THE BOUNDARIES OF YOU AND ME [MASON]

[NIKK]

Damnit. She hadn’t wanted to kill him, but he’d almost killed her.

It was quiet now, save Nikk’s breath as she panted in the evening light. The Fallen soldier was young, and even in death he had kind eyes. Nikk’s hard brown hues looked him over with regret as she pulled the throwing knives from his lifeless body and cleaned them.

Unlike many, she hated the kill. It didn’t matter whether it was for defense or food – she felt guilty every time. The back of her hand went to her forehead, wiping sweat from her brow and pushing back long, tangled blonde hair.

Nikk was tired. It had been a struggle – it always was when she didn’t want to terminate the other person (which was constantly) and drew the fight out, hoping, praying that they would turn and run. He had not … she wished he had. Even under duress such as this she had not felt the need to shift. If she had it would have ended much sooner.

Now, she sat in the dirt looking down the slight hill at a setting horizon. When it grew dark, she would take the Fallen back to his border and drop him off. It was the least she could do. Maybe he was somebody’s brother, or father, or boyfriend. She sighed heavily and looked to her hands that were bloody in the dying light.

Oddly every death became easier to accept, but harder to live with. Stupid kid, she thought and took a drink from her canteen. Got himself killed. All he had to do was leave me alone and let me go, but no. She swished the water around her mouth and spit it out, her tongue feeling her split lip. Stupid kid.

[Deleted]

Even with the sun slipping away past the distant horizon, the unrelenting heat kept up its assault, mingling with the heavy humidity in the air to maintain the lofty temperatures from earlier in the day. With a stout young buck dangling over his shoulder, Mason slowly made his way back toward the Carnaring waterfront from the Analoya hunting grounds, his duties done for the day and his prize a welcome change to the small game that the other hunters had been bringing in lately. Using the sleeve of his shirt – which he'd draped around his neck after ridding himself of it earlier – he wiped the sweat from his face and released a weary sigh, not at all too thrilled with the thought of having to share such a delectable treat.

As he wandered past the inn, the distinctive scent of blood permeated the steamy air, a different smell than what seeped from the dead cervid on his shoulder. It was shifter, and while he really didn't want to get wrapped up in some trivial fight, he did want to see just who had met their end. As he rounded the corner of the inn and stepped toward the rear courtyard, the source of the sanguine scent eventually came into view. A young man lay slain in the dirt with a young woman knelt by his side. From his observation of the scene it appeared that some sort of altercation occurred between the two and the young man couldn't hold his own against the woman.

The chauvinist within Mason snorted at such a thought, but scenes like these weren't uncommon under the dome, especially when the Carna were concerned. He'd never seen this woman before though, and stranger still, she smelled entirely human, there wasn't a trace of animal on her. Unconcerned with stealth or sneakiness, Mason stepped through the thickly overgrown shrubbery and proceeded toward the pair, slowing to a stop only a few feet from the bloody scene. He had no words for the woman and even fewer for the man, his only interest now was whether or not the dead shifter had anything worthwhile on him that he could take.

[NIKK]

There was a crashing the brush behind her, and Nikk shifted her seat to see who or what it was. A large, broad shouldered man emerged, carrying a carcass. His sight dwelled on The Dead Guy on the ground, and Nikk took a deep breath and sighed heavily.

”I’m sorry about that, but he wouldn’t leave it be. If you’ve come to collect your dead you are welcome to give him a proper burial,” she murmured. The tail end of the sentence was barely audible as her head turned back around to look at the setting sun.

She had completely assumed this was The Dead Guy’s partner, and now that he had found where his buddy was there would be a promise for vengeance or attempt on her life. It was not arrogance that stooped her shoulders carelessly, no. Nikk was one of the few that bordered on humble, and capable; and though she’d only been in this situation once or twice … it was not one easily forgotten.

Her lip hurt, and the spot between her shoulder blades crawled as if eyes were staring at her back … after a moment she turned around again, brown eyes catching his movements as he leaned over The Dead Guy. Boy, really. He’d not been much older than sixteen.

The winds were stingy today, hoarding the fresh breezes from the shore that might have cooled them. Even so, eventually his scent drifted toward her and immediately she was on her feet. Her stance was well balanced, though she had not reached for her weapons.

Carna. she thought in a mix of alarm and surprise. After a moment her head lifted, her gaze taking on some understanding as she spied the carcass … he’d been hunting and had smelled The Dead Guy. Or something like that. Regardless he was dangerous and unpredictable, and would rather be safe than assume that a Carna wouldn’t pick off a rouge.

Shit ... shit... rang in her ears, but she managed to composed herself. Panicking would do nothing but get you killed. Her eyes lowered to The Dead Guy for a moment before rising again slowly, waiting the Carna out.