In the days following the rude interruption she had at the hot spring, Aurelia had pretty well stayed hidden to the best of her ability. She hadn’t yet returned to the redwoods, as she suspected that he would go search there first. As much as she would have liked to, she refused to believe for one moment that she had seen the last of the Saxe boy. He gave her the annoying impression that he wouldn’t be one to relent that easily. Instead, she found a suitable shelter at the bottom of Gale Gorge. It appeared to be an old fox den guarded by rock and sharp stone. One with multiple entrances, all of which she could barely squeeze into let alone an individual much larger.

All in all, it wasn’t that late. However, as the sun sank past its vantage into the gorge, the entire depth of it was cast in shadow. She returned with a rabbit clenched in her jaws- her dinner for the evening. And when the entrance of the stoney fox den emerged from the cover before her, she leaned forward into an exaggerated stretch. Hesitating outside a moment before forcing her way into the concealed cavern- which was surprisingly much more spacious than one would think. She felt the annoying snag of hair as struggled through the opening, her nails catching in the gravel as she pulled herself in. Once she got her shoulders through, her back half came far easier, and once free on the inside, she gently deposited her catch near the entrance. Aurelia settled against the wall to clean the excess of blood from her face and chest where it had set in her fur from the adventure home. Or at least, whatever this place was. She wasn’t entirely sure how long she would end up staying.

"Aurelia Veratti"

Sephiran was on the move.

He hadn’t stopped trying to track Aurelia down since their encounter in the hot springs, unsatisfied with how abruptly it ended. She had slipped out of his grasp, only to disappear into the night and leave him alone with his anger. She was much smaller than him, more nimble, and equipped with speed. So even though he had pursued her, he didn’t catch up to her. But that made the hunt more enthralling. Even if it tested his patience, the thrill of stalking her through the north was too good to pass up, because Sephiran wasn’t the type to stray away from what he wanted.

Even though days had passed, he continued to track her up to the gorge where he and Aresenn had killed the polar bear. He could smell its rotting body nearby, but he wasn’t here to feast on decaying flesh. He was craving someone warm and alive. Mixed in with the rot was the scent of Aurelia, and that herbal essence that always accompanied her. It was strong, meaning she was in the area recently. And as he trailed along a path that hugged the bottom of the gorge, an array of small outcroppings that must have led to tiny shelters appeared. Her scent was strong here, and he followed it until he found tracks that must have belonged to her small paws.

He crept forward, pressing alongside the outer wall of the openings, spreading his scent across the rock. The sound of nails scraping against gravel made his ears twitch, drops of blood likely from a small prey animal dribbled out near a hole much too small for him to fit into. He stopped then, inhaling greedily, as her perfume as so strong he knew she must have been inside whatever this little cavern was. How smart of her to hide where he couldn’t reach her. He found it amusing, so much so that he abruptly started to cackle. The ear-wrenching noise bubbled from his open jaws before his teeth clacked together to snap them closed. He wanted the bravado to seep into her little sanctuary, to bounce off the walls and fill her head with alarm and apprehension. “How lucky you are, little Aurelia.” He taunted, trying to bring his face close to the hole to peer inside at her. But it was dark, and all he could see was a small silhouette backed up into a corner of the tiny den.

"Speech"

While the sanctity of the canyon side fox warren shielded her from the outside world … it also blocked her senses from perceiving the outside as well. So while she wasn’t immediately afraid of Sephiran, the sudden booming laughter was enough to cause her to jump- a gasp escaping her lips as she was suddenly startled. Her cyan gaze flashed toward the entrance as a small preview of his massive form loomed outside the narrow entrance. Even still, the fact that she was physically inaccessible to him gave her that much more confidence. In hind sight, maybe that made things more dangerous for her … “Luck would imply that this was left up to chance, not my own premonition.” The girl was quick to answer his taunt. “Luck has nothing to do with it, Snaggletooth.” Aurelia finished, ensuring the smirk on her face could be heard in the tone of her voice. She knew he wasn’t fond of his pet name that she had given him, but that just made her enjoy using it that much more.

Rising to her paws, Aurelia made her way closer to the entrance. She collected herself in an uninhibited manner, reclining to sit as she went on. “I’d invite you to join me for dinner, but well … I only caught enough for me.” Her tone casual as she antagonized the demon on her doorstep. As the words rolled off her tongue, she cast a glance to the rabbit carcass only a few strides away. A puddle of blood had began to seep out through the punctures from its killing blow. It really should be addressed before it lost all of its warmth. But, she’d get around to eating it eventually. Aurelia was far more interested in her uninvited company at the moment.

"Aurelia Veratti"

The gasp that escaped her lips made his pelt bristle, eliciting a predatorial response that was animalistic in nature. It was similar to the high that fogged a predator's mind when their prey released their last cry for mercy. Even as she taunted him, he kept his gaze on the opening of the den, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. Her silhouette slowly became more clear, though it was still hard to see her given how small the hole was. He couldn’t even fit his head inside unless he wanted to scrape the hell out of himself on the jagged rocks.

Luck has nothing to do with it, snaggletooth. A snarl erupted from his jaws, lips pulling back again to bare his fangs at her. He stood up on his back legs, placing his front paws on the mountainside, before he started to claw at it like a fox trying to dig up a rodent. Given that the rock was so sturdy, he wouldn’t be able to make the opening any larger. His actions were more out of frustration than anything. “Your luck will run out,” He snarled, threatening her while he continued to claw at the opening. He even stuck a paw inside, trying to swipe at her before pulling it back out.

He heard her shifting inside, which caused him to bring himself back down onto all four legs. She approached the entrance, and he peered inside, still baring his fangs at her. “I’d have to finish with you either way.” He sneered, making the insidious thoughts whirling inside of his mind known. “Don’t you get it?” He went on, bringing his face even closer to the opening, nostrils flaring as he inhaled the perfume leaking out. It was making him feel even more crazed because she was so close yet so far. "You're not getting away from me" He stuck his muzzle into the opening, greedily sniffing at her in a perverse manner. “Even if you’re a bitch, I can fix you.” Drool was accumulating inside of his jaws, dripping in strings as they parted to snap at her. But his aim was way off, because he would never be able to reach her while she was inside the den. "I'll keep destroying the things you love until there is nothing left but me." He was referring to how he destroyed whatever fabricated alter she had left behind at the hot springs, and stole whatever he thought would be useful for himself.


"Speech"

His nickname hit its mark, as he furiously attempted to muscle his way into the warren. The snarl he emitted resonated in the small cavern- causing her to tense up, but otherwise, she remained still. As he continued to dig at the cliffside, she heard his words albeit muffled, proclaiming that her luck would run out. “If you say so.” Aurelia taunted- though she didn’t believe in luck in the first place, as she mentioned only moments before. The girl leaned out of the way as a paw came swiping from the entrance. It was a desperate attack that he couldn’t see to aim. With a subtle glance to her side, she examined the narrow tunnel that led to other entrances further down the cliff side. That was the funniest part of this whole encounter, though she’d keep that punchline to herself until the very end.

The sudden thud of his weight returning to all fours withdrew her attention from inside the cavern. He made some remark that almost made her feel kind of bad for him. Almost. “I get that you’re a fucking lunatic.” She interjected, not truly understanding where he was going, only that he seemed tormented by his own desires. “Honestly, I admire your determination, but I’m afraid it’ll get you nowhere when it comes to dealing with me.” She answered, repressing the urge to strike out at his splayed jaws. In her mind, she had the higher ground in this situation. She didn’t want to jeopardize that by trying to take a cheap shot at him, in the event he was actually able to make contact with her to either deliver retaliation or drag her out.

As he declared that he could fix her- calling her a bitch in the process, she made no attempt in concealing her airy laughter. He went on to describe how difficult he could make her life, but she was all too willing to call his bluff. “That’s the nature of the world, Sephiran. If you think your intentions make you special, I hate to break it to you, but you’re not.”  She answered gently- it brought her a sense of amusement in doing so as he seemed to be quite literally on the edge of a psychotic breakdown. This was an encounter that intensity and ferocity that would do him very little, and he likely wasn’t used to that. She had no reservations in witnessing his tantrum unfold.

"Aurelia Veratti"

She called him a lunatic before saying his methods would get him nowhere, in which he laughed in response. The deep, airy noise resonated from his chest, intertwining with the growls he had already been emitting. “You have no idea.” He warned, finding it amusing that she thought she had him figured out already. In his mind, she only knew what was on the surface, which made her naive. This was also why she was calling his threat a bluff, claiming that he was no more important than anyone else… which only made him more angry. Hadn't she returned to her little alter to see that he had destroyed everything she built? Not only that, but he had left a rather disgusting present for her to see as well? Having relieved himself all over the ruins of her items, thinking of pillaging her the entire time?

He stuck his face into the hole again, peering into the shadows until he found those bright, cyan eyes of hers. He glared at her, still baring his fangs, lips quivering as he continued to growl. “If you’re so sure of that,” He pushed forward, shoving his head as far into the opening as he could. The sharpness of the rocks pressed against his skin, pulling tuffs of fur and tearing open tiny cuts that would weep blood. He was able to get his head in past his ears, but his shoulders stopped him from progressing any further. “Then come out here and play with me.” He snapped his jaws at her again, trying to grab her if he was close enough. The scent of blood was strong in the little cavern, resonating from the dead rabbit she had brought home to eat. It only enticed him more.


"Speech"

Aurelia sat still with her tail folded over her paws as she watched with an unimpressed expression, unsure if he could see it in the dark or not. As he pressed himself into the gap with as much force as he could muster, he blocked the only source of light with his much larger frame. Through his growls and snarls, he managed his own taunt- an effort to lure her out by her pride. Aurelia was many things, but stupid wasn’t one of them. “Here, let’s talk that out, shall we? Let’s say, I do come out. Then what happens?” She started, her tone casually indifferent in stark contrast to his aggressive display. “Are we going to let bygones be bygones, and go our separate ways?” She phrased her own jeers as questions, however, she knew very well this encounter wasn’t going to end amicably. Still, it was entertaining for her to pretend to be ignorant of his blatant intentions.

Casting a sideways glance to her rabbit, a teasing smirk cracked her features. “Do you mind if eat, Snaggletooth? I know its kind of rude, but that doesn’t seem to be something that bothers you.” Aurelia added, not waiting for his response to pull herself to her paws to go and collect her catch. She was intimately aware of each step- ensuring that she maintained a safe distance away from the brute as she drew closer. In a precise, fluid motion, she snatched the carcass up and took it back to where she had been sitting. The girl settled in place with it, making herself comfortable as she began making her preparations to enjoy her dinner and the unexpected show that came along with it.

"Aurelia Veratti"

At the snap of his jaws and his invitation to come out and play, he was met with another bout of defiance. And although her tone of voice was nonchalant, he knew her taunt was meant to dig deeper into his skin. She already knew he wouldn’t let her leave, which was why she was mocking him with her words, while keeping herself just out of his reach. “Come and find out then,” Even though he knew he wouldn’t be able to coax her out, he couldn’t help but confront her taunts with one of his own.

She ignored his invitation yet again, settling her attention away from him and on her meal. Another insult came his way, which brought out a frustrated snarl as he lingered on the brink of a full-blown tantrum. As she stood to move towards her prey, he suddenly lurched forward, slamming his shoulders against the rock as he tried to worm his way deeper into the hole. He did this repeatedly, baring his fangs while snapping his jaws at her, knowing he couldn’t reach her but his rage had already peaked. The commotion caused some of the debris on the ceiling of the den to crumble onto the ground, creating a small cloud of dust to settle inside.

His mind was whirling, ideas of how he could get her out consuming his thoughts. But one, in particular, stood out more than others, which made his writhing motions suddenly cease. “I’ll force you out one way or another.” A smirk suddenly contorted his features, as his tongue slipped past his fangs to salaciously slide across his lips. He gave her no time to process his statement before he used his front paws to stabilize himself enough to pull his head out of the opening in a swift motion.

Sephiran suddenly vanished in a hurry, as he sought to find the items he would need to create a spark large enough to light a stick on fire. Once lit, his plan was to shove it into the opening, to fill the den with fire and smoke which would leave her with only one option… To escape and face him.

-exit to go find things for diabolical plan hehe-

"Speech"

It seemed that her company wasn’t interested in a discussion exercise. That was disappointing. The only thing that would have made his fit of rage even better, was if she had been able to get him tongue-tied as well. He invited her to come find out how their confrontation would end, to which she would shrug before offering another nonchalant answer. “Mmm … I’m more interested in the long game.” Aurelia answered. Where was the fun in fighting, when she could banter with him all afternoon and evening?

Even though she was out of reach, that didn’t stop him from trying to take another shot at her. Though, she did her best to remain still in the face of his tantrum. “It’s a good thing you aren’t one to overreact …” She mused in a tone of slight annoyance as the ceiling of her warren crumbled overhead from the force Sephiran used to strike the rock with his body. Once things had the opportunity to settle, she shook the dust from her pelt, casting a downward glance at the rabbit. It was covered in grit as well. Lovely. Just as she had made the decision to wait on her meal, her attention was drawn back to the boy as he declared he would figure out a way to force her to retreat. She couldn’t help the breathy chuckle as he withdrew his head from the opening. “Okay, I’m going to take a nap while I await your return. See you when you get back!” Aurelia called after him, her tone mocking. She hoped that he had heard her- the idea of his frustration was quite entertaining.

Though, she knew that with whatever he would return with, it would be in her best interest to not be around. Just in case he lay outside in an effort to set a trap, Aurelia took a glance toward the alternate exit of the warren. It was a long narrow tunnel, but she knew it would turn out further down the gorge from a prior exploration. Scooping up her rabbit, she’d make her escape. Her only lingering thought- the disappointment that she wouldn’t be able to witness Sephiran’s discovery that she wasn’t there.

-END THREAD-

"Aurelia Veratti"