I own none of this except for Corbin and the story I am writing. Just know telling someone who is their problem is no "big deal" or "to get over it" is about as much help as asking a drowning person if they're 'okay' while standing from a far distance. No, help them give them your time, point them to a brighter future that they can look forward to. Or just be a friend that they can cry on. Our minds can be our worse enemy. But I believe we can be stronger if we put aside our differences and help one another as we look at the world around us.
The afternoon sun hangs high in the clear blue skies, illuminating the fields unkempt tall grass and flora sprawling out before Corbin's eyes. She closes her eyes to savor the feeling of the light breeze tickling her face, feeling a sense of giddiness when it ruffles through her thick raven locks. The inhuman woman opens them at the sound of familiar croaking, seeing as her faithful familiar landed on her knee with his inky feathers giving off a golden sheen from the sun. Corbin gives a fond smile as gently scratches his throat, careful to never rip him open as he gives out little satisfied chirps of approval.
She's currently crouched on the ledge of the roof between the words of the meatpacking factory's decrepit sign, wings open to both bask in the heavenly glow of the sun and to prepare for taking off. Corbin glances to her side where the faded wooden U of the sign's DePue word; after a moment of thought, she breaks off a piece of the aged wood to place in her pocket. Looking around the roof of the dull lifeless building, Corbin muses how this manmade structure, with a history of death before it even was shut down, strongly contradicts the surrounding life.
'Hm, in Spring nonetheless, the time of rebirth and renewal. The time for Ostara...'
Corbin sighs to herself as she grinds her teeth, longingly looking up as two common sparrows fly by.
'Here I am, rotting away from the inside out.'
The inhuman woman bemoans to herself, watching the world go before her eyes. She then wonders to herself if the Creeper ever took the time to just enjoy the scenery or take flight for the sheer pleasure of it. Corbin scoffs at the thought, as she highly doubts that her mate is the type to stop and smell the flowers rather than scenting the air for fear while indulging in his bloody hunt. Speak of the devil, she's pulled from her thoughts as she senses the Creeper's presence approaching her before he even exits the building. Corbin doesn't turn around when she hears the old door creak open, instead of speaking to him before he could even get a word in.
"I'm fine. I just wanted some air."
As one would with a skittish horse, Creeper takes careful steps towards his mate. He stops a few inches behind her, his expression mostly unreadable save for his furrowed brows and a slight frown. While not as adept at emotions as Corbin, he at least can identify that something is bothering is his mate but unable to pinpoint the origin of it. With prey, he could care less since that only means more fear for him later, however, his mate is not prey.
"What... wrong?"
Corbin doesn't answer him nor could he read her expression since she blocked most of her front out with her wings, making the Creeper have to consider another strategy. He raises a hesitant hand to place on the female's wing, attempting to move it down as to get a proper look at her face and, hopefully, for her to look at him. He sort of gets what he wants.
Within the blink of an eye, Corbin has a hunting knife, the same knife from the other day, pointing at the Creeper's Adam's apple just shy of a hair width from penetrating the skin. She at least looks towards the older male as she did this, looking down at her hand and up to him. She briefly looks away in shame before putting away the knife into her hoodie's pocket, said the hoodie is tied around her waist. Corbin then closes her wings while still somewhat facing the Creeper.
"Forgive me. Old wounds that have not completely healed. "
She then looks away to the south of where they are and gives a long grief-stricken sigh. The Creeper taps his talons against the concrete below him as he waits for her to offer an explanation, longing to hear her voice. He shifts on the spot when her honey-colored eyes land on him briefly, but this doesn't offer him any reprieve. The Creeper then climbs up on the ledge to sit across from Corbin while in the shadow of the old factory sign. He tilts his head at the intensity of the emotions he could feel emanating from her as if he's hovering his hand inches away from a fire pit; the flames licking at his palm with the threat of a worse pain dancing just at the tips of his claws. Just like with last night, he's unsure how to proceed even more now that Corbin is awake, besides maybe one thing.
Without warning, the Creeper opens his wings with some difficulty due to the sign somewhat obstructing his effort, until he decides to just use his outstretched wing to push the large P off to the side. The resulting crash and clatter don't stop him from then using a slightly tattered leathery wing to reach out and push Corbin towards him. She lets out a confused yelp, which the male found adorable, then attempts to break from his hold before he could use his other wing to completely encompass her; however, the Creeper then lets out a loud purr to both reassure and soothe the female. He now held her completely wrapped in his hold, tight to keep her close almost as if he's trying to banish whatever thoughts plague her mind by holding her in a different way from his prey. Corbin looks at him with surprise in confusion coloring her face as the Creeper nuzzles against the crook of her neck while continuously purring. She stiffens against him for a moment before letting out a sigh when he gives a small lick on her neck before relaxing against his stocky form.
He then pulls away with expectant blue eyes that clash with the glistening amber ones staring back at him, contradicting as fire and ice. Only a couple of inches separated their faces as a heavy moment of hush falls between them. She waits for him to speak once more, and it would appear that the Creeper is more or less waiting for the same; when it appears that he won't, Corbin decides to be the one to break the silence.
"The regrets I have would no doubt be more numerous than any human man, woman, or child alive. I feed on the same species as the ones I have loved and lost, a parasite that brings no good despite best intentions..."
The inhuman woman stops to take a breath, glancing at the Creeper to see his attention fixed intently on her. She doesn't mind though, not when she could feel her body trembling from the grief wracking through her body.
"I figure by now that it's within our nature to bring death everywhere we go, which could explain how I-"
Corbin gives a grief-stricken sigh that sounded close to sobbing. The noise causes an unfamiliar sensation to stir within the Creeper's chest.
"I've failed so many poor souls... People who trusted me even with the knowledge of what I am, and I repaid that trust with pain and tragedy. When they needed me most, I failed them. I failed them all..."
The dark woman curls against the larger inhuman male, taking in some shaky breathes against his chest with her face facing toward the ground so he couldn't read it. However, the waves of intense grief, shame, and a flurry of emotions that the Creeper has never felt before himself, flood his mind and make his heartache in what's perhaps... pity. The larger male mentally scolds himself, reminding himself that a female like Corbin doesn't need pity. Instead, he pats his hand on her shoulder, a bit unsure how to offer the relief she searches for. He stops when her grief is then colored with a burst of white-hot anger that seemingly came out of nowhere, but he recognizes its scorching touch from when the two first officially encountered one another.
"However... I'm not the one who's solely at fault for what befell them,"
Corbin whispers, almost hissing as would a venomous snake before striking. She clenches her fists, digging her claws into her palms, not caring for the black blood she's drawn.
"They always had it coming, repressing all those they deemed to be "lower" than them. It didn't matter what the rezon sòt was, class, language, culture, their skin, they used whatever excuse they could take to murder without consequence..."
The Creeper watches in interest with the corner of Corbin's lips twitch upwards revealing her sharpened molars in a snarl. He silently nods in agreement with his female, despite not fully understanding her anger himself. Then again, he has no understanding of human prejudice; they all taste the same and have the same organs underneath, all part of the same species.
"Pathetic is what they all are actually, pretending to be noble beasts when they're all rats underneath. Rats that are needed to be eradicated lest they feed off of everything else,"
The inhuman woman gives a dry humorless chuckle.
"And the nerve they have to just be so surprised! For years, I played by their rules just to not cause trouble for the tribe, but that's not enough. That's never enough for those faux cul bâtards!"
The male creature holding her nods his head in agreement, sort of understanding some of the french she's speaking there. At least, enough to know they're insults. He continues to listen to his mate vent in his arms, memorizing each passionate syllable that slips from Corbin's lips.
"Agreed."
"It doesn't matter the century nor the continent, those cowardly kings and princes forget that we were all born with teeth and claws for a reason. Mine are just better equipped for the job. How moronic they must be to realize those they treat as animals will react in kind, as feral mutts and then have the audacity to be surprised that they bite back. However,"
The Creeper could feel the fire from the female dimming as she takes a deep breath in then lets out a long melancholic sigh.
"A part of me has learned to be ashamed of losing control, yet at the same time I can't deny,"
The larger male watches pleased when some of the earlier spark glints in Corbin's eyes. However, just as quickly as it appeared, it's replaced with her initial grief mixing with her indescribable anger.
"that retribution tastes undeniably sweet, even if for a little while. Humans like to say that revenge isn't the answer, but DAMN THEM ALL! I will not show mercy toward the merciless, not unless I wish for the pain they caused to continue! Even as I spend my remaining days wandering the earth as a gorja, for I have no tribe, not anymore..."
Having said her piece, Corbin turns her head back towards the south. Her eyes sting as another wave of grief overtakes her, making her shut her eyes tightly; before she could deeper into it, she feels a familiar tingling at her mind's mental walls. Corbin doesn't have to turn her head towards the older male to know that it's him, despite the tentative emotion that colored this odd care at skirting around her mind but not demanding to enter it. It's more like hands gently pressed against a thick glass surface, looking through the other side and wishing to somehow will away the glass to get to that side; to be more than just an observer.
Corbin would've just pushed Creeper away if it weren't for the fact that he made this tentative prodding a door that works both ways. She's able to easily mentally slither her way to the forefront of his mind, careful to not brush past against him despite fortifying her inner walls. Stepping into the equivalent of the mind's front entrance, Corbin is taken aback at the genuine emotions she's presented with, from admiration to what could've been pity only for it to be snuffed out, instead, replacing it with concern and sympathy. Two emotions that she's led to initially believe he couldn't possibly possess!
'Is it really impossible though?'
A part of her mind reasons before she reminisces about the night she almost lost Darry. It's a small detail that she didn't pay much mind to at the moment during and afterward. It's a moment she has almost forgotten about entirely if she's being honest. It was a simple moment's hesitation. Why did he even hesitate? He had Darry in his grasp and showed he could easily break through the glass. Could it be he was drawing out the moment for more fear or, just possibly, he actually was considering Trish's selfless pleas? Corbin will have to ponder this action later when she could suddenly hear the Creeper's deep voice echo in her mind, crisper and with the hint of a southern twang.
'What's done is done, there's no changing the past as there's only now,'
Corbin turns her head from the south to look back towards the Creeper, blinking as the only signifier of her surprise.
'I don't know much about what ya speak of, but consider yerself fortunate to have experienced more than death for I can't say I've had the same luxury...'
The Creeper briefly glances away when he said that before looking back at the female in his arms.
'I can't give you all you desire, but I can offer you all you need... I don't wanna keep ya as a prisoner, for that ain't what you are."
'Then why do I still feel like one?'
Corbin responds mentally before breaking out of the larger male's hold, standing up to take flight; however, she only flies a few feet away before she feels a tug on her tail. She looks back, scowling deeply at the Creeper who looks back at up her.
"Do your words mean nothing then? Or have you forgotten our compromise?"
The Creeper doesn't speak for a long moment before releasing his hold on Corbin's tail when she started to snarl at him.
"No..."
'I just desire to go with you as well...'
The female blinks in surprise at the bluntness of the Creeper.
"You can when I return,"
She can't believe she's about to do this.
"I swear on my mother's grave, I'll hunt with you. Just give me a good while to clear my mind."
When the Creeper gaze took on the same expression as he did when considering Trish's offer, Corbin sweetens the deal.
"If you cannot fully trust me to be out and about, then how can you trust me to provide for you or our possible offspring?"
The Creeper then takes half a step back at the proposition with his mouth slightly agape. It took every ounce of willpower for the inhuman woman to not grin to herself at the bait. He chuffs but then turns his back on her. Corbin starts flying upward, occasionally looking behind her to see the Creeper kept her back to her, what more, is he reenters the maintenance door on the roof. She flies a bit more, feeling the stirring of euphoria and apprehension at the possibility of this being a trick. Still no sign of him.
Not wanting to take any chances, Corbin dashes into the air with her ravens surrounding her to make her appear as part of the flock to anyone looking from down below. She circles back and then fly off in a different direction from her destination in mind; she does barrel rolls, loopty loops, flies down near the ground before shooting up like a rocket to the sky, making turns every which way, all as a precaution to shake off the Creeper. After making her ravens scout around her does she feel confident enough to make her way towards the last place she saw her closest friends.
She swoops in behind the precinct where they parked their cruisers. Corbin glances around the area as her ravens start to land around her before reaching into her hoodie's pocket finding, nothing.
'What? I could've sworn I had it right here.'
She rummages through her other pocket only to find nothing. A shot of anxiety courses through Corbin's brain as pats at her pockets and checks, again and again, finding no sign of the wood she's taken from the abandoned factory. The inhuman woman starts wracking her brain to put together where that piece could've gone as she's sure she would've noticed if it fell out during her flight. She doesn't ponder for long before realization strikes her.
'That plouc tête de noeud, branleur!'
Corbin gives out a frustrated huff as a growl builds in the back of her throat at the sheer audacity! Who else could've pick-pocketed her than the person she's been the physically closest to after she took that piece? A simple but clever ploy on his part, she'll admit; to think, she enjoyed being held by him and for that to be a ruse-!
The inhuman woman clenches her fists before unclenching them to hold her hands together to take a deep breath and let out a long exhale. This is just a minor setback, as there's plenty of evidence still of the old factory still standing; all Corbin has to do is get one of those pieces of evidence to clue in the police before the Creeper decides to burn it down and move on, again. Plus, it's not like that's her only way of clueing the county.
She takes off into the air again, taking a bit longer than she would've liked to find a post office; nonetheless, she got what she came for. However, her presence didn't go unnoticed at the station, not when her image is captured on the precinct's CCTV. Unfortunately for Tubbs, he didn't see the feed himself until a bit later when an officer, one that barely survived the night the Creeper attacked with his missing hand to prove it, runs up to his desk. The policeman's chest rapidly rises and falls, more from the effect of what he's seen rather than the fact he ran from the other side of the precinct to report what he saw.
Tubbs is stuck dealing with the same old paperwork for more car thieves and missing persons cases. He rests his head in his hands, dropping his pen, and feels his heart takes a plummet down to his stomach as the latter cases keep pilling onto his desk. Sure, he's no stranger to gruesome and gritty crimes, hell, the area of his jurisdiction has a lot more criminal activity than the average civilian would anticipate. Sure, it seems more peaceful than a city, but the fact is that comes with its own advantage for dirtbags to do what they please in broad daylight because who's going to hear them for miles on end except for the wide-open fields? Just the scumbag savoring their screams.
That cold fact is only made worse knowing now the person, no, that thing responsible for most of these cases. However bad the human criminals around here can be, that creature proved to be worse in its sadistic brutality and Tubbs had the misfortune to witness it all. It's not just some animal, but an intelligent predator that only seeks for its next meal with no remorse for its actions or how it affects others. The Sergeant feels a cold chill crawl down his spine when its intense unwavering gaze locked on to him. He's encountered it twice and barely escaped both times by a hair's width. He could never forget its cry nor her cry when they both locked in battle...
"Sarge!"
Tubbs jumps in his seat, knocking over his mug filled with cheap pens onto his desk with some papers scattering to the floor. In a blind panic, he finds his hand reaching for his pistol before his mind caught up with him. He scowls deeply at his fellow officer.
"Goddammit! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"
At least the officer had some decency to look sheepish at his action.
"Sorry, sir, but I think we need to check out the CCTV... I saw her..."
Tubbs gives the officer a glare that spoke louder in warning than his words ever could. The officer swallows some of his spit to moisten his sudden cottonmouth.
"I know, I know, I know, but she had something in her hand that I couldn't make out."
This information is at least enough to pique Tubbs' interest to see what the officer is talking about. He follows the officer to the surveillance room and gives the order for the past hour's footage to be replayed. The other officer, who is supposed to stay vigilant watching the cameras, woke up startled but quickly gets to fulfilling her superior's orders. There in the fuzzy black and white recording is none other than Corbin Delahaye from the looks of her folded wings and prominent tail.
"Fucking shitty CCTV..."
Tubbs murmurs under his breath, unable to fully make out the object in the inhuman woman's hand, however, he can make it out to be white and wrinkled.
'Perhaps an envelope, but with what?'
The Sergeant muses to himself as he watches Corbin slink her way toward's the building's mail chute. She opens the hatch in one hand and uses the other to lift the envelope above the chute before the scene seems to freeze entirely. Tubbs groans his vexation as he knocks his fists on top of the thick monitor which causes static to appear across the screen before the images become comprehensible again.
"The hell is wrong with this thing now?"
"Sir! Please don't do that to the expensive equipment!"
The policewoman hurriedly pushes his hands away.
"Look, the time is still working just fine."
She points to the said clock in the bottom left corner of the screen and, true to her word, the seconds and minutes are still moving forward. Tubbs' brows furrow together as he crouches between his two officers to see this to be true, only Corbin seems to be the one stuck in time. The only indication of her even being alive and not a statue is her slightly trembling hand that further crinkles the envelope in her hand.
"Why is she hesitating?"
The policeman inquires to his Sergeant as five minutes of stillness pass on the screen.
"Honestly, I don't know. I don't know if I really know anything anymore."
Tubbs takes a deep breath and sighs, watching as Corbin finally drops the envelope down the chute. She glances towards the cameras, the reflection of the afternoon light captured, making her eyes glow with an uncanny glow before she slinks her way out of any of the cameras' views to, no doubt, take flight.
Not long after, the Sergeant finds a small wrinkled envelope with his name "TUBBS" written in neat large cursive, in the mailcart just as the CCTV showed him. Tubbs is quick to put on standard-issue latex gloves as he picks up the envelope; the paper is light within his hold, almost like a feather with its worth being heavier in comparison. He's quick to take it to forensics to have the envelope and its contents examined, not wanting to mess up any leads with his carelessness. After reading the document, he hands it over to the forensics team, although, that doesn't stop him from feeling a twinge of agitation as the forensic science technicians worked well into the early evening on the evidence. What a relief then, when they finally call him and the police officer from earlier to give their report.
"There's no trace of any explosives or any poisons on the paper. The only other physical evidence we could find is some smudged fingerprints and a single hair strand."
The physician explains to Tubbs, even displaying the letter found within. The letter is currently under a specialized lamp and under a magnifying glass used for examining documents such as this. He then turns to the computer in the lab to bring up the results of what he and the other technicians found on the hair.
"The hair we found is interesting here is the melanocytes,"
"The what? Wait, those are cells for the hair color right?"
The physician nods in agreement with the Sergeant.
"Correct, these melanocytes are found at the bottom of each person's hair strand, which tells us this was purposefully plucked and placed. That's extremely lucky for us since the boys and I found traces of rusted metal fragments on the hair and hay."
"I feel like there's a big "but" in there."
Tubbs groans in dismay when the technician's guilty expression more than answers his suspicion.
"Further testing is needed to double-check and confirm the suspect's identity which may take a few weeks."
To the scientist's surprise, Tubbs doesn't shout or grumble in frustration, instead, the man just gives a tired sigh.
"I have an idea on who it is, did you cross-check with the identification that was left from, you-know-what?"
The physician looks down at the ground as he nods. No one likes to be reminded of that night, but how could they forget?
"Based on the footage you gave us, yes. However, those documents and IDs were fake,"
The scientist then goes back to his computer to change the screen to show the precinct's database.
"There's no record of this woman, practically a Jane Doe. I tried Depue as well, but all I found is this old file from 1909 on a former CEO of a meatpacking industry."
Sergeant Tubbs then stands straight up as two wires connect and spark in his head. He power walks over to the letter to reread the letter.
We'll meet again. Don't know where don't know when. But I know we'll meet again some sunny day.
So will you please say hello, to the folks that I know? Tell them, I won't be long. They'll be happy to know, that as you saw me go, I was singing this song.
Depue
"Forget about identifying the suspect with the hair sample, pull up what you can about that CEO."
...
The Creeper looks up from under his wide brim stetson at the shadowed figure descending from the sky. He gives a self-satisfied toothy grin, already knowing it's his mate given how he's downwind from her. The male then finishes his task to load his truck with the needed sheets piled messily in the back, matching the chaotic order of the back of his truck. The Creeper slams the back doors shut before mentally addressing Corbin.
'Not bad, but you'll have to do better than that if ya wanna creep up on yer prey.'
As if she came straight from the shadows themselves, said female descends from the loading dock's roof, headfirst, with her claws almost soundlessly digging into the concrete before jumping to land on the balls of her feet first. Corbin huffs at him before responding back with no real malice.
"As if you're one to talk."
'I am, as I have more experience,'
The Creeper then walks over to Corbin at the front of his truck, taking in her more alert gaze and her less glum demeanor that compared to earlier in the day.
'It seems your flight did ya well.'
"It could've been better save for one little hitch."
Corbin shrugs nonchalantly. Before she knows it, the Creeper is right in front of her just a few inches from her face. Instinctively, the female takes a step back to which the larger male follows.
'I trust it went well anyways?'
Corbin takes another step back until her back is met with the cool metal of the Creeper's infamous truck. She fights down the sudden urge to violently retaliate as she did a few days ago, not feeling too dissimilar to a cornered rat what with the Creeper blocking out most of the sun with his towering form. Sure, Corbin herself nearly matches him in height with a few inches of difference; but, if she panics, she knows it could prove to pose a different problem later on than intended. Corbin lifts her chin to meet the Creeper's icy eyes that bore into her, which isn't helped from the way his hat keeps the upper half of his face engulfed in shadows, as he leans closer to her face, to the point he could feel his hot breath wafting against her, with hands now on either side as if he intends to cage her in place.
'After all, anythin' worth having is gonna inevitably have a few roadblocks along the way,'
The female creature leaves her mouth slightly agape in silent question when the Creeper leans his head down to her neck. She lets out a purr before she could stop herself when he licks a hot stripe from her neck up to her jawline, stopping just underneath her ear before pulling away.
'Yet, it just makes the catch all the more sweeter to savor.'
The eldritch being then takes some of his mate's soft locks between his fingers, enjoying the sensation of the smooth texture pouring through them. He grins in amusement at how Corbin tries to cover up her pleased shiver by biting down on the inside of her cheek. She scowls at him in return taking on a stonier expression that makes her seem displeased with everything. In reality, Corbin is internally grinning to herself when running her slender weathered fingers up the Creeper's bare chest while speaking with a slightly husky tone.
"As long as you don't give up too soon during the chase, which you could argue is the most fun part of reaching a goal."
She then traces the tips of her hooked black claws down the side of his face, seemingly to barely touch his jawline. This makes the Creeper pause, but not for long as he leans towards his mate's soft touch, shivering in pleasure when she takes to teasing his scalp around the base of his white mane. Corbin gives a sultry grin before pushing the larger male away to start walking towards the field, leaving him nonplussed in response to the unprecedented moment that transpired.
The Creeper's form shakes, making his shoulders rise and fall; with his head tilted down, his hat completely hid his expression. The nonhuman woman turns her head enough to watch him out of the corner of her eye, she then fully turns towards the male at the burst of amusement and jubilation simultaneously hitting her with, what sounded like, an old car engine sputtering out dust. It took Corbin only a second to realize that the Creeper is laughing! Laughing a deep and hearty laugh as his eyes gleam in the afternoon light.
It takes the Creeper a while to fully calm down, longer than his mate would've liked since the sound only made feel a twinge unnerve by it and because she's getting hungry. She continues off into the fields with her wings open and at the ready, only to be stopped by the Creeper's steps and him speaking to her.
'I suppose you plan on gettin' a light snack rather than an actual meal if you're goin' by flight alone.'
"I just don't see the reason why you need a truck, as you and I can carry enough back just fine."
Corbin rolls her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest as she gives an impatient shake of her wings, not fully closing them but not fully open.
'That's true, but that's rather harder than necessary. That's why I wised up to getting ol' reliable here.'
The corner of the Creeper's mouth twitches as he gesture with a turn of his head to his infamous truck. Corbin recognizes the look of pride in the male's eyes and senses the surge of satisfaction as being the same as when Darry first changed a tire by himself. While she could relate to the satisfaction of working with your hands and even empathize since she's the same toward her drawings; Corbin couldn't stop from furrowing her brows together and scowling when looking towards the rusty old truck. This doesn't go by the Creeper's notice who shoots a look of amusement toward his mate.
'Don't tell me yer actually scared of getting in her?'
"I've seen how you drive, nearly gave Darry a heart attack."
Corbin immediately shoots back as she gives a dismissive "tch" while turning her head away from the truck. She looks from the corner of her eye toward the Creeper to address him.
"Besides, where I come from, I don't really need a vehicle as much not unless I want the police to get suspicious. You're not exactly inconspicuous."
She gestures to the decrepit truck that looked to have come from the '40s and every bit as jalopy for something so old. Sometimes Corbin wonders about whatever happened to riding horses to get to places.
'That's the point. More fear and all. But I suspect yer rusty if city huntin' hasn't been goin' so well judgin' by how hungry you were when I first met ya.'
This seems to get a rise out of the dark female who snaps her head toward him to look him directly in the eye. She raises her chin as she speaks as if to look down at him despite being a few inches shorter than him. The Creeper tilts his head slightly in interest at this reaction, internally grinning to himself at his feisty female.
"Tch, the city didn't make me a terrible hunter if that's what you're implying. I just had to be more cautious to not take too much at once unless I wanted the police on my tail and it's just annoying to deal with at this point."
'Mmmh fast food. I'll make sure you get a better meal than mere scraps and pickings, perhaps a feast if we're lucky.'
The Creeper muses to himself before heading to his truck to ascend the steps and open the driver's side. He looks around the door with one foot on the steps to look at the stubborn female.
'Come on in, she don't bite. At least, unless I tell her too,'
He gives an impish grin that he knows Corbin could sense despite not really looking at him. Oh, but the Creeper knows how to "properly" motivate her.
'Or are ya scared that I'll show you up on proper hunting styles?'
Just as he predicted, the dark female goes completely still with the exception of an irritated flick from her tail, causing the ax-like end to give a high whistle as it cuts through the air making the warning clear.
'Shut up, vous sac de putain de merde I assure you that my centuries of not being a lazy lizard left me more than enough experience to get a leg up on you."
'It won't be just legs, but I'll hold you to your word if you can catch more prey than me by the end of the hunt.'
Then with a huff, Corbin marches toward the passenger side of BEATNGU, feeling more than seeing the male giving a cheeky grin. Despite the lack of words between them, they know that a challenge has been made between them. The Creeper jumps from his side to make his way to the other side to open the door for his mate. Corbin rolls her eyes and scoffs when he holds out a hand to help her up.
After she gets in her seat, Creeper just shrugs his shoulder before shutting the door and making his way to the driver's seat. The Creeper speaks as he turns on the engine by crossing the exposed wires from under the steering wheel together. The truck sputters before going silent a few times, once giving out a particularly nasty cough from the exhaust pipe that caused Corbin to jump silently in her seat; finally, does it turn on with a mighty rev that sounded close to a roar before it settles to a purr. Corbin reaches to her left for the usual seatbelt only to find nothing; she does the same for her right only to have the same result, that and no seat buckle.
"Where's the seatbelt?"
'I don't need any.'
She grasps the side of her seat with a death grip when the Creeper floors the accelerator, barreling through the long grass with reckless abandon. While he focused on the road ahead of them, Corbin privately thought to herself as her claws dig into the upholstery,
'Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! shit! shit! shit! shit!'
These words continue to act as a mantra as the Creeper swerves through trees left and right, with more agility and speed than should be normal for such a rusted truck. However, Corbin isn't so much focusing on car mechanics as she is on avoiding getting whiplash. It's easier said than done considering how the male creature seems to have no regard for road laws, as evident while playing chicken with a smaller pick-up truck by barreling on the wrong side of the road, only for the smaller truck to swerve out of the way at the last minute. The Creeper gives a wide grin as he leans over to the AC to inhale the unfortunate driver's fear.
'Mmmmhhh... No good pickins' here. Oh well.'
On the other hand, Corbin covers her ears as the sides of the two trucks briefly grind against each other; the sound of metal screeching sends chills to crawl down her spine from how it almost sounds like someone being tortured.
When they swerve around a corner Corbin nearly slams her head against the dashboard, her saving grace is her tail anchoring her to her seat. She wraps her tail around herself hard enough to leave some bruises on herself when the Creepers shifts gears and drives around another car, nearly bumping that one off the road as half its tires skid off the road and toward the long grass. What's not helped is that he bumps the side of his truck that Corbin's sitting at against the car.
"Where did you learn to drive, Mad Max!?"
'Nope.'
The Creeper calmly answers before weaving between two cars going in opposite directions, forcing them to part for his truck. Corbin shuts her eyes tight when some sparks start flying near her side of the window.
"Do you happen to have a pencil and paper?"
'Not at this second, why?'
"Because I will need to write my will in case I go out in a fiery explosion."
The Creeper gives out another dry laugh at his mate, who turns her head towards the blurred countryside.
'Yer not gonna die, that's not even possible like with the meats. Speaking of,'
He pauses to take in another deep whiff from the AC system.
Ah, that one was a nice an' juicy piece of meat there, wouldn't ya think?'
The Creeper turns his head towards Corbin, who's still looking out the window, barely able to make out her blank expression from the tinted window's reflection. Without a word, he gradually starts putting pressure on the brakes to a more leisurely 35 miles per hour speed, not taking his eyes off her. The inhuman woman doesn't give any warning when she opens the passenger's side door, despite the vehicle still being in motion. The Creeper doesn't stop her, given he expects her just to want fresh air. He knows she can catch herself.
The eldritch being is then proven wrong when Corbin limply falls out of the moving truck, not even putting out her arms to break her fall. The Creeper's jaw drops as he witnesses her tumbling against the road, deeply scrapping her face before she goes rolling off the road and into a nearby field. The Creeper slams the brakes just as he nearly crashes into a tree, stopping only a mere inch away from impact. His head slams on the steering wheel hard enough to cause some ringing in his ears, but this doesn't deter him from leaping out of his seat towards his mate.
Meanwhile, Corbin lay in the field, feeling like a stranger in her body. In the back of her mind, as she lay on her back to stare up at the blue sky, she comes to the conclusion of just how odd reality it is. Here she is, an immortal being that feeds on humans that also has survived countless wars, lying on the side of the road like some roadkill. It almost seems too unreal to be believed to the point, Hell, she's still staring at herself in disbelief.
'Why did I do that?'
Corbin asks herself but receives no answer. A large, shadowed figure then blocks the sky from her, but she barely pays any mind to it as her mind continues to wander.
"Ma'am? Ma'am! Ma'am! Oh Jesus, must've hit your head harder than expected."
She blinks as the figure comes into focus revealing a young man that appears to be of Latino descent with long brown hair in a low ponytail. His forehead glistens from both the panic on his face and the afternoon sun. Corbin apathetically watches the man set down his bulky backpack and start rummaging through it.
"Okay, okay, okay, I think I got some gauze here that should help then I'll call for an ambulance,"
The man shakily takes out said gauze along with some bandages, a bottle of water, and antibiotic cream.
"J-J-Just don't fall asleep!"
'I wonder why he isn't freaking out more.'
Corbin muses to herself, looking out the corner of her eye to see a blonde strand.
'Huh, so he thinks I'm human. Makes sense.'
She listens to the sound of the man dialing the number into his cellphone. It lets out a dull ring that resonates through the air, briefly drowning out the rustling of the grass, the birds' songs, and the empty silence within Corbin's head. She vaguely notices Creeper's imposing silhouette behind the man as he rambles into the phone. The man doesn't get a chance to report his location before the Creeper grabs the man by the head and twists it hard enough for his spine to rip through his skin.
Both the corpse and the phone drop to the ground, the latter the Creeper stomps beneath his boot before making his way over to Corbin. He then crouches down with his brows slightly furrowed in, what the inhuman couldn't believe, concern. The Creeper firsts lift his mate up into a sitting position, but he may as well have been moving a mannequin. He then snaps his finger in front of her face, which doesn't even make her blink. Finally, deciding this calls for desperate measure, he slaps her across the face.
The slap rings throughout the mostly empty highway, followed by a punch. The punch is courtesy of Corbin punching the Creeper in the face in retaliation. She gives a snarl as she glares at the male in front of her, who was rubbing at his jaw. He surmises that he may have a hairline fracture in the jawbone, nothing he can't shrug off; although he can't say the same for his mate's wrath.
"What the hell was that for?! When did we stop on the side of the road?"
Corbin looks at her surroundings in genuine confusion which is reciprocated by The Creeper who gives a slight tilt of his head.
'Don't ya remember opening the side door and droppin' out like a sack of meat?'
"Na, why would I?"
She raises a brow in confusion before touching the side of her face, pulling back her hand to find her black blood staining it. Now that she's all there, Corbin starts feeling the stinging from the side of her face. If she had a mirror, the inhuman woman would probably liken her face kinda resembling that character from the Batman cartoon. However, the Creeper isn't thinking the same thing since he never saw the show or any since televisions first became a thing.
'What's the last thing ya DO remember?'
He then gets up and drags the corpse over to Corbin, dropping in front of her.
'Here, you'll wanna be able to use all of yer jaw.'
His mate doesn't argue, nor question where the body came from, as she gets to slicing off a chunk of the man's face to repair her damaged skin. While she heals the immediate damage to her person, the Creeper heads to his truck to pull out some brown canvas sheets and rope, patiently waiting for his mate to finish. When Corbin finishes her light "snack" the male gets to wrap up the body while she explains herself.
"I do remember your horrible driving giving me a near heart attack,"
'Yer heart's fine though?'
Corbin gives a tired sigh as she pinches the bridge of her nose.
"It's just an expression, besides you are a horrendous driver. Where did you even learn to drive?"
'I taught myself.'
The Creeper couldn't help but preen in pride to which Corbin could only raise a brow at before shaking her head.
"I shouldn't be surprised. I remember that and tell you about writing a will before looking out the window. Then,"
Sparks fly as tanks shoot at their targets. When it lands, ash-colored sand flies everywhere, leaving only a crater. The air is filled with loud whistling noises as more and more canisters of bullets are shot into the air. Fire lights the early morning sky as paratroopers are gunned down in mid-air before they could even land, becoming mini balls of flame instead as they crash into the ocean. Its shore is stained red, perhaps forever, as soldiers' bodies, riddled with gunshot wounds, are piled on top of one another.
She's holding on to her fellow soldier, his face so dirty from sand and the blood of his comrades, that he's almost unrecognizable. At the sound of another high-pitched whistle, she looks up to see a cannonball coming at the both of them...
Corbin then shrugs her shoulders.
"Here I am, pissed with my fist meeting your face."
If the Creeper noticed the far-off look in his mate's eyes, he doesn't mention it nor does he pry. He knows if she wishes to talk about it, she will then. Corbin follows him back to his rusty truck, distrust, and distaste written clearly on her face. She stands off to the side as he tosses the corpse into the back of his truck.
"I hope you don't expect me to go back in that metal deathtrap."
'I don't, nor do I expect ya ever want to go back in. I regret encouragin' ya to go in, I didn't like seein' ya fall.'
Corbin blinks in surprise at the Creeper's genuine and legit regret she could feel around him. He briefly glances at her before huffing and looking away, not used to these emotions plaguing him. Appreciating his honesty, the inhuman woman decides to throw him a bone and leaps on to the top of the truck, making the Creeper look up in surprise.
"I don't feel like flying to find my next meal, so you'll have to be my ride. So get your head out of your ass"
The eldritch creature looks up with his eyes shining in amusement and the corner of his mouth twitching. If there's one thing the Creeper has to say he loves about his mate, it's her relentless tenacity.
'Will do, ma'am.'
"Call me ma'am again, and I'll make you one."
The Creeper lets out a dry chuckle before hopping back into his truck. He makes sure to start off slower than usual to give his mate ample time to get a grip on the top. As the Creeper drives past the countryside, he can't help but notice just how gorgeous the scenery actually is, which he usually doesn't pay much mind to due to the speed he travels.
'So beautiful...'
He muses before glancing briefly up where Corbin is standing. Said female is currently also appreciating the rolling planes and the clear skies, tilting her head up to enjoy the wind blowing through her mane which is like when she flies. Except for the truck's engine humming under her, in a more subdued manner than inside.
Hey guys! Sorry about the last chapter, but at least this one's more light-hearted huh? Tell me your thoughts on this, but only if it's constructive criticism I will accept. Just don't be harsh guys, this is a fanfic. Meaning none of this is canon. YES! another rewrite done! I hope y'all enjoy this edition and stay healthy mentally and physically. Stay weird, my fellow humans.