laser guns and champagne

@Kuhn

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 The sun has slipped past the proud horizon, scarlet sinking into deep purples. Small, distant stars blinked playfully in the growing darkness of twilight. Valmúa watched, waiting to see if the clouds would part enough to bring the sky dancers out that night, as they had battled for top position since the coming to Northfall in the storm.
 She lay beyond the cave that @Ragnar had offered to them. They had taken the shelter quite willingly, finding its sanctity a welcome world away from pack happenings. Though she had promised herself to an extent to Ragnar's cause, she didn't know how long it would be for and knew quite well that the suncat had no interest in playing politics. She was just pleased that he was recuperating well enough. He had been able to venture out of the cave and do his thing. Several members of Northfall had even brought him food and care; the prinsessa was not handling things on her own.
 For her part, she still had lingering pain in her hip. The holes in her neck were largely covered by fur and kept tidy, but were raw and painful to the touch. She had never complained. She would happily have given her life to keep Kuhn alive from those backstabbing girls.
 Sighing, she placed her head on her paws.

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Returning from some walk, he saw the red woman through the trees, his eyes reflecting the light from the last of the dusk. He didn't approach her right away, he took a moment to just observe. She was the reason he fell back in the storm, why he chose not to take Reiko and the rest of those pathetic creatures screaming to the afterlife at the cost of his own life.

Walking up behind her, he held his tail high, running an unscarred side of his head down her side, practically devouring her scent. Letting a familiar rumble loose, he straddled her for a moment, before half laying across the wolf's frame, keeping his favorite prize under the crook of his arm.

Laying his head parallel to hers, draping his neck across the back of her own, he tried to gleam her expression from the side of his view.
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 Upon seeing her prince, she lifted her head and put her front paws together, bowing her ears and putting her nose forward in affectionate greeting. As he sauntered up behind her, she drew her head backward but remained in a laying position, so used to this format had she become. As he drank her in, she pressed the side of her face against him as he drew in over her, closing her eyes and at once comforted by his familiar flame.
 Of late, she had noticed that he often came back with other smells on him. This did not bother her, but it did cause some concern. She knew, at some point, the Shiroshikans and Vanderfells would return to finish what they had started. They had lost two of their fighters to his powerful jaws, and though she somewhat delighted in thinking about their violent deaths, it was useless bloodshed. They had done it to themselves, throwing their pitiful finest into the jaws of a power they could not possibly have quelled.
 “The star beasts will be out soon,” she said softly, turning her head to glance toward his grey eyes as he law pressed over her. The weight of him acted as a deep comfort, letting her release worries into the abyss.
 Though, she could not help wondering if @Ira would have another litter this year, and how well they would be guarded.

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Knowing her well enough now, he could tell she was comfortable. With no need to move now, he relaxed his own musculature on top of her. Taking a long moment, he felt the rise and fall of her chest, enjoying the soothing rythm, syncing his breath up with her own.

Most of the time he tried not thinking about what happened back in the Everfrost, he had never really turned back to look at the carnage he had left. It's not that he felt bad about it, suspecting that a few where now dead. But he would rather not think about it, as he found that it only made him carry a heavy burden of rage for Reiko especially: how carelessly she would toss lives aside for her own glory, so that she: the pathetic creature would be taken seriously. He had to do everything he could to combat that gnawing feeling of injustice that someone like that could still breath. But, it was a burden, and those who knew the cat well could see the general expression of exhaustion behind his eyes ever since the battle in the Everfrost.

"I wonder if they can even see us down here." he exhaled into the fur behind her ears. Whatever they where, it didn't matter much, so far they didn't seem concerned with the affairs of those who walked the earth.

To treat his overall feeling if melancholy, the big cat began grooming his princessa, stroke after stroke, passing his comb like tongue through the fur on the back of her neck, working his way up the back of her ear. Her coat would be the envy of the north, he wouldn't have it any other way.
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 His voice was sweet and smooth as fine chocolate, and without hesitation she indulged readily in his touch. “If so, we have put on a fine show for them,” Valmúa answered while his massive, sandpaper tongue brushed through the fur at the back of her neck. It had become easy to yield to these affectionate moments. They took away pain like whiskey and tramadol, flooding her body with warmth she could not muster on her own.
 He worked his way up. When he reached her ear, she leaned her weight against his chest and rolled to expose her neck and jugular to him. Then, she opened her mouth and nipped at his chin, dragging her teeth around his cheek and folding her paws to her chest like a child, or a cat.

 She was looking up at him, either daring or in wild adoration. Such feelings had never come to her for one of her own species, but she had long abandoned the idea of understanding herself fully in this regard.
 “What would they think we should do?” She asked. Though she had no real interest in what strange sky animals thought of their doings, she said it as a litmus test, wondering what was on his mind.

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 It was only when he asked a strange question that Valmúa took pause in her desire, realizing that her lover was in some way disturbed. For a moment, she stopped mouthing him and instead nibbled at his thick fur, combing through with tenderness. She did not know how to answer him.
 A soft and lengthy sigh followed as she let her head rest on him so that she could look at the depth in his eyes. She found solace in their cool grey, captured like the fog of early spring that brought dew to new leaves. There was a quiet in this, the world that they had built away from politics and violence.
 In truth, there was a part of Kuhn that Valmúa did not trust, and it was this embrace that excited her most about him. There would always be a danger to him. But if she was to die, it was in these moments that she could do so without regret. She could not find the words to explain this to him.
 “You are a prince of the sun,” she declared. “I trust you only to be the one I adore.” The red woman answered at least, slipping off from his back to press herself against his side.

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The momentum of their fire simmered like that of a lightning strike in the rain, leaving only warm embers behind. Heavy thoughts hung over the cat as his lover groomed at the back of his neck.  Her words where comforting to him though they where vague, he knew what the answer actually was.   As a taker of life, he knew well the scent of fear. As her lover, he knew well the smell of desire.   In their primal dance these two elements often intermixed and played upon each other.   

He would always be glad that it pleased her, though that line had been crossed and the possibility of hurting her seemed so real now.  Struggling internally, his eyes looked strained, as he licked at the woman's cheek for some comfort.  Wrapping himself around her, he held her with all four limbs enveloping her with his full length, his tail curling around her back.

Wave after wave of self doubt, chipping away him, he clutched her tighter, the tips of his claws teasing her skin.  With his muzzle resting on the side of her neck, "Don't you want cubs of your own one day?" 
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 He wrapped about her like a child with a stuffed bear, tightening his grip until she might suffocate from affection. Like a weighted blanket, he pressed until she felt any worries she had slide away. The sharp, yet careful touch of his claws reminded her of where and who she was. A prinsessa of the sun, stolen from her northern lands by purity of heart and whispers of danger.
 She rested, breathing slow and deep as she matched the air with the movements of his chest. Whatever vague disappointment she might have had for their lack of fun was replaced with soft and lingering adoration; she belonged here, for no other reason than it held the embrace where time stopped.
 But time did stop when he asked what he did, so ill-prepared was she to hear it. Lifting her head in surprise, she made a face as though he had fed her a piece of shit.
 “No,” she answered, almost annoyed. “Children are excuses for people to think they are more important than they are,” she explained. Pups had never been on the table for her, and she had never thought about it before or after meeting Kuhn.
 Suddenly, she realized by virtue of the question that... “Do you?”

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His question seemed to strike something in her.  Picking up on the annoyance in her voice, he softened his hold on her.  The escalation in her tone made his own heartbeat rise in reaction, bracing for impact.  Her answer to the question was odd in a way but he wasn't surprised that someone as independent as Valmua might think that about children.  Really, he had never thought about it until he was confronted with his own death, he was just getting a foothold in life and never had to answer that question before.  

"I don't know... I have never thought of it before. I mean maybe..." He stammered, thrown off that she had such a solid answer where he was left wondering.

Though if it could have been her, than the answer would be: absolutely.
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Moments ago he was consumed by a fire that made everything feel so right. But now, it felt like the world was spinning off its axis. He had no idea, that this was such a touchy subject until now. She had never been so mad with him.

He didn't make eye contact with her as she got to her feet, continuing to lay on the floor, it felt like gravity was crushing him there, pulling him into that spring loam.

His ears tucked back as she barked down at him. There was no build up, no anger to boil over, something in him just possessed him. Exploding to his feet suddenly, everything was tense as he showed Valmua his fangs, "Ya! Maybe!" , a slight roar cracking though. Was it really so wrong to simply feel that way?

With a thud, he slammed his claws into the forest floor, the big cat took a moment to to just look down. Something she said a second ago caught his attention: 'children are for people who feel important', and the thoughts began to fall into place, "Well... You are important to me..." ,the cat breathed softly.

Raising his feline gaze back to his princessa, the world seemed to stabilize again after saying that. Looking into her eyes, he didn't break contact. The predator was focused entirely on her, fixated, as if to make her a kill. What he said, he would not back down from.
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 The air suddenly felt thick with her own breath as once more, time seemed to stop. The spinning of the heavens did not cease. Yet together they were interlocked, ever in a play of passion, instinct, and willpower over one another.
 He declared her fear, so sure of it as he rumbled. She felt his essence, the feeling before throwing teeth into the neck of a prey animal. Holding his eyes, she waited, until at last he nearly slammed his teeth into her face. The sound was deadly, and she flinched again, but held her ground. They held one another in gaze, refusing to sever the faux challenge brought forth.
 Without warning, she darted away. Instead of a straight shot forward or backward, she leapt sideways to avoid catching a swipe of his great paws. The fire woman flew over the ground, moving first on an angle to him and then abruptly changing direction into the trees. The darkness coated them now; the sun had fully set and all light came from the ever-changing glimmers of stardust above, coupled with vague moonlight.
 As though running for her life, she threw herself downhill toward the borders of Northfall, testing her lover's prowess.

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As she hoped to the side Kuhn imidately seemed to know what was happening, prepared to move. Ever experienced, the woman darted and weaved, as if to dodge any immediate action that the cat might take.

Before he could even get started, like a bullet, she flew above the ground casting a moonlit shadow across the forest floor. Getting his own footing the cat exploded from his own position to give chase, though she had a decent head start.

The trees went whizzing by on both sides as the striped beast followed the woman as if his next meal depended on it. Massive powerful strides carried him down the hill after the wolf, hitting the ground with a heavy thud for each stride. Gaining on her, it was all or nothing. His kind was blessed with phenomenal speed, yet if he couldn't run her down now, her endurance would leave him behind.

Upon her heals now, he was so close he could smell her coat, and see the muscular in her hind propelling her. In the midst of a large stride, the tiger lunged forward with a heavy paw aiming to knock her hips out from behind her, hopefully sending her into a slide.

However, his prey was no fool, if she was able to evade him, she would be able to outrun him, but the hunt would be far from over.
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 Heart racing, she powered her limbs through trees and over the stony ground of Northfall. Her claws brushed across rough terrain as the wind whipped past her ears. She ran as though in the coming moments, she might die in the jaws of the beast. Her face was serious, focused, driven to do whatever it took to free herself of him. It was a test of body and of will. It was, in a way, also a test of how well they were healing. Her speed was not as great as it might have been despite the adrenaline that rushed through her veins.
 Valmúa was not particularly gifted in speed, and Kuhn could easily outrun her on open ground within short bursts. This was why she switched directions often, weaving her way through trees and brush, hiding her body and scent as she cleared fallen logs.
 Yet still, she could feel him close behind. Several times she swore she could have felt his whiskers brush against the back of her leg or against her flank. In what seemed an instant, she felt the heavy stroke of his paw throw her balance. Her feet went out from under her and she went sideways into a tumbling slide downhill. A surprised snarl escaped her as she struggled to find footing in the roll. What resulted was wild kicking and snapping to ward him away while she pulled herself from the ground, fighting in a dizzying blindness as she would had he been intent on the kill.

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https://open.spotify.com/track/2xOdTQcUU...=copy-link.

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As usual, the chase was euphoric, all the senses where heightened, the heart pumped and the world blurred by. It was no surprise to him that his quarry moved with such skill, using every motion to her advantage, evading and changing directions. Weaving around trees and over logs they went. She was truly a beast worth a prize.

Without the use of his claws, his lunge was desperate. Not thinking it would work, his swipe at her hips landed. Still he thought she would keep her footing. To his surprise she slid out into a roll. Maybe it was his hesitation or her skill, but he wasn't able to get on top of her in time, she was on her feet.

Hitting the breaks, he went into a slide. With a bound he sent himself airborne, extending his body for a takedown. Coming in from the side with a snarl, his momentum swept her whole body from the ground. Taking her with him into the ground, he opted to now use his claws, though, only using a fraction of their depth, only to keep her pinned to his chest.

He didn't know if she had bit him, the adrenaline in these moments was always to great. Regardless, the cat did what he always would. Snapping forward, his jaws found purchase around her neck once again, this time from the rear.

With the woman pinned firmly in his vice, his breathing was labored, depositing warm breath and saliva into her pelt.

The tiger said nothing, only slowly growling into the back of the woman's neck, rattling from his chest to her spine. He held her, the world was still.
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A note to others that we discussed the powerplaying

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 Valmúa could feel sharpened claws scraping against her skin. It was not a real scratch, as anyone who had played with a cat would know, and yet it burned through the chill of the evening air. She fought wildly against him, kicking at him and worming about until she snapped her teeth with some pressure onto his arm.
 Finding the taste of the one she adored in her mouth, she released as quickly as she'd snapped and no blood was drawn. As she did this, he expertly held her where she had rolled, disarming her with a fell swoop of his jaws against the back of her neck.
 As he pulled her backwards, it brought her foaming mouth up toward the sky. Trees masked the parade of stars wheeling overhead. In this position, she could barely breathe. Swallowing her saliva sent a lump down her throat. He had done it again, defeating her in this ancient play of battle.
 She was still, then, for he held her with such a grip that she could do no more than find an endless kaleidoscope of beauty in the astral planes. His scent enveloped her. She could feel every breath, every heartbeat, and the racing of battered war drums within herself. Her breath was heavy, fogging in the moist air as she relished the kiss of death and defeat. She panted. Slowly, each breath became longer. Each beat had more time. The world slowed, and she was home.

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