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Attempted Child Abduction

And general creepiness surrounding manipulation of a child for this entire thread

Aerys Hae-Oma

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

She had wandered a bit, trying to learn more of this world, but everything was so big and expansive that she found herself breathless, looking up with wide eyes. "Woah..." She whispered softly to herself, taking in the area around her, her ears perking up at the sound of running water. Was that a stream?

Her throat was rather dry, so she padded down to the water's edge, lapping at the cool liquid as she sat there for a moment, water droplets dripping down her chin. She remembered to when she first emerged, wondering what that weird thing that had happened when she tried to howl before. It was like a bubble had come out but instantly popped, startling her. She furrowed her brows for a moment, wondering if this was something she could figure out how to do.

Sitting there at the edge of the water, she lifted her head and tried once more to figure out what the weird bubble power she had found out.

"Speech"

Anubis was elsewhere in Pegasus, gathering...materials. It didn't seem at all cohesive, some random herbs, a few sticks, plenty of bark, a few small freshly-killed animals, and an unconscious red mouse. It was all piled on top of a small, thin slab of carved stone he'd found in Cassiopeia with some dried cord attached. A simple little sled to drag home with him that was definitely not very effective, but it got small jobs like this done.

He was gently setting the red mouse atop the pile (how many Aatis had he been through now, he wondered?) when he felt something like a poke in the back of his mind. Somewhere, Wings was getting his attention. The Flying Pitch Rat familiar was fluttering somewhere up high and had seen something - a child.

"What do I need a kid for?" he snapped through their connection. "That's Bacchus's thing." His lip curled and he made to step around to the front of his little sled when he paused. He could see the bubble through Wing's eyes - distant, yes, but there was definitely some magic there. And...a small spark of an idea was coming to him. It had been a long time since he'd really constructed an experiment around a kid. Not since...since...

Fiver. That had been a while ago. And that experiment had not exactly gone to plan.

He turned. Where? And Wings provided him the relative position by flying a little ways away until Anubis could see himself in his familiar's eyes. He turned and took off across the fields of Pegasus. He wasn't even that far away.

Within a few minutes, he slowed, the child now in his sight. He was approaching from behind where she sat at the riverside. He took a quick breath and stood up straighter. If anyone had been watching, they might have seen that very strange change in demeanor as Anubis stepped into role of a trustworthy jackal, the hunched figure straightening, the ears swiveling forward, almost curious, eyes brighter and more attentive.

"Excuse me," he called out softly. "Are you out here alone?"

@Aerys

Aerys Hae-Oma

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

She had just been content to mess with her newfound powers alone, looking up with wide eyes to see the bubbles floating upwards before popping. It wasn't much, but it was new and interesting, and it was something that she was able to do.

She had opened her mouth to try it again, when the scent of another caught her attention and she froze, instantly flicking her gaze over to where she heard their voice come from. Instantly she was on her feet, taking a small step back for a moment. They didn't attack her straight up, so that was something at least, but she was still very unsure about the stranger, as she was with all strangers.

Slowly she lowered her head in submission, looking up at him with curious yet cautious gaze, hesitating for
a moment at his question. She didn't want to lie, as she had a feeling that could get her into more trouble in the end, but stating that she was in fact alone could also not go very well for her.

After a moments thought, she finally nodded, her voice soft and hesitant. "Um, yes. I just... hatched I guess... not that long ago. I've been.... wandering for a bit." She did take a small step back slightly, wanting to keep some distance between them just in case, though she doubted she could truly escape him if he tried to run her down.

"Speech"

Anubis watched carefully the fire few moments of their interaction, attentive eyes scanning and reading every movement, taking it apart carefully in his ever-working mind. She was afraid - not of him specifically, but perhaps wary of strangers. Fair enough. It did not seem to be trauma-based, he did not notice the tell-tale sign within her expression that she was anywhere but here, mentally, and the submissive bow was something seen in shy, inexperienced creatures, not skittish, traumatized ones. Okay, that would make things a little easier.

She was also keeping her distance. So he did not move forward anymore, taking a step back himself and planting his feet on the ground. Hm, that would make things more difficult. The magic he would usually rely on for this sort of manipulation needed close proximity. Ah, well, he always had a backup.

Ever so subtly, a delightful smell began to trickle from Anubis's coat. It wasn't strong, but the magic laced within it would...help. It might take a moment to reach the child but perhaps she would, at the very least, drop her guard so Anubis could worm his way beneath it.

In the meantime, he let a soft smile enter his expression. "Well, welcome, little one. Don't be alarmed, I mean you no harm." And he, indeed, certainly did not look like he meant any harm - there was soft curiosity on his face and his gold-dipped tail was relaxed behind him, gently brushing the grass as it slowly moved back and forth. Distantly, he could feel Wings's curiosity and he mentally shoved the familiar so it would not approach and startle the kid. "Do you have a name?

@Aerys

Aerys Hae-Oma

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

He took a step back and she found herself making a small sigh of relief, her shoulder slowly lowering ever so slightly. At least it was something, progress in the right direction. At first she didn't even notice the scent, listening to his words as she cocked her head to the side for a moment. "My name is Aerys." She answered with a soft tone, her nose twitching slightly as the scent finally caught up to her, but she really didn't notice it all that much, not enough to think about it at all.

Her shoulders relaxed ever so slightly, looking up at him curiously, though still cautious. "Who are you?" She asked hesitantly, taking a quick glance around them for a moment, flicking her tail slowly around her back legs. "And where are we?"

She finally turned her gaze back up to him, her gaze a bit les guarded now and more curious, hopeful, trusting that he would be able to at least answer her questions if nothing else. He seemed like he knew a bit about where they were, or at least vastly more than she did considering she just got here.... literately.

"Speech"

"Aerys." He rolled the name around on his tongue and for a brief moment, he marveled. What was it that made some children hatch with their names already known? He had known his too, the word had fallen from his mouth. And he hadn't questioned it then. But he questioned it now. And others, like...Fiver, and some of the no-longer-kids that still lurked in the prison needed names given to them, or accepted the ones granted. It was so odd. But this was not the time to study such things. Perhaps if he ever got a new child that wasn't so on-edge, he would probe farther.

He placed a paw upon his chest as he sat back, making himself comfortable. He wouldn't approach, but if she wanted to close the distance between them, she was welcome. "I am Anubis. I live nearby, just a cave over. Where we are is a place called Pegasus." He gestured to the beautiful fields around them. "Probably one of the nicer caves. You picked a good place to hatch - if you did hatch here, that is. It's safe, relatively at least." He allowed a small shadow to darken his expression, as if he were remembering something, staring off a little ways into the cave for a moment, before looking back.

"Do you have a place to shelter? Or food? I just caught some, if you wanted to share. I don't mind." Build up trust, now - something more substantial then pheromones. Magic would help, of course, in the near future.

@Aerys

Aerys Hae-Oma

She was still a bit hesitant, but as he spoke of shelter, of food, she found herself leaning forward slightly as she tried to hide her excitement, though clearly not very well. She really enjoyed the idea of food and a place to rest for the night, but at the same time she didn't want to be a burden on this stranger either. She just hatched not too long ago and was still getting used to her own body, but she also knew none of that was his burden to bare either.

But still, she found herself nibbling on the inside of her cheek nervously for a moment. "Uh... I haven't found shelter yet. I didn't hatch here, but in another cave... I wandered here looking for... food and shelter." She hesitated for a moment before taking one, then two steps closer, now cutting the distance down until she was about half way to him, tilting her head up to look up at him slightly.

"I think I'd... like some food if you can... spare some?" Her body wasn't nearly as tense and ready to spring away, but she was still rather guarded. Her head remained lowered but her body was no longer so low to the ground that her stomach brushed against the dirt under her. She was a scaredy and skittish little thing, but she was trying to trust him.
"Speech"

@Anubis

There was nothing but warmth from Anubis. He was a bit of a ragged thing, his fur was matted in places and he was thin and tired-looking, but in the context of the pheromones and the facade he was putting up, it made him look...charming, almost. Someone perhaps down on their luck but still with the goodwill to offer what little they had. More then happy to help, even if they might need help in turn.

He smiled as she stepped forward a bit. He didn't make a move to close to distance - he could be patient and wait for her to approach further. He wanted her as comfortable as possible, he could tell one wrong move and she would be gone.

Why was he putting so much work into this when he could simply do an experiment on a Lesser and get more information? Ah, that he couldn't answer. But something about it was...exhilarating. There was a prize waiting at the end and that prize was control, that sweet ambrosia to boredom and loneliness.

He tilted his head to motion in the direction of where he'd left his materials piled, waiting. "Of course! I have some food back there, we can talk about shelter once you've gotten something to eat." He stood, then, and turned to pad off in the direction of where he'd left his sled. Noticing the movement, Wings called questioningly through the link and Anubis commanded silently that he stay away for now. She would not react favorably to another wrench thrown in the mix yet. Once he got some magic working on her, though, then things might be different.

He checked to make sure Aerys was following as he led her over to where he'd left his supplies, offering a few reassuring smiles and making small talk as they went, pointing out small things in Pegasus - that way was the forest, a good place for herbs and hunting, that direction was where the entrance to Draco was - she should stay away from that, over there in the meadow he'd found a warren of rabbits and he picked from them occasionally, but never the parents so they could keep breeding and supplying with food and never too much so they did not run away.

After a few minutes, they would arrive at the sled, where Anubis padded up and nosed through some of the kills he had made, picking out a small cave rabbit - most likely from the warren he'd mentioned - and as he held it in his mouth, he began threading out the first strings of control. The obsidian teeth warmed and a few spores blooming under the skin of the rabbit. Not many, but it would be enough, if she ate it. They would grow over time. She probably wouldn't feel the effects of the spell for a little while longer - it would probably be a few hours before the first signs of fatigue began, and by then it would be too late to fight back.

He set the rabbit down a few feet away from the pile so that Aerys would still have some space to be comfortable, and returned to pick out his own kill.

@Aerys

Aerys Hae-Oma

So far he had given her no reason to not believe that he wanted to help her, no reason to think he was going to do something to hurt her. But at the same time, she should have known something was up, but she wasn't yet tainted by the world around her, too trusting and kind for her own good.

Slowly she followed him, her ears pushed forward as she listened carefully to everything he told her. When he spoke of herbs though, her eyes widened and she glanced over there, clearly interested in that piece of information specifically. She filed that away for later, wanting to see about maybe picking some herbs.

Once they got to the food though, she paused a few feet away, watching him closely as he put down the rabbit for her. She had no idea what he was doing behind the scenes and simply smiled timidly as he backed away before slowly inching forward and settling down slightly in front of the carcass. "Thank you" She whispered softly as she began to eat the food, flicking a hesitant glance up to him for a moment just to make sure he wasn't going to do anything before she took another bite.

She was still cautious, unsure about him, but the trust was there enough for her to settle onto her stomach and eat without looking up at him every give seconds at least. Only once she was finished though, she would lick her lips, slowly standing up and dipping her head to him. "That was.... kind of you."
"Speech"

@Anubis

Silence fell over the pair as they ate, Aerys on the infected rabbit, Anubis on a rather large cave rat. Although he made a point to look interested on his food, he continued to watch the pup as she ate warily. Something hot and pleasurable was rising in his stomach and warming his veins with an ugly joy. She didn't know, she probably didn't even suspect what she had just ate. The infection was in her body now. He just had to hold onto the magic and let it spread until her energy was drained. And then...she was his.

Why did that make him feel so good? He didn't have any grand research plans in store for her, he didn't think he had any particular reason to keep her by his side other then for the fun of it, and perhaps for a few small things he wanted to test, but had been unwilling to be the subject. Perhaps he should kill her, and see if youth decayed faster then adult, or if the chrysalis formed differently for those newly hatched. But it wasn't about the research right now. No it...it was about the power he had over her. If she tried to run, he knew he could overpower her quickly. If she tried to fight, he could kill her without question. But it was so much more fun to sidle beneath her defenses and walk her right into the trap.

Maybe Bacchus was onto something.

Once he noticed she was done eating, he quickly snapped up the last few scraps of his own meal before pushing the remains aside. "Of course. We should probably find you some shelter too. Did you want to stay here around Pegasus? My own "home", I guess, is just a cave over if you wanted to rest there. It's well-protected and safe, and warm." A lie to nip the end of what was otherwise truth - the Prison was not particularly warm, but it was at least not freezing. "Whatever you'd like to do. I do need to return home soon, though, before these herbs wilt too much." He tried to push some magic behind his words, but it didn't quite reach far enough and no more pheremones touched the air, only the lingering afterthoughts of the taste he'd released a little while earlier.

@Aerys