ORIGIN

Large hawk wings extended on either side of the peryton and he sent a couple of gusts blowing towards his target. The thumping beating of his wings and gusts of air generated sent the cave deer squealing and running to the left and right in confusion. The peryton bellowed at it again and dashed in then, a sudden spurt making him almost trip over if not for his talons gripping easily onto the ground and then darting forward with expert ease, hind feet darting out first first like a bird might aim to reach its prey. Without warning, Rafael placed a crushing grip onto the now squealing cave deer, then launched himself into the air with mighty flaps of his wings. A sneer caressed the peryton’s features as he cruelly swung the thing into the air and started to hover in circles, holding his hostage loosely, instilling fear, motion sickness and paralysis into the cave deer. His eyes glinted with a fierce adrenaline and he screeched and bellowed, feral voice ringing out with cruelty.

"Food wants to play?” he crooned as he released one talon’s grip onto the cave deer, allowing its four limbs and head to hang limply and insecurely while his right foot’s talons dug into the cave deer’s flesh, piercing it and drawing blood. The deer swooped down and went round for another circuit, allowing the wind to beat against his helpless prey’s face. He snorted and released his grip onto the cave deer, then swooped down and snatched it up again. It made a sound uselessly between his claws, and he pierced it further, this time gripping it around the haunches. "Food should stay obedient,” he crooned and slackened his pace then swooped down gracefully like a soaring eagle, wings spanning out, whereupon he drooped the stunned, motion-sick, shivering creature between his elk hooves close to the ground and sat himself down. Rafael darted his head forward and licked at the creature’s fur, crimson liquid staining his muzzle as he smoothed out the fur of his prey. "There there,” he crooned nurturing the young creature between each caressing touch of his muzzle and tongue, whilst gripping the victim between his fore legs and beneath his head. He panted into the creatures face and bleated at it. "What shall I do now, poor thing?” his low question came forth as he grinned and the cave deer with bloodlust still in his eyes.

The deer panted beneath the elk’s crushing grip, froth extending from its mouth in a mixture of fear? Panic? The look was clear in its winded eyes. Rafael nuzzled the creature and then deliberately licked its fur in the wrong way, pink tongue extending from the base of its nape to its head. Every lick sent a clear message of food to his brain and the understanding that it was messing around with the prey’s psychology, his gesture being one that was of subverted comfort, a gesture the cave deer was used to from young but now being used in a twisted, reassuring manner. The beast rested his muzzle onto the cave deer’s back then and parted his obsidian lips carelessly, trailing his head down and letting his incisors graze the tip of his prey’s back. Small, sharp lines formed onto the back and they ran red. The deer cringed under his grip and attempted to thrash out its limbs with a weak, desperate vocalization, resulting in the peryton tightening the grip of his forelimb joints on either side of his prey, absorbing the kicking impact on his chest with nothing more but a tightened grip and a chuckle.

"How did that song run? Hmm?” he spoke to the air, wistful tone carrying to no one in particular. "Oh, I remember.” He grinned and stretched his neck forward such that his muzzle reached the prey’s ears. The peryton inhaled and exhaled the delicious blood scent of his winded, confused prey, tickling its furry ears with each breath of hot air. And then he sang, a twisted tone sounded like a hushed, melodious deer and a song bird. "Hush little creature don’t you cry, I am going to hurt you tonight.” His song was melodious and the cave creature was below the required intelligence to understand his words – it was still steered by fear and thrashed out with greater force and succeeded in delivering a nasty kick to the peryton’s neck.

Immediately, Rafael’s eyes glazed over and he screeched at it violently and, getting up, dug his right talon into it. "Oh no you don’t!” Bellowing into its ear, he then raised himself to his full height, and holding down the creature with his talon, brought his forehead on top of the cave deer’s head and channelled his magic.

The deer had nuzzled the cave deer’s cheek briefly, brushing against it almost nobly. "Good night,” he whispered, and then with a smirk channelled his energy towards his forehead. The gem in his chest spluttered with fierce determination and Rafael channelled his power to his forehead in a direct line towards his prey. The impact hit the cave deer’s head against the floor with a terrible crunch, the close proximity having brought the skull of his prey splitting against Polaris’ grounds with extreme force in one jerking movement. Its head flopped uselessly against the floor once, tongue lolling out, then it lay still. Rafael sighed and looked at the piteous corpse with a brief glimmer of regret in his eyes, then shook out his feathers and once more resumed his elegant demeanour, placed his forehoof onto the body of the cave deer and teared into its flesh. The taste of meat was fresh on the omnivore’s tongue and he found himself liking this new nourishment very much. Each mouthful brought a satisfying, warm munch that vegetation never gave and he soaked his muzzle eagerly into this bloodshed, devouring the entire corpse quickly. Soon, nothing much was left contacting the desolate pile of crimson bones except for the bloodstained hooves, talons and muzzles of the peryton. With a triumphant bleat, he left the bloody pile of bones there for scavengers, then walked back with elegant, alluring gait to the spire and took yet another rest, bloodlust finally satisfied which resulted in him calming down.

-Rafael sleeps-

Rafael woke up a few hours later and blinked warily, grit encrusted eyes heavy with want of sleep. His memory of the most recent meal was fuzzy in his mind. He saw clearly the proceedings of the fate he cast upon the cave deer but did not have much recollection of his feelings then. It had felt normal to him though so the peryton shook his head and promptly cast away those thoughts even when his grey gaze fell upon the offending pile of bones. With a yawn, he got up with a bright smile and let forth a boyish yawn bugle from between his elk lips and shook his rump. Rafael was unbothered by his blood-stained appearance. It was the circle of life and his meal after all – though this was truly his first non-plant cuisine. Perhaps he should find some grass to munch on to complete his three-course meal: meat, sleep, plants.

So, Rafael brought his delicate hooves click-clacking onto the ground as he scanned the corners of Polaris for any sort of vegetation or grass that might grow just so that he could have a few nibbles for the finishing touch.

He looked left and right in anticipation of his meal. And then, his eyes lit up. To the left corner against a cave wall was a growing bunch of tall grass, the likes of which he’d never seen before in his youthful age. Rafael nickered excitedly and his fluffy ears pricked forward as he sauntered daintily to the grass patch. There, he lowered his head and chewed his first mouthful. It was refreshing with a hint of sweetness and swished delightedly in his mouth with each chew. He finished one stalk and roamed eagerly to the next, and soon completed the entire bunch.

Satisfied with his meal, the boy stretched out his wings and flew out of Polaris, leaving nothing behind except for a pile of bones and a trampled patch of leaves by a quiet corner of the cave.

-Exit Rafael-