GHAUL
i can take you there, but baby, you won't make it back
He can’t help the way his instincts respond to each nervous movement, the way his gaze grows intense and his talons paw eagerly at the soil beneath him. She is a prey animal, at the end of the day, and he will always be a predator. But she does not shy away or snap her teeth at him as others have. He can appreciate the bold face she puts on as she remains perfectly in place with her head held high. There is some strength to her worth salvaging.
“True. I was in line to inherit my father’s throne when Anaxarete demanded it,” he explains as his body language relaxes. His wings rest a little looser across his back and his claws cease their excited twitching. “But I was too young. My fire did not burn bright enough to set my enemies ablaze.”
She continues, then, and his small ears turn forward to listen closely to her intentions. His expression grows more thoughtful as his brow furrows behind those curled horns and he considers her words for a while. Initially, he does not speak as he picks the explanation apart for himself. He always intended for Pangea to be his starting point that would let him destroy the rest of this world. It never seemed like a weapon for him, but rather a place to grow until he was strong enough. But her plans interest him just the same.
“And what does facing justice mean, for him? Do you want to see him burn for what he’s done?” he asks, his large head tilting as a smile smears across his jagged mouth. The constellations across his face grow bright once more as he edges just a step closer to her. “You see, I think a great number of people deserve to turn to ash – for their weakness, for their crimes. Then, their deaths will foster a greater tomorrow. Our children will have a world built by only the worthy.”
His wings begin to stretch wide as he carries on until they cast a long shadow over her.
“Only the strong and the clever may survive. Offer your realm as kindling, and I will throw your enemies on the pyre. Lepis, pledge fealty and I will destroy even the memory of those who have wronged you.”
And then Ghaul waits, his focus trained entirely on the outline of her face.
“True. I was in line to inherit my father’s throne when Anaxarete demanded it,” he explains as his body language relaxes. His wings rest a little looser across his back and his claws cease their excited twitching. “But I was too young. My fire did not burn bright enough to set my enemies ablaze.”
She continues, then, and his small ears turn forward to listen closely to her intentions. His expression grows more thoughtful as his brow furrows behind those curled horns and he considers her words for a while. Initially, he does not speak as he picks the explanation apart for himself. He always intended for Pangea to be his starting point that would let him destroy the rest of this world. It never seemed like a weapon for him, but rather a place to grow until he was strong enough. But her plans interest him just the same.
“And what does facing justice mean, for him? Do you want to see him burn for what he’s done?” he asks, his large head tilting as a smile smears across his jagged mouth. The constellations across his face grow bright once more as he edges just a step closer to her. “You see, I think a great number of people deserve to turn to ash – for their weakness, for their crimes. Then, their deaths will foster a greater tomorrow. Our children will have a world built by only the worthy.”
His wings begin to stretch wide as he carries on until they cast a long shadow over her.
“Only the strong and the clever may survive. Offer your realm as kindling, and I will throw your enemies on the pyre. Lepis, pledge fealty and I will destroy even the memory of those who have wronged you.”
And then Ghaul waits, his focus trained entirely on the outline of her face.