#city hunter pred

[aristobun]

amazons “ view in room “ feature is making me feral . this is 100% the boyo that i want to get . my mum has also offered to buy it for me because she wants it to be an early bday gift even though i’m an october baby haha but i’m not complaining ! the city hunter predator has the most gorgeous colouring ever , i love him .

[97keanu]

Premise: You were born a Slayer. It's in your blood, you've been trained to kill monsters your whole life. You have no mercy especially when it comes to Vampires, those blood sucking nightmares that lurk in the shadows. You've had no problems as a young Slayer so far, killing mostly young Vampires as well. That is until you meet John. He's so much more powerful than you, and he wants you for reasons he may not even understand. All John knows is that he's drawn to you, beyond even the sweetness of your blood. All you know is that he won't leave your dreams and you ache for his touch despite yourself. The strange connection between the two of you perplexes you both, and in a game of cat and mouse you end up more confused about your place as a Slayer than ever before...

With the help of some friendly faces, you can conquer anything.

Tags/CW: KEANUVERSE (multiple keanu characters in one), Vampire!John Wick, Slayer!Reader, enemies to ???, hunted/hunter dynamics, prey/pred dynamics, age gap (21/???), dubcon, power dynamics, John Constantine is your best slayer friend, asshole!Constantine, protective!Constantine, love triangle?, roommate!Ted Logan, himbo!Ted, sensitive!Ted, Best Friend!Ted, childhood friends ted Logan x you, loser!neo, witchy!neo, past lives, reincarnation troupes, part one.

Author's Note: That's it. We're doing it, folks. Full Top 5 Keanuverse supernatural AU. We got Vampire!John Wick, Slayer!Constantine, Roommate and ???!Ted Logan, Demon!Kevin, and last but not least, Hacker!Neo to help you along the way. This is the Halloween 2023 finale of the ages. Hope to see you all there ʚ♥︎ɞ

You could sense it. You knew you were being hunted. That's what made you different from all the other humans that walked this city alone at night, like helpless sheep or cattle grazing about from one place to the next. Instead, the hair on your neck raised, the tingle on your back reverberated throughout your body, and you could feel the cold stare like two little pin pricks on your shoulder blades. A vampire was hunting you.

You know not to fret, not to show any sign that you know it's back there, the monster that seeks you out. No, you must play pretend, act as if you're no different from the other humans that walk sporadically alongside you on this chilled October night. The leaves play along, rustling with your step, crunching despite the fact that you know, if you really wanted, you could walk as silently as the night. You let your body stay fluid and calm, walking and looking ahead towards your destination, an alleyway. You turn into it, and you feel the coldness spread across your shoulders, knowing the vampire is nearer than ever before. You slide your hand into your leather jacket, pulling out your wooden stake and turning, aimed and ready.

You see him, the monster that's hunted you. He's older, at least by his human looking age, but you have no idea how old he may be in vampire years. He wears a black on black suit, and his eyes gleam red at you. You can see the bloodlust in his eyes, and by the lack of surprise at your stake, he must have known you were a Slayer. You lower your stance, ready for his attack, but he looks at you with intrigue.

"I have never smelled a Slayer so...delectable..." His voice is deep, husky and mature.

He raises an eyebrow at you while you grit your teeth at his comment, clearly taking this much more seriously than his nonchalance.

"Too bad you won't get a taste." You chide, trying to make your own voice sound as in control and threatening as his.

You watch as your breath materializes in the cold of the night, while the Vampire across from you shows no such signs. The moments tick by as you consider what to do, questioning if you should strike first, but knowing that's what he wants.

"Go ahead, Slayer, take your best shot..." He tempts you, and your body stiffens, rigid and ready to strike.

"You first," you throw back.

"If you insist..." The Vampire replies.

Before you can say any other snide comments, he's dashed forward, so fast you can barely detect it. You let out an aggravated breath and launch back, away from what's chasing you. The Vampire laughs and before you can fight him off, he's grabbed your neck, pressing you into the brick wall of the alley.

"I like a woman who tells me what she wants..." He whispers into your ears, a deep chuckle resonating.

The feeling of his cold breath across your neck sends chills down your body, you feel as if it's just you and this creature, your vision tunneling to the two of you. The way your throat is being held sends butterflies to your stomach, and you squirm in his grip. You usually aren't defeated so quickly. He must be very old, and very powerful, that much is evidenced by how fast he was able to move and pin you. You can't believe you underestimated him. You hope you won't pay for it.

"What are you waiting for..." You grimace, knowing the Vampire is so close to your neck, but making no move to bite.

Your only hope now is that if he does bite you, maybe he'll be distracted enough by your taste for you to use the stake you still grip in your hand. Your hand hurts from how tightly you're holding it.

"I like to play with my prey, dear..." You hear his deep voice answer finally, a cold hand stroking the side of your cheek. You flinch away, but he keeps going, looking deeply into your eyes.

"Why don't you just submit to me..." his voice is smooth like velvet now, his red eyes mesmerizing.

Slayers are harder to hypnotize than regular humans, but with a vampire this powerful, you feel his mind probing yours, dancing along the outside, looking for a way in. You've trained enough to know how to keep your mind locked, but your stomach turns while you squirm, wondering if it's enough. You're young for a Slayer, only just turned 21, and you're certain a Vampire this old will use any trick he has picked up over the years against you. You turn your head, trying to look away from that sultry red gaze. Your heart quickens and your breath gets away from you.

"I love it when they resist...it makes it that much more entertaining." He keeps your head in place, a grip on your chin now, stopping you from looking away.

You shake, your body frightened, unable to control the fear that courses through your veins right now. You can't believe you were stupid enough to let this happen. You try to keep your eyes away from his, but the world behind him darkens until there's nothing but him holding you to anything. You feel as if the universe has floated away, and the creature before you is your only hope to stay grounded. You blink as much as you can, trying to get away, but it's happening, he's found a way in. He begins to flood your mind, and you want to scream when you sense what he's doing to you.

"I want you to like this as much as me..." His voice is no longer coming from his mouth, instead directly surfacing in your mind.

The Vampire tightens his grip on your throat just so, in the perfect way, and you can't stop the moan that escapes your mouth.

"I can tell every little thing that turns you on...so predictable for a human such as yourself to want to be dominated. I don't know why you resist so much when even your most basic instincts want this..." You want to thrash against him, yell out, spit in his face if you could.

Instead, you find yourself growing wetter between your legs as the Vampires hands move to roam your body. One draws all the way down your neck to your breast, sizing them up and enjoying the feel of them. Another moan escapes you, floating up into the night air quietly. The worst part was, somewhere deep down, you knew you have craved to be touched like this. You fight the thought, you hate that he can hear them, and you hope with anger that he knows it was never a monster that you wanted to be touched by.

"So busy, learning how to kill creatures like me, never having any time to make the connections necessary to get this far with anyone else." He teases you, a smile showing just how large his fangs have grown.

His long, dark hair tousled by the chilly night breeze, he and the night are both uncaring for your torment. You hate how hot your body becomes from his freezing touch. You can only melt there, like liquid in his grasp, whining out as he touches you more and more. You feel a hand snake between your thighs, and your eyes waiver from how good it feels.

"Submit, and I will make this all be over..." The voice commands, asking so perfectly you consider agreeing. The vampire's mouth opens, fangs inhumanly long, claws wrapped around your neck, eyes glowing red, hungry for you.

Just as you're on the verge of it all, the edge looking so comforting to jump from, you hear a voice call out. A tiny voice, that of a child talking to their mother.

"Mommy! Look! A monster!" The child has spotted the vampire, and as you look to see the creature's reaction, you see that there's no one holding you to the wall anymore. All presence of the Vampire is gone, only the shadowy memory of his grip on your mind remains.

"That's not very nice to say about her." The woman responds to her child after seeing you in the alleyway, still a bit dazed.

The woman ushers the child along, and disappears, onto her own life. You try to regain your body. The world is becoming brighter and bigger all at once, and the feeling makes your stomach sick. You feel the vertigo from the experience wash over you, but you know you have to keep going before he comes back. You stumble forward, each step becoming more controlled until you're breaking out into a run towards your apartment, mind not thinking over if that's a good idea or not. You head inside feeling more lost than ever about what's happened.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

"I don't know, it's like nothing I've ever faced before..." You whisper across the coffee table, not wanting to admit your defeat tonight.

Your confidant about the slayer world, Constantine, sips his black coffee thoughtfully. He's the only other person in this new city you moved to that you know you can trust with such things. Unfortunately, he had a tendency to be an asshole as well.

"I don't know why you would go into that alley by yourself," he chides. "You should have called me at least..."

He adds the last part, and you remember that as much as he can be a dick about things, he also tends to be quite protective of you, in his own way.

"I know, I just..." You pause, looking for the right words. "I didn't think it would be such a powerful Vampire, I haven't seen one in the city since..."

You begin to speak, but the words fall in the air.

"Since," Constantine finishes. "Since the night we met..."

It was a disaster. You ended up accidentally messing up Constantine's biggest kill of his career. He has hunted the Old One for almost a year before you decided to move, and here you are, waltzing in at the wrong time. Constantine had to choose between saving you, a Slayer who was a stranger to him, or finally finishing off what he had started.

You owed him big time.

"Well, in the spirit of not having it end like last time, maybe you better let me take over the case." He says sarcastically, his voice gruff to try to get his way.

"I prefer it if we work on it together..." You admit.

"And you get your ass almost chewed up and spit out again? I don't think so." He scoffs.

"I doubt he will stop hunting me, you could even use me as bait if you really wanted." You were always great with coming up with ideas, but acting on them was a different matter.

"Hm..." Constantine thinks for a moment. "We'll see about that one."

He stands, walking over to your kitchen, which was basically in your living room of the tiny apartment, and pouring out his cup in your sink. He walks towards the door and grabs his long black trench coat, getting it on.

"I'll look into this vampire, see if I can't get a read on who he is in the monster world." Constantine says.

"I want you to make sure you stay inside tonight though." he continues, then looks at you before leaving. "And please, next time give me a call if something like that is going on."

He leaves before you can respond, and soon enough you're left all alone in your tiny apartment.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

You toss and turn in bed all night, sweaty despite the cold October air slipping through your bedroom window. You try to sleep, but every time that darkness takes you, you dream of red eyes. Red eyes that hunger for you, sharp teeth that desire your flesh, you feel as if you're on fire from the touch of such cold hands.

You wake once more with a jolt as you dream of those fangs piercing your tender neck. As you look about your dark bedroom, eyes unfocused, your breath seizes in your throat as you think you see him. That long hair, well kept beard, tempting eyes. You blink, rubbing sleep from your tired eyes, and when you look to the corner of your dark room, nothing is to be found. You think for a moment, and wonder if that gust of cold air was just the wind, or...?

You shake your head, trying not to be silly, and slipping from your damp from sweat sheets. You check the clock, and can hardly believe it's only half past 4 a.m.

Your bare feet pad across the cold wood floors of your apartment, and as you flick on the light in the living room, you hear the front door jingling.

You immediately feel your heart pick up, and you search the room for something to defend yourself with. You settle on a giant encyclopedia you keep on the bookshelf, wielding it and hiding just out of sight as the door opens.

As the intruder rounds the corner, you take them by surprise, your hands clutching the book and aiming for the head. You let out a yell as you go, and the intruder yells back, hands already out and grabbing the book from yours.

"Jeez! What's gotten into you?" You hear the familiar voice of your roommate, Ted.

You stare at him, the sleepless fogginess of your head starting to clear as you see him. You could cry after the night you've had, and Ted can tell just from looking at you. He takes the book, gently and softly, and places it on a nearby table. Then he slowly, ready for you to say no at any time, wraps two big arms around you, his sweatshirt soft and comfortable, his warmth radiating.

"I'm so sorry, Ted..." Your voice quivers and tears begin to flow from the stress and how kindly Ted is treating you after almost bashing him.

"Shh..." His voice is deep, soothing. "It's okay. You don't have to talk right now."

And you don't. You let Ted lead you to the couch, settling into him and his musky scent. You have always been able to count on him, even though he knows nothing about the slayer world you live in. He's been your best friend since forever, meeting you as children in school. He is no stranger for being a shoulder to cry on, and he never expects anything in return besides your own support and friendship. That's what you've always loved about him.

And now, you're glad for his presence more than ever. For some reason, despite Ted being only human, you feel so safe in his strong arms. You always have.

Ted relaxes you, petting your back and hair softly. He puts on your favorite movie, knowing it by heart by now, and let's you slowly drift back to sleep while laying on his chest. Listening to his deep, rhythmic breathing soothes you more than you knew you needed it. You fall back into a dreamless sleep, no nightmares of fangs or flesh to be found, and you are grateful.

You don't know when, but sometime near sunrise, Ted gently picks you up, taking you back to your room, and tucking you in. You sleep well despite how late in the day it's gotten.

When you awake, it's well past noon, and you groan, stretching and shaking off the deep sleep. Your body thanks you for taking it slow this morning, or afternoon really, and you once again pad back out to the kitchen. This time with less nightmare fueled stress.

When you do, Ted is eating the largest bowl of cereal you can imagine out of a mixing bowl. When he sees you, he grins, trying to swallow his mouthful of Reese's Puffs.

"Hey, Sunshine!" He greets you using the nickname he gave you as a kid.

"Morning, Moonbeam..." You reply with a yawn and another stretch you didn't know you had in you.

You feel better in Ted's presence, even now. You shine his goofy smile right back at him and hop up on the counter next to him.

"So, any plans for the day?" Ted asks, still housing his bowl of cereal.

"Not really, taking it easy I guess." You lie, knowing that in reality, you have to prepare after last nights attack, but Ted can't know that. Even if you wish he could...

"Sounds like a plan! Me and Bill are going down to the arcade later if you want to join!" He always offers to let you get in on his "bro time" with Bill. Sometimes you accept, but you have a lot of work to do today.

"You guys go on ahead, I think I need to recoup after last night." Ted nods, and you know he won't ask, but you can tell he's curious about what happened. You keep your mouth closed, instead hopping off the counter to start some coffee.

The two of you enjoy the rest of breakfast talking about normal topics, like how Ted is ready to finally get that high score in Tetris. You enjoy being able to talk about such things with someone, it makes you feel normal again, if only for a few moments.

Soon enough, a knock comes to the door, and you jump, despite yourself. Ted looks at you with a sympathetic smile, and starts off to the door.

"I'll get it, Sunshine..." Ted says softly as he walks by you.

You know immediately as the door opens, it's Bill. The two boys woop and woof at each other, practically barking like dogs as they amp each other up to finally win at this or that game. Ted bounces back into the kitchen, grabbing his keys as he does.

"You call me and let me know if you need anything, okay?" Ted says, waiting for you to nod, then smiles and says his goodbyes before excitedly heading out with Bill.

You can hear them bolting and howling down the hall until the sound fades away to silence.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

You've spent the rest of the day trying to find anything to keep your mind off of the vampire and what he might be doing right about now. You would say sleeping, as the day wanes on still. It's hard to imagine such an evil creature could sleep, though. You watch out the window as the sky turns to orange, the fall season setting the sun so early now. Orange turns to pink, and then purple, and before you know it, darkness has set upon the world once again.

You hate waiting around. You feel restless, and as you pace your apartment, you begin to feel strange. Your body feels so different, as if it's not even your own. You decide to go to the bathroom, flicking on the yellow light, and walking before the mirror over your sink.

You catch sight of your face, and how gaunt and thin it looks. It's you, you know that's you looking back at yourself. On a deeper level, you know that's just not true. You feel so confused, and reach up to touch your face when you see the other woman in the mirror move.

You stumble back, and as you do, she mouths something at you. You can't quite catch what she's trying to tell you, but you think you see her say, "Help him..."

You rush from the bathroom, and your eyes try to stay away from anything reflective.

You call Constantine, even as your stomach clenches from the idea.

"What?" His voice answers and you feel the strangeness start to subside.

"I just...I thought I saw something." You blurt out, not knowing what to say, or how to explain.

"Saw what? The vampire?" He asks, and the concern is obvious in his voice.

"No, not him..." You bite your lip, holding the phone to your head with a grip, your body curling up into the couch. "I thought I saw...well, it doesn't matter."

"Alright, well, I'm still working on figuring this all out, I'll be back over when I can." You can tell he's trying to be reassuring, but it's not really helping.

"It's okay...I think," you pause on what you want to say next, feeling conflicted inside. "I think I just needed to hear your voice..."

Constantine's line is silent for a moment, then he speaks.

"I'm glad it helped then. I'll be back soon." He seems genuinely surprised by your comment, but happy to have made things easier on you either way.

You hang up, and sit there on the couch, dazed and unsure of what to do with yourself. Eventually, you turn on some television, and find yourself falling asleep, despite how hard you try to keep your eyes open.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

You don't know when it started, but you're walking, moving with your eyes closed, and your body finding it's way towards the door of your balcony. You want to wake up, will yourself to stop, but you continue, and the hold on your mind is such an iron grip that you know you're too weak to stop it. You can only just barely open your eyes, seeing through your long lashes as you unlock the balcony door, the wind picking up and opening it.

Outside, in the night, he stands there, looking for you.

The vampire is on your balcony now, his dark hair whipping in the wind. He wears his dark suit, and he reaches out a gloved hand to you. You want to run from him, but your body betrays you. You come closer as he coaxes you with two fingers. It's as if something else has taken over your mind, and is making the decision to go forward for you. You hate how helpless you feel, as if your own body is just a shell that you're residing in. As you get closer you can see him clearly standing there, as if he was some sort of prince of the night, coming to rescue his fair Juliet.

You feel his arms snake around your waist, bringing you in. He smells of pine and metal, a smoky scent mixed somewhere in the middle. The one holding your mind swoons for the smell, and you can't help but feel enchanted as well. You find your body leaning into his, holding on as if he could be your salvation.

But when you look up into those red eyes of his, you know you have everything to fear in his presence.

"My sweet...have you returned to me?" His voice is tender, but he looks at you hungrily.

You open your mouth to say something, and what comes out is not your voice, not your words.

"Yes, my love..."

The vampire grins, and you feel as if the spider has truly captured the fly, unable to unweave yourself from his web.

As you try to will yourself to wake up, wake up, wake up...

John dips you lower, moving your hair from your neck, and his fangs baring sweetly.

"And now, we shall never be apart again..." His eyes look deeply into yours, and it feels as if he's speaking to your very soul. You gasp and he leans in, dragging his teeth across the sensitive flesh of your neck.

Just as he's prepared to bite, you jolt awake. You're still on the couch, the TV still running, and you try to find your bearings. You have no idea how it felt so real, how you felt like a prisoner of your own mind. You tell yourself it was just a dream, but you're scared to fall back asleep at this point, despite being so exhausted by the whole situation.

You look about the room, still feeling so watched, and see that the balcony door is ajar, just slightly, letting the cool breeze in.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

You hear a knock at the door. You stand cautiously, and carefully tiptoe to see who's there through the peephole.

It's Constantine, standing in his usual dark trench coat and suit, finishing the end of a cigarette.

"I know you're there, let me in already." He grumbles, and you remember that he's a much older, more trained Slayer than you.

You sigh, your small piece of a normal morning fading away as you unlock the door.

"Good morning, Constantine." You say with a smile, and he stops and takes a long look at you.

"Rough night, huh?" He assesses then, without waiting for you, barges into your apartment. Typical.

"Oh yes! Please after you!" You say sarcastically past the fact, rolling your eyes.

"We have a lot of work to do, and you're still in your pajamas. Please save the sarcasm for someone who's not helping your sorry ass, Princess." He throws the last word at you, a nickname he's been using on you to your great displeasure.

"Fine," you grumble under your breath, your arms folding across your chest. "What have you got for me?"

"So," Constantine starts, already in your kitchen and helping himself to his own black coffee. "I talked to Neo and he got me some info on the vampire who wants to take a bite out of you."

Constantine says the last part as he sips on his drink, obvious now that he's as tired as you.

"And?" You sit in the living room and Constantine joins you before continuing.

"And you're lucky to have made it back with your skin, Princess." he scoffs.

"That bad?" You look at him with sheepish dread.

"You seem to have drawn the attention of John Wick. A vampire they nicknamed Baba Yaga, or The Boogeyman." You feel a chill run through you at the name, Constantine continues.

"Looks like this vampire is pretty old. Almost getting near a 1000 years if our research was right. We looked into what people are saying about him, and it seems he is an overly skilled hunter, usually working as an assassin within the vampire hierarchy. What he wants with you, I have no clue." Constantine takes another deep sip as you digest what he's told you.

"So why call him the Baba-? What was it again?"

"Baba Yaga, it's Russian." Constantine interjects.

"Yeah, Baba whatever, Boogeyman and all that."

"Because besides being a nightmare to fuck with," Constantine starts with a scoff. "He also is highly skilled in mind manipulation, particularly dreams."

That explained the dreams you've been having lately, at least. The fact that he can so easily manipulate your mind makes your stomach churn. You stay quiet for a moment, contemplating all this new information. You're happy you had a light breakfast, your stomach now turning at the thought of how easily you could have died last night. It sours more as you think about what Constantine has told you.

"So...." You start, afraid to speak it.

"So, is he after you?" Constantine speaks it for you, and you nod, afraid to know the answer.

Constantine's face drops a little, concern sullying it.

"I'm afraid so. It looks like whatever this vampire begins hunting, he has a near perfect track record of obtaining." His voice is deeper, softer, lacking any sarcasm or wit that he usually holds. You watch as he swallows hard, looking at you with pity.

"What, you're already giving up on me?" You say with dismay at his attitude. You've never known him to be one to act like this.

"No! Of course not!" He seems to try to snap out of the somber tone. "But, it's not going to be easy. We will have to think up a perfect way to either kill him or at least get him to stop hunting you."

"How do we know he's still hunting me now?" You blurt out, wanting this to already be over.

"I could smell the scent of him even a block away. He's been patrolling your apartment all night." Your stomach drops. You can't believe you didn't pick that up. What lousy Slayer skills you have in comparison, you're suddenly very grateful to have Constantine on your side. Even if he is an asshole most of the time.

"Right. So...what do we do?" It's the only thing to say at this point.

"First off, I don't want you anywhere at night alone, you got that?" You can tell Constantine is going into protector mode as he talks, his voice stern and his face gravely serious. You nod.

"Second, Neo gave me some runes and tools to try out. From his research, it seems that these should work for warding off vampires and evil presences. We'll start with that today, then head over to his place to do some more research." You feel better knowing Constantine has this planned out.

You trust him enough to keep you safe, especially since his saving of your life is what your whole relationship is built on.

You two get started, etching runes and sigils in the wood work of the doorframes and floors. You pass smoldering herbs around the apartment, and take the time to say all the Latin spell work correctly. By the time you're done, the house smells wonderful and you feel a bit more at ease.

You change into a more acceptable outfit for a Slayer, consisting of thick blue jeans, and your signature black leather jacket. Your jacket, of course, has all you will need should you encounter another vampire. You made sure to packet properly this time. You hope you won't need to use it.

As soon as you're ready, Constantine takes you to Neo's place.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Apartment wasn't really a good word to describe Neo's place. It was more of a hovel. It was cramped, and placed in the sub sub-basement of a real apartment complex. You were half sure it was only there for storage and somehow Neo had taken up residency without anyone's knowledge. He had it packed with computers and tech, the other half scribbled with sigils and runes across the walls. It was somewhere between a witchy tarot shop, and a one man internet cafe. The lights from his computer displays cast a neon green glow across the cramped hole, and you had to watch for stacks of old tomes as you walked in behind Constantine.

Like Constantine, Neo loved cigarettes, one hanging out of his mouth, one behind his ear at the ready. He leaned back in his computer chair, looking at the two of you with deep bags under his eyes but a grin on his face. He looked like he needed a month's worth of sleep and a clean shave at the very least, his stubble's shadow well past 5 o'clock.

"Hello, hello, my Slayer friends...what brings you here this afternoon..." He yawns between a few words, stretching and standing from his chair to greet you.

"Same as last night." Constantine says gruffly, he's never really had the time for Neo's antics.

"Ah, yes. Baba Yaga..." He says with fake fright of the name. "What do you wish to know?"

"How to get rid of him!" You speak up, more than ready to find a solution to all of this.

"Hmm...and what do you mean by that? You want to know how to kill him? Stake through his heart, you know that much, Slayer." He chides you and makes a 'tutting' noise.

Constantine slams a hand down on his desk.

"You know what she means, now what else have you found out about the bastard? I didn't pay you to work all night for nothing." He growls, but keeps his teeth at bay. He's not ready to get completely on Neo's bad side.

"Alright, alright." Neo lifts his hands up in defense, and continues. "I found only one other slayer who had come in contact with him and lived."

"And..?" You don't think your eyes could get bigger, you look at Neo with such hope for a good answer.

"And...they're dead now. Not from John Wick however, natural causes..." Neo gives the bad news with sympathy.

"Great, so you've learned nothing." Constantine grumbles and takes out his own cigarette to anxiously and stoically light.

"Not nothing." Neo informs. "I think from my research I may have found some field notes about the encounter. It seems that Wick had hunted this slayer, but was finally deterred from killing them. I have no clue how, but supposedly I know a guy who might just have that journal. It seems the other Slayer was really big on keeping notes, thank god..."

Constantine seems to have simmered down with that reveal, blowing out a long held puff of smoke.

"Alright, so who's got the notes?" You ask, once again starting to feel hopeful about the whole situation.

"Kevin Lomax." As soon as Neo utters the name, Constantine is swearing again.

"Not goddamn Kevin fucking Lomax..." He grumbles as he begins to put on his trenchcoat.

"You know the guy?" You ask quizzically.

"Know him? I've tried to slay his demon ass for the past ten years. Fucker always gets the better of me..." He's already headed out the door, tossing Neo a money clip as he goes.

"Hey! Wait up!" You say, quickly headed for him as he continues to curse this Kevin Lomax character under his breath.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Midnight's bar was somewhere Constantine has banned you from, both verbally and with the bouncer. You'd tried before to go and found yourself more than embarrassed when the bouncer laughed at you. Constantine scolded you, telling you it was no place for a slayer so young. You knew this is where the best tips came from though, and were eager to get a look inside.

As Constantine walked up to the bouncer, he held a card, not facing the two of you. Constantine clearly spoke what was on the other side of the card, he was so much better than you at using his slayer powers. When the bouncer tried to stop you at the door, Constantine stepped in.

"She's with me."

"Alright, you sure she's ready to head in there?" He asked, looking you up and down with a face of disbelief.

"She's going to have to be, no other choice..." Constantine said simply, and the bouncer nodded, on to better things.

The bar was seedier than you imagined. You walked in, and saw so many different types of supernatural's mingling. You were surprised that they were allowed to coexist here. You spotted demons, horns and tails all out in the open, greedily drinking at the bar. Angel's sat next to them, soft feathery wings flapping gently as they spoke. Vampire's danced and a few turned to look at you, smelling the air as you walked in.

"Is it safe for me to be here...?" You asked, now seeing why Constantine didn't want you to come earlier.

"There is a strict rule of peace here. That doesn't mean a demon or a vampire couldn't tempt you into saying 'yes' to whatever sick ideas they cook up." He says over his shoulder at you as he walks.

"So if they say yes..." You say as you eye a vampire slowly draining a young angel in a dark corner of the bar.

"Then you're free game." Constantine says with distaste for the sight you're looking at.

"Oh..." You say nothing else and follow him into a back room.

He goes through velvet doorways until he comes to one with the words "Mr. Lomax" printed on them in gold. It must be his office.

Constantine pounds on the door.

When it opens, you're surprised to see that the demon is younger, maybe early thirties by his look. He's well dressed, a black, expensive looking suit with snake skin cowboy boots as well. He smiles widely, a toothpick hanging out of his mouth.

"Well, howdy there Constantine, come for another round?" His speech is filled with a southern drawl, the sound warm and full. He seems cocky, especially with how he meets Constantine.

"Not now, Lomax." Constantine seems put out by the demon. "I've come to ask you a favor."

"A favor! Out of my dear old slayer friend? From little ol' me? Why...I never!" He sure was dramatic. He really was ready to make this hard on Constantine.

"It's not for me, it's for her." Constantine nods to you, and you see the demon's eyes run across your body. You shiver as your mind finds itself fantasizing about what's under that suit of his, then shake it off, knowing his black eyes are making the thoughts dance around in your pretty little head.

"Well, anything for a pretty woman such as yourself, darlin'..." He winks and let's the two of you into his office.

It's black, with shades of brown and red sometimes making it into the design. Gold accents any metal and you get the sense Mr. Lomax enjoys the finer things in life. You sit down next to Constantine in chairs across the desk. The demon props those cowboy boots up on the desk and leans back in his chair, hands behind his head.

"Well, what can Mr. Lomax do for you?" He says, seeming relaxed and cocky.

"We have the need for a journal. I know you love collecting different magical items, and I heard you might have it." Constantine speaks as if he's playing a game of poker with the other man, never quite letting him see everything.

"And what journal might that be?" Mr. Lomax raises an eyebrow and chews thoughtfully on his toothpick.

"That of a slayer who had an encounter with John Wick." Constantine says carefully, unsure if he is giving away too much.

"Please tell me you haven't gotten mixed up with thee John Wick, Constantine..." The demon sits up, taking his feet off the desk and leaning in with concern. He puts the toothpick down in a nearby golden ashtray.

"We just need the journal." Constantine tries not to get off topic.

The demon then looks at you, and looks back at Constantine, then doubles back to you. A grin swipes across his face. He slaps his knee and laughs.

"Don't tell me...SHE'S got John's attention!" Kevin laughs and Constantine says nothing. "She DOES! Oh my..."

Mr. Lomax looks at you with pity.

"Oh, dear. You've barked up the wrong tree, one that you can't even see what lurks at the top, haven't you?" He scans your face with interest. "Of course Wick is after you, you look just like her..."

He says the last part softly then sighs. Constantine seems to be getting irritated by the whole thing.

"Look, we need the book. That's all. Not your commentary." Constantine's words are pointed.

"Constantine...you'll need more help than just a book. Let me see what I can do for you." Suddenly, the devilish man is much softer as he speaks.

He picks up his phone and rings for someone, then when they answer, asks for the journal to be brought. He sets the phone down carefully and looks at the two of you with concern.

"It won't be easy, what you're going to need to do, darlin'..." He addresses you again, his hands neatly folded on the dark, wooden desk.

"And what is that...?" You say with confusion, glancing at Constantine for help, but he's lighting another cigarette angrily.

"Well, you'll have to find his soft spot. But doing that to someone like John Wick is no easy task." He seems to be trying to gently tell you.

"What are you on about? Just get it out!" You've become fed up with the games and running about. You want to know how to defeat John Wick and now!

"Well, my dear...You'll have to seduce him." He says plainly with a sigh, as if there's no other answer.

"SEDUCE him? What kind of advice is that!" you spit, throwing your hands in the air. "Oh yes, let me go ahead and seduce thee Baba Yaga!"

You say the last part with sarcasm that could rival Constantine's, and they both look at each other before Constantine sighs.

"I was afraid this might happen..." He starts, smoke slipping out of his lips slowly.

"What!" You look at him with fury, your face reddening. "You're kidding me, you knew??"

"When I found out it was John Wick, and he had let you go...well, I had heard of this happening before, but only under one circumstance." Constantine says, his voice regretful from not confiding in you sooner.

"And that is?" You growl back at him, still so confused and angry.

Before he can respond, there is a knock at the door, and Mr. Lomax gets up to answer. A young woman hands him a book and he thanks her with a smile. He turns back to you two, holding up the book.

"This might answer your question... It's the diary of Elena, a once fellow slayer..." He says, holding out the book to you. "Flip until you find the photos..."

You do so and you heart drops. You look up at the two men, more confused than ever before, staring back down at the picture when they offer you nothing. What you see is, well, yourself.

That is to say, if you had been photographed in the late 1800s. And when you turn the page, there you are again, in a different decade. It continued on, until the last one, in the 90s. It could have been your mother, or a sister you didn't know you had, the women all looked so close to you. But you had never seen any of them in your life. What was this supposed to mean?

"I don't..." You start, then look up again to see the pity in both men's eyes, Constantine's more than just pitiful, but frightened as well.

"Do you believe in reincarnation, darlin'?" Mr. Lomax speaks, being able to break the news to you better than Constantine could ever.

"You've got to be kidding!" You say, standing without realizing it, completely in disbelief.

"Afraid not..." Mr. Lomax clears his throat before continuing. "You see, John Wick once took a wife. Her name was Helen. They lived a life of happiness, or so I've heard. That was until she was taken from him."

"And then what? She's just been reincarnating since?" You still can't believe what's being shared with you, and Constantine stands to steady you, your body shaking without realizing.

"Yes..." Constantine's rough voice whispers next to you. "And now that he's found you again, he won't let up until he has you..."

"But why would he want to harm me if that's true?" You say softly, looking back down at the photographs.

"A life of eternal pain and damnation can drive a man mad..." Mr. Lomax begins. "Believe me, I know."

You feel yourself sinking into Constantine deeper as the reality of all of this hits you harder. His body is lean, and chillier than you expected. He wraps an arm around your waist and holds you up.

"So, you're serious then. I have to seduce him and find his weak spot..." You whisper to no one in particular, your thoughts running from your mouth.

"If you need any help figuring out how to seduce a man, I am always at your service..." Kevin smiles and winks once more and Constantine shoots him a glare that could kill.

"Thank you for your help, but we will be on our way." Constantine said through gritted teeth as his hands moved to your shoulders to guide you out.

"Suit yourself! You were more than welcome to join in, Connie!" Kevin calls from his desk, once again alluding his incubus tendencies.

You two are already out the door however, and Constantine is grumbling about how he could kill "that idiot" in a heartbeat. You vaguely wonder about their history, but are more preoccupied with your place in all this.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Constantine drops you back off at your apartment, and of course, goes off on his own to try and figure all of this out. You're not surprised he thinks you're too fragile to bring with him, but you wish he would let you handle your own fate a bit more. You also wish he wouldn't leave you alone right now when you need him so much. You wish you could tell him how deeply you feel for him, and how safe he makes you feel, but that's not something you think you can talk about with him. You're scared, and worst of all, you're scared if you show it too much and lean too heavy on him, Constantine might just run off. You know in your heart it's unlikely, but any attempt you'd made in the past to get close to him than the arms length he keeps you at, has been met with a frosty nature.

You sigh, trying to get your mind off Constantine.

You end up at your computer desk, your desk lamp illuminating the journal, and you begin to look into what Elena may be able to tell you...

"October 24th, 1992.

My heart is beating so fast, even now, as I write this. I know what I am doing is wrong, but John is irresistible. That man, no monster, has overtaken my mind, body, and soul. I feel such a deep connection with him, and I know Slayer's are not to mingle with the creatures they're supposed to kill, but how could I not?

He floods my mind, even when I sleep, and I dream of being her once more. The real Helen, the Helen that John originally fell in love with. That's the only reason he continues to torment me as such. If only there were a way to exorcise her spirit from my body, or split our souls from one another. I wonder still, if he would have nothing to do with me after, or if he can truly love the me I really am..."

You feel chills run down your spine. You wonder if Helen had the right idea. Are you two souls fused as one? Or are you simply Helen's soul that has forgotten where she came from? You wonder if Neo would be able to help with this at all, but read on nonetheless.

" October 27th, 1992.

My worst fears have come true. John feels for me, my soul, my mind, nothing. He only desires to break into my mind to restore his former love, Helen, into me. I feel so used. But I still feel love for him all the same and it hurts even more to know this. I need to talk to someone who knows about all this past life stuff, then maybe I can find my answers.

Either way, he beckons me, every night polluting my dreams with promises of love that I know are not true.

I need to speak with Helen. "

You wonder if John plans the same with you, and you feel sick. How easy it has been for him to play with you. And you have done nothing to stop it.

You go to the last entry.

"October 31th, 1992.

I held a mirror in front of the candle, just like the old witch informed me to do. I watched as the light flickered over my face, and finished the incantation she had told me. What I saw frightened me to my core. I saw my face change, subtly, then all at once I was someone else. Someone who was breathing different breaths, and thinking different thoughts. I called out to her, and asked her what she wanted from me.

She said "Do not be led into temptation, for my husband's heart hath grown wicked with grief and time. Save him, or save yourself. You cannot do both in this lifetime..."

I chose to save myself."

You stare at the page, then reread it to make sure you've truly understand what's being said. You wonder what she could have meant, and something deep inside of you stirs, it already knows.

You must decide the same for yourself.

Your curtains flutter at your window, and you feel a pull in your heart. You walk slowly over, peeking out into the cold night, and you know he's calling you. He can feel it, the part of you that's awakening after so long. And he wants you all the more for it. You gaze out into the darkness, and think you see the shape of him, of glowing red eyes that watch you with a thirst that's been building for ages. When you look deeper, you can only see shadows, and John's presence in your mind fades and dulls, but doesn't vanish.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

That night, you dream of him. His hands are on your body, but they don't take from you. They touch you softly, sweetly, and when you moan, it is in her voice. You see the memory, and see how different John used to be. His face holds no darkness, only love, and he whispers such sweet things to you as he kisses up your body. You don't feel the terror in your flesh as you did the night you met him. Instead you feel a love that seals up that hole inside of you. You've been searching for this your whole life. That's why you never ended up with anyone else, you couldn't. Not when half of your heart was taken by another. Not when her half of you will always be in love with John.

You dream of tenderness and light filled touches, and when you awaken, you feel so confused on what you're supposed to do.

You know John Wick is not going to go back to that, not easily at least.

And a part of you feels guilty for how much you wanted that feeling, that feeling of being so wanted and loved by John, when you know you also love another. You lay there in bed, contemplating what to do.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

You go to Neo on your own. He's the only person you know who wouldn't question your morality on the matter. You arrive at his apartment once more, and he looks you over with curiosity.

"You're different." He says plainly, eyes searching over your body.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Your hands cross over your chest as you ask.

"Nothing." he starts with a raised eyebrow. "Or maybe everything depending on your view."

"I don't have time for games, Neo. Please just help me with what I called you about." Your anxiety rises by the minute, and you start to feel like Constantine the way you're short with Neo right now.

"It's just...your aura's different." He keeps inspecting you and you remember that he is, indeed, apart of a long line of witches. "It's as if there's two colors dancing for dominance right now."

"I think I can guess why..." You say, looking to the floor as your fears are being realized.

"Ah, yes. The reincarnation you talked about on the phone..." Neo looks about his computer, the stands, trying to find something specific in his room.

"Here, come, sit..." He motions to a small table topped with a velvet cover.

You sit in a chair that's since better days, and finally Neo returns, sitting next to you. He lights a candle in the middle of the table and pulls out a deck of cards.

"I said I don't want to play any more games-" You begin, and Neo cuts you off with a look.

You keep your mouth shut and wait for him to help you. He lights a stick of incense, the smell deep and warm, you watch as he waives it across the deck, then himself, then you. You don't question him this time.

He whispers something to the deck, then knocks on it three times. He closes his eyes and speaks to you.

"I want you to think about what answer you're looking for. Think on it long and hard, and I will channel the answer for you." He seems so different than the computer nerd you're used to seeing. You're surprised by his skill.

You consider things carefully, then begin to think of your question. Neo waits, and finally he pulls some cards and places them around the candle.

"She wants you to know that if you're willing, she is as well." He mutters, and you listen carefully, the candle flickering as he speaks.

"That if it's love you seek, you may find it within him, but she can sense your heart feels safe elsewhere as well."

"You will have to make a choice, do you desire to be loved for an eternity, an immortal love that lives on within you. Or are you ready to break the tie and go forward on a new path with a love you may not know has bloomed or not."

You consider the words, and you feel just as lost as when you walked in. You know you should listen right now, but you have to speak.

"Please, Helen if that's you, I don't know what to do here..."

Neo's voice changes, and you feel as if Helen herself is speaking to you now.

"I am a drift, caught between the living and dead, my spirit living on within you, as a part of you. Some of you is me, and some of you is all the choices you've made in this life, all the mistakes and right things that have made you who you are. Please decide if you are ready to join as one and go forward, or if you wish to sever my connection to you so that you may be free. I cannot go on in this limbo, this purgatory, no longer..."

The sadness in the voice is overwhelming, and you feel it in your own chest. You watch as Neo comes down from his channeling, and he looks at you gravely. He says nothing, but looks at the cards laid out before him.

"You are in for a hell of a time, kid." He says, shaking his head.

"I think I know what she wants from me..." You whisper out and Neo nods.

"You do. Now, tell me what you will choose." He looks at you, and you can tell he cares for your opinion the most.

"I am a slayer after all." (Slayer route.)

"I have always felt as if I was missing something." (Sacrifice route.)

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Taglist: @emacarrigton @sunnythebunny7 @worldsgreatestsinner @discoscoob @nwheregirl @slutforsoldierboy @sughcashsaiki @sebastianstanisahotmf @iovesia @brooxie3 @generalkenobee

Be added to future updates here!

Ask to be taken off at anytime via message <3

[fairlyqualityanon]

who're your pred/prey crushes ?

totally not collecting blorbos like trading cards shhh - 🪀

Oooooof.wav

There's a ton... I'll try to organize them. Let's start with ones I've written in some form or another.

Pred - TFA Starscream (so close with that guess lmao), anyway I've got this story I've been poking at since literally 2010 (@/wolvesinstarryskies is so supportive 💖 ) and it's gotten me through some really tough times, and yes there's a vore AU... also he's how I found out about vore to begin with (long story, it's over on my Tumblr RP blog)😳, really he's just a dick to his prey and will let them go after thoroughly messing with their head unless you can come up with some bribe worthy of Future Leader Of The Decepticons

Pred - Obey Me! Mammon, idk he threatens to eat the MC and I went "YES PLEASE", I have more fun flustering him when he's a pred than when he's prey 😼

Pred - Obey Me! Beel, it's literally canon and he's a precious boy and going hungry sucks and I'd be perfectly happy to help him not be starving 🥺 I don't care if he eats regular food at the same time as long as I'm safe

Prey - Obey Me! Lucifer (yes really), because that mans is going to take a break whether he wants to or not and I think Diavolo/Barbatos would see the humor in MC taking things into their own hands (my MC's strongest/most-expressed Sin is Pride plus she ain't afraid of this old man 😤)

Switch - Deltarune Spamton, I think he'd be easier to pay to be prey than pred, and I have a thing for robots meaning SNEO defaults to pred and I will immediately yeet myself into whatever fuel container said robopred uses no questions asked 😅

Newest obsession is Solo Leveling (IncredibleEdibleCalico actually did a piece ages back) and I only remembered after watching S1 of the anime and starting the manhwa. I mistakenly bought the books and comic (Vol 1-8) but regret neither purchase. Soooo good! 😍 Anyway here they are in super rough descending order of crush level.

Sung Jinwoo - Pred, I don't know how to put it into words, he just oozes soft pred vibes where tf did he even get that rune stone??? 🤔 maybe he saves someone from a Dungeon and discovers vore is actually pretty neat, he's comically oblivious at times and cares for his minions as people ugh the glowy eye affect it makes me weak

Woo Jinchul - Switch, professional, dry sense of humor, looked Death in the eye and only flinched when he saw the Apocalypse ahead, incredibly smart and intuitive, he's my Guilty Pleasure on this list 👮‍♂️

Song Chi-Yul - Pred, I lied here's another Guilty Pleasure, I actually literally cried at the end of the manhwa, he's only a C-rank mage but teaches swordsmanship to S-ranks, tried to save Jinwoo and Joohee but was talked out of it and regrets it to this day, he is classy and I just want to spend time with him🫡

Baek Yoonho - Prey (yes really), idk something about him makes me want to aggressively demonstrate affection, don't ever tease him about it because despite being the weakest Korean S-rank Hunter HE IS STILL AN S RANK and will cut a bitch (he was ready to beat the crap out of Hwang Dongsoo for strangling his lower-ranked guildmate edit that guildmate isn't even a Hunter and that is not a Hunter you want on your bad side srsly just Do Not The Thing)😼

Choi Jong-In - Pred, he's canonically a bit of a shit-talker and gives me OM! Diavolo vibes and I love me some playful banter with preds what is it with me and people with a red theme?? 😧

Son Kihoon - Switch, he's a sweetheart and I want to snuggle him three different ways, he cares for his strike squad and was willing to set aside a chance for tremendous personal glory as well as sacrifice his whole team to keep a literal army of High Orcs from destroying a few cities 🫂

Go Gunhee - Pred, he's a total badass who gave his all to keep Hunters from basically forming a Might Makes Right society also I have a Thing for older men I am not ashamed to admit it, Song-san is up there for a reason, the man is a Gigachad who outright rigs Hunters Association assignments to keep the D- and E-ranks as safe as possible 🙇‍♀️

Yoo Jinho - Prey, because he's just a sof' boi and must be protected at all costs, maybe he'd find it interesting and like that he was sought out for him and not just because he's Ahjin Guild's vice/Jinwoo's friend 😋

I started Stardew Valley 7/14 so there's gonna be some of that eventually my askbox is open ��� if anyone wants to gush over their own vore crushes.

Can't forget Horizon Zero Dawn! the events of the Gemini Quest are NOT canon I refuse don't even @ me I WILL die on that hill 🔪

Kotallo - Switch, he's definitely my favorite character and I just love him so dang much, he's a fearsome warrior even without that arm and a brilliant strategist and completely loyal to the good of the Tenakth tribe as a whole, having no other ambition save serving his Chief... but I also want him to sit and relax, maybe having a stomach all to himself will give him a new perspective or insight ⚔️

Milvund - Pred, I did his miniquest back when my computer couldn't run HFW for more than 5-10 minutes but he's so precious and I'm betting would be very hesitant yet also so caring just let me comfort him 😭

Racking my brain for any other major fandoms but I can't come up with any for the life of me so have a bonus Pred TFA Cliffjumper because I have an active thread with him. ... Maybe jjks? I'd have to twist canon in knots to make Sukuna a safe pred, and there's a couple others but I haven't even finished S2 of the anime and a bunch of them are minors soooo...

>>; So much time in TFA focused on That One Smug Bastard and now I'm like "how do with other 'Cons??"

[yautja-lover]

Thank you all for voting 🗳 I just couldn't decide on which chapter series to start with first and wanted to do something fun for others to participate in, and the winner is...

The oomani-di next door 🚪 😍 it is then. Here's a little summary of what it's it gonna be about.

Summary: In this time frame, two of the most dangerous species are able to live in peace and harmony.. Yautja and Humans. A young woman, who's looking for new place to live and has never seen a Yautja before. So when she finds a place in an ad on a bulletin board at a grocery store that's asking for a caretaker, that is also offering a room for availability.. she thinks, why the hell not? What she doesn't know is that she'll be living with a bunch of Yautja males, that she sadly mistaken to be just a normal dude in a costume.

Main Characters:

1 Member from the Desert Clan 🏜

• Feral Predator

2 Members from the Jungle Clan 🛖

• Jungle Hunter

• Crucified Predator

1 Member from the Lost Tribe 🌆

• City Hunter

3 Members from the Isolated Clan 🌫

• Celtic Predator

• Chopper Predator

• Scar Predator

1 Member from the Elite Clan 😎

• Wolf Predator

3 Members from the Super Predator Clan 💀

• Berserker

• Tracker (7 hell-hounds)

• Falconer

Clan name is unknown

• Fugitive

• Assissian (2 pred-hounds)

Harper Georgia, who is a proud southern bell woman

Charlotte Baker, who is our little, as our Yautja males call her 'the oomani-di next door '

This chapter series may be 10 chapters 5 at the least, plus it'll be a comedy-sitcom.

Okay, now that I finally finished my yautja one-shots 🙌 which you can find here if, you read them all yet.

[scarlettaagni]

i think any successful portrayal of a Yautja should be at least a little bit babygirl.

most importantly, handling things like they’re wearing secretary acrylics, but babygirl is much more than grabbing objects like your nails are still drying

they’re very macho toxic masculinity aliens. but Yautja just have to be some percentage sexy covergirl on a pulp sci-fi novel. for the camp.

[monstrousromance]

Also I looked closer at a picture of Greyback and this extra old man has a FUCKING TUSK RING ON HIS LEFT TUSK

he can just take me now, thx

[jack-the-nibbler]

A Frightful Hunt

Been having a werewolf pred kick again, so I decided to polish up and finish a VERY old fic I found. Had a hankering for pred Gascoigne again too, so that helps.

Fandom: Bloodborne

Characters: Good Hunter, Father Gascoigne, Henryk

CW: Blood, mentions of death, fearplay, minor character death

The Hunter’s heart pounded, his breath becoming ragged. His fight with Father Gascoigne had been frantic, but it took a turn for the worst when the old hunter transformed into a hulking beast. He’d been batted around like a rat, almost ran out of blood vials, and lost his grip on his saw cleaver. Now the Hunter was cornered, cowering under a furious mass of fangs, fur, and rage.

He desperately reached for his gun, but Gascoigne knocked it away with his claws. The Hunter could only whimper as the beast grabbed him, claws digging into his coat. He didn’t dare struggle in fear of being ripped to shreds. Yet with a clammy terror in his gut, he knew he was going to die again. Any moment now he would be ripped apart like a scrap of meat.

Gascoigne sniffed him, blasting hot breath reeking of blood in his face. The beast seemed to be contemplating him. Most likely trying to decide where to bite first, he thought grimly. Before the Hunter could even think of an escape plan, a thick, wet tongue dragged across his face. The sudden lick left him stunned, and the only thing he could do was sputter as Gascoigne lapped at his masked face. Each long lick became deeper and deeper, as if the beast was savoring his taste.

“Please…” he whimpered. Dazed and coated in slobber, the Hunter weakly kicked his legs. He wasn’t given a moment to react before Gascoigne opened his mouth wide and engulfed his head. He groaned as the beast’s large, squishy tongue laved over his head and shoulders, hellbent on tasting every inch of him. Lethargy swiftly turned back into panic when the Hunter was pushed in further. He wasn’t going to be torn into tiny pieces. Father Gascoigne intended to swallow him whole.

With newfound urgency, the Hunter screamed and struggled with all his might. Yet with a forceful shove, his head was pushed into Gascoigne’s throat. A few strong gulps and his entire upper body was inside the priest’s dripping maw. As the Hunter was dragged down by the peristalsis, Gascoigne continued wrapping his tongue all over his body, thoroughly soaking him in saliva.

The Hunter was barely given enough room to squirm in the beast’s throat. It was miserably hot, damp with slime. His stamina was running out, giving him little choice but to lie still and accept his fate. In spite of his instincts screaming at him to fight, he found himself almost relaxing. The soft, wet muscles massaged him as he was pushed downwards, pressing into him through his clothes. After running and climbing all over the city all evening, it was somewhat welcome.

The solace didn’t last long as he was finally squeezed into a much more spacious chamber. The Hunter flinched and tried to push out his limbs, but it was no use. By that point Gascoigne had swallowed his legs and pulled off his boots and socks to lick at his feet. A few swift swallows later, the entirety of the Hunter’s body was squished into the beast’s stomach.

He sat within the pit of the beast’s stomach in wide-eyed silence for a few moments. He had just been eaten. Scarfed down like a piece of meat. The Hunter cried out as he flailed and kicked, his strikes being absorbed by the fleshy walls surrounding him. The stomach muscles squeezed and shifted around him, not used to having such a large or live meal. He brought himself to stop, not wanting to risk being crushed by the churning gut.

The Hunter frantically rifled through his inventory. He was out of throwing knives, Molotov cocktails, and anything else that could help him. He was barely able to crawl forward, his hands and knees sinking into the plush flesh. The stomach contracted around him, forcing him to curl up as it squished around its newest occupant. He had no hope of cutting himself free or making the beast sick. He was doomed to be melted in this humid, fleshy prison.

“Gascoigne! Please, let me out! Come to your senses!” he cried. The only response he received was a deep purring. Gascoigne’s purrs caused the belly to shake, vibrating the soft walls around him. The Hunter took a few labored breaths, too tired to even sob. He involuntarily nestled in, caressed by Gascoigne’s stomach muscles. As he listened to the beast’s rapid heartbeat and thunderous purring, the Hunter found himself slipping away into drowsiness. He closed his eyes, knowing he would soon wake up in the Hunter’s Dream once again.

Gascoigne collapsed into a blissful, overfull pile. If he had a tail, it certainly would have been wagging. His muscles and jaw still ached, his heart racing, but somehow the comfortable weight of the young hunter in his gut calmed him. He felt every little twitch from the snoozing hunter nestled into his stomach lining. Gascoigne purred louder, tempted to lick at his prey again, but he was in no position to do so.

With the adrenaline dying down and a full belly, the beast laid his head down. He gave a yawn as he absently rubbed his stomach. Father Gascoigne soon drifted into a comfortable slumber, rumbling purrs crawling up from his throat.

~

Sweat beaded on Henryk’s forehead as he searched the streets of Central Yharnam. Gascoigne had told him they’d meet up near the Great Bridge, but there was no sign of his hunting partner anywhere. He gritted his teeth and shook his head. The big lug couldn’t have been killed that easily. The only other place he could think to look was the Tomb of Oedon. Yet as he strode in its direction, an uneasy illness welled up inside him.

Upon arriving at the Tomb, he found the aftermath of a bloodbath. The bodies of hostile Yharnamites littered the cold ground. It admittedly didn’t surprise him, considering the fact that they were prone to attacking anything or anyone they perceived as a beast. Carefully wandering further into the tomb, Henryk’s blood ran cold when he caught a glimpse of their latest victim.

Lying in the corner of the graveyard was an aged woman with a sickle embedded in her back. Henryk collapsed to hid knees beside her body. Viola, Gascoigne’s beloved wife, was dead. Memories flashed by as he shivered. What had she been doing out during the hunt? How could he tell the girls their mother was gone? Blinking away the threat of tears, he glanced to the side and found an abandoned saw cleaver and hunter’s pistol. Furrowing his brow, he crept closer and found a pair of boots lying in the dirt.

When Henryk looked up, his jaw dropped. Lying a mere feet away was a massive beast. Looking over his stretched church garb and matted silver mane and beard, it didn’t take long at all for him to connect the dots. His best friend had gone mad and turned into a horrid beast.

A choked sob escaped Henryk’s mouth. The beast flinched, lazily raising his head. Gascoigne gave a low growl as he stood, though quickly dropped onto all fours. His bulging stomach shifted, bringing Henryk to remember the abandoned weapons. Another hunter had been there, but their body was nowhere to be found. With a sickening dread, Henryk realized that they had likely been killed and devoured.

Gascoigne yawned, too drowsy to even attempt to lunge at the hunter. Henryk was lucky; the beast might have attacked if not for the exhaustion of his recent battle, and the heaviness of his meal. He sniffed the air, finding the musty scent of the old hunter’s garb to be oddly familiar.

“Gascoigne, it’s me! I’m Henryk! Don’t you remember?” Henryk pleaded. Gascoigne gave a low growl as he nudged at the mask covering Henryk’s face. The old hunter didn’t dare move as the beast licked him with content purrs. At the very least, his friend seemed to understand who he was. But the purring came to an abrupt halt, replaced by whimpering. Gascoigne stepped back and started hacking.

The Hunter jolted awake. He found himself being pressed forward, crammed upwards into a tight tube of flesh. As he was harshly squeezed up the esophagus, his mind raced. Why didn’t he die? Why was Gascoigne spitting him out? He chose not to dwell when the cool air of the outside world hit his face. The moment his arms were free, the Hunter attempted to pull himself out.

Henryk grimaced at the hacking. He could already picture what would come next, and wasn’t too keen on watching the beast cough up a mass of bones and cloth. To his immense shock, a live hunter crawled out of Gascoigne’s maw instead of some morbid hairball. The young man gasped and grabbed at the ground, making a pitiful attempt to free himself faster.

“I…I’m alive!” the Hunter exclaimed. Shaken and covered in slime, but still very much alive. With all the grace of a newborn fawn, he got up on his knees. Glancing to the side, he found an old hunter in a yellow garb kneeling next to him. He wanted to speak, but his tongue may as well have been made of rubber.

“You alright, kid? I thought for sure you were dead before my partner spit you out,” the old hunter said. “Think you can tell me what happened?” The Hunter gave a weak nod, only to gasp and shuffle back when Gascoigne licked his cheek. He was thankfully still worn, not keen on clawing him up again.

Henryk sighed. He’d need to keep an eye on this hunter for a while. He was likely apart of the Dream, the unfortunate soul, able to come back from any miserable end. Didn’t want to see this one going mad…plus, he’d need all the help he could get with Gascoigne’s current state…

[yeyinde]

Okay but favourite monster?

haha, my username and pfp and the abundance of NECA action figs i have might give this one away, but def the Yautja from the Pred franchise! Specifically, Dachande/Yeyinde, but also City Hunter, Dark, Cruci, Falconer, Golden Angel/Elder, Scarface, and Wolf!

i mean, look at them 🥰

[wthtorke]

What do you think scar, city, and the other yautja’s mom’s were like? I honestly imagine city preds mom being a cool funny mom, if you catch my drift. P.S. I love your writings for yautja, you add so much depth to them. ❤️❤️

Scar’s mother was a wise Yautja warrior, fierce and independent while still having respect for her opponents and life in general. I picture her as having many titles to her name along with being a kickass elite. Scar being her golden child to whom she taught everything she knew to. I feel like Scar’s mother didn’t really have a lot of kids, or if she did, Scar was her second or third as he’s on the kinder and witty side of things more than the hardened and serious side (See Celtic lmao) I feel like she taught Scar to think first rather than just jump head in like she often did in her youth.

City Hunter’s mom was as energetic as he is. But unlike City, her energy was channeled into whatever she wanted to do, kinda like a solar beam. She radiated energy and disposition, taking any challenge headfirst, and having fun in beating people to prove her point. City takes after her beautiful colors along with part of her personality, not only as a curious being but as a ‘maximum effort’ Yautja, going above and beyond for what he believes and wants to achieve.

Bonus: Fugitive’s mother.

I picture Fugitive as being a second child. People often say the firstborn is the parent’s test dummy, that things usually go smoother with their second kid as they know how to raise them properly.

With Fugitive it wasn’t really like that.

Fugitive’s mother was probably a clan leader with a lot of pride and things to teach him, kinda stiff but with good intentions towards her little special hunter. One of those things being the strong sense of justice he has. His mother firmly believes that what’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong, and while Fugitive doesn’t take those things too literally, he considered them enough when he found out about the human extermination plan. It wasn’t honored, it wasn’t the way it should be done. It was unnatural.

Fugitive made his decision to balance things when he stole the shuttle and headed to Earth, feeling somewhat reassured that he was doing the right thing even when he knew that it was suicidal, at best. Still, had his mother had been alive, she’d be proud of him.

[sp00kworm]

If you aren't swamped with requests. Wolf x reader where other Yautja are trying to approach them but reader when they think Wolf isn't around? I have a soft spot for grumpy old guys. (Drack from Mass effect is one of my favorite grumps). Thank you ❤

A/N: He looks like a big grumpy RHINO that Drak. I’ve never played Mass Effect so I had to look him up. I love his very alien design. I hope this is enough grumpy Wolf juice for you!

Pairing: Wolf (AvP Requiem Pred) x Gender Neutral Reader

--

Respect, Pup

A Yautja tavern was similar to Earth. You looked at the large tables and chairs with curious eyes before the sheer amount of noise settled in. Yautja of all kinds were sat at tables, drinking from great jugs, laughing and hissing at one another in their own groups. The noise paused when Wolf pushed open the screen, stepping through the doorway with a click, beckoning you to follow at his side as all eyes turned on him. Hunters and craftsmen alike sat together, sharing drinks in the cooling night. The females turned their heads towards the door, sat in a large group towards the back, watching as Wolf walked towards the bar. He was perhaps the most notable male in attendance. Old and riddled with scars from hunts. He was easily the one they would hiss and spat over all night. But the real attention seemed to fall on you, the little ‘ooman stood by his side as he leaned over to order drinks and food, ignoring the lecherous gazes aimed at his back. You could hear them, uttering rumours between themselves, only thanks to the translator chip sat behind your ear, just under the skin.

 “Helmets off. You know the rules.” The barman clicked, placing two heavy tankards on the side, holding them until Wolf relinquished his helmet, exposing his scarred face and missing mandible, one blind eye glaring at the other male until his drinks were given to him.

“Good hunting, brother?” He asked, hissing an order to the kitchen in the back as Wolf took the dirnks.

“Something like that. What tables are free?” He hissed as you reached to take your own drink.

“Wherever you wish, brother. New bloods are sat at the front, maybe best to sit somewhere to the back, or you’ll be harassed all night.” The barman nodded, tendrils swinging as he moved to tend to the other patrons from the city night.

“Go. The table with others free. I do not want to deal with snivelling new bloods all night.” Wolf pushed you forwards with one hand, the other holding his drink as he sat down, mandibles flared at the staring youngsters who were sat by the windows in the front. You looked back and tried to ignore the multitude of wide eyes looking at you. Humans were not a common site still, even in the capital.

 “So, why are we here?” You asked Wolf quietly, “I’m guessing its not really just for leisure.”

Wolf observed you for a moment before replying, “A drink, that is all. You have not seen the city.” That was all he gave you, eyes watching the other Yautja around the both of you, judging, assessing and eyeing up which youngster would be the first to try his hand at besting him.

“It’s never just a drink with you, Wolf.” You teased, watching his blind eye twitch in irritation of the teasing, his black spines puffing as he shook his head.

“Just a drink.” He emphasised again, pouring a great glug of the Yautja drink into his mouth, mouth parts flexing before he swallowed and scrunched his face up, top mandibles stretched in upset, “Still tastes like shit, even after fifty years.”

You sniffed at the beverage before taking a sip and humming, “Tastes like wine? But tropical. Weird.” Wolf rolled his eyes at your commentary, still sipping his own drink despite his apparent distaste for it.

 His wrist communicator buzzed violently, chirping as something new was transmitted to him. He peered at the males before standing, “Stay here.” He brushed his hand over your shoulder as he left, purposely moving through the crowd of new bloods around tables as he moved back outside to take a call, and to look at the new coordinates he had been sent. As he left, the silence was broken, and the younger males started up most of their loud conversations again. You hummed to yourself, sipping at far too large drink in front of you, looking at the Yautja artworks on the wall to entertain yourself until your grumpy Yautja returned.

“I didn’t think an Elder would enjoy keeping a pet around.” A green tinged Yautja loomed over you, clutching his own drink as brown eyes looked you over, “Wolf did not seem the sort.”

A sandy coloured Yautja followed him, his eyes a light orange, tendrils tied back in a tight knot behind his head, “Even Elders have to have their fun…It seems ‘oomans are his.” The tone made you frown as an ash coloured male sidled up by you, his mandibles tapping curiously.

“’Ooman’s are soft in more ways than one.” He purred, claws inspecting the heavy jacket Wolf had wrapped you up in before you both left. It was some form of thick goat skin, definitely not native to Earth.

 The three of them crowded closer.

“Where are you from?” The sandy male asked, leaning over the back of your chair.

“Earth I assume?” The green male chortled with the ash coloured one before going quiet.

“Yes, but where? Are all of you as soft looking?” The sandy one continued, ignorant to his friends’ silence.

“Where is none of your business, Pup.” Wolf growled behind them, claws curling as he reached for the sand coloured male and took hold of his chest plate. He crunched the material before howling, mandibles spread wide, and throwing him back towards his friends. The male crashed through a table with a sickening crunch before Wolf was upon him again, tossing his head, claws bared as he reached into the rubble, shoving other youngsters as he went, gouging at the male’s shoulder before baring his blade.

“Respect is what you need to learn, Pup! Touch what isn’t yours again and I’ll carve your spine from your back.” He threw the male back against the floor, huffing and puffing, claws caked in blood, as the other two crawled back into their group, leaving you alone at the table once more.

 As they settled back down, Wolf grumbled and sat on the bench, claws reaching to pluck you from your seat by your coat before setting you on his thigh. He pulled your drink closer and wrapped one arm around you, claws covered in blood perched on the table as a reminder to the other young males sat in the corner. The females laughed by their own drinks, weapons set against the walls as they watched Wolf make a display of pushing his mandibles against you, patting and tugging at hair as the new bloods dared not to look on.

“Was that necessary?” You asked with a huff, leaning back against the male’s chest as you took a long drink.

“New bloods are too bold. It’ll teach them a valuable lesson.” Wolf snorted, legs spread as he held you tight.

“Oh, and what’s that?”

“Don’t touch what doesn’t belong to you.”

You only laughed and continued to drink your tropical flavoured alcohol.

[aristobun]

lol.   i   should   have   anticipated   helene   falling   in   love   with   the   city   hunter   because   of   what   he   has   done   over   the   last   month   or   two,   killing   joel   being   one   of   them.   he's   saved   her   from   a   lot   of   things   since   they   met   to   be   fair.   i'm   not   surprised,   but   i'm   annoyed   that   it   has   reached   the   love   stage,   haha.

[dasspaghettimonster]

City Hunter, Machiko, Berserker, Scar and Wolf

K so, i don't really have a favourite, but that whip wolf had looked really cool and i like whips. Just whish that it would have been in a better movie, or even just a better lighted one.

My favourite take on female Yautja is, and will stay the Big Mama type. Have them BIGGER, STRONGER and Badass! like your girl Naki.

My favourite bad blood is probably the one with the nipple rings but no nipples from one of the comics, can't remember the name to save my life but that picture will forever be in my mind.

Cutest Pred? you really be putting me infront a very hard decision here

If we talk cute like in, adorable, i would say scar. His interactions with Lex, especially that one scene where he scares her with a xeno carcass and is amused like a little shit is just, very adorable.

If we talk cute as in 👀🥵 that be a tie for me between Wolf, Ahab, The Elder from AvP and Broken Tusk. I have a hard times deciding on things ok.

Ships well, Scarlex ofcourse its the movie that got me into the series and one of my earliest ships that made me realise i might be a monsterfucker.

[askdawnandvern]

WT: Well if we are going to go that far, literally anything could and has happened in terms of Dark AUs, but if you want my like...spin on some concepts, I can throw out some hypotheticals.

In terms of going full on dark outcomes, I feel like I would always have the worst timelines end by tragically blowing up in the schemers faces. Realistically, I feel that in every case, whether it was Dawn or Aster at the helm, it would catch up to them at some point, or backfire in a spectacularly unforeseen way.

Starting with Aster, let's say his plan hadn't been stopped. Instead of an exciting chase sequence where Vernon absconds with Dawn, the wolf takes the a different route, demanding to be taken into custody alongside Dawn. While they don't arrest him, the group of them go down to the station where it is impossible for them to intercepted by Aster's goons. However, Judy's fixation on Dawn and her presumed guilt wastes precious time cracking just what is actually being planned and who is planning it, and though they make enough progress to figure out what is coming and dispatch the ZPD to stop as many tankers as they can, a few get through and there are some casualties and serious injuries. Aster and his cronies are caught, but with more of a mess to clean up in the wake of the worst terrorist attack in Zootopian history, many more of the co-conspirators are able to flee or cover their tracks behind the veil of confusion and misery, and it takes Judy and Nick years to finally pin down every mammal involved.

Taking it to a worse degree, lets say Aster is completely successful. The kidnapping still happens and instead of using night-howler to deal with Dawn, Vern Judy and Nick, he simply elects to shoot them all. With no one else as close to the case as Nick and Judy were, there is no mammal to stop Aster and his goons. The districts are flooded in night-howler, and the city begins tearing itself apart. The unexpected turn of course is that the Night Howler doesn't kill everyone. Of course there are those mammals who escape the gassing, but they different methods of dispersal and the way it is diluted lead to a bulk of the mammals hit with it coming down with mild poisoning, (basically what we say in Dawn's original plot). Doug had made an incorrect calculation. Thus, while he, Aster and the others attempt to flee the city they are caught by a mob of savage mammals and meet a brutal end. Of course, with so few animals dead it's just a matter of catching them and giving them the antidote. And with many of them to act as witnesses, having seen what Aster's henchrams attempted to do first hoof, well, his efforts to hide his tracks would have quickly crumbled. It would take years after that to repair the city, and flush various water reservoirs and other areas where the diluted poison had pooled, and just as long to sniff out all the co-conspirators, but sadly many of them would have escaped.

With Dawn's death, as well as Nick and Judy's, public consensus would have settled on the idea that she must have had something to do with the plot, and that perhaps she had killed Nick and Judy as a final act of revenge, despite the lack of evidence and what little was found of their remains. As for the Hunter's, not only was there a good chance that Dorian, and Zach would have met grizzly ends at the paws of their co-workers,  but there's a good chance Wade would have also died in the chaos of trying to contend with a savage tundra town. And of course there would still be the mystery of just how Vernon died, and why what little of his remains were found alongside Dawn, Nick and Judy's.

Finally, rolling back further we have Dawn's original plot, and three different outcomes there. First is the less brutal outcome. Dawn notices the blueberries, and swaps them back out with night howler, tagging Nick and waiting for the chomp. But much to Dawn's complete shock, instead of pouncing on Judy, Nick coils around her protectively. This causes Dawn to completely snap, the madness and irritation reaching a boiling point as she begins to berate the fox, calling him a dumb pred, and lamenting that he can't even hunt right. This backfires horribly, with Nick making a surprisingly spry leap out of the pit and mauling Dawn to death.

Alternate path two, well that diverts from the Nick getting dosed with night howler point. Only this time, Nick does what was intended and violently mauls Judy. Unlike before though, Dawn's psyche breaks in an entirely different way. At this point the ewe had been running on Adrenalin and the fear of getting caught. But now, seeing a mammal she once saw as a friend be brutally murdered in front of her, and because of her, Dawn is immediately regretful and traumatized. The ZPD bursts in and shoots Nick with live ammunition hoping they can save Officer Hopps if the acted quickly enough, but it's too late. As for Dawn, she is too shocked to even speak, the ewe left mute as she stares back into the lifeless eyes of her once friend.

I've vaguely talked about the idea behind this before, a now remorseful and guilt ridden Dawn growing into a rapidly weak link in the entire operation from this point forward. Eventually the ewe makes the mistake of admitting to Doug that she intends to come clean and turn herself in, and this forces Doug's hoof to eliminate her. Naturally, this is done by staging a savage attack, and Dawn ironically meets her end the same way she had damned Judy to.

I guess the last one would be, for the sake of argument rolling it back enough to the point where Judy made the connection to the 'Night Howler' flower and simply nixing that whole realization entirely. Judy lives out the rest of her life in Bunny Burrow, memories of the case fading to the point when Night Howler finally comes up in discussion, she is no longer capable of making the connection. Meanwhile, in Zootopia the city plunges into chaos. After Gazelle is mauled at her peace concert by her own dancers, Zootopia becomes increasingly totalitarian. Nick and Finnick flee, as well as many other predators before Dawn announces the construction of a predator only zone called 'Happy Town” (Code named: Savage City). Predators that insist on staying in Zootopia are forced into the district, and eventually access to the outside districts is limited and suspended to all Happy Town residents. Eventually election privileges are suspended as well, until 'peacetime' returns to Zootopia, which of course never occurs as the increasingly mad Dawn begins planning creating new districts to further segregate the more dangerous populations in Zootopia. First the Mega-fauna for being to large and dangerous to more average sized mammals, then the Micro-fauna for 'their own protection' and so on until the City is split into a multitude of micro districts for a variety of other mammals, and the older, largely districts are left exclusively to caprid folks.

Of course, it was easy to keep the predators in check when it was only them Dawn had to worry about. Predators were outnumbered by prey by nine to one. But locking down pretty much every other mammal species aside from caprids created a massively growing tide of dissent and unrest, which would eventually lead to a full scale city wide riot. A riot that Dawn would be unable to contend with despite her best efforts. In this scenario Dawn would meet her fate at the end of an angry mob, made of both predator and prey, and united by their mutual hatred of one Dawn Bellwether.

So there's a heavy look into some dark AU's for you. I hope you like it, cause that went on way longer than initially intended.

[hungryfan45]

What about Avan, except he's enormously fat and thick, he is a wild pred meaning he lives away from regular towns and cities. He feasts on campers, hikers, hunters, scout troops. Froy Gutierrez, Benjamin Wadsworth and Andrew Matarazzo are camping when Avan emerges and eats all of them

Sounds like a good campfire story.

[secret-vore-lair]

As Far as We Will Go

This is a vore story. Kind of. The title’s what it is because the vore only gets talked about. This is a story about two good friends who’ve just gotten through what amounts to a generic fantasy story’s plot together, and one has a secret to share with the other. This is complicated by how adorably shy they both are.

As a warning, there’s brief mention of a cruel, villainous pred, but she doesn’t actually get any screen time here, and the implied noms session this story leads up to is of the purely gentle and cuddly variety.

I hope you enjoy!

It is a sunny, breezy day. The air smells of pine. Mina and Riln meet at the edge of the woods. Mina is human. Her hair is brown and she wears the clothing of a hunter. She is walking back and forth, balancing on a log.

“Oh, Riln,” Mina says, “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. Back when we fought Khez—”

“Ah, yes,” Riln interjects, “the shrouded dragon Khezhiernaal, who had ruled your fair city with an iron claw for years. You took it upon yourself to end her terrible reign, but you couldn’t do it alone. You decided you had to enlist a dragon of your own.”

“Riln, I don’t think—”

“And even though I was reluctant, at first, to endanger myself for your cause, I was moved by your plight. Your courage and ideals sparked something in me, and together we fought bravely to defeat the tyrant. And now we are heroes, and friends, in a time of peace.”

Mina tries to look miffed, puts her hands on her hips, nearly topples, and after some windmilling says, “Riln, you are expositing unnecessarily. I was there. Like you said.”

“Humans have short memories, and I know your lives move at a much faster pace than my own.”

Mina is incredulous. “It’s scarcely been a week.”

Riln soundlessly counts and multiplies some numbers. He looks at Mina. “So that’s like … months for you, right?”

“Ugh. I give up.”

“Well that doesn’t sound like you at all.”  The wind picks up slightly, and Riln extends his wings into it, feeling it wash over the batlike membranes, experiencing a hint of the joy that is flight. Mina sways. Placidly, Riln asks,“What were you saying, before?”

Mina steps down from the log. She studies the dragon as she thinks about how to phrase her question. She has always thought the patterning of his scales — yellow, green, and blue interweaving — would look equally at home on a snake. Mina liked snakes, too. “Right,” she says. “When we fought Khezhiernaal, she said something.”

“She said many things,” Riln says, growing suddenly concerned. “I’m sure it isn’t best to dwell on them.”

Mina continues, undaunted, “She said she was going to devour me.”

“Mina, don’t… You don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

“She also said,” she presses, as though he is missing the point, “that I would pay for my rebellious ways, squirming the remaining years of my short, miserable life away in darkness.”

Riln is unnerved. “Really?”

“It’s so.”

Mina looks at Riln expectantly.

Riln fidgets. “Mina…”

“Riln.”

“Mina.”

She makes a gesture like, What?

“You’re staring.”

“And you are not answering the question.”

“What question?” Riln says in a way that makes Mina suspect he knows exactly which question.

“The implied one!” Mina says, exasperated. “How can both of those things be true?”

Riln nervously scratches at the ground. “She was just trying to scare us. So we’d run. Or beg. I don’t know. Look, you probably just need some more rest and recovery. It’s only been a week, you know.” He laughs weakly. “I bet it feels like yesterday, since you’ve been spending a lot of time with me and you’re likely used to the slower pace of dragon time. How about we get you home—”

Mina, defiantly, sits.

“Okay, fine. Fine,” the dragon sighs. “You really want to know?”

Mina nods. “It’s been nagging at me. Can you do that? Eat something without immediately killing it?”

“I… Yes.” Riln sinks to the ground, resigned.

“How?”

“Why the interest?”

Mina shrugs. “I just want to know.” It isn’t the whole truth.

“Well,” the dragon begins, like he’ll make himself dizzy if he speaks too quickly, “When we swallow, um.”

He is about to say, “prey”, but he is unsure how Mina will react to the word. Especially with a hostile dragon’s threat still fresh on her mind.

He takes a breath.

“When we swallow something, there are two places it can go. The first is the stomach. That’s obvious, I think. The second is another, similar chamber. Some dragons don’t have it, but most do. It doesn’t fill with acid, and we can gulp down air to fill it, so one could, uh, reasonably keep something alive in there. Really it’s just so we don’t tax our digestive systems if we overeat. Holding meals until there’s room for them in the stomach, or until we’ve the energy to digest.”

He stands again and begins to pace in front of Mina, who watches him without expression.

“I don’t make use of it, honestly. I try not to be gluttonous. And as for holding a living, frightened creature in there?” He shakes his head. “That seems awfully cruel. I’m sure that’s why Khez used it as a threat.”

Mina scratches under her chin. “But it isn’t painful, right? To be, you know, in there?” she points to Riln’s general midsection.

“Well, no. I should think it’s cruel for other reasons. Also, could I trouble you to stop pointing? You know I’m rather self-conscious.”

“What if,” Mina says, selecting each word carefully, “an … ally, who understood what was going on and knew they had nothing to fear, needed to be, I don’t know, safely transported? But you can’t hold them in your claws for some reason. Wouldn’t it be a good thing to be able to swallow them, then? And then regurgitate them later?”

Riln’s snout twists into a thoughtful frown. “What’s the reason I can’t pick them up?”

“I don’t know,” Mina says, waving a hand, “just some reason. It’s not crucial to the hypothetical.”

“I’ve never considered a scenario like that. I … hmm. I guess it would be.”

Mina, stiffly, stands up. She frees a leaf caught in her hair. With trembling fingers she lets it go.

“And what if,” she says softly, “a close friend, one you’ve admittedly only known a short time, but it feels like a lot longer because you’ve been through so much together, you know … tells you — has the courage to finally tell someone — that she’s always been fascinated by something she never thought she could experience, or, well, never thought she could experience and survive, at least not without a great deal of pain? And that, now that she knows it’s possible, it’s almost not fair how happy you could make her by just allowing her to—”

“Mina, what are you… ?”

She averts her eyes. She wraps her arms protectively around herself and says, more quickly now, “By letting her curl up someplace where it’s warm, letting her squeeze into somewhere soft. Letting her push her hands against the walls to feel the pulse of life in them as they embrace her… ” She shakes her head. “I think I had better let you, um, process … all of this.”

Riln’s mouth works for a while, but sound it does not make.

Finally, he manages, “Oh.”

He is very quiet for a long time, and then he says, “I think that would be … surprising. If a friend told me that. But I believe it’s something we could talk about.”

He is visibly shaken, but the warmth in his tone is comforting. It is free of judgment.

Mina is pretty still.

“Now,” Riln cautions, “we would have to be very, very clear with one another about what exactly it is we want and what we are and aren’t willing to do, but I think we would be able to work something out that would make both of us happy.”

Mina looks up at him. “You think so?”

“I do.”

Then, seemingly without crossing the space between them, she is hugging him tightly, she is pressing her face gratefully into the cool, mottled scales of his neck.

“Oh,” Riln says a second time.

Slowly, he wraps himself around her.

[scarlettaagni]

imagine the movie Preds being given names based on what they're actually called in the movie, just like comic Preds

Jungle Hunter would be Ugly Motherfucker and City Hunter would be Pussyface