i'll bleed on you

he skips his morning run. he traces his intent through the forest, grimaced face huffing the scents of the pack in and out. he picks through for only one scent. she’s a dutiful creature, working like clockwork to maximize herself. he respects her for it, and is even, at times, envious of it. today, it makes her the most valuable of allies.

he treks through the copses of lone trees along the edges of the field. he keeps his steps as light as he can manage, but he’s no dancer. he remembers her sharp little voice cutting against edith – even as mother watched. he seeks out her passion very specifically: for he has none of his own.

that dark fur is unmistakable among the light brush. he slows his steps as he grows near, and follows his eyes to where she looks.

“morning,” he greets her. a little smile develops that he quickly curtails. “catch anything yet?”

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The days were longer and hotter than any Lilith had experienced in her life. The concept of ‘humidity’ was as offensive as it was stifling. The air in the woods felt as though she must swim through it, and she more and more became a nocturnal creature. It only made sense, when the night was far more quiet and comfortable, and the daytime was so insufferable.
 
One of several downsides of the crepuscular was that anything larger than a raccoon was generally awake during the day, and for the aspiring scenthound, this just would not do. Since the omnipresent, acrid smell of her puppyhood had left her (and since daddy had given her the task of sharpening her skills, scenting and howling top of the list), it had become a near obsession. She tracked whatever she could, learning to read the most subtle of scents — and slowly learning (read: always questioning) which sensations were of the real world, and which ones were made up by her mind.
 
But she was so over finding and dispatching only mice and rabbits. She forced herself out during the early hours of the morning, and melts amongst the shadows. She finds a small herd of deer, picking their way unwittingly through the forest of the bloodthirsty. The eidolon decided not to strike, knowing that she was still only an adolescent and the best her skill level could do would be to scatter the herd and prevent anyone else from catching them.
 
Happy enough with her work done today, she was trotting back when she came across her brother. Her luminescent eyes narrowed, hidden amongst her shadowed fur. “Not yet,” she forewarned with an eery playfulness, wigging her hips only once before pouncing atop of him, and attempting to bowl Golliath over gnaw one of his ears with her molars.

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the lighter menace sees her chance and takes it. a gasp of air is all he’s allowed of shock as the substantial force crashes over him. the rotting wood are full of brawling and rambunctious play, so he’s well prepared to take her punches, even if caught off guard. he buckles into it, letting himself fall and roll with her. with a wiry grin, the behemoth aims to regain his upright stance and hold her down with his paws. a rough, good-natured laugh curls from the depths of his belly.

“all you can eat, catch of the day!” he staggers back, feeling the little pinching sting from where her teeth managed to drag at his ear. he cocks his head at her.

“i need your help, sissy,” he beams at her. “how's about we try a real hunt?” he enjoys the lead-up, watching for her reactions with bright, probing eyes.

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Golliath laughed, while Lilith screeched as the body beneath easily gave way to her force; it took her by surprise and down she fell atop of him, cascading to the earth in a puddle of raven furs as the boy tucked and rolled away from her. She braced herself with an elbow and looked to push up on it, but her body was forced back down to the ground again by the firm brace of her brother’s strong arms. “Uffff” she grunted, struggling for a moment against the weight of him, but there wasn’t much the girl could do caught between the earth, and the force of Golliath. She tried to laugh with him, but the air was caught out of her lungs, and she couldn’t seem to bring it back in.
 
He eventually let her go and she rolled from her side to her belly, shaking her head in a cloud of summerdust. “Let’s go get that herd of deer,” she suggested breathlessly, a wry smile upon her face, as if the momentary lapse in oxygen had actually enlivened her. “Restock the caches for Mom.” If he wanted to hunt, then Lilith could find any excuse to spend time with him and put forth her energy towards his efforts. That’s what family was for, wasn’t it? She knew she hadn't scented the group of ungulates earlier for nothing!

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