Run.

The singular thought ran through her mind, for she could not speak it. The cool night air breezed across her fur and it felt divine. It had been so long since she had shifted, so long since she had run as a wolf that she had forgotten how wonderful it felt. To be able to run so swiftly, leaping and sprinting throughout the forest… those were the things that made her love who she was now. The vampiric bits of her race were enjoyable, of course, but nothing could measure up to what she felt as a wolf.

Feed.

The need to tear her fangs into the flesh of another animal overpowered her, and soon she had stalked down and pounced upon a small deer, a doe from the looks of it. The animal’s blood cascaded across her mouth and fur and she tore into it like there was no tomorrow. She fed on its blood, fed on its meat, and it was in that moment that she was truly the beast.

After finishing the meal of raw, bloody meat, the wolf ran until she found a broad, open clearing. The grass had grown quite tall in the clearing. It tickled her paws and her tail, and brushed against her belly. She tilted her head from side to side, looking for any other presence of life in that area. When she saw none, she took one leaping bound before rolling around in the grass, letting out a howl towards the sky.

It had been far too long since she had run in the wild. She had made plans to hunt with Zanar, but he had fallen and no one had heard of what had happened to him, so that adventure had never taken place. It had been quite a disappointment to Serafina, of course - the pair had seemed like they were going to get along, and she had found herself thinking that perhaps she would end up with a friend in Conclave after all… but alas, that had not happened.

It also was not as though she could run with Nemesis or Celeste like she once had. They were far too wrapped up in other affairs - especially Nemesis, now in a relationship with Angela… it had been enough to send Serafina wondering once again why she hadn’t been enough for him, but she knew that there was a lot more history there than she would ever understand.

With those thoughts tumbling in her mind again, she shifted back into her human form, lying naked on her back in the moonlight, the grass surrounding her. It was silent, and for a moment, she felt at peace, until she heard the sounds of someone approaching in the distance.

Hunger.

The creature prowled the woods. The one named Elwin promised food and shelter, but she still needed freedom. To explore. To track. To hunt. Fortunately the relationship seemed fine - she would return in time with some new trait mixed into the menagerie. 

In the depths of the wild, her beast shape was far more comfortable than manskin. Sharp claws dug into the soil and enforced a measured gait - stable, low to the ground, on alert for sounds, movement-

A scent. Delicate, a musky fragrance she knew all to well. The familiar scent of copper traipsing along the forest floor. The blood spilt by a fresh kill. Perhaps something to scavenge, or perhaps larger prey to capture. 

Genesis lowers her snout to the ground, where the event is strongest. With sudden vigor, she traces the scent, threading between trees and brush while the trail grew ever stronger. By the time she arrives, however, the kill has already been abandoned. The remains of a deer. Everything of use already stripped clean.

She investigates the scene - another scent mingles with the corpse. A beast? No, not quite the same sense. Other scents drifted about. They all came together into a smell wholly unlike anything Genesis had smelt before. Something in her mind warned her of great danger, but could not say way. The chimera's curiosity got the better of her. She had to now what this thing was. Almost as if a beacon calling to her, the howl of another predator splits the air. Genesis sets into motion, six silver eyes locked ahead, watching for anything. 

Soon, perhaps too soon, she arrived at the clearing. The scent was strong, but the grass and dim light obscured anything that could be hiding. Cautiously the misshapen feline steps into the clearing, spined tendrils wavering from her back threatening, waiting to retaliate for fear of a surprise attack. 

Serafina sat up as she heard the sound of someone or something approaching. Her senses were already incredibly keen from being a vaewolf, but she now had the added gift of divinity to increase their power even more. She heard the approach before she could see the being, but when her eyes found the source of the disturbance, she cocked her head to the side, looking at the creature with nothing but curiosity in her eyes.

Of course, she was still back in her human form, but she was positioned in a very canine manner. Her knees were bent beneath her and her arms were outstretched as though she were going to take off at a four-legged run at any moment. That was not the case, for all she wanted was to know what this creature was doing here.

”You have nothing to fear from me,” she spoke aloud, unsure whether or not the creature would be able to understand her speech. It looked to be a chimera, from what she could remember, but it had been centuries since she had seen one other than in textbooks. ”I did not expect to see anyone or anything else out here tonight,” she elaborated, relaxing back down to the ground once more.

”If I had known another hunter such as myself was out here, I would have saved some of my deer,” she said, no doubt knowing that the chimera had sniffed out her earlier meal. ”Do you speak common, or have a human form?’ she asked the creature. If not, she could shift back into her wolf form, and perhaps the chimera would be able to communicate mentally with her. If not, she would find some other means of communication.

She was not worried about whether or not the creature would attack her, as she was certain she would be more powerful than it. However, she gave off no threatening vibes, merely finding herself curious. ”If you’d like, we could hunt,” she offered, as a way to show that she meant no ill will.

Genesis freezes like a deer in mage light at the sound of her voice. Silver eyes shone as a nightmarish grimace snaps to face the woman. Human? Genesis sniffs the air again … not quite. Not sure. Never smelled this before. Her mouth unhinges and moves unnaturally, forcing words of the common tongue through a maw never meant to form such syllables. "I did not expect to see anyone either. Anyone human, at least. Curious." Despite the announcement, Genesis was hesitant to approach. An instinct in the back of Genesis's mind still rang of danger, but every visual queue Genesis had suggested otherwise. 

She sits on her haunches. No closer for now. Her face remained emotionless, the blank expression of a predator not yet comfortable in its surroundings. "I have many shapes. This one most comfortable. Human skin … still strange. Joints too rigid. Not shaped well for running." Genesis twists her head a bit. "Would like more shapes, but still learning. Good hunting here?" The prospect of food was a good thought. At the very least, Genesis could use it as an opportunity to learn more about this human-beast smelling creature. "I would be interested in joining your pack. I am hungry, and prey is always better to stalk with an ally." She gives pause, waiting patiently in response. 

Serafina stifled a chuckle at the chimera as it noted that it had not expected to see a human. ”I’m hardly human, I’m afraid,” she said smoothly. ”I may appear as such, but I am far from it,” she concluded. The goddess took note that the chimera kept its distance from her and she made no movement to get any closer herself. At present moment there was no reason for it, there was no reason for her to get any closer to the chimera. It would only serve to make the chimera uncomfortable, and she wasn’t seeking that. She hadn’t come out for a fight this night, only for a hunt. The chimera coming into her hunting grounds had been mere happenstance.

”By all means, stay in whatever form you are most comfortable with. I am equally comfortable in this form as I am in my wolf form,” she added. ”I have had decent luck with hunting in this area, though I am afraid my senses are more keen than the average carnivore,” she admitted, without directly telling the chimera what she was.

”I am afraid that I cannot extend the courtesy of inviting you to join my pack, as I don’t exactly have one,” she explained. ”I am what is known as a vaewolf, and we are a very close knit group. Only other vaewolves are allowed to be a part of that family,” she explained.

”I would be more than happy to hunt with you, however,” she added. ”Is there a particular type of prey you most desire? I can bring us to any place where we can hunt nearly anything you can dream of,” she added as an explanation. If the chimera desired background on how such a thing was possible she would offer it.