Featuring...Kerata, Fy-la, Nahoon
CW: Mentions of predation, implied age-gap relationship
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Kerata awoke just as the morning rain had begun, beads of water already beginning to drip from her horns. Her tongue flicked outwards, taking in the cold air. The tinge of blood she could taste was slightly stronger than usual.
"Something dead. Not too recent yet still edible. No more than an hour's walk away. "
She licked her lips and flexed her claws, feeling the morning grogginess fading. While she much preferred the satisfaction of the hunt, she was rather lazy when it came to breakfast. She'd have to wait until Fy-la woke up however, as she refused to leave the girl alone for more than ten minutes.
Purring softly, Kerata pulled her front half back into the tree hollow that she and her daughter had spend the night in. Her keen eyesight was perfectly adapted to the peaceful darkness of the hollow. She smiled warmly upon noticing that the sleeping girl had firmly wrapped herself around Kerata's tail as it were a cushion. When they had first met, Kerata found such behavior strange, yet she had grown to enjoy the soothing warmth of Fy-la's embrace.
The two of them had spent the night in the tree tops, eating berries and watching the stars. Though Kerata held only envy towards the lights that arrogantly ruled the night sky, she had found herself greatly amused by Fy-la's fascination with them. Mu-imya, a phrase meaning little star, had quickly become Kerata's favorite nickname for her.
As the winds outside began to pick up speed, Fy-la curled up even closer. Kerata slowly twisted around and grabbed at the bundle of furs she had brought along for Fy-la's sake, draping them over the girl's sleeping form. She couldn't help but to linger for a moment on Fy-la's shoulders and steal a quick kiss upon her nape. Her pale skin smelled of forest flowers and was so soft that it sent goosebumps across Kerata's own skin.
"Do all humans have such soft hides?" she pondered to herself, as her face became lightly flushed. Before she had found Fy-la, neither she or her siblings had ever seen a human quite so up close. Though she had already regarded any body other than her own to be fragile, even she had been taken aback at how delicate the human body was compared to her own.
Glancing at a small, faint scar that ran along Fy-la's shoulder blade, Kerata let out a soft guilty whine. It had been in the heat of passion that she had carelessly nipped at the girl's shoulder and accidentally drew blood. Though Fy-la had insisted she did not feel any pain, the image of her wincing had etched itself into Kerata's mind. Since then Kerata, using her adoration for the child, had managed to suppress her natural inclination towards excess and quickly learned how to control her own strength.
The sudden snapping of twigs and leaves underfoot pulled her away from Fy-la's side and she flexed her clawed fingers anxiously. She poked her head out of the hollow and bared her fangs, green embers flowing outwards from the corner of her mouth.
"Wait! Wait! It's me, Nahoon!" A small voice squeaked hurriedly from up above.
Kerata's eyes darted upwards, towards the tree top. Her pack brother, Nahoon was perched on a crooked branch, trying to shake his wings dry.
"Oh, I knew it was you, I was merely gracing you with the sight of my glorious fangs," Kerata bluffed with a pout. "What were you doing here anyway?"
Nahoon stifled a chuckle. "I just coming over to tell you I found some tasty carrion by the Twin Rivers when the storm started." He was a small lizard-like thing, his entire body only as big as Kerata's head. His bat-like wings and toothed beak were the only things that made him remotely as intimidating as his siblings.
"Bleh! That meat is probably spoiled by now!" Kerata wrinkled her nose in faux disgust. "Besides, you know the chase is what seasons the meat. You really think I'd go so low and eat another's quarry."
Rolling his bulbous eyes, Nahoon flew down to the forest floor in a whirl of red leaves. "You literally tried to steal those grubs I caught the other day. Hey, where's the little one?"
"Shhh, She's still asleep! She wanted to stay up and watch the stars. If you disturb her sleep, I'll be forced to punish you." The demoness' eyes briefly flashed with the eerie glow of hellfire.
"Yeah yeah, I know how it goes." Though Nahoon knew Kerata wouldn't actually kill him, he couldn't help but feel a small chill down running along his spine. When it came to Fy-la, Kerata could be rather snappy, to say the least. He peeked past her arm and caught Fy-la squirming against Kerata's tail, a squeaky yawn escaping her lips. Her eyelids began to flutter and Nahoon started to wonder if he should fly out of the range of Kerata's claws.
"...Mama? Did I fall asleep?"
Kerata gave a quick hiss at her brother before turning over to Fy-la, gently brushing locks of dark ruffled hair away from her eyes. "Yes mu-imya, you've been asleep for a few hours. Are you hungry?" Kerata cooed before dragging a slimy blue tongue over Fy-la's face, making the small girl squeak in surprise.
"Mama, that's gross!" She giggled, trying to squirm out from underneath Kerata, who now had her playfully pinned down.Nahoon made a gagging noise that nearly startled them both. "You're both being gross." He groaned. As soon as she saw Nahoon, Fy-la shot out from underneath Kerata and pulled him into a bear hug. Having grown used to such antics from Fy-la, Nahoon gave only a half-hearted attempt to squirm out of her grasp.
Raising him up into the air, Fy-La proudly presented her catch to Kerata with a triumphant grin. "Look Mama, I caught Nahoon, it was so easy!"
"Of course it was easy! You're the perfect hunter!" Snickering and grinning with pride, Kerata gently ruffled Fy-la's hair with the palm of her hand. "Though, he is weak with fragile bones so don't grip too hard, mu-imya."
Blushing, Fy-la unceremoniously dropped Nahoon, who squeaked and wildly flailed about. "Well, little one, why don't you practice your pouncing on Kerata? If it's so easy to catch me that is."
"Pouncing on mama is too easy though! She never runs away fast enough!" In the corner of her eyes Kerata could see her brother's sly grin as Fy-la clutched at her arm. Flustered, she quickly turned to the little basket she had stored within the hollow.
"C-Come now, you must be very hungry, mu-imya." She placed an assortment of nuts and dried fruits onto the girl's waiting hands, along with a strip of meat she had cooked with hellfire.
Fy-la giggled excitedly before messily scarfing down the berries. "It's so sweet! Thank you, mama! Oh, oh! Is Nahoon staying for breakfast?!"
Smiling, Nahoon flew onto Fy-la's head, much to her excitement. "Thanks for the offer, little one, but I'm just staying here till the storm passes."
"Oh, good idea! Mama said you're the worst flyer she's ever seen. Hmm, that seems sorta mean when I say it out loud..."
"Excuse me, wh-"
"Well I only said you were the worst flyer I've ever seen. There's probably way worse out there. If I had to guess, I'd say you're probably only the third worst in the world." Kerata raised her chin high and flashed a cheeky smile.
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Fy-la took another bite of dried meat as she watched Nahoon and her mother bark and growl at each other. It seemed like they were having a lot of fun. In fact, her mother was now outside the hollow with Nahoon, who sounded really excited to be swung around by his tail. Fy-la smiled. Today was going to be a good day.