The woods are thick here, and even in the grip of late autumn, Leera has to pick her way through the undergrowth. She's joined by her latest accessory whose carefulsteps, when she flicks an ear backward, tell her she's followed close. In the slight chill, it's easy to scent the air for the warmth of live prey, and she keeps her muzzle upturned as she navigates the area quietly. It takes several hours before Leera picks up the scent. It's bright, brimming with the heat of animal blood, and the muskiness is enough to tell her there are elk nearby. "Taste the air," she commands easily, ears set. As the frenzy starts to set in, there's a hardness to her focused expression. "They're close. We'll flank them for as long as we can, then we'll ambush." She's still for only a moment, rigid almost, ears listening hard and eyes ticking along every inch of forest.

Deep into that darkness peering,
long I stood there, wondering, fearing...

The crisp, white snow has smothered autumn though there was not much around these particular areas. It appears somebody had laid a sparkling white sheet over what was once autumn and put it to bed. However, there was beauty in the winter too. The way the snow was sprinkled down from a grey, clouded sky and floats to the ground with grace and elegance, so pure. Her companion decided to take lead and the vampiric succubus was more than laid back in her adventurous to allow her to believe she was in charge, though it could not be further from the truth. A sign in such endevour was her bushy, braided tail that stood proudly, curled around her slender, feline spine.

It took an more than a few hours to be able to trace their preys, even if both their snouts were pressed on the gorund; the snow and ice made sure to cover their food trails and made it harder to scent. But once they did, her audits flickered on top of her slim crown, registering the older woman words. Do not tell me what to do, princess. hisses flew from her pretty maw, venomous, mocking; yet she did just so, a deep inhale filled her lungs with the delicious scent and she could almost taste it on her tongue. Fresh. Blood. Sounds like a plan. the vampiric succubus nodded her tiara in agreement to the womans words. Tonight, I shall be victorious. she purred, chest puffing in pride as she feed her own ego. Her auditory systems stood proudly on top of her crown as her tail curled tighter, planning to use it as laverage in order to stir and balance herself.

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"Do not tell me what to do, princess." Dark lips curl into a smirk -- it was time. With a sharp flick of the tail, the woman leans into a trot, all the while she tests the air for the proximity of what she believes to be a small rogue herd of older elk. The glazing of ice atop the freshly fallen snow doesn't aid her case; the soft crunch of her steps is no doubt enough to alert the herbivores of her approach from several kilometers away. Luckily, she has size on her side and the lightness of her paws is an asset, but they'll still have to be quick about it. When she reaches the point where the elk's odor is so thick in the air it's nearly smothering, Leera pauses. She peers through the clearing of trees with eagle sharpness, her mouth fixed into a straight line. "There, my love," she breathes, blood beginning to pulse quicker in her ears. She can make out the light brown hides of the beasts just beyond the treeline. "Shall we begin?"

Deep into that darkness peering,
long I stood there, wondering, fearing...

The vampiric succubus was the chaos in a quiet moment, air trapped in the confines of her lungs fighting to surface. For she knew better than to make too much sound, anything could give them away and force the herbivores to make a run for it. She watched the other woman and she longed - but she knew better than to discuss any matters before she emerged victorious from this challenge. The earth moved, trembled eagerly beneath her step as it grew close to the herd of herbivores. Wet mire creased, folding in slivers up her toes and ankles; they dab, twisting her hung locks in dreads and with each gesture, fleeting movement she was further caked in dirt, her golden jewelries engrossed into it. The filth did little to sway her or soil her beauty, if anything, it added to it; the accent fell upon her elegant coloration and upon her thick and long fur. She embraced the grime and the grotesque poetry of the hunt as she was well capable to fend for herself but she welcomed the help, in her mind, fore winters are harsh on any rogues. It were a comfort, yet she came to a halt along Leera, her vision narrowing into slits, focusing her attention towards the herd - the darkness and pitch of a starless night helping them camouflage themselves within the canopy yet. Old hags first. she cooed innocently, mocking the age difference between them but adding no real offense or venom to it. Without further ado, she returned her focus towards their prey; her limbs would divide, further aiding her balance as her busy, elongated tail stood proudly, tucked tighter on top of her slender, reptilian spine. Her claws dugs into the earthen terrain as she prepared herself to flank on the right side.

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At the other femme's cloying words, she was off. Adrenaline buzzed in her veins, the high of the hunt already starting to set into her nervous system. "I'll begin," she called gently, a hungered edge in her tone. Her paws moved quick. "Children seem to have trouble keeping up sometimes, anyway." Seeing as Nephthys was taking the right flank, Leera nosed her way left. Ahead, the herd didn't seem to spot them just yet. She kept her head down, ears flat against her head so as not to draw any unwanted attention from those hulking, baleful-eyed beasts. If all went well, the weakest link would fall behind and then it'd be their chance. But, of course, the two wolves couldn't go undetected for long. Elk seemed to be rather paranoid creatures, and the low, fretful moan of an elder buck alerted the others of the danger. They started to panic. "Now!" In a frenzy, Leera burst through the snow, starting to run after the fleeing elk.

Deep into that darkness peering,
long I stood there, wondering, fearing...

Night had fallen fast upon the land. No more than an hour ago the sky was painted with hues of red, orange and pink, but all colour had faded leaving only a matt black canvas with no stars to be looked upon. The darkness was thick and that might have been their only laverage yet the other woman was soon gone after she uttered her words. A smirk tugger at her ebon, voluptous lips before the vampiric siren sprung into actions; her claws digging into the snow covered terrain, leaving trails behind her. The snow turned out to be in their disadvantage as the cunch under their paws were audible; yet it did not seem to bother the herd of herbivores that gathered together to a patch of grass. She remained positioned besides Leera, taking the opposite flank of her and while they advanced towards their preys she maintained her posture, like a claculated soldier, ready to maim, to sink her cannines deep into their throat and drink their vital fluid. Busy tail, nice and tight; curled upon her slim, feline spine helped the young egyptian temptress navigate the terrain, acting as a helm, offering the right balance to maneuver
through the flora.

Within long it was the moment they have both been waiting for. A few paranoid elks rose their skulls, interrupting their savoury meal and gave the alarm to the others. Within seconds the whole herd spread wide across the plains surrounding the lake. It was now or never; hear beating a tattoo across her ribcage, adrenaline burning like gasoline into her veins, it was time to let her instincts take over for her, the phreistoric side of her brain, her "lizard brain" knew exactly what to do. She was nothing if not a well oiled machine, designed for long distance runs with her mile-long legs and jaws powerful enough to break the bone. Her violet gaze with specs of gold and orange narrowed into feline slits, focusing her attention on the weakest mammal, the one that was not able to catch up to its brothers and sisters. Already on it! she barked with a snap of her jaws through the air, before she aimed towards the fleeing elk, spotting the weakling at the end of the herd. The egyptian temptress did not aim to maintain her position behind it but instead chose to keep her position extreme right in order to tire and have control over the herbivore direction.

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The low thundering of the elk's hooves was enough to send tremors through the earth and rattle Leera's bones. Still, she threw herself after them in drunken chase, undistracted by their obvious strength. There were times she believed she had owl's wings, times when her paws barely even kissed the ground as she ran, leaving her body to float through the air. Now was one of those times, and a quick sideglance in Nephthys' direction told her that her counterpart was doing well; they successfully funneled the herd into a tight gathering, each wolf pressing in from opposite sides. Now, they were playing a waiting game. A challenge of stamina. Eventually, an older cow started to hang back. Her crooked, slowed loping told Leera that she was likely injured. She let out a series of yips to Nephthys, communicating in that primal, wolfish manner that she used whenever instinct washed over her, letting her partner know that the target had been acquired.

Deep into that darkness peering,
long I stood there, wondering, fearing...

Tonight her heart wants out of her own chest. It wants to beat free of its cage. It pounds like it's going to crack a rib or beat a tattoo against her ribcage. The vampiric siren senses were on high alert as her violet gaze narrowed to focus on one particular cow that seemed for the moment to run behind the herd. Was it injured or just old? Every colour is brighter, every noise louder, every strange bush a cause to make her heart beat more fiercely still but she could not stop now, she did not want to stop now. Sure her lean muscles were stronger and she was more awake than she has ever been, but this was not a situation where running hard for a long time was going to help; at some point their stamina was going to run low, it was either them or the cow.

Audits flickered on top of her chiseled crown, registering the other woman primal yips and barks for her attention and using her peripheral vision the vampiric siren managed to notice what they were all about. Feline slits, focusing on one single cow that was indeed injured. Their target, long legs to carry it for miles and probably stamina for it but she would not be a match for them, not with that injured limb that must hurt whenever the cow lets it collide with the terrain. Chance, they say it all came to chance when hunting but she was going to prove them wrong. Strategy, that is what it was all about. One wit, one game. The siren made a substantial effort, digging her claws in the dirt from balance, pushing her lean mile-long limbs in a final effort to carry her faster; one would swear she was floating, that she was a mere spectre. Her build was made for flexibility and speed, as she reached the right side of the cow; it took a moment or two, a bark or two to her companion and seemingly rival before she launched an attack. Jaws agape, salivating jaws aimed for the herbivore side; jugular was left unprotected as the mammal panicked for its own survival and escape. Deep, she was deep inside it for a split second before the mammal slipped away with crimson liquid dripping from both of them. But alas,the herbivore injuries  expanded and it should not take long.

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In the turn of a moment, Leera was close. So close, in fact, that the flecks of snow that were thrown up by the elk's thundering hooves stung her face. All the while, she kept her head tucked in, her ears flat against her ashen crown. Her time being collaborative with Nephthys was done -- this was a competition, wasn't it? It was time to make her own moves. She kept her wits about her when the first scent of blood reached her nostrils. It had been her partner who, by the grace of long limbs, had reached out and bitten into the thick hide. Leera could see it, too, the blood of the beast, the bright rivulets oozing from broken tissue. Her lolling tongue slid across her lips, but that was the end of it. She couldn't get distracted now. With a contraction of muscles, Leera lunged at the elk's flank with teeth glinting. She knew this was a dangerous choice -- elk were notorious kickers and could kill a wolf with a single blow -- but she had no other choice. The desperation to outperform Nephthys mixed with her lust for the hunt was enough to make her do many things that weren't entirely smart. But her teeth caught the flank, and she locked her jaw and held on, letting the weight of her body offset the elk's movements. There was a great bellow that came from the beast, and Leera could see the whites of its eyes, but she held tight. Canines clamped down, she tried to pull the rump of the elk down so that the fatal bite to the throat could be delivered.

Deep into that darkness peering,
long I stood there, wondering, fearing...

They were no longer playing the long game, it was time to act. Show her a knife and she will show you naked skin, for when she will heal she will be stronger than others. Come to break her bones and she will stand with pads rooted in the same spot, for when she heals her bones will be stronger than others. The egyptian temptress has direction and focus, and so even her smallest steps carry her further than the ashen woman greatest strides. It was not training, it was not strenght it was simply how genetics worked; the temptress was taller, mile-long legs carried her across the terrain once again as she was left behind but she had attacked first and in her mind that was a small victory. She was strength without power, leadership without dominance, something priceless in every sense. Perhaps once Leera stood beyond her and looked back, laughing, she will need to look again. It is her who is now ahead' but not for long. Violet orbs, narrowed and focused on the scene before her, looks like the ashen woman had a plan of her own and was not long behind. The herbivores were tall and strong, a single blow to the right place could cause a plethoria of damages; she might need some assistance but did she wanted to help a competitor?  

This was more than a challenge now. They were here, together and they needed to act like a single organism in order to defeat the mighty herbivore. A long stride, claws dug into the frozen terrain; she lunched forward, smacking her left shoulder blade into the mammal in order to provide a better and inclined angle for the ashen woman.

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Adrenaline rocketed through her blood, which pumped so hard through her veins that she swore even the elk could hear her heart's work. Pain blossomed in her jaw where her grip was locked on the elk's skin; every powerful movement of the mammal wore her down substantially. At this point, her forelimbs were dangling in the air as she held on, her hind legs scrambling to catch hold of the snowy terrain in attempt to slow the creature down more. Luckily, with Nephthys' second attack, Leera had just the right amount of leverage to catch the ground and pull the elk's hindparts down. With it fallen, there was only one thing left to do. "Watch those hooves!" she gave heed to her partner as she unlatched herself from the flank, the taste of both her own blood and the elk's sharp on her tongue. Tail curled under her, she launched herself at the front of the cow, aiming for its throat.

Deep into that darkness peering,
long I stood there, wondering, fearing...

The adrenaline floods her system like it's on an intravenous drip - right into her blood at full pelt. Her heart is ready to explode within the ribcage and at this point the egyptian temptress has no doubt the ashen woman is able to hear it. It was happening right before her violet orbs; the ashen woman found her balance and was able to bring down the mighty cow, without a doubt with her help. She wanted to come to an abrupt halt before them but something within her mind had her reconsider. Within a moment her back claws would dig through the the frozen snow, took one last look at the target, and jumped. It was like nothing she had ever experienced. It was like committing suicide. As gravity took her fiercely toward the concrete below she struggled to claim any of the air that rushed by for her own lungs. Her limbs would spread in mid air, elongated her acting like a helm to aid her balance and she aimed to land on the cow side moments before it was dragged down on its side by the ashem moments. If successful, the egyptian temptress will not only dig her claws within the mammal soft tissues but also be quick as a sword to launch her fatal jaws around the cows throat before the other female.

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meh post, sorry ;c

Teeth met tissue and she sunk her canines into the tenderness of the elk's neck. She could feel the great beast's hot blood pulsing against her bite, and then springing to the surface where it's warmth burst across her tongue and down the sides of her maw. But the downed cow was still very much alive, struggling and writhing about in its animalistic fear, continuing to pose a real threat to the wolves. There was a flash of bronzed fur in the corner of her eye, and before she could glance over, Nephthys had also taken hold of the beast's underthroat. Their heads were shoved together, both working to drain the life from the elk, but Leera let a low snarl curl from somewhere deep in her throat. She held on until the kicking slowed, ears flat against her head as she growled through the hunk of fleshy underthroat in her mouth at her counterpart, not really threatening her but rather insisting "this couldn't have happened without me." A few more dragging moments and the elk's eyes rolled white and it was finished. Leera spat out the bit she was clenching between her teeth, licking her stained maw and stepping away gingerly. Her pink eyes roved across the elk's bloodied pelt, saliva pooling as she imagined all that meat just beneath the surface. "Well," she said after a moment, ribs heaving gently with pants. "The verdict?"

Deep into that darkness peering,
long I stood there, wondering, fearing...

The crimson liquid didn't gush in a constant flow, but in time with the beating of the mammal's heart. At first it came thick and strong, flowing through her needle like canines as they clasped the ripped flesh. The egyptian temptress felt the crimson, vital liquid move and stain her throat and chest, the thick fluid no warmer or cooler than her own skin stained not only them but also the frozen terrain underneath. After a few moments more, the blood was still leaving the herbivore rapidly paling flesh, but the pulses were slower, weaker.

Audits rotated towards the source of the snal, optics narrowed, feline; aggression poured through them as her heart beat a continous tattoo, adrenaline still pumping it to the core. The egyptian temptress encountered it with a snarl of her own, hreathing heavily, she refused to remove her incisors until the mammal laid breathless, godless. It did not take long, her jaws were locked in place, puncturing like needles the external jugular vein; the soft tissues, the vital liquid pouring down her throat, tasting it's elements, just like a fine whiskey, burning down her throat. she felt alive.

Before long the mammal gave its last breath, it stared into the sky with eyes that saw nothing. Already they were becoming more dry and dull. It was over. Needle like canines retreated from the soft tissues of skin as droplets of crimson liquid continued to pour from the open wound. Smirk, laschiviously tuggind at her full, ebon lips; her pretty maw was stain with the vital fluids of the might herbivore yet her beauty was present, wild and feral, different than before; primal instict took place and the filth within her luxurious coat added to it. Not bad for an old lady, jewel melodious tones were offeren in a slight mock; raising a teacup pad to place upon the mammal skull in victory. I am conviced that now you have opened your eyes and see just how superior my genetics are. she mocked sensually, a purr, a hiss; her vocals heavy with her breathing as the heat got to her.

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meh post, sorry ;c

She kept her eyes fallen on the hulking corpse, tail hung against her rump. Her soft panting turned to frost in the winter air; the hunt had taken a bit of strength out of her. She stepped toward their prize and nosed her way into one of its wounds, gingerly picking at the stringy red meat. As Leera ate, an ear turned back to catch her companion's words. "Don't be pompous," she muttered into the flesh, hair raising along her spine. Nephthys didn't truly believe she'd won this, did she? After all, who had pulled the beast to its knees? She laid her ears against her head and paused, looking at the other woman now. "We both swing the sword and you call yourself champion," she sneered, a tendril of meat hanging from a canine. Fiery pink gaze was fixed on Nephthys. Sure, she was beautiful, but she was stupid. Stupid enough to believe in gods and their precious little childstory legacies. "You have some maturing to do, flower." Leera ran her tongue across her dark lips, tail curling as she lowered herself into a sit.

Deep into that darkness peering,
long I stood there, wondering, fearing...

The egyptian temptress did not sneer, nor smile. Her full, ebon lips only moved to part, allowing the melodic draw of foreign accent words to drift from her lips. You were not bad. the amusament though not seen on her beautiful visage was clear in her violet optics. It is all the same. Just another another queen awaiting pawns or an emperor bleeding. The names are different. But it is always the same, the siren shifted her weight; a roll of her hips, allurment bleeding from her feline bodice as she sat on her haunches. Reptilian movements, seraphic, slow and calculated, she leaned forward in order to lock her jaws on a piece of fresh meat; the delicious crimson liquid filling her throat and warming it. power, control. they are called the same: greed. she could not withhold these thoughts, filled with lamentation and knowing. They were the same. Omnipotence, it was found there in her speech. This challenge was created by the very monster they both worshiped. We are not that diferent, you and I. she continued her speech unbothered to gaze at the ashen woman for she knew, without a doubt, that she was listening due to the close proximity. This was their victory feast, they emerged victorious, together. We might not have the same beliefs, Leera. But at least I know I am not entitled to an opinion, I am entitled to a informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant. she took another bite, chewing it between needle like incisors, throughfuly, moaning softly as the taste penetrated her taste buds. I might not be able to prove it but you cannot prove a negative either. she rose her violet gaze towards the ashen queen, locking their gaze together for just a minute before reasuming her feast.

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quote by Harlan Ellison

The woman lets herself fall into an easy sit, deliciously sharp hips meeting the frosted earth. Her breath is still hot and quick in the air, but most of the adrenaline that had fueled her during the hunt has dwindled away. Ears fold against her head like resting butterflies; she listens with a grain of salt at what Nephthys retorts. "Maybe not," she says between pants, voice airy, perfectly calculated. She sends her gaze over to the other beauty, the pink iris shimmering with intensity. "Maybe we are even the same, flower. But you are wrong about power and control." Her dark lips twist up at the corners, so slightly it could easily be overlooked, as if she has a secret that nobody else could ever know. It seems, Leera muses inwardly, the cogs of her mind ticking, that they are but two wolves chasing after the same thing -- but the difference comes in the how. "Power is not greed, it's honor. It's excellence. It's picking your way through the blood and the bone until you're sitting on top." Teeth glint as she smiles, secretively, halfway seductively. Her tail curls tightly around her paws and she dips her head to her comerade. "Either way, flower, I'd say we make one hell of a team."

Deep into that darkness peering,
long I stood there, wondering, fearing...

The egyptian woman rose to her full height, that overpowered the ashen queen by much. A smirk tugged at her ebon, succulent lips for a nanosecond at that thought before reassuring the same placid facade she had been carrying all day. The adrenaline, the one that added gasoline to the internal fire within, was gone and she stood still; elongated, luxurious tail curled erect upon her serpentine spine, as violet gaze fell once again upon the woman. A crow can be as brave as any wolf, when there is nothing to fear. And we all do our duty, when there is no cost to it. How easy it seems then, to walk the path of the honor you speak of. she mused softly, locking her gaze with the other woman. With that being said, her reptilian bodice rotated; she began pacing towards the East it was time to find a den of her own for the merciless winter that is yet to come in its known, full ferocity. I would call it a draw. the temptress offered in her heavy, exotic accent before she took to the trees and departed.
|| exitus nephthys

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i am so bad with exits.

Leera watches her comrade, silently satisfied with their success, tail twitching and curling like a cobra. Even still, she could feel the chemicals of adrenaline coursing through her entire being, and although the kill is over and done with she still feels very much alive. She meets the woman's violet-gold gaze head on, curious to know what she makes of their little competition. There is some truth to be found in Nephthys' first mutterings, and Leera folds her ears and nods in agreement. In the end, however, the hunt's a draw -- whether each of them believes it or not, they're more closer to equals than they are any different. Leera nods again. "A draw it is then," she murmurs, and turns to depart easily, blood still smearing her lips, her chest, her paws. She retreats into the treeline, but her thoughts of Nephthys will continue through the night. -exit-