[PRP] To Split Apart (Giuseppe x Sophia Rose)

[Ryuukishin]

((Ryuukishin's Teepee | Insane Butterfly’s Teepee))

Giuseppe stood alone between a pair of oaks under the morning sun, his ears pricked, his eyes flickering, his nose twitching. All his senses strained for any sign of Sophia Rose, his one and only friend. Often, they spent their nights and days together, but she had recently gone off to spend some time with her father, and he could not help the impatient stomping of his hooves. One leg was stained crimson with the blood of some creature he killed in his boredom; he could not remember what it was, and now, it was an indistinguishable form to all.

With a shake of his head and a low growl, he circled their meeting spot again, his short tail lashing from side to side and his breath coming out as faint clouds in the early chill. He was not mad that she had left him – he never could be angry with her. But that didn’t mean he did not feel a burning, aching loss when she was away, and he was eager to close the distance between them once more.  

[Insane Butterfly]

Blood stained hooves barley made a sound as the mare attached to them wove her way through the forest with such fluid motion it wasn't hard to believe she was the predator here. Thick snow white curls bounced along with her gait and gave her an oddly cheery contrast to the dangerous beauty she possessed. Though she supposed if he were there, her spirits would surely be lifted. In their place of secrets and schemes.

Sophia Rose knew the way to their spot, her body taking her there as if drawn by an unseen force, though she supposed friendship would be that force. A keen sense of smell let her know she was not going to be disappointed when she got to the clearing. Giuseppe's scent was as familiar to her as her brothers and fathers, a security blanket in the chaos of her mind. A sweet coppery smell met her nose as well and a wicked grin graced her lips as she recognized the thick scent of blood. She knew he could not see her yet, but would be able to hear her. "Did it put up a fight, Jo...send your blood...rushing?" Her sentence ended on a purr as she emerged from the trees.  

[Ryuukishin]

"No," Giuseppe replied, instantly at ease now that she was close. "It was only a plaything; nothing compared to you."

He drew close to her, his lean deer-like build at odds with the predatory strength behind the motion. He did not move with the light grace others might have expected of him, but with a sure and ruthless step that revealed him for the savage that he was, playing hunter amongst his own kind.

When he was close, he pressed his forehead to her own, closing his eyes and breathing deep that scent he had so quickly grown to love. He did not say he had missed her, there was no need. To voice it would have been the same as saying the sky was blue, that the earth was round, that she was beautiful.

"Don't you dare leave me again," he said, his voice harsh. Of course, he didn't mean to command her – he was simply saying in his own way: welcome back.  

[Insane Butterfly]

To her, Giuseppe radiated the predatory danger she so looked forward to, he could over power her if he wished and that sent her blood rushing. Her crimson eyes locked with his from under heavy lids as his forehead met her own and she sighed, knowing that if she never belonged anywhere else, she belonged with Giuseppe. She pulled away slightly, but only to be able to look at him, not wanting to loose the closeness they shared at the moment.

Her eyes flashed and a smirk played at the corners of her mouth. "You know I'm yours, so why get so huffy?" She goaded him on purpose but in good terms. "He raised me, so I'm obligated to grace him with my presence. You hold my heart though, you know you do." Her words would never be spoken to anyone else or be heard by anyone else. To the surrounding forest she was ruthless, loveless, and poisonous. A gorgeous plague sent to them by hell its self, but here, in their clearing, they were the only two in existence. The world was theirs to burn.  

[Ryuukishin]

"I must, lest you forget me," Giuseppe said, his tone just as light and teasing, the words warm and filling the space between them. But there was a seed of doubt there, small and buried so deep it was unlikely to ever grow, but there all the same. He knew she loved him with the same certainty that he knew he loved her: with all of his being, so much so that he felt he had no love left to give to anything else.

Though he understood the obligation and a small part of him was thankful to Ignis for raising Sophia when her own parents would not, he could not help the jealousy that boiled his blood wrinkled his muzzle with an ugly grimace. It was yet another part of her he could do nothing about, and would never have. He would never carry the same beauty she did, or be able to fly with her, or eat what she did. Such trivial things would not matter to her, just as they would not matter to him were the roles reversed. And yet, when she was gone, he was reminded of what he did not have, and whether he could ever offer more.

But every moment spent with her was precious, and it would be no matter how long they stayed together. He would not waste it brooding.

"But we are here now and together, are we not? We should do something." A glint in his eye suggested he already had something planned.  

[Insane Butterfly]

Sophia smirked, and glanced over at the mention of activities. Oh the delicious havoc they could wreak together. Her blood thrummed through her veins and for once her voices were quiet, no murmuring in her thoughts, just Giuseppe. "Don't tease, Jo. It's not nice." Fluidly she moved towards him like a cat stalking prey, she nudged under his chin as she circled him, a wing held out slightly to trail across his sides. When she stopped to face him, amusement danced dangerously in her eyes."Unless you are not teasing?" One sinister, delicate brow arched and she inclined her head. "Jo? Do you have something for us to do?"  

[Ryuukishin]

The touch was as natural to Giuseppe as air. There had been no hesitation on her part and, likewise, no hesitation in his as he reached out to take the ribbon hanging by her ear. His senses reeled against the blood splattered across it, but he'd long grown accustomed to it, acquiring a taste for it as one might wine. But the biological workings of his body could not as easily be overcome, and no matter how he wished so, he would never be able to enjoy blood as she did. He released the ribbon, letting it slip easily though his lips as she circled around him.

"I passed a hungry coyote on my way here," he said in that direct way he had – not because he was blunt, but because he was not one to add prose to his words. Few save she had ever conversed with him in youth, and the subtle nuances and tones one could add to change the meaning of their words were lost to him.

"And I know a of the perfect foal to give to him. The little brute tests my temper daily," he continued, his voice dripping with disdain by the end. It didn't occur to him that it might've been strange for an adult to despise a foal so: he'd hated children all his life, especially when he had been one himself, and he did not see why it should change now.  

[Insane Butterfly]

Sophia grinned at the suggestion, her eyes flashing in excitement. When she was with Jo, she didn't need the voices in her head to tell her to hunt, to torment. "You're wicked, Jo! Deliciously wicked!"

She tossed her long tail, a dangerous chuckle escaping her. "Where is the little darling? Is he....ready for dinner?"  

[Ryuukishin]

Giuseppe grinned, happy to see Sophia's excitement, and happier still to know he'd been the cause of it.

"He will be," he said simply, already laying out his plan to draw the foal to him. "But we must get closer, dear Sophia, and I shall bring him to you."

He nuzzled her as he passed, sliding through the curtain of vines that hid their small clearing from sight. From there, he set a brisk pace towards his herd, eager to begin and knowing Sophia felt likewise. He was lucky: it was child's play finding the coyote again. It had caught a rabbit, and had not strayed far. But such a snack would not be enough, it seemed, for its ribs showed gaunt against its sides. Giuseppe knew it would still be hungry, and desperate, too.

With promises to return soon, he left Sophia there where she could keep an eye on it before continuing on towards the herd. The foal he was after – nearly a colt now, if he recalled – was older than most of its peers, and had become a bully to them when he could get away with it. Parents would scold him if they saw, but none would act on Giuseppe's behalf. Giuseppe had become a favorite target as a result, especially because the foal thought it more impressive talking down an adult than another his own age. Normally, Giuseppe would ignore such behavior, but they had proved particularly grating during Sophia's time away, and now, he would seek justice on his own terms.

He reached the fringes of the territory quickly, having stopped only once to wipe the drying blood from his leg. It was simple enough after that: the foal went to him immediately, already spewing curses against him and his birth. The foal's pride swelled when he perceived his words were getting a response out of Giuseppe, and when the stallion appeared to be cowed and took a step back, he took two steps forward. It wasn't long until Giuseppe could lure him farther and farther away from the herd, and soon enough, even Sophia would be able to hear the clop of their hooves.  

[Insane Butterfly]

Sophia waited patiently with the coyote, wrinkling her nose at the pathetic creature in displeasure. It had worked and worked at the rabbit until now it was busily, and noisily, gnawing its pearly white bones. She sneered down at it, a displeased growl emitting from her beautiful mouth at the annoyance. She hoped Jo would hurry with the obnoxious foal. It would be nice to take out her growing frustrations on his young flesh.

After growling again at the persistent gnawing and grinding noises, she perked her ears up, hearing the faintest of hoof beats and a trickle of words. The coyote left her mind and she focused her attention on the rustling and took deep breaths, catching Jo's scent mixed with something unrecognizable yet familiar and noted it must be the colt, it sent her blood whispering to her, and her body hummed with excitement as they drew nearer her.  

[Ryuukishin]

Insane Butterfly

The coyote worried at the bone with a hungry fervor, snapping it in two and working to get at the marrow inside. It, too, heard the steps of the approaching soquili, but though it remained wary, it was not alarmed. They were not predators, and though it knew they could be dangerous when threatened, he intended them no harm. Most of them, at least. One set of steps was lighter and more frequent; whoever caused it was smaller in size and had to walk faster to keep up with its companion. Its ears pricked with interest. A foal? Anything so small was always a potential meal, especially now.

Giuseppe allowed the foal to step ahead when they were nearly there, one ear facing back in case any of the herd had chosen to follow them. No one had.

“Quiet now,” he said, dropping his act and lowering his horns. The foal was about to snap back, but silenced immediately at the threat at his throat. Giuseppe could feel the foal quivering, and he drove him back towards the coyote. The boulders, shrubs, trunks, and other vegetation made a convenient ring around the three of them: he, the foal, and the coyote. The “wall” was short enough for any of them to make their escape, but not without some trouble, and he wouldn’t allow it to happen. The only easy exit was the same way they had come in, and Giuseppe stepped out of the way to make room for Sophia’s approach.

The coyote growled a warning, its ears laid flat at the confusing scene before its eyes. Past experience told him the larger soquili would guard the foal, but the ones it saw seemed more concerned with killing it than protecting its life. A war raged in its mind: to leave or stay? With the former, there was a good chance it would die. Hunting did not come easy, especially to one as weakened as it was. With the latter, the adult soquili could prove deadly with their hooves, but the chance was slimmer, and the foal would serve a good and filling meal if it could kill it. It stayed.  

[Insane Butterfly]

The once persistent gnawing became complete background noise as the blood stained mare focused her attention fully on the approaching pair. When the foal emerged she gave him an assessing look before focusing back on the rustling when Jo emerged. Relief flooded through her and she nuzzled him once before backing away to shoot daggers with her gaze at the colt.

"So you think its amusing to disrespect your elders and those who are...different?" Sophia scoffed and looked down her nose at him. "Well we've gathered you to join our little...game." Her tail flicked in annoyance at the foal and her facial features radiated malice. "I do hope you like games."  

[Ryuukishin]

Insane Butterfly

Giuseppe returned the nuzzle, the motion coming automatically but genuinely. He hated to be separated from her for long and though it hadn’t even been an hour, he’d missed her fiercely. She’d only just come back from her visit, after all, but he was willing to spend time away from her again if it would mean she’d enjoy herself more in the long run. Both the coyote and the foal were to serve that purpose, a welcome-home gift of sorts for the only mare that would ever matter.

The foal began to visibly shake, the whites of his eyes showing stark against his dark irises as he looked at his adversaries. He stuttered, fell silent, and tried to escape. But at every turn, Giuseppe was there to meet him, and forcibly push him back closer to the center of the ring. It didn’t take him long to realize the chance of escape was slim, if not impossible.

Giuseppe felt savage pleasure at seeing the foal afraid. The child apologized piteously, his words coming faster and more desperate when the coyote began to snarl warningly behind them.

“He seems to be enjoying it. What do you think, dear Sophia?” he asked, laughing openly at the little one’s plight, but never once dropping his guard.