Cinder likes to think of herself as generous. She’s certainly a hell of a lot better than most of the other werewolves in her territory; she gives Winter a countdown, a boundary, a way out before she starts to hunt her. Still, when she circles the whole perimeter of her land — chasing off Roman along the way, because he hasn’t got it in his head that she could kill him yet — she finds evidence of Winter’s presence everywhere. Her tracks burned into the forest floor, her scent clinging to branches and bushes. She isn’t even running.
So, when she catches up to Winter in the moonlight over a creek, she has to admit she’s disappointed.
“Come on,” she says, stepping out of the shadows, “I thought you were faster than that.”
Winter doesn’t turn. She’s facing away, bent to touch the water in the creek, hair turning silver in the moonlight. Almost ethereal, almost ghostlike. “I thought you were generous.”
Cinder sighs. “‘Generous’ doesn’t mean ‘lets you go’. I gave you a head start and you just started — what, wandering? What’s that about, huh? I thought you wanted to live.”
Her jaw sets. “I’m not your prey.”
“Oh,” she purrs, “you are, darling. You’ve only lived this long because I let you.”
Winter’s head turns over her shoulder, eyes sparking fiercely in the moonlight. She’s wearing an awful lot of white, and it really works for her, despite the general excess of mud in the woods. “I could kill you with one blow.”
Now, that’s cocky. Cinder takes a step closer; Winter, predictably, starts backwards. The heels of her boots dig into the water. Who wears heels in a forest? “You really have no idea, do you?” It’s meant to sound accusatory; it comes out a lot hotter than she wanted it to. Winter noticeably flushes, shoulders hiking up to her ears. “I let you run because I thought you had decent instincts. It turns out I was hilariously wrong.”
Her lips curl up. She gives Cinder an assessing look, like she’s the one with the power here. “And what makes you so confident that you could kill me?”
Cinder grins, flashing her fangs. “Oh, a few things.”
FILL: Team Anime/Manga
Cinder likes to think of herself as generous. She’s certainly a hell of a lot better than most of the other werewolves in her territory; she gives Winter a countdown, a boundary, a way out before she starts to hunt her. Still, when she circles the whole perimeter of her land — chasing off Roman along the way, because he hasn’t got it in his head that she could kill him yet — she finds evidence of Winter’s presence everywhere. Her tracks burned into the forest floor, her scent clinging to branches and bushes. She isn’t even running.
So, when she catches up to Winter in the moonlight over a creek, she has to admit she’s disappointed.
“Come on,” she says, stepping out of the shadows, “I thought you were faster than that.”
Winter doesn’t turn. She’s facing away, bent to touch the water in the creek, hair turning silver in the moonlight. Almost ethereal, almost ghostlike. “I thought you were generous.”
Cinder sighs. “‘Generous’ doesn’t mean ‘lets you go’. I gave you a head start and you just started — what, wandering? What’s that about, huh? I thought you wanted to live.”
Her jaw sets. “I’m not your prey.”
“Oh,” she purrs, “you are, darling. You’ve only lived this long because I let you.”
Winter’s head turns over her shoulder, eyes sparking fiercely in the moonlight. She’s wearing an awful lot of white, and it really works for her, despite the general excess of mud in the woods. “I could kill you with one blow.”
Now, that’s cocky. Cinder takes a step closer; Winter, predictably, starts backwards. The heels of her boots dig into the water. Who wears heels in a forest? “You really have no idea, do you?” It’s meant to sound accusatory; it comes out a lot hotter than she wanted it to. Winter noticeably flushes, shoulders hiking up to her ears. “I let you run because I thought you had decent instincts. It turns out I was hilariously wrong.”
Her lips curl up. She gives Cinder an assessing look, like she’s the one with the power here. “And what makes you so confident that you could kill me?”
Cinder grins, flashing her fangs. “Oh, a few things.”