Eruin could count the number of times he'd spared potential prey's life on both hands. It simply was not the natural way for things to flow. The stronger preyed on the weaker - and given this lot had come on board THEIR ship in an attempt to either slice everyone on board to bits, or devour them...well, it was difficult for him to wrap his mind around sparing their lives. Rea, no doubt, could still belly another with ease - two, if she realy wanted to. Even he could find room for another - after all, it would prevent him from really needing a meal for a few days, especially given his metabolism in this particular form was not very demanding.<br/><br/>Still, the tiny part of him that DID speak out against simply killing these two was buffered by both Alyssa's words, and Mirage's actions. It almost felt like the right thing to do, even if every instinct in his body told him not to do it. To simply find meals where he could - and these two were looking very vulnerable indeed...<br/><br/>Swinging his leg from around Rea's body, Eruin drops to the ground with a soft 'thud', grimacing as the short drop jostles his wounded arm. Damnit - that bolt hurt like a sucker. The cougar. Eruin's eyes momentarily meet the tan-furred feline's own, the look of almost calm hostility in the wolf's eyes a pretty clear indicator - had it not been for the beautiful feline and the forgiving tiefling...the cougar's life would likely have come to an end inside either his or Rea's belly.<br/><br/>"Eruin?" Rea murmurs softly, nuzzling her muzzle gently against the injured wolf's side "...You okay?". Her cover had been blown a dozen times already - there was little point in trying to disguise the fact she could talk. They'd just have to give it another try once they reached the city.<br/><br/>"Yeah. Mmph...just stings a bit. It's mostly numb now."  Reaching up, he softly strokes his hand through the she-wolf's plush fur. Her concern was touching - ten years ago, she'd be laughing. Now? She loved him - and with that love came concern for his well-being.<br/><br/>Rea's muzzle tucks against the center of Eruin's chest, a soft intake of breath allowing the sweet, musky smell of his fur to invade her senses. It was a smell she'd come to love - a smell that helped her drift off to sleep, a smell that meant home away from home. Yet, with that smell came the slightly tangy scent of his blood - it made her shiver "Okay...I'll try to pull it out in a minute, okay? If you can't do it. Maybe we can break the shaft off, and do the same thing you did to Yunaal?"<br/><br/>It wouldn't work, Eruin knew - working on others with two good hands, and working on yourself with one was two entirely different stories.<br/><br/>"Uh...yeah, in a minute." Eruin mutters, staring down at his arm, dully throbbing in pain - the bolt had perfectly went through his arm, missing bone. A dull throb had set in - and when the adrenaline wore off, he KNEW that it was going to hurt like hell. Pulling it out was not going to be pleasant, either...<br/><br/>Rea's eyes once more alight on the cougar, an ill-concealed fire of anger sparkling within. If she'd seemed frightening before, the way she just barely pulled back her lips, uttering a soft, deep snarl - Isarr, if nothing else, was lucky.<br/><br/>Holding his scythe in one hand, Eruin steps closer to the surrendering duo, waiting patiently while Alyssa takes their weapons from them. He seemed less tense with every weapon removed, and by the time the last bolt had been laid out on the deck, the vice-like grip on the shaft of his weapon had relaxed considerably. Of course, those few seconds gave both the cougar and human ample time to get a good glimpse of the shifting, squirming bulge in his belly, the small bulges as Estera struggled within just as clear as day - and likely, the sound of her voice crying out from inside, just barely audible over the gentle gurgling of his stomach<br/><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div> “Somebody! Anybody! Get me out of here!” “I don’t want to die like this! Pryah, Noel, save me!!!” </div></blockquote><br/><br/>Despite the dull throb of pain in his arm, Eruin cannot help but shiver the slightest bit, little goosebumps of pleasure tickling their way up his spine as he felt the doomed rat-girl struggling inside of him. It was a feeling he loved so much - the feeling of his prey squirming inside of him, of feeling those struggles slowly weakening as - bit by bit - she became a part of him. In a matter of eight or so hours, she'd be just that, every bit of her digested, becoming little more than nutrients for his hungry body. Even that process felt wonderful - yet very little could top the feeling of that prey squirming and writhing inside of his once-empty belly...<br/><br/>"Mmm.." He cannot help but let a soft, murring moan escape his lips, his tail wagging back and forth behind him happily. It felt incredible...to him, at least. Of course, his unfortunate meal was getting a far worse deal…<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic"> Inside Eruin's stomach...</span><br/><br/><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">Despite the frantic ratling's feverish movements, the tiny claws that further irritate the interior of Eruin's belly but bring her no closer to release, despite her struggles for life...the shifting walls of Eruin's belly were constant, unchanging. Even when the soft, tingling sensation turns into a soft sting, like skin rubbed raw, his stomach never seems to squeeze any harder, nor do those surprisingly potent acids flow any faster. It was constant and soft – but just rough enough to squeeze her body slightly with every gentle squeeze, ensuring a constant flow of digestive juices covered her vulnerable little body at all times.<br/><br/>Despite the slow, steady movements of Eruin’s belly, Estera would find that it was just as capable of breaking her down into little more than food for his body as any other predator’s would be. Within a few moments, his belly had proved that strength, stripping the far easier to digest cloth from her body, leaving her in little more than a quickly-deteriorating leather chestpeice, and equally as quickly deteriorating fur.<br/><br/>As the seconds wane on, Estera would find the faint ‘rash’like feeling encompassing her body start to intensify, turning into a rather noticeable stinging sensation, especially on the bottoms of her raw feet and rump, which had been submerged in those surprisingly powerful acids the longest. Even now, the unfortunate ratling could feel those acids continue to pool around her, creeping up over her soft breasts, almost forcing her to brace herself against the bottom of his stomach, or risk drowning in those slowly-climbing acids. With that steady deluge of acid comes an even more intense burning sensation, spreading across her arms, belly, back, and breasts – the first stages of digestion. After all, his belly hardly cared the delicious meal within was still squirming for her life…<br/><br/>The stinging sensation slowly begins to intensify across her rear, thighs, feet,and the lower potions of her tummy as his belly continues to knead and squeeze ever so softly across her vulnerable, squirming form, his belly acids – once thin – slowly starting to thicken around her as her body starts to join those acids, slowly becoming reduced to a thick, nutrient-rich soup to be fed into his intestines. Within a few hours time…there would be nothing left of the unfortunate ratling who’d been chosen as the wolf’s prey.<br/><br/>Her entire world was humidity, stomach acids, the excited beating of her predator’s heart just above her…and the eager, excited growls of his stomach as it – bit by bit – turned her body into little more than food.<br/><br/>(Auto-Digest – 1d6(2) + 2 = <span style="font-weight: bold"> 4 </span> damage)</div></div></div><br/><br/>A soft shiver courses throughout Eruin’s body, followed by goosebumps as he feels the delicious little ratling inside struggling for her life, clawing at his belly walls, pleading – anything to get herself out of her situation. Unfortunantly for her, her fate had been sealed the second she’d clawed him after his first offer – she was little more than food to the once-hungry wolf. It felt so good to have a full belly – had it not been for the throbbing pain in his wounded arm, he’d be in heaven right now.<br/><br/>Even Rea’s tail was wagging – no doubt attributed to the way her stomach shifted and bulged at odds angles, though much less fervently than just a few moments earlier. It looked as if her prey had finally weakened to the point of becoming food – exactly as she wanted.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic"> Inside Rea’s belly… (Warning, slightly graphic digestion)</span><br/><br/><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">Rea’s belly, the complete and polar opposite of Eruin’s, was not gentle in Noel’s final moments amongst the living. Or, at least, the conscious.  The weasel’s scrabbling fingertips find not even the slightest bit of purchase, nothing to grab on to, to brace himself against the roiling bath of acids in which he currently sat. Those acids covered practically his entire body, pooling thickly in the soft, fleshy interior of the big wolf’s belly. Every inch of his body felt like it was being prickled by pins, the very potent digestive acids of the predatory wolf breaking him down even as he squirmed, struggled for the very last few seconds of his life.<br/><br/>Just as unconciousness is beginning to take him, just as his arms and legs – which had been keeping the majority of Rea’s powerful digestive muscles at bay – give way, Noel finds himself submerged fully in stomach acids, Rea’s digestive track squeezing him from every angle, forcing him into a easy to digest ball of weasel. His final breath would be the inhalation of acids, just before the blissful sleep of unconciousness takes him. Within a few more seconds – his life would end, just another meal to keep Rea’s own life preserved. <br/><br/>With the sleep of unconciousness finally overtaking the unfortunate weasel, Rea’s belly does exactly what it was meant to do – it begins to break down the no-longer-fighting weasel’s body, stripping him of the last bit of fur his body possessed. At the same time, those thick acids begin to strip his flesh from his body, slowly but surely, thickening the digestive mush that filled the interior of Rea’s belly, now. The open wounds on Noel’s legs begin to widen, small bits of his muscle and bone floating to the surface, or dissolving entirely before it has a chance to. It is a good thing the darkness of unconsciousness had already taken him...<br/><br/>(Digestion – 1d8 (4) + 9 =  <span style="font-weight: bold"> 13</span> damage. Sleep well, Noel!)</div></div></div><br/><br/>Finally, Rea’s belly stops shifting altogether, Noel’s plaintive wail from within the last thing the world would ever remember of the delicious weasel. The wolf’s dangling belly stops twitching, and from within, only the soft gurgles of a belly happily digesting it’s meal emanate, the faintly-visible outline of Noel’s body just visible against the plush fur of the feral wolf’s stomach.<br/><br/>Once again, Eruin’s attention shifts down to his arm, the pain once more drawing him out of his thoughts – eesh…that hurt. Pretty badly. He’d have to try a bit of curative magics on it – he was so inexperienced at it, though…and it burned like fire…<br/><br/>Damnit – always something to distract him from the pleasures of a good meal. Leaning his scythe against his side, he reaches a hand down and gives the shaft an experimental tug, his entire body flinching at the pain that surges through him. Okay…that wasn’t going to work…<br/><br/>Thankfully, his attention is draw away from his own wound by Mirage, the beautiful catgirl who’d enthralled him just a few moments earlier. So, it was HER magic that had made the human fall – and she was actually apologizing for it? Apologizing for trying to protect herself, when everyone was there to kill them? Or, almost everyone..?<br/><br/>It was strange to him. A strange way of thinking. Still, it sort of…resonated with his heart a little bit. Made him feel just slightly fuzzy. For the briefest of seconds, the thought of releasing Estera crosses his mind – but no. He was hungry, and she’d earned her place inside of him. Besides, she was prey.<br/><br/>Eruin watches, partially mystified, at the little magical display, the little water-like droplets leaving Tau’s body, floating through the air, and seeming to soak right into those beautiful eyes that had captivated him so. It was beautiful. Had it been amongst the greenery and plants of the forest, it would have looked almost natural. Yet, even here, on the rusty old tub of a ship…it had it’s place.<br/><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div> “Let me tend to your injuries” </div></blockquote><br/><br/>Mirage’s soft voice draws Eruin out of his reverie, and he blinks in surprise – his wounds? Oh…his arm “Oh..It’s..um..it’s nothing. I just…I’ll be okay, and-“ The wolf fumbles over his words,  his eyes looking everywhere but into her own, as if he didn’t dare meet her gaze for whatever unimaginable reason. To make matters worse, he suddenly felt his ears start to burn – a blush? True enough – his inner ears were bright red in color, and turning more and more red by the second.<br/><br/>“I – uh..”<br/><br/>“Oh, you bumbling idiot. Just let her heal you, if she can.” Rea is finally the one that snaps Eruin out of his stupor, the biting words and a rough push with her head sending him stumbling towards the feline that seemed so able to steal away his words.<br/><br/>This time, he manages to stop himself before barreling her over, much like their first meeting “Um…t-thank you…” He whispers softly, his eyes finally meeting her own, peering deeply into them “…I…well…thank you. Very much. And, I’ve no intention of harming them further – they’ve given up. They’re getting a second chance. I hope they do better with it, this time…”<br/><br/>Eruin stretches out his left arm as much as possible, showing off the bolt embedded within – it was buried halfway in his arm, half the shaft visible on one side, and half on the other. It looked bad – just shy of hitting something critical. Yet, despite the blood, he’d live.<br/><br/>“..You..” Eruin takes a deep breath, once more peering into Mirage’s eyes “…Play beautifully. I’ve never heard anything like that before. Never heard anything that made me feel so…alive. It was beautiful. M-much l-l-like i-its…p..”…Just say it, stupid. Just say it… “…P-player. Ahem. Um…t-thank you for doing this. I’m not good with injuries…I can remove a thorn from a wolf’s paw, or mend a broken leg with time…but this is…something more.” His ears were almost a pink shade – the poor wolf felt like he wanted to die from embarrassment, yet, at least he’d said it. A simple compliment – but one he meant.<br/><br/>Rea just shakes her head – for all his strength in combat, for all his wisdom…he really was a sod when it came to someone he liked. She could tell already – the boy was smitten. Silly wolf…silly, silly wolf. Not even out of the forest for a full week, and already…<br/><br/>Leaving the pair to themselves for the moment, Rea simply stalks around the prisoners, examining them closely. That cougar…she was going to have him. One way or another, she was going to have him. Even if she had to sneak in and get him…he’d pay for what he’d done to Eruin. Noone hurt her brother and got away with it…<br/><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div> "I promise you my protection until we make landfall in Eva Heights," </div></blockquote><br/><br/>Rea’s ears perk, and her eyes narrow the slightest bit, locking on to the tiefling as she catalogs the weapons “…Better make sure you can deliver on your promise before you make it, half-demon.” Casting a sideways glance at Eruin to make sure he’d not overheard her, she returns to her prowling, glaring at the cougar balefully. Her voice dropping to little more than a whisper, she lowers her head to Isarr’s level, her voice chilling and low “…You’re mine, cat. One way or another…”