#corpsediem

Dust burst, a cloud forming in the shape of the screeching spawn before it trickled away into the wind. Kaden wiped off the lingering bits that had settled on his jeans and jacket, placing the stake back in his pocket and swapping it for his knife again. There were plenty of things about hunting that were complicated and confusing. Slaying spawn? Annihilating alghouls? Simple. Kaden could use some simple. And Eluria was just the place for it. Sure, he wasn’t a slayer but he still knew how to handle basic necrophages. And he was ready for any bonedoggles that may be sniffing around the graves. Kaden stopped in his tracks as he heard rustling in the distance. Then a snapped twig. His head shot to the left trying to see the source of the sound, hand gripping his knife a little tighter. He crept forward, slowly, steadying his breathing. He turned the corner of the mausoleum and-- 

A raccoon scurried away into the dark. “Putain. Couldn’t have been something more interesting? Bordel de merde,” he muttered to himself as he kicked up the dirt in front of him, likely some stray vamp dust mixed in.

Erin missed the quiet that fell upon the cemeteries of White Crest at night. It had always been a serene and calm environment, especially for someone like her. Most of her time not in the funeral home was spent bouncing between each cemetery though not truly appreciating the environment. She’d missed it more than she ever thought she would, staring at a cement wall for the better part of two months. Nighttime was her favorite. When the only thing she could hear were the crickets chirping and the bats fluttering around the trees above her. Before she’d learned of the true dangers that crept around every corner--sometimes human, but mostly supernatural in nature. 

Maybe it was the newfound confidence she’d found in her new nearly indestructible skin but those dangers didn’t seem so alarming right this second.The worst that could happen had happened, after all, right? That was, of course, until that blanket of serenity was cut with an all too familiar word. Putain. Erin’s entire body jolted to a halt mid-jog when that one word, that single fucking word that still haunted her thoughts and dreams. So much for a solitary, quiet run, she thought with disdain when she came upon the grumbling Frenchman. “A raccoon not big and bad enough for you?” She huffed out when she realized there was no way to avoid this interaction. “You could probably take him,” she smirked, shrugging slightly, an obvious tease in her voice. “Probably.”

Kaden rolled his eyes at the sight of Erin rounding the corner. Great, just what he needed. “I’m not going to kill a fucking raccoon, merde.” He fumbled and tried to hide his knife out of instinct but realized it was hardly worth it. It’s not like she didn’t know what he was or what he did. And it’s not like he cared what she thought of him regardless. “What are you doing out in a cemetery all by yourself? You know there aren’t any organs to harvest here, right? Not any that are worth your time at least.” He should really just leave and keep walking, pretending they never ran into each other. Putain, he couldn’t do that. If something hurt or killed her, he’d feel responsible or some shit. Not that he planned on escorting her out of the cemetery or anything but he figured he should at least put in minimal effort to make sure no humans died on his watch. He may not like her but she was still human. “You didn’t lose your cat again, did you?” 

Erin shouldn’t have enjoyed the look of annoyance on Kaden’s face as he realized who’d approached him as much as she did. But she did. The smirk on her face confirmed it. Though as quickly as it appeared, a frown replaced the upward curve of her lips. “You’ve really got to get a new insult, Kaden. It’s been like, a solid year since--” but she stopped herself, unwilling to give Kaden a full admission of the crimes they both knew she’d committed. “...since I was arrested on false charges of the organ bullshit.” And that should have been where this interaction ended. That had been the plan. Erin’s feet even started towards the exit. She stopped, her jaw tightening at his last comment. “No. Betty’s gone,” she spat, a dormant anger quickly resurfacing. “You haven’t heard? I have Morgan and her little pixie friends to thank for that.” With a huff, she tried to expel the memory and focus on getting back to her jog and getting as far away from the Frenchman as she could. “Always a pleasure running into you, Kaden. Be careful out here. Wouldn’t want you to choke and lose a leg to a bugbear or anything.” 

Kaden waited for her to admit to her crimes for once. It’s not like he hadn’t been in her head. He knew. And he knew that she knew that he kn-- “Right. Pretty sure you’re still a criminal no matter how you cut it but alright.” She turned to walk away and a flash of relief bubbled up in him but it was short lived as she turned on her heel to face him once more. His brows knit together, trying to piece together whatever picture she was spelling out for him. “Gone? Pixies? What the--” Pausing didn’t make the whole thing make any more sense but the one thing he was sure about was her anger. “She didn’t tell me. Sorry,” he muttered. He wanted to add “I guess,” under his breath but held back. Once again, he was set to turn around and walk away when she slid another jab in at him. He grit his teeth and rounded back at her. “Yeah, a fucking pleasure. As always. Can’t wait until our next rendezvous.” Kaden shook his head and set his eyes across the cemetery, away from here, away from her. “I wish that fucking tiger would show up right here and now. Tell me more about how I fucking choke under pressure. I’d love to see what she’d do in the face of a fucking hug animal with big goddamn teeth. Bordel de merde de putain,” he grumbled to himself as he set off anywhere but here. 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Erin grumbled, rolling her eyes. He was right but she’d rather jump into a pit of snicker-snackers before ever admitting otherwise. There was a hint of sympathy in Kaden’s face and for a moment, a tiny moment, she appreciated that he didn’t bite back or be foul about Betty’s demise. But this brief moment of peace couldn’t last long--not between the two of them--and she was content with the last stab she was about to leave him with. Until she wasn’t. Until his angry mumbling caught her attention, stopping her in his tracks. And that word. Wish. The beautiful word. Technically, he was pissed off. And technically, his transgression was with something supernatural. She turned, taking a few steps backwards. Fuck it. Josephine didn’t need to know about this one. This one was for her. She took a few more steps backwards, her limbs tingling with the magic stirring under her skin. “The one that apparently keeps alluding you?” The smirk on her lips grew wide. “Tell me--how pissed would you be if I found it for you?” She raised her brow and nodded beyond Kaden towards the slight movement behind a large mausoleum. “Found ‘em.”

“No, the other fucking tiger in town,” Kaden said, rolling his eyes. He was about to leave it at that but she kept going, his eyes narrowing and his brow creasing as she asked another question. “Wait you saw the--” The question didn’t leave his lips before he got a solid answer pouncing right at his chest. Kaden cursed and threw himself into a tombstone out of the way of the sharp claws swiping at him. “What the fuck just--” A growl and a hiss cut him off again and Kaden scrambled to pick himself up of the ground and run out of the way instead of talking. Fumbling, he pulled out his knife, mentally running through all the possible solutions to this fucking situation. It was hard because the only thing screaming in his mind was “where the fuck did that tiger come from?” He would have heard it or seen it before just then, he was sure of it. Fucking hell, he’d checked the whole cemetery. Didn’t matter, not right now. He was about to jump out from his hiding spot, blade in hand, when his eyes caught Erin. Putain. He had to give a shit, didn’t he? The tiger had turned towards her for a split second and if he had time, Kaden would have groaned. Instead he popped up and shouted, “Hey! Over here!” The tiger swirled back to face him, bounding through the grave markers towards the hunter and Kaden wasn’t sure what the hell he was going to do next. Guess he was fighting a fucking white tiger in a goddamn cemetery. 

Somewhere deep inside, Erin had a very small but very strong feeling she was going to regret this. Not now. Certainly not now, with the magical equivalent of a full stomach and the satisfaction she could only find in Kaden’s eyes at that moment. Shock and horror and confusion. So much confusion. And was he… still trying to keep her safe? She watched his arms flail about to grab the tiger’s attention away from Erin, who had a betraying, fleeting sliver of a thought that maybe he wasn’t the absolute worst. But his efforts worked, and the distracted tiger began to pad slowly in the man’s direction. Erin slinked backwards towards a smaller sized monument, eyes darting around for better protection or a weapon should karma bite her in the ass for pulling this kind of stunt. Her heart pounded as the tiger’s lips curved in what should have been a low, menacing growl. Not a sound spilled from its throat. “That’s so creepy,” she murmured, shaking her head, poking out from behind the monument. “Alright Tiger King,” she called out, not too loud or suddenly to keep from spooking the wild animal sizing Kaden up like a turkey leg. “Time for you to show all the cool cats and kittens what you’re made of, huh?”

Putain. Grabbing the tiger’s attention, probably not his best idea, but it was all Kaden could think of in that split second. The only idea he had next was to use the knife in his hand against the creature leaping towards him. Fuck. Kaden dodged and threw himself to the side, his shoulder slamming into a headstone with a crunch. He winced, gave a quick roll of his shoulder. Nothing broken. Yet. Talons slashed out and tore through his jeans. And his calf. The ranger screamed out in pain and kicked out at the animal across from him instinctively. It wasn’t much, but it gave him a second to regroup, maybe find a plan. This would be a lot easier if he wanted to kill the fucking tiger. But no, that was the last thing he wanted to do. Seemed like the tiger didn’t share the same ideals when it came to the hunter. He hated the idea of injuring the animal, but it might be the only thing he could do to slow it down long enough. He wasn’t sure if he had a tranq on him right now. He usually carried it around when out hunting werewolves, just in case. Mostly on the off chance he saw Ariana. No other reason. None. Whatsoever. The beast was about to pounce and Kaden didn’t have time to go digging through pockets now. He lunged forward, knife out, trying to get a piece of the tiger’s shoulder as he ducked around some more tombs and grave markers. 

Kaden hollered out in pain and was bleeding and cornered and… okay. Maybe Erin was starting to feel a little bad. There was a hard knot in her chest that wasn’t dissuaded by the sight but there was enough wiggle room for her to realize that getting Kaden killed here and now wouldn’t serve anyone. Certainly wouldn’t make the ache she wanted to destroy with fire in there go away either. It’d been fun while it lasted, though. She’d save this mental image for the next millennia and enjoy it until the bitter end. “Hey!” She hollered, bouncing out from behind the statue she’d been crouched behind. She yelled again, this time, smacking a small stick against the concrete and the tiger’s attention was pulled from the hunter and to Erin instead. The small rock she chucked at it sealed the deal, and it snarled silently as it began to turn. A small icy poke of panic raced through her and she caught Kaden’s eyes for just a moment. “See? I’m helping.” She backed up quickly as the tiger began to advance in her direction. “Now it’s your turn.” She couldn’t fight a damn tiger with sticks and rocks, so she did what she knew best–she ran. It gained speed and a swipe of its massive paw slashed her arm, knocking her to the ground like a rag doll. 

“No, don’t do–” Kaden tried to say through shallow breaths, pushing himself up off the ground as he heard Erin get the tiger’s attention. Why the fuck was she even still here? She should have run and gotten herself somewhere safe by now. It was almost annoying she had to be decent and try to be a hero or some shit. Any frustration fell away as he saw the fear in her eyes and felt the same feeling course through him. “Do you want to fucking die for real?” Shit. He scrambled through his pockets for the tranq. He almost had it, but he didn’t have time to dig it out and she didn’t have time to answer; the predator was closing in on its prey. 

Kaden threw himself over the tombstone, trying to get to the tiger before it could get to her, but he was no match. Even if his leg wasn’t torn and bleeding, he wouldn’t be able to outrun the big cat so he had no fucking shot now. Still, he pushed with everything he had to follow Erin and the tiger, gritting through the pain. “No!” he shouted as he watched her get swiped down. Fuck. No time now. Kaden fished for the tranq one more time while trying to get the beast’s attention. “Here! Over here! Hey!” His voice was frantic, straining under the heavy breathing and the volume. The tiger turned to him for a moment, curious at what the ranger was doing, but it lost interest just as fast, more focused on the woman on the ground. Shit. Kaden sprinted towards them, tranq in hand and ready to stab into the beast. He just had to get there in time.

Erin wanted to glare in Kaden’s direction. After the two months ordeal she’d gone through with the spellcasters, this didn’t feel as scary as it should. It absolutely should have, and there was real fear as the tiger’s interest continued to hone in on her, but there was something lacking. It’d taken her weeks to venture out into the world but now here she was, faced with a real danger, and that hesitation had turned into enthrallment. Maybe it was something she should have been more worried about but with an actual fucking tiger on her heels, she quickly decided that it was a problem for later. If ever. The only clue she had that the tiger was about to pounce as she peddled backwards was the shadow of its body rising into the air. Man, Marley was going to kill her if she didn’t live through this. And if she did–well–Marley never had to know. 

She scurried right into a tombstone and then rolled for all she was worth. The tiger didn’t exactly pounce so much as… flop down onto the earth where her body had been seconds before. Confused eyes fell onto the tranq still sticking out of its neck. “Son of a bitch,” she laughed, though it was more of a relieved breath, and she let her body flop back onto the grass beside it. “See? I told you. I’m helping,” she smirked before immediately hissing at the sting of the open wound on the side of her thigh. “Shit.” She sat up gingerly, giving it a quick glance over. It’d heal just fine, she already knew that, and her eyes moved towards Kaden’s wounds. She knew those would heal just fine too, even if they looked more gnarly than her own. “You okay?” She finally forced herself to ask. 

Kaden held his breath as the needle jammed into the beast. Would it take in time? Or would Erin be in even more danger? When the tiger went limp, falling onto the ground, he let out a long breath. Everyone was alive. “Yeah, expert help. Thanks,” he said as he limped over towards her and the tiger. He checked its pulse. There, but slowed. He’d have to call the zoo, probably find a way to contain it in the meantime. He winced as he stood back up, looking at her. “Huh? Yeah I’m fine.” His brows furrowed as his gaze dropped down to the gash in her thigh. “You need any help patching that up? I’m no doctor but I’m decent at first aid. For, uh, obvious reasons.”

The wound on Erin’s leg was already in the process of healing. It wasn’t as fast as the wounds she remembered patching themselves up along Nic or Alain’s skin but it wasn’t anything to scoff at. “No, no, I’m fine,” she shooed him away with a wave of her hand. The bleeding had already stopped, but her favorite running pants were no longer salvageable, and she didn’t need him noticing anything was off with the wound. Still hurt a little, and she winced when she stood from the grass, but it was tolerable. By tomorrow it’d be an afterthought. It was a good thing she’d used the hunter as a snack on her evening run, and beside that? She felt pretty good physically. “Teamwork makes the dream work, right?” She tossed him a quick, flippant smirk as she brushed herself off and put some measurable distance between herself and the slumbering tiger. She nodded towards it, leaning against a gravestone as she caught her breath and steadied her stance. “So… what are you going to do with that thing? Back to the zoo?”

Kaden rolled his eyes as she refused his help. “Of course you are,” he said, “Go get it checked out later, at least.” Not that he would get his wounds checked out, but he had hunter healing. She was just stubborn. He sighed as he looked at the tiger and tried to figure out what the hell to do next. “The dreamwork?” he looked back at her, eyebrow raised. “Sure. I don’t know if this was a dream but yeah, teamwork. I guess.” He rolled the tiger over to its side. Still breathing, no major injuries. Big ass claws and teeth on that thing. Then again, not that different from a werewolf in terms of size. “Yeah, back to the zoo. Hopefully she stays there this time.” He glanced around for any rope or chain or anything he could use to try and tie the tiger down ahead of time. Looks like they were setting up to lower a casket not too far off from there. Kaden quickly grabbed the rope and went to work. “This is going to be some fun paperwork. Did you even see where this thing came from?”