Do y'all like it so far? I hope you do and sorry if it seems to be quite the wait, but you know life. By the way, this chapter does have mention of night terrors and gallows, I'll make sure to give a warning before then. Remember I don't own any of this, except Corbin and the story I am writing.
Nothing is going well today for the Creeper. While humans hunting after him in their need to avenge their families is nothing new to him, it never stops from being a nuisance at best. Damn hunters never know when to leave well enough alone. Always interrupting his hunt or even forcing him to stall it when they get too close for his liking. The Creeper chuffs in frustration as he cracks open a young teen he caught in the fields earlier, with a bit more force than necessary, before eagerly feasting on his insides. While the gruesome sight of such a grotesque creature unhinging their jaw to feast on the nude body of the recently deceased Kirk would've sickened and sent most men running to the hills; said creature could give a less of a damn. All he cares for is his mood improving from both his hunger and body being taken care of with the young human; however, not all of his frustrations fully dissipate even with four more bodies from today's harvest. Yes, while still furious with the fact that he didn't retrieve his old hand in time, it's another sort of frustration to not being able to sense his mate anywhere. He's physically searched and smelled for her from top to bottom of the abandoned factory, but only for it to the trail to grow cold on the roof from Corbin's long absence. He's even stretched out his mind to see if she's well-hidden anywhere, but that was a bust as well!
'Where is she?'
The Creeper growls to himself as his lethal talons dig into the concrete floor beneath him. He takes lets out a snort before looping in the first stitch for his finished meal's gaping gut wound. He's just about halfway finished when a familiar smokey scent fills his nostrils which is then followed by a soft thump. He doesn't need to look up from his work to know that Corbin is approaching him or, from the scent of lingering fear in the air, that she comes bearing prey.
"Greetings, my mate."
Cold and formal, similar to how one would talk with a business associate rather than with a mate. It doesn't matter though, words aren't often a necessity for him and he's never really craved conversation much. However, he won't hesitate to put his mate in place if she were to cross a line with him. For now, he'll settle for a low growl that rumbles within his chest as he turns his head to glance at Corbin. The Creeper doesn't attempt to obscure his displeased snarl nor the angry emotions directed at her. He takes notice that she's in her real form without her usual hoodie, revealing the olive green t-shirt underneath that's stained with darkening bloodstains that contrast against the shirt. What really interests him is the corpse Corbin holds in her arms who appeared to be of good eating and, according to the bloodstains, died from a stab to the heart.
His female then walks over to the still-bloodsoaked table, where he recently fed, to place the meat on. While most would currently be frozen in fear or hiding and cowering at the Creeper's piercing gaze honing in on them, Corbin couldn't care less enough to not even give him her full attention. He currently isn't the predator that watches his prey's futile attempts to step past him while he waits with muscles ready to spring at the best moment to tear into the poor soul. No, instead, he is an equal impatiently waiting for his fellow human eater to explain herself while rhythmically tapping his claws against the carved table he's sitting at.
"After my brief rest, I grew bored and desired to fly with my unkindness. I did not wish to interrupt your hunt, but I would not be a decent mate if I were to return empty-handed especially considering you have provided my meals."
Short and to the point comes Corbin's answer, her tone calmly even with each word being the technical truth. Still, the Creeper holds his scowl as he examines her intently for even the slightest tell of deception. He isn't a fool and knows that letting his female, that still prefers human company over him, is a dangerous risk. He couldn't hunt her down as he would with prey nor could he permanently kill her; more than likely, she has her own plan in motion to be rid of him and return to "precious" humans. However, as he thinks it over, the local authorities wouldn't be so focused on Corbin's hunt as they were preoccupied with the bounty he had in his truck. She's only one being and couldn't carry much prey without a long time passing by followed by many trips going back and forth. It's also highly likely that the local authorities would chalk it up to it either being him or some other rogue human, realizing a little too late on who it really is.
The Creeper gives a slow blink at Corbin before letting out a long exhale of breath, letting her think she's victorious, for now. His form of thanks comes with a nod of his head before turning to her gift and proceed to devour it as he did with the last ones. He lets a satisfied sigh as the bullet holes that riddled his body is fully covered over and healed by the dead man's skin, leaving no trace of today's events. The Creeper hears Corbin approaching him from behind but isn't alarmed as he senses no ill intent from her. He finds himself tense up out of reflex when she gently traces her fingers over where the bullets exited his body. He finds himself letting out a pleased purr at her attentions which only increased in volume as she traces the membranes of his resting wings.
"I take it hunting has been more difficult than anticipated?"
The Creeper turns around to make eye contact with her as he nods in affirmation. He gives a slight snarl in memory of Tashtego and Tubbs. He finds himself grinding his teeth together from the memory of that damn sign that forced him to end his hunt earlier than he would like. The Creeper looks over to Corbin who seems to have a ghost of a smile on her face with her beautiful eyes alight more than they have been the past couple of days. Overall, she appears less tense and in a better state of mind.
While the ancient maneater rarely feels any sense of remorse, this instance is a special case with his mate. He knows that with the humans aware of him, they'll be on high alert for any activity pertaining to him which also puts her at risk. He would rather that she freely hunts with his lair always being where she'll gladly return to him. However, the more logical part of him wins out in the end.
"No more leaving..."
"What."
Corbin barks out with the start of a snarl forming on her face. The Creeper takes note of her tail flicking in a curt manner signifying her rising irritation much like a cat; despite this clear warning, he elaborates his intentions.
"Sssshort huntssss... from now on..."
"And what makes you think you have that sort of authority over me?"
Corbin challenges as she narrows her eyes and leans forward to get in his face with no intention of backing down. Likewise, the Creeper lets out an irritated chuff before pointing at the temple of his head.
"Brandon woman ... knowssss too much..."
Corbin gives a mocking snort in response, to which the Creeper narrows his eyes. His mate is clever, surely she could put the pieces together?
"End of... disssscussssion... besssst for you."
"Not my fault you were careless nor do I see how this is my problem."
The Creeper stands up from his stool to close the gap between them with a single step. Even though Corbin is closer in height than most humans, he's still able to use his height advantage to literally look down at the younger female. Said female shows no sign of timidness, instead, looking up at him with an unreadable expression.
Her brows knit together at the familiar sensation of someone trying to pry at her mind's walls, however, instead of a family member or any of her unkindness, it's the Creeper. At first, Corbin swats him away and back into his mind like a gnat, making him flinch in slight pain; unfortunately for her, he proves to be persistent as he continuously pounds his metaphorical fists against her walls. While this is an annoyance that causes her nothing more than a small migraine, the Creeper is at least experienced enough to be able to try to chip away her mental defenses despite the greater pain it will cause him. Luckily for him, the sense of urgency for her to deliver his message to her is enough to pique her interest, allowing him access into her mind.
Before she scans over what he's trying to show her, she made sure to lock down and fortify the rest of her conscious, preferring not to give him an advantage over her than he already has. Basically, she restricts him to only the front desk of her mind which is fine with her mate, who only needs her attention to what he's giving her. He transfers the memory of today's events over to her in the form of a book that she then opens and rapidly flips through.
She skips over the more monotonous parts of the day such as the long drive in his truck and his hunts before coming to a stop near the end. From what she could summarize, a band of hunters dedicated to killing him was after him while he was going after his old hand, intent on destroying it to cover anything alluding to his origin. However, those hunters slowed him down enough to where, at least, one person, Kenny Brandon's mother, was able to uncover the truth. She conveys this fact by a single sign and his old dried-up hand, making him shriek out his frustration into the night air. In the corner of the page, she's able to make out chicken scratch writing; the writing detailing something that the nonhuman woman once pondered upon with no real evidence, until now. Corbin is able to witness this all in her mind's eye with barely any time passing by outside it.
She blinks after fully processing it before looking back at the Creeper's stony expression, a stark contrast to her surprised one. She clears her throat and rubs her eyes before addressing her mate.
"I never knew."
The Creeper nods as he lets a groaning sound of agreement as if to say "I told you so."
"Even so,"
Corbin starts as she smooths back her raven mane and returns to her neutral expression, slowly regaining her composure.
"I resent anyone that immediately decides what's best for me and expect me to mindlessly follow without my consent."
The female opens her wings slightly as she gestures to the entire factory before speaking the Creeper with the same booming voice from when she shot him.
"I do not crave the darkness and solitude as you may, despite what may be true for any like us. I was born as a creature of flight, thus the instinct and urge to take to the skies. I will not be denied feeling the sun on my face, the wind dancing with my wings and mane, nor the levity I feel every time I take to the skies with my ravens,"
She then lowers her arm as she moves her wings to enclose on her as if both to shield herself from any threat and as a way to appear larger than the stoic male in front of her. She keeps her unwavering glare on his piercing orbs as her head crest's mandibles start twitching, further making her inhuman face eerie.
The Creeper notes how the candlelight makes her appear unearthly as they cast their orange glow to reflect off her raven hair and scales; couple with the flames dancing in her sun-colored eyes, she takes on the appearance of a vengeful goddess. A goddess that has even have pharaohs bowing at her feet in a show of fear and respect, none daring to risk their entire empire with the smallest of offenses. However, this appearance is gone from a single calming breath from Corbin. She lets out a deep exhale as she clasps her hands together, willing her mandibles to lay still on her face once more.
"You've already taken everything from me, how much more should I endure?"
Corbin's former powerful voice lowers into a resigned tone as if she already knew the answer but dread it being confirmed. The Creeper lets out a frustrated huff at his mate as he stares her down with eyes that held ancient secrets in their gaze, but, for now, they mostly show his rising vexation. He lets out a low growl that threatens to break into a roar, to which Corbin answers with a louder one in response, refusing to submit to him again. She braces herself, fully prepared to take anything that this older male has to throw at her and return it with twice the impact. However, to her surprise, the Creeper merely shakes his head as the initial anger dissipates from his body.
Corbin raises a brow but doesn't say anything when he then turns around and bends down to reach under his work table. He drags out a duffle bag from under the table and stands back up to hand it to the inhuman woman. Corbin's brows shoot up when she recognizes the scent coming from the bag to be her own because that's her bag in the Creeper's hand! She takes it swiftly back in her hands from her mate without a word, unzipping it right o the spot. Corbin feels the corner of her lips twitch as she rummages through the contents to find her khopesh, clean from the Creeper's blood; her multitude of knives; her bow and arrows; her clothes, and spare hoodie; at the bottom of the bag, she finds her small momentos and worn sketchbook to still be intact.
Without any care about whose presence she's in, Corbin takes out the leatherbound book and opens it. She skims through the yellowed pages that contain sketches, complete detailed drawings of people, animals, and buildings. She stops on a page containing a full-body drawing of a human woman. The woman was drawn completely in pencil with shading smudge according to the light source; she was sitting on a bench with her elbows resting on the table behind her and legs spread out before her; her clothing was baggy and ragged, most likely handed down or stolen; she had a flintlock pistol tucked in the sash around her waist; her hair was drawn thick and curly, barely held back by the bandana she wore; her lips were pulled in an impish smirk as if she had some scheme brewing; her eyes look to be large and soft with long lashes innocently framing them, but they twinkled with a deviousness that promised trouble. Under the drawing, written in neat cursive, is the name "Jacquotte". Each and every detail was lovingly drawn to the best of Corbin's ability with the intent of capturing her essence to put to memory.
The Creeper tilts his head subconsciously, seeing as his mate's expression softens at whatever she stopped to look over with her amber eyes becoming misty as well. She then raises a finger to gently trace over the drawing, bare;y skimming it as if afraid she would destroy it with a single touch. The male before her attempts to lean over, curious about the content of her book, before Corbin promptly shuts it close. She dares not unveil something so sacred to someone she barely knows, nonetheless, someone who has earned her ire. Still, she couldn't stop the words tumbling out of her mouth.
"Mesi anpil."
Although the Creeper didn't know the exact translation of the Haitian Creole, he blinks in acknowledgment of her thanks. He mentally beams in victory at Corbin's reaction, pleased that she approves of his action. No doubt, it was a smart move on his part to retrieve her possessions from the Police's evidence room to gain her favor. Now here's hoping it's enough for her to take upon what he has to offer next.
"I offer... Compromisssse..."
He rasps out to Corbin, who looks up from her sketchbook before standing back up. Her face is back to its usual stoic front as she speaks with him. Luckily for the Creeper, she's back in a more pleasant mood than earlier, so he doesn't have to worry about her automatically fighting against him.
"Alright, I'll hear what you have to say as long as I get to set the terms as well."
Fortunately, it didn't take long for the inhuman beings to settle on an agreement that benefits them both. The Creeper won't stop her from coming and going too far out from the lair but should stay on guard, lest she attracts too much attention. Corbin agrees to this, mostly as she sees this not interfering with her own plans too much; so she thinks. Her mate chose this location as a lair for a good reason. In return, for a better chance to gather more bodies, and because the Creeper is eager to see how she is on one, next time Corbin wants to hunt, he'll gladly take her.
"That's all fine by me. Excuse me, I need to rest now."
One of Corbin's socks then falls out of her bag since she didn't fully zip it up. She gives a sigh before crouching down to pick it up. However, as she does so and looks back up, she gets a good look at the Creeper's anatomy. Suddenly, her emotionless mask falls away to a flustered expression. The Creeper raises a brow and tilts his head as Corbin hastily stands back up, her back toward him, with her hands over her face.
"... Why do you have no clothing?"
The male in question merely shrugs, his own bewilderment rising at his mate's reaction. Just how long has she walked with humans? Apparently long enough to share their taboo about one's nude form.
"No need... not huntin'..."
"Well, could you please at least put something over your..."
Corbin wordlessly gestures with a hand behind her toward the Creeper's lower half. The creature only gives a toothy grin in response, which his mate could practically feel on the back of her neck.
"... Why? Matessss are we not?"
If she were in her human guise, her entire face would've taken the color of a tomato from how much heat was rushing to her face and the back of her neck. Corbin's tail starts curling in and out before waving sporadically around; her wings slightly open before fluttering closed on repeat as if to fan her.
"V-V-a!"
Corbin clears her throat to which has the Creeper grinning wider in amusement.
"I'm simply caught off guard with your indecency, as I have no interest in consummation with you."
"... Are ya ssssure?"
She nods her head fervently despite her back being turned toward him.
"Va, I'm quite sure!"
Corbin answers maybe a bit too quickly. The Creeper gives an amused huff as she then promptly walks away with her duffle bag.
'Odd female.'
He remarks to himself, not really understanding the concept of being shy about nudity. It's the natural form of all beings and clothing really serves no protection purposes for him, other than as disguise. Corbin is fortunate that she doesn't really need clothing to deceive her prey, yet she shares their mindset, nonetheless. He chuffs to himself but decides to spare her and search for his worn trousers before feasting on her gift.
So originally, this was gonna be the nightmare chapter but I decided to save that for the next one! Also, that last part with Corbin being flustered comes from a conversation I had with VickKern. I'd thought it would help for some light levity with this chapter before the next.