Scavenging (Raven, Venge)

[Lovely]

June 26, 2006 - near midnight

Deacon had wondered where Venge had gone off to, but it wasn't him that went looking. Although he needed to find Venge, he chalked him up as a good-for-nothing that was probably stuck in another tree. Better to let a bird handle that situation instead.

==========

He'd been following the rivaling packs, watching them pick each other apart in the park after sunset. He didn't care what day it was or which side won as long as he had treasures to enjoy. One beast still had a little fight left - all he wanted was the watch its human form wore.
-raises eyebrow at snarling menace? oh yeah?-
*pecks eyes out and eats brain, watches poochie fall over*
-did I mention death sent me? ...-

*wipes off beak and rises back up to the wall to watch the fray as a sister pair of hunters arrive*

*Rave just slapped him* You didn't save me any

*intrigued by the girl... lols out tongue* you can have a taste.... here

*bites*

ohlolgiaahaaagggggh.... I eeeeeeee aaaaa.... (agh, I need that)

lets go and smiles 'sweetly' -thank you

*takes inventory and heals self*
-not nice...-
*smacks lips... smiles*
- ... but very tasty... thank -you- -

why not nice? *tips head to the side*

-if I knew you were going to do that, I'd have saved you even more-

oh.. well you didn't.. *looks around and smiles at him* whatcha doing here?

Being intrigued by that down there... *points to fray between huntresses and wolves*... I -... who are you?

Raven.. *leans over his shoulder to look at fray and then sits back* Neat.. do you like my dress? Deacon gave it to me

How do you know Deacon? Why would you admit that you know Deacon?
*confused*
Nice dress. Wait, is that one of my-.... have we met?

Uh huh.. *nods her head and smiles* You got me out of the tree.. and you told them to watch me and Morte gave me a grape.. but it was a soul and then Deacon gave me a dress.. he said something about fashion? But I like no clothes better.. I like my feathers *Smiles again, half sweet, half naughty*

Tree? Gra-... *really confused* what? You can't keep that dress. I found i-... well alright, but I get to keep the buttons. They sparkle just so *pokes at one to watch it glisten*

Yes tree.. you put me in the cage and.. Morte fed me the grape that was a soul and poof spark fizzle *she made motions like an explosion* this! *she pointed to herself and then sighed, pouting a little* you don't like me like this.. you liked my feathers too. Here.. *tugs dress off and holds it out to him to take* you can have it back, I didn't know it was yours

I li- ... you talk? You... didn't talk before I left you with them, did you? No, it's nice, I like the dress on.. well off is quite nice, too. Shhh... *grabs for fabric, not fussing overly much... *points* ... they'll hear us. Can you still .. you know... *flaps hands to imitate flight*

Her smile came back and she nodded, looking a bit proud as she looked at Venge. "I can.. wings like this.. or small and feathered like I used to be.. like when you found me.."

*smiles* Perfect. Follow me - up there, you see it? *points to a higher ledge above the animals' hearing* I like the 'do'... makes your eyes... *his fingers fanned out like tiny explosions* ...

"Up." She whispered and the shift was silent and nearly instant, like she melted into a black shadow and the small raven form he might now recognise flew up to the higher ledge and perched, waiting for him to join her before she would shift again to the form of a girl.

"Nice lot of work, boys, thank you. Giving me ideas already," he cooed, looking down at the wad of fabric studded with sparkles and back up to the feathered delight at the rooftop. "Up it is," he smirked, following closely like a darting shadow of ink. He, unlike her, was human with a shifter's ability to take form and flight. Perhaps each could learn a great deal from the other. He lit on the ledge as gracefully as she had and shifted back to sit comfortably, kicking his feet below him and offering her the dress again. "You can wear it until we're home."

She 'melted' to the black ink of shadow and was slipping back into the dress a moment later. Raven struggled with the buttons a little as she came to sit next to him, smiling at him again. "Thank you." Her lips turned down to a small pout and she glanced away from him. "I broke my.. your.. the cage you had me in.. I was too big when he changed me.. I'm sorry.. I'll find you another one."

"Looks like I won't be needing it. You know who your master is," he said flatly. His eyes took on a strange shine when he smiled, curling away all the white to a barely-there rim around the eclipsed centers. "You're as lovely here as you were in the tree. Just how -did- you find me?"

She giggled like a whisper and her eyes shone brightly as she smiled at Venge. "I just did.." She shrugged and made a motion from her chest to him. "Felt...it.. you?.. and followed."

"Must have been one amazing grape. Did he have any more? I'm hungry, are you? Can't offer much but leftovers," he nodded to the steaming battlefield of corpses that would soon dust-out when the sun rose. "A little too fresh, but still tasty. If you want to join me?"

[Lovely]

"Why do you need a grape? Aren't you already.." She motioned to his form, she'd been a bird with no human 'parts'. "He did.. but I don't know if he'll give you one." She shrugged which brushed her arm and shoulder along his. "We'll share?" She motioned out to the feast he'd indicated.

"I don't need an amazing one, I just like grapes," he said, seeming to drool with expectation of sweet treats. "We'll share. What you find is yours and what I find is mine." He meant food as well as shiny treasures like the ones he'd been steadily collecting for weeks, distracted from returning home in favor of looting. The ripple had done its job on reorganizing beings, but their belongings, most found and distributed amongst the then-living were left forgotten to be redistributed to new owners. What he found, became his. "I'll need to show you... after we eat."

She tipped her head at him curiously and nodded though she did ask. "Show me.. what?"

"Where I've been. I have something I think you'll like," he grinned, looking from her then to the ground. He chuckled and slipped off the perch, defying the ground as he fell toward it and swooped away at the last moment with a gleefully loud 'Caw!', skirting over the pavement and into the decadent piles of dispatched wolf flesh.

Her eyes lit up and she giggled, following him down as she too lept of the ledge. She melted into bird form on the way down and came to land on the side of a mound, fluttering her wings softly. A small caw sounded from her and she began to pick at the flesh.

His clothes and feathers were part of him as much as his own skin, transformed in illusion, but all one man. It took a great deal of effort to spin himself into such a form, but defying death to do it made it worth every extra contortion and ripple of well-muscled flesh. Being immortal had its advantage but didn't spare him the pain of missing a step when he did miss. Tonight he was lucky and made a feathery fanfare of his landing without such pain and he could enjoy his meal undistracted, at least by that part. She said to share, and he did so, tearing a strip of leathery meat from a discarded arm and holding it out for her in his beak. He'd fed her similar morsels from his hand, but this was somehow more meaningful.

Noticing what he was doing, she hopped over closer to him and gently took the morsel from him. Pulling it from his beak into hers and swallowing it whole.

His head tilted so he could watch her squarely with the full sight of the eye on that side, seeming to wink in appreciation and nod. She could speak like him when she was human and he wondered, if he tried, would she understand him now? The chortle sounded mechanical, a whirr and series of clicks more than bird-sounds, similar to the scrapping sounds of the halls in Morte's dungeons that he'd carried her through in her cage. The sound of 'if you want food, say so' or something of similar meaning to the captive creatures he'd tend to in his menagerie. He would offer her more - even though they were surrounded by ample fare.

The small black head turned, tipping like she'd done in human form, as if regarding him with the same amused and questioning nature. Her head straightened up and bobbed forward a little as if nodding to his question. A small softer sound came from her a 'quiet' yes to his offer as she stepped closer.

A similar bob of his own head answered her as he ripped another strip of flesh free for her, holding it out and nearly teasing her to follow it as he pulled and darted before giving in and releasing it to her. He was playing with his friend as he had before, but tonight was different, she was different, yet still his darkling friend. His talons were harsh in their own gripping to squeeze the juices free of the flesh at their feet, leaving them a generous pool to slake their thirsts as well.

Her wings fluttered as she followed him, chasing after the bits of meat and him as well. She could easily tear her own free to eat, but this was like a game and for some reason she preferred to accept the morsels from him. Rave bent to drink from the puddle he'd made, taking in some moisture but still wanting to play.

The laugh was a rolling trill, an eerier chortle in the darkness. He pulled another strip free for her, but this one made noise, a clattering sound of metal being tossed to the ground. He stopped, looked at her and froze a moment. Did she know what it was? His... he'd found it, it sounded shiny.

Hearing the noise she lifted her head and hopped down to find what made it. She picked up the bit of metal in her beak and lifted her head up towards him, offering it to him as he'd done to her with the meat. It was shiny in the places not smeared with blood.

The flesh he held was set down neatly and the metal taken from her gently, beak from beak, his dark tongue rolling it away from her with the briefest light tickle of its touch over hers. It was a large ring, likely silver the way it tasted. A sound in his throat thrushed out through the opening of the ring that held his beak open, a sound of victorious gluttony as he received his new shiny and thanked her for it.

Her head bobbled a bit and her wings fluttered, she was happy that she'd pleased him or so it seemed. With that incentive she hopped off over the to another mound and started picking and poking about. She didn't eat any, but searched till she found another bit of metal. Tearing that free from the flesh it surrounded, she flutered back to him, landing and setting the metal bit in front of him.