Down with the Sickness

There had been a short period of time when Lurid thought she would die. She had evaded Atropos when they couldn't find a cure for her disease, slinking off into the darkness to condemn herself to death; coughing and spewing her guts in a makeshift den hidden in the redwoods of the north. Running had even become taxing, and there was always a coughing fit that interrupted. If not for her sister, she would have starved in the second season of her self-imposed semi-isolation. She had all but given up on herself, perhaps she had been a drama queen about it, but she really thought she would die. Lurid had trouble even hunting rabbits! What was she to do but let herself go off somewhere to die? Waiting for Death proved useless, however, as Lurid had slowly begun to gain her strength back. Her appetite had returned, where before she could barely stomach the prey that little Atropos brought to her when she could no longer hunt for herself. The hacking cough that made her gag had faded, though it didn't disappear entirely - not yet. Vomiting was no longer an issue, she could hold food down, she just had to be careful about how much she ate.

Worry for Atropos sank in, what if she had infected her? Surely not, Atropos had a strong constitution, she would show herself soon. Lurid hoped she would anyway, along with the rest of her siblings. Now, she had no fear of being contagious to her family members, she could return to what was left of her kingdom.

In this moment, Lurid simply soaked up the warmth of her love, wrapping herself around him the best she could. She felt no anger from him, his embrace felt more like he latched onto a lifeline rather than something curt and formal. Her own relief showed in happy tears that welled in her eyes and the soft, excited whines that came unbidden from her throat. It took a special sort of devil to make a woman like Lurid cry from happiness at the very sight of him. "I thought I was lost forever, but I am here now, my love." Listening as he told her the fate of Mirovis and her followers, Lurid grinned despite the dour news. "A pack is only as strong as its leader, and I was weak so it fell. The fault is my own, but we will rise from the ashes once again." Confidence came naturally to the pale goddess, and her resolve was stronger now more than ever. She would regroup, recover, and raise her empire  - even if it killed her to do it. She buried her face further into Requiem's neck as he held onto her as if he might die without her. Palo Santo and patchouli filled her nose to the point she could taste his scent, and for a long while she bathed her senses in him.  

As they slowly pulled themselves from each other, Lurid's stomach rumbled just as Requiem remarked on her physical state. It was true, as a dire wolf rabbits and small deer didn't cut it. Lurid was starving for a real meal. Releasing her to gesture at the male he had felled, Requiem invited her to dine. "Coniunge me?" She asked him with a smile, just before moving to start her meal. Her stomach was pinching and the smell of blood clouded her nose, she wouldn't wait this time for his acceptance or rejection of her invitation. Semi-starvation demanded she eat her fill without any true decorum. Tearing into the male, Lurid gave a ragged purr as his blood lubricated the way for the meat to slide down. For a moment, her stomach pitched and she had to pause in her feast, but it passed quickly. "Thank you for coming to my rescue, I wasn't sure I could fight him off in my state." It was an admission she would give only to him. Trust was not something that came easily to monsters, much less the queen of monsters, but she put her faith and trust in the red devil at her side. Only he knew her soft spots, Requiem had always known her - even better than she knew herself.

With her face painted red with the blood of their victim, and her stomach finally - blessedly - full, Lurid sat back and allowed herself to relax onto the deck of the Antiox. "Quo hinc imus, amor?" She needed to get back up to par, and she did not want to wait. Mirovis would begin anew, she would not fail this time. Looking to Requiem, she sought to meet the black and silver of his gaze with the holographic lavender of her own, waiting to hear his thoughts on the rise of their pack.