falling slowly, eyes that know me

Tea cup paws carried her lithe form into a pivot to finally face the phantom. Hannibal's gaze ravaged her facial features before resting on her own vibrant optics. He took in her gaze to get a clue into what her thoughts may be but the Empress was too good at suppression. One and a half ears flicked back as the thick fur on the back of his neck flicked upward slightly. The wave of desire and admiration that moved from his slim bodice was easily felt. Long ago when the babe had just founded Ashen he may have looked upon her with lust and jealousy but now he emitted love. Perhaps it was the mix of being away and long built up emotion but it was mostly the fact that he was finally able to reach for her. No longer was her belly full of pups or Archon leering over them. Their painful paths were finally aligning and Hannibal felt the need to take his chance. It may be his only one.

Luxuriously feminine vocals rolled off her tongue with ease. Hannibal drank in each syllable with unfathomable hunger as his lips curled into a more playful grin. The initial rush of rich emotion would be suppressed into a layer of palpable bliss. "Hungry." The flourish of the word implied that there may be more layers to his response. A hunger for.. what? With that the brute stepped over his kill to finally close the distance between them. Each step felt like an eternity until he could feel her warmth grace his own. Thoughts of his blood caked fur did not bather his mind as he moved to nuzzle her neck with his slender muzzle. Hannibal inhaled her scent as his nose moved through her lux pelt. "Were you looking for me?" Why else would the Empress be lurking towards his den?