[Flashback] Thrill of the Hunt (Sorian)

[Mao]

The wind was blowing downhill and his scent did now follow. This led to the false belief that the monster had been outrun, and she was safe, if only for the moment. Her eyes scanned the horizon drastically, but despite his large form she could not spot him anywhere. Perhaps he was waiting in ambush, or perhaps she had indeed managed to outwit him and secured her survival for another day. As quietly as she could, she settled herself in a patch of tall grass and promptly began to massage her aching legs. She would have to rest or risk having the energy to engage this man again, if he ever decided to show up. As she sat amongst the plants that loomed over her head like a comforting wall, she pondered over the actions of this stranger and what it meant.

Was he a murderer? He had called himself Navis, and his smoldering eyes told of many years lived in shadows and torment. He was Akalak, although Mao had found the name familiar, she could not remember any moment in her short existence on Mizahar where she had encountered such creatures. Perhaps at that time, she was surrounded by her family and sheltered in their tender and loving care, without so much as a desire to reside within the walls of humans. She scowled at the word. Humans. The word made her fists clench, causing her sharp nails to dig into the soft flesh of her palm, nearly puncturing it. But her hatred was still very much alive, and seemed stronger when she passed by travelers who told of their journey to Zeltiva. At the time she wished hellfire rained on their heads and could picture herself tearing open their throats and drinking their blood in the gallons, but she could not risk being labeled as a murderer and hunted. At least not yet.

The slow, lumbering walk of the Akalak came to Mao's attention through the vibrations in the soil beneath her. Her body tensed at this notion, and she quickly moved into a crouched position, her eyes fixated on his body as he eased into view. She had no chance of outrunning him now; she was exhausted, and her legs could take no more. As he spoke, however, his words sent a chill up her spine that caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. Silently, and nearly effortless she stood, facing him. "So you have caught up to me. I have no strength left to run. What will you do now?" She called, the wind carrying her words in his direction. "Will you kill me?" She murmured, rubbing her eyes angrily to prevent the tears of fear from escaping. How embarrassing that she would succumb to this now, but still her stubbornness would not falter. She stood her ground, eyes unblinking and akin to the stare of a predator ready for the killing. This would be a game to test her charade.

"Do I look delicious? Would you like me to shed my clothes for you?" If pure speed and her agile abilities alone would not grant her an escape from Navis then surely her little act would have some type of affect. She could not deny that his demeanor and his want for killing was attractive to her, but the fact that she was a target was not comforting, and frightened her in the least.

[Sorian]

The defiant, hostile look that washed over the frightened feline woman's face when she saw him emerge from the distance between them was sensual, almost erotic to Navis, yet for some odd reason it didn't make him happy at all. It was as if he wanted something else from her, something which ran along the lines of comfort and relaxation, possibly even happiness. For a cruel and sadistic demon such as him, who had only ever cared for himself and his own whims, it was a very remarkable feeling. An eyebrow perked up at Mao's question, followed by a breathing smirk. He wasn't used to dealing with people who egged him on to kill them, and it truly interested him not to. His heavy footsteps began to approach Mao, the smile unwavering. "So you'd strip down for me, my dear? Do my be guest, I would rather enjoy that very, very much," he declared in a smooth, almost seductive baritone voice. "However, if you're merely trying to get me to bring my guard down, you'd just be making me happy for nothing. I would really hate to kill you little Mao, so how about you settle down for a chat instead?" In the same way that she wouldn't admit her fancy of his features and the strange appeal she found in him, he wouldn't admit his own interest in her either, although it might have been painfully obvious to the devious Mao. Some part of his instincts told him that she'd be wanting to kill him if he gave her the right opening, and for such an attempt he's always ready with his powerful maws. Even though he was well-aware that she might pose a danger if he draws too close, his curiosity was getting the better of him, and he peered his face close enough for her to bite at it. "So how about it? Shall we have a casual talk?" It wasn't an insult, and it wasn't a provocation, regardless of how she would have taken it. If she wanted to take a swipe at him he wouldn't have stood a chance of avoiding it. Still he wanted to get a good look at her face, which seemed quite surreal and addicting to a creature that has seen all manners of beauty and ugliness in the long life he had lived. His form towered over the tiny Kelvic, and it would have been as clear as ever to her how massive he really is now that he is close enough for her to hear his heart beat, to smell how he smelled of musk and sweat, and to peruse how the muscles in every part of him convulsed and heaved like lava flows beneath the earth. The face which has been the last sight in the world for so many unfortunate people has become hers to explore, to dazzle and to scrutinize if she dared. His boldness was a sign enough of both his supreme confidence and his honesty.

[Mao]

Her ruse had been uncovered and quickly at that. There was nothing else she could rack up in her mind to even suggest a fleeting victory in this case. Still, her expression did not falter. She laughed at Navis as he approached, whether it was fake amusement or not, it was considerably hard to tell. She continued to stand her ground in the face of the creature that towered over her like a tidal wave in the wake of an earthquake. "You're not as stupid as you look." She stated, almost matter-of-factly. Regardless of fear, which was slowly dying off in subtle chunks due to the tone Navis took, she continued to bombard him with venomous words. Instinct would not allow her the novelty of enjoying a pleasant afternoon with a rather morbid and murderous individual.

As he stepped dangerously close to her, she could feel the heat emanating off his skin, like a warm, comforting fire. With her sharp eyes she soaked in his image as if she would never again see a creature this strange and pleasantly different. She had a sudden urge to touch the mounds of muscles sculpting his body, to determine if it was soft or rough to the touch, but as her pale eyes passed over the hollow of his throat, her fingers twitched. She could see herself then, a lunge, a vicious clamp of her canines and she could tear the jugular in seconds. But there she was, standing before the Akalak and instead, inspecting his face, the contours of his cheeks, his forehead and his dark eyes.
The Kelvic held him in a stare for several minutes before looking away, directing her attention to the waves of grass that moved with the wind.

"Fine, let's talk then. Though I've no idea what you'd want to talk about, we're in the middle of Cyphrus." She scoffed as her eyes returned to his face, a glare aimed at him."Go on, what would you like to chat about. The rocks?" Absently, she moved past him, staring out into the vast ocean of the sky riddled with stars. It was impossible to keep her curiosity tame for this long. The words escaped her before she had time to realize it. "Tell me, do you like humans?"

[Sorian]

Navis merely smirked every time she tried to make him sound stupid, or attempted to discredit his offer with apprehension and distrust. In fact, he was so immersed in her exotic beauty that he didn't even bat an eye at her scathing comment about him being smarter than he looked, even feeling it to be akin to an aphrodisiac. The very last part of her seething and irritated rant, a question about humans, caught a bit of his attention away from her swaying body's motion away. "Humans?" he returned the question with a tinge of amusement and spite in his voice. "Hah. Sure I like humans. They're rather tasty and often easy to catch. They go well with herbs too, and they scream well when I break their bones," He showed a brief, rather proud grin at his half-sarcastic, all-factual response. He has in fact killed many humans before, and he considers them to be above all prey in terms of how pleasurable they are to kill. His other half, Sorian, detested him very much for his savage outlook since he has a radically different one of his own. It was a rather minor irritant for the apathetic Navis, but an irritant nonetheless. His smile visibly devolved into a spiteful and serious look and tone very quickly. The question had been a very good one, one which he knew how to answer with both proper conduct and with a little bit of show and tell--A piece of bleached human bone was tucked to the garter of his very badly weathered pantaloons, a possession he had kept away from Kavala and much to Sorian's displeasure. Pulling it out and clenching it tightly, this time he decided to answer her in a more knowledgeable manner. "The truth is, I hate them. I despise them. They're all stupid and inconsiderate, never thinking of how others might feel. All they care about is their own dichotomy and their belief in their own capacity. They kill others, they kill each other, they kill themselves, all in the name of 'progress'. They're the worst murderers in this world, more than any other race and... Individual." The last word was spoken with a begrudging discomfort, knowing that it would pertain to, and apply to both of them. Perhaps Mao wasn't as proud of her occupation as he was, but if she attempted to deny herself he would simply laugh at her. Even when he was merely stalking her a few moments back he immediately sensed how this stunning creature's thirst for blood is like a life for her to live, a career to enhance, a vocation to heed. She is a very dangerous creature, and any other person short of his enormous proportions would be wise to consider her as such. They were very, very similar. "And what about you, kitten? Do you hate humans?" he asked her back, immediately following it with another one. "And oh, before you answer that, didn't you say you were going to strip? Are you still up for that?" he winked playfully.

[Mao]

As much as Navis was watching her, she, in turn, was listening very intently to his words. Yes she had unwittingly insulted his intelligence, but there was no denying that the Akalak was far older and wiser than even she could ever hope to live or be. This made things far more interesting when he answered her question about the humans and how he felt about them. Of course, she had already gathered from their abrupt meeting that he was most definitely not one to enjoy the company of others, and would rather kill them if anything else. But to her, it made excellent food for thought.

"So you've witnessed even more atrocities these humans have done." She stated, turning her body to face him once again. The flash of her eyes as the moon's light penetrated them was akin to a beast, even in her current body, but her mind was far from the instinctual desires that often plagued her. Instead, the Kelvic's heart ached from the mere subject of the humans, and she often found herself digging her nails through the fabric of her leggings and into her skin to quell the burning desire to hunt. The pain that shot up her leg was oddly soothing to her, but it would not last for long.

"You have been hurt by them?" The words escaped her once again. Involuntary, but curiosity often caused such things. He had decided to answer her question truthfully, at least, that was what she could gather. If this was a sign that Navis trusted Mao, then she was not willing to show her gratitude. She merely quirked a brow at his next comment, smirking as she glided right up to the tall Akalak and stared directly into his eyes. "What about me? I hate humans as well. If I could kill them all I would. I would break their skulls and drink from them. They're treacherous." More and more she felt the urge to reach a hand out and touch his skin. Long, slender fingers were inches away from his cheek before she realized what she was about to do and abruptly stopped. Instead she addressed his lewd remark.

"Since I've already answered your question, do I still have to strip?" She smiled deviously and seemed utterly indifferent to the tunic slipping from her shoulders and dropping to the floor, exposing herself to him once again. "The wind feels quite nice on a bare chest, don't you agree?" The tone was childish and sarcastic as she danced away from him, laughing. "I'm sure you weren't expecting me to oblige."

[Sorian]

Mao's bright green eyes glimmered inside Navis' mind like a pair of flares that seemed to call out to him in many ways. One second it would be a hint of apprehension, the next one with a sense of sadness. The hint she had given him about the humans spoke to him of many trials and sufferings. And while he didn't exactly suffer the humans the way they suffered his depredations in the sea of grass, they certainly have left their mark on him. Karnelia, the woman who gave him his first true object of fear and loathing, the love of Sorian's life, was a human. He had killed her, and it caused a split between him and the more docile half of their shared soul. Even he didn't know why he killed her, when he knew that Sorian had everything under control. Perhaps it was because he feared attachment, maybe he simply wanted to enter his half's life with a very loud bang. Whatever it was that caused him to push out so violently, it had scarred him. Sorian had never understood his twisted way of thinking, even though they were together, and will be together, for the rest of their existence. And now Mao, this magnificently beautiful kelvic comes in and rocks him to the core. He hissed silently to himself, telling himself he is stupid and idiotic for the first time in his life, for he had no doubt been completely taken in. There was nothing he could do, nothing he can say if Sorian dared take revenge on him for killing his bride on their wedding night. He may be the one considered to be weaker between the two of them, but he was no doubt capable of becoming n instrument of justice, a harbinger of pain upon him. He saw in Mao a chance to either be forgiven by his half--a thing that he had been wanting begrudgingly for a century then--or to be incomparably pained. The mental struggle left him weak and disillusioned, somewhat, though Mao completely swept the thought out with her next set of words. "They have proven themselves devious, that much is certain. And yes, I'd rather kill them much like you. You and me both, pretty kitten. You and me both." He felt his heat stop for a moment when her tiny fingers slowly reached up to his face, his eyes fully concentrating on them. Usually he would have either drawn back in hostility, or lashed out in anger, but tonight he was silent and not the slightest bit edgy. Whether she wanted to touch him or to rip his skin off with her sharp claws, it didn't matter all that much to him. All he knew was that he wanted to feel her fingers on him, to have her dip her hands onto his bare blue skin, to see if she'd be gentle or cruel if ever he tried to do the same. When she pulled away upon regaining control, he felt sorely disappointed, and he grumbled noticeably, although it lasted only for a moment until she dropped her clothes to the ground. "Yes. I agree," he replied with a blank stare of near-shock, feeling his blood boil and his mouth water at the sight of her bare skin. The air was palpitated by her scent again, and his eyes feasted on her sleek body and her unhidden privates. It was almost enough to make him drool over her like a panting dog. "And no, I wasn't expecting you to. I don't know if you're merely being witty or trying to drop my guard still. If you are really trying to shock me, congratulations. You've succeeded." It was the first time ever that he had admitted his surprise to anything, and it somehow dismayed him, swayed his aura of invulnerability and reduced him to being an expectant spectator waiting for either her favor or her fury. This time he was the one who started to walk closer to touch her, the hypnotic smile on her delectable lips pulling him closer and closer to her. It was sign enough to him that her hostility had toned down. Or is it a ruse too?

[Mao]

The wind carried with it the Akalak's own scent once again, and Mao gladly breathed it in; gladly felt the shadow of the years he'd spent hunting, shedding blood of innocents and convicts alike. It was like an aphrodisiac. But never would she let this be shown. She only grinned, canines flashing in the light of the moon just as her eyes were lit and full of life. She never expected such an outcome to occur from such a frightening encounter. It was refreshing, and rewarding. Was she soothing a beast or was she reverting to one as well? She was like a predator toying with her food before striking for the kill, but how could a mouse ever hope to fell a lion? Especially when this mouse was beginning to feel affections for him. The end result would either be death or something far more exciting.

"I'm glad we share something in common." She mused, smiling as she watched him approach; watched as his eyes soaked in her body, her breasts, her very eyes that could never conceal the beast she was. That's right, she hissed in her mind, You come to me. As soon as Navis had approached her, she quickly closed the gap, trailing a slender finger along the skin of his shoulder as she spoke. "I like surprises, and I'm sure you do too, no?" She circled him slowly, trailing her finger along his shoulder blade and spine, enjoying the texture of his skin.

"How long has it been since you felt the touch of a woman?" Her voice became less venomous and far more alluring, another charming smile dancing on her lips as she spoke. She wanted to find his weakness, a way to break someone as formidable as he, and survive to tell the tale. This was her plan, but it was quickly becoming obsolete, as she realized over this small amount of time that she might have found the one person that shared her love of bloodshed. Had her wishes, whispered into the night in the hopes that the wind would carry them to places untold been heard by the gods? She was fortunate if this was so, for she felt no urge to attack this stranger, only delight.

[Sorian]

If the tiny mouse had begun to feel the need to pleasure the gargantuan lion, then the lion wouldn't flinch for a second to throw the mantle of superiority away to take her for a sensual ride of pleasure. The way she moved towards him, the way she closed the gap between them was a sublime moment of ecstasy; it ignited a multiverse of possibilities for the one-track minded Navis, as if it had been the connection he had been searching for his entire life. Perhaps the gods had been listening to Mao, because they had also ignored Navis with unnerving coldness. He was devoted to no one but himself, and he defied the natural order of things. Two hundred years had passed and yet he had not learned to love a single soul aside from himself. Perhaps the night had finally come for the gods to teach the arrogant Akalak a thing or two about the pleasure in pain. Or perhaps, simply the pleasure in 'pleasure'. "Do I enjoy surprises? I have never been as surprised in my hundred years as tonight. So far I am truly enjoying it," and he spoke with tenderness, almost a lover's melody with a crisp, mellow hoarseness. His mouth was quickly drying bit by bit, and it ached to take her wet lips inside for a taste. Yet he didn't act so suddenly and rashly as he would have done with any other sort of thing he wanted to take. He allowed her to do as she pleased, growling, almost purring in elation with every passing moment of her touch. It was his own way of urging her to continue dancing around him, letting her know that she had become a most rare delight. Aiming to break the will of the azure titan of Cyprus was a dangerous and foolish business that nobody had ever tried and lived to tell about. However it appeared that the surreal beauty had indeed tamed the monstrous beast, bending it to her own whims. The faintest brush from her slender fingers induced the most back-breaking shocks running up his spine, and he trembled with glee and triumph when she spoke so tenderly. "It has not been too long, but the way you touch me makes me feel like I had lived for the very purpose," he retorted with thinly veiled desire, tilting his head back as she explored the sinews and mounds of strength that his body displayed with fierce pride. Finally he couldn't hold back any longer, and as soon as Mao had come full circle in her roundabout teasing he scooped her up and allowed her to entangle her legs around his waist, holding her against his chiseled body by folding his arms around her naked back. Without hesitation he buried his longing face into the side of her neck, inhaling the scintillating scent of her entirety with reckless abandon. A slick tongue clicked out from his lips, taking in the salty taste of her neck's skin before whispering words fraught with affection and tremendous want into her ear. "How do you like our 'chat' so far, my kitten?"

[Mao]

The young Kelvic was enjoying the subtle trembles coursing through Navis' body brought on by just her single touch. She was reveling in the fact that despite his large, imposing form and attractive but ruthless demeanor she could tame him with just her body alone. She had witnessed such things done on her travels, but always in the cover of darkness and in her form best suited to camouflage against the black veil of night. Women who encountered questionable individuals but always managed success in a timely escape using just their quick wit and the weakness in all men's hearts to yearn for pleasure. But was she truly planning to escape from Navis? Her mind urged her to run, but her heart told her otherwise. And she found herself succumbing to the innate desire to bond and to become truly whole as a Kelvic should.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." It was unclear whether she genuinely meant what she said or she was using a bluff. The conflict in her mind was consuming her wholly, so much so that she was taken by surprise when the Akalak lifted her off the ground as if she was as light as a feather. There was no resistance, however. She did, indeed, wrap her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, and a small sound escaped her lips when she felt his tongue make contact with her skin. The chill that ran down the length of her spine was delicious, but a devious smile graced her lips once again. "It'll become more likable in a second."

Trailing her fingers through the threads of his hair for one moment, then jerking his head back the next, her expression was innocent but her intent was far from it. She leaned forward, with her body pressing closer to his, and allowed her own tongue to pass along the surface of his cheek, on his jaw, and down toward his neck. The sudden bestial urge to clamp down on his neck then and there nearly overwhelmed her, but she found herself only grazing his skin with her elongated canines. She had to ask herself why now, since the opening had been made so apparent but she refused to react. No, instead she passed over his shoulder with a light feathery touch of her lips and sank her teeth into the flesh made so readily available.

The taste of his blood as it pooled around her lips was savory in every sense of the word. But her playfulness did not stop there. Nails dug sharply into his back, leaving red streaks from the pressure of her fingers and occasionally tearing, forming small droplets of blood. "So you bleed just like any other man." She murmured almost absently. It was becoming harder and harder to deny herself that which she truly wanted: him.

[Sorian]

It was quite intrepid of her to be so bold, especially when she was in the embrace of the very beast she was gnawing on. Any other being or creature would have been crushed by his strength by then, and wouldn't even be able to bite at him in the first place. Yet here was Mao, clinging to him in a lover's embrace, her tiny tongue folding over her sharp teeth as she licked them of fresh blood. His blood. Navis jerked his head back in a sudden gasp, a line of his thick drool dribbling from his own teeth down to his chin. His azure eyes shot open widely, the irises disappearing into the innards of his eyelids. It was painful; her razor sharp fangs easily tore through his thickened skin and stabbed at his blue flesh. Yet the blood was warm, and as they flowed down they filled the crevices, the hills and valleys of his body, illuminating him like a sea with searing fire lines into the night. It pleasured him as well, just as it pleased her coolly how receptive and easy he actually was to get. Both his hands hardened behind her, squeezing her more closely against his size and smearing some of the blood on her exposed breasts. The pain was striking, but the pleasure was overwhelming. Resting his head back from the jerk to gaze into her bright green eyes, the beast Navis smirked. "Nobody has done that before and survived, pretty Mao," he declared, baring his own fangs for her too see, albeit in a grin. "You can drink it as much as you want, but it won't come without me getting something back in return." He buried his face back into her neck, his tongue no longer teasing, but aggressive and passionate, coating her with the hotness of his mouth. One hand retracted quickly from her back and started kneading her left breast forcefully, all the while exploring the scent and allure of her jawline in successive and alternate licks and hungry kisses. Yes, he was kissing her--the first time he had ever done so. Soon enough his lips ended up inside hers, begging her with muffled grunts to open them wider. There was a time when he had shied away like a useless dog from sex, so the way he trembled and danced in his mind during that moment of burning lust and empathy chiseled away at him. It completely calmed him--save for the hunger for her sex--and put him in a very lofty pedestal as far as bliss is concerned. He was extremely, madly happy. He wouldn't admit it, but he sure was. "Let me return the question to you. How long has it been since you've felt the touch of a man?" he mouthed into her ear before giving it a lick too, not even stopping for a moment to listen to her answer. He was on the verge of laying her down, but he was still enjoying the position they were in, and she was indeed light as a feather, and soft as a pillow propped up against him.