#dark!clark

She never knew her kind would turn on her.

She hid under their wanderings eyes and their violent hands. Her presence was enough to shake anger to the families who lost their loved ones. They followed her once. With their claws and pelts, ready to end it all.

She had crossed death more time than she wished and yet sought for survival each time.

The fire that took so many, she could not remember how she had survived.

There was a fire once before.

She was still a toddling child when an explosive light of blue and red and gold flashed. She had looked straight at it, with the debris flying until it burned her iris blind.

She had remembered a boy then, small like her in the mist of it. Like a shadow, but everything had burned away, along with her sight.

It was a terrible accident then. However, the second fire she survived made her a target.

La flamme d'enfer.

They called her the flame of hell.

It took a while for the noises to settle down. By then, her small stall had been overthrown, and she had spent her time hiding and running until she found refuse in the small forest, a little far from the sea. Having to live off by the seeds and pines and leaves, she scourged.

She thought of leaving during the times she had been oh so very lonely in the mist of the night. The loneliness clinging to her pores and dripping out from her eyes until the rain had washed it away.

Yet, she could not bring herself to leave. This place was her home, even though it had brought more pain than happiness. It was all she had ever known, the pain.

Pain was familiar, the unknown a stranger.

Most took out their anger on her because she was simple and easy and meek. Others found her pitiful but were overcome by their own struggles to protect her. Some pecked at her, but eventually, their anger lessened until all they were left with was the grief.

The fire had ravaged the halls of the small barn. It had been a festive, a reunion of some sort. Most had left to join the continuation of the celebration by the sea, where booze and smokes ran wild with the wind.

Fews were left behind, the tired ones. The children and the pops and nans that were left to their quiet murmurs and lullabies.

A fire broke out, an ember caught until it engulfed the sleepy household. Nobody knew what had caused it, but it didn't matter anymore.

It had been too late.

Too late for everyone but the poor crawling girl. Blind but alive.

For a moment, it was easier to blame the poor girl. By the time their misjudged anger faded. Guilt remained, but their pride kept their mouth shut.

She had accepted it.

Still, she sold her fishes, her crabs and shells and rocks, and little trinkets made of glass.

She didn't have a stall anymore, but a kind owner let her take over his shop midday. Turning his cobbler shop to one that sold the luxuries of the sea.

The old man didn't demand much. Only to keep the rats away from the soles and to dity up afterward.

“I never know how you are able to skin t'em so closely,” her ears perked up. She stood with her cane by her side with her head slightly tilted to her left.

“My old pop couldn't even manage to guts them as clean you do,” the old man left out a wet cough before settling down on the wooden chair by her side.

She didn't answer. She knew he wasn't looking for an answer

It was nearing sundown, most of her items had been brought, only the trinkets had been left behind. They were never really the town's favorite, but she still sold them.

“The sea always been kind to me,” it wasn't really the truth. There was a pond, one hidden in the forest that had several flows of rivers until it caved in lightly and had all kinds of creatures.

It was easy to dive in and find the creatures that were worth a pretty penny. With her sight gone, it wasn't easier to manipulate the skins and the guts. Still, with her keen sense of smell and her hands calloused from her pickings, she refined her skill just fine.

“Mm,” he settled then, comfy in his chair and a cigar in his mouth, fire ready at hand. “Ma expecting to see you back at the chapel,”

When he saw her face twist in the corner of his eyes, he acted as if he hadn't. “They are paying their final respects tonight, I know you haven't been seeing eye to eye with everyone, but you deserve to be there,”

She started packing her things then, “Yeh, listening to me? When the tower bells, you better be there, or I'm dragging you back by the cane,” her shuffling got quicker even though the old man made no move. All bark, no bite.

“Hiding didn't get you anywhere then, it won't do anything now,” With a grunt, he kicked the foot of his stall before watching her practically run away. “Silly little thing,”

By nightfall, she had practically drilled a hole in the grass. It had taken a lot of contemplation, smoothing her hands over her dress over and over, walking in and out of the entrance, indecisive and uncertain.

Until she heard the bell ring once.

Twice.

By the third, she had adjusted her cane in her hands and smoothed her dress one last time. Before quietly slipping in the chapel door, taking her place in the far back.

Her heartbeats rang in her ears as she settled in quietly in the back. People had glanced at her at first before drifting away. The room was packed, people having to stand up with no more seats left.

Families of the lost ones were grieving in the front. The town people barely fit in the chapel as she shuffled more and more until she was close to the stone walls, everyone squeezing in until even a breath felt too big.

Her cane trembled slightly in her grasp before she switched to it to her right hand as she leaned on the wall.

She could feel the warmth presences, her keen senses heightened. She could even smell the distinct beta smell from the old man and the children who smelled like daisies and mudd and baby cologne.

She could have spent the night stuck to the cold wall, quietly giving her condolences. To not draw attention and leave as quietly as she came.

“Miss,” she felt a touch on her shoulder, “your hand, here, careful it's warm,” the voice was soft as they slowly lowered an oil lamp. She felt the heat of the melted wax and carefully held out her hand.

“Such a tragedy, so many lives lost,” she didn't recognize her voice, yet her scent held a certain familiarity. Probably one of the many villagers, the human ones.

She didn't answer. She had the habit of not answering, staying quiet to stray the attention away from her. Which worked when the unknown woman remained quiet. Instead, she took her attention to the one on her right.

The blend of smell made her nauseous. She wasn't used to it. The sea was a great cover-up in masking human scents and beasts alike.

However, the chapel held no such mercy for her delicate nose.

With a palm holding the warm ceramic, she inserted her cane under her armpit before she delicately placed her other hand around the flame. Less it flickered out.

There were multiple sounds of sorrows, hidden hiccups, and some greetings. It was easy to distract herself when there were so many noises.

She flinched, la flamme. It was quietly spoken in her ear before she felt a harsh tug on her hair.

She couldn't even react before she felt a gust of wind as the person ran by. Leaving her to shallow the lump in her throat. Having to act as if the unknown action hadn't shaken her core.

“Oh goodness, there he is, poor child, I couldn't bear to imagine his pain, the Kent were such good people,” someone ticked their tongue.

She recognized then, Miss Nelly, one of the humans, the owner of the famous pub in town.

Just as she spoke, multiple gasps of surprise resonated in the chapel.

Kent, Clark, Clark Kent.

Ah, she thought, the golden boy was back.

She barely registered her own emotions, and the surprised gasps when a metallic scent overpowered her senses. Such an intense scent, her lungs felt clogged instantly.

She hardly noticed when the fire burned the tip of her finger, leaving a dark ash.

She felt the need to run, to hide away back in the forest, away from the crowds and the shadows that lingered around her.

It wasn't more for the need to hide than the feeling of a sudden predator among the crowd.

She could feel more so hear the greetings being exchanged, the sorrows that were passed on as she tried to make herself smaller.

Her ears began to rang, and she clung to the candle, forcing herself to stand still.

Her palms were damp as they lightly trembled. She could feel the heat of the bodies around her move until only a cold space was left as they walked away to say their homage.

Alone in the corner of the chapel, she hoped she blended enough that no one spared her a glance.

“People of Grand Prey, we are gathered today to honor and give our prayers to those we have tragically lost,” she heard the voice far and loud echoing and silencing the voices in the scared building.

He started by saying the names of the lost ones, to which she visibly reacted too. The children she had known, those who had clung to her skirts, and the elders who guided her cold hands when she was lost.

Everyone had lost someone, yet her loss seemed meaningless.

Her shoulder lightly curved inwards, retreating on herself. Her candle dimming, just as herself.

She was lost in her thoughts, in her pain and the heavy guilt she carried that she didn't notice the tangent smell suddenly hovering over her back, like a buzzing bird carefully landing on her shoulder, quiet but there.

Then, a sudden shadow overwhelmed her being, stark and tall, that her soul recognized it before her mind did. A light chirp escaped her before she slapped a palm to her mouth.

She stood still, paralyzed. She couldn't make sense of what her senses were telling her. A being so unfamiliar. Not yet human nor beast.

She crouched on herself even more before there was a moment of stillness. As if the air around was holding its breath along with her.

A few moments passed until she distinctly felt the heat at her back, warming her enough to bring warmth to her cold cheeks, far warmer than the candle that was slowly extinguishing in her grasp.

She heard a whisper of her name, which she visibly flinched to, not recognizing the voice but sensing it was coming from behind her.

Before she could move or respond, she felt it, an arm passing over her shoulder, sending shiver down her back even though they hadn't even touched her. She heard the clink of two candles ceramics touching.

“Your flame,” she felt the whisper brush the tip of her ear, the heat of his chest lightly brushing her back, “It's going out,”

She held her breath when his smell invaded her senses, first in her lungs until she felt lightheaded.

She hummed, barely an answer when she felt his warm fingers touch her own, his own candle lightly tilted to let her flame catch his. It was barely a few seconds before she felt the presence behind her move away, as if he was never there in the first place.

She blinked a few times, barely comprehending. She wouldn't have known it was real if she hadn't felt the flame burning brighter in her palm.

Or of she hadn't felt his presence lingering behind her, like a protective shadow that stayed until the service was done.

People whispered about the death of superman. The final cry of the alien echoing across the city, the cry causing ripples out in the bay swaying boat and shaking windows. A final war cry of a god. His death was still a victory for the city, for man kind.

But that had been nothing compared to the low mornfull furious cry. Buildings shuddered, dust wafted from ceilings and roofs windows cowered some cracked and shattered. Car alarms began screeching as if panicked by the fearfull cry.

Everyone had froze. Time had stopped.

All eyes were on the man of steel as his framed crouched over the body of an unknown woman. She laid still, arms either side of her head face down in the asphalt. Her hair was loose and splayed, sheilding her identity from all the onlookers. Blood began seeping from below her.

Superman tugged the woman close. Rolling her over calljng out to her name. His eyes glossed over as the womans head lolled back and forth. Then a whimper.

The whole crowd released a sigh as the woman soft pained cries carried through the silence. The god shoulders sagged, cape draping over the ground. And suddelny there were calls for an ambulance.

"Clar-Kal? Kal please.... pl-please it hurts" the words were weak and airy. Hissing pants, air being sucked through clenched teeth.

At the womans voice superman seemed to realise she was still alive. He tipped his head down, quickly scanning the woman whose hands were now holding her abdomen. The bullet wound hidden beneath. He sighed thanking god before touching foreheads and pressed a sweet kiss to the woman.

"I will fix this, the ambulanceis comming. Its not hit anything to serious. You'll be okay, youll get better. Youl, be safe. I promise you i will make this city, this country, this world safe for you." The woman shovered, but nodded mewling 'okay'.

But joker managed to regain everyones attention as he waved his gun around in a frantic joy. He was elated playful like a child. He seemed to enjoy his madness as much as he enjoyed the mayhem he caused. There seemed to be a sense of pride arohnd him. Proud of how close he had come to shaking the unshakeable. breaking the unbreakable. He had found the man of steels weakness.

'"Oh? Deary me! I didnt do a good job of that did i boy scout?" If the scene wasnt tense before it certainly was when the clown spoke.

The man of steels shoulders squared and his eyes glowed. Igniting whe his vision locked onto the green hairs clown.

"Take another step and see what happens clown" the voice was almost unhindged. Fury biteing into every word. The loathing was plunged into the syllables, a growled his that threaded threat into each word. There was a respunding quiver of fear shared by everyone present. Joker smiled oh no. His voice

"Step? Oh no no no~ i wont step closer, i promise." The mad man cooed standing on his tip toes mimming almost falling forward. But then skipped back finishing his announcement with a chilling laugh.

"I dont need to take another step, the good thing about guns means i can? Well here let me just try again;" the joker didnt even finish his sentance. No one could even registerhis words before there was a flash. A red flash, molten heat roared over the woman drawing a yelp.

But only her yelp was heard. Joker didnt stand a chance, the force of supermans rage knocked him off his feet, butthe heat had cremated him befor he could drop to the floor.

Everyone held their breath, shock ringing out in screaming silence. Metropolis had just changed. Superman had commited murder, in broad daylight in front of millions. But none could manage a sound. The sirens of an ambulance called out, hauntingly across the quiet scene.

Superman looked down to the woman.

He had brought a pair of shoes, the one she had worn until he snatched it away from her when he noticed the thin sole. Alongside, food that wasn't often seen in this part of town.

Something the visitors had bought and he had kindly shared with her.

She knew he had mostly come to check up on her, and this time, he didn't talk about her sudden disappearance. He gave her enough grace to not scold her for it.

It was a brief moment before he was gone, and she was left alone again.

After his departure, she tried to keep herself busy with many distractions. Sewing, tidying, roaming, and fishing.

But there was a certain agitation brewing in her. She could sense an urgency bubbling at the surface, and it set her at the edge.

She didn't feel peace until night fell, and slumper was soothing balm to her restless mind.

It was barely hours later when she woke. Her gums ached, and her saliva grew thick in her mouth. Her mind was awake before her body was.

Her candle had barely extinguished when she had roused again.

The moon was high in the sky, creeping in, through the small holes of the ceiling. The air felt eerily quiet. She had been used to the animals roaming at night and the crickets chirping with the whistle of the wind, but for once, everything felt still.

Not that it mattered, not with the sudden ache at the base of her neck followed by the tug in her chest, almost as if someone had wrapped a ribbon around her chest and tugged at it.

She felt sluggish when she rose, the sheets sticking to her slick body as she stumbled to get a glass of water, almost feverish.

Her hands trembled as she poured herself a glass, the pot clanking with the silver cup.

She felt it again the tug. This one rousing her awake. It was persistent, as if it was silently begging for her attention.

She barely registered when the cup fell from her hand, spilling water over her feet.

Her feet grazed the earth before she could comprehend she had left her home. Her hand mindlessly tugged at a shawl hanging to dry on a branch. The scarf covered the pulsing gland on her neck alongside her head and the lower half of her face.

The grass was damp as she walked, almost in a trance. Her eyes barely flickered as the moonlight brightly shone in her face, ignoring nature's warning.

She kept walking, away from her hut, and out of the little forest, she had built a home. She walked past the sleepy households and traversed further away from the town until she stumbled upon a booming home.

She recognized the rich scents of flowers interwoven together and felt the cement dig in the soft skin of her feet.

She could smell the silver of the enclosure before her hand reached out to it.

Her fingers that loosely gripped the bars suddenly tightened it when a sudden blaring noise echoed, followed by loud laughters and singing.

She smelt it then, the stinging smell mixing and blending together. All beasts. The shawl around her face barely protected her nose from the smell.

She heard of this place. She had thought of it almost a myth as the elders certainly forbid it. The act of mating with the unmated. Not that the youngsters cared, from the looks of it.

She had a sudden urge to turn around.

However, her body was an independent being that night. She barely remembered pushing the tall silver fence and walking in the bustling home.

She had hardly pushed the door when she flinched.

The heat and the smell hit her at once. The vividness of the living startling her awake. Her back hit the wall when she felt someone brush by her, the door closing as they left in a rush.

The warm bodies had her sweating in mere seconds.

Her hand trembled to her side, mindlessly looking for her cane before realizing she had never brought it with her.

With dread, she felt her sense of direction was gradually lost.

The forest, she had traced it with her steps. Her fingers trailing along nature when it had been an unfamiliar home until she could recite the path blind deaf and dumb. But here? She might as well been lost in the middle of the sea.

The door that had just closed to her right was nowhere to be found as her hand landed on a firm body. With a gasp, her body jostled forward before she was pushed into a crowd of heat.

Their scents penetrated her skin. The smell of their ruts and heat flushed her own skin as gasps and sighs resonated all around her.

She moved along the crowd, pushing and being pushed as she flowed through it. Her hands desperately tried to take hold of a surface that wasn't someone.

It wasn't until she stumbled and landed on a firm wall that she was able to gain proper footing. Her fingers shakily traced the surface as she curved and moved along around the furnitures until she felt a cool wood with a curved handle.

With a loud thump! that barely resounded in the home. She took a step out the threshold and breathed in the cool air that heated down her body.

Her thighs shifted in discomfort as she felt the heat between her legs, affected by the sensual dance that was happening just behind the door she leaned on.

She slumped, her legs practically giving out.

With a hand holding the bundled up shawl and the other shakily moving the hair sticking to her face, she tried to analyze the new room.

The tugging she had felt earlier long now felt like an echo.

She chastised herself quietly. Having spent most of her life hiding her instincts and her identity, she came to the one place where she could be easily triggered.

Holding one hand out on the wall, she carefully toed the floor. Her nails digging in the wooden wall when she felt a sudden drop, then another.

Her feet gradually learned the way of the staircase, feeling the steps as her other hand leaned forward to grasp the railing.

She kept following the steps until she came halfway down the stairway. Finally, she found a flat surface where she was able to lean on and breathe away from the turbulent crowd.

She brought one hand over her swollen gland, pulsing under her skin. Her loud gasps echoed in the quiet staircase. She had tried to not breath in the smell surrounding her, but the scents had quietly seeped in her skin. Her body was visibly affected by the pheromones drifting in the building.

The tug that had brought her here had faded, but she didn't seem to notice it anymore. Her body was overwhelmed, and her mind was hazy. Her chest was constricted every time she tried to breathe.

Even beyond the door and the few steps she took, the noises and smell affected her still.

Hoping more space would steady her, her legs wobbled as she tried to find the second pair of stairs.

There was a creak that ticked close to her before she felt a sudden burst of heat fill the room, followed by the smell of heat and steel.

The sudden presence had her wobbling on her feet, but as she was about to lose her footing, she felt a presence creeping behind her.

A hand quick to grasp at her lower stomach, pulling her away from the steps. Her hand flung out on impulse, but the being behind her was quick to grab it.

Their body curving over her back until they were interwined as one.

The shock barely wore off when she felt his hand leave hers, and the wandering hand hovered over her face.

Their palm gently lay on her face. The bottom of their hand rested at the bottom of her lips while their fingers gently spread over her forehead.

Their warmth cooled her heated skin, anchoring her.

“Breath,” his breath gently caressed the hair. She did just as he said until her eyes wavered, cheeks flushing until her body blindly leaned forward. Her nose pressed in the crevice of his palm as his fingers gently pressed on her eyes until they were barely open.

The man felt strangely invisible, yet his strong body was evident with the way he curved over her back. She could faintly feel his shadow above her head, his chin knocking gently on her forehead.

He breathed slowly with control. She could feel his chest brush against the soft cotton of her sleepwear. Eventually, her breath followed his.

The pounding in her ears softened, and she could feel the gentle breeze as her lungs steadied. His fingers gently caressed her brows as her nose dug into his skin.

Not noticing that the being behind her held no true scent.

Just a shadow of silence and steel.

Her brows knitted under his hand, and a whisper escaped her before she could stop it, “Who are you ?”

He hadn't answered, and she could have almost dreamed that she spoke.

She almost felt dizzy, practically in a trance as the warm cage settled around her.

She could have fallen asleep right into his palm, sheltering her and the heat of his body warming her when suddenly a bustle of people barged in the door she had escaped from.

The man before her was quick to move into the corner of the staircase. His broad body hid her away from the crowd, tumbling and whistling behind them.

With a palm still pressed over her face and the other looming behind her head, she greedily drank in his scent.

It took her a moment to realize the crowd of people had left, but his scent was almost addictive. Her brain turned to mush, and her eyes barely flickered open. 

She sensed him draping over her. Her hands, having a mind of their own, one hand clinging to his shirt, the other tangling with the palm resting over her face.

She slightly turned her face until her lips pressed against his palm.

"Hng," she practically moaned when she felt a burst of pheromones. The man before her didn't have any distinctive smell, but the sudden pheromones dancing and penetrating her skin had her gripping him tightly.

She greedily gulped his smell. Her mouth was lightly open until her tongue poked at his calloused skin.

He barely flinched when she moaned, head tilting as his palm followed.

The release of his pheromones triggering hers.

The air filling with the interwoven smell. When she whined at the clash, he gently shushed.

“Come on, little wolf, just like that”

She could not see the man, but she could feel him as the words he spoke vibrated though his chest to her own.

The smell of him, the heat of his skin, his shadow crowding her as he pressed himself firmly on her.

It came quietly. The dance on her skin, her skin flushing with another kind of heat. Her mouth drooled in his palm.

His head shifted until she felt him press his forehead behind his hand, which he slowly moved. His fingers curved behind her ear and slightly trailed own to her gland.

His hair caressing her crown as his fingers traced her skin.

Her eyes widened hopelessly, hoping to see but only being met with the darkness.

His pheromones crept in, crawling on her skin like tiny spiders leaving her shivering despite the warmth emitting from him.

She felt her own pheromones respond to his call until they were tangled in a feverish dance.

She felt it then, her muscles tensing, the coil in her lower stomach that had faded coming back in full force. Her hand that had gripped his shirt quick to land on his arms, feeling the thickness of it before another series of pheromones came flooding in.

She felt him move until his lips dragged over to her hot gland, nuzzling in.

Her hand was shaky as it rose to grasp the back of his head, feeling the softness of his hair. She gasped when she felt his teeth graze her skin. Her nails digging in his scalp, which emitted a delicious sound that went directly between her legs.

She rose on her toes, feet shaking from the strain as she invited him for more ministrations.

“Please” she quietly whined as her body slumped forward. Feeling the ridge and curves of his body that had her mouth watering and her sightless eyes to part in a haze.

The stranger only hummed before he wrapped an arm around her waist, lifting her slightly until her feet rested on his shoes. The leather was a cold contrast to her feverish body.

Her toes digged to the leather as he continued to blow and nose the skin around the gland.

They were tightly woven, and she felt midly embarrassed that he could feel the heat emitting from between her thighs or how she subtly tried to merge into him even more.

He didn't shy away from her advances. Instead, he tightened the hold on her waist while tilting her head to his taste.

He stroked with his tongue, and her eyes crossed. Silently scenting her while tasting her.

She felt it again, the tightness of her muscles. Leaving her to grasp his broad back.

She barely realized when her body tensed until she felt an unfamiliar heat bursting until her legs trembled without even a touch of his finger.

Only his mouth breathing over her gland and his pheromones quietly tightened every muscle in her body until it triggered her release.

He held her trembling in his arms, tenderly. He held her a long time, where she barely felt conscious.

She didn't remember him leaving.

Only the drag of his fingers over her heaving chest, over her lips which had been bitten raw, then the risen gland he had stroked with his tongue until his hand traced to the middle of her chest, where the pull was once.

She twitched as her fingers digged in the wall behind her. Her eyes were trailing and tracing the darkness even though she could not see.

She felt it when the coldness seeped in and his presence was gone.

Her hand mindlessly reached out in hopes of reaching him even though she felt it in her heart that he was gone.

She stayed there, cheeks flushed, and her release coated down her thighs.

For a moment, the quietness rang like a sounding bell.

She shakily took a step, her legs still shaking.

Another.

Before she ended up crumpling on the stairs, body shaking and convulsing.