By the time Dalia arrived at their designated section of the woods, Jax's clothing was on the floor, and he was making horrible sounds from a nearby thicket. The sound of cracking bone and tearing skin, small whimpers and snarls. This had gone on a good fifteen more minutes before everything was silent.
The Wolf was a beast of a different kind. He stood, panting and waiting for the last remains of the pain to fade. When it had, he shook himself to stop the ringing in his ears and looked at the world in the new colors he could see, taking in every bit of information in a few seconds before he was off. Clothing and humanity left to the wind.
Most of his night was spent running, paws barely touching the earth before he was lunging through the air again. Even in the darkness and dangerous presence of the Forbidden Forest, most creatures stayed away, and The Wolf wasn't particularly interested in hunting here, where he could smell disease and decay. He only stopped once he'd reached the first slope upward toward the mountains.
He was, for the most part, entirely silent. His movements stealthy and smooth, like a large cat and his ears always twitching to take everything in.
Once he'd gone higher into the mountains, trees were becoming scarce but large slabs of stone taking their place, his movements were slower and more careful. He rose his nose to the air and caught a whiff of something that had him bounding off further along.
The Wolf had never hunted without his pack before, but he was old enough and large for his age. He knew what it took and how a lone wolf was meant to find a source of food. So he followed the path of old blood, washed away by rain, and urine until he came onto something similar to a deer.
Its horns were jagged like cacti, and it bore markings he'd never seen before. Thin legs, a large rump, and some deadly looking fangs. The Wolf could smell its sickness and its pain. A leg had been wounded in an accident, and it was slow to spin and stare him down.
He hunted like a smart predator, rounding the creature and keeping it from food or water until it was too weak and tired to turn fast enough when he lunged forward and snapped the joint on its front leg. Then he took it by the back of the neck and shook it with furor until the creature was too put out to fight.
The Wolf kept the creature alive as he tore into its midsection.
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It wasn't hard to find him. The sounds of breaking bones and almost human whimpering were like music carried on the wind. Flashes of memories, half formed and confusing swept through Dalia's mind. Stalking her worshippers through the night. No wait, that didn't seem right. She shook her head. The dreams were clearer, if no less confusing.
Dalia found herself when she saw the discarded clothes on the ground. She picked them up, carefully wrapping the bundle in silk before sticking it in her backpack. Jax would probably need these come sunrise, and she didn't want them getting messed up.
She was upwind, so of course he couldn't smell her. Jax had warned Dalia not to get too close, not to make too much noise. He cared about her well being, and that made the spiderling's chest feel tight. She hated this feeling, it made her feel sick. But it was addicting.
The trees were her best bet. High off the ground and out of the underbrush she could move quickly to follow the Wolf; mask her movements as the rustling of wind through the boughs. Things Mama had not taught her explicitly, but she just knew from those same half formed memories.
Dalia didn't have a watch, and she didn't dare pull out her phone. No light or sound to give her away. She had no way of knowing how long she followed Jax. But she knew how far it was. This was beyond the Forbidden Forest, into the mountains. She stopped when she saw him halt. Her legs splayed out on different branches, distributing her weight evenly so no branch bent too low. All six of her eyes scanned the moonlit darkness.
There it was. A weird creature. Like a deer but pricklier. More like a predator in it's own right. Dalia felt her breath hitch. This thing could hurt him. If worst came to worst, would Jax be mad if she swooped down to help him? She didn't know how predators like him operated. Dalia knew stalking and aggression. She didn't know etiquette.
It was over before she even realized, how caught up was she in her thoughts.
The beast let out a low gutteral cry as the Wolf took it down. That sound made the tightness grow, knotting in her stomach. It felt different now too, less like sickness and more like a call to action. A wordless voice telling her to stalk. To pounce. To take.
This was too far away. Dalia could barely see, only the occasional flailing as the beast tried to escape the Wolf in vain. She had to get s closer look. The spiderling circled the kill site until she was across from Jax and his kill. Still too far. Even with the full moon, there wasn't enough light for Dalia to see at this distance. He seemed preoccupied. Maybe a quick peek down wouldn't be so bad.
Dalia gently lowered herself on a line of silk, descending like a wraith onto the ground. Spear-like legs touched the ground daintily, making almost no sound. All thoughts of staying upwind were out if her mind. Dalia wanted to see the blood and the gore.
Slowly, as silently as she could manage, she crept forward. Eyes glued to the helpless prey as the Wolf tore into it. Her mouth was dry and the tightness in her chest only got worse. Settled into her stomach fully now and burned. She was in danger, and some part of her knew it.
The Wolf, while focused on eating, was still paying close attention to his surroundings. Particularly in case, any other predators attempted to steal his food or bring him harm. This land was new, and he didn't smell his pack, his parents.
When Dalia drew close, he smelled her even over the blood, and his hackles rose as he stopped eating and peered at her with bright, animal eyes. There was no Jax in eyes like those. All The Wolf saw was another predator who wanted to steal his food, or defend its turf, though this creature didn't seem downright aggressive. A scavenger then.
He bared his teeth but gave no room for her to flee or attack before lunging forward and arching one of his large, clawed paws at her with a roar that resonated more like a bear than a wolf.
It was only after blood was spilled, a cry was heard that The Wolf realized who this was. Vaguely, he knew. She was...
She was...
He searched for that human side, but no words came to mind. Nothing like 'friend.' He settled for 'one that must be protected' not quite pack but not food or a complete threat either.
He whined and hunched backward, stepping away slowly, ears laid back against his head as he searched for something he couldn't name.
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Dalia looked at Jax, hurt in her eyes. Why had he attacked her? What had she done to deserve that? She tried to speak, but her voice was a weak croak.Her shirt felt sticky, warm and wet. Looking down, Dalia's eyes went wide with horror. That was a lot of blood, and it was all hers. The pain hit her suddenly, much harder than the initial swipe had. She let out a bloodcurdling shriek.
As Jax backed away, Dalia fumbled through the underbrush to get away. She didn't know what to do. She was panicking. Her phone. She needed to get her phone. The screen illuminated the area around her. There was a lot of red. The sight made Dalia nauseous. She was shaking, her fingers barely able to find the right buttons.
The call went through on the other end, But Dalia dropped her phone and stumbled over to pick it up. She was crying now, "M-Mama... I'm sorry. Mama..."
When Jax came to the next morning, the sun having risen to the sounds of his screams and bones breaking only to reform in a different position. He stood up, everything a blur and much too sensitive. The cool breeze burned his skin like chemical fire. His gums were still bleeding, and he had to search to find his clothing.
Jax had seen the corpse he'd eaten and thus wasn't surprised by the blood covering his body, that was until he smelled Dalia's blood. He hadn't seen her or heard her around, but hadn't thought about it until then. He ran to the spot of blood and bent down to get a better whiff. He smelled his hands and found he could place her scent there too.
Jax's heart steadily increased, and he looked around like a wild man. "D-Dalia!"
No. No. No. He couldn't have.... Had he? Jax ran to a nearby tree and forced himself to throw up, but none of it looked like a spider. He couldn't have eaten her, but he had harmed her.
After pulling on his clothing, Jax ran, following the scent of her blood trail, the whole time praying she would be okay. That he wouldn't find her mauled and dead on the ground.