Reconciliation?

[Mircea]

[Participants: Mircea, Amaranthia -- Medium: IRC

Feet padded softly over the ground, the sound of claws upon concrete reverberating as the animal drifted between buildings and along streets in search of food, something of flesh and blood that he could sink teeth and claw into. It was then that the smell came to him and drew him towards the source; burnt flesh, dead flesh, blood... Food. His nose lowered to the ground, following the scent closer and closer until he came upon the burnt thing, close enough now to smell what it might once have been and something there made him hesitate, eyes fixed upon the creature before him as he approached more cautiously, passing between shadows as much as he could until he was close enough to be sure that his nose didn't deceive him and that this burnt... Thing smelt like him, was his. He stepped into the open then, zig-zagging closer and constantly sniffing for her, because he now knew it was a female for certain, something still present beneath the overwhelming scent of death.

She stirred, the sudden feeling of a predator, the uneasiness of being the prey. Perhaps if she acted dead, the creature would not ravage her broken flesh, perhaps the scent of death upon her would be great enough that it would cause the animal to leave her be. There was no knowledge really of why she had ended up here, just the knowledge that she had, and had been there through the daylight.

Perhaps it was for the best, perhaps the animal might end her suffering. If an animal consumed you, did you dwell in the Shadow Realm, or did you simply pass on? Her thoughts turned to Leiren and fear gripped her heart. She knew the woman loved her enough that her disappearance would be beyond the capability to endure. No, she could not perish. Fighting melted flesh to open her eyes, she withheld a scream of agony to rise up. As her gaze fell upon the animal her brow furrowed. He was so very familiar to her. Yet, she kept no animals. No, it was something deeper, blood. His blood cried out to her own, and testified that he was no danger to her.

Fingers bled as she forced them to open from the fists they had been sealed into, as she reached up to touch the canine, understanding then dawned upon her. It was, none other than Mircea. She was aware that some vampires in her time before the shadows could transform, but to her knowledge he had had no power of this kind before her demise. Her voice tore through a ravaged throat, thankful that vocal chords were within the skin and not out. "Mircea..." she whispered.

Still closer he crept, lowering himself to a crouch until his body was barely above the ground with each slow, short step, but again he hesitated when the not-quite-dead thing moved, freezing him mere inches from her, halfway between one pace and the next. Tension rolled out of him at the touch, leaning his head into it so he could sniff at the damaged flesh and know, without doubt, that this was one of his. A cub, for lack of a better description, but that didn't properly illustrate the feeling of belonging to this one... Amaranthia, as the name came from some forgotten memory of another shape and form. Blue eyes rolled to look at her when she spoke to him and gave him a name, his ears twitching in recognition and he finished the half-taken step forward to move closer to her, nudging her fingers gently with the cold nose to steal as much of the hidden smell of family as he could grasp.

Stroking his muzzle, she tried to move as little as possible to minimize the pain of sun seared flesh. His fur was soothing to her burned fingers, his nearness soothing a very worn soul though she might never admit it. Guiding the animal to lay beside her, she rested her head upon his body, the slow rhythm of muscles giving her a comforting peace.

"You're an animal..." she laughed softly to herself. "I remember saying that to you, long ago, in a very different context." Eyes winced shut as the pain of moving too much ripped scarred flesh. It was amazing how much damage could be done in such a short time. "Can you understand what I'm saying?" She asked, yet the fact he was a wolf gave her little hope. Perhaps though, it was a good thing.

"I've missed you..." she whispered, she had yearned to speak to him for months now, to bridge the ever widening gap between them caused by Habren, by his abandonment. "So very very much..." Tears welled in the eyes of the allurist, the unfortunate side effect of consumption of liquid, yet so close to her humanity it felt right, it felt...healing.

He moved readily for her, lying down on one side and, when she came to rest her head against him, brought his own around to nuzzle gently at the damaged flesh of her cheek. He hadn't smelled this scent in too long and was reluctant to be away from it now. She made sounds and he knew them to be her way of communicating with him, but though he understood some of it, names and the tone of her voice, his grasp was not yet complete in this form since his injury some risings of the sun earlier. He could do little but lie with her and allow the softly furred body to be what comfort it may as she continued, her upset and distress clear enough even to the animal that he let out a small, soft whine in what he hoped would be understanding and agreement before he licked once at her cheek, once more hopeful that it would soothe rather than cause more pain to his suffering companion.

There was comfort in his almost embrace, and she knew he recognized her too, even if he couldn't understand her. "I'm kind of glad you can't really understand me. There's something safe about it..." she sighed as his tongue licked at the wounds that made up her cheek, the moisture seemed to make it a little more bearable.

"I never stopped loving you...I just felt so hurt. So betrayed. That woman...she turned you against me. I don't know how, but I know she's the reason you left me to die...alone." Emotion choked her voice, as words flowed from her lips, words she had held captive in her heart for so long, not even daring to share them with Leiren or Tristan, and surely not Azraeth.

"I miss how things used to be...I miss being near you, feeling like I belonged, knowing you loved me. I don't mind sharing your bed, but I miss your love." It was a selfish thing for her, for she knew that she could never love only one. It was the way of her nature, it was as integral a part of her as the allurist she was, the woman he had made her to become. "Life was easier before...everything....before the suffering..."

When she didn't complain or show new signs of pain, he began carefully cleaning at the wounded flesh, or what he could reach of it, at least. Another whimper left him, seeming to catch in the canine's throat that she was so upset and he couldn't understand why, but he tried to give her what he could with his attention and the warmth and comfort of his body beneath her. He could remember that she and another of his young did not get on and fought, sometimes for his attention and others because that was simply what they did and... Perhaps he had not been as close to this woman, the eldest of the two, as he should have been. His muzzle came to rest alongside her cheek then, a small huff of breath escaping him in agreement that there was too much hurt and pain between two who should have been close together more often than only when both were injured.

Fingers continued to comb through the fur of his coat. She could not eve recall the last time he had even touched her skin. She knew it was her fault, as much as his own. Her pride would not let her be second in the heart of the one of whom she had been first. She was selfish, and knew it, but it was how she was. "I love you Mircea, I wish my heart were not so strong that I could move past this...that I could somehow share you with her...but my hate for her burns like the heat of many wildfires."

"Do you remember those days? When we lived in Versailles? Life was simpler then...all pleasure, no pain...what happened to us? " She knew he could not answer, nor did she really want the answer were she honest. It felt good though to open her heart to him. To release some of the poison that boiled within it.

He relaxed under her fingers, the tip of his tail flicking from time to time in pleasure, the animal finding himself as soothed by her fingers as he hoped she was by the pale grey fur beneath her. She spoke another name then, this time of a place instead, but the memories of it weren't as clear; he had never been there in this shape, but pieces came to him, mostly of her and him together, happy. She was much more at peace then, he thought and again his tail wagged in appreciation of the memory and the happiness that wasn't present with him any more. His frustration with this shape remained, but so too did the memory of the last attempt he had made to shift from it and the pain it had caused him, but he wanted to do more, to be in a shape that matched her own so they could match one another better.

She could feel his agitation, feel the way anxious energy stirred in him. It made her wonder what he wanted. Was she causing him pain by the way she leaned into him? Did he not want her close to him? She began to wonder if he missed her, yet something in the way he had relaxed beneath her touch told her he missed her too. It drew another well of tears to her eyes, healing wounds long since scarred over.

"I think you miss me too." She whispered, unsure of her voice as she adjusted herself to lay nearer to him. "What a sight we must be, the Mistress of the Necropolis, laying with a wolf in the streets as her bed." She laughed then, the irony of it all crashing down upon her. Fingers began to soothe against his fur once more, scratching lightly at the nape of his neck, she pressed a kiss to his cheek.

He curled his body slightly when her weight shifted to move closer, almost wrapping himself around her where they lay together. When she resumed stroking him, having gotten comfortable upon him once again, his eyes drifted mostly closed, tail thudding lightly against the ground, his ear twitching slightly at her whispered words and the neat bullet wound just behind it mostly concealed by fur and healing gradually as the nights passed. He let out a rumbling breath and lifted his head just enough to turn and lay more gentle canine kisses across her own cheek.

She could have laid there forever, comfort in the touch of her sire, even if he was a wolf currently, he was still himself. Forcing herself to rise, she kept her hand on him, "We need to get inside...the sun will return." There was a back door to The Necropolis, leading to the Dungeon. She would take him there, no one would bother them, and the sun would not harm her. She had no idea if it would harm him in this form, but safe was better than sorry. "Mircea, come with me, I know where we'll be safe."

He lifted himself with her, shaking himself soundly as he did until his fur settled once more in place from where he had laid down on it, easing his head beneath her hand and doing his utmost to look like nothing more than a very large pet dog, rather than the predator he knew himself to be. The humans seemed more afraid of a wolf than their canine cousins and he didn't want to cause trouble for his already wounded childe. To that end, he followed her, trotting along quietly at her side as she lead the way to... Somewhere; hopefully somewhere safe and comfortable.

A very large pet dog, good for a woman who was walking around on her own. At least by conventional standards, most women were not more of a predator than the criminals who might be walking the street. She lead him to the back door of The Dungeon, down the stairs, and into a private room. It would do no good to try and explain just why she'd brought an animal into the club.

A large pillow rested in the corner of the room, a fireplace beside it, and a cabinet of blood and various other elixirs across the space. "Go lie down, I'll get you something...I hope you can drink blood..." She pondered whether he was only able to ingest blood or flesh meat in this form. He wasn't an allurist, so blood seemed most plausible.

A bowl, a goblet and a bottle were taken from the cupboard. Blood poured into each, as she set the bowl down next to the pillow, settling into him. "I'm glad you're here...even if you can't speak to me..."

He sniffed at everything as they descended, interested by the new smells in this place he couldn't remember visiting in either of his shapes, but he managed not to stray far from her until they entered what seemed to be their final destination. He took off then, exploring every inch he could get to until she directed him to rest; the wolf padded across to the pillow, turned a handful of tight circles in place and slumped to the floor beside it. When the blood was set down for him, his head lifted so he could smell it, reminded that he had been hoping to eat, since he was hungry... So hungry, but, as had happened previously, he found he couldn't bring himself to drink the tempting liquid. Something about his injuries had robbed him not of his appetite, but of some ability to satisfy it and, with a frustrated whine, the animal moved, laying its head across her thighs, blue eyes rolled upwards to look at the woman with him.

Her brow furrowed, he didn't eat, but she stroked him anyway. "I wish I knew how to soothe you...you suffer so..." Her fingers continued to work through his hair, those were still his eyes. The eyes which had seen every inch of her, and knew her better than any other. No matter how long they had been separated.

He quietened, the frustration of his unsated hunger melting away beneath her soothing fingers and allowing his tail to once again twitch in the simple pleasure of being touched for no other reason than she wanted to. He wanted to hear more of her voice too, the sound sweet to his ears even if he couldn't understand most of what she was trying to portray, his presence had seemed to go someway to comforting her, as hers had eased him that night also.

Taking comfort in his nearness, she settled into him, resting her weary eyes only reminded her of just how weary her heart and body was. Sleep came too quickly.