TO TAME INSTINCTS
COMESTION, A DEVOURING BY FIRE
Rekka was a forest fire rampaging through the back alley market, blind by hunger and fear, and the inability to resist this surging excitement.
It was all a blur.
A hand slammed against the lone wall of an abandoned alleyway, she grimaced at the filth coating her palm. She needed help, everything hurt, and she struggled to attain her suffocating mannerisms. What happened after she attacked that canine? Her memory was so disgustingly unreliable at the moment. Ignorant to the sudden stinging in her palm, Rekka glanced towards the clenched fist and her untrimmed nails digging into the tinted flesh. Her figure still staggered forward, but with an adamant scowl did she notice her appearance. And the blood that coated her entire figure, not an area was left untouched by the awful stench; there's so much, she thought, horrified and itched to scour herself of the filth.
Yet, there was a scent reeking the air, one of raw meat.
The aroma immediately inducing her jaws to salivate uncontrollably, practically drooling over herself, and not long, she was walking. Ambling out towards the alleyway's entrance, she couldn't stop her knees from wobbling nor cease this inconsistent need to feed her new insatiable hunger. She was crying, through the low rumbles of growls, Rekka had tears pouring across her cheeks. It was so painful to focus and she was just so hungry - why wasn't there anyone to help her?! She escaped that fucking hellhole, didn't anyone notice her absence, she was a victim goddamn it.
Her ear suddenly twitched at the mixed murmurs of a crowd.
People?
Hidden by the shadows, Rekka stood just steps away from vendors. Rows upon rows of carnivores shuffling under the low hanging lights, approaching merchandisers with wide grins and starving eyes. Where... am I? She questioned, scanning the array of meat bought freely; red raw meat to cooked. Not a single herbivore in sight, except for maybe the dead sprawled out ontop the carts. The little bit of sanity she had left felt disgusted, and the opioids that still coursed through her system, intensified the nausea. Her vision blurred again and her skull was pounding profusely, Rekka was sure she was going to pass out the longer she stood near the wretched aroma. But, the second she thought she took a step back, she was quickly approaching the nearest seller. Claws outstretched and ready tear into the flesh of the unsuspecting lioness, whose attention enlightened by the fashion magazine in her hands.
Then, there was a thump sounding behind her.
The moment of realization that she wasn't alone startled her instinctual hunger. And Rekka was suddenly very aware of the fear once again trembling through her heart - how long have they been standing there? She shakily questioned, careful as she twisted her gaze in the noise's direction. She attempted a precarious and querying 'hello?'; however, speech wasn't her best friend, and the wary response instead became a timid threat. Through her salivating jowls, she was surprised to get any reasonable volume out, even as the meek 'hello' turned into that purling snarl.
"Let's not make a scene now, " spoke the figure, "okay?"
As if coaxing a frightened squirrel, the figure spoke deliberately slow, his hands raised. Rekka gazed back towards the market, the lioness no longer ogling overpriced outfits and instead distracted with a customer. This was her chance though, she could make a run straight through the market and go home, home to her family! With wild eyes, she stared behind her to glimpse at the stranger one last time only to halt in her escape - it's a panda... The black markings outlining their signature white was a striking resemblance to her mother and brothers. Their appearances were all a blur, jumbled together with broken memories and coups d'oeil of her time in that building; why couldn't she fucking remember her own families' faces?! She clutched her head in pain, suddenly hunching over, wailing aloud through the battering in her head.
Rekka stumbled back and away from the market, fortunate enough to go unheard by the bustling crowd.
A hand slightly outstretched, the stranger opened his mouth to speak, but before he could reach whatever senses that were clawing through her mind; she lunged. As if startled, instincts took the reigns of fear and she pounced towards him. The male's arm hastily flew up to prevent her weight from toppling them both back. Yet, he couldn't avoid her canines from clamping down into his forearm, tears still pooling at the corners of her sepia irises. Rekka was hesitant, barely holding onto the last strings of clarity as she resisted the urge to sink her claws further in - begging to be released from these instinctual bonds.
In one swift move, he rammed her against the nearest wall and watched as her skull bounced back before she collapsed to the ground. Gohin's never seen an Ursidae subjected to a carnivore's desire, there was never a need for pandas to consume protein outside of their natural vegetarian diet.
However, there was one thing he knew for certain, her face was familiar.
She was sitting in the arms of her mother, running fragile fingers through the coarse black fur. The radio playing softly in the background while the older woman folded and ironed their clothes, a sweet melody murmured along. Rekka's sharp regard compared her paler complexions to her mother's natural tone, she was only four at the time, but she knew there was a striking difference. Dai, her mother, ran a free hand through her daughter's scruff, smoothing out the ruffled fur, distracting the little girl from her thoughts.
She could barely recall her mother's smiling features, the memory was so faint, and distant.
And broken.
Rekka couldn't recall what happened between her and her mother before the two boys ran into the room toppling over one another - the same black markings adorning their chubby bodies, both sharing mischievous grins with their shy twin sister. The sweet aroma of steamed bamboo tea filled her nostrils abruptly, and suddenly, she felt perfect clarity. And the haze that previously masked her senses no longer obstructed the recollection; instead, she could vividly see her father in the kitchen, tea cattle in hand as her mother playfully quipped from her spot on the floor. The scene was awfully poignant, she couldn't recall the taste of bamboo grass even as Dai brought the cup of tea to her four-year-old daughter's lips.
The first sip burnt her tongue, and unexpectedly, she was stirred awake.
It was just a dream, of course.
The thought abandoned a sour taste in her mouth, fully aware she wasn't reliving the past anymore... nor was she still surviving in that fucking building- Rekka flinched, suddenly very aware of her surroundings. Panicking, she was gasping for oxygen realizing her wrists, chest, and jaws were chained to a post positioned directly behind her. This wasn't the room she despised, in fact, the atmosphere was calmer in comparison. The walls were still filthy and the metal door corroded in rust, she veered her attention to the opposite side, where rows of books littered the wall. Rekka's head throbbed again and she was forced to hunch over, sobbing in pain. Why was this happening, she nearly cried aloud, it wasn't fair! The second she tasted freedom, it was ripped out from beneath her feet and locked her up again like someone's disgusting darling. And then, she noticed it, the darkly toned divan paired with an old polaroid camera. Where the fuck was she?! Rekka's fear only spiked further - she was convinced this was another sick sex den and proceeded to struggle against the chains.
"Cut that shit out, no use resisting."
A voice immediately cut through the air, causing her to jump and still.
It was that stranger from the alleyway, or at least, she was convinced it was. The market's lights were barely enough to illuminate his features besides the common Ursidae characteristics. But she hadn't even noticed the door open, only when it slammed shut did her gaze fall to him. A cigarette between his lips, he stepped towards the chair carrying a bucket of water in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. She recognized the aroma, bamboo grass, the exact drink of her childhood. The muzzle fastened around her jaws kept her quiet, otherwise, Rekka would have been found berating him with questions. And when Gohin turned back after placing the beverage down, he caught her glaring holes into his very being. Exhaling an airy chuckle, he shared a lopsided grin while taking a puff of the cigarette, "Fuck, hard to believe you were just about to tear me in half a few hours ago, " he clutched the pail now in both hands, "with a pathetic look like that." He heaved it forward, drenching her in the chilled water. Rekka gasped, her fur soaked, but no longer caked in dried blood she was unaware still coated her figure.
"Huh, " he unexpectedly began, "so you are a qinling."
She froze, that name felt disturbingly familiar. Rekka no longer acknowledged the cold seeping across her pale pelt and through clenched teeth, she met his surprised stare, "What?"