The sharp crack of the breaking branch pierced the quiet of the night, Malkier froze mid-step listening intently to the forest around him, the smoke of the fire preventing him scenting anything. Tilting his head from side to side he could hear the rhythmic thudding of a creature’s heart, clearly not a wild beast, but something sentient, the beat of panic and fear were clear, he waited to get a clearer bearing on where this newcomer was, the small squeak followed by the thudding footfalls as it fled into the forest gave their position away.<br/><br/>Turning on his heel to cross the clearing over slowly recovering prone forms of the wood cutters, the feathered fiend dove through the trees and into the after his fleeing quarry. The last thing he and Deryn needed was some mob of angry villagers coming after them, they tended to get touchy even though he had never killed anyone with his feeding.<br/><br/>Whoever it was that had seen him and fled was quick, he could hear their footfalls ahead of him in the darkness and the cracking and crashing of branches. They seemed to flee heedlessly through the forest, Malkier expected to find them impaled on a branch before he could catch them. A lance of moonlight streamed through the canopy a short way ahead of him, the pale light of the moon softly illuminating the trunks of the trees. Movement to his left caught his eye, Malkier was sure he saw a person weave between two large trees.<br/><br/>Turning further Eastward to follow his target through the trees Malkier could feel that he was now slowly gaining on them. Branches still swayed as he followed their path, but unlike him they would soon begin to tire. Soon he began to see their shape in the dim light ahead of him, the sound of their frantic breathing and pounding heart, now away from the smoke of the fire he could also catch part of their scent mixed with the undergrowth. It seemed familiar but he couldn’t quite place it, the intoxicating nature of feeding had made his memories a little fuzzy.<br/><br/>Ahead of him the heavy footfalls had ceased, Malkier could make out the shape of a humanoid figure bent over, heavy clouds of breath steamed about them in the cold night air. Slowing to a walk, Malkier approached through the undergrowth, pushing aside a swaying branch. As he closed the scent in the air became clearer, apples and that soft scent of morning sunshine…. Deryn? This close to her now he could see that it was his companion, his own footsteps slowed and his own unbeating heart felt heavy in his chest.<b>“Deryn? What are you doing out here? And what are you doing tearing off through the forest like that?” </b>he knew the answer, she had seen him feeding on the wood cutter, his mind whirled with what her likely reaction would be. Being from Albion he was sure that she had been indoctrinated to hate his kind, he had never discovered quite why they despised unliving as much as they do.<br/><br/>For now he would play dumb and see what she said, he was quite sure he could overpower her if necessary to make her listen, paralysing her was going to be a last resort but it would work and he would be able to say his piece if she became unreasonable. It would not be the first time he had needed to talk his way out of something like this but he had hoped that it would come up between them another calmer way.<br/><br/>Tag:<a class="username" data-user-id="91" data-username="@Wren" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" href="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/members/91/">@Wren</a>