Sphinx - normal, Maya
Kasai- bold, Kris

The rain had washed some of the day away, leaving behind a steady stream of running blood as the tired lioness made her way back into the depths of her den, closed off from the world around her, away from prying all eyes. Slowly Maya rolled her shoulders as she cracked her neck in frustration before she found a seat on top of her single black pelt. She had not done much trading with other pride members yet so her den was still very bare, though this didn't seem to bother the blood-soaked lioness too much, her mind was far from here, drifting away with the tide as it kissed the shoreline.

Heavy eyes would roll back as the lioness lowered her body to the ground, gripping her unsheathed claws into the cold earth as she held herself still, snarling under a tiny whimper. How could she had been so careless? Had it not been for Senua Maya could very well have been raped, dishonored, and killed for her carelessness. That was the last time the lioness would stick her neck out for anyone else in need, it only ever brought her misery.

Maya settled herself as best she could, finding very little comfort in the rain. Blood dripped from her chin as she rolled onto her side to face the den wall. She would lay like this in silence for a while, Maya was trying to gather her thoughts.. no matter how much grief they brought her.

Kristanf didn't know where the brat had run off too, nor did he care. The Captain was dead. He would now rise to the rank, and take what was rightfully his. Kris' face was bleeding, his eye scarred, and blood blurring his vision. The damn bird. Well... he wasn't so much a bird. But damn him. The pain was present, but he wouldn't let that feeling override his current high. He would have to be careful tredding back into the lands, for that godbird could still be lurking, but nothing. NOTHING. Would take this feeling from him.

The storm was a welcoming sight for the male. "The gods have welcomed me home." The male smirked, stopping just before the border, letting the water rinse his aching wound. Not only did it wash away his blood, but it also as masking the scent of another nearby. The reaver, and hopes to soon be Captain, eyes narrowed as he followed his nose.

His pale eyes found the other's den, one the lion could probably call a friend if he believed in such. He didn't care for waiting to be allowed into the den, he waltz in. Wasn't it his right, after all?

The first thing the male noticed was the drips of blood. "What sort of fight did you get into?" He found himself asking within her den.

"Mmm?" Maya tilted her head back as she glanced at the Kristanf, noticing the marks on his body and his blood stained pelt. "I could ask you the same question-" her words were firm, yet something lingered in them that could not be explained, there was this overwhelming feeling cloaking the burned lioness. "What mess did you get yourself into this time I wonder?" As Maya spoke she found herself standing to face him, in this light and view he would be able to make out just how bloody she really was, it was hard to tell what belonged to her and what didn't, what marks she had always bore and what could have been a new addition.

"I put my nose between a lion and his property," she started with a soft sigh. "and he tried to put me under him, tried to make me his property." The implication was enough to answer his question without really saying much more, he was dead now and that was really all that mattered to her. He was dead and rotting, it was what he deserved.

"Now tell me, what have you done?" It was easy to read the glee that emitted from his every word, something was up. Maya smelt a familiar scent on his skin, what was this?

"You assume a mess," Kristanf retorted. "This is the true mark of a viking." The male grinned almost maliciously. "But I asked you first." He would wait to hear what the female said before telling her his success story. Well, what he thought was a success story. It might have been a bit looked down upon from other pride members to know he had killed his captain on a mission. b*****d deserved it. His face remained neutral as he got a good look at her bloodied form. He snorted slightly, quirking an eyebrow as she spoke.

"A lion of this land, or one outside it?" A stormborn lion wouldn't be so ballsy to claim a freeborn for his own. A thrall maybe, or a reaver looking for revenge. "And he wasn't successfully in making his property." There was no scent of another on the female that Kris could figure out.

"I did was I set out would do. I gave someone our little gift," the eye of the fallen's son. "And watched him fall into oblivion." A wide smirk on his maw as his eyes lit up. "He will no longer plague these lands with his form."

"Outside." Maya quickly turned the conversation to him and his actions.

His statement left the voice in her throat struggling to find words as she eyed him wildly, flashing her teeth at him as she turned away. "Your selfishness has robbed you of the lion you could have been-" as the female spoke her body inched away from his in natural reaction to having a male so close after her attack, this wasn't something she was completely aware of. He wouldn't understand what she meant by what she said or why she even bothered to say it, it was something only Maya could have, it belonged to her and her alone. Slowly she tiled her head back in his direction as she spoke again, this time her tone was far less understanding.

"So you killed the crow. That is why you never showed up for our hunt?" That meant his actions weren't totally thought out, what if he had left witnesses? What would happen to him if word got out? He had a big mouth and an even bigger ego, had he just signed his own death sentence? Her green eyes shifted as she sighed in deeply, speaking softly.

"You're a fool."

Her words weren't loud enough for him to hear, and maybe that was personal too.

"So the blood you wear, it's Ciro's?" Maybe Maya was disappointed but she wasn't necessarily upset at him, she was just aware of how the universe worked, and wondered if in the end would he be happy with this choice? For a long moment she stood in silence before speaking a last time, questioning his actions boldly. "Was it worth it? Everything you thought it would be?"

The crazed look in Maya's eye took Kristanf aback. His head made a slight tilt as she said outside. He had followed her being out, before the female spoke, an unseen confused look upon his features. Then she explained.

Ah..s**t. They had met that night, and the next morning they were to hunt. Except, Kristanf had other plans that were quick to play out. He had convinced the captain to take him out, only to meet on the borders the next morning with the raven, and the young adolescent. His nose twitched. "I had an opportunity, I took it. I do not regret it." Kristanf said shortly. "We can hunt whenever." He found himself saying, almost quietly. Maya couldn't take this thrill from him.

You're a fool. His eyes narrowed at those words.

"Why?" He found himself asking her, a tongue swiping at one of his yellowing fangs. "Because I knew what I wanted, and I was able to take it?" He didn't understand her unsaid reasons.

"It is mine."He said quietly. "The raven he keeps with him, turned out to be something much more than a raven." He spat, approaching the scarred female. "Knowing I no longer have to see his face... It was well worth it." He stated, stopping just before her.

As he spoke the lioness only seemed to grow more annoyed, being constantly reminded of her assault every time he spoke. Maybe if he had kept his word she would never have been put in such a situation, still, it was hard to blame him... no matter how much Maya wanted to. It was foolish for her to assume they were anything other than two strangers who shared some small common ground. "Eh," she clicked her tongue against her front teeth as he continued on, boasting in his own personal glory.

"I wonder what you will do now that he is gone." She mused, looking away as soon as he neared her. "and what you will focus on now." Losing an obsession, no matter how cathartic it might have felt always had
repercussions, something was taken, there was now a void left where the crow once stood. How would Kris fill it now?

"Foolish in that you wear it so proudly. Careful who you tell, you never know who is listening and what might come from it." As she spoke the lioness snarled at him, moving herself from him just a little bit more, his closeness was causing her to grow increasingly more uneasy. Could he not understand why?

"It is yours, it will be your curse to bare and crown to wear, nothing will take that from you. I surely am not looking to take anything from you now." Her words settled someplace between resentment and understanding as her eyes met his once more.

Kristanf had never thought of that. Just what would he do now that the Captain no longer would grace the lands. Only thoughts of what led up to the event, nothing about the aftermath other than petitioning to take his rank.

Perhaps that was a good thing to look forward to?

"Become Captain." He'd seek out the War Lord later. "Prove that b*****d wasn't meant to lead. I, on the other hand, was. I have taken the first step in doing so." Then again, only Maya and the raven knew of his deed.

He looked around when she mentioned who might be listening. "If anyone dared, I'll have a new pelt for my floor." He warned. As she moved away, Kristanf found himself following, his light gaze meeting hers. "It is no curse." He found himself saying. Maybe it was?

He found himself falling in silence, finally looking away from the female. "We can hunt tomorrow." He said to her, trying to find a way, in his mind, to make it up to the female for ditching their last meeting.

His words made her chuckle to herself, Captain huh? Maya would like to see that with her own two eyes. For now though she simply let him unload, listening between small pauses. "I see," the lioness nodded as she took another small step away from him, leaning her frame into the den wall. "Just try to keep that in the back of your head now, always. This life you've taken, while it's yours to be proud of, you must not let it become your downfall." Her words were laced with an understanding she could not explain to him, at least.. not right now, still, the advice was given, she showed some care.

"A hunt?" At his statement she turned her head back to him, frowning. "Are you sure you won't be busy killing someone else?" The teasing was meant to be in good fun, however, she was still upset at having to fight off an attacker alone.

"If you actually keep your word this time, I'd like that." Maya nodded firmly at him. She was still covered in blood and it was still raining outside the den. "You better clean off before you head back to your den." the female warned as she looked him over once. "I can smell him all over you."

"Never." He would not let Ciro be the end of him. He would take Maya's words to heart, even if he was lackluster in showing it. He learned what type of Captain not to be, now he could prove who he truly was.

"Well," his raspy voice started. "I didn't have any plans for killing anyone else, so I think you are safe." Or, at least the plan was. "Though, so I am not distracted, I could just stay here tonight. You'd have eyes on me, and I, on you." Was it a flirtatious move? In Kristanf standards most likely.

"I need to clean off?" He scoffed however. "You are one to talk." He eyed the blood that covered her. "Come." He commanded lightly. "Stained blood on your pelt is no better than the death scent on mine. We will wash our deeds, and we will we keep what is done between us." For Kristanf, his own murder, and for May, whatever deed she had done in his absence.

When he brought up staying the night her frown only seemed to grow deeper, still, her eyes would follow him as he spoke. "I'm not sure." Admittedly Maya had never slept beside a male before, though she couldn't make this fact known, especially to someone like Kristanf, he would run with that knowledge and never look back. "If this will force you to keep your promise, fine." It was with deep resistance she found herself agree with him, no matter how uneasy he might have made her Maya knew it wasn't totally his fault, what had happened to her had nothing to do with him after all. Still, she would be a little on edge until these raw feelings healed over.

A small headache crept over her eyes as she nodded in agreement, a quick wash would probably do them both some good, together they smelt like iron and rot. "I don't have much to offer in terms of pelts, so you can use mine." The lioness nodded as she walked past him, heading out into the rain. As much as she disliked the cold feeling the water left on her damaged pelt she knew this needed to happen, it was time to wash this ugliness off of her once and for all.

Her eyes turned back to him as she motioned for him to stand with her, though she may have been a bit awkward when it came to opening up to him on any emotional level Maya was making some progress. This lion was the first lion she had ever been close to.

Everything was changing now, wasn't it?

Ah, Kristanf couldn't blame the female for being hesitant. After what she had recently been through, and her past? It was to be expected. "I mean, it will definitely help keep it." He all but purred out, smirking. "You can keep tabs on me then, make sure I stay in line without talking about the you know what." He'd be careful who he said that too.

Another smirk as she passed him. The demon strolled after her, the cool water hitting his light pelt, beginning the process of loosening the old blood. He stepped to be beside her, standing as tall, if not just a bit taller than her. It was an interesting relationship the pair was developing. While Kristanf would be normally one to run home to his thralls, now, he felt he had no need to do so.

A change indeed.