#the world will live in fear of the wolf & his cat | scout/shrike

[lxghtbound]

@dredgenshrike

Shrike had to wash himself off from blood, but after doing that and playfully shaking half of the water off onto Scout like a dog, he drags the other back to a warm sunspot. There was a pile of fur there- the spot had become common for them since the sun so often shone there, and Shrike pulls Scout closer with soft chuffs as he basks in the heat of the sun and the warmth of Scout. "I love you so much." He mutters, nuzzling at Scouts head.

The smaller Exo gave an undignified squawk as Shrike shook water over him, folding his arms across his chest and turning his back to him. That was so unfair! Now he was going to be cold, and wet, and his clothes would need to dry out, and--

Scout couldn’t help but to purr as he was dragged towards their favourite sunspot. That seemed to win him over almost instantly, and he cuddled up to Shrike amidst the furs, “Love you too. Sometimes it’s debatable though I gotta admit...especially when you cover me in water.” Overall, he didn’t really care. Especially when Shrike made up for it with cuddles, or killing, or with gifts, whether it be a cool knife, or some poor unfortunate Guardian.

He knew how much the other Hunter loved to watch him drink the very Light from their Ghosts.

But right now, hunting again was the last thing on his mind. Lounging in the sun, doing nothing for a while definitely seemed like the better option, though maybe he could convince Shrike to go out again later. It was always more fun when they went together; a much more terrifying last few minutes for whoever crossed their paths too. “Don’t you have stuff to do back at camp?” Shrike was normally busy with something or other - maybe he should pay a little more attention to what Shrike did outside of when it was directed to himself.

“Not that I’m complainin’. Just figured it’d be a little harder to drag you out here in the first place than it was.”

[stxrmapper]

The skulls didn't phase Scout at all, though he did take notice to them, and the thought that this was probably why Shrike seemed to be in charge crossed his mind. That, and the fact the other could probably kill everyone else in this camp without a second thought if he really, really wanted to. That was pretty good for intimidation factor.

"And what about when you have to sleep? Just gonna kick me out? Or fuckin' sleep alongside me?" Scout wasn't sure whether he'd prefer to sleep outside or sleep alongside Shrike. Then again, they could also just sleep at opposite sides of the tent too. Scout would still be bitter at not getting all the furs to himself though.

Even if he was essentially being held captive here, that wouldn't stop him from complaining about it.

He gave a little insulted sniff. "What, just 'cause I tore a guy's throat out a few minutes ago you think I'm gonna tear up your precious pelts? What am I, an animal?" The statement held both amusement and offence at what Shrike had said, given how Scout had acted so far was rather similar to an animal. But he was still a little offended.

@fireteam-striker from here

Shrike's optic flickered with some curiousity, dlating a little. He rotated around the other slowly, tail beginning to swish a bit wider in a more cautiously curious way. "Quite a tongue on you too. Most people would be shaking by now-" He said, a slight purr of an undertone to his voice. Lady stood and crept closer to Scout, sniffing at the ground a little aways from him as she watched.

"Letting you leave is something I can't do though. Not yet. I'm sure you understand-" He leaned down beside Scout, patting his head in a way that was definitely atleast a little mocking. The pieces of his gauntlets made clicking noises- the weight of them most likely felt even if Shrike never laid his full weight on Scout. He stood back up though, walking around until he could stand back in front and besides Lady.

"You'd run off, tell your little friends or something about this camp and we'd all be in deep shit. I need something to ensure you won't say anything..." He could cut out Scout's vocal box but he could always get that replaced. "Whether you're willing to give me a gurantee or not." He sat back down on his little spot, crossing a leg over the other. Even his boots had massive claws on them- four lining the front like a wolfs paw with a dewclaw on the back of the ankle.

[lxghtbound]

@dredgenshrike

Shrike drags Scout out to a fresh kill, the flies kept away by the Stasis and freezing cold. The victim- a Warlock, Awoken- was completely torn open. Their body hung from one of the old wooden spikes on the edge of the clearing, the rib bones poking out of the skin and clearly cracked and peeled back. The head was scrambled, a line of arrows stuck through the head and following down a line through the spine and down the mid of the body. The legs were torn off. Shrike brought a hand up to draw his own Stasis back, the ice forming long spikes until it accompanied the rib bones and began to look almost like petals- like a fucked up flower.

Shrike chuffed and chittered, before nudging into Scout's neck, the long and steel claws tilting into Scout's waist as he pulled him back. "All for you. All of it." The blood leftover on his claws was smearing over Scout but Shrike didn't seem to mind. "Their death, the gore- I did it for you."

Admittedly the gorey sight wasn’t what Scout anticipated when Shrike had rushed back to camp and dragged him out here, his optics widening as he took in the sight, but he certainly didn’t complain. “What did they do?” he asked, though Scout didn’t expect an answer that others would consider reasonable. Even just trespassing too close to the camp warranted this kind of reaction: if they wanted to avoid death, then they should be more careful about where they tread. It was like walking into a wolf’s den and then being confused when you saw a wolf - what else did you expect?

Perhaps one could argue that all the gore wasn’t necessary. That a swift death would be enough of a warning to those who came here, but that wasn’t the point. Scout absolutely felt good that Shrike had done this for him, and for once, he didn’t complain as the blood got over his armour and plating.

“Good. I love it when you kill for me...” Scout praised, pulling Shrike down for a messy kiss that managed to leave more blood spatters on both of them. At least it wasn’t Exo blood; that was the worst to clean when it came to certain colours. “Are you gonna leave ‘em here? Make it a message to any other cocky Warlocks who think they can take us on and invade our land?”

They had the whole city (or at least they thought they did, Scout supposed), so why they always insisted on trying to get a glimpse of the camp or a dangerous Dredgen, run home and then say they lived, he didn’t know.

[stxrmapper]

Dredgen Shrike was having one of his weeks again. Those weeks where Scout was simply just seemingly not allowed to leave his sight, or his side...or any close vicinity to him.

Other Dredgens were seeking refuge in the camp though. It wad the worst week for them to...for them. Shrike couldn't give less of a shit about manners, and he'd already given one the Taurus treatment (of which they barely escaped without clawmarks, aggressive ones.).

But someone had been touchy that day, one of the more self-proclaimed "Charming" Dredgens. Shrike thought it was stupid to call a Dredgen charming, but it still didn't change the way they had even gone so far as to flirt with Scout. They were, all things considered, lucky to be alive with how Shrike was, and Scout was drug back to Shrike's tent again.

He nudged against the back of Scout's neck, giving a small puff of air almost akin to an angry bull. The flat of his fangs that stuck out of his mouth were pressed against the area, and Shrike pulled Scout closer. "I should have killed him where he stood." He growled lowly. "He shouldn't have even been looking at you-" Shrike's Arc reared under his skin in response to the emotion rising, sparking off onto Scout's Chassis.

Scout was quite happy to sit near Shrike in times like this where the other was feeling overly possessive. Occasionally they had arguments, because Scout wanted to do something and Shrike just wanted to have him near, but more often than not Scout was happy to just lounge around in Shrike's lap. The incident with the snow had been quickly forgiven, but he still preferred to stay inside when it was cold outside, which didn't help whenever Shrike had to leave to do something.

Often it gave the other Dredgens a break, but at the same time, it also gave them an opportunity, and unfortunately for them, Scout entertained it whilst fully knowing the consequences of what could happen to them.

He was purring as the other Dredgen flirted with him, but his antennae perked up when he saw Shrike was back. All he wanted was Shrike's attention now, and the other Dredgen was quickly forgotten, even though Shrike certainly wasn't done with them. The Hunter gave a little squeak of surprise as he was dragged back to the tent, but he certainly didn't complain.

Scout pushed back ever so slightly, into the touch on his neck. "It riles you up like this, so I can't complain. But I think we both know you're better~" His own Arc reacted in turn, like a feedback loop that only served to grow more and more powerful, which surely only served to work them both up even more with the extra energy.

One of Scout's hand reached to take Shrike's, and he raised it up to clutch at the front of his neck, "Maybe you should give them a proper reminder of who I belong to, and what they're messing with."

[stxrmapper]

@dredgenshrike from here!

Scout didn’t seem intent moving away from Shrike, never mind getting off of him, and he brought one hand up to lean against the side of Shrike’s neck with his claws - just an idle threat. Was threat really the right word?

“Then I’d be happy to bring it out more often. Regardless of whether we’ve just killed or not.” He glanced over to where the corpse still lay, they’d not disposed of it just yet. Maybe they’d just leave it here as a warning for any others coming close to the camp, telling exactly what will happen to them if they happen to be caught messing around. “You’re a good boy,” Scout tested, curious to see if there’d be any reaction, “Makin’ their death slow ‘n’ painful, just like they deserve. So good.”

Claws tapping idly against a more metal part of Shrike’s neck, Scout leaned down to kiss him again, before putting slightly more pressure down; just a little edge of pain, nothing too bad. Enough that if Shrike decided he wanted away, Scout would stop. They’d never really done much where Scout was the one in charge, even if he was the one to tease and start things so often.

He was purring the whole time, though eventually his other hand shifted, bloodied. Scout smeared the blood across Shrike’s face.

[stxrmapper]

Dredgen Shrike comes up to Scout, from behind. The other had been...prickly, but Shrike was a big oof. First step, was dropping his Cloak over Scout's shoulder. He purred and stepped to the side, nuzzling Scout. He then reached into one of the satchels he held on his waist, and held out a knife to him.

It was blacksteel blade, with some kind of orange jewel-type substance decorating the other side of the blade. It had Scout's name carved into it. "For you, my Prince. My handsome, amazing partner-"

He then reached to the hood, and pulled it over Scout's head, promptly dumping snow over his head that had been in the hood with a snicker. "Also for you, my amazing partner."

The warm cloak was a great start to winning him over, despite the mood, and Scout purred. There was an odd weight to the cloak though, and it put him off, an odd suspicion rising up, but the warmth was too good to refuse. Scout always hated Winter, the cold that came with it, the way his joints stiffened or even froze if he managed ro get wet, or too cold. Though, that usually wasn't anywhere on Earth, he had to say. Normally the Light-forsaken wasteland of Europa.

His antennae perked up as the blade was procured, and he leaned into Shrike. "It's beautiful, I--"

But then Shrike pulled the hood up, covering him in snow. Scout gave a yelp at the sudden cold, shaking it off and throwing the cloak off too, in expectance that there was more hidden elsewhere. By the Light, he hated Winter. Dropping the knife, antennae lowering, he headed back towards the tent, clearly not in a good mood.

Whether it was worse than how he was before was uncertain, but he definitely didn't seem happy at all as he lay bundled up in the furs, warming himself with Solar.

[stxrmapper]

Shrike was very openly possessive about Scout. Taurus- well, Taurus had seen the lot of it. Each thing he had seen, he regretted. Yet, the word of this, and Shrike's deamnor didn't mean everyone in the camp was always... complacent to not tread too far.

Rattlesnake. A hunter with the build of a Titan....too cocky for his own good. Shrike had been out for the morning, and Rattlesnake had taken this chance to slide up to Scout, all confident, and start chatting him up.

He was charismatic- but Shrike was also quick on hunts. Coming back to see Rattlesnake- well, he slunk over, coming up behind Scout. Rattlesnakes eyes drug up to the Exo, and he gave a greeting, about to say something else before-

chomp.

Shrike bit down on Scout's neck right then, right there, no shame and snarling all the while. Rattlesnake stared wide-eyed, sputtering something as he was subjected to what Taurus had witnessed more than once, before he just raised his hands in an "I give up,", turned snd walked away, hoping he could forget it soon.

Scout didn't seem to care about others seeing whatever Shrike and him got up to. Sometimes it seemed as if he even enjoyed it, the risk of being caught. Unfortunately for Taurus, the variety of what exactly he'd caught them doing ranged from just leaving simple little marks on one another, all the way to...less savoury things, and it was debatable whether those were better or worse than the time where Shrike actually killed Scout.

It didn't help that one of Scout's favourite passtimes was flirting with Taurus, though Rattlesnake was quick to earn his attention too. Today in particular, he purred as the other spoke to him, returning all the flirtatious comments. But he knew Shrike would be back soon, and he knew well that Shrike wouldn't wait before acting.

He was right - Scout's antennae perked up when he heard steps stalking towards them, but he didn't step talking with Rattlesnake.

Not until he gasped, feeling fangs puncture his neck. How rude of Shrike to interrupt his conversation! But Scout's attention was quickly shifted fully to the Dredgen regardless. "Been waitin' for you to get back. I've been real bored without you, though Rattlesnake's kept me company~"

"If you're done with the hunt 'n' have nothin' else to do for the next while, I could do with some...entertaining. Maybe it'll double as stress relief for you, I know how hard you work yourself sometimes~"

[stxrmapper]

Shrike drags Scout out into a hunt, of someone who had come too close. In the lingering adrenaline of the kill, he presses Scout to a tree, tail wagging as he press a kiss agaonst the others mouth- maybe a little harshly, but that was him after hunts anyways.

Scout gave a little noise of surprise as he was pressed up against the tree, but he definitely didn't complain as Shrike kissed him. Nor did he complain at the roughness. Sure, Scout loved when they were gentle, just enjoying one another's company, lazing around in bed resting next to one another, sometimes talking, sometimes not even bothering to do that.

But he always loved when things got rougher: more dangerous. It didn't always have to get truly violent, with blood and death, even if that was fun sometimes. That didn't stop Scout's claws from coming up to rest idly on Shrike's sides, though Scout couldn't help but chuckle when they pulled away from one another and he saw Shrike's tail wagging. "'M I gonna have to put up with you basically having the zoomies for the next half hour 'cause of this?" He teased.

Well, it was probably less zoomies, and more 'I'm not gonna let go of you now and you're gonna be the victim of all my attention.' That was usually how it went; Scout loved the attention though, and he loved to give it back too, so that certainly wasn't a problem.

"I dunno if you wanna stay out here. 'M sure no one would bother us at camp anyway but...y'never know what they might end up seein' if they do~" Scout trailed his claws along Shrike's side idly.

[stxrmapper]

The Hunter’s antennae lowered both in surprise and annoyance as Shrike dropped his hand. That just wasn’t fair! Scout knew the other Exo was doing it purely to tease him as well - they’d played this game more than enough for him to recognise the steps.

So Scout brushed against him as he began to wander off elsewhere.

“Maybe I’ll just go to the city then, leave you to watch over these guys. ‘M sure there’ll be plenty other Exos who’ll wanna talk to me.” ‘Talk to’ might’ve been an understatement, but really, he didn’t have any intentions to go out. All he wanted to do was rile Shrike up and get him possessive, then he absolutely wouldn’t be able to ignore him. Even if it resulted in more possessive scratches and bites, Scout didn’t care in the least. Hell, they were almost a bonus.

With a glance over his shoulder, he awaited Shrike’s response. At least he wasn’t making life harder for the other Dredgens in the camp by flirting with them just to get to Shrike.

@dredgenshrike from here!

“That’s so irresponsible though,” Scout teased with a tone of mock-sincerity - as if the Dredgens in front of them couldn’t already kill people in about a thousand different ways with nothing more than their bare hands. A day without supervised training would surely be fine. Especially if it meant he got Shrike all to himself.

With a purr, he approached the much larger Exo, taking ahold of his hand, regardless of the claws. Hell, he had a lot more positive memories with those claws than bad ones, so Scout definitely wasn’t fearful of them or of getting hurt by them. “Guess I’m at your mercy~ ‘Cause I got nothin’ better to do.” To be fair, he had nothing better to do most days. Scout still took up some jobs here and there, but more of his time was spent at the camp or out hunting with Shrike.

His own tail swished back and forth as he wondered what exactly the other Exo had in mind.

A glance cast over to the others in the camp seemed to show that they weren’t too unhappy about the decision either; for as hard as most of them worked, Scout doubted they’d complain about more time to themselves, as was evident in the way they half-glanced at Shrike and him, awaiting their decision.

[stxrmapper]

Oh yeah, he wasn't bothering attempting to run again. Well, now that he'd calmed a little, Solar once again replacing Arc in a soothing warmth through his body, Scout couldn't help but snicker at the thought of Shrike chasing him down again, just because of the fact he'd probably end up enjoying it, even if he wouldn't admit it. Though that didn't change that he wanted to go back home and just collapse into bed.

"Your tent?" Scout repeated, mouth laying open just for a second in surprise. That did lend to watching him closely, but it was still a shock. He fully thought that Shrike might just leave him outside, probably giving the dogs a better bed that him, so it was still certainly a welcome surprise.

Oh-- Flare. "It's on the edge of the city, a-- y'know what I'll just get my Ghost to give you the location. May as well make it quick 'n' direct if you're gonna break in. Just call his name, offer 'm a treat. Not the best guard dog." Of course he was still just a puppy, but amusement still slipped into Scout's voice as he talked about it.

He stood, following behind Shrike, now getting more of a chance to actually glance around the camp. Scout's focus was quick to return to Shrike though, giving a half joking, half flirtatious, "Shame you don't wanna rest with me. I make a pretty good heat pack~" In reality his Solar really did help when he found himself in less than ideal places. Overall a tent was miles better than some of the places he'd had to sleep in over the years, and he was partially grateful, even if annoyance still lingered.

@fireteam-striker from here

Shrike's optic flickered with some curiousity, dlating a little. He rotated around the other slowly, tail beginning to swish a bit wider in a more cautiously curious way. "Quite a tongue on you too. Most people would be shaking by now-" He said, a slight purr of an undertone to his voice. Lady stood and crept closer to Scout, sniffing at the ground a little aways from him as she watched.

"Letting you leave is something I can't do though. Not yet. I'm sure you understand-" He leaned down beside Scout, patting his head in a way that was definitely atleast a little mocking. The pieces of his gauntlets made clicking noises- the weight of them most likely felt even if Shrike never laid his full weight on Scout. He stood back up though, walking around until he could stand back in front and besides Lady.

"You'd run off, tell your little friends or something about this camp and we'd all be in deep shit. I need something to ensure you won't say anything..." He could cut out Scout's vocal box but he could always get that replaced. "Whether you're willing to give me a gurantee or not." He sat back down on his little spot, crossing a leg over the other. Even his boots had massive claws on them- four lining the front like a wolfs paw with a dewclaw on the back of the ankle.

[stxrmapper]

At first, feeling the touch against the ears, Scout froze. He liked that...but was quick to remember exactly who was currently petting him, and he snapped at Shrike's hand once again, hopefully looking far more fiercesome now that he'd had a chance to put on display exactly just how brutal he could be, and how bloody too.

His optics squinted into a glare as Shrike nudged his head up again (he would never admit it, but he quite liked how tall Shrike was, both in general, and in the way he had to nudge Scout's head up to look at him a lot of the time) , though they flickered a few times back and forth between Shrike's face and his claw. What was he doing? The red stood out against the colours of the metal, which only drew Scout's optic to it more.

Scout's optics widened a little at the tongue. Okay-- that was...something. Shrike really caught his attention when he licked the blood off his fingers, though he jumped when the other Exo's jaw slammed shut. That seemed to just ignite something defiant in him again, and as much as he would've loved the prospect of having Guardians brought to him as essentially gifts, he was still angry at being kept here.

By the Light, he'd miss all his blankets and pillows.

"Can't say I know my way around. Plus I thought I wasn't trustworthy enough to keep off a leash?" The question once again dripped with sarcasm. Scout eventually spoke again, "If you are keepin' me here, where the fuck 'm I gonna sleep?" Ugh, he was guessing it wasn't going to be the best.

@fireteam-striker from here

Shrike's optic flickered with some curiousity, dlating a little. He rotated around the other slowly, tail beginning to swish a bit wider in a more cautiously curious way. "Quite a tongue on you too. Most people would be shaking by now-" He said, a slight purr of an undertone to his voice. Lady stood and crept closer to Scout, sniffing at the ground a little aways from him as she watched.

"Letting you leave is something I can't do though. Not yet. I'm sure you understand-" He leaned down beside Scout, patting his head in a way that was definitely atleast a little mocking. The pieces of his gauntlets made clicking noises- the weight of them most likely felt even if Shrike never laid his full weight on Scout. He stood back up though, walking around until he could stand back in front and besides Lady.

"You'd run off, tell your little friends or something about this camp and we'd all be in deep shit. I need something to ensure you won't say anything..." He could cut out Scout's vocal box but he could always get that replaced. "Whether you're willing to give me a gurantee or not." He sat back down on his little spot, crossing a leg over the other. Even his boots had massive claws on them- four lining the front like a wolfs paw with a dewclaw on the back of the ankle.

[stxrmapper]

Shrike unwrapping the cord from his neck distracted Scout. Admittedly, he hadn’t really expected it. Half expected Shrike to taunt him, hold the kill over his head like a feather to bat at, without ever actually letting him at the Warlock. So to say he was delighted was an understatement. The rumbling in Shrike’s throat seemed to catch onto him too, as he gave a deep rumble, certainly not a purr, much more of a threatening noise.

Claws brushing against his neck made him give a different little noise, interrupting the deep growl. What it was was uncertain, but he didn’t seem too opposed to them. But when Shrike held onto his neck, it made his frame almost shake with anticipation at being forced to wait.

When he was released though, there was still a moment of hesitation. What if this was some sort of trick? And he’d end up with something bad happening to him in the end? What-- oh. Those two words pushed all that doubt out of Scout’s mind, and he pounced at the Warlock, landing on top of them without any attempt to catch his weight without hurting them. From that alone he heard something snap, and he stared down at them for a second, before giving a huff of a laugh.

He brought a claw to the other’s neck, pushing down enough to draw blood, before dragging it down until his claw met fabric, then he moved away. He shifted his hand to press down on where the Warlock’s heart would be. Scout had no intentions to do anything with that, but it did make the Warlock give a frightened little breath beyond what whimpered noises of pain they were making, and he pressed down, claws digging into the skin, right until he felt ribs crack under his weight.

Then he couldn’t help himself. Shrike had made him wait too long for this. With one quick snarl of a noise, he moved down and bit down on the other’s throat, sinking his fangs in, leaving them there for a second to let the awareness sink in, before biting down hard. At the same time, he tore his claws through the skin on their chest, and he knew he’d regret it with the blood that spilled all over him and all over his face, but for now it felt good. Especially to let out his frustration and anger in one quick motion. 

The blood that landed in his mouth was swallowed down, and as Scout pulled his head back up away from the now-dead Warlock’s throat, he licked a few of his claws, acting almost daintily in the face of the violence. He felt something though, something in a little pouch on the Warlock’s hip, and immediately his hand plunged in there, pulling out the Ghost from inside.

Part of the shell was pried away with his claws, until the core was better exposed. Then he bit down. And he drank the very Light from the Ghost. Scout was practically shaking as the burst of energy in his Light hit him.

@fireteam-striker from here

Shrike's optic flickered with some curiousity, dlating a little. He rotated around the other slowly, tail beginning to swish a bit wider in a more cautiously curious way. "Quite a tongue on you too. Most people would be shaking by now-" He said, a slight purr of an undertone to his voice. Lady stood and crept closer to Scout, sniffing at the ground a little aways from him as she watched.

"Letting you leave is something I can't do though. Not yet. I'm sure you understand-" He leaned down beside Scout, patting his head in a way that was definitely atleast a little mocking. The pieces of his gauntlets made clicking noises- the weight of them most likely felt even if Shrike never laid his full weight on Scout. He stood back up though, walking around until he could stand back in front and besides Lady.

"You'd run off, tell your little friends or something about this camp and we'd all be in deep shit. I need something to ensure you won't say anything..." He could cut out Scout's vocal box but he could always get that replaced. "Whether you're willing to give me a gurantee or not." He sat back down on his little spot, crossing a leg over the other. Even his boots had massive claws on them- four lining the front like a wolfs paw with a dewclaw on the back of the ankle.

[stxrmapper]

Oh, if Shrike knew about those, his ego would inflate. All he knew is people didn’t like those woods because it crawled with snakes and wolves. Or when people heard certain noises it would send them scampering away with their tail between their legs. Shrike honestly found it amusing- as an Exo, he had some capabilities human and awoken did not for noises. He was sure Scout did too.

He gave a glare at Scout on the comment of his men being unruly. Maybe they thought he deserved to see something. Regardless, he shook his head and dragged Scout into the camp.

The two titans from earlier- had dropped the Warlock in the middle of camp, tied. The one with golden horns backed up, shaking his head as he walked over to Shrike. “Damn near burned our buddies head off.” He muttered to the Exo, sparing only a glance at Shrike. The other Titan had similar horns but they curled and the titan was right- one of the horns was still dripping molten metal onto the ground. Shrike glanced at the titan, before nudging his shoulder.

“Thank you, Taurus.” He said, feeling Lady trot further into camp next to his legs. She ignored the Warlock, going back to sit at the tent. A bernese puppy soon joined her, giving a small 'arf’ at her. She looked at him, and the puppy tried to mimic her- but one of his ears fell in his face and he gave a small noise as he tried to bite his own ear.

Shrike stared at the Warlock for a moment longer, before shifting to walk behind Scout, careful to not pull the leash too tight. “This is your bounty, yea?” He asked, quietly. “I’d hope they brought back the right one. To subject a poor innocent Guardian to this…"He snickered, his tone very much not sincere. "I could let you kill them. A show of my own faith to you, that I won’t hurt you while you’re here so long as you behave, Scout.” He said, dragging a hand up to hold Scout’s jaw, to keep his gaze on the Warlock, tied on the ground.

Scout didn’t seem to catch the glare aimed in his direction, far more intrigued by the noises coming from the camp, optics practically slits watching and antennae pointed upwards, like a cat stalking its prey. He definitely recognised that voice.

The two Titans went ignored, though he did seem distracted for a moment by Lady and the little pup that gave a small bark. Heh, cute. Reminded him of Flare, and once again he felt a slight pang of wanting to just hold him and make sure he was safe. It was an odd thing: Scout never really cared for anyone in a world as harsh as this, many of his friends had ended up dead by the hands of people like Shrike, so it did him well to distance himself. And yet he’d just given his full attention to the pup of all things, and was incredibly protective.

Funny how things worked out.

His optics finally fell on the Titans, tilting his head a little, curious at the damage the Warlock had caused. Pesky things. A great force on your side, a terrible nuisance when they weren’t. Still a nuisance that Scout was happy to deal with, given he got paid for it, and it meant he got to shed blood. Something that felt oh, so satisfying to do.

Feeling the slight pull on the leash, Scout didn’t give a growl, instead just a nod. This was indeed the unfortunate Warlock who had fallen prey to him - at least until the two Titans had come along. But to get a second chance at killing them... Scout wasn’t going to pass that up by any means. Even if he missed out on finishing the chase, catching them and taking his reward by killing them afterwards, it still felt good to come out on top in the end. At least in that way. Probably not overall, given he was currently the one with a makeshift leash around his neck after having been caught himself.

The grip on his jaw didn’t end in a violent or aggressive reaction either, instead he just...watched. Focused on the poor Warlock who had nowhere to go. Waiting.

@fireteam-striker from here

Shrike's optic flickered with some curiousity, dlating a little. He rotated around the other slowly, tail beginning to swish a bit wider in a more cautiously curious way. "Quite a tongue on you too. Most people would be shaking by now-" He said, a slight purr of an undertone to his voice. Lady stood and crept closer to Scout, sniffing at the ground a little aways from him as she watched.

"Letting you leave is something I can't do though. Not yet. I'm sure you understand-" He leaned down beside Scout, patting his head in a way that was definitely atleast a little mocking. The pieces of his gauntlets made clicking noises- the weight of them most likely felt even if Shrike never laid his full weight on Scout. He stood back up though, walking around until he could stand back in front and besides Lady.

"You'd run off, tell your little friends or something about this camp and we'd all be in deep shit. I need something to ensure you won't say anything..." He could cut out Scout's vocal box but he could always get that replaced. "Whether you're willing to give me a gurantee or not." He sat back down on his little spot, crossing a leg over the other. Even his boots had massive claws on them- four lining the front like a wolfs paw with a dewclaw on the back of the ankle.

[stxrmapper]

Shrike watched Scout lick the blood off his own fingers with as much dilation as his optics would allow- not too much from his usual slit but enough to where one could tell. His optics and lights along his chassis still held the deep violet instead on the none blue.

The mention of him dressing up made him give a soft whine of Scout’s name- he was not used to being flustered this easy. The noise that came out of him only made him cover his mouth with an arm when Scout pulled away from his chin, trying to hide the blush and stop the noises that would only fluster him further.

He liked the idea of a dress. Less a suit- Shrike had never been keen on them. The thought only made him take a breath- why was he actually thinking about this? The more he thought about it the more he was drug down the rabbit hole. Some dresses looked beautiful and he could remember wearing them before he was a shadow. He wouldn’t mind wearing them again…especially not if Scout was the one picking out which one.

“You’re gonna be the death of me…” Shrike muttered, but moved his arm to bring Scout down into another kiss. He moved one of his hands to set on the others chest- not to push him away, but more to rub at it before moving to his shoulders and rubbing them. His antenna flickered a little-

He didn’t know why he liked the praise so much. He also didn’t know why it was such a… he didn’t know the word- it just stunned him into a way of submission. He figured it might also be partially surprise but maybe he didn’t mind Scout taking the reigns…

“You like the idea of dresses, huh? Alright, ‘m sure we can definitely figure somethin’ out for that. Can’t guarantee you’ll keep it on for long after I see you in one, and I can’t guarantee there won’t be cuts and scratches too. I’ll try my best to play nice, just for you~” Whilst he spoke, Scout traced little patterns on Shrike’s chest, though his hand once again wandered further and further up, until eventually, it rested on the side of Shrike’s neck again.

There was a moment of contemplation as Scout looked down at Shrike, giving a little laugh, “Better to die by my hand than anyone else’s though, right~? Though...maybe it’d be better if I was in a dress too. If we’re goin’ out dress shopping together, just so you know, I like shorter stuff~ y’know, showin’ myself off. Real fun. Y’know what...” Scout turned away in thought, though his optics glanced towards Shrike to gauge his reaction, “Maybe somethin’ like a miniskirt would be better. Hah, or booty shorts.”

Scout gave a purr as Shrike’s hands shifted to his chest, then his shoulders. This prompted him to move that hand that was settled on his neck to push down a little onto Shrike’s throat. Just a little, not enough to actually give the effect of potentially choking (even if Exos couldn’t breathe, Scout was well aware that their minds tended to still think so sometimes).

“You look so good like this; blood smeared all over you, my hands around your throat. Me on top of you in particular~” Scout’s claws dug in a little more to Shrike’s throat, though not enough to bring up blood this time. He’d only go further if Shrike wanted him to.

@dredgenshrike from here!

Scout didn’t seem intent moving away from Shrike, never mind getting off of him, and he brought one hand up to lean against the side of Shrike’s neck with his claws - just an idle threat. Was threat really the right word?

“Then I’d be happy to bring it out more often. Regardless of whether we’ve just killed or not.” He glanced over to where the corpse still lay, they’d not disposed of it just yet. Maybe they’d just leave it here as a warning for any others coming close to the camp, telling exactly what will happen to them if they happen to be caught messing around. “You’re a good boy,” Scout tested, curious to see if there’d be any reaction, “Makin’ their death slow ‘n’ painful, just like they deserve. So good.”

Claws tapping idly against a more metal part of Shrike’s neck, Scout leaned down to kiss him again, before putting slightly more pressure down; just a little edge of pain, nothing too bad. Enough that if Shrike decided he wanted away, Scout would stop. They’d never really done much where Scout was the one in charge, even if he was the one to tease and start things so often.

He was purring the whole time, though eventually his other hand shifted, bloodied. Scout smeared the blood across Shrike’s face.

[stxrmapper]

Immediately he noted the reaction. Admittedly, Scout hadn't expected Shrike to like it. He'd been so dominant, always the one in control of the situation, which Scout didn't mind by any means, but it was a revelation to know that Shrike wouldn't mind him taking at least a little bit of the control every now and again.

Oh, how he loved it. "And bringing me the Ghost shell too?" Scout continued, almost as if praising a dog (though he avoided using the word, knowing how often it was used as an insult towards Shrike), "So good for me. A great, loyal wolf, better than anyone else I could've asked for."

The way Shrike went quiet, as much as Scout loved the noises the other made, the silence was just as telling. Scout filled it with his purring though, digging his claws into Shrike's neck just enough to draw blood. He'd been surprised to learn the dark, black blood that was terrible for leaving stains was chocolate flavoured, but that just meant he was all the more eager to bring his claw back up to his mouth, and take his time licking the black blood off of it, looking down at Shrike the entire time. "I'm never disappointed when I taste you~" The glimmer of amusement in Scout's optics made it clear he was aware of the double entendre.

"Mm, I think you'd look just as good in a collar as me, I won't lie. Maybe only for my eyed though~ No one's allowed you but me, just like no one's allowed me but you. Though..." Scout raised a finger to his chin, as if in thought, "I do love the idea of you in somethin' fancy too...been thinkin' 'bout that a lot. As much as I love seein' you around without a shirt, I think you'd look real nice in a suit. Or a dress, too. Only if you want, but you know I'd be happy to wear anythin' you suggest to go along with it."

Scout leaned down to give a lick to Shrike's chin to get some of the blood. "Definitely doesn't taste as good as yours."

@dredgenshrike from here!

Scout didn’t seem intent moving away from Shrike, never mind getting off of him, and he brought one hand up to lean against the side of Shrike’s neck with his claws - just an idle threat. Was threat really the right word?

“Then I’d be happy to bring it out more often. Regardless of whether we’ve just killed or not.” He glanced over to where the corpse still lay, they’d not disposed of it just yet. Maybe they’d just leave it here as a warning for any others coming close to the camp, telling exactly what will happen to them if they happen to be caught messing around. “You’re a good boy,” Scout tested, curious to see if there’d be any reaction, “Makin’ their death slow ‘n’ painful, just like they deserve. So good.”

Claws tapping idly against a more metal part of Shrike’s neck, Scout leaned down to kiss him again, before putting slightly more pressure down; just a little edge of pain, nothing too bad. Enough that if Shrike decided he wanted away, Scout would stop. They’d never really done much where Scout was the one in charge, even if he was the one to tease and start things so often.

He was purring the whole time, though eventually his other hand shifted, bloodied. Scout smeared the blood across Shrike’s face.