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 Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2015 5:51 am
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Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2015 7:00 am
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'How odd...'
It had been a quiet night, the waning moon just cresting the sky, its pale light glinting off the blood pooled at the entrance of the hollow in which laid the hefty Moto'undil. He had been busying himself by lightly running his claws over the coagulated fluid, drawing ephemeral designs. Even he could be gentle, he thought, casting his gaze in the directions of the carcasses of a mother bear and her two cubs he had strewn about the small clearing he had claimed for himself this night. Maybe he could not be gentle after all, not that it mattered. He did not care for being gentle, nor did he care for those who went out of their way to be gentle.
It was then that a familiar scent wafted by with a cool gust of wind, a delightful, delicate perfume which had been ingrained in his memory. He flicked his tail, amused. So the Goddess was out hunting again, Artemis. He had met her a few times now, allowing her to toy with him, not that he had much of a choice. Azâzêl was a lot of things, but a fool was not one of them. While he victimized other Ulaya and took great pleasure in doing so, all those Ulaya were mortals. They were never magical or of higher standing than he. He knew his place when dealing with Gods, though he had only met a few in his lifetime. He knew Artemis came from a long line of Gods, tracing back to Death and Nightmares, and he found himself wondering where her family was. She could surely limit her associations to that of other Gods, yet here she was, searching for some mortal to entertain her. Although, it would be a lie to say that he did not derive some entertainment of his own when he became her pet for the night. While he was far more inclined to search and ultimately destroy his prey – whether it be an animal or another Ulaya – day after day, there was something novel and interesting about being the subject of someone above him. He found himself needing to be more witty and crafty when around the Goddess. It was as though she tested him, and Azâzêl loved a good challenge.
Her shadows came into view soon after he caught her scent. They were peculiar things, shadowy tendrils seeking out others in the surrounding areas. He rose to his paws, approaching them. He did not know if they could cause pain or other damage, though he was unafraid. He did not want to try Artemis, but he was curious to see her reaction to finding him again. |
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Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2015 1:16 pm
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She felt his presence, his scent drifting to her mingled with the scent of blood, as usual. The smell was welcome, familiar, blood and malice. She knew this mortal and drifted in his direction, drawn by the sense of encroaching darkness that surrounded him. As far as mortals went, he was unique and interesting. Something about him was different from other mortals beyond his almost masochistic enjoyment of becoming the object of her amusement. No, there was something else there that the mortal was unaware of. There was change in the air, and it drew her nearer.
She realized he was aware of her smokey tendrils drifting about. He would certainly recognize them for what they were, but still she drifted into obscurity somewhere between being ethereal and corporeal. She stalked close, silent as death. Perhaps he knew she was nearby, but he wouldn't know she was stalking him. At least not until she desired him to.
She found a dark patch of shadow, using her powers to deepen them more while remaining translucent. She took in the scene before her and couldn't help but admire his hunting skills. She had the strange thought that her father would approve, at least as far as a God could approve of a mortal. She snorted derisively to herself. Why would she care what her father thought? Strange as this male was, he was still just a mortal.
She watched as he approached her smokey tendrils and made them shift and dance erratically, as if his presence had somehow affected them. As he kept his focus on them she moved closer to him from behind.
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Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 6:16 pm
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His eyes narrowed at the tendrils as their movement intensified with his approach. She knew he was here. Perhaps if Azâzêl could feel fear, he would have been mildly concerned about the fact that the Goddess of Stealth, daughter of the God of Hunting, was hunting him. Aside from these tendrils and the scent of perfume dulling his senses, he would not have known of her presence, and surely he only perceived these warnings because she allowed it. Had she wished to avoid detection entirely, she could do so easily. He looked around, a futile task for attempting to find her and he knew that. Instead, he observed the clearing, looking not for where she might hide – she could hide anywhere and everywhere, after all – but how she might strike. Every hunter he knew, himself included, always crept as close to his prey as possible before lunging, chasing, and killing. Most creatures, especially prey, relied on their eyes to perceive a threat. In order to get as close to their prey, hunters, aside from the obvious silence required for an approach, usually crept up from behind their target. Out of sight, they stalked, striking once they were satisfied with the distance between them and their prey.
He cast his gaze over his shoulder, looking at the open area behind him. How foolish of him to leave himself so vulnerable to such an easy strike. He flicked his tail with the thought, carefully sauntering to the base of another rather large tree in the clearing. He turned his back to the tree, facing the remainder of the area. Eliminating her ability to attack him from behind was a sound idea, at least in theory. On top of the facts that his sides were still fairly vulnerable and that she could strike from above, he also knew that she did not have to play by the normal rules of the realm. He smiled inwardly. At least she could not say that he did not try.
It was her turn. She had many options, all of which she was aware, though some of which he was not. He was in a very disadvantageous position. Hell, it even could be deadly if he allowed himself to be careless. He did not mind, however. Despite its dangers, this was fun for him. Perhaps the smirk on his face as they played their little game was not the best expression to wear, should she consider it a sign of impudence on his part. However, half the fun of this game was seeing how she reacted to him and his actions. For now, he waited for her to make her move.
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Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 8:30 am
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He should have expected that. There was no need to stalk one's prey when one could simply appear just inches in front of a target before the target could react. He let out a short chuckle after she spoke, grin broadening. "I am clever," he returned, unfazed by how close she was to him and the fatal expression she bore, one that would strike fear into the hearts of most ulaya. He was not like most ulaya, this much he knew, and so did she. "You wouldn't waste your time on me if I was wasn't." He sat down then, brushing his tail over the grass beneath him, the long hair at the end dipping in some of the aging blood from one of those bear cubs he had slaughtered earlier in the night. He raised the now blood tipped end of his tail up to his face, gazing at it for a few moments before returning his rich red eyes to the blue ones of Artemis. He wanted to ask her why she chose to trouble herself with mortals. They were so fleeting and impermanent, insignificant and simple. Although, if they were not interesting, Azâzêl would not bother with manipulating and tormenting them, and he himself was a mortal. He could see the entertainment it would bring a God. Nevertheless, his reasons for toying with others were far different from Artemis'. He did not think she was out to test the capacity of evil in others.
"What brings you out here tonight?" he asked. "You are not one to usually be seen, and I'm surely not the only mortal out and about for your pleasure." It could have been that was indeed the only mortal around, or simply the first one she found.
[ Sorry about how short this reply is. My computer wants to restart, uuugh. ]
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