my blood is a flood of rubies, precious stones it keeps my veins hot...

A raucous, hacking squawk filled the air; a pheasant calling to its mate in the dark. The wolf crouched in the tall grass, shuffling silently through the thick, green stalks. He couldn't even hear his own paw-steps over the bird's loud cry. Grinning maliciously, he crept forward, parting the grass with his muzzle until the bird came into sight suddenly. It let out an awful sound and its colourful feathers puffed up in a threatening display; at the same moment, Xephyris heard shuffling nearby, signaling to him that its mate was fleeing while he stood against the predator. Hah! he laughed internally, yet out from his throat a deep growl rumbled as he lunged forward. His deadly traps snapped around the front part of the bird's chest; he closed his eyes as it tried to peck viciously at his face, but with a quick thrashing the pheasant was broken and dead, hanging lifelessly from his jaws. He dropped the carcass to the ground and immediately began to devour the meat, spitting out the feathers.

He was disrupted from his feast when he heard growling in the distance. He squinted and his brow furrowed as he attempted to find the source of the noise. At last his silver eyes caught movement against the black, starry night sky; an ebony wolfess atop the long grassy hill, snapping at thin air before she seemed to talk herself out of a trance and take off. The stars shined bright where her dark silhouette had blocked them. Xephyris licked the blood from his lips, and abandoned the rest of the bird's carcass, his paws carrying him swiftly.

He was curious to see where the lone she-wolf had gone. He pursued her over the dunes, chasing her scent and the slightest trail of trampled grass she'd left behind. The entrance to a large cave came into view, and her perfume lingered nearby. Her obsidian frame melded with the darkness, but he knew she was close. His gray and white coat were illuminated under the light of the moon, standing out like a sore thumb in the trampled grass. Charcoal-tipped hackles rose along his spine as he anticipated her stepping out into the open. Smirking, he seated himself in plain view where he knew she would be able to see him. "Why don't you come out into the moonlight, m'lady?" he called out, his gravelly voice rumbling through the air, "I saw you fighting demons under the stars... what a sight to behold." He then rose to his paws again, his thick tail lifting high, challenging her to reveal herself, silver eyes glaring into the darkness as he waited to see movement...