as above so below

It always felt like the night came too soon.

Yet to her credit (or perhaps discredit...) she never ran. She had stayed here in the Reach, within his reach. It seemed silly to sleep during his most active hours as if that would be the most vulnerable time of all. So bit by bit she had slowly fit into his schedule as well.

She laid at the mouth of the den, alongside an old strip of fur she had cleaned for herself. Some idea of something of her own. A few of the bones carried her own teething grooves now too. Undeniably she existed here. Not exactly alongside him as that implied some kind of...partnership.

No, she very much existed here beneath him.

Ears tall as she waited for the sign of his first stirring from his slumber.

the staff team luvs u

There he slumbered. A giant in his den of bones and carnage. One that was rarely cleaned out if it wasn't for the rats that would drag away whatever morsels they could find away from their brethren. His sleep was light. Never any rest for the wicked after all. Not wanting to get his light snuffed out while he slumbered deeply like some fool. Every movement alerted him. Ears twisting in its direction with a single eye opening, pupil shrinking at the light, to focus on whatever had disturbed his slumber.

Should it be decided to be a non-threat, he'd return to sleep.

As the day drew on, the sun began its decent - and it was now that he stirred in his sleep. Rested and ready for a new day. He'd rise to his feet first, and make his way over to Hyla who laid like the dear she was at the mouth of his den. His den. His toy. @Nike seemed too preoccupied despite the whelps growing within her, and so, he'd place most of his focus on Hyla. Who's attention, he'd have nowhere else but him.

Careless of his weight, he'd lay upon her. Almost romantic and protective if it wasn't for the truth behind them. “Do you hunger?” He cared not for her well being, but instead simply wanted to keep her fat.

the staff team luvs u

The weight draped along her in a familiar way. She dared to find it comfortable for a moment. It was a horrible thing to think and she knew it, but there was seemingly some sort of score kept between them.

If she never went far, she was well-fed and protected without a question. She could tend to as many fur and bones as she wanted. The awful things only tipped the scale now and again. It was horrible thinking. Yet she held onto the nicer things he did with a firm grip.

“I do.” There was little point in denying the nice things and even she knew the importance of staying well fed. “I think the rain has bedded down the creatures. Easy picking.” Voice soft, head rested sideways between her paws. Only so that she may cast a sidelong glance up at the crimson figure that wrapped her like a shawl.

For a brief moment, they seemed woefully domestic.

the staff team luvs u

There were moments here and there, fleeting as they were, that had him wonder if this is what it would be like to have a wife. In a screwed, loose sense of the word. A mate to keep his bed warm. A partner to pillow talk with in the morning or during the wind down time before resting. A thought he would soon forget remembering that he never wanted a partner, his word was law. What he wanted he would get. There would never be a discussion to even allude to the belief of equality.

Because in the end, they were replaceable.

Hyla, for now, was perfect. Obedient. Remained where she was needed, at his beck and call. Her portly body was comfortable to lay with, small and took little space. Easily forgotten until needed.

“Do you need anything else?” A loaded question. One he'd stare down at her from her position beneath him. A single, harsh eye peering down at her upturned gaze with a false sense of endless patience for Hyla to answer.

the staff team luvs u

Somehow the question made her needier. A sensation crawling over her skin like fleas biting.

So keen to appease the beast, to be perfect so that things would always be this moment here. Comfortable and warm. Feed her, protect her, stash her away like she was a prize. A treasure that gleamed in that beady gaze. Her own reflection was a pathetic sight to her eyes.

You she wanted to mewl. As if she might appease him now and stay safe for the night as a whole. Yet there was the fear of asking for too much as well. Like she might lose everything he did give her if she dared stepped beyond what was offered freely.

“No.” Her voice was a mewl just like she thought it would be, but the answer was different than the one she had imagined saying. Too scared to be so bold. Her gaze was nothing but fawning though in the seconds that followed. As if the man who had ruined her world had hung the moon.

the staff team luvs u

There was truly, never ever pleasing him. Truthfully it didn't matter what she answered he would have been displeased. Power did some strange things to one's psyche, and it had gone straight to his own head over the past few years. The curve of his lips changed, sliding down his face as though her "no" had somehow insulted him.

Maybe in a twisted way, Hyla's sacrifice to him was for the good of others. A martyr to satisfy the monster of the Reach to keep his filth within the mist as opposed to sharing it with the outside world.

For now he would say nothing. Rising back to his feet and letting his frown simmer in her thoughts, purposely choosing to do and say nothing. Leaving her behind him to wait for his eventual return. Were it to be later tonight or in moments.

--- Time skip of a few hours ---

Later it was. He'd come slinking from the abyss with an ungulate's leg in tow and toss it down at the woman to lay at her feet. It would smell odd. Not of just flesh, but something more... he had laced it with something. A way to amuse himself for the day as things were rather quiet...

the staff team luvs u

He was gone.

Warmth and protection removed, he slunk away without a word. How suddenly she felt unwanted. So she had not followed after him in his hunt. Woe was her as she crawled back into the den had had left behind. Wallowed along the floor in the stink and musk that had been left behind too. Dragged herself along furs that were tattered and old.

With his gaze not upon her, it seemed like she had thrown a tantrum.

Alone.

It left her sickened and sad. Especially when the moments dragged on until she had exhausted herself from her little outburst. A rat with beady eyes stared at her from just beyond the den. She had enough gumption to snip teeth at it before it skittered away and she went back into the depths of the darkness, the scent of it the only warmth she could find within.

---

How long had it been? The moon might have attempted to peek through the treetops if it was not so thick here.

None of that mattered though. He had come back and that was enough for her to slink forth from the corner she had put herself in. The meat presented was not given a second thought. She only sought to be a grateful glutton before his watchful gaze. Crouched low to the ground, tail flicking and curling as she ripped free bite after bite. Grateful noises bubbling up from deep within her throat.

the staff team luvs u

If only he knew just how far she had fallen. How deep his claws were sunk into her soul and flesh - perhaps he wouldn't have laced the food he was giving her for entertainment. Perhaps he would have done something else. Or maybe the exact same thing.

Immediately she devoured the flesh, stopping at nothing even with the odor of something more being present. It didn't matter, and he watched as she swallowed every bit of it. “Do you like it?” He had to kill time. Let the toxins work their magic. It had been a while since he had played with another like this, and oh how it brought back memories.

How he'd gather the mushrooms and mush it into the flesh. Massage it with its toxins and prepare for it to be devoured. The odor, that foul smell was often drowned out by the scent of blood for those hungry enough - but still ever present if one was wise enough to check the food before they ate.

As soon as the fungi worked its magic, he would be here to watch it unfold. In the heart of their territory for all bare witness should they be present for the show.

the staff team luvs u

phone post! :>

---

Glutton.

She gorged, she feasted. The sounds in her throat were only ever stifled when her mouth was too full. The earthy taste that welled with each bite could easily be written off. After all, they were hardly in a place of pristine conditions.

Maybe he had just dragged it through the dirt so much that it became one with it.

Her heart thumped wildly to hear his voice ask for her thoughts, opinions. Feelings.

“Yes.” There could be no other answer, could there? “Thank you.” For the bare necessities, for the essentials of life, for coming back so she did not sit in the dark alone all night.

Enough had been consumed for her to grovel her way closer to him instead now.
the staff team luvs u