Ida watched the strange lion as he lapped the blood from his muzzle, her own mouth still salivating at the rich, sweet scent wafting from their kill. He doesn't know what blood is, the great dog thought to herself, another flicker of surprise crossing her dark expression. She wondered then, what ran through his own veins if not blood? Would he gush if she struck him? Or would he crumple and fold like the countless blooms she'd crushed beneath her careless paws? The thought was morbid, but it intrigued her.
"Blood," she answered for him, "it's in all of us here."
Slowly, she stepped around the two cats, putting the ewe's carcass between the three and keeping her gaze firmly affixed to the lion as she pressed her nose against its cooling flesh. She breathed deeply, savoring its scent before she pulled her head back again and licked the blood from her whiskers. Her favorite taste of stone came to her then, and her chuckle rumbled deep and low within her barrel chest.
"Stone keeps me uhlive, yeah. 'favorite though is iron," her paw came to rest lightly on the ewe's skinned side, and she pressed her claws just hard enough for fresh blood to ooze from the exposed meat. "It's in all of us, in our blood n' our meat. Makes us taste just like it." Again, Ida wondered what ran through the veins of the two strange felines before her, if they even had veins at all. Instead of asking, she braced her paw against the ewe and dove to sink in her blunted fangs, ripping her jaws side to side and gnashing her teeth to rend its meat into messy, uneven chunks which she swallowed whole. She was meant to crush, and its bones splintered easily within her jaws with a wet, satisfying crunch as she dug deep into its ribs. She listened as she feasted, flicking her torn ears in acknowledgement but offering no verbal response to the answers both cats gave her.
On the mention of a robe, Ida swallowed her mouthful and let out a rumbling chuff of laughter. Solrentorro looked strange enough as it was, she could only imagine the lion clad in jewelry and robes. She herself had never been one to accessorize, but resisted the urge to mock him for his laments on his current indecency. It was the least she could do, considering the feast laid before her now.
"Yuh came 'ere in winter," she gruffly explained, wondering if that too was missing from their previous world. "Gunna be like this fer uh few full moons; it'll get warmer after that. Plants'll all grow back. They look dead, but they ain't," her beady gaze then turned back to Aguipua. "It'll be wet n' shitty now 'till spring. Snow n' rain n' yadda yadda--tannin's gunna be uh bitch now right now."
Ida didn't know much on the subject, but she recalled the many packs she'd bounced between on her adventures back home. She'd met a few other wolves who dabbled in preserving pelts and waxed poetic on the artform, but nearly all of those times she'd spent focused on anything but their lectures. She wracked her brain for the distant memories before jerking her head behind her, not yet bothering to clean the gore from her pelt as she continued. "Probably uh better chance if yuh head south. Drier n' warmer further y'go."
With that, she pulled away from the ewe and wiped her bloody paw haphazardly across the snow. She looked back towards Solren, eyes narrowing as he spoke again. His tone had changed--eager now, and smooth like a salesman. The earth groaned between them and split, soil spilling upwards and coiling around itself into an orb before it tightened, hardening into a familiar reddish hue before dropping into the snow. Ida recognized the iron by sight alone, and its taste rung fresh across her tongue as she swiped the blood from her jowls. She almost wanted to be offended at his assumption that she could be better, but resigned herself to blowing a hot puff of air from her nostrils as she furrowed her brow and met the male's challenging stare. It was impressive, yes, how the earth bent to his will in a similar way to her own, but she could read the undercurrent to his words.
Despite her boorishness, Ida was not a dull creature.
"Now, Solrentorro," she rumbled, fresh interest glittering in her dark gaze. She stepped easily over the ewe and curled her claws into the snow, staring down suspiciously at the fallen king as she slowly tilted her head. "What'r you wantin' from me?"
"Blood," she answered for him, "it's in all of us here."
Slowly, she stepped around the two cats, putting the ewe's carcass between the three and keeping her gaze firmly affixed to the lion as she pressed her nose against its cooling flesh. She breathed deeply, savoring its scent before she pulled her head back again and licked the blood from her whiskers. Her favorite taste of stone came to her then, and her chuckle rumbled deep and low within her barrel chest.
"Stone keeps me uhlive, yeah. 'favorite though is iron," her paw came to rest lightly on the ewe's skinned side, and she pressed her claws just hard enough for fresh blood to ooze from the exposed meat. "It's in all of us, in our blood n' our meat. Makes us taste just like it." Again, Ida wondered what ran through the veins of the two strange felines before her, if they even had veins at all. Instead of asking, she braced her paw against the ewe and dove to sink in her blunted fangs, ripping her jaws side to side and gnashing her teeth to rend its meat into messy, uneven chunks which she swallowed whole. She was meant to crush, and its bones splintered easily within her jaws with a wet, satisfying crunch as she dug deep into its ribs. She listened as she feasted, flicking her torn ears in acknowledgement but offering no verbal response to the answers both cats gave her.
On the mention of a robe, Ida swallowed her mouthful and let out a rumbling chuff of laughter. Solrentorro looked strange enough as it was, she could only imagine the lion clad in jewelry and robes. She herself had never been one to accessorize, but resisted the urge to mock him for his laments on his current indecency. It was the least she could do, considering the feast laid before her now.
"Yuh came 'ere in winter," she gruffly explained, wondering if that too was missing from their previous world. "Gunna be like this fer uh few full moons; it'll get warmer after that. Plants'll all grow back. They look dead, but they ain't," her beady gaze then turned back to Aguipua. "It'll be wet n' shitty now 'till spring. Snow n' rain n' yadda yadda--tannin's gunna be uh bitch now right now."
Ida didn't know much on the subject, but she recalled the many packs she'd bounced between on her adventures back home. She'd met a few other wolves who dabbled in preserving pelts and waxed poetic on the artform, but nearly all of those times she'd spent focused on anything but their lectures. She wracked her brain for the distant memories before jerking her head behind her, not yet bothering to clean the gore from her pelt as she continued. "Probably uh better chance if yuh head south. Drier n' warmer further y'go."
With that, she pulled away from the ewe and wiped her bloody paw haphazardly across the snow. She looked back towards Solren, eyes narrowing as he spoke again. His tone had changed--eager now, and smooth like a salesman. The earth groaned between them and split, soil spilling upwards and coiling around itself into an orb before it tightened, hardening into a familiar reddish hue before dropping into the snow. Ida recognized the iron by sight alone, and its taste rung fresh across her tongue as she swiped the blood from her jowls. She almost wanted to be offended at his assumption that she could be better, but resigned herself to blowing a hot puff of air from her nostrils as she furrowed her brow and met the male's challenging stare. It was impressive, yes, how the earth bent to his will in a similar way to her own, but she could read the undercurrent to his words.
Despite her boorishness, Ida was not a dull creature.
"Now, Solrentorro," she rumbled, fresh interest glittering in her dark gaze. She stepped easily over the ewe and curled her claws into the snow, staring down suspiciously at the fallen king as she slowly tilted her head. "What'r you wantin' from me?"