{SRP} Meet Me in the Woods Tonight

[Regal Renegade]

This is a self RP between Nhyovi & Prince Craevan Evarcrest

 

[Regal Renegade]

Nhyovi had heard tales of a particular area of forest that had supposedly been terrorized by a ‘beast’ for many years but she had never put much stock in it as it seemed like little more than the typical nonsense created by overly curious and cowardly foals. It wouldn’t be the first time she heard of such things and she doubted it would be the last, but what made this situation different was that it had become real enough for a concerned soquili to come forward and offer to pay her for her services. At no other point in her life had she been hired to assassinate a figment of the imagination but payment was payment and she wasn’t about to turn her nose up at an offer like that.

It was for that reason she now found herself standing at the tree line of the allegedly deadly forest reminding herself of what a big waste of time this would be. More likely than not she would shuffle around for a few hours, come up empty clawed, and return to her client to explain that there was nothing to fear but fear itself, and then she would demand her payment immediately with little to no room for debate. If her mother and father could see her now, they would probably laugh.

Still, she was a mare of her word and so she moved lithely in between the trees and sensed around for any signs of something amiss.  

[Regal Renegade]

Lucidity came and went to the point where Craevan often wasn’t sure how many days had passed in between episodes. At this juncture he couldn’t even be sure whether the last thing he ate was grass or the blood of some naïve innocent who had wandered into his domain and never returned home. The stories had not worked and neither had the disappearances. Soquili still came and went at their leisure and, while some made it out without ever setting eyes on him, others were not so fortunate. It was an endless cycle of terror and blood; one that had grown increasingly more prevalent since the mare he had fallen in love with disappeared.

He could still picture her as though she were here with him now. The way she smiled and the ease with which she spoke to him. How she accepted him and his darkness without question and had still chosen to return even after he had hurt her. It had been terrifying and a large part of him felt relief that she was gone…that she was safe…but there was still that piece that wanted to see her again. He wanted to embrace her one last time and say the words he had failed to those many months ago.

But he would never get the chance and that was why he had given up on fighting the darkness within him. He ought never to have sought redemption or love for this would always be who he was. A lone monster drenched in blood.  

[Regal Renegade]

The corners of the dark mare’s mouth twisted down into an unamused frown when she stopped to pick at the bark of a downed log with her talons out of boredom. So far the only unusual thing that was at all noteworthy was how quiet it was here. There was very little birdsong, if any, and she had scarcely laid eyes upon a living thing since she’d entered. To say that nothing was off would have been a lie and she was now able to understand why so many people believed this place to be bad, but she had yet to encounter a beast crashing through the underbrush hell-bent on sucking her blood.

It was just as she believed it would be yet she still found herself feeling a little disappointed. Like her father she craved the thrill of the fight and had been, perhaps, looking forward to even a little bit of action. Heck, she’d take a mountain lion or bear over this nothingness. She had just about resolved to call it quits when a gentle breeze rattled the leaves, carrying with it the unmistakable odor of blood.

“This just got interesting.” She mused to herself, brow raising with intrigue.

Hesitation was not in her vocabulary and so she followed the scent immediately, careful to muffle her steps so as to maintain the element of surprise should this turn out to be anything at all.  

[Regal Renegade]

His bones creaked and joints popped with the effort of gathering his legs beneath him and forcing himself to stand. Really he didn’t even know why he bothered to get up at all. He could happily stay nestled away in this cave until his heart gave out but there was still a small voice in the back of his mind reminding him of how unacceptable that would be; though he wasn’t at all sure as to why. It was easy to tell himself that the voice was coming from the darkness within, for it wanted nothing more than to continue to thrive on killing and terror, however he knew that wasn’t entirely true.

The pink, orange and purple hues of sunset glared down upon him when he finally poked his head out of the cave entrance and he started to wonder how many days he’d spent hidden away this time. One? Two? Maybe a week? He really hadn’t the faintest idea which might have concerned him at one time. Now though, time was irrelevant and all he knew was that his stomach was cramping pretty intensely and his body was begging him for nourishment. But what kind he wondered?

The answer came to him almost instantly when his ears flicked in the direction of an oncoming heartbeat. It was slow and steady, a rhythm that one could easily dance to should they choose, but it was enough to rouse his darkness with the yearning to speed the pace of it and to make the owner feel the fear they so obviously lacked.

He moved casually and made no effort to conceal himself. He didn’t really have the time or desire for games today.  

[Regal Renegade]

The scent had become stronger and she could now hear the distinctive sound of hoovefalls coming her way. Her mind told her that she was just going to cross paths with another soquili, perhaps someone who had come here out of some sense of curiosity, however there was an unsteadiness to that belief that had somewhat crept up on her. She didn’t know many with hooves who also smelled of blood so she couldn’t entirely banish the suspicion that was welling within her.

The appearance of the stallion when he finally came into view did little to support her benign theory as she noted the pink stained fangs jutting from crimson stained lips. The armor he wore could easily have marked him as someone like she and her family but there was a glint behind those icy blue eyes that told a different story.

“So,” she started nonchalantly, “you’re the infamous beast of these woods?”

Her heart began to quicken though it was not out of fear. He was looking at her as though he wanted to make a meal of her which would almost certainly satisfy her need for a fight. He would lose of course. With all the training she had there was no way he could take her. He had armor, but so did she.  

[Regal Renegade]

Craevan eyed the mare with amusement, her confidence making him chuckle darkly. She wasn’t the first who came here thinking she would be the one to finally slay the beast and he knew better than to think she would be the last. The results were always the same though. They fought honorably and some even came close to winning, but the blood of all wound up on his lips one way or another.

“You’ve heard of me.” His grin was chilled as he bowed his head in greeting. “I’m flattered.”

His nostrils flared as he scented the air and he tilted his head appraisingly.

“Seems you came a long way to meet me, though I assume you aren’t here for my exceptional conversational skills?”

His lips spread thin to reveal more of the fangs waiting to find flesh and he began to circle her carefully.  

[Regal Renegade]

Nhyovi remained calm as the stallion began to prowl around her and she huffed out a loud breath that could nearly be classified as a laugh. ”Cocky b*****d.” She thought to herself while observing the healthy dose of ego that followed his every move. At the very least she could say that she was not the only one who enjoyed a good challenge. He had already decided it would be his victory to claim, but he was a fool if he thought she would just provide him a moment’s entertainment.

“Exceptional?” She purred. “I’m already bored.”

Rolling her eyes she flexed her talons into the dirt and rolled her shoulders in preparation. He would strike soon. He was telegraphing his intentions quite clearly and she knew that he was doing it deliberately.

“Seems you’ve made a few enemies so I’m here to collect on their bad will toward you.” She shrugged. “I’m sure you’re pretty used to that by now though.”  

[Regal Renegade]

She was plucky, he would give her that. While he was accustomed to victims who looked at him with wide eyes and who shook like leaves, there had been a few who were determined to stand up to him. He could still see the look of fear behind their eyes though. A look that she apparently lacked as she appeared to be more fired up than anything else. This would be fun.

“Well now, I would hate to bore you and add you to the ranks of my enemies so why don’t we get down to it then?”

Barely a breath passed between them before he lunged forward, fangs gleaming cruelly from his open maw as he went to sink them into her shoulder.

(To be continued…)