Melanth didn’t realize how far these lands stretched. Her travels led to cross over a slim path which then expanded into another vast area. Unlike the warming sun’s atmosphere that gave way to Spring arriving. Here, the clammy temperatures proved the approach of Fall. The sudden shift in altitude nearly caused her to cough out. Adjusting to the different conditions proved to be a bit difficult. But it did not stop her from furthering her steps. Descending deeper into the world that was Auster.

Soft, damp grass became wet sands which embedded between her toes. The feeling made her cringe from within. Wanting nothing more but to cleanse her paws of such texture. Though it would be made pointless due to the fact she was standing on an entire ocean shore. Internally, Melanth groaned in anguish. Hoping that she’d get this entire thing over with quite quickly before the overwhelming pressure settled in. Had it not been for a certain male, the thought to come here would not have crossed her mind. She preferred to stay in forest and mountainous regions.

Despite how beautiful the ocean itself was.

Her tail swayed in show of her mild annoyance. Gaze flickering in every direction in hopes to see Azrael appearance sooner than later. Helonia grinned wickedly at the thought of him. Even Melanth herself could not dismiss the fact he, indeed, was a very interesting individual. Something about him intrigued her the more he came around. It was the only reason she’d agreed to follow his lead. When it came to herbs and plants, he clearly knew more than she.

So, there she waited. Eyes observing the beautiful scene before her. Whilst in waiting.


282/1500

"Helionia"~"Melanth"

/

With his services in high demand in the Syndicate and with Caedes collaborating with him on his injector technology, Azrael's need for fresh stonefish spines had never been greater. He had collected a small amount with Mireia when he had arrived in Auster, but now even most of those had been used or broken. With a seemingly never-ending need for his particular brand of pharmaceutical applicators, the Saxe brute planned a trip down to Auster to hunt more of those dangerous tropical fish that had become his magnum opus. And who better to take with him than the lovely Melanth and salacious Helonia? Any chance he got to interact with the split wolves was a fascinating field study to him, and getting to spend time with her only further increased his chances of maybe getting his dick wet again. Hey, he was a brute of simple tastes.

An invitation had been extended to the mentally fragmented fae, instructing her to meet him down at Auster's western coast. He had planned to bring Mireia again to help with the spine collecting, but given her rather crude method of harvesting the spines last time, he did not wish to risk his personal Sidi's life when he was beginning to enjoy her. So he would borrow another Sidi instead! And who better than his other case study? Azrael went and collected Vanille from her quarters in the Sidi dens, wanting to drag her away before Cifarelli could find out he'd absconded with the fae. He was pleased to find her equally as blanked as when he had last seen her at her examination, her head an empty shell of who she had once been. It took very little coercing to get her to come with him, and with enough force, the pair were headed down to Auster.

They arrived in the warm climate of the southern continent just as summer was ebbing away into autumn. It was still hot and humid as he remembered it, but it was much grayer and rain was falling gently over the lands. Excellent! Fish loved the rain and it would coax the reclusive stonefish out to play. Ushering Vanille along with him, Azrael deftly avoided the borders of their enemy and made their way around to the coast, spotting the distinct black and white form of Melanth waiting for them on the golden shore. Az grinned; it was so good to see her again! "Melanth, Helonia, greetings!" he called out to her as they approached, paws crunching through the damp sand. "I hope you're ready for some fishing!" Turning his attention to Vanille, Az unslung his satchel from around his neck and dropped it into the sand with a thud. He then pulled out a pair of short scaling knives, providing one to each of the faes. After seeing Mireia's crime against nature the last time, this time he came prepared for them to properly kill the fish.

"We're going to be hunting stonefish today," explained the violet brute as led the way down the shore to a rocky cove hidden in an inlet, the perfect place to find hiding stonefish. "They look like stones, as their name suggests, and their camouflage is quite good." To demonstrate, Azrael waded out into the shallow cove and peered down through the crystal clear water. He slowly shuffled his paws along the sand, studying every rock he passed, looking for the telltale fins. When he spotted a rock with a tail fin, Az struck, pulling his own knife and driving it through the water to impale the fish. He then pulled the flailing fish from the water and brought it back on land, dropping its carcass to the sand so Melanth and Vanille could see it. "These are the little buggers. And these..." Az ever so carefully showed off the sharp spines that ran along the fish's back, "are what we're after. Just make sure you don't get pricked by these. If you do, the toxin will kill you in under half an hour, so I suggest you watch where your paws step." With his demonstration done, Azrael gestured towards the water to both women, ushering them to begin the hunt with him.

WC: 703
Total: 985 / 1500

"Azrael Saxe"

As much as Vanille may have seemed like an empty shell as Azrael had intended, it was more like she was put in some kind of groggy stasis when it come to her memory. Like she still had the skills in her past life, but she couldn't remember where they came from or where she came from. He hadn't disabled her, luckily. And she would be able to help the Syndicate as needed. Today would be one of those days as the large dark alchemist led her from her sidi quarters without much convincing. A part of her was terrified of the large brutes after their encounter, but as the one almost clear memory she had, she found a sanctuary in them. She followed him the long distance to Auster, mostly silent in their travels.

They made it to the shores that seemed to be their destination, a woman standing there waiting for them or more so waiting for Azrael. Vanille again, stayed quiet as Azrael explained the goal of this whole endeavor. "Como usted ordene." She responded quietly, glancing briefly at the woman here before stepping forward into the rippling shores.

She did just as Azrael had showed and instructed. Wading out into the waters without complaint. The fish were hard to spot through the rain on the ocean's surface, but she took her time figuring out what was the right thing to strike. Perhaps too long if she was on a timer. But the fish didn't seem too bothered by her at least, so when she found the more shapely "rock", she took the knife offered to her and stabbed the fish slightly off center of it's head, careful of the spikes as Azrael warned them. It was a monster of a fish, that was sure.

She brought the prize to shore, not so thrilled by her catch, not like she needed a happy little good girl pat. Just the robot servant Azrael may have expected. She laid the fish beside Azrael's, "Querías estos desollados?" Motioning the blade along the side of the round fish a couple times so he could hopefully understand her. She wasn't sure if they were harvesting the parts he needed here on the beach, or if he would need to take the whole fish home with him to work with back in his lab. Or if he would even risk her messing up the harvest.

Total Word Count: 1387/1500 words

"Vanille"
Base By WatermelonCreature

Time ticked pass as she watched the waves lick at the sandy shores. The rain which soon fell from the grey canvas above rippled the water’s surface. Creating a beautiful display of circular shapes. Which would expand out and expand to only disappear shortly after.

On and on this went until the sound of paws turned a single ear. Melanth could feel Helonia arouse from her slumber to peek out through their blood eyes. The larger male sauntered down to where they sat in wait. His strut one she found enticing. He always carried himself with confidence. As if the world meant nothing to him; yet, owed him everything. It was what coaxed her from sitting. Tail wagging lightly at her thighs. Feeling the pool of yearning clutch her stomach muscles. Only to settle between toned legs. Ones that were once wrapped around his waist with every…

Melanth snapped from the memory. Another scent overshadowing what should have been a joyous moment. Hel snarled low in their throat. Though, it wasn’t one of menace intent. But slight interest of what, or rather who she was. "Greetings, Azrael." She spoke with a softness to her voice. Providing the two of them a smile of welcoming. While ignoring the behaviors of Helonia.

Azrael soon took the lead on what was to take place today. Watching with intent on what to do and how to do it. The entire ordeal looked easy enough. Especially since the wintery beauty followed his exact instructions and came out victorious. Mela didn’t hesitate to do the same. Her paws stepped with precaution. Closing in on the tides to then slide then along the emerged coast. With the water being so clear, it wasn’t much to see where she was going. It only became apparent to the dangers when what he described came to light. Quills rose from what looked like a rock. The warning apparent, loud and clear.

She acted swiftly. Stabbing the knife directly into the middle of the fish. The blade sliding through to pin it down. When the aftermath stilled its movements, Mela brought it back to the surface where the others lie. Her own satchel already laying out next to Azrael’s to collect a few of the stonefish for herself. Before heading back out to the waters for more.



1774/1500

"Helionia"~"Melanth"