It All Started With That Smile

The night had gone smoothly, Kichi surprised her by not waking up with a nightmare she had to soothe without getting angry. Before the dame knew it, morning light streamed through the entrance to the den she had dug at the bottom of an ancient and massive redwood tree that had been struck by lightning ages ago. It had been blackened, charred to a crisp, and left hollow, but sturdy enough to not topple over. The day wore on without much to do, Kichi went off exploring while Lurid set about cleaning the den and surrounding area. There was no worry in her mind, Ilyn would keep her adopted son safe as he had been doing while the boy wandered and learned from his environment. The glaringly bright demon had barely noticed the passage of time from early morning to late afternoon as she absorbed herself in her boringly domestic work. It had to be done, though, and Kichi was not old enough to do it himself. Birds twittered in the canopy, crickets chirped and cicadas sang with their annoying loud voices; all in all, it was a quiet day. A peaceful day of rest for the wicked mother, one that allowed her to complete her work and even get a moment of rest. This would be short-lived, however.

A piercing scream of pain filled the forest, snapping Lurid from her half-dozing state and causing her to dart those sharp, holographic eyes around, searching instinctively for her son. More screams brought the now angrily disturbed woman to her paws, subconscious worry for her son fueled her, even though she hadn't recognized the shrieking voice of the wolf in pain. It was this worry that had her sprinting toward the sound, each screaming note like a siren's song beckoning the demon forth. She would murder whoever was responsible for disturbing her peace, massive yet feminine paws carried her swiftly and silently over the top of a small, tree-laden hill where the agonized screams came from. Holographic lavender eyes peered down at the grizzly scene, fury clear in her gaze rather than the customary worry that most would display. Like a ghost, she appeared from nowhere, a full-body apparition of death and despair. She was not prepared for the scene that greeted her venomous glare, and momentary surprise flitted over her face before she hid the expression. It wasn't long before the screaming was silenced, and Lurid could allow herself some relief that it had not been Kichi in the grasp of the familiar black and red heathen. Anger still remained, but there was a spark of satisfied joy within her as well while she watched from behind the male.

Allowing him to finish his game before she interrupted, Lurid watched with sick fascination as the brutal male brought an end to the screaming, sniveling wolf before him. She sat on her knoll, at the base of one of the red giants in full view of those gorgeous black eyes. The contentment at watching quickly ended, there was still the matter of her rude awakening to address, and the undue worry he had caused her. Never would she admit to being frightened, but she had been startled. After all, it had been a quiet day until Alastor decided to play with the residents of Boreas. His reasons for doing so didn't matter, he had disturbed her well-earned piece and she would make sure he understood her ire. Not to mention he was here in Northern Boreas against direct orders to stay with what remained of her father's empire, 'No, your empire,' she mentally corrected herself. Pulling herself together, the gleaming witch descended with a swiftness that was graceful and predatory. Gliding into the clearing with a silence that only the dead could match, the ivory beast of a woman glared at the backside of her childhood friend without saying a word. Was she glad to see him? Of course, but he defied orders and woke her up from a quasi-nap and made her worry needlessly for her adopted child. She sat a few feet behind the male, making sure not to disturb anything that would give her position away, and waited for him to turn and face her.