[PRP] A Strained Fate (Dameon & Starry)

[Tartara Seabreeze]

Today was only the first day back and already he had been yelled at, punched, and disowned. And that was just with one pae. He had expected as much, but the reality of it was really...awful. He nodded to Starry, offering a bit of a smile. "You're still saving me." The male spoke softly, using the trunk-wall to help him inch back to his feet.

Cressida counted in her head to keep the time, hoping both that she'd make it on time, and that her approximation of where the opposite side would be. Just when she hit ten minutes, she turned and headed south. It wasn't long at all before she spotted a small group of 5 grazing on a patch of clearing. She quickly slipped beside another bush, holding her spear at the ready. Hopefully Junior was just on the other side, but there was really only one way to find out. Slinking down to a low crouch, she edged her way closer and closer to the herd. At a mere seven or so feet away, finally a deer took notice. Just before it could start to run, Cressida leaped towards the herd.  

[Dementia Requiem Asumi]

Starry shrugged, looping an arm around his upper torso. "Here, let me." It was the least she could do. The red head loved the man, even if she had tried moving on from him. Guardians things were going to get complicated.

"I still love you Dameon. That's never going to change."

Junior waited for her to burst through the brush before he made his appearance. Just as she spooked a deer, he stepped into the clearing, letting loose a furious growl. Thankfully, the deer were more scared of the giant bear than they were of the pae they'd never scented before.

 

[Tartara Seabreeze]

Her warmth...it felt so good. It was hard not to get lost in the memory of happier times. Putting an arm around her shoulders for stabilization, he could almost forget that it was because of his injury and they were simply walking in loving embrace. "I still love you Starry." It wasn't exactly apparent of late, but he did. Very, very much. As they shuffled together, he stole a glance at her face. "And you're still, very beautiful." He wasn't saying it with any ulterior motive, it just had to be said. He got the feeling she wasn't told that nearly often enough during the time he was away. She deserved to be reminded every day about how gorgeous she was.

It was just the distraction she needed. Relief flooded her briefly when she heard him charge. The deer, understandably freaked by what was occuring, didn't know where to go. They ran in the opposite direction of Cressida, but with the appearance of the bear they immediately turned back around before remembering the green pae'il. It was just the pause she needed. Almost viciously, the female dove straight into a deer, driving her slightly pointed stick right into its throat. They fell together in a heap of hooves, blood and wings. Cressida pulled out the stick and stabbed it again. This time the animal fell limp.  

[Dementia Requiem Asumi]

Starry blushed a bit, nuzzling into his warmth. She had spent so long missing this. Just this. She almost forgot he was injured, and that she might have a boyfriend. That sobered her up again. The red head looked down, blushing a brilliant red when he complimented her.

"No, I'm not beautiful Dameon, I'm old. I'm worn with the years of being on this isle. I'm not beautiful anymore." She frowned, concentrating on getting him into the bed.

Junior would have grinned if his jaw would have let him. Damn, his sister was a better hunter than he'd ever thought to give her credit for. The polar bear did have to step in and stop her from bashing the deer too much. She was a violent little one wasn't she?

"Grrrr" He growled, moving a paw over the deer. It took a lot of effort to not bring his jaw down and and dig into the deer. But he didn't kill it, it didn't smell like his winnings. Junior shook his head, trying to convey that he'd carry the deer back.

 

[Tartara Seabreeze]

Even while blushing she was beautiful...He frowned slightly and quickly shook his head. "I hope you don't believe that. No matter how much time passes, you'll always be the most beautiful pae anywhere to me." And he meant that, with every ounce of his being he truly did. When he caught sight of the bed he was actually disappointed. That would mean he would have to let go of Starry, something he never wanted to do again.

When it was dead and Junior padded over, Cressida stood up. Did I really just do that? Her body glistened with the blood of the fallen animal. Still a little stunned, she looked at her older brother. "If you want to take it back...that is fine by me."  

[Dementia Requiem Asumi]

Starry frowned, looking up at him. "I swear, if I thought it was possible for me to have gray hair, I would." She couldn't help it. It'd been years, she knew she had a ton of grandchildren, great grandchildren, and even more than that. How would that NOT make someone feel old?

"C'mon, into the bed Dameon." Starry gave him a gentle nudge, not making any movement to avoid getting into the bed with him. It was such a natural movement for her, she would think twice about it.

Junior took a moment, plopping his giant bear rump on the ground. The deer could wait, Cressy looked a little shell shocked. He took a few deep breaths, trying to become a pae again. If she was listening, she could hear bones cracking and reforming. It was an eerie feeling, the shift.

"Cressy, are you alright?"

 

[Tartara Seabreeze]

Curses. The bed. "If it helps, I'm just as old as you." He flashed a quick smile before slowly lowering himself to the bed. The male grimaced with his torso crunching with sitting down, but it had to be done. "Thanks. For the help. And the salve." It was awkward, the physical and emotional bond between them so natural but forbidden. His body ached to hold her still, but his mind forced him to remain seated. It was almost like denying a pae dying of thirst a glass of water. "And the roof over my head." At that he chuckled lightly, wincing of course with the after pain.

She blinked, trying to clear her head. Even the disgusting crunch of bones didn't bring her back to full reality. The female sharply shook her head, taking a deep breath. "Yeah. I guess I was just so hungry, an primal sort of side came out. It was...really strange." She wrinkled her nose at the blood on her body. The pae didn't much mind getting dirty, but being covered in blood carried a sort of creepy aspect.  

[Dementia Requiem Asumi]

Starry gently nudged Dameon's shoulder, trying to get him to lay down before she spoke. "I can't apply the salve while you're upright." She mentioned, kissing his forehead. She smiled gently, holding up the salve she'd prepared. The red head seriously hoped that this was actually going to do something for him.

"It's the least I can do Dameon. We've known each other for our entire lives, There's no way I'm going to abandon you now."

Junior bent over to her height. "Cressy, look at me. There's a river nearby, lets go wash up." He wasn't going to mention what she was covered in. Or that she'd gone totally ape on that deer. But he was proud of her. She was more like him than they'd known.

"I'll get the deer, and we'll go to the river." He smiled, trying to make sure she was still with it. The yellow demon turned, grabbing the deer by the horns, fixing to pull it along. It was a large creature.

 

[Tartara Seabreeze]

Slowly, painfully, he lowered his upper body down to the pillows. At the forehead kiss, a surge of warmth flooded his bod and reached his cheeks, turning them pink. He gave a bit of a half smile, steel blue eyes regaining a little bit of sparkle they had lost on the long trip. "You're making me blush." He straightened his upper body to make his abdomen flat. The months of a low-calorie diet had trimmed all of his 'happy husband' fat from his more comfortable days, his only blessing from the entire trip. He was as trim as he was as a teenager. Perhaps a little too trim, but a diet of just fish will do that.

She numbly nodded, turning to follow her brother. With every step, her heart rate slowly lowered back to normal and the world started making sense again. She was going to have deer tonight. Never mind how they managed to get the deer. She had done good, and brought back meat. Glancing at her brother Junior, it dawned on her that this was the first time she and him had ever really bonded. Over the seasons she had mercilessly tormented her older brothers, but this was the first time she had actually done something nice with one of them. It felt weird.  

[Dementia Requiem Asumi]

Starry smiled, "Orange was always a cute color on your face." Starry caressed his face. Guardians be blessed, this was one of the most handsome men she'd ever laid her green eyes on.

"This is going to hurt Dameon, and I'm sorry." She frowned, giving the sticky substance a stir before starting to apply it to his stomach. Why did her son have to have so much force packed into his arms, she'd never know.

They reached the water in next to no time. He dropped the deer and turned to his sister. "C'mon. Into the water Little Hunter." Junior slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her to the water.

It'd been a long time, but he remembered his first kill. Even if this wasn't her first, it certainly seemed like it. "Lets get you cleaned up, and we'll work on the deer next." He smiled, tucking a stray lock of her curls behind her ear. Sure, Junior knew she hated her hair being messed with, but he couldn't really help it. This was his sister, and she needed to calm down after the incident with the deer.

 

[Tartara Seabreeze]

He chuckled, winced, and continued grinning. "Then by all means, make me blush." When she touched his face, he placed a hand over hers, keeping it there for a moment longer. Just a moment. He didn't want to scare her away. The male closed his eyes and braced himself for the pain. "No pain, no gain right?" Breathing calmly, it didn't hurt as bad since he was expecting it. Like a really sore sunburn.

When they reached the water, she delicately dabbed her toe in before allowing Junior to pull her in. The water was chilly, but it was good to see the red run from off her and into the water. "This was the first land animal I've killed. I've only ever done fish. Fish don't bleed so much." She wrinkled her nose when he touched her hair. Her antennae flicked slightly as she decided what she would do for his second offense of touching her hair. Then, without warning, she tackled him into the water. "Take that!"  

[Dementia Requiem Asumi]

Junior laughed, making sure she got in the water just as much as he was. He garbled a bit, water getting in his mouth. No way was she getting away with that.

The male laughed, pinning her down to the bottom of the stream for a minute. He wasn't going to drown her, or even over power his little sister. But the blood was gone now. It was better than before. When he let her up, he was laughing.

"All clean. The first kill is the hardest. You'll get better with practice."

Starry smiled a bit, hoping whatever she'd put into this salve would actually work. If nothing else, he'd heal up with rest anyways. Right?

"Aaaand... There. All covered." Apply liberally, and wait. The red head was sitting next to him on the bed. He looked moderately comfortable. Was there something else she could do to make it better?

"Are you comfortable?"

 

[Tartara Seabreeze]

As soon as she gave the go-ahead, he opened his eyes again. "That wasn't so bad." If anything, it would keep the skin moist which was always a good thing. He raised an eyebrow. "Fairly comfortable." He could think of a few things that would help, but he'll keep that to himself. "I'm sure I'll heal up in no time."

Uh oh. She was pulled into the water, easily dunked. By the time she was released to the surface, she was laughing just as loud as he. "That's one way to get clean I guess." She shook her fiery hair, sending water droplets everywhere.  

[Dementia Requiem Asumi]

Starry grinned, petting his head with her clean hand. "What can I do to make you more comfy then Dameon?" She asked, getting up with the left over salve in her hand. "Lets just hope I didn't mix up something dangerous." The red head grinned, flicking her tail back and forth.

Junior laughed, stretching his wings. "Better to have someone else drunk you in the water than clean up on your own." He shuddered a bit, remembering back to his first. It took him a week to get the courage to hunt again. Far less time than that to finish the meat he'd won from hunting. But it is one of those things, you have to get back up and try again.

 

[Tartara Seabreeze]

"Well, if you really want to know..." His cheeks gained a little more color to them, his eyes taking in just how beautiful she was. "The bed feels strange without you."

"That can be argued." She smirked back before pulling herself out of the river. She reached up and gently coaxed any moisture off of her antennae. "Do you know why I'm so...different?" Shageki and Junior both looked like the spitting image of their parents, but Cressida? She was a green, shamrock tailed, antennaed mutant.