t h i r s t

He was near, tucked away in the desiccated branches and plateaus of hard-earth. The soft murmurings of conversation exhumed him from his business about twenty yards from his young bride-to-be. Carpe had been occupied with the rather strenuous task of navigating - ensuring their steps led them toward inhabited kingdoms and civilizations, instead of the wilderness they had endured for days on end. He was hungry, and inexplicably tired. The husky serenade of Diem's voice swayed him from his investigation, pushing him from concealment so that he can inspect the unfolding scene.

His approach was not a companionable one.

A gnash of his teeth announced his presence as he slid beside Diem, studying their company with the interrogative edge of his left eye. He turned the good side of his face toward the stranger, surveying her for indications of malice or ill-will and ensuring he placed his betrothed behind the grizzled perimeters of his shoulder. The soldierly architecture of his body widened and constricted, giving tension to the sinewy fabric of his body in seconds as he assumed a defensive posture. Carpe's ears flattened to the lacuna-white curvature of his skull, followed shortly thereafter by the augmentation of his legs beneath him to encourage balance throughout his body. If his upbringing had any effect on his current self - this was proof of it. He was a creature of misgivings and wariness, with a tendency to resort to violence prematurely in the interest of self-preservation. Life spent alone with his inamorata meant only one thing to the debased man: they were vulnerable. The deduction left a sour taste in his mouth as he shot Diem an annoyed glance as she revealed her namesake freely; she was too dauntless and that was, perhaps, why he loved her so greatly.

It had not always been like this. Their coupling was a forced one, and Carpe can still remember the apprehension he felt at having to meet Diem for the first time. He was but a boy who had faced a multitude of other challenges - though none were so great as facing her for the first time. (You are my cosmos, and my fortune, and the goodness to my bitter heart!)

Carpe maintained his position in front of Diem, looming uninvitingly as he continued his hawkish surveillance. He said nothing - only waiting for the stranger to introduce herself so that he might make further judgments on her. Despite his demoralizing silence, his body language is clear: Diem is mine.