With Aurelia draped across his shoulders and the falcon perched on his hip, Sephiran made his way down to the water’s edge. He chose an area where the fresh water and salt water intertwined, specifically to avoid over dehydrating her already dry wounds. Plus, this water was still drinkable, but not as enjoyable as spring water. Which, was also on purpose.

Approaching the shore, Sephiran searched for a suitable place to complete an assessment. A small clearing came into view, large enough for him to maneuver her around and drag her into the water after. Approaching it, Sephiran exhaled a rush of air from his nostrils, testing the air to see if anyone else was in the area. All alone. Crouching down, he let her slide off of him, disregarding the pain that would ensue once she met the ground. He motioned for his bird to place the poultice he made on a nearby rock, so it didn’t get dirty from the ground.

Settling onto his haunches, Sephiran reached a paw out to press against her shoulder closest to him, testing for a pained reaction.

His examination had begun.


"Speech"

Code by Shelby

*MATURE THREAD. TRIGGERING THEMES. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.*

While her knee-jerk reaction was to snap at the brute carrying her, she also understood the necessity to make a trade. As her body shifted, with each of his strides, she clenched her teeth in an effort to center herself, though it seemed she couldn’t do that, and continued to breathe. As she got adjusted, uncontrollable panting overtook her current state of being. But at least the water’s edge was in sight.

She cried out as she landed in the damp sand, her weakened frame falling in a heap against the ground- it might as well have been concrete. She struggled for a moment, to quickly alleviate any unnecessary tension from her dislocated leg. True to her nature, the desire to berate with snarky wit and hateful words was ever present. However, in her exhaustion, she didn’t have any fight left to pull from. Instead, she remained limp, gasping for air between whines, as the frozen ground began to sink into her bones. The breath had been forced from her body, and as she struggled to regain it, she felt the sudden pressure against her shoulder. Her bruised muscles tensed out of reflex- a faint and breathy groan escaped through her parted jaw as any thought toward getting a drink was momentarily abandoned.

"Speech"

Code by Shelby

From the pressure of his paw, Aurelia released a groan and tensed out of reflex. Bruising. His paw trailed down her side, applying pressure here and there, and he felt for breaks in her ribs. Settling at her thigh, he repeated the process, making mental notes of any painful points that would indicate bruising. His gaze settled on her throat, noting the lacerations he left behind. They were scabbed over now, but red and festering with inflammation. Everything needed to be washed out. Once he felt content with his examination of this side, Sephiran would roughly flip her over, so her wounded hindlimb was facing him now. He certainly lacked the gentle healing touch.

Repeating the process, he made note of sensitive points, and the scabbing along her nape where he had reopened the wounds a day prior. Needing a final observation point, Sephiran flipped Aurelia onto her back, placed a paw on her chest, and pushed down. After, he trailed his paw slowly down the curvature of her abdomen until it was pressing into the lower region, where her reproductive organs were.

"Speech"

Code by Shelby

As his touch roved over her battered frame, she gasped and cried out as he hit sensitive spots. Though, as he identified them specifically, so did she. Even if she was too weak to sit up.

When she was flipped over on her opposite side, she couldn’t help the scream that resonated from her chest. As her body weight was distributed over the dislocated limb, she struggled against his hold “I ca-an’t lay on it!” She cried, trying to rotate her lower body to alleviate the sudden flood of excruciating pain. When he finally shifted her to her back, she gasped in relief, though it was quickly replaced by a different kind of intensity. “What aa-re y-ou do-ing?! St- -op!” Aurelia croaked, her voice rapidly deteriorating the more she tried to use it. However it wasn’t helped by the surge of anxiety at his touch. As his trailing paw pressed further down her abdomen, she tucked her tail as tightly as she could while trying to force her upper body back over on her preferred shoulder- clawing at the sand to try and drag herself away from whatever advance he was trying to make. Unfortunately, her tail wasn’t the defense she had hoped it would be. A new kind of pain shot through her body. “St-op!” She pleaded again, as she kicked out with her functioning hind leg.

"Speech"

Code by Shelby

Her screams fell upon deaf ears. Sephiran was far too consumed by his task to adhere to her plea for mercy, which he wouldn’t have granted either way. He did take note of how her pain level spiked when laying on her injured leg, which was one expected result. And, after having flipped her onto her back, she was flooded with alarm. Good. He ignored her, continuing to apply pressure, searching for any abnormalities. He needed to know if her belly would be able to produce his offspring. Her tail tucked against her abdomen, in which Sephiran used his other paw to aggressively shove it away. She started to writhe, clawing at the sand and trying to get away from him, kicking out a hind leg which almost got him in the belly.

A snarl erupted from his jaws, and he aggressively shoved his paws into her, hard. Using his weight to push the air from her lungs, winding her. "You're not being good, Aurelia." He seethed, eyes narrowing to slits, as he glared down at her. In the heat of the moment, Sephiran was overcome by his impulsivity. Now would be a good time to brand her with the mark of Sidi. His Sidi. Using his paws to hold her down, Sephiran unsheathed his blade, holding it tightly between his jaws. The obsidian shimmered in the sunlight, casting an eerie glow down onto her face.

"Speech"

Code by Shelby

As the snarl erupted from his lungs- as he slammed his paws into her chest, it was a reflex to bring her knee in her body in defense. It was an attempt to curl into herself. Of course, the dislocated limb lacked sensation- she couldn’t move it from where it lay, stretched out behind her body as she settled- gasping- while laying on her side. He seethed at her that she was misbehaving. Though, in doing so, she had distracted him from further assault. She couldn’t say that she was sorry.

With a paw firmly weighing her in place, she pressed the side of her face into the sand. She looked away from him as she tried to be still. Though, with a sudden glint in the overcast sunlight, she caved in her avoidance. Sneaking a glance up, something in her chest lurched. He had a blade. Something that resembled hope flashed in her eyes as she thought maybe this would be her final sacrifice. However her confusion was eventually the prevailing emotion. It wouldn’t be so easy.


"Speech"

Code by Shelby

Holding her steady to the best of his ability, Sephiran allowed her to peer up at the blade. He wanted fear to resonate inside of her, because it would make this whole experience that much sweeter. He let the recognition sink into her, savoring this moment before he went to work. Using his weight to anchor her down, Sephiran inspected her inner thigh of the same limb he dislocated. Thoughts of his family’s makings flooded his mind, until he could clearly picture the symbol used for the Sidi.

With the location chosen and the marking in his mind, Sephiran leaned down and brought the tip of the blade to her skin. He pressed it in, slicing deep enough to create a laceration that would result in a scar. The blade created a clean cut, in which Sephiran was impressed. Of course, he expected Aurelia to worm beneath him, in which he would use his paws to shove her back down.

"Speech"

Code by Shelby

Sephiran held out the blade for her to see- to try and be extra intimidating she guessed. It left her uneasy, though she ultimately resigned herself to the fact that whatever he was going to do with it wouldn’t be the fatal blow she longed for. It was the sudden weight on her dislocated leg that made her scream.

When he pressed the point of the blade to the skin of her inner thigh, she gasped in the shock of it. Though in exploiting her obvious weakness- she could barely flex her toes. She kicked out with her functioning hind leg once more as she tried to prop herself up to see what he was cutting- though she was promptly shoved back to the ground. His grip on her swollen limb tightened, and she yelped. Forcing herself to lay still as she processed what was happening. Though even still, as her mind raced, she couldn’t make sense of it. She was no stranger to the cut of a blade- she needed her own blood for ceremonies all the time. Though, clearly that wasn’t what Sephiran’s intentions were. The longer her torment went on, the more tightly she clenched her teeth. She flexed her nails into the sand as her entire body went rigid. Only when he withdrew the knife, did she gasp for air.

"Speech"

Code by Shelby

Now that he tested the validity of the blade, Sephiran went to work on creating the marking. As he cut through her skin, he used precise movements to ensure it came out correctly. It was so exciting for him to finally create this making on his own toy. He had seen his father complete this ritual on others, and dreamt of the day when it was his turn. It was like a fever dream.

As he made the final cut, the scent of blood flooded his nostrils, sweet and metallic and begging to be licked. Placing the blade back in its sheath, Sephiran leaned back to admire his work. It wasn’t perfect like his father’s, but it was clear enough to read and would scar over nicely. “Now everyone will know you’re mine.” He mused aloud, not caring if she was listening or not. Flipping her over, Sephiran suddenly grabbed her by the scruff and dragged her to the water’s edge, which was only a few yards away.

Wading out into the icy water, Sephiran dragged her until only her head was above the surface. Using his body as leverage, he propped her against him so she didn’t go completely under. He sat with her there for a bit, wanting the water to cleanse her wounds- both new and old.

"Speech"

Code by Shelby

Once the blade had been put away, she chanced another look in his direction. He said something aloud, though she hadn’t been paying attention. As he leaned back to admire the wound he just inflicted, she caught a glimpse of it as well- though her own blood wept from the lacerations. She couldn’t make it out. Whilst trying to decipher the pattern, she was suddenly flipped once again- her sapphire gaze widening as she yelped with the sudden force.

Aurelia lay limp as she was drug to the water’s edge- though he didn’t drop her off there. As he forced her out into the freezing depth she flailed her body, though every muscle she had immediately went stiff as she was submerged in the polar inlet. Her breath escaped in a sudden cry, followed by an abrupt gasp as she clenched her jaws shut. As they went deeper, there was nothing she could do to fight it- as the chill seeped into her core, even her limbs that were intact wouldn’t work. Had he not propped her head up against him she would have certainly drowned … though that might not be a bad idea. Though on second thought, the hypothermia wouldn’t be so bad either.

"Speech"

Code by Shelby

Once Sephiran felt the chill of the water really seep into his bones, he decided he was content with her cleanliness. She hadn’t bothered to take a drink, which was off, given she complained so much about being thirsty. “If you’re gonna drink, do it.” He hissed, giving her only a few moments to do so. And, if she decided not to, or was too weak to, didn’t matter to him. He dragged her back to the shore, laid her down, and shook the water from his pelt. It took several attempts until he felt mostly dry, and he turned to look at her limp, soaked body.

Throwing her over his shoulders again, Sephiran made his way back up the trail that led to her prison. The process of tending to her wounds was almost complete - he just needed to apply the salve now.

-exit-

"Speech"

Code by Shelby