In the Shadow, In the Light (M)

[Lion]

Jerec stopped once they reached a rushing stream.  They were not too far from the village they had made their home.  But they were deep enough into the wood to hopefully keep prying eyes away from them.  Jerec shook his ears for a moment, flicking away her scratching fingers for the moment, so that he could listen.

The air was silent, and nothing but the birds chirped.  He gave Owlet a sniff and ducked his mouth into the water to drink, hoping to slow down his rapid fire heart.

And lo and behold down the rushing waters was a stag, also lowering its head for a drink.  Jerec spotted it from the side of his vision, and didn't move. 

[GoblinFae]

Ariel ceased her efforts, allowing herself to simply curl around him and trust in his instincts. They had come a long way for her to be able to place so much faith and trust in him. Had she reflected on it she would have been shocked to learn just how much she relied on another now and how devastated she would be to lose him after everything they had been through.

When she likewise caught sight of the stag, she pressed herself even closer to his body, hoping to smother her human scent with that of the wolf. The huntress waited with coiled tenseness awaiting a signal from her companion to slide off or move. He was the alpha after all and she was to obey.

[Lion]

Jerec sniffed and shifted himself so that she could lower herself to the ground.  He looked her in the eyes and directed them toward the bushes.  To approach the stag quietly and distract it while he went around into the brush.

[Do you remember if Jerec could speak while shifted?  Because I don't. xD  I know he's my character but if you remember that consistency that'd be great thanks.]

[GoblinFae]

She easily slid from his back to the ground. With a wordless nod, Ariel backed herself away into the bushes, careful to make as little noise as possible while she waited a few moments for Jerec to get in a position to flank the deer on the other side.

Once the huntress believed she had given the wolf enough time to get ready, she purposely rustled some of the leaves causing the stag to raise his head, ears twitching as he looked about attentively. Patiently, she kept in place, resisting the urge to spring forward as she had done in times when arrowheads had been scarce and she did not have the resources to make more. A second rustled sent the beast sprinting off in the direction opposite her and hopefully to where Jerec had motioned he would be. Nevertheless she was in quick pursuit, unwillingly to let him have all the fun without her.

[Lion]

Once in position, Jerec waited quietly through the brush, watching Ariel distract the beast.  And when he saw it running, he moved then, pouncing forward.  However, the stag was swift and upon seeing Jerec, quickly skirted around him.  Jerec growled and bounded after the beast, throwing up dirt in his wake, as he wove between trees.

The stag anticipated its pathing well, shifting around a boulder and rushing uphill, fearful of those in pursuit.

[GoblinFae]

Ariel followed as best as she could before taking to the trees where she was faster and more able to gain on the pair ahead of her. The thrill of the chase was singing in her blood, making her heart beat strongly within her chest as the wind whipped past her and through her hair. She had missed this feeling more than words could say. Jerec may have liked the settled life but she was 'Owlet' and the world of the wild would always be her home.

She put forth an extra burst of speed, swinging and leaping from tree to tree like a daring squirrel as her muscles burned with the effort in order to get her ahead of the stag. Unafraid, she allowed herself to fall and roll, landing in the stag's path, hoping to scare it back into the jaws of a certain wolf.

[Lion]

The will of the Wild would always draw within him, and feed the need of the hunt.  Jerec leapt upon the animal that was his prey, only for the stag to rear up his hinds legs and smack the wolf that Jerec had become square in the face. 

Jerec yelped, whirling back.  The stag did not pause, and when it felt the weight of something small and wiry land on it, it bucked again and gave a sound of terror, running hard and long.  Jerec rolled back onto all fours, ignoring the pain in his face as he tore across the ground once more.

[GoblinFae]

She miscalculated her jump and was nearly sent flying when the beast suddenly beneath her instead of in front of her bucked and shrieked its terror. Ariel would be lying though if she did not take some glee in the fact that not only had she managed to remain seated, albeit barely, but that she also had a better chance of felling the stag now than Jerec. She could not wait to rub the fact that she was now a better hunter than him and that he had grown soft in his village life.

The woman clenched the beast's torso between her knees to remain seated while one arm looped around its neck and the other fumbled for her knife. If she could slit its throat, then the beast would not suffer and she would be even less likely to be sent careening into a tree in its death throes. Unfortunately for her though an unexpected jump forced her to bobble the knife, dropping it in the process moments before the stag was rearing once more in panic as the wolf closed in on them.

[Lion]

If Jerec had gotten soft he hadn't noticed.  He was still as much a wolf as he'd gotten before, driven by instinct and when he saw them clear in the distance he sped onward.  He was angry now, saw red as fierce as moonlight.  With a bolt, he lunged and as the stag reared back on hind legs, Jerec let his claws finish the job, slashing at the underside of the stag's belly.

Gore spilled out onto the forest floor, and though Jerec had been blindly struck by powerful hooves, he was only dazed as the creature staggered and soon slumped to its side.

[GoblinFae]

Ariel abandoned the stag, rolling onto the ground and out of Jerec's way so that his swipe would not cause her any accidental harm. She trusted him with her life but that did not mean that she wanted to tempt fate and make the work harder for him. The woman did not move far though as the moment she hit the ground she was back in motion, tailing deer and beast until the deer collapsed on the ground. In that moment she leaped forward, taking a firm grip of the head and putting the animal out of any last moments of suffering in as painless a means as she could manage.

Covered in blood and with twigs and leaves in her hair, she smiled over at the werewolf before throwing her head back to howl and crow to the sky in jubilation over their teamwork and their new meal. Ariel reveled in the adrenaline still flowing through her as much as she enjoyed being caked in dirt and a bit of the wild back in her system. Jerec could enjoy his four walls and a roof but she longed for the woods and the hunt. This would always be home to her and no one could take that from her forever.

[Lion]

As the stag laid dying, Jerec rolled and tumbled hard into the side of a tree.  He was breathing hard, nostrils flaring as he witnessed his prey's final suffering.  He watched it's life fade away, and he loomed over it.  Blood soaked the ground, and light faded from the stag's eyes.  Bending down, Jerec reached toward the neck and started to eat, pulling at the fur and flesh until meet met to teeth.

It did not matter if he housed himself within four walls and a roof.  The wild was inside him, it was not something that could be hidden away in exchange for the quiet placation of guised civility.  He paused, looking across to the small creature that finished the stag.  The little owl that had followed him from the forest, to a jungle of a different kind.

Slowly the fur faded from his body, bone shrunk down to the sculpture of man.  He watched her, that light in her eyes, and felt a pang then in his gut.  And a burning guilt that he couldn't understand.  Or one that he did not want to acknowledge.

He was silent for the time, looking at his hands in their blood-soaked reverie. 

"I...am sorry, Owlet," was all he said.

[GoblinFae]

Not understanding the realization that Jerec had come to, Ariel's smile on brightened at the use of her preferred name. Her chest puffed out with pride as she smirked at him with crossed arms. "As you should be. You're getting old furball," the little woman teased him playfully before hopping over the stag to stand in front of him. "I seem to remember you being a better hunter unless that was all a dream. Village life is making you all soft and squishy, innit?" She poked at his sides, uncaring of the grime and gore that covered them both.

[Lion]

Jerec gave a small shy smile, feeling her poke a side that had fattened a little since their domestication.  "I am not.  I still helped you kill it.  And it's feasting for both of us."  He smiled and cleaned his hands on the fur.  "Maybe we should camp out tonight.  We can stay on the other side of the creek.  Nobody will see us.  It'd be nice to...get back out again.  I didn't realize I missed it so."

[GoblinFae]

"Now he realizes," Ariel huffed, rolling her eyes as she threw her hands up in the air in mock-aggravation. "Not like been tryin' to tell ya for months or anythin'." She sighed happily though, enjoying the smell of fresh air far from the cloying stench of domesticity.

With a shooing motion of her hands she urged him, "well you can start work on this, get it all to the other side and ready for eating. Owlet's got some climbing to do." Ariel attempted to run for the nearest tree then to avoid helping and to especially avoid having to trudge through the water. Bathes were still one of her least favorite things.

[Lion]

Jerec did as she instructed.  Hoisting the stag to the other side of the river while she readily avoided doing any of the hard work.  She was a clever girl, if not quick on her feet.

The act of digging his hands into the meat and blood of a kill touched something primal deep within.  He could feel the beast wanting nothing more than return to the wild.  Thoughts crept into his mind as the meat spread out between his fingers.  He didn't care if anyone was watching then.  He let his teeth sink into the chunks, letting the blood seep into his mouth, and drip from his lips.

[GoblinFae]

Quick as a bird she flew up the tree and out of sight to hop from branch to branch. Using the long bowing limbs of the massive trees she was able to cross the river without touching down until she was at last on the other side. Once there though, she was far from idle. Ariel began work on collecting brush and wood to make a fire for them a bit further in the treeline so that they could eat and rest in peace without being seen from the opposing bank.

She reveled in being able to feel cool, soft dirt against her skin and only managed to resist the urge to roll about it in with the knowledge that Jerec would most likely try to dump her in the water and keep her there until she was clean once more. An icy evening bath was the last thing she wanted, fire or no fire.

[Lion]

It may have been the last thing she wanted, but it was probably something they both needed.  Once the stag was torn apart and prepared for feasting, taking what was more important and leaving the rest behind was difficult to do.  Jerec had only bitten off a few pieces and once it was ready he began to smell the tendrils of smoke.  Coming from across the river?  Why?

"Owlett!" he called out.  "Where are you?"

[GoblinFae]

Hearing his voice had her snapping to attention before giggling and busying herself with stoking the tiny embers of her little campfire. "Follow your nose, mutt!" she called back to him. "You still remember how to use that don't ya?" Ariel giggled more while shaking her head. "Come on boy! I'll give you a treat, puppy!"

[Lion]

He came to where she'd made a fire - a big one at that! considering her size - and he gave her a haughty shake of his head.  "Oh, look who did all the work while you were here dancing with smoke," he said with a tsk of his tongue and flung a piece of meat at her.  "You can cook it then because you're not getting off that easily."

[GoblinFae]

"Bah!" she hissed back grumpily, clinging tightly to her piece of meat. "Would you like me to chew it for you too, puppy? Can't even eat it raw anymore? What kind of wolf are ya?" Ariel taunted as she moved to stand toe to toe with him, a cocky jut of her chin lifted to challenge him. "Cook your own food Jerek. I made the fire."