Part vampire Part warrior
Carnivore and voyeur
we all feed on tragedy,
it's like blood to a vampire

the night hour fell, a breathy cadence of timeless beauty. as the months wane into november, the nights were getting colder, cooler. the wintry beast could feel the almost-brumal chill settling against his flesh, descending his spine with a mordant hunger. while the oasis would remain golden and untouched by winter's wrath, there would still be whispers of her frosty vengence, lurking within the darkness. here, against the silence of the moon-touched night, harou heads back to the den which would have kept his daughter safe. in the previous week, he has made sure she'd keep up, and kept her existence mostly a secret, ever since his rise to power. as the army's wolf approaches the little den's mouth, he would cuff and attempt to coax @Brielle out. in his mouth dangles a baby oryx, a small dinner he has to gift her. he drops it to the earth and watches for any signs of movement.

our temple
your tomb

the sands were a different scenery, to the forests she knew well. when harou had won the oasis, he had whisked her here. but brielle is often alone, waiting for dinner. tonight, she is ravenous, as her little belly grumbles. her father has been elusive, and she doesn't have any siblings to play with. this made her more feral than ever. despite being alone for most of the time, she has managed to scrape what little childhood joys she has left, leaning against her survival and imagination for self-preservation. within the tiny den, she has make-shift dolls made out of sticks and fur. brielle wouldn't perish, no, not with harou giving her a second chance at life.

as the fragrance of blood would permeate against the air, brielle would eagerly step outside the den. she watches harou quietly with beadly little red eyes. oh, her hunger makes her step forward. she eagerly steps beneath her father's shadow, and begins to devour the baby oryx with an unabashed hunger.

table by ryuu

Aphrodite Goddess of the Dead Their last encounter still lingered in the back of her mind as she walked through the desert lands and to the pride that @Harou resided over as king. She hadn't given him a visit since that last time together and she had yet to actually see the pride he called home. So as she walked along the desert, his cologne wrapping around her senses before Aphrodite was even remotely close to his borders. And when she got close enough to sit down and wait like the regal queen she was, Aphrodite would inhale his scent before calling out to him at his border. She was not stupid enough to cross in the the Oasis but she wasn't aware that he was out and about with his daughter."Talk here." && 'Think here.'

Part vampire Part warrior
Carnivore and voyeur
we all feed on tragedy,
it's like blood to a vampire

he watches as his daughter feasts, devouring the baby oryx with unabashed hunger, her little teeth piercing the tender hide. he would watch as the blood touches her lips, knowing her to grow up to be a volatile hunter one day, just like himself. it won't be long until she's old enough to join him on his hunting trips, and he would look forward to that day when it comes. for now, he admires her with a fatherly fascination, quiet in his calm. it's not long, however, until the scent of @Aphrodite ♔ catches his attention, but harou does not appear surprised - not with the intimate encounters they had shared, recently. harou would move from his stationary position and seek @Aphrodite ♔ out, while keeping one ear trained upon his daughter's location. it wouldn't be far until he spots the ebony woman among the dunes, and harou, feeling relaxed, invites her to come closer, releasing a cuff in aphrodite's direcction.

our temple
your tomb

she takes her fill of the baby oryx, devouring away as her tiny paws pushed against the carcass. once she is satisfied with her meal, she would flop to the side and groom herself, licking the blood off her coat, momentarily. she is grateful that harou is her guardian, and once she's done grooming herself, she would rub her little feline body against his forelegs with cubbish little mewls. something is quick to catch's father's attention then, and the fragrance of aphrodite would soon hit her senses, and being a curious creature, brielle follows her father all the way to the borders and stops. father makes a sound of invitation, and brielle peers at the image of aphrodite, studying the lone lioness with a child's intrigue. who is this? is this mother?

table by ryuu

Aphrodite Goddess of the Dead She is not left waiting long. Her Amethyst jewels scanning the Dunes of the Oasis for any sign of life, not seeing any of interest when a call catches her ears. Blinking just enough to turn her gaze from his lands to the king himself, Aphrodite wouldn't push herself up to her feet and move closer. He has welcomed her into his home and she does not balk from him. If fact she had only stopped at his borders out of mere respect for the brute she has begun to grow fond of. They are both creatures of the dead. The dark coldness of the underworld and perhaps that was why she had grown fond of his dark company. As she walked, Aphrodite breathed in the land around her which brought her attention to the white cub so stark against @Harou's fur she was not unnoticeable. A dark grin, perhaps softer than her usual smiles, crossed her features as she studied the girl before making contact with the king himself. I see we have a little witchling in our presence. She would muse before lowering herself to the girls level though still alert and focused as ever. You're a pretty little thing."Talk here." && 'Think here.'

Part vampire Part warrior
Carnivore and voyeur
we all feed on tragedy,
it's like blood to a vampire

his gaze settles upon the black lioness' form, taking in the tranquil likeness of @Aphrodite ♔ as he welcomes her over and she crosses the borders. he is ever watchful and observant, curious to see how she might react in the presence of his daughter brielle. with a chilled stare, harou watches as the woman interacts with brielle. at first, he is tense, sensing that something might be wrong, but after a few moments the tension dissipates from harou's muscles as he observes aphrodite lowering herself towards the cub in a non-threatening manner. he does not understand why he feels protective over the little white cub - she is not his by blood - and yet, perhaps it had been harou's past experience as an orphan that made him develop a secret softness towards all things homeless.

nevertheless, the icy beast would never reveal such sensitive information, preferring to keep almost everything to himself. "she lost her parents," harou states, his rich tenor touching the midnight air with an apathetic tone. his eyes travel over aphrodite's face, studying her once again, curious to see how she might further react. "do you have any? cubs?"

our temple
your tomb

brielle feels breathless, being in the presence of a beautiful stranger. aphrodite's fur almost glows in the darkness, accentuated by moonlight, making the older woman appear nearly ethereal. this woman complimented harou's dark merle appearance, and apart of brielle wonders how did harou come to meet such a woman. wordlessly, brielle would peer up at aphrodite's face, feeling a blushing hue creep along her ivory cheekbones. when the woman gives her a compliment, brielle found herself dumbstruck, unable to return the favour. brielle would only purr softly, trying to hide her shyness behind her delicate blood-red stare. she turns once to her father, to see how harou might react, she notices that her father appears relaxed - so she should feel the same, she thinks. taking a few steps closer, the cub closes the distance and sniffs aphrodite's whiskers with a soft witchling's mew.

table by ryuu

Aphrodite Goddess of the Dead She could feel him. Could feel his eyesight on her and solely her as she interacted with his child, she could only assume that the white cub before her was @Harou's. And though it seemed that Aphrodite's compliments made the girl shy, she held a sort of brave face to be said and the ebony goddess could admire that in someone so young. A small smile, softer than her usual, crossed her features at the girl's purr before she glanced upwards towards the Oasis King. Ears twisted on top of her head at his words, that the girl was not his but an orphan who had lost her parents. It was something that Aphrodite could not sympathize with but nonetheless there was a hidden instinct that told her to keep the girl safe as amethyst jewels went back towards her white features. They didn't leave when Harou asked her a question. No. Though I've thought of having my own in the future, I've yet to find a mind worthy of producing heirs for. Though Harou was definitely close to that target."Talk here." && 'Think here.'

Part vampire Part warrior
Carnivore and voyeur
we all feed on tragedy,
it's like blood to a vampire

harou is not a soft man, he doesn't do emotions. nevertheless, he exhibits some sense of softness here, in what seems to be the beginnings of a new family. as the blood of oryx erodes the air, dousing the atmosphere in the fragrance of blood, harou keeps his gaze trained upon @Aphrodite ♔, studying her features while the dark woman keeps her own stare trained upon brielle. her answer seemed genuine enough.

harou never thought about heirs, himself. he is not the kind to spread his seed around, not without some sense of connection formed. these connections would be few and far, in-between, he rarely comes outside, he rarely delves into his emotions. now this, here, is not the normal family unit - but it is what it is. and life would continue to hurl its hardships. if harou wanted brielle to thrive, she would need a mama.

"will you care for her, in my absence? she needs a mother."