[PRP] Grim Tidings (Blood x GGG)

[Anhelisk]

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft] Blood had always had a fascination with hunting. Strong hunters overpowering their prey, rending them in turn with merciless abandon, then feeding on their rightful feast... or being left weakened by successive failures... it was a sort of gambling the buck couldn't get enough of. And though the red on his hooves and face was often enhanced by other, more benign dyes, the stallion had always enjoyed the macabre theatre of playing up his own passions.

Maybe that was why he'd attracted the leatherwing. He'd come to be accustomed to a flying companion, one with bloodthirst matching his, and after that, when he'd heard how apt eagles were at helping Totoma with their bloodsport, he had set out to find himself one suited to his needs. It had been some time since then, and his two companions were getting along marvelously-- enough that he was forming an idea. A legion of flying predators-- fast as he was, he'd have to worry about choosing terrain suitable to a runner's footing or leaving them behind-- and just to think how glorious he'd look, heading up a group of creatures each as thirsty and gory as he!

He'd been on the hunt for some time, carefully doing what he could to track a bird down on his own, but his efforts had been stymied by his own creations: his pets were too good at their game, and he'd wound up with carcasses not once, but twice.

It was clear that if he was going to find success, he'd need help and advice. And if he was going to find that, he'd need to find an expert.

[Moonstone Dazzle]

It wasn’t often that Grim went out of his way to meddle in other kin’s affairs. Scare them, certainly. Now a days, it was learning from them what brought joy. But it was not his place to meddle, to step in where his thoughts weren’t wanted or needed. It was... well! He had a lot to learn, after all!

Grim had been busy training his own familiars, taking a break from the supposed companionship of a tribe. That life hadn’t been for him, either. He tried and tried, but there was still just.. that missing element. Something in what he wanted, what he yearned for, that wasn’t clicking with who he was. It left him restless, purposeless. So with nothing else to do, he went back to training his friends.

So when his crow had returned in a tizzy, flustered beyond the usual, it had set the Zikwa on high alert. He was not typically the confrontational sort, not one to start fights, but... he had to know. Particularly with the labors he’d endured with that witch of a kin to befriend his own crow. No way was he going to let her get hurt, now. Able sat on his shoulder, her feathers ruffled as Grim headed for what he assumed to be the right way. There was an uneasy set to his ears, a feigned confidence he did not feel as he approached the Kiokote.

“E-excuse me. I th-think. You. You’ve been hunting birds, recently. C-c. Can I please ask you. Not to attack this crow? Able is m-my friend. And I don’t. Want anything to happen to her.”

[Anhelisk]

It wasn't that he hadn't known the kin he was passing by was there. No, he'd been fully aware of the other's presence. No, it was rather that the buck's mouth opened and a stranger was addressing him that gave Blood pause.

"Is that so?" Blood asked rhetorically, vaguely amused. Still, he stopped, pointing his snout in the air where his beauties circled lazily above-- they seemed perfectly content to ride thermals and keep an eye out-- they hadn't seen anything they deemed worthy of taking down yet.

Better off leaving well-enough alone, then, not if there wasn't an immediate danger.

"Can you keep her close? I wouldn't want to hurt someone's beloved companion-- but if you knew I'd been hunting birds, why not warn me earlier?"

[Moonstone Dazzle]

Grim grinning ghosts turned his head and gestured to the crow, where she sat on his shoulder. The bird raised her head and gave a rather flat sounding caw, then tucked her head back into her feathers. She’d been upset enough that showing off didn’t seem to be on the agenda, and Grim’s ears dropped.

“S-she’s. I’m not. G. G-good at. Confrontations,” he choked out, trying to explain himself. The words were harder, here, unlike when he was telling a story, or with his lady love. This was... standing up for himself. Making himself bigger than he was. The perpetually grinning zikwa had always known of his small stature and meek demeanor. There was only so much showmanship, so much storytelling, he could do to make himself larger.

“But. T. T. Thank you. Fffffor listening.”

[Anhelisk]

Ah. A shy kin... a pliable kin, possibly, with how meekly this one stuttered. And one who had just asked a favour of him. Blood gently inclined his head, tilting it to one side and letting his eyes blink half-closed in a gesture of introduction.

"You are welcome," he said, "though I must ask-- if I promise not to turn this into a confrontation, would you perhaps tell me how you tamed that sweet girl of yours?"

[Moonstone Dazzle]

If it were possible, Grim went more pale than the already stark-white skin beneath his markings. He was sure he must’ve looked a sight— ever smiling, ever gleeful, looking like he’d just been slapped. The zikwa stood a moment, uneasily, not quite sure of if he could tell the story. It wasn’t like Maple Milk  was here to hear what he said of her. She wouldn’t know. Grim swallowed his unease, even if he simply wanted to bolt. Instead, he nodded gently.

“I— I. I train. A-animals. For a s. S. Ssshow of frights,” he explained, making himself get the words out. This part was easy to talk about. It was his life, after all, and this he could discuss. The zikwa dug a hoof into the dirt, not looking at the other kin.

“I f. Found a. Doe. W-w-who had me. Not talk. For many, many tttturns of the moon. T-tended her animals. She. She g-gave me Able, as a chick. Now she’s b-bonded to me.” At her name, the crow ruffled her feathers but otherwise did not move. She was most assuredly upset with being hunted but what Grim could only assume to be the dragon overhead. The poor girl! She was due for treats, when they went back home.

“A.a.are you interested? In crows?”

[Anhelisk]

Aha! He'd heard of this hag, if, in fact, this was the same hag that this Zikwa was speaking of. And he'd chosen to avoid her, going to her only as a last resort. "I see. Cruel of her to force your silence-- I hope you find your surety returns to you soon." There, overhead, he heard the screech from his dragon, calling her sister to the hunt. They'd found some other quarry to chase, and for now, that seemed a good enough use of their time-- especially if it was big enough that he got to share in their prize.

He turned his head back towards the other buck, letting his expression stay calmed. Perhaps this fellow could understand an unsettling face that showed inappropriate emotions, but he didn't want to risk spooking him either.

"I am, in fact. They're beautiful creatures, aren't they?"

[Moonstone Dazzle]

Grim laughed gently, a surprisingly gentle sound for the zikwa buck. Grim Grinning Ghosts nodded to himself, not looking back up to the other buck before him.

"I. I. I-I'm n. N-not sure. I've n. Never been a- a sure kin." Only in his theatrics, when there was a show to be performed. There, when he could get into the role of horror master, scaring old and young alike... that was where he shone. With his family, too, he was at ease with himself. The stutter existed, sure, but not nearly as impactful as it was with strangers. Here, he was... well. It was a part of who he was. He had long accepted it, come to terms with how he communicated with the world around him. It was alright. He pawed again at the dirt, making himself take a steadying breath, before he looked up and continued. There was a more sure, more certain joy in his eye.

"Y-yes. My A-- able. She helps s-so much with my show. I'm l-lucky to have her. Th-" he stopped, shook his head.

"My silence w-. Was worth it."

[Anhelisk]

Blood smiled. "Well, you stood up for your loved one when it counted. Surely that counts for something?" He chuckled a bit, letting them pause into amiable silence before the other buck took a breath and spoke up again.

"I'm glad she was worth it. I hope to have a crow like her some day-- they're such clever beasts, and I could do with a little more clever in my life." The flattery was perhaps directed specifically at the buck's biases, but they were true enough for his purposes.

"Now-- I don't suppose these beasts of yours need food-- meat, perhaps? If your Able is the nesting sort, perhaps we could make an arrangement." It was forward, but when it came to someone who loved their pets, they would often go to great measures to ensure the best possible quality of care for them.

[Moonstone Dazzle]

"A-ah. You. You want a crow." The understanding dawned on him. Perhaps, for his abrasiveness, this had been the stranger's goal all along. And Grim could not fault him, in the slightest. They were wondrous creatures, clever and brilliant. Loving and doting. For all that they may have come off cold, not nearly as beautifully plumed as some of the swamp's other avians... well. That was half of the appeal for them. That they fit in to his morbid menagerie, acted so well for ringleaders. Grim debated to himself, head tilting back and forth as he mentally argued with himself. Finally, the zikwa muttered to himself.

"I-it's okay. Y-you don't. Have to. K-k. Keep. Sucking up to me," he offered out gently, not even self-depreciating. Just in true honesty in regards to the conversation, where this exchange was going. Grim turned and nuzzled the crow, who looked up and cawed at them both.

"But, if. I-if you want to. Help me. Maybe you can. Answer a qqqqq-.Q. Question. For me." Grim looked to the stranger, then paused.

"T-two. Two questions. I. You. Never gave me y-your name. That's the first," he explained, managing the words easily.

"T-the second. W. W. What makes you happy?"

[Anhelisk]

Oh, of course! The buck chuckled again. "Ah-- you'll have to forgive me for my lapse of politeness. I am Blood," he said gently. At the second question, he paused. "As for what makes me happy... hmm. A warm, sunny day, with my companions at my shoulder. The thrill of a successful hunt. Training my darlings and watching the moment when they understand what I'm going for."

A pause. "Achieving a goal, particularly if I feel that I earned it honestly."

He turned, very seriously. "I wasn't trying to suck up to you. If that was what I was doing, I do apologize-- but I do see you as someone who did something that I would not have, and came out from your dealings with something I do value, and I won't brook anything but giving you something of equal or greater value in exchange. I am a hunter, and can be a capable provider for more than just myself and my pets. If you wish for the pelt of a rare beast, or food for your menagerie, or for yourself-- I would do my best to offer my best quality of work to you, because I believe what makes me happiest is the feeling of accomplishment."