|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue May 05, 2015 8:53 pm
 The dawn had only just begun to break and the morning's first bird was singing in a large oak, albeit with more hesitance than would be expected. Octobre was watching it blankly through a peculiar haze that stuck to the air. Despite the lack of sunlight, there was a strange hue to the fog that colored all surroundings in a murky shade of jade. After a moment of watching the nervous bird, Octobre turned her head to locate her new traveling companion.
He wasn't far at all, Braxton. Despite his apparent shyness, he never strayed very far from her. She observed him for a moment, noting the subtle differences in his appearance due to the embracing fog--the tinting of his back, the darkening of his hair, the shadows...When she had finished her mental note, she found that she had stared for several additional moments quite unnecessarily.
Hmmm...
Turning her head back to face the direction of the bird in the tree (who had flown off by then), Octobre mulled over the recent events. She had accepted Braxton along (not that he had ever asked), but with every intention of putting him to good use. That is, he was supposed to help her not only locate new samples of blood, but also persuade, in whatever ways possible, the owner of said blood to donate the damnable fluid. Dandy, now she was frustrated. Her track record of failures constantly found its way into her mind, but she had to at least attempt optimism now that she had someone to help her. And judging by how often she caught Braxton sniffing about, she had no doubt he would be able to do his new job very well.
"Have you found the scent again yet, Braxton?" Octobre called out without turning around. She had lost it somehow, but she had every confidence in the stallion's nose.
Optimism...
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 12, 2015 1:14 am
Braxton had been following quietly behind Octobre. The stallion was content to simply observe her as she moved ahead of him. The heavy, early morning fog swirled around her in a way that had Braxton ogling for a bit too long and quickly averting his gaze (Was it appropriate to stare at her backside this much? Probably not.). He coughed and instead focused on the scent they were tracking, keeping his eyes on the treeline this time. Octobre's words broke through the content silence and Braxton was glad that he had stayed diligent in his pursuit of the smell.
"Indeed, Madame Octobre. The phantom scent has returned on the last breeze," he said, speeding his steps so that he was right beside the dark mare. He tilted his head to the right, towards what looked to be a small break in the trees. A clearing perhaps? "The trail towards your crimson bounty leads this way,"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 8:54 am
Octobre wanted to feel a surge of surprise at the stallion's announcement, but she didn't. Instead she felt only mental preoccupation with the goal--the finish line--the blood at the end of the tunnel, as it were. What sort of blood was it? What (not who, never who) did it belong to? How would it taste? What would it smell like up close? She was angry at herself for losing the scent. She wanted to smell it again. For now she forced herself to be content with the knowledge that Braxton, her trusted dog--er, aid--would lead her exactly where she wanted to go. It was in moments like those that she felt relying on others was not so bad. At least sometimes...
"Well, then," the mare drawled almsot boredly, though her mind was filled with fireworks, "I'll follow you." It was a simple enough sentence, but it carried its own sort of weight. Octobre wasn't used to giving someone else the lead. But she had to get used to it, she supposed, at least on occassion.
She eyed the clearing the fanged stallion had pointed out, and while she remained beside him, she kept ever so slightly behind.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 7:24 pm
He liked that Octobre always kept him on his hooves. The mare offering him the lead... it was a surprise. It was also most likely a test of his usefulness. A test of whether or not he could be trusted perhaps? He lifted his head high as they continued on.
"Your delicate trust is most appreciated," he murmured, glancing back towards her with a small movement of his eyes. She was still quite close, so he did not have to move his head to take her in as she eyed the clearing. "I will gladly lead you towards your sanguine treasure,"
Braxton took a moment to inhale, keeping the scent fresh so that he would not lose the trail. Whatever the smell belonged to was definitely close, but the stallion could see no movement in the clearing. He tilted his head and stopped.
"Your prey is here..." But he couldn't see it. He furrowed his brow. Perhaps he had been hoping for a more dramatic reveal, but it seemed that whatever the scent was attached to was in the cluster of foliage in the center of the clearing. He could see the bushes rustling ever so slightly, but other than that there was nothing. He gestured towards the bush with his head. "There," he whispered.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 5:16 pm
Trust?
Hm, maybe it was trust. Maybe she had come to trust this stallion. She'd never spent much time pondering what it meant to trust someone. Well, not that she had thought of the word and the concept so many times over, she was beginning to feel slightly confused. Perhaps she had the wrong definition of it...? Oh, forget it, she was becoming distracted.
At the sound of "sanguine treasure" leaving her aid's lips, Octobre's focus swirled back to reality. Her eyes felt warm in their sockets. So did her gums. So did her tongue.
Peering just behind Braxton as if he were a shield, the mare shifted her wings and took one mere step closer. Her hoof landed on a twig from the foliage before them, however, and with a rather loud snap, their presence was revealed. Fortunately for them, however, their quarry was not the easily startled type. Kinnikinnick heard the twig snap just as he was noisily slurping down the last wood grub he could find, so the sound was lessened somewhat. Still, he heard it, and for a second he thought it might be his traveling buddy, Nat. But then he remembered that Nat had passed out after a few too many herbs, so that was unlikely.
Shifting through many fluffy leaves, Kinni hobbled and twisted his rotund body, willing himself to pop backwards out of where he'd entered the foliage. With a squeeze and a few grunts, the chicken stepped out into the clearing rump-first.
Swiveling clumsily around, Kinni faced the direction the snap had come from and found two soquili staring at him. Their eyes kind of reminded him of how Nat looked after he ate a bad mushroom once. Huh... Well, they didn't look dangerous.
"Hey," Kinni said, tossing a nod. He took the time between their expected response to do some stretches.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 6:44 pm
The stick managed to startle him and he worried his lip, before taking in the relaxed and almost lazy demeanor of Octobre's bounty. Braxton allowed his nerves to slide to the back of his conscious and brought forth his practiced smirk. With a confident wink over his shoulder to Octobre, he sauntered forward towards the chicken that had popped out of the foliage.
"Why hello there feathered friend, we've met you in our time of need. See, I'm in quite the pickle - my friend's hunger I must feed," he locked eyes with the chicken. "What does she hunger for, you may inquire? Well it's your sweet red nectar she does desire! A predicament, indeed, as you can see! For I have none left to give from me." he sighed dramatically, looking so forlorn at the thought of losing Octobre, who still lingered in the background. "My veins are dry as bone, but if she dies... I'll be... alone... Will you help us, my new friend? Will you help her suffering end? Just a few drops is all I ask. Only a few drops... would be your task" He ushered Octobre forward with a nod of his head, but kept his eyes on the chicken whose smell he had tracked for the night maiden.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 7:10 pm
The sight of the rather round chicken's rump appearing through the brush gave Octobre a rare feeling of surprise, but not as much as the wink given her by Braxton. Her head pulled back slightly and she found her eyes blinking, as if momentarily disbelieving what they had just witnessed.
The mare was left standing in quite a literal stupor as the stallion gave his spiel, mist pooling around him in the most ethereal of ways. But the stupor faded and was replaced by a feeling of mild fascination. That feeling in turn was replaced by...something else. Octobre couldn't place it. But she was confused--no...rapt nonetheless. Braxton mentioned her need for blood so easily that Octobre felt she ought to be offended or, at least, ashamed...but she felt neither of these things, for the male's confidence was somehow contagious. If he could make so light of her quest, how could she fear any possible response the chicken may offer? What consequence might harm her?
Octobre followed along and walked into the open, posture demure, but her eyes gave her away. They were ablaze with an unholy hunger.
Kinni had one wing to the sky and one to the grass. Usually his early morning stretches were quiet, so this was a pretty big change. Maybe that was putting it too lightly. First of all it took him a second to even understand what he was hearing. The boy soquili was using all kinds of rhymes and cryptic, err...s-similes...wait, what the hell was a sim--anyway, after an abnormally long pause, it suddenly registered in the chicken's brain just what the stallion had been selling him on.
Giving blood?
His beak clicked a couple times and his wings found their normal resting position. He tossed a casual glance towards the girl soquili. Eeeeeyep...she was, uh...huh. Okay, he actually didn't know what, but apparently she needed some blood? She was sick or something? He didn't know what blood had to do with it, but the boy soquili was pretty darn convincing. And neither of them were rushing him with salivating jaws, so he guessed his initial impression of them had been correct--they weren't dangerous. So now what?
"Uhhh...sure," he offered, feathers puffing out slightly, "where do you want it from?" Maybe it didn't matter, but he wasn't an expert on these, uh...things...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 1:25 pm
Inwardly, Braxton was feeling an intense relief that his more outgoing side had not mucked up the whole situation. It seemed that the chicken was completely at ease, which would have been a tad bit worrying if Braxton wasn't riding the delicious high that came with the rush of confidence.
"Mmm," At the chicken's question, Braxton turned and laid his dark gaze upon Octobre. "Why that is up to the lady," With a smirk, he sidled up beside her and gestured towards the chicken with a hoof. "Where does my dark maiden desire her sustenance from?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2015 5:50 pm
The rotund chicken's lackadaisical attitude had Octobre questioning the entire situation. Not only that, but it was causing her to question her "hobby" as well (she still couldn't quite come to terms with what to call it). Normally this type of thing had the other party feeling uncomfortable--terrified in the worst case. That's why most of the time Octobre had stuck to taking blood from the dead. But now...now was different. Her "source" was more than willing (some might say disturbingly so), and this time she also had a...Braxton. Well...yes, now she had Braxton. Was that why it was different this time? Would it always be this easy from now on? Was it because of the chicken's attitude or because of Braxton? Was the chicken's attitude because of Braxton...?
At the sound of his voice, Octobre's eyes found the stallion and she focused in on his follow-up question. Eyes cold, careful to give away nothing of her inner dialogue, Octobre turned her head away almost too quickly and looked down to the little creature in front of them.
"Whatever place is most comfortable for you, chicken."
Well, she wasn't exactly warm, but at least she wanted him to be comfy. And maybe she really was sick? Or not. Kinni didn't care much if it was one way or the other. He liked weird stuff anyway. As long as it wasn't gonna get him maimed or killed, he was down with it. Everything made for a good story, and that's what he was about (as long as it wasn't snooze time). And he still didn't think they were dangerous. He could just tell. Sure, they wanted blood, but not all of his blood. He'd seen Nat flirt with dark witchy healers, and they only ever used a few drops for some creepy salves here and there. And this seemed really similar. So it was fine.
"I guess you could take a little from my shoulder," he said, stretching a wing out sideways in front of him, "it heals the quickest, I think." Truth was he was klutzy, and a few too many backward-falls out of low-hanging branches had taught him that. But that little tidbit was between him and the Big Guy.
"I'd break skin myself, but my neck's way too thick, so go for it."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2015 10:14 pm
Braxton stepped forward and leaned down slowly so he did not startle the bird. He opened his mouth, his sharp fangs glinting in the light of the rising sun. While his mouth descended towards the chicken's shoulder, his eyes found Octobre's and stayed there. When his teeth punctured flesh, his gaze darkened and blood slowly dripped from his lips.
"Come have a taste, " he drawled, rising from his stooped position to make room for her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2015 10:54 pm
Octobre's eyes locked with Braxton's. She took notice of his deliberate stare. She took notice of everything--time slowing, the moving sight of his fangs puncturing flesh, crimson trailing down his mouth...her own blood stirred. She felt the familiar itch of wanting to complete her goal, to taste what she hadn't yet tasted. But Octobre noticed something else, something she stifled: The itch was different this time.
Tearing her gaze away after what seemed like a long time, the mare stepped forward on command without missing a beat and stooped down. Her mouth found the open wound where Braxton's own lips had once been, and she let the blood fill her mouth. Unable to control the usual onslaught of analytical thoughts, Octobre's eyes closed with focus. Despite her concentration, images of her aide interrupted her note-taking in quick, unpredictable flashes. Strange...
Satiated, Octobre pulled away, letting the blood linger over her mouth before attempting to discreetly lick it away. Whatever remained could be cleaned later.
"Thank you," she said to the chicken, seeming lighter than before.
"Heyyy, no problem," Kinni replied, apparently oblivious to everything that had gone on beneath the surface around him, save for the fact that the mare looked a little better after having taken some of his blood. Well, that was a pretty good thing, he figured. If she really was sick and needed blood to help whatever illness she had, he wondered why she just didn't drink the fanged stallion's blood every now and then? Unless she needed chicken blood...in which case, why not befriend a chicken? Or pay one...not that Kinni would offer. Or question the matter further. He was done.
"You guys take care," he called after the two Soquili, uninjured wing tossing a little salute. Without another question or comment, the chicken hobbled off into the bushes.
As Octobre watched the chicken disappear, she turned to look past Braxton. The sun was beginning to lighten the sky. She walked by the stallion almost coldly, not meeting his eyes once.
"We can go now, Braxton," she called as she went. Where to, she didn't know. Perhaps towards water. Yes...
Somehow she felt...unquenched...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2015 11:10 pm
Watching Octobre drink the blood from the wound that he had created had stirred up things that Braxton had never quite felt before. It was almost primal - how intensely satisfied he was that he could provide for her, even in this small, odd way. He had proved his usefulness to her, and was content to continue to prove himself.
Braxton barely registered the chicken's departure, focusing instead on the movements of the mare in front of him. Her cold demeanor and deliberate avoidance of his eyes did not hurt his good mood. No, it bolstered it. His dark mistress was an enigma. She was so very mysterious in her actions and her tendencies were fascinating. He really did enjoy her company.
"Yes, Octobre," he called back, shaking himself from his musings and quickening his steps so that he was walking just behind her.
The sky was lightening, and sunlight was shining through the treetops and making the dew-spattered foliage gleam. It was a beautiful morning scene, but Braxton's eyes never strayed from the mare in front of him.
He would follow her anywhere.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
![[Eskimo]'s avatar](https://a1cdn.gaiaonline.com/dress-up/avatar/ava/ea/2c/53920899312cea_flip.png?t=1541710050_6.00_00)
