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 Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 10:05 pm
Nera would have taken the beast to the grave herself if it meant that the shifter could have lived for just a few moment moments, that notion was just so unbelievable and yet here she was her arm being tugged and pulled in all directions as she yelled for the nameless bloodied goddess to run away and save herself. It was so unlike her. So very bizarre but it was how she felt. For the first time in her life, she felt for someone other than herself and the anesthetic properties that this foreign emotion branded into her numbed out the pain and dulled the fear that she felt surging inside of her. This woman gave her strength that she had never known she possessed and for that she would die grateful.
The snickersnack of the hidden blade plowing into the hide of the beast physically made Nera jerk, everything heightened and came into focus, the heated spray of life essence gushed across her face, painted her in a mist of iron and gore, the strangled gargle that the radaku gave would have been haunting, memorable and yet the sound was like a beautiful chorus singing solely for her amusement. The beast reared back, the light in its one visible eye dwindling as sputtering rivers of thick scarlet became trickles, the hollow thud of Lucijah’s knife sinking into the pulp of the exposed socket and twisting with finality ceased the movements and eradicated the threat with absolution. This was its justice, this was what the beast earned for interrupting them and wounding what belong to her.
The tool of her resolution stuck soundly in the skull of the fallen beast but the shifter continued on without the weapon, delicate yet calloused fingertips gripped at the snout, retching the maw open and for the first time Nera felt the agony of the foolish endeavor that she had so thoughtlessly thrown herself into. Pin pricks of liquid gathered at the corner of her eyes but instead of whimpering she darted forward and took the other prentice into her arms and held her protectively against her smaller frame. “Nera. My name darkling is Nera, let me tend to you, wrap your arm around my shoulders so that I can carry you better.” The words were automations, they came without thought and sounded strange and hazy in her own rounded ears. Gripping the cloth of the snowy-haired female’s garb Nera eased her along towards the blanket that remained out stretched on the ground. Laying her flat Nera went to work, grabbing her backpack the girl darted back and forth bring brush closer to where they rested. Fanning the material out in a circular pattern she reached into the contents of her bag and pulled out what few medical supplies she had as well as the flint and steel that she had stolen. She would not allow another beast to get the drop on her, not tonight. Clanking the stone against the metal Nera knelt close to the twigs and roots that she had gathered until sparks flew into the tender that surrounded them and caught. Fire would be their protector until she had tended to her lover’s wounds, turning her attention on the horrible mauled beauty slender hands set to work. Salves and gauze, needle point with sutures and even bits of rod that she super-heated against the wounds all played a part in sealing the injuries and ceasing the blood loss.
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 10:14 pm
Lucijah didn't know Nera - she didn't know her beyond the brief scuffle, and what felt to her like an instant soul connection. And yet she still understood the significance - that this woman was so intent on saving her she'd throw herself to the creature, even when the wounds he inflicted might kill Luc anyway. Someone who was practical would count her dead - would use a weapon against the beast, and if they killed it they'd deal with her wounds then. But a weaponless prentice? It was a lost cause - and yet Nera had saved her life. Lucijah used the last of her energy to pry the maw open, and once it was open the creature fell away, to the ground, with a thud of finality. Blood covered Nera - shot across her face, and yet the moment she was free Lucijah surged forward, grabbing her by the cheeks and kissing her, blood and all, just needing to know she was there. She didn't even know her name - and yet she felt her own life dependant on the safety of this stranger. Something had snapped between them - and at least from Lucijah's point of view, she'd never felt ALIVE until now. Despite the feeling - that she was dying.
And knowing that Nera had shot forward to her, as well - it made it better. "Nera." she gasped, staring into her eyes, clinging to that. She felt she was a lost cause - standing, now, her legs shuddered and she felt the hot flow of blood. The gauges on her legs were painful, deep, but they only contributed to her blood loss - the true threats were the claw wounds hooked deep into her sides, ripped wounds that flowed so heavily her shorts were soaked fully with the blood from it. The wound to her neck was horrible to look at, and bleeding horribly, but didn't carry the risk of punctured organs or destroyed blood vessels.
"Nera..." She whimpered, again, and her body gave in, collapsing against the redhead, putting as much energy as she could (and that is to say very little) into walking with her. She must have briefly blacked out - she didn't remember laying down, in her head was a mantra of her lover's name 'NeraNeraNera'. She remained, passed out and still, her breath shallow, limbs shivering in sudden cold from blood loss, as Nera started the fire, unpacked her bag. Even the needle that pushed into her skin, sewing smaller wounds shut, didn't register with her. She laid - deathly white and still.
It was the hot-iron rod - pressed into the ripped skin of her side. Her arms had been moved, to save from burning, but as soon as the heated metal touched her she snapped awake, a howled shriek of agony ripping from her throat. It was a feral, horrible sound - utterly pained, taking every shred of life she had - back nearly arching off the bed, but it had only taken a press and before her response came it had already been pulled away, her skin searing, the scent of cooked flesh heavy in the air. After her howl petered away, she stared into the darkness of the canopied sky, tears streaking her bloodied cheeks, fingers hovering over the burnt wound, shaking and unwilling to touch. "Nera-" She whimpered, turning her eyes wildly around until she saw her. Then she reached, grabbing her hand (even if those were the hands that held the hot iron) and brought them to her lips, kissing the bloodied limbs. She should return the courtesy - give her own name, but Lucijah couldn't think. It was only by the grace of the gods that she remained conscious again, her eyes glazed in pain, but at least somewhat alert again.
The one burn had been too much for her - but she still had three more deep wounds, one beneath her current wound mark, and two on the other side.
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 10:30 pm
Guttural, agony produced shrieks carried in the thick night air of the jungle, instantly a steadying hand pushed against Lucijah’s uninjured shoulder pinning her back down to the fur blanket that separated her from the forest floor. The sounds even after her mouth snapped shut echoed in Nera’s ears and reverberated behind her eyes making the gathering of liquid that hung on her lashes the push it needed to roll down her besmirched visage. ‘I’m hurting you because I care about you.’ Internally reasoned the redhead though her face remained grim and pulled into the deepest of scowls. Wounds this deep had to be cauterized, sewn, she would have to endure the pain so that she could live. Nera would force her to withstand the torture if she had to, she wouldn’t allow the shifter to drift away from her, no matter how badly the treatments hurt she wouldn’t allow Lucijah to give in.
Plump lips brought her small shaking hands to those blissful lips and planted tender, weak kisses upon the sullied flesh that awaited them, each feeble embrace brought the edges of her mouth into a more pronounced elated expression. “You’re doing so good,” adoringly cooed the lithe-framed Oban, she didn’t have the strength necessary for pulling her hand away nor did she want to instead the caramel complexioned youth stroked her thumb at the pale bottom lip of the wounded goddess. “I have to do it a few more times. You’re losing so much blood. I promise everything will be alright though. I have some dried berry tablets in my pack that will help with the pain.” Calmly murmured Nera as she reached over and flitted through her belongings until she found the sought after items. Popping the pills into her mouth she snapped them in half and grinded the solid into a fine powder between her teeth, there was no way that she was risking having the damsel choke instead Nera leaned back and grappled her water skin and took a mouthful of the liquid, churning the water together with the crushed medicine until her mouth tasted of bitter herbs and chalk. Leaning over Nera offered a brief nuzzle of her nose against that of Lucijah’s before pushing her tongue past the woman’s fuller lips, coiling her short pink appendage into a funnel she gradually released trickles of fluid into her beloved’s mouth and carefully stroked her throat easing the action of swallowing until she was finished. Everything would be alright, she knew that this woman, whoever she was would pull through.
Gritting her teeth Nera heated the rod yet again, the sound of Lucijah’s screams boiled over from her subconscious and flooded her ears once again, she didn’t want to have to listen to the scream, it wasn’t satisfying and it physically made her want to vomit while emotional it turned her ribs into ice that pierced the warmth of her heart encasing it in a frozen prison that she was sure to never thaw. “Just a few more times, Mine. I promise you can rest soon.” Nera had never wanted to squeeze her eyes shut so badly in her life and yet the fear of missing her mark prevented her from doing just that, instead the pink-eyed prentice stared intensely at the next wound and quickly pressed the searing rod against the nasty open tear at the woman’s side. Only two more to go. The next wave of screams was sure to come and the only thing the short-statured Oban could do to prevent herself from violently being sick was to throw a glare at the fallen radaku, she would crave the meat away from its bone and eats its heart to make it pay for all the suffering it had caused. She would feast on its flesh and saw the talons from its feet, lace them on a necklace and let her love wear it as a warning to all that would oppose them; anyone that tried would suffer. Suffer and burn before them. ‘I will roast your hide and take back every piece of flesh you stole from her! I will char your flesh just like you are forcing me to do to my love! I will consume you and s**t out your remands because that is exactly what you are, useless beast!’ Internally proclaimed Nera, her silent vow echoing in her mind mixing with the haunting echo of Lucijah’s bellow of feral agony.
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 11:24 pm
Everything hurt, so badly - but it'd be ok. She didn't know why this stranger brought her comfort, but it was the certainty that anyone who would risk her life to save her would do anything to keep her alive. That and... and just, instinctively, she trusted Nera. There had been something that made her fall so hard into her body - surely that meant something. And it meant something to Nera too, if she'd happily let a radaku sully her scarless body (at least from what she'd seen of the woman's body) for Lucijah's sake. After pulling that hand close, feeling it respond to her touch, rubbing her lip, Lucijah focused her eyes and looked up at Nera, seeing her somewhat blurrily, but enough to see the fine water droplets gathering at her dark lashes, the weak quirk of her lips. She understood though, somehow, that there was more to come. Her body shuddered, shivering, but her eyes hardened and she gave her head an imperceptable nod. She wouldn't want it - but she could feel, with every second, the ebb of blood from her body - so acutely that it scared her.
After being told she would have to do more, Lucijah zoned off again, not hearing the rest - instead she dropped Nera's hand slowly, shifting her hand down to her bloodied belt and tugging it off, weakly. She had just drawn it off, though, when her unfocused eyes saw Nera again - leaning close, over her. The nuzzle of her nose was met with a weak one of her own, but Luc needed that contact - and the lips that followed were more than welcome. She was too weak to kiss Nera, really - but as the tongue coiled in her mouth, she finally tasted the bitter of her love's mouth, hot liquid dripping into her mouth, down her throat. Confused, she briefly made as if to pull away, but the hand at her throat eased her - had her lie still, body fighting the strange taste, but urged to swallow regardless. Once Nera had finished, pulling away to heat the rod, Lucijah raised the belt - settling it between her teeth, securely. Then she raised her arms back over her head and closed her eyes.
Sure enough, as she felt the searing hot metal on her flesh again, she screamed - but it was now muffled by the belt, and she could allow her teeth to vent her pain and frustration, tearing into the leather of the belt and tugging, her legs kicking, but somehow doing all she could to keep her torso still. Finally the metal was pulled away again - and she spat the leather out, gasping and gulping in deep lungfuls of air. "Both -- both... now -" She gasped, digging her fingers briefly into the blanket under her. She felt so lightheaded, her body flushed from pain, but her eyes sought Nera's again, alert - hard, determined, even if the glaze of pain persevered. It made her look haunted - her lips pressed into a determined scowl. Then she yanked the leather up again, letting out a pained sob despite her resolution, trembling as she settled the leather between her jaws again. She wanted Nera to cauterize the other two - she felt giving her time to wait, and get over the crest of pain, was worse than getting it over with.
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 11:33 pm
‘Both -- both... now –' The strangled gasp tore into Nera deeply, the scent of the charred flesh flooded her nostrils and for a moment the only thing she was grateful for was the lack of burning hair accompanying the smell. Thrusting the rod back into the flames Nera sat on the balls of her feet, waiting for the poker to discolor and heat to the proper temperature, only a few moments passed before she ripped it from the flames and pinned it against both wounds, each trimmer and spasm that Lucijah preformed Nera counter balanced it with careful weight from her knees and palms, pinning her solidly to the ground. In a way things might have gone more proficiently if the young shifter had remained unconscious but not the wintery-haired brute, she powered on and remained focused until the very end of the procedure.
Once all was said and done still trembling hands searched through her personal belongings once more, a cream made of oils and mud found itself being smeared along the freshly made burn marks, then up to the bite mark that she had yet to bandaged yet already sewn with delicate care. It would prove to help with infection and would draw the impurities from the wounds as well as the sting, within the hour it would completely numb the treated area and leave the girl feeling lethargic and somewhat dazed as if intoxicated. It was a potent painkiller but this marred-one was worth very ounce she rubbed into her skin.
Despite how she wanted to just coil up against the injured shifter Nera fought with herself as she stood up and made her way towards the corpse of the fallen radaku. Savagely she dragged it by its hind quarters out of the ring of fire and set to work gutting the beast and hacking away at the talons and horns that donned its body. Each cut she made a bubble of laughter eased up her windpipe and percolated between her lips. It wasn’t long before she had all that she wanted from the creature, its feet, the skull, and slabs of thick meat carved expertly from the finer cuts, tender and exceptional. Part of her wanted some of the hide as well, for a moment she debated over stripping it completely bare, shaking her head some Nera toed at the carcass then peeled away a section of scales from its back and side, an outright laugh catching behind her teeth. Grabbing the intestine she walked further away from Lucijah until she disappeared for a brief moment behind a thicket of foliage, wringing the organ in her hands she tugged and squeezed until the contents slopped to the forest floor spilling all over the ground in heaps. Fling it down she turned away and made her way back towards her ward. Cleaning in the pond the redhead returned to the shifter’s side while the cutlets she chose for their dinner roasted by the open flame nearby and the skull crackled as the fire lapped away the flesh of the beast darkening the smoke until the color was near black.
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 11:43 pm
It was brutal to go through this medical procedure, but just looking at Nera - at how those nostrils briefly flared, then how she stood and determinedly heated the rod (skewer, her mind substituted), it was clear that this was affected Nera too. Luc followed her motions with her eyes, trying to put as much sympathy as she could into her gaze. But soon enough her attempts to soothe her mate (and yes that was how her mind thought of her, in this moment - bleary and senseless in tiredness and pain) evaporated, and she once again seized against the ground, giving a mighty buck of her body, and yet was held down well by her smaller partner, who even as Luc finally gave up her attempts to be sensible, and instead raked at Nera's arms with her nails. It was lucky for Nera that Luc's nails were short, trimmed to nubs, leaving only bruises in their wake instead of sharp rivets in her flesh. Eventually, after what felt like a hellish eternity, the poker was removed - and Luc collapsed to the ground, passed out from the pain once more. She remained still, breathing heavily, her body coated in sweat, throughout the application of the medicine to her shoulder.
She didn't know what roused her a second time - the general unease of being in the jungle, the aches still lingering, only now beginning to be numbed by the medicine she'd ingested and had applied, or... the laughter bubbling from her lover. Turning her head as best she could (which was little more than lolling to the side), she watched Nera lift the knife from the radaku's eye, using it to carve the meat, chop it into bits, disembowel with finesse and skill. She would be impressed, but instead she just watched - aware of little more than the somewhat manic, and yet somehow utterly rational motions of her body - how her fingers cut and tugged the meat with finesse, cutting into the hide with skill, while her eyes glowed from the fire, almost red instead of gentle pink, a smile spread across her face. Most would be scared, but Luc couldn't find it in her - this was her savior, her queen, lifting her from the gates of hell. This revelation was accompanied by the sensation of floating on a cloud, the dazed intoxication from her shoulder pack finally flowing into her blood stream, leaving her gasping as if in ecstasy of the mind.
She must have dazed out again - because one moment Nera was there, carving into their conquered prey, the next she was settling next to her again, her forearms shimmering with wetness from the lake. "Lucijah." She croaked, her voice wrecked and ragged from screams, but now it was husky- low. She looked utterly drugged as well, from her medicines, but she hummed as if peaceful, and let her head loll once more to the side, just looking at Nera. Nera looked to be the queen she felt she was - molten gold in the light of the fire, her clothed dyed copper from the blood of their slain enemy, and yet her skin somehow clean, except the wound - which must have been sewn at some point. Somehow the idea of the needle that had sewn life back into her then passing to Nera pleased her - even if the needle was cleaned between, she liked to think some small parts of herself had spread to her lover. Without thinking, Lucijah shifted her hand along the blanket until her fingertips twitched and nudged at Nera's leg, wanting her touch. "Vine - cut vines. Make... ladder, climb-" she continued, but her brow furrowed in confusion and she instead closed her eyes, features smoothing out peacefully.
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 11:48 pm
Nera allowed herself to gaze down at the youth beside her, strong features softened and a glaze fogged over those perfect diamond ice hues, the ordeal for both of them was simply too much to handle and yet they both survived just the same. ‘Lucijah.’ Oh how that name sounded the moment it kissed the open air and breathed new life into her soul. Her darkling finally gave her the title that she was bestowed upon at birth and the perfection settled in her ears and coursed through every synapse in her brain until her mouth opened unknowingly and a mirror of the word tumbled away from her trembling lips. “Lucijah.” Mimicked the redhead in a voice that wavered at the edges and tapered off into a hushed murmur of nonsensical slur, jubilation at knowing what this shifter was called inexplicably brought tears to her tired eyes.
“What about vines,” confusion knitted across Nera’s brow upon hearing her fragile brute incoherently babble. Whatever it was that Lucijah had wanted to explain halted the moment her head lulled to the side and her eyelids slid shut. “Vines? Climb?” None of it really made any sense to Nera as she sat staring down at the rose-painted shifter. For a moment the youth watched the rise and fall of the other prentice’s chest soaking in the shallow up stable breathing of each lungful of air she consumed then expelled. “She’s gonna be out for a while.” Observantly remarked the Oban to no one but herself, shaking her head some Nera poked at the fire stirring the skull in the flames making sure that the bones didn’t become brittle and turn to ash, standing up once again the dainty-built desert dweller moved around so that she gathered up water from the pond, removed the cooked meats from the fire and began cleaning the aftermath from both her and her partner. Throwing a glance towards the skyline that was obscured with branches and vines she paused then tilted her head downward to look at Lucijah’s slumbering form. “Oh, I get it. You want to get off the ground. I think I can make that happen my love—Lucijah-mine.” Yes, she could do that certainly. In fact now that she thought about it the more sense it made to be elevated off of the ground during nightfall since most of the predators hunted on the ground. Such a clever savage her beautiful shifter was. Snatching up the knife Nera made her way towards the nearest cluster of low reaching vines. Unlike the people of the wilds she would use her intellect to solidify their safety while suspended in the air.
A length of time passed before Nera completed the taxing task of weaving together a sturdy net that splayed across ten by ten feet and hoisting it up into the canopy. Stage one of her plot was done the next wouldn’t be as easy but she would make sure to take extra care in the undertaking. Checking the knots and rigs that she setup over the branches once last time Nera lowered the net back down to the ground and readied herself. Carefully making her way over to Lucijah’s slumbering form she gripped at the edges of the blanket and gently pulled her along the ground until she slid her into the center of the vine woven mesh, sweat glistened on her skin and the perspiration soaked into the loose folds of her clothing, gripping central draw line Nera grunted loudly as she pulled and heaved Lucijah into the canopy. Fastening the net in place the redheaded Oban grabbed what supplies she had on the ground including her backpack and the copious fillets of meat that she seasoned with desert spice before making her way back into the treetops. Wriggling across the network of twisted tendrils until she hit the central hammock that cradled Lucijah, rolling across the surface Nera settled beside the taller girl and gently coiled against her so that she avoided her injured areas but still managed to relax into the awkward embrace.
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 11:53 pm
Hearing her name tumble from the queen's lips urged a flutter of a smile across her face, eyes lighting up. "Nera." She responded, pouring her heart into the soft name - saying it like it was a prayer, and intonation of a goddess. That expression flittered only when she turned to speak about vines - they needed to get up into the treeline, or surely they'd be picked off. The smell of blood would attrack creatures - of course, she was unaware of Nera expertly spreading the smell around, but even with such preperations the intestines could only distract for so long. And Lucijah was not going anywhere. Despite her lover's confusion, Lucijah stumbled into sleep before she could even think about explaining.
Her body stirred briefly as warm water was washed along her skin, and if she'd been conscious she would have balked and warned the Oban about Crystal rot. But for now she didn't have the mind - instead, in her sleep, she sighed as the stickiness of her body was cleaned. Once Nera stopped her ministrations, Lucijah fell back into a deep rest. She slept through the long while it took Nera to weave the hammock - and she somehow slept even as the strong, determined Oban dragged the blanket into the hammock. The only time she might have woken in the least was the first, sudden yank of the draw line - which tugged the hammock aloft. She hissed out a breath, but wasn't in any pain, just discomfort. But a shifter was born, raised in the trees - sleeping in such hammocks, even if the nest-homes woven out of thick, dried vines prevented a bit more stability, and protection from the cold. Instantly, her brain associated 'hammock' with safety- and her body dipped into a deeper sleep as best she could.
Such rest didn't last long. Her pain was numbed, but blood loss resulted in cold, and away from the flames of the fire and the comfortable body heat from Nera, which she had grown used to as the girl sat by her side and wove the vines together, Lucijah shivered and curled her body slightly inward - the tug of the burnt and sewn skin not particularly painful, in her numbed state, yet still uncomfortable enough that she woke - eyes cracking open, blurred and unable to lock on anything at a distance. She only saw the blue and purple of woven vines, her hand dropping to lightly curl around one joint, where multiple vines had been knit together, rubbing the thick growths. Eventually, the lip of the hammock dipped and Nera rolled to her side, arms instantly cradling around her. Nera's body was slick and wet with sweat, her lungs panting from exertion, but her skin was hot and warm and it soaked into Lucijah's cold body, urging her to release a moan of relief, burying her face into the amber-one's neck. Now that she was awake, it was harder to drift back off - her body was exhausted, her mind still adrift from the drugs in her system, but the afterwaves of discomfort, and Nera's presence, and the gnaw of her belly as it craved food (having already been hungry before this altercation began, and now needing even more nutrition as her body sought to knit her skin back together, slowly but surely) kept her from resting.
"My love, safe..." She mumbled, pressing lips distractedly against the curve of neck against her nose, limbs too leaden to move properly. Still, she tried to curl them against Nera's torso, closing her eyes and nuzzling her face against her. In her current state, she still managed to realize that it was her Nera that had woven the hammock, and after a moment Lucijah pulled her face away just enough to look at her, her features shining in approval. Did Nera have the soul of a shifter? Was that why she and Lucijah fit so well together? Her heavy fingers curled against Nera's hipbone, holding her against her - or trying, but her own grip was so feathery and weak it was more in Lucijah's head, the idea she was holding her lover close, when it was Nera doing all the holding. "Beautiful - mine - I'll build us a nest, yours and mine." She said - and in her mind the promise of building a strong house was a promise, an assurance despite her weakness that Lucijah would be a strong mate for her. After all in Shifter society, building a safe nest, the higher the better, was a basic pre requisite for marrying, unofficially.
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 11:59 pm
“Shhh, beauty-mine. Save your strength,” the tone that Nera used was one of gentleness, her normally loud voice soft and caring, she didn’t need to yell or strain her throat, this one’s attention was solely on her so there was no need to be boisterous. Lucijah had been asleep for such a long length of time the redhead contemplated eating without the company of her lover but quickly abolished that idea, smirking toothsomely at the shifter Nera grappled onto one of the several vines that hung overhead and gave it a rough pull, winding it around her fist she grunted with strained effort until the hammock they were resting in rotated so that the pair was not slightly inclined rather than lying flat on their backs. It would be best for Lucijah to not attempt to sit up and Nera accounted for that in her design. “Come, Lucijah-mine, I’ve cooked you the best parts and it is still warm, you need to eat to replenish the essence you lost.” Nera calculated her words carefully, this woman was a fighter and she knew that insinuating loss of strength or lack of body would sting her pride and her wildflower would not have her feelings besmirched because of her tactless choice of diction.
The feather-light touch of her lover controlled the youth’s normally energetic movements and instead she gripped the moonlit-skinned Earthling’s hand and held it against her hipbone more firmly, restraint had never been something she was accustomed to but she forced control to guild her subtle actions as she reached for the leaf wrapped meats and the water skin filled with chilled water, she was not completely daft when it came to the knowledge of crystal rot; she was aware of the infection and knew that she had to boil all water before consuming it or using on open wounds. Flitting through the cutlets she paused with a grin before plucking the small dripping piece between her thumb and forefinger; the cheek muscle was somewhat of a delicacy according to Nera, it was one of her favorite cuts of meat and today instead of greedily devouring it for herself she proudly lifted the small morsel to Lucijah’s lips and beseeched her to carefully chew the succulent, juicy, spice soaked offering.
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 12:14 am
What was she... oh. Vines had been looped in a circle around the lip of the hammock, and pulling it tightened them - drawing half of the hammock up, along with Lucijah. She blinked, but seemed rather intrigued by the mechanism - or, more accurately, that her love had made it. 'Definitely a shifter, at heart, even if she doesn't know it.' she thought, proudly. Beyond that, Luc felt a thrill of pleasure at the names her love was bestowing - calling Lucijah hers, her voice soft and beautiful and sweet. Now propped up and reminded of food, Lucijah realized how hungry she truly was - and her mouth flooded with saliva, even as she knew her body was far too weak to lean forward and take it for herself. But this Nera had also accounted for - as well as salvaging the huntress' pride, reminding her of sustaining her blood without pointing out just how helpless she was.
Luc knew she was horribly weak, but Nera was right - having her love, who she wanted so badly to protect now, point out how useless she was in this moment wouldn't have been what her morale needed in this moment, even if she understood it to be true. She nodded, her features softening as Nera held her hand close, an affectionate acceptance of her touch. Eventually the hand moved away, and instead turned to the meat. The thick, waxen jungle leaves that were wrapped around the meat dripped with juices, and as the leaf opened up she saw it - the meat pale, but peppered with spices she didn't recognize, charred in places by the fire. It took the shifter a moment, as Nera lifted a piece of muscled meat, just what part she was being given - but as soon as she opened her mouth, closing her lips tenderly around the morsel and Nera's offered fingers, she realized what it was. The cheek muscle, which controlled the motions of the jaw - a delicacy reserved for the most prized. Hunters often made gifts of it to the head of their family, or to a prize mate if favor wanted to be shown. Lucijah's eyes widened, the impact of this statement clear, and she felt her hand shift from Nera's hip to her uninjured arm, gripping her wrist and just holding her hand there, catching her eyes. Her own became wet, inexplicably, as if all of what Nera had done hit her at once.
She had risked her life for her - saved her, body and soul, healed her with her touch, went through aches and pains to build them a makeshift hammock in the trees to keep them safe, prepared a meal, and yet still gave her the morsel that showed her respect - and for the wounded amazon, whose pride was still hurt by being injured thus, felt itself bolstered by her selfless kindness. She found herself crying, even as the spices on the meat, much hotter than what she was used to, made her cheeks flush, heating her up in a way her freezing body needed. She chewed, and swallowed, then closed her eyes, weeping openly, but feeling so ridiculously at home and happy that she didn't care. Instead she dragged Nera's fingers, which had pulled from her mouth to let her eat, back to her lips and kissed the knuckles, pressing the hand to her face.
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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 9:22 pm
The tears hadn’t been something that Nera expected, in fact the open display of emotion jarred her and nearly made the youth retract altogether, what had she done to this stranger that she found herself drawn to sob so candidly? Remaining still pink eyes focused on the way Lucijah’s lips pushed into wavering expressions then as her fingers were withdrawn the shifter brought the hand even closer and delicately lavished kisses upon her knuckles and leaned into her palm seeking comfort. “It’s alright, you saved me, you assured that we are both safe now,” she baited in the kindest of voices she could muster, in her eyes Lucijah had been the savior, she defeated the beast when she could have left her to her death and she was the one that knew the skyline provided the best protection from the creatures of the night. They were safe now because of her, solely her.
“Come now,” bubbly murmured the redhead as she stroked at the temple of Lucijah’s face marveling in exactly how silken the milky skin was underneath her touch. Leaning in Nera loosely draped her arm over the upper portion of her savior nuzzling against her unwounded shoulder and into the crook of her elegantly long neck. “You have me now, everything is fine. How about I join you, I’m starving too. Oh I do have some berries and nuts if you prefer them, and some travel rations, those are odd though. They are from my former home, so they are dried and packaged, some of them taste like mud and marrow. You deserve the best cutlets. I even cooked the tail, smoked it rather so when we travel I’ll have something to make a stew for the trip.” Dropping her hand back towards the pile of leaves that held the choice cuts she prepared she drew up the other cheek, charred to perfection and seasoned with the desert spices, perching the piece between her lips she leaned forward and brushed the end portion against Lucijah’s full lips. Between her teeth she smirked down at her patient then dipped her head lower so that the woman could latch onto the offered bite. “Share with me, Mine, I want to have the same meat in my stomach as you do. I want us to share everything.” Lifting her fingertips she stroked at the streaks of tears and threaded her willowy digits into the long-snowy tresses that she couldn’t get enough of.
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Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:20 pm
No no - this wasn't bad crying, although she did feel foolish for it. Nonetheless, the concern she saw in Nera's eyes, when she half feared she would be repulsed by this apparent weakness, was welcome. What made her curious was the way Nera spoke of Luc saving the day. The shifter gazed at her, her head tilted, then she smiled as if she knew a secret. But she didn't have the energy to correct her. Instead she made a soft, thoughtful hum, kissing that skin again. For now, she reveled in having that arm wound around her, letting out a soft chuckle of laughter. At least Nera was admitting she was hungry - that made Lucijah feel better for passing out when Nera was left to butcher and cook the meat. Nera was getting something out of it, so it was alright. At the suggestion of berries and nuts, she snorted softly, "Over radaku meat... a fool would pick berries and nuts." She said with a roll of her eyes and fond smile.
Then again, she'd never hunted her own radaku - the one time she had seen one prepared had been when when she was a youngling, and her father first returned from his travels. The village had prepared a whole-roasted radaku hatchling for him - it was small enough that its stomach had been filled with nuts ground into a paste, berries rubbed on its skin to give the meat a sweet glaze. This, however, was better - the hot spices and charred skin, and knowing that they had killed it together - had survived against it - it was a wonderful feeling.
She grunted her assent at mentions of the tail - the tail made the best jerky, along with the stripped rib meat. How much better was it, rubbed with the desert spices of the Obans, she wondered? Before now she'd have scoffed at the idea, but with Nera here, warm against her, it seemed natural to enjoy a bit of her culture in turn. Lucijah watched as those fingers dipped back to the leaf, picking up the second strip of quality meat - and then slipped it into her mouth. Lucijah smiled - she had eaten first, which was already a sign of respect, but she wanted Nera to know that the girl deserved the second morsel for herself. So she eagerly watched, thinking that she would devour and enjoy it. Instead, she leaned close - speaking around the meat through teeth that held it between her lips, the muscle hanging like a strange tongue.
Lucijah couldn't help but sigh, very softly, in approval of this idea. That Nera wanted to share it - the idea of them devouring, together, the muscle that had bit into them both - Lucijah's neck, Nera's arm. So she leaned in as much as her weak body allowed and bit at the morsel, the tender meat tearing down the middle, and delicious against her tongue. After eating it, Lucijah forced her body up, despite the flash of pain, and kissed the spice-tinged lips of her lover, just wanting that contact.
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Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:48 pm
“Are you thirsty?” Came an immediate question after the brief kiss, lengthy fingertips danced across the rounded chin of the dazed wildflower, whatever spell Lucijah cast upon her she prayed that the enchantment never faded. Not waiting for a reply Nera set to work fumbling around for the water skin, unstopping it and offering to those pale full lips that she was beginning to memorize with uttermost diligence. Trailing the brim of the spout at an angle at which she was comfortable in reasoning that it would flow properly while not overly so as to drown her wounded moon-lily, then carefully trickled the fluid into her mouth whether she wanted it or not. Really the option wasn’t hers to make, she would consume the water since it was what was best for her. “There you are.” Encouragement poured openly from Nera in a tone that at first didn’t register with the redhead, it sounded foreign, strange, completely unlike her. Blinking back a somewhat confused expression she tried to force the feeling down, but her mind refused to let go once it realized something was different about her voice.
‘It’s so soft, do I really sound like that? It’s so feminine and gentle, I thought I had a deeper, louder voice than that. That’s so weird.’ Mentally examined the prentice before smoothing out the crease that had settled upon her brow and tainted her smile with something akin to a scowl. Nera had never noticed exactly how pleasant and genuine she could sound when she spoke, truly it was a shocking revelation. “More meat? More drink, wildflower?” The offer came out of her mouth, again that tone that startled her washed over her senses, it was a welcome change, one that she decided she enjoyed. Leaning forward Nera planted her lips against clammy flesh of Lucijah’s forehead. Tonight would be an ordeal, fever would surely set in but with the supplies she had remaining she could handle that, hopefully the bejeweled shifter would sleep through most of the affliction and gain some of her lost strength. Hunger gnawed at the back of her stomach and for the first time she mentally pushed her own needs away until she was certain her moon-lily was sated and comfortable enough for her to tend to herself.
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Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:51 pm
For a moment their lips drew together, blissful and wonderful, but eventually they pulled apart, and Nera quickly filled the void with her lovely voice. Lucijah nodded her head at the request, feeling embarrassed to need to be fed and watered - and yet despite a slight flush of her cheeks, she didn't mind Nera doing it. She swallowed thickly, both her own need for water (dehydration caused by blood loss) and the spices she was unused to made her thirstly, and she drank greedily - expecting a thick, heady flow of water and yet surprised by a slow trickle that eased down her throat liesurely, controlled expertly by her lover's graceful fingers. The cool water tasted clean, lubricating her dry throat and carrying a cooling sensation down her throat to her belly.
After Nera had finished, however, Lucijah closed her eyes and lifted a shaking hand to her lips, whiping at the moisture there, then opened her eyes to gaze at Nera - only to see her scowling, her brows furrowed, creating wrinkles in her skin that Lucijah wished to smooth out with her fingers or lips. What had disturbed her love? As if realizing she was watching, Nera must have taken the confused gaze for desire for something - and set to checking on her, her voice soft and pretty and caring. Luc gave her a lingering look, but was far too tired to pursue the confusion - instead she turned her eyes towards the leaf. There was plenty of meat - the radaku had been decently sized. She felt weak, tired, but the emotional support, water, and bit of meat already sating her belly gave her a brief wind of strength. "Some meat - I can... you should eat, my amber queen" Luc smiled, then extended her hand, shaking though it was, and when meat was handed to her she held it capably. She lift it to her lips and leaning forward to greedily bite into it, grease making a mess of her chin as her bite was too big. She chewed it slowly, as if in rapture, holding the bit of meat she'd not eaten yet close to her face, so that if she did drop so it wouldn't fall through the holes of the hammock. She ate it slowly, taking her time to erase the risk of choking, and watched Nera as pointedly as one with wavering strength could, unsated until she saw her love eat as well. Once her meat had finished, she pulled her hand to her lips and licked the taste and spices from it, drawing her forearm across her chin and lips. She wasn't polite, or well mannered - and was equally oblivious of possibly being disgusting to Nera.
Food was more important than sanitary or polite manners, after all.
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Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:53 pm
Lucijah’s voice had been tiny but the authority behind it held firm, there was no reasoning with such a determined she-beast. Almost out of habit Nera retracted her hands towards the center of her chest with her palms facing outward as the other prentice greedily claimed a sizeable chunk of meat and claimed it as her own. Juices freely flowed down from the corners of her mouth and a smear of charred fat slathered a shiny greased path along her chin, normally such lack of manners would have caused her nose to wrinkle and her expression to pull into a taunt sneer of revulsion however with Lucijah it was delightful and somehow charming in an untamed sort of way. Her wildflower was so lively even when she lacked strength, that unique disposition shimmered and radiated ever so noticeably, sighing contentedly Nera plucked a cutlet of meat from the leaf pile and savagely sank her teeth into the dripping, succulent roast. This piece she had made sure to set aside for herself, blood trickled down her willowy fingertips and gathered along her palms before dripping towards her wrists and along her forearms. General Talia had always screeched at her daughter for eating meats cooked rare, there was something off-putting about the feral glee in Nera’s rose colored eyes when she tore away a chunk of flesh and had crimson droplets pool up at the corners of her lips and flow down her chin until the juices collected at the underside of her jaw and dripped from her body like some animal enjoying a fresh kill.
Lucijah might have been ill-mannered in the way that she wiped at her face and fastened her fingers into her food like a canine unwilling to share with its pack-mates whereas Nera came off as somewhat sadistic in the way she slowly chewed the cutlet, the warm exterior gave way to the cool pink center and exuded various fluids which she seemed to take great pleasure in relishing as she dragging her short pink tongue along the spillage and throatily moaned in appreciation with each new bite she took. Licking each digit clean Nera found herself beaming cheekily towards the wounded shifter beside her, the cool slab of bloody meat weighting heavily in her belly instantly making the youth feel satisfied and making her just a bit more relaxed in the treetops. “I can’t believe the day we had. If you are still cold star-born I can make us tea, have you ever had tea? I’m really good at making it, I bet I could find some really nice berries to go in it if I looked around a bit.”
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