made her feel warmth inside her heart that she believed couldn’t exist anymore. Her head was pounding with confusion; her heart ached with the thoughts of Snake. It was almost a feeling of betrayal, like she had cheated on her coyote prince. Her mind couldn’t grasp that he wasn’t coming back, that it was over… and yet, it also couldn’t understand how this male made her feel. What was all this? Why was it happening? Why couldn’t she shout at this dark male for all the destruction he was leaving in her dark abyss of a mind? Why couldn’t she hate him?



There was anger in her throat, but she couldn’t speak. Tears had choked her, as she fought to hold them back. Lucia couldn’t cry, she wouldn’t cry… She wanted to yell at him, tell him to stop torturing her mind, but she couldn’t. Truth be told, she just wanted him to hold her close. She had missed the emotions he provided her, but she was too proud to admit it, too damaged to let her walls down. If only he could read her mind…

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