Encountering Her {Staine x Bunny}

Staine · Mar 25, 2021

Elijah Miller hated driving in the rain. Visibility was so very low that it was almost impossible to see the road in front of him never mind any animals that would happen to be crossing the road and at night too no less, almost midnight in fact, it was just about the worst time he could imagine driving and yet here he was doing 50 on his way back towards his town but at least he had his radio to listen to. The convention had been...well, it had been pretty boring in all honestly but every 6 months like clockwork he would find himself going out of town to the local lawbringers convention to discuss new methods of peacekeeping, how to deal with dangerous individuals, how to assign his deputies the minor tasks and the not so minor ones and how to recognise when one was in over their head and needed his help...even where to best fit himself into the town's lawkeeping. Honestly he didn't think it was necessary to hold them as often as they did but whoever decided this crap seemed to really enjoy making Sheriff's from all around the country drive for miles, sometimes taking a few days for the journey like Elijah himself had just to discuss things that hadn't really changed that much. New standard issue weaponry, new regulations, new tactics for dealing with citizens in distress, it was all things that usually didn't make much difference to how he ran his station; the latter might have if he wasn't already doing it. In a small town like Domburton at least half the residents knew him anyway in some way or another, he knew how to handle those under his watch and those that he didn't, he had found he was more than adept in taking care of them. Looking out of the side window at the farm he was passing, it was...peaceful. He liked that about his town, that he could drive through the night and not expect some nonsense to come out of nowhere, that there weren't random shootings normally occuring. It was quiet, and while a part of him did yearn for a little excitement he wouldn't trade that for anything in the world.

The rain was getting more obnoxious as he drove, like it was getting thicker and harder to see through like something had pierced the very clouds to make it fall more heavily and he swore to himself as he turned on the highbeams and his radio started acting up, spitting out static rather than music, sounding like there was some kind of interference. It was fortunate that the town was so small, only around 5000 or so residents and mostly a farming community although there was the old steel factory nearby and a few miners, plenty of cafes and even the train had a stop in town. Leaning forward to peer through the windscreen, Elijah had to squint before he could see much of anything at all and even then visibility was low...until he looked up. Above him, streaking through the night sky and setting the background of it ablaze was what looked like a shooting star, maybe a meteor but Elijah honestly didn't know how to tell the difference. What he did know was that it was flying in the direction of the town and it looked a lot closer than any shooting star he had ever seen before. A lot closer. It streaked ahead of where he was, travelling far faster than he could even in his truck and he could have sworn it looked like it was going to hit the town...it seemed to be getting lower and lower the further it went, miles ahead of him and still so bright...then nothing. It just vanished, like it had dipped beneath the horizon though he could have sworn he had seen what looked like an impact, a spark of flame as it had vanished but the rain seemed to make it that much harder to see...and his radio sprang back to life, like whatever was interfering with the signal had gone. Damn shooting stars. A few more miles of driving after the curiosity and he was about to enter town, passing by some of the farmland when, glancing to the left, he could make out what looked like a fire. It had only been around ten minutes since he had seen the shooting star...could it really have landed? Could it have crashed into the corn field? Turning towards it on the next path, he was carefully driving along, much slower as his truck navigated the bumpy dirt road until he saw something pop up ahead of him, humanoid, small like it could possibly be a child and way too close. "Shit..." Swearing under his breath he swerved as he slammed on the brakes, narrowly avoiding whoever it was, if it was a person at all and not some damn animal that didn't know better than to step in front of a moving vehicle...and he pulled to a stop.

Taking a few moments to gather himself he looked out of the windscreen again but all he could see was corn, he'd had to swerve into it to avoid whatever or whoever the fuck it was that had stepped in front of him, and he reached to the back where his shotgun and his flashlight were mounted, pulling both free. It wasn't often that he had to actually fire his weapon, hadn't happened in years actually, but he wasn't going to take any chances, not after all the weird shit that was happening tonight. Forcing open the driver's side door, having to shove his way out due to all the corn, he waded through it until he was back on the dirt path again, clipping the flashlight onto the shotgun and using it to look around. Left, then right, scanning for whatever had caused him to swerve and at first he saw nothing, till he heard a sound off to the side. He aimed towards it, the strange, chirping noise. "Hello? Who's there? Anybody? Hands where I can see them, no sudden moves..." At first he couldn't see anything because of the rain but then the beam landed on something...something he couldn't say he'd ever seen before. She was short, around 5 ft tall and pale like she hadn't seen the sun in a long, long time, or ever...in fact pale was an understatement. She was white...almost entirely white and at first he thought it was some kind of skin-tight suit but the closer he looked he realised she wasn't wearing anything at all...he could see bare breasts, two rosy pink nipples adding a splash of colour to an otherwise entirely white body...the only other colour being two similarly pink spots on her head...or was that her hair? That, and the red of her eyes. She was unlike any creature he had ever seen or heard of before, and he was starting to put two and two together...a strange shooting star crashing near the town and now this...this thing? "Are you an alien? Do you speak our language?" He was trying to stop himself from being too freaked out, couldn't help making a joke. "Do you come in peace?" He took a step towards it...or her, it seemed, trying to get a better look. He couldn't see her face well enough in the rain to really know what she was thinking or be able to hazard a guess, but her movements seemed strange, lithe and almost serpentine...fast. He saw her dart to the side and it was hard to track but she stopped again, she was looking right at him and...fucking hell, was that a tail? Did she have a tail? "Stay right where you are...I don't want to hurt you, just...what are you? Do you have a name?" He approached, thinking he must be out of his damn mind but he had spoken the truth, he really didn't want to hurt her, it wouldn't do for an alien's first impression of Earth to be some dickhead opening fire before they had a chance to communicate and besides, she was kind of cute in that 'alien lifeform that might want to eat your eyes from your skull or might just be scared' kind of way.

Bunny · Mar 26, 2021

Panic had a flavor, acrid and bitter that drowned the senses. It was one thing to have a singular adult panic, it could unsettle the hatchlings without much effort... But if every adult was panicking, their fear palpable in the air? The hatchlings didn't stand a chance, not even Aphrae. A sweet coo was leaving her lips as she pulled the youngest of them into her arms. Her tails wrapped around another and she pulled him closer. She wasn't much older than the youngest hatchling, but she was older and with the adults besides themselves with fear someone needed to try and offer comfort. In truth, Aphrae missed her Majka and she'd yet had time to process that she would never hear her chitter again or the feel of her tail wrapped around her middle as she pulled her back for an affectionate kiss. She'd died when the core had fractured and it was only Aanvoerder that had kept Aphrae from the same fate, for she'd been playing in the hallway, hanging from her tail, swinging back and forth while purring, watching her Majka work. When the first doors had seal to keep the explosion in, she'd leapt towards the closing blast doors only to be tackled mid air by the Aanvoerder, cradling her to his broad chest. Shaking her head, Aphrae chased the memory away as she watched an adult collapse near them, sobbing. Tears pricked at her own eyes and she cuddled the hatchling closer.

What happened next was chaos, there was no better word for it. Their world seemed to slow down, their bodies floating for a second as their ship slammed into the unknown planet and then as if someone hit fast forward they were forced the opposite way. Like a pinball, they bounced along the inside of their ship... there was screaming, cries, explosions, yet over it all she heard the hatchling's neck break. She'd not been able to save her, despite trying to shield her with her own body and at some point her tail had loosened around the boy. The last though she had was she had failed. Aphrae's body was slammed against surfaces and as the hull of their ship splintered she was tossed from the sliding wreckage into a vegetal substance, her small body crashing through tall stalks. Around her flames danced, slowly smothered by something cold and wet. There was no way for Aphrae to know how long she had been unconscious, though roughly ten minutes had passed.

Waking she sat up and cried out as she put weight on her left wrist, pain lacing up her limb. Pulling it closer to her chest, she pushed herself up with her tail. A forlorn chirp left her, it was the cry of a hatchling looking for it's mother, or anyone to help it. Another chirp as she lifted herself further into the air, her muscular tail supporting her steadily as she creased the top of the corn. Shifting, she saw the crash, the flames.. nothing moved along the broken frame of her ship, only the stuttering flames, a tongue, much like that of a serpent's slipped past her lips, tasting the air. There was the flowery taste in the air and Aphrae whimpered. Another chirp, plaintive, almost as if she was begging for anyone to answer. Slowly she lowered herself, back into the darkened world of green. Pushing her way through the stalks of corn she found herself soon at a river of stone. A singular foot reached out, pressing against the substance... Gingerly she pressed weight to it. It felt odd beneath her feet and she gave a soft chitter at it. Both feet were placed on the gravel path and she cocked her head, tail undulating behind her. Moving forward she stalked along the path, then back and again. This was an odd substance... She was about to pass the gravel path for a fourth time when two bright white beams hit her and she froze. Her body lowered, streamlining and Aphrae hissed, baring rows of sharp fangs, her tongue flickering out, tasting the threat.

The sounds of the breaks, the truck sliding along the gravel scared her and she ran to the opposite side of the road. Hiding in the corn, she watched the beast that had been about to attack her. Her eyes, bright red blinked and she watched as the figure slipped from the beast and she hissed again, lowering. Head cocked, the way a bird might, she watched for a moment before chirping softly, whatever it was, it looked funny. It had no tail, it's feet were forward. Odd creature. A light aimed in her direction and she gave another chirp. She didn't exactly blend into her surroundings. Her skin was milky white, pristine in it's pureness. Along her body were fine, delicate lines of red, which for the moment were still. Slowly ears rose up and Aphrae took a step towards the funny looking thing. The thing made more noise and she chittered back at it, "⊬⍜⎍ ⏃⍀⟒ ⏃ ⎎⎍⋏⋏⊬ ⌰⍜⍜☍⟟⋏☌ ⏁⊑⟟⋏☌" The sound of her voice was melodic, rising and falling sweetly. After a moment she darted around him, circling him, stopping before him, looking up at him with a curious look on her face.

Lowly the funny looking thing came closer and she lifted herself into the air by her tail. It was half curled on the gravel, a length of her tail holding her upright, her legs pulled to her chest, her left hand held to her chest, the other cradling it. Ears rose again, straight into the air, a foot or so above her head, her head cocking to the side. She'd made herself the same height as him. Now, even through the rain, he might be able to see that her hair wasn't quite hair. It seemed almost downy, like bird feathers. In truth, it wasn't far off. Finer, softer feathers ran down the nape of her neck. Her long, serpentine tongue flickered out again and then she was pushing herself forward, one foot resting on her tail as her arms extended to the gravel For a moment Aphrae had forgotten her hand and the moment she put weight on it she hissed in pain, pulling herself back up by her tail, shimmering, pearly liquid gathered in her eyes. She chirped at him forlornly. Closer, he might also see orange bruises appearing slowly on her white skin, pink liquid dripping along her cheek and the sweet scent of roses. She was bleeding and hurt.

The first attempt he made to come closer she hissed, her hair floofing up, bristling, white, vicious teeth bared. When she stopped, she looked to her wrist, her long tongue curled around her wrist, lapping at the blood there, her eyes flickering back to him. Hooting softly she looked past him to where the light was dying. before he could approach her again she leaned forward, headbutting him. Slowly she lowered to her feet, walking past him. She'd for a moment forgotten... he'd have to follow her through the corn.. The sight that awaited him was not a pleasant one and the smell of flowers was stronger here. More of her kind lay dead, burned, broken. She let out a mournful chirp. It would be easy to see that whatever she was, she wasn't quite a child, not quite an adult. If Aphrae had been human, she might have been sixteen or seventeen. Gently she lifted the body of the broken hatchling, her head at an odd angle. She held the body towards the creature, the pearl like substance dripping down her cheeks, as it fell from her face, it seemed to shimmer like moonlight. "☊⏃⋏ ⊬⍜⎍ ⎎⟟⌖ ⊑⟒⍀"

Staine · Mar 26, 2021

Elijah didn't know what to make of it all. The air was filled with two distinct scents, the acrid tones of fire and smoke overpowering almost everything else, making his eyes sting and clinging to his clothing and something else beneath it, barely noticeable. It was floral in nature, sickeningly sweet and not something he would usually expect to encounter in a cornfield like this, especially not strong enough to be noticeable beneath the overpowering stench of the smoke. Taking his eyes off the...well, the thing in front of him, he had no other word to describe it...her, it did seem to be female or at the very least feminine in nature, in the way it...she...moved. The sky was starting to turn that shade of orange that it did around a good bonfire, flickering as the flames leapt and receded back down in the distance and the large plume of black smoke was highlighted in the orange, easy to see from here and no doubt for at least a mile around. People would be here soon, the farmer would no doubt already be on his way, woken from his slumber and if he hadn't called the fire services then he was a damn fool. Along with the fire services his own profession would be called in, deputies would be here before long to survey the damage and see if any of it was malicious. Elijah already knew the answer to that part at least; this wasn't intentional, if it was then it was a dumb way to mount an attack on the planet. Looking back down, following the beam of his torch through the rain he focused back on the problem in front of him. The alien...that was what it was, as outlandish as it was to even think it was what she had to be...was looking at him, ears rising up from her head looking like something a rabbit might have and even through the rain he could see the red of her eyes, the way that her hair didn't seem to be hair at all, it looked more...feathery. Downy. She'd been making strange noises that seemed bird-like to him too, chirping as she leaned towards him. Curious...that's what she seemed to be right now, as curious about him as he was about her and so unlike the aliens he had imagined in his youth when he would have done anything to meet one. She wasn't tall, she wasn't grey, her head wasn't huge and there were no large, black eyes that seemed to drag in the light around them like all the sources he had ever seen thought an alien being would look like...she looked more like an animal than anything. Was she some kind of pet? A creature they had bought with them? It wouldn't be the strangest thing...well, it would, but considering that what he assumed was an alien craft had crashed nearby his town less than half an hour ago, it would at least make some strange kind of sense.

That was what he thought until she tried to speak. The language was completely unknown, untranslatable to him but it was distinct from the other sounds she had been making, there was a pattern to it. It was speech, she was trying to communicate with him. His brow furrowed as he dared to take a step closer, hoping she wasn't dangerous, and in return she had darted around him, stopping a lot closer than he had thought she would to look up at him and he'd found it difficult once again to track her. "Fucking hell slow down..." He took another step, and she used the incredibly long tail behind her to raise herself from the ground, up to his height, ears extended again, causing him to step back a touch. "What are you? I don't think you speak English, do you?" Feeling confident, mostly because she hadn't attacked him yet and he had a shotgun aimed at her, he took another step. She seemed to be cradling one arm, it seemed to be cut but he couldn't get a good enough look to confirm it, though when she tried to go down on all fours her reaction made it more than clear and her eyes started to mist up with a milky looking fluid, standing out against the clear water of the rain. She was crying? For a moment he felt a pang of sympathy in his chest...the poor thing seemed confused, not aggressive, and the chirping sound was starting to seem...almost sad, melancholy. Another step forward but this time he didn't have both hands on his weapon, one was stretched out to her, palm open, a sign he wasn't going to hurt her...and he jumped back again as she hissed at him, bared her teeth...oh god those teeth. Sharp, huge...he'd just started to think she wasn't dangerous, only her tail seemed remotely threatening but what the hell were those teeth? "Fuck...what the hell have you gotten yourself into now Elijah?" It was a nervous habit, when he was alone and worried he would talk to himself, usually like he was a dumbass. The aggressive stance she had didn't seem to last for long and as she lowered herself she started lapping at her wrist much like a puppy would at an injury. Elijah honestly didn't know whether to be scared of the small creature or feel sorry for her...she was clearly crying, she acted much like an animal would but she'd tried to speak, seemed sentient. She glanced away and then suddenly walked to him, butting him with her head...it was so surreal, being nudged like that, not aggressively but...it was almost like she wanted something. "Hey...hey knock it off okay, cut it out..." He even chuckled...was it just him or was she kind of cute, again like a puppy or a cat that wanted pets.

Suddenly she left into the cornfield and he followed...it felt like that's what she wanted, for him to follow. Unclipping his flashlight from the shotgun he slung the weapon on his back...he could die for it, but he didn't feel like he really needed the gun...and he followed her, brushing aside the long stalks as he followed the strange creature towards the wreck. When he got there...it was like something one would see in a nightmare, it looked like a warzone, there were bodies like hers all around, some taller, more built out and masculine, some just taller but still feminine, even smaller ones that he couldn't bring himself to look at and the smell of roses and flowers was so powerful he thought he was going to be sick, it was overpowering, even the smoke couldn't touch it. Fire everywhere and the sound she made, the chirp...he looked to her and his eyes were already filling with tears...the poor thing. Was this...he couldn't imagine if it had happened to him, what he would do, and she wasn't as tall as some...if he had to guess at her age by comparing her height to the bodies she would be a teenager...barely old enough to comprehend what was happening. "Oh no...I..." He didn't know what to say, he could only look on in horror, quite literally speechless at all the lost lives...even though they weren't human, they were alive less than an hour ago, and the girl...this was her people, her family. A sound by his side dragged him from his stupor and he looked to his side, down towards where she now was...and his heart broke. He didn't know what she said but she was holding up a body even smaller than hers up to him, those milky tears streaming down her face. He faltered...it was perhaps the saddest, most horrific scene of his entire life and Elijah had seen a lot in his years as Sheriff, he's seen some truly terrible things, abuse victims, bodies...but this small alien was breaking him. He lowered himself to one knee, took the body from her hands...it was light, already turning cold in the rain, motionless. Dead. "Sweetie...I...I wish I could help you, I do, I...I don't know what you're saying." His voice broke as he spoke, cracked as his own tears were starting to mix in with the rain and he still didn't know what to do...he should leave, but what about her? Gently he laid the body down on the floor...it deserved a burial but another thought had crossed his mind. Others would be here soon, those firefighters, his deputies...and after them, once it was reported that an alien craft had landed here? The army, scientists...Elijah knew what humans were like, he had seen enough movies and shows, read enough books to know what would happen. The bodies would be collected, dissected, but that wouldn't be enough, it was never enough. If he left her here, the innocent little thing...she would be captured, she was already so trusting of him and he had been pointing a weapon at her, there was no way she would survive without them taking her and doing god knows what to her.

He couldn't leave her. He wouldn't...it didn't matter that she wasn't human, her sadness was clear, her pain, she didn't deserve any of what would happen if the government or even somebody worse got their hands on her. He slowly took his jacket off, slipping it beneath the shotgun straps, tearing a piece which fell to the ground beside the body he had just laid down and turned towards her, reaching for her slowly, speaking softly, voice still shaky. "Don't move okay, I'm not going to hurt you...come here, come with me." Wrapping the coat around her, having to bundle the long, powerful tail up with his hands, he cradled her to him. It didn't matter if she would fight, or struggle, he wouldn't let her go, there was no fucking way...as he ran back through the corn, both arms clinging to the alien while stalks and rain battered against his brow, head down. "Shhh...don't worry, I have you, I have you...you're safe." He knew it was silly, to talk to her, if he couldn't understand her the odds she could understand him were slim to none but it was for himself more than anything. Back at his truck he didn't have the heart to even lay her down, he took his shotgun and shoved it back onto the rack and threw the flashlight in the back after turning it off. He didn't even bother with his seatbelt as he started the vehicle with one hand while holding her to his chest with the other. Backing out of the corn and back onto the gravel path he started to drive. Elijah knew this town about as well as anybody could, better than most, he knew the routes his deputies would take, the routes the fire service would take, the only way anybody could come from the outside, and he drove deliberately to avoid them. Nobody would know he was there, nobody would ever know. Nobody could ever know...whatever in him had snapped it had left him with one thought...protect her.

Bunny · Mar 29, 2021

The threat of the gun that this man posed was unknown to Aphrae. How would she have known to fear the flimsy long metal thing or the unknown creature? Neither seemed scary in truth. The creature before didn't even seem to have a way to defend itself. There were some things she could pick up, contextual clues; such as the tone of it's voice, and the way it seemed to try and keep her in view had been cute, in it's own way.. But as interesting as it was, she had other things pull her back to the here and now. Her family.. They were all likely dead. She was stranded on a world that happened to be habitable to her. A stroke of luck really, one she hadn't considered. She was young enough though that it could be easily explained away. Her species were overall incredibly gentle. A kind, loving race that was extraordinarily long lived. While voracious carnivores, that was where their aggression ended. It had not always been that way. Once like many other races, they had been far more barbaric and in truth, it had taken her kind a long time to become peaceful. While long lived lives allowed them to seek their pleasures and enjoyment in life, it meant the old ways were slow to die out. Aphrae had never known war, nor had her parents. She was an innocent in the truest meaning of the word.

She'd rubbed her head against him, trying to get him to follow her, unsure how else to obtain her goal. She needed his help. His voice had seemed warmer, though stern in it's own right. It reminded her of the Aanvoerder. The stark reminder made her heart ache. Silently she had lead him through the corn and when she'd stopped in the smoldering cornfield she had turned to look at him, her ruby eyes holding sadness at the scene just behind her. Aphrae chittered and chirped, the sounds a hatchling made when in distress. Had she been on her planet, she'd have had at least two adults coming to her aid, if not more. Her race was incredibly devoted to their hatchlings. Humans had a saying, unknown to Aphrae. It takes a village to raise a child. It was an African saying, that an entire community of people must interact with children for those children to experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment. Her kind were of the same mindset. No adult, not child would even ignore the cries she made. The sadness in her tone was even understood by the creature, though she didn't know that yet. That deep, soul wrenching sadness. The sound no child of any race should ever have to make. She'd crawled through the wreckage, picking her way through the bodies. It was then she'd found the hatchling she'd tried so hard to save... She'd returned with her body, hoping this creature might be able to help. They didn't speak the same language, but the tone.. it conveyed enough that a whimper left her and she turned to circle the body, on all fours. There was no question, the weight on her wrist hurt, but she circled the hatchling, mournfully chittering as she nuzzled the small body. She'd failed her, while the adults had failed them. She'd picked her way back through the wreckage, as the man remembered that others would be here soon.

She knew everyone that had been on the ship, yet she couldn't recognize most of them. Her Majka, wouldn't be among them. Perhaps that was lucky, for she wouldn't have left her Majka's dead body. She would have fought tooth and nail as the creature picked her up. The first thing she felt was warmth, so hot. Aphrae hadn't noticed how cold she was and she trembled, turning to look at him, tears still leaking from her eyes, the shimmering drops like diamonds. A sweet coo left her, a thank you, perhaps. His hands on her tail made her frown and she squirmed slightly as he picked her up, cradling her into his chest. She stilled though, it was that tone that made her stop her movement and instead she laid her head to his shoulder. She couldn't see the crash, or the bodies fade from view, but each step made her heart ache. They were all dead. No one had answered her. She was all alone on a strange planet. Ruby eyes rose slowly to take in the creature carrying her. It reminded her of something one of the adults might do for a hatchling. The swaying of his body and therefore her own was hypnotic. They'd been in the sea of corn one moment and a blink later, struggling to keep her eyes open, she found herself someplace else, yet the creature was still there.

The movement of his truck didn't help her stay awake anymore that the rocking as he'd moved through the corn had. Shifting slightly, Aphrae cuddled into the warmth of him, a soft, steady sound coming from her. A purring, that rumbled through her chest. Her eyes felt heavy and she didn't bother to ask him where he was taking her. He wouldn't understand and talking suddenly seemed so hard. A naïve part of her brain wished that when she woke, this would have all been a bad dream, her Majka would still be alive and there to soothe away the horrible dream that had seemed so life like. Shifting slightly, she sucked on the collar of his shirt, her purring growing louder for a moment. Slowly it faded as she was truly and deeply asleep. Her dreams were darkness, thankfully. Though, it wouldn't always be the case... For now, she was given reprieve from the horrors she'd witnessed, lived through...

Staine · Mar 30, 2021

As he drove carefully down the dirt road he had chosen, getting further and further away from the wreckage, Elijah couldn't get those fucking images out of his head. All of them, dead...so many bodies, all looking similar to the one he had held tightly to his chest at that very moment, his jacket around her, protecting her from being seen by others. They'd long since been out of the elements and into the warmth of his truck, the heating turned on to warm both himself and the alien up. He had been shivering...of course it made sense, he had taken his jacket off in the rain and it was still technically winter but he hadn't noticed the cold at all as he had ran, the things he had seen just kept commanding his thoughts, taking center stage and refusing to give it up. As he looked down at the bundle held to his chest he remembered those eyes, the way she had looked so sad...he'd always thought it would be difficult to tell if another species was truly sad just from their eyes but it wasn't...it just wasn't, one glance had told him how she was feeling and the sounds she had made backed that up in kind, bird-like chirping sounds that again had sounded like her world had just ended...and it had, hadn't it? It would have been like his entire police station was taken out in a matter of moments and his family to boot...that's what it would take to feel the kind of sorrow the young one must have felt. That was why he had to do this, that's what he told himself. She'd been through enough, more than anybody really should have to go through in a lifetime and all in the space of one day...to leave her to be captured and tortured by government scientists...he couldn't, he couldn't bear the thought of her being left like that, living a life like that. That's why he had picked her up, ignored the squirming as he carried her through the cornfield. Carefully, finding it more than a little difficult with one hand he turned out from the dirt road and onto the highway. A few more miles and he would be in town, and he'd deliberately took the long way out, the way he knew the first responders wouldn't go down, it was simply too far from the stations and from the wreckage.

He heard a purring sound coming from inside his jacket and he looked down, chuckling as he realised she might be falling asleep. It would make sense, anybody would be exhausted after that but it would make things easier too, perhaps...and with the sounds she was making if anybody asked what was beneath his jacket he could tell them it was a cat, he had wanted to get a companion for Jax anyway, the poor creature seemed lonely when he left for an extended period of time like this so anybody that knew him would probably believe it, though of course they'd want to see...but he was getting ahead of himself. As he continued to drive through the night he felt his collar shift, like she was chewing on it in her sleep...it almost made him smile, she actually reminded him a little of a cat...the way she had moved when he'd shone his torch on her, the purring, now this. Eventually, with the alien still asleep in his arms, he managed to navigate his way home. A modest house he had spent a decade saving for ever since he had been a green deputy trying to do his best for the small town, he pulled into the garage and slowly turned his truck off. "Come on little one, let's get you inside..." Getting out of the truck while not jerking her around too much was a little difficult but he managed, slowly, and carried her into the main building. Warm tones of teak walls and tan leather was what he'd chosen to decorate with, leaving the room looking mostly brown of various shades but homely, he even had a large fireplace that he had to keep wood for against one wall and bookshelves to either side of it. Laying her down on his sofa, he gently peeled back his jacket to uncover her as Jax hopped up onto the back of the sofa, looking down curiously, giving credibility to the old saying. "Hey there buddy...look what I've found. We're gonna have a guest here for a little while so you be nice to her okay?" He raised one hand and Jax lowered his head, seeing the pets coming a mile away and nuzzling against Elijah's hand as he looked down at the alien, wondering just what the hell he did now?

He had so many things he didn't know about her. Was she dangerous? She hadn't attacked him, if anything she had seemed sweet but her tail...closer up it was obvious how powerful it was, likely stronger than his own limbs and so very long...not to mention those teeth. Right now, as she slept, she looked cute, harmless, but those teeth were the kinds of things one expected in the mouth of a shark. If she was dangerous, would she attack? She'd seemed to realise he was trying to protect her but how long would she continue to cooperate for? What did she eat? Meat, most likely, herbivores didn't have teeth like those, but what kind of meat? What if she got sick? He didn't know a single vet that could look after her...well, his sister was a vet but he could only imagine the look on her face when he brought this creature to her. It might actually have been worth doing just for that. Jax hopped down to get a closer look as all these thoughts ran through his mind, nuzzling against the alien's head and purring to match the same frequency she was using before he hopped down to go do whatever it was that cats did as they wandered their home. "Just what am I going to do with you, hmm?" At least she looked peaceful in her sleep. "I must be fucking crazy..." Rising to leave her on the sofa he moved to the fire, kneeling by it and lighting it, adding a couple of logs to it to heat up the room, he didn't know how hot or cold an alien liked things but most creatures seemed to prefer some warmth and she hadn't felt freezing when he'd picked her up, she seemed to be warm blooded. Another ten or so minutes passed as he stripped himself of his wet clothes and pulled on some black slacks and a green shirt, then picked the alien up again. All these things he was thinking of...they could wait until morning. Bed was too far away, so he brushed his jacket from the sofa and laid down on it, one arm around her while he rested her on his chest, pulling her head to his shoulder. Listening to her purr, he was asleep within minutes.

Bunny · Apr 1, 2021

Sleep had claimed Aphrae without a moment's hesitation. The events of the day had been exhausting, both mentally and physically. It wasn't a surprise at least not the creature who had spirited her away from the smoldering remains of both her ship and people. Curled into his warmth, the steady beat of his heart, his breathing, it was almost like a lullaby. Aphrae didn't fight it, why would she? Sleep meant it would stop hurting, physically and mentally. It was the latter that made her not fight it's pull. She didn't want to think of everything she'd lost, of what tomorrow would bring, trapped in a world that didn't look like her own and the creatures inhabiting it were strange to say the least. Darkness swallowed her consciousness and the next time she woke, she was no longer cradling the warmth of the creature and was somewhere new altogether.

The first thing that came to her was she was laying on something squishy, slightly firm and warm. Slowly her eyes opened and she saw the dying embers in the fire. Ruby eyes slipped over the odd environment she found herself in. Finally she looked down on what she laid on, the strange creature. Leaning in, she watched him breathe, his chest rising and falling steadily. Her head cocked to the side and she lifted herself with her tail, peering down at him. She chirped softly and looked away, rising on her tail further into the air. The muscles of her tail were unlike anything earth had, easily able to hold her weight. Legs were pulled into her chest and her injured arm was cradled much like it had been the night before. Movement caught her eye and a small furry animal crossed through the room, hopping onto a windowsill bathed in light.

For a moment Aphrae considered eating the cat, but the desire was surpassed by the glow from outside. She set herself on her feet and she moved to the window. Ignoring her future meal, she looked out into a world of gold and green. Beyond the window, grass swayed in a breeze, leaves rippled in the sunlight and she chirped again. Her world had been lush, but more like a human jungle. This was far different. Her stomach rumbled and her eyes shifted to the cat. Looking at the odd thing as it groomed itself, she looked back to the sleeping creature. Was this meal its? Aphrae chirped, the cat turned its eyes to her. The alien made bird-like noises, but it was much bigger. Aphrae could see as it's eyes dilated and when her tongue flickered between her teeth it ran. Watching it as it rounded a corner her eyes moved back to the window.

Later. She'd eat it later. Besides, if it was the creature's meal, it wouldn't do to eat it. She was hungry though. Moving back to the sleeping thing she reached out and poked it. "⊑⎍⋏☌⍀⊬'' The thing didn't move and she poked it harder. "⋔⏃⊬ ⟟ ⟒⏃⏁ ⏁⊑⟒ ⌇⋔⏃⌰⌰ ☊⍀⟒⏃⏁⎍⍀⟒?" Yet it didn't wake. Aphrae was pretty sure it was alive still... Lifting herself into the air once more she watched him, chirping. This must have been it's nest. Looking around for a moment she cooed and then looked back to the sleeping creature. Curious, she pushed her fingers into its mouth, a frown pulling at her lips. It's teeth were blunt... How would it eat the small furry creature?

Staine · Apr 6, 2021

Elijah slept peacefully, not remembering anything about the previous night, about what had happened in the nearby farmland, what he had encountered out there in the cornfield. The bodies, the small alien creature...small compared to him at least, she did still stand at over 4 foot tall...the way she had cried, the way she had looked up at him like he could somehow change what had happened to her, to her people...thankfully none of this was in his dreams, he had no dreams actually...and the next thing he knew after falling asleep was a strange sound and some pressure on his chest. His peaceful breathing changed as he started to wake slowly. There was the sound again, and some chirping, like birds..., and then something in his mouth, against his teeth. His eyes snapped open and he saw her, risen on her tail above him, reaching out for his face. "Ahh!" It was a short, loud burst of noise as he panicked, pulling himself backwards, batting her hand away from his mouth. What the hell was...that's when he remembered. He remembered everything about the night, it all flooding back to him. The noise he had heard when he had woken up, it was her speaking, that language, she had been the one chirping too, there had been no birds. Trying to gather himself he slowly rose, sitting up on the sofa and looking at it.

In all his years Elijah hadn't considered that one day he might be face to face with an alien. Others might have dreamed of what life there was beyond the stars, of sexy alien women abducting them for pleasure or coming to see what human sex was like, all of that nonsense he left to the nerds of the world. Elijah was rooted in the here and now, in what was right in front of him and that had always been the mundane, how could it not be in their small little town? An alien lifeform had never really entered into it, never crossed his mind before and yet here they were. He reached out, tentatively touching her shoulder. "H...hi. Do you speak English?" It was a long shot but somehow he had hoped that she would. The chirping and the strange language she did speak couldn't be all of it right? She didn't even look like what he imagined an alien would...she was kind of cute in a strange, inexplicable way, deathly pale but clearly feminine...he couldn't tell if she was young or old even, though the previous night he had felt she was younger...some of the other bodies had been bigger, closer to his own size and if they were the adults then he would guess...teenager? He chuckled to himself nervously...just what he needed, a teen in his life. "Do you have a name? Are you hungry? Have you eaten?" Oh lord...what did she eat? Would she poop all over his floors and make a mess? Did she drink? What would be poisonous to her, what wouldn't? All of these things were a concern but the most immediate one of them was getting some way to communicate with her. Leaning forwards in his seat, he tilted his head, looking her over. The white, pale stuff...that was definitely her skin, which meant she was naked...a fact proven by her nipples still being on full display. In the light now he could look closer, could see that her hair really was feathery, downy, it looked like it would be soft to the touch...and he reached out to place his hand on her head. "Interesting...you're like a little birdy, but...you're like a lizard too...but not rough." Her skin had been smooth and soft to the touch, he could remember that much from carrying her to his truck.

Her tail seemed so powerful, the way she had lifted herself up on it, the thickness of it...was it stronger than he was? He had a feeling it might be but as long as she didn't attack him it wouldn't matter and he smiled up at her. No, she didn't seem dangerous, or aggressive at least...it was hard to think of her being good with machinery though, and her race was clearly advanced enough to travel through space so appearances could be deceiving. He patted himself on the chest. "Elijah. E-li-jah." The first time he had said it normally but the second...the second he had done it slowly, like a racist person trying to communicate abroad. "My name is Elijah. Yours?" He reached and patted her chest, trying to avoid her breasts but clearly, at least in his mind, wanting to hear her name. His stomach rumbled and he laughed softly, that was right...he had meant to grab some food on the way home but then he had seen the crash, and that had completely left his mind. Well...she didn't seem dangerous right now and he was hungry so he climbed to his feet and went to his refrigerator, pulling out some ham and butter, then took it to the kitchen surface. Grabbing a few slices of bread he quickly made some ham sandwiches and carried them back to the sofa, taking a bite of one, chewing and swallowing before offering her the other one, holding it out. "Food? Do you even eat?" The ham was at least cut thickly, the bread thin and buttered lightly and he wondered what she would eat if not this. Vegetables? Chocolate? Who the fuck knew...but if he was going to look after her...and after the scene last night, that strong urge he had to protect her...then he had to figure something out because it was a scary world out there and right now he was feeling way out of his depth.

Bunny · Apr 10, 2021

The thing make an alarmed sound as it woke with her fingers in its mouth. Pulling back on her strong tail, she cocked her head at him. A soft coo left Aphrae, confusion on her face. She was young enough that things like personal boundaries, all but unknown to her kind, was still not something she had a proper grasp of. A chittering sound left her, the sound disgruntled now as the confusion had deepened. Her tongue flickered past razor sharp teeth, lips, tasting the air. There was bitterness in the air, coming from the creature. Perhaps fear? Though, she didn't understand the fear. "⏃⍀⟒ ⊬⍜⎍ ⎎⍀⟟☌⊑⏁⟒⋏⟒⎅, ⌰⟟⏁⏁⌰⟒ ⌇⏁⍀⏃⋏☌⟒ ⏁⊑⟟⋏☌? ⍙⊑⊬?" The melodious tones that slipped from her was somehow both sweet and vaguely annoyed. She couldn't place the frightened behavior. Only prey was frightened. Aphrae didn't know the feeling personally. It wasn't something her species had known for a long time. She felt a wide variety of emotions, but she was nothing's prey. Her kind, just looking at them, seemed simple. Even a cursory glance at their nests, might lead one to think they were not advanced. It was far from the truth. They had taken to the darkness of the galaxy long before many... they just preferred to stay close to nature as well. They were voracious hunters that lived on a steady diet of meat, getting all of their nutrients from their prey. Much like earth's carnivorous dinosaurs used to get their nutrients from the herbivores.

Watching it with ruby eyes, she watched it's hand reach out. Clearly she allowed this touch, unsure. That was unfair, she corrected, whatever it was, it seemed male? It looked like their males at least. He spoke to her and she blinked, owlish eyes at him. Beneath his hand, her hand was soft, like touching the silken, almost velvet petals of a rose. it almost would seem if he touched her too hard, he might bruise her satiny skin. It couldn't have been further from the truth. While not indestructible, her skin was much like his own. The softness betraying the strength. His hand fell away and he spoke again. An unkind thought slipping through her mind, hypocritical to boot. She clearly couldn't understand it. She had spoken to him too though. Aphrae was still disgruntled at his fear.

His hand moved from her shoulder to her hair. His assumptions were correct. Aphrae's hair was downy soft, though, like a bird's feathers, it had no rachis going through each strand. It was why her hair looked, well.. so hair like. Though along the nape of her neck, there seemed to be feathers in truth, softer still, but they overlapped down along the slender length of her neck. Gently she pulled herself back from him. Chittering in a clearly annoyed sort of way. "⊬⍜⎍ ⏁⍜⎍☊⊑ ⋔⟒, ⏚⎍⏁ ⟟ ☊⏃⋏'⏁ ⌇⟒⟒ ⊬⍜⎍⍀ ⏁⟒⟒⏁⊑? ⎅⍜⎍⏚⌰⟒ ⌇⏁⏃⋏⎅⏃⍀⎅⌇!" She leaned back on her tail, almost sitting on it, her arms crossing across her breasts in a huff. Ruby kissed eyes had narrowed and she watched as he patted his chest, his words slipping from his mouth. A snort left her, she understood, but their words were not even similar. His hand pressed to her chest, and unlike a human, the touch didn't bother her in the slightest. Mimicking him, she chirped, "⏃⌿⊑⍀⏃⟒, ⏃⊑-⌿⊑⎍-⍀⏃⊬" Her tones were indeed very bird like, the cadence musical, sweet. Unpronounceable by the human tongue. His though, she might be able to mimic... After a long moment, she spoke, slowly, her voice sweet, soft and oh, so shy. "Eeeliiieguuuuuh" The emphasis was on the wrong syllables. Patting her chest, she repeated her name "⏃⌿⊑⍀⏃⟒, ⏃⊑-⌿⊑⎍-⍀⏃⊬" looking at him expectedly. She'd said his name!

When he tried, she laughed, the sound bright, happy and still bird-like. There was something, smoother, almost surreal about her bird-like voice. Where some birds had harsher, or gruffer vocals, hers was more like the dulcet songs that birds sang. She shook her head no, still giggling, her teeth flashing. To her, her teeth were normal, she was unaware how they might scare him. She watched him stand and her eyes followed him curiously. She didn't follow him, rather her eyes searched for the small, furry creature, as she was hungry as well. He came back with sandwiches before Jax reappeared. Cocking her head she watched him take a bite, swallow. "⊑⍜⍙ ⎅⍜ ⊬⍜⎍ ⟒⏃⏁, ⊬⍜⎍⍀ ⏁⟒⟒⏁⊑ ⏃⍀⟒ ⌿⍀⟒⊬ ⌰⟟☍⟒..." Clear confusion in her tone she reached for the offered sandwich. Sniffing it, Aphrae looked to him for a moment before taking a bite out of it. The meat tasted a bit like Loshiki, a fish found in their sea. The rest was strange and while not unpleasant wasn't as appealing. Aphrae however was polite. Lucky for them both he'd not fed her any vegetables. Feeling safe in the fact that he couldn't understand her, she said, "⟟⌇ ⋏⍜⏁ ⏚⏃⎅... ⏁⊑⟒ ⌇⍾⎍⟟⌇⊑⊬ ⍙⊑⟟⏁⟒ ⌇⏁⎍⎎⎎ ⟟⌇ ⋏⍜⏁ ⏃⌿⌿⟒⏃⌰⟟⋏☌ ⏁⊑⍜⎍☌⊑..."

Staine · Apr 11, 2021

Trying his best to read the movements and sounds the strange, alien creature made, Elijah was finding it far more difficult than he had anticipated. He knew nothing of the mannerisms of...whatever species this was, and trying to communicate was going to be a frustrating endeavour, he could tell that much already. She had moved back on her tail when he had been alarmed at waking, looking at him with what he assumed was curiosity but how would he know? For all he knew she could have been looking at him like he was food so when he gingerly reached out to touch her he honestly hadn't known whether she would bite him, reel backwards or charge him...or something else entirely. He'd been at least pleasantly surprised by her just allowing him to touch and he could feel now exactly how soft her skin was...she felt like just touching her was going to bruise, or might hurt, yet she had survived the crash. He could still see the orangish marks that were out of place, like bruises against the alabaster of her flesh. His hand moved to her hair, feeling the feathers, growing more confident that she wouldn't attack him. "You're like a little lizard birdy huh? Interesting." Trying to compare her to any of the creatures he had actually seen on Earth just wasn't quite right, but that was the best he had. She had a lizard like tail, muscular and powerful, soft, velvety flesh and a bird like plumage in her hair. She also had humanoid features alongside them, honestly she was the most curious blend of them and clearly capable of communication too. When she pulled herself away from his touch he frowned at the noises she started to make...they were strange, but if he was reading the tone right they didn't sound happy. It was understandable...he wouldn't be happy in her place either, far from it with everything that had happened to her family and waking up in a strange place but there wasn't much he could do about that. He gave a sheepish grin and kind of a half shrug. "Sorry, I don't know what you're trying to say...should I not touch? Did I do something wrong?"

He had tried a different tack, starting with his own name, then patting her to see if she responded...and she did! It wasn't in any kind of language he had a hope of understanding but the sounds were clearly some kind of communication. He even thought she had snorted, like she found something funny and he chuckled himself, shaking his head softly. "This is going to be hard isn't it..." He tried to repeat what she had called herself, though like he'd thought he had no way of reproducing the bird-like sounds. He sighed softly, a sheepish look on his face, soon replaced by one of excitement when she tried mimicking his own name. It was off, emphasis was placed wrongly but it was close, close enough that he nodded, eyes lighting up. "Yes, that's it! Okay, okay, try again." He patted his chest again. "Elijah. E-lie-jah." He repeated the same thing three or four times, to see if she had a better understanding of how to say it. It didn't seem fair, that she could mimic human speech but he had no chance of copying hers but that didn't matter...if she was capable of getting his name correct then the sky was the limit, he would be able to go and teach her the rest of his language, he would be able to communicate...after a lot of work, of course. He tried one more time to repeat her name, met with what seemed to be childish, happy giggling and he pouted playfully. "Well if you're going to be a buttface about it..." Grabbing the cushion from the couch he gently threw it towards her face before he had gotten up to get the sandwiches. Watching her attempt to eat it after sniffing it, he was at least happy that she managed, though he didn't actually know what she preferred, the meat or the bread. She'd spoken to him again and he just had no way of understanding, even her actions and expressions were completely unreadable to him but he wanted to try something, a little experiment. Going back to his kitchen, he took out some actual food, two steaks and started to cut them. Turning on the hob and putting a little oil in the pan he went back to her with a few slices of bread, holding them out to her. "Try these? This is just the bread. Do you like it?" He couldn't tell what she ate but this seemed to be the best test of it, he left the bread with her and tried to observe her as he fried the steaks.

He preferred them medium rare, so that was how he decided to cook them, and while he was at it he pulled his orange juice out of the refrigerator before catching himself. Probably best to try her on something else first, so he finished cooking the steaks and while he let them rest he instead filled two glasses with cold water from the cooler built into the fridge. Plating the steaks, he brought them back and placed one plate on the table for her alongside the glass of water, with a knife and fork next to it. Sitting back on his sofa with his own, he cut a slice from it and took a bite. "Mmm...now that's good steak. Do you like it?" He gestured to the utensils, wondering if he would have to cut hers for her. He took another bite, then washed it down with a sip of his water. As he ate he kept his eyes on her, he wanted to see what she liked, how she would react to it. Judging by her teeth he thought she might be a carnivore, it certainly seemed that was but how would he know without experimentation?

Bunny · Apr 14, 2021

There was some emotion on his face as she pulled away from him, though Aphrae had trouble placing it. Whatever he was, wasn't like she was. Some basic things were similar, she supposed, but the finer minutia of expression were lost though. Aphrae had pulled back far enough he couldn't easily touch her, still miffed at the fact he'd pulled away from her with a sound of alarm. That however didn't last long as the pair tried to introduce themselves. Elijah went first, before his hand brushed her chest, trying to elicit a similar response. She tried his name again, though rounded vowels were hard for her mouth to form. Aphrae took solace in the fact she could say his name, the same could not be said of him and her own name.

He threw something at her, she caught it against her chest. Sniffing it, Aphrae looked at it quizzically. Tasting the air around it she cocked her head. It was squishy, it reminded her of Skumfidus, a large purple animal on her planet, at least in feel. It didn't have the herbaceous scent of Skumfidus. Aphrae opened her mouth wide as Elijah left the room and bit into the cushion. Her teeth sliced through leather, foam and fluff like butter, a soft growl leaving her as she shook it in her teeth, little bits of stuffing flying out. Her movements stopped as Elijah came back in with the bread. Looking at it she pulled back, cushion still in her mouth. The thing in her mouth didn't taste good either, but she preferred it's texture.

When Elijah reached for the cushion, his words, tone lost on her she gave a growl and fought with him over the thing he'd thrown at her. it was hers now! Finally though, after a few moments of struggle she opened her mouth and the pillow was worse for wear and she was spitting out little bits of fluff. "⊬⍜⎍⍀ ⌇☍⎍⋔⎎⟟⎅⎍⌇ ⟟⌇ ⋏⍜⏁ ⏁⏃⌇⏁⊬, ⏚⎍⏁ ⟟⏁ ⍙⏃⌇ ⏚⟒⏁⏁⟒⍀ ⏁⊑⏃⋏ ⏁⊑⏃⏁ ☌⍜⍜⟒⊬ ⌇⏁⎍⎎⎎." The melodic chirping was almost prim. He left her alone, though he'd been smiling. Clearly he had not understood her. Not surprising. Sighing she shifted her weight, turning herself upside down. This is how he'd find her when he entered with the cooked meat.

Downy hair fell past her head, swaying slightly. Her kind didn't eat much cooked food, but some things, such as the Helodermahorridum. It's meat was poisonous when not cooked, but it was seen as a delicacy. Things that could kill an apex predator was a rare commodity, more so when it was extremely docile in nature normally. Aphrae did not right herself as he sat down, but watched him sit and begin to eat. Eyeing him warily Aphrae watched Elijah eat. The redness of her tongue flashed in the air, smelling and tasting the air. After a moment she lowered herself, her prehensile tongue curling around the meat, lifting it to a waiting hand. It hadn't tasted bad... and after a moment of eying him she took a bite.

Half the steak vanished with the powerful snap of her jaws and Aphrae didn't seem to chew, but rather swallow the chunk whole. The second half was gulped up as well and all of this done with her body still inverted in the air. A sweet coo left her, and she licked her fingers clean, tongue curling about the delicate digits lapping the juices free. "⋔⍜⍀⟒!" Her kind didn't know the word please, it was a foreign concept. Hatchlings were doted on, spoiled even and such behavior was indulged lovingly. Had she been on her own world Aphrae's parents would have given her food from their plates, though, she wouldn't have had to ask, a hatching had a voracious appetite and often consumed their body weight two or three times over daily. Bashfully after a moment, she added "⟟⏁ ⍙⏃⌇⋏'⏁ ⏚⏃⎅, ⏁⊑⍜⎍☌⊑... ⟟ ⏃⋔ ⎍⋏⌇⎍⍀⟒ ⟟⎎ ⟟⏁ ⍀⟒⍾⎍⟟⍀⟒⎅ ⎎⌰⏃⋔⟒"

Staine · Apr 16, 2021

The back and forth attempts to figure out her name clearly weren't working, and Elijah felt a little bad that while the alien seemed to be able to manage his name...or something close at least, he wasn't able to pronounce hers. The language she seemed to use, if that's what it was, was just too bird like, the chirps and chitters making it impossible for his vocal cords to simulate. Throwing the cushion at her in frustration at her sounds of amusement he'd left in a huff, and when he'd returned it had been in her mouth, she was clearly trying to eat it like actual food while he had made sandwiches for them both to enjoy! "Hey...hey, let that go damn it!" Grabbing one end he'd tried to pull it from her only to be met with resistance, like he was trying to pull one of those knotted ropes from a playful dog that didn't want to give it up. Struggling with her had lasted almost a minute of the same back and forth tug of war before she'd relented and released it and he had looked down at his cushion in dismay, a hole ripped into it by the razor sharp teeth.

He'd laughed, shaking his head, it at least added some levity to the situation, it was almost amusing, here he was treating her like a person, trying to communicate like she was from a foreign land, why wasn't he treating her like a dog, like the wild animal she was acting like? "Well that's useless now...honestly, just what have I gotten myself into, hmm?" Somehow she seemed to have a smug tone to the chirps that followed, but he'd given her the bread anyway to try and gone back to cooking his steaks. Returning once more with them, he'd sat with his own and watched as she was now holding her body upside down while still balanced on her tail. He couldn't help but think how handy it would be to have such a thing, and the alien girl seemed to be in agreement as since he'd woken up she had been resting on it in one position or another. Taking a bite after cutting himself a slice of his own steak he watched as her tongue flicked out first, completely ignoring the knife and fork before it extended further. As she lowered herself she seemed to lift the steak up with it and towards her mouth and he stared, his own jaw dropped as he watched her devour half of it in one bite.

"Holy fucking hell..." He was still chewing his first bite when she ate the second half and he watched as she licked her fingers clean. "Do you even swallow? What the fuck was that?" That language came out again and he looked down at his food. Was she sated? Had she had enough now? Cutting himself another slice of his food he took another bite, his eyes on her as he thought to himself. There was really only one way to tell if she had had enough, and she had seemed kind of cute when she was speaking, like she was perhaps shy? It was really getting more and more difficult to understand how she was feeling or read her. He put his plate down to the side to try something. Patting his lap, he looked at her. "Come here." With his other hand he gestured for her to come towards him, hoping that some combination of the signals would translate across the significant language and customs barrier they had. She seemed to hang in the air for a few moments and he repeated both gestures, patting his lap more and motioning towards himself. "Don't be shy, come on. I'm not going to hurt you..." She seemed to finally understand, lowering herself to the ground and crawling animal-like towards him and when she was close enough, he lifted her up into his lap.

"See? Not going to hurt you. Here, are you still hungry, sweetie?" He pulled the plate towards her, lifting it up to give her access to the steak and settling it on his other thigh. "I think I'm gonna need a name for you too eh?" He took a moment to think how he was going to do this before he tentatively pressed his palm to her chest again. "Ariel?" His tone ended in an inflection that, to a human at least, would imply it was a question, or a hopeful sound to it, then he brought his palm back to his own chest. "Elijah." Again he pressed it against her. "Cherry?" After every attempt at a name, he did the same thing as before and touched himself, saying his own name, trying to get across that he was trying to get her to choose a name and looking for any positive reaction. "Ruby? Rose? Sadie? Nala? Neva? Ivory? Marya?" One of these just had to fit, and he was hoping she would choose one but was willing to continue until she did.

Bunny · Apr 19, 2021

The tug of war with the pillow had not made much sense to Aphrae. It hadn't been good enough to fight over, it had been almost tasteless. Yet, the male had seemed slightly upset and Aphrae had let go and made another disgruntled sound at him as he laughed at her. Bread had been handed to her after he answered her chirps, though neither understood the other. Aphrae's nose wrinkled in disgust at the bread and she'd dropped it onto the table before inverting herself. She missed home, Aphrae knew it, yet she tried not to focus on it. If she allowed herself to linger in the thoughts, she'd break down. No adult here to comfort her, to pull her up into their arms and sing to her, coo at her and slowly help her cheer up. Rather than face that heart ache alone, she ignored that part of her reality. Pushing it aside, for it would do her no good. Even now, for the moment she'd allowed the thoughts in, it felt like her heart was being pressed on, a deep, unfathomable ache that threatened to swallow her whole.

A trembling breath left Aphrae and she swung herself into the air via her tail, the thick coil of muscle supporting her body weight easily. Her bones were much like that of a bird, hollow, so she could lift herself with ease... yet even had she had a more human-like build she would have still been able to lift herself vertically into the air. Aphrae watched him walk back into the room, as if on the ceiling and it made her want to giggle, the sort of games that children might play. She was no child, but after the loss, the simple joy was accepted for what it was. She had smelled the food cooking and her stomach gave a sharp pang of hunger.

The steak was devoured quickly and she had already demanded more. Her eyes flickered to Elijah and she tilted her head, licking her fingers still. She watched him cut himself another slice of meat, eyes tracking his movements. The way she watched him was almost predatory and then he distracted her by patting his lap. Elijah's voice was warm and he crooked a finger at her. It didn't take her long to understand him, but she didn't want to move. She wanted his food! Her eyes narrowed and she sighed, that lusty exhale of air that only teenagers were capable of. Lowering herself to her hands and feet she crawled to him, tail snaking out behind her. Once she was close enough she found herself pulled into his lap. Aphrae made a shill chirp of annoyance followed by lower chirps. Honestly, Aphrae wasn't really sure why this annoyed her, but she shifted in his lap for a moment before settling down. She didn't want the comfort, she realized.

Elijah spoke to her, pulling his plate closer to her and she looked up at him with large, unsure red eyes. After a moment or two of hesitation she reached for his steak and ate it much in a similar fashion. Two big bites and it was gone. His hand pressed to her chest and she tipped her face towards him. He said something and then his name and she understood. He couldn't say her name. Listening to her options she waited patiently, her eyes flickering to the plate occasionally. Two of the names drew her to them, if she had to pick her own name and after a moment she touched her chest and said, "Neeeeeeeeeevaaaaahhhhhhh" The name was sill drawn out weirdly, but she tried. However, the name only distracted her for so long. Leaning, still in his lap she sniffed the plate and licked at it, before gently headbutting it. She was still hungry.

A low little whine left her and she looked to Elijah, another little whine. The message was quite clear. Food, please. Carefully she lifted the plate. "⊑⍜⍙ ⎅⍜⟒⌇ ⟟⏁ ⋔⏃☍⟒ ⋔⍜⍀⟒, Eeeliiiiiejaaaaah? ⊑⎍⋏☌⍀⊬."

Staine · May 3, 2021

The creature honestly didn't seem very impressed. It was becoming somewhat of a theme to Elijah, the more he interacted with her the more he got the impression that her mood was...haughty? Arrogant? It was hard to place why he felt that way, maybe it was the tone of her chirps, the only real thing he had to base her moods off, or her expressions, general demeanour. He was probably reading too much into it, this was an alien creature, of course their customs and the way they reacted to things would be totally different but when he had taken the pillow from her she had seemed...annoyed. Throwing the ruined cushion down he had made them food and that at least seemed to please the creature, though to look at her you wouldn't know it, the look on her face didn't seem to be any form of gratitude, like he'd been expected to feed her and she was lazily licking her fingers while looking around. He'd patted his lap, she was smart at least, it didn't take her long at all to realise what he was trying to say but she looked annoyed even at that and he could have sworn he heard a sigh. If anything she seemed like a bored princess, like she was used to being waited on hand and foot and somehow he had been assigned the role of her butler, something he definitely hadn't signed up for.

Pulled up into his lap she had made more, loud, annoyed sounds, and it was Elijah's turn to sigh. "Listen, I know you don't understand me but I'm trying here okay? This isn't easy...I know it's a whole lot worse for you but let's at least try to get along okay?" There was a note of sadness in his voice, honestly he hadn't known what to expect, hadn't truly expected anything from the alien but he'd maybe hoped he could make life a little easier for her after what had happened. A fool's dream, really, what she'd been through had been terrible, but he still had the urge to protect her, maybe not as strong as it had been in the cornfield. She hadn't resisted his efforts to comfort her then though...now she seemed to dislike him a lot, everything he did seemed to annoy the creature, at least by any observations he could make based on human interaction. It wasn't all bad...she was cute, she acted somewhat like a cross between a bird, a lizard and a cat, she had made him smile as she fought over the cushion, though it had been on his way back to the kitchen and not displayed. He'd give this a chance, there was no way he was turning her in or risking somebody else seeing her anyway so it wasn't like he had much choice. He watched as she ate the food he had made for himself, more than half the second steak devoured in moments. A carnivore then...she didn't seem to care for the bread at all, the meat was definitely her favourite. He had a brief moment of worry, what if she ate him? It didn't take him long to shake it, she hadn't even tried to bite him yet, thankfully with those damn teeth.

The naming game had at least born some fruit too. At first he wondered if he was just wasting his time, he had no real indication that she understood what was going on, just hoping that she was as intelligent as she seemed , though she also seemed to not really react to any of them. He was going to give up after a couple more, feeling she wasn't quite getting it when she touched her own chest and repeated one of them back to him. It was pronounced wrong, elongated, like she was finding it difficult to adjust to his language but it was clear which she chose and he broke out in a bright smile, chuckling and out of instinct more than anything he petted her head gently. "That's a good girl, Neva. Great choice, I like it, it means 'Snow." Feeling at least something was going right he kept petting her, carefully as he didn't know how delicate or tough she was, but she felt soft, velvety beneath his palm, and he liked it. "It suits you." Seemingly done with that, she leaned over while still in his lap and sniffed the plate, headbutting it, while also giving him a view of her rear. At least some things reminded him of a human...something had to be wrong with him that he found his eyes drawn to her ass, she was an alien for fuck's sake, she looked almost nothing like a human but the curves of her rear...

He shook his head, laughing not only at himself but at her. "You can't be still hungry, you ate almost two whole fucking steaks. And a sandwich." She had said something, and while he didn't understand her language the implications, along with her not so subtle headbutting of his plate, were clear. He sighed softly. "Okay, okay, up." Lifting her with him as he stood, he carried her to the kitchen this time and set her down next to him as he crouched to open the fridge. Inside there was plenty of food but not all of it was meat. There were some pork chops seasoned with Caribbean spices, some bacon, the packet half empty, some turkey meat from the deli and half a leg of lamb wrapped in tin foil. Taking out the lamb and the pork chops, he first opened the pork chops, four of them inside as he turned on the stove. While it heated up he unwrapped the lamb, taking the whole thing and, curious, held it out to her. "Try this? It's still good, not very old. I was saving it for sandwiches, Neva..." He'd had half a mind to try and feed her the cheese he had in the fridge, or the grapes, but that didn't seem to be what interested her the most. Maybe a little later once she had eaten and he had figured out a good way to feed her...if she really was still hungry and ate this much, he was going to have to start a fucking farm.

Bunny · May 12, 2021

Haughty wasn't quite wrong, though she wouldn't have considered herself such. No, Aphrae was used to the way her people treated their young and while she was on the cusp of adulthood, she was still used to being treated like the other hatchlings. It had shown on the ship though, the sort of in between she'd found herself in as everything had gone to hell in a handbasket. Trying to comfort the others, protect them, when the adults had gone to pieces around them. She'd been trying to fulfil a role she wasn't quite ready for, but if not her, than who? Her kind doted and spoiled their young. The treatment she was used to was at odds with what Elijah provided and it was harder for Aphrae to wrap her mind around it than she would have liked to admit. A soft chirp left her as she was pulled into his lap, the position was not something she was used to. It had been why she'd disliked the request. Hatchlings were cradled to the chest more often than not, being placed on a lap seemed off... She understood at least the point of it and once there, she relaxed slightly as he began to list off names.

That didn't mean she didn't let him know her displeasure. It was the tone of his voice that gave her pause. She didn't understand it, not really. Aphrae watched him for a moment, silently. Slowly she worked through a problem, one that had been pushed from her mind with her own wants and needs. It was harder to see things from a culture she knew nothing about, but she was able to reason that he didn't know her own culture. It was causing a rift. Bridging that rift wouldn't be so easy. On the surface, Aphrae was aloof, selfish and self centered. She was just like every other hatchling, but her kind knew what to expect, encouraged it. Their young were precious, more so than a human child. It was hard to have babies for her kind, so every child was a blessing in a way that the majority of humanity wouldn't understand. Blinking, slowly she watched him, trying to find her own way to break through the rift. She had a feeling he was doing his best, but he had no idea of her kind, anymore than she knew of his own. It wouldn't be easy...

The names offered, it hadn't been easy, but she understood he needed something to call her. Something he could say. She couldn't say her own name in his language, so until then, they needed a placeholder. Considering the options, Aphrae wondered what they meant, toying with the names in her mind before settling on one. The smile that lit up his face was sweet, and she chirped at him, a coo of sound that rumbled through her throat. The hand fell on her head and she felt his hand stroke along the downy softness of her hair. Leaning into his hand, she closed her eyes, savoring the touch. The petting was nice, she decided, but soon she felt the pangs of hunger once more and she'd turned to the plate. Pulled into his arms she gave a squeak of sound and curled into him, her head falling to his shoulder on the short journey from the living room to the kitchen. The long length of her tail dragging along the floor as they moved. Placed on the floor, she watched him open a strange box that emitted cool air. Shivering she took a step away, still peering at it curiously.

Elijah pulled out two things of meat, the porkchops set on the counter, the leg of lamb offered to her. She leaned in, sniffing at it. Aphrae's tongue flickered out, tasting the air and after a moment her eyes flicking to his face before she reached for it, taking a large bite. Tearing strips of meat free, she greedily ate the leg of lamb. As he turned away, a sound would come from behind. To Aphrae it was normal, but to Elijah? The sound of her teeth breaking through the bones, the shattering of them and her chewing thoughtfully. It was making a small dent in her hunger, but it wouldn't be enough. Within moments, bone and all would be gone, and she would be licking her fingers once more, peering at the other offering meet keenly. Looking up at him, she made a soft whine of sound. "⋔⍜⍀⟒, ⌿⌰⟒⏃⌇⟒. ⌇⏁⟟⌰⌰ ⊑⎍⋏☌⍀⊬..." Her words trailed off and she headbutt him softly, her tail flicking against his flooring.

Staine · Jun 10, 2021

Elijah didn't know why her intelligence surprised him, maybe it was her appearance and lack of comprehension of human language but he found himself having to remember that she wasn't just an animal even if she ate like one, she was from what had to be a rather advanced race and she had comprehended him even if she didn't understand the exact wording. When he'd been trying to find her a name, she'd settled on one hadn't she? A pretty one too, Neva...and then she would do something so animalistic that it would make him forget those simple facts. The noises especially, like the soft chirping she had let out as he'd pulled her into his lap, and the coos as he had smiled at her choice of name. "You're kind of pretty, you know, in a strange, alien sort of way. I like when you seem happy...cute, like a pet, a birdy or a lizard." He knew she couldn't understand what he was saying but keeping his tone soft and his voice low he hoped she could at least interpret that he was happy, enjoying just petting her and the reactions he got from it. Once she'd turned to the plate and made it pretty clear she was still hungry, he'd taken the chance she wouldn't enjoy it and pulled her closer anyway, happy when she rested her head on his shoulder as he carried her towards the kitchen, though he did notice a problem. Her tail, dragging along the floor behind them. With how powerful and unwieldy it seemed, there would be problems if there was anything down there to knock over, it meant he had to be more careful as he carried her towards the refrigerator.

Offering her the meat, taking note as she stepped away from the cold of the refrigerator, he had chuckled as she'd taken a bite. Definitely a carnivore then, stripping the meat from the bone in seconds. Turning back he had been about to cook the pork chops, there were five of them in total and he put three of them into the heated pan, and was turning back to her when he flinched at the loud sound coming from her direction, like cracking, splintering bone. Which was exactly what it was...he looked back down at her to see her make short work of the bone, his eyes wide...was he really okay with such a dangerous creature here with him, loose in his home??? The lamb bone had been strong, maybe not as strong as human bone especially after the cooking but he knew there was no way he or even a large dog could have done what she'd just done to it, and now she was just licking her fingers as though nothing had happened? He took a step back reflexively, bumping into the counter and when he spoke again his voice was just a little uneven, fear mixing in with it as she looked up at him and whined cutely, betraying the terrifying thing he'd just witnessed. "Y-You ate the whole thing huh? Are you..." There was something about the way she looked up at him. "...still hungry? After even that?"

This was incredible...he'd fed her his own steak after only eating a little of it himself, ate the sandwich, now ate what would have been a good two meals worth off lamb, and the damn bone, like it was nothing. He looked back to the pork chops and grabbed one of the two left outside the pan. "You're not going to eat me, are you?" She seemed friendly, sweet in a way, but after seeing what she was capable of there was little doubt in his mind that she was dangerous, the only reason he wasn't looking for his shotgun right now was what he had witnessed of her. Everything indicated that she was very intelligent, that she wouldn't just turn around and eat him even if she clearly was a carnivorous predator. He threw the pork chop towards her through the air. "Catch." Turning back, trying to calm his nerves he flipped the ones in the pan. The other thing on his mind was related, but simpler. If she ate this much, was she just extremely hungry? She had to have eaten on her ship or whatever it was right? Did that mean she ate this much every day? She still hadn't been sated...how was he meant to keep up with this demand for food? Just how much would it take to fill the little alien up? Did he need to cook it all too? He had money, he was well paid as the Sheriff of the town so it wasn't a question of cost, more of acquisition. She'd spoken more of her language towards him again and he shook his head, laughing nervously.

"I really hope that didn't mean you're going to eat me in my sleep. Hungry little fucker aren't you?" He held up the second uncooked pork chop and pointed to it. "Food. Foo, foo." Trying to teach her at least a few basic words would be handy at least. "Food. Pork chop." He said the words slowly, emphasizing them and repeating it a few times before throwing it to her. "Those ones were raw, here, next will be cooked." The ones on the stove were about done, and he turned off the gas, placing them on a plate with the tongs and letting them cool a little while he turned to pet Neva. "I don't know how I'm going to manage to keep you fed you know, but I'll find a way. I'm going to keep you safe." His words were soft, the fear was gone as he tried to focus on the positives instead. Standing, he grabbed one of the still hot pork chops and threw it to her, then he decided he'd be a little brave. Cutting a piece of one off with his knife he ate it first before grabbing the last whole chop and holding it out at arms length towards her, hoping to god that she didn't take his hand off along with it. "Be careful now Neva, I need that hand if I'm going to keep feeding you!"

Bunny · Jun 15, 2021

Had she understood him, Aphrae might not have been thrilled to be referred to as a pet. Though, the definition of the two between their worlds didn't match up. The barrier between them would be the hardest thing for them to overcome. No doubt, there would be times where one or both would be offended, hurt or angry at the language barrier. Even now, there were lingering effects on either side. Elijah didn't understand her attitude and she didn't understand why he wasn't caring for her properly. Spoiled and princess all in one. His happy tone was at least understood and she'd relaxed in his arms, chirping softly, her feather hair ruffling a little, poofing out, well much like a bird would when ruffling their feathers. Her tail trailed behind them, as he picked her up and took her to the kitchen, though she could tell there was some effort to not whack her tail into things.

Once inside the kitchen she'd been offered the leg of lamb which had vanished within moments. Only scratching the surface of her bottomless pit of a stomach. Licking the remnants of the juices from her fingers she looked up to see him take a step back. A frown pulled at the edges of her lips. There was something in his face that she couldn't place, but that happiness was gone. "⍙⊑⊬ ⏃⍀⟒ ⊬⍜⎍ ⌰⍜⍜☍⟟⋏☌ ⏃⏁ ⋔⟒ ⌰⟟☍⟒ ⏁⊑⏃⏁?" The tone of her voice was perplexed and perhaps even sad. Had she done something wrong? It didn't occur to the small alien that he would be scared of her. That her teeth would frighten him. She didn't understand his words and she let out a small huff, unsure of what she could have done. The long, thick length of her tail wrapped around her feet a few times, spiraling around her form.

She looked up at a word, a raw porkchop sailing through the air at her, her long prehensile tongue lashing out and curling around the porkchop. She didn't even chew... much. Swallowing it almost whole. The smell of cooking meat made her move closer after a moment. Curious, she peered into the pan, lifting herself into the air some. Her head turned towards him, large crimson eye watched him as he spoke. Her eyes flickering between the pork chops in the pan, him and the raw one as he tried to teach her. Head canted the other way, watching him with sweet owlish eyes as he spoke. The problem is both words were not the same and she frowned. "⍙⊑⊬ ⎅⍜⟒⌇ ⟟⏁ ⊑⏃⎐⟒ ⏁⍙⍜ ⋏⏃⋔⟒⌇?" She moved quickly, her tail boosting her and she caught the porkchop in the air, teeth clamping down. She'd moved with a liquid grace and was lowering, chewing on her second food. "⌇⟒⟒⋔⌇ ⌇⟟⌰⌰⊬... ⏚⎍⏁ food ⍙⏃⌇ ⊬⎍⋔⋔⊬." Food was a silly word, she determined.

The hand that brushed against her hair made her purr softly. She was starting to realize that those little touches were meant to be comforting. So she accepted the affection for what it was. It even felt nice. She watched as he pulled his hand away and tossed her a hot porkchop. Catching it in one small hand she gave a small cry of pain, her eyes watering. Where she'd touched it with her petal soft skin, blistered bright purple. Much like had he touched the hot porkchop, she had burned herself.. a pitiful sound left her, a sound of pain and hurt. Though it hadn't been that hot anymore, her body didn't take hot as well as a human. It had been part of the problem with her ship. Crystalline tears formed in her eyes, the simmering liquid pooled before trickling down her cheek, her hand held close to her chest.

When he reached for her she hissed, curling away. "⏁⍜⍜ ⊑⍜⏁! ⋏⍜, ⋏⍜ ⏁⍜⎍☊⊑⟟⟒!" Aphrae didn't think he'd hurt her on purpose, but she was less willing to let him look at it. She wouldn't hurt him, but she'd make it hard. Going as far as lifting herself into the air, well away from him, still cradling her burning hand. Little pitiful sounds still coming from her. she licked the wound and cried out, tears hitting the floor like glittering stars. “⌇⏁⎍⌿⟟⎅ ⎎⍜⍜⎅... “ was offered in a sulky mumble.

Staine · Jun 15, 2021

He'd seen how sad she'd started to look once he had backed away from her, once he'd looked at her in fear and it made his heart ache for just a moment. Elijah just...he didn't know what she was thinking, yet the sounds she made as she spoke in that strange language again sounded sad...hurt. He felt ashamed of even thinking she was dangerous and reacting like he had...but it had been reactional and not intentional. He hadn't known she would chew through that bone like it was just a brittle cookie, that she would easily demolish it just like that but he could picture her from the previous night, the sad tones, the horror he'd witnessed at the crash site and how upset she had been...he didn't want to cause any more of that. She was clearly dangerous, that was just a fact, but...did he think she would hurt him? No. He'd turned back towards her at those noises and tried his best to smile again. "Sorry...you just scared me a little, but it's okay Neva, I know you won't hurt me, right?" He had already taught her a little of what was food, not knowing is she understood the word but he held his hand to his chest, still smiling. "Not food. Not food." He emphasized the statement with a shake of his head and his hand, holding up a finger and waggling it like he was telling a small child no. He'd thrown her another cold pork chop and watched as she'd devoured it almost instantly, slowly getting used to seeing it.

As she'd been beside him when he'd tried to teach her to say food, he'd looked to her and smiled, he couldn't help but feel she was kind of cute when she was like this, like a bird or a lizard, adorable in her own way. She'd spoken again and once more he'd had no way of knowing what she was saying. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're asking me. Try to repeat it. Food. Pork chop." Not realising the confusion he was getting from her was because of using two different names for it, he still noticed she managed to actually say one of them, choosing the word 'food' so after letting the pork chops cool a little, he had cut himself a slice of one and as he ate it, he tried a dog training method. "Hungry." Just one word, if he said it every time he ate something, surely that would help, right? Feeling triumphant, he'd said it again as he tossed her the other cooked pork chop. While it wasn't so hot it would burn him, it still had a lot of heat left to it and he hadn't realised just what that would do to her. She'd recoiled almost immediately after catching it and his eyes had gone wide in horror as he watched the flesh start to blister. "No, fuck! Neva I'm so sorry!!" He'd rushed towards her, watched her be the one to recoil this time and frowned, a sad look in his eyes as he realised that she was scared too, and he'd been the one to hurt her, not the other way around. "Neva, I didn't mean it, I didn't know it would burn you, I'm sorry, I...I should have realised. Here, come here..." He reached for her again and she pulled herself up further.

He pulled back himself, standing and looking over at her as she cradled her wound. He couldn't just let her deal with it alone, he could see the tears, see how hurt she was and he'd been the one to do it to her...he had to help. He reached for her again, this time ignoring any protests she might have, the thought that she could just bite him not crossing his mind for more than a split second as he gently cradled her and carried her towards the kitchen sink. Turning on the tap he gently grabbed her wrist and guessing he was probably at least stronger than her here, he forced it under the running cold water. "Hold it here, like this." With his other arm still around her he gently placed her on the countertop beside the sink and made sure there was nothing hot near her, reaching for the hot tap and deliberately tightening it a lot tighter than it would normally be, just in case she decided to try meddling with it. "Stay here. Stay."

Fortunately he kept his first aid kit beneath the kitchen sink, and he only had to lower himself to open the cupboard and find it, opening it to find the ointment he had for the rare occasions he managed to burn himself cooking. He knew it would sting a little, and likely wouldn't endear him to the alien, but it would help her heal a whole lot faster and besides the initial application would soon feel a lot better. Grabbing bandages too, he pulled her hand from beneath the tap, careful to use her wrist to do so and looked her in the eyes. "Neva...I'm sorry I hurt you, and this is gonna hurt a little more okay...just...I'm sorry, I'm not trying to, it's for your own good. Here." He unscrewed the cap and squeezed some of the ointment onto his hand and pulled her wrist toward him and gently started to massage it into her hand. He would fight any struggles, he knew she might fight back but this was important as he covered her in the ointment and then took the bandage, wrapping it firmly around the hand, worried she might lick it if he didn't.

Bunny · Jun 22, 2021

The hurt by his recoil had been soothed by his reaction. The pair didn't understand one another, but there was something to be said about the tone, the look on his face. Alien to Aphrae, they still offered comfort. At least their races seemed to offer some similarities, no matter how small. A soft coo of sound left her and she perked up a little. Whatever had caused him to pull back, he'd seen it hurt her and made an effort to fix it. Odd, but he made her feel less lonely and while he didn't care for her like one of her own, he made an effort and she could tell. Spoiled, but far from oblivious, she knew Elijah was trying. Much like she was trying to adjust for him. What choice did either of them have? He could have let her be taken and experimented on. She could have eaten him. Hungry though, she didn't favor the idea of eating a creature with sentience near her own level.

He'd tried to get her to stay the stupid word again and she frowned slightly. Why would they call it two things? It didn't occur to her that her own people did the same. It was confusing though, with the complications of learning another language. her head tilted to one side as he said the word hungry and ate a piece of the porkchop. Unfortunately the word and motion were not what she understood. To hear, eating and hungry were not the same word. "Huhhhhhhhhngreeeee" Aphrae mimicked eating herself. She was trying, much like he was. This wouldn't be the first or the last time the pair diverged from the lesson and the meaning and word didn't match up.

Aphrae was learning she liked the food being tossed into the air. She didn't know that he was treating her like a pet or a dog.. begging for a snack and it was unlikely that Elijah meant to place her in a comparable slot. At least not maliciously. She'd reached for the food eagerly. The pain had been instant. Pale white skin had bubbled up angrily and the food fell to the floor forgotten. The injured hand was pulled towards her chest and she pulled away from him, not wanting to be touched. The pain was radiating along her hand and up her arm, tears falling freely. Not a single part of her blamed him. How could he have known? She'd seen him touch it.. He'd been fine.

Elijah reached for her a second time and she hissed softly, but made no move to hurt him to keep herself from his grasp. Pulled into him, she shifted, clinging to him as she cried. This made his movements easier and harder all at once. She no longer fought him, but moving her was harder when she curled around him. Hand pressed under cool water, she looked up, sniffling loudly while it soothed the pain away. Of course, the moment he tried to move, she pulled her hand from the water, only for him to press her hand back under the stream of water. It seemed as if she understood and the second time he went to move away, Aphrae stayed in place.

Ducking from her view, it was hard for Aphrae to not try and follow him, curious even in pain. Yet, she understood Elijah wanted her to stay put and at heart, she was a good girl. When he came back up, she was still snuffling, her hand looking a little worse for wear. Petal soft white skin was still blotched with purple splotches. Elijah was careful as he pulled her wrist from the water, large, red eyes, still shimmering with tears focused on his face. The first touch of his hand and the cream against her injured hand made her cry out, the sounds a distressed chirp. She struggled against him, not liking the ointment... then he had known she wouldn't. Elijah held firm and coated her hand in the cream before gently bandaging her hand. A good choice because the goo might have been licked... both because her instincts told her too and it looked rather tasty....

Sniffling, she looked up at him. Aphrae could remember the crash... one of the reasons her people had died so quickly had been the flames. They didn't deal with heat well. Granted most creatures died to fire. A soft, sweet, cooking seemed to come from her, a constant sound, almost like a purr. Hungry still, hurting, Aphrae looked up at Elijah with a miserable look on her pretty, alien face. The mournful look didn't fade and she gave a soft chirp. She wanted comfort, but asking was difficult. Being in his lap hadn't been bad, but it wasn't the same as if her own parent was looking after her... "⟟ ⍙⏃⋏⋏⏃ ☌⍜ ⊑⍜⋔⟒"

Staine · Jun 23, 2021

Unaware exactly how Neva was processing the information, Elijah's eyes lit up as he heard her try to emulate his words again, saying the word hungry. Sure, it was elongated, a little long, she was clearly struggling with it but it was progress, and she was clearly trying and willing to learn. Beaming at her, he had ate another piece while it cooled a little before he had thrown it through the air. He didn't know she was starting to enjoy being fed like that, but from his own perspective he was very much enjoying it. He'd always been good with animals, had a puppy when he was younger and this was how he had fed him treats but Jax didn't quite eat like that, was an independent cat that generally kept to himself and ate out of his food bowl. To be able to toss food through the air and watch the cute little alien move deftly and swiftly, catching the food in her mouth...it was amusing. "Good girl, you're a fast learner, aren't you Neva? Come on, here you go, let's see how you like it cooked." He threw the chop to her...to his touch it had been hot but nothing too bad, that pleasant kind of hot that he liked to bathe in, the temperature he liked his showers at. Seeing what happened to Neva as she reached to catch it was nothing short of horrific, the guilt that tore at him as he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the sink.

She hissed at him...and it was scary, he'd seen what she could do to bone when she bit down on it, and while it had terrified him before and was scary now he trusted her. She hadn't moved to attack him, not once, and as he lifted her into his arms, ignoring the way she hissed at him he was rewarded as she curled into him, even her tail wrapping around him. "Shhh, come on little one, I have you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry I hurt you Neva. This is gonna hurt, but I'll look after you, it's for your own good okay?" As nice as it felt, and he kind of liked having her cling to him like this a lot, it was making it a little difficult to carry her, but Elijah was careful, worried of hurting her any more than he had to as he placed her down on the countertop, prised her from around him and held her hand beneath the cold water. She'd tried to pull back, but proved her intelligence again and stayed there. The same thing happened with the ointment and he'd frowned at the noise she'd made as he'd applied it. "I know Neva, I know, it hurts but you'll feel better, I promise." It felt a little pointless, talking to her like she could understand him but his tone made it clear he was trying to soothe her and it was for him too, helping her made him feel better...even if she didn't blame him, and he wasn't sure she didn't, he had caused it. She clearly wasn't good with heat, something he would have to watch out for since he was warm blooded and she felt cool against his skin. Bandaging her hand up, he tried to smile as he looked down at her again.

The look she gave him reminded him of the last night, of when he'd first found her and she'd been surrounded by the broken, burned bodies of her people, her family. He leaned reached for her, cupping her cheek and using his thumb to very carefully brush her tears away as she spoke to him in that beautiful, melodic language. "I'm sorry Neva...I don't know what you're saying, but you look so sad..." His own tone was taking a melancholy note to it as he spoke, knowing she wasn't quite happy but he didn't know how to fix it either. Reaching for her he lifted her again, pulling her to him and carrying her back into the front room, to his comfortable chair. Unsure of what would help her he sat down in it and kept her in his lap, being far more careful than he had last time as he was aware of how easily he had hurt her earlier. Sure, that was from the heat, he didn't think she was that fragile, but he was concerned about it too. Sitting back, he ran one hand up and down her back, his other arm coming round her to keep her held to his chest.

"You're a strange little one, I'm sorry if it takes me a while to learn...but I will, Neva. I'll learn how not to hurt you, I already know you don't like the heat, right? Here, maybe this will help." Reaching for the remote beside the chair he turned the television on to the wildlife channel, wondering if the sounds of the rainforest and the birds out there would help her as it came to life, before he went right back to petting her. "And I'll learn what you eat too...cos you eat a lot of fucking food, you know that?" His hands were all over her as he spoke, he petted her back, her sides, along her arms and down to her rear, over her tail, and all the way back up to her feather-like hair, smiling, trying to take some of her pain away and finding that he rather liked holding her.

Bunny · Jun 29, 2021

The change between the pair had been quick. Happiness on both ends, the praise, lost on her, but still offered for the effort Aphrae had put into trying to learn his language. Everything had flipped as she had hurt herself. Fear, pain had made her hiss at him, but Elijah didn't let the sight of her teeth or the feline-like hiss scare him away from providing her the care she desperately needed. He trusted her to not hurt him, much like she trusted him to not hurt her. The incident was not his fault. The fact he'd still tried to help her had been what had her curling into and around him, seeking comfort. On earth, the comfort she sought would have been from her father. Not that Aphrae knew the word. Elijah had on some level become a sort of facsimile to her. He would never be her father. No, her father would have towered over Elijah, was muscular... a true predator.

Clinging to him, Aphrae had allowed him to tend to her wound, though the experience was far from pleasant. That had been clear from the little tug of war with her hand, to which she allowed him to win, somehow picking up on this was important to him. The ointment had been another sticking point, but she'd stayed still as she could. Allowed him to wrap it up and then and only then could she pull her limb back to her chest, the white of the wrappings actually darker then the pure white of her velvety body. Her face had tipped up at the sound of his voice and his soft smile, as he tried to reassure her, the language and words lost on Aphrae. It had been about then that the loss of her family, life she'd known came crumbling back down on her.

The delicate lines of Aphrae's face crumbled and she felt the weight of it all pushing at her. The only one of her kind on this strange planet. There was no way for Aphrae to know how the majority of Elijah's kind would react to an alien. Humanoid, but far from human appearing. She'd always stand out. Pulled into his arms, as he spoke, a sadness in his voice. He might not have known what she said, but he understood the gist of it. Carried back into the living room, Aphrae fought the feeling of tears, curling into him closely as he sat with her in his alp. The feeling of his hand along her back was soothing and though she had molded herself as close to him as she could, her body slowly began to relax against him. It was simple comfort, a form of comfort she'd never experienced before... yet she found herself drawn to the almost hypnotic movement of his hand against her back. A soft, sweet cooing starting. Her words vibrated with the sound, "⎎⟒⟒⌰⌇ ⋏⟟☊⟒."

The TV flickered to life and her eyes shifted to it, head tilting. Blinking, she looked up at him before crawling from his lap. The way she left was odd, but likely he was becoming used to it. Leaning forward, her uninjured hand rested on the floor and her tail pushed upwards from the floor, leaving him with a perfect view of her sex for a moment before she crawled closer, sniffing. The thick length of her tail supported her fully and she tried to push her hand through the glass and she gave a soft chirp of confusion. "⌇⍜⍀☊⟒⍀⊬" Though the singular word came across as a question. Pushing at it again she turned to look at him. "⟟⏁ ⟟⌇ ⏃⌰⋔⍜⌇⏁ ⌰⟟☍⟒ ⊑⍜⋔⟒... ☊⏃⋏.. ☊⏃⋏ ⍙⟒ ☌⍜ ⊑⟒⍀⟒?" There was a pleading tone to her voice and she whined softly, moving back to his lap.

She didn't understand the magic box, but it gave her a small glimmer of hope. Not foolish enough to think her people would be there, but hopeful of a place close to her home? His hands moved back to the gentle stroking and though she was still quite hungry, she felt the need for sleep slowly creeping over her. She'd only been up a few hours, but the trauma, the pain, the tears, all took their toll on the small alien. Looking up at him, she noticed the odd thing he kept doing with his mouth. A singular finger rose, poking at the corner of his mouth. "⍙⊑⊬ ⎅⍜ ⊬⍜⎍ ⎅⍜ ⏁⊑⏃⏁? ⊬⍜⎍⍀ ⏁⟒⟒⏁⊑ ⏃⍀⟒ ⋏⍜⏁ ⟟⋔⌿⍀⟒⌇⌇⟟⎐⟒." There was no malice in her words, confusion perhaps though lingered in her tone. She tried to mimic his smile, flashing rows of razor sharp teeth at him. Her teeth appeared in rows. The foremost row was narrower, curving inwards some, sharp and almost wicked in appearance. Though they were almost less scary than the thicker, more shark-like teeth that fit together behind them. The gaps between her outer teeth were filled with these. Like a serrated blade. "⌇⟒⟒⋔⌇ ⌇☊⏃⍀⊬ ⍙⊑⟒⋏ ⟟ ⎅⍜ ⟟⏁?" It seemed like it would be, if his did not inspire fear at all.

Staine · Jul 20, 2021

At least she hadn't fought him. It was easy to think that would have been a stupid thing to do, but in her place Elijah wasn't sure he wouldn't have fought. If he'd been in the hands of one of her kind, in a world he didn't understand...especially after going through what she'd gone through, losing her family, her people, Elijah didn't think he would have managed to keep it together, so it was a minor miracle when she had instead clung to him and allowed him to take her to his chair, to hold her and pet her after he had tended to her wound. She'd put up a fuss, the burn, the blistering, it looked fierce and he knew the ointment would sting a little but he'd held fast as he applied it, as she tried to pull away, even in the face of those terrifying teeth of hers though thankfully Neva hadn't gone so far as to bare them at him, seeming to realise that Elijah was trying to help, that he didn't hurt her on purpose. He'd wrapped it in an extra layer of bandages to help her heal, and to stop her from licking the ointment which would probably not be a great idea.

She'd even listened to him speak, not fighting him as he'd taken her to his chair and kept her in his lap, as he was petting her back at that very moment while talking, neither of them really understanding the other. She'd said something else again as he'd very lightly pet her, afraid of hurting her but it hadn't been the tone from before, the melancholy, the sadness. It sounded sweet, almost content and it had brought a smile to his lips, helping him forget the concerns he was suddenly having. Neva was an alien...of course he'd known that, it was obvious, but until he had thrown that piece of meat towards her, hot and only a little hot at that and watched her hand explode into blistering he hadn't realised exactly what that meant. Even applying the ointment had scared him, what if she reacted badly to it, what if something in the chemical make up was harmful to her? Elijah didn't know what would harm her, would any of his food be poisonous? Any of his lotions and creams, shampoos and soaps corrode her clearly delicate flesh? As he held her he realised he had a lot to learn, and nobody on Earth could provide him with the answers...it all seemed so overwhelming but looking down at Neva as she chirped, cooing and speaking that strange language, he knew he had no choice. He couldn't let her go, let her get captured by government agents, people who would run experiments on her. He'd seen enough movies to not trust people.

He'd turned on the television mostly as a distraction, but it had immediately captured Neva's interest and he had watched her slink down from his lap. He hadn't tried to stop her, he liked the curiosity and he'd kept his eyes on her even as she'd displayed something he recognised as quite similar to humans, seeing her reproductive organs beneath her tail, her ass and the way she was crawling...he chuckled to himself, shaking his head. It was such a stupid thought but he felt slightly aroused at the sight, at the thought, and for that he felt nothing but shame, she was no more than an animal, right? Even as he thought it he knew it wasn't true, she was intelligent, it wasn't the same...but he couldn't go around thinking about fucking his new guest, it wasn't going to end well. He watched her play with the television screen to purge himself of such thoughts, laughing softly as she pressed her hand to the glass, seeing the imprint fade away as she removed it and spoke in her alien language again. She sounded almost sad again as she had slinked back to his lap and he had resumed petting her, his hand travelling down her back to her rear, even daring to stroke her powerful tail as he smiled down at her.

It was then that she looked up, he saw a thoughtful look on her face before she reached out and...poked his mouth. Confusion was his first emotion, then amusement as he kept his smile up for her, let her explore as she wanted to. When she pulled back and mimicked his smile he didn't know what she was saying but he wasn't scared like he had been before, when he'd seen her crunch bone, and if she was allowed...he reached for her, ran a single finger over her teeth. Powerful, he'd seen how hard she could bite but he still wasn't worried, too much, as he ran a finger over the edges of one tooth, then daringly reached a little further at the base, stroking his finger against her tongue. "You won't bite me, will you? You're dangerous, but you're not stupid...you know I didn't mean to hurt you, you're smart...you might be smarter than I am. And you're alone." He sounded almost sad as he withdrew his hand, resting it on her hip. "And the way you touched the television, is that the kind of place you lived, or just a place that looked pretty to you? Maybe you'd be better off in a place like that, but if people found you, Neva...well. That won't happen, I can't let you go. You're safe, you're staying with me."

He leaned back and closed his eyes. He could already see the things he needed to do to make this safe for her. He needed to make sure she couldn't escape his house while he was working, obviously he would need to take a week or so off. He needed to contact his butcher, source some meat for her since she was clearly a carnivore and ate far more than he did even at her size, a black hole of food that he hadn't found the limit for. He would have to be careful when washing her, make sure soap and other things didn't harm her, would have to help her excersize....be careful and make sure she wasn't spotted, and teach her his language. It all seemed so exhausting...and he could already feel himself falling asleep. A nap wouldn't hurt...

Bunny · Jul 20, 2021

Cuddled back in Elijah's lap, she looked back towards the TV for a moment. It really did remind her of home. The way that Elijah viewed her was incredibly flawed. While she had animalistic features and even behavior, she was not an animal. It would be a fatal mistake in assuming that she was. Not physically, but if Aphrae was to ever find out that she regarded her no more than a pet? It would hurt her more than the burns on her hands. She was a living, breathing alien, but she was highly intelligent. While young by her species and even his own, he wouldn't have treated a sixteen year old this way. Hell, a sixteen year old wouldn't even put up with some of the ways he treated her. The main difference at the moment though was the language. She'd watched the TV a while longer before questioning Elijah and his show of teeth. He'd been sweet even while allowing her to explore his teeth with a curious finger. In turn, she'd allowed him to touch her own teeth, the tip of a finger sliding against them. He even went as far as to touch her tongue. The flexible appendage curled around his finger almost affectionately.

Beneath her, Elijah shifted and Aphrae moved with him, her head on his shoulder. The thoughts that plagued him were not lost on her. She had similar thoughts. Had he crashed on her planet, they might not have done what humans would have done to her, at least not now... but she could recall her lessons and how he might have been treated. What would have been done to him would have been horrific... It left her wondering what would happen to her. She trusted Elijah well enough, but he was the only of his kind she'd come across. Were there others? Would they be as kind? There was also the question of the burn on her hand. As he drifted off, she looked at her hand. What else in his world would hurt her? They were lucky, so very lucky that nothing he'd fed her had been poisonous to her. She was alien, it meant things that were okay for him very well might not be for her. Breathing in her eyes flicked to the TV. Even that breath was lucky. Had this planet's atmosphere been dangerous to her?

Jax came into the room and Aphrae's head turned. Watching him with narrowed eyes. She was still hungry... Looking at Elijah who's eyes were closed and the slow fall and rise of his chest indicating that he was asleep. Crawling from his lap, she was careful to not wake him. He wouldn't be mad if she ate this animal, right? Jax seemed to sense something was up and turned to leave. The pair would spend the next hour or so playing cat and mouse, with Jax being relegated to the mouse role. The creature knew the layout of the dwelling better than she did and was able to elude her. Both ended back in the living room and a slow, malicious growling was coming from Jax as Aphrae reached out to him. The cat swatted at her, hissing and she gave a small hiss of pain as his claws bit into her uninjured hand.

Nimbly he hand snaked out, catching Jax by the scruff of his neck. Jax didn't understand the strange creature, but he understood the danger he was in. Yowling he fought as she tipped her head back, mouth opening. There was no doubt what her plan was. She planned to eat the fighting creature, who struggled against her grasp. Aphrae knew it was being noisy and she feared he'd wake Elijah. The fear came not from a fear of being caught. She had no idea what she was doing was wrong. She feared his waking if he required sleep. She'd not meant to wake him, but she was so hungry... so very hungry...

She just needed the snack to stop squirming.

Staine · Jul 27, 2021

It wasn't that Elijah regarded Neva like a pet, most certainly not even if a lot of his behaviours had defaulted to how one would treat a large dog or cat...it was that he didn't know how else to act around her. He'd proven to himself, in his own mind at least, that if he started to think of her as more like a person, more human-like, then he was going to be at least a little attracted to his newfound charge and yet that inherently seemed like a bad idea. She was cute, naked, the way she moved accentuated her rear and her sex a lot, definitely female, and she made a part of him he hadn't felt in a long time come out. It had been years since Elijah had been in a relationship and though it had only lasted a couple of years he had felt it was defining for him at the time. He'd been in complete control with his ex, she'd called him Sir, been spanked, tied up by him, had curled in his lap just as Neva was doing at that very moment and he'd petted her, often just as naked. It was natural that his hands would curve down her back as they moved, and would linger on her ass, sometimes squeezing, sometimes slipping between her thighs as they had both been almost perpetually horny at the time. With Neva, he had repeated the same slide of the hand that had soothed his ex, he just hadn't squeezed or moved further, though he had lingered near the base of her tail...so no. He didn't mean to treat her like a pet, it was just a product of his past relationship and she definitely wasn't being treated much like an animal outside of her feeding.

Letting her probe his mouth with her finger had been simple enough, he trusted the alien by now, and when he'd done the same he'd been a little nervous but she hadn't bitten him, instead her tongue had wrapped around his finger and he'd laughed, half from simple, warm amusement and half because his mind went to a place it really shouldn't have. "I shouldn't have expected that, huh Neva? Cute...let's stop this before I get any stupid ideas..." He'd gone back to petting her with both hands, one over her back and rear, the other on her head, gently playing with the feathery 'hair' she had there. It had been so easy to fall asleep, his dreams had naturally been strange and disturbing...he was with his ex, they were fucking, Elijah hard in his dream and growing there in real life. He spanked her ass as he pushed her down to the bed and the noise she made...why wasn't she talking? Pressing down against her from behind he'd growled in his ex's ear, parted her as his cock had pushed into her...but something was off, his abdomen hit something, a bump, growing larger, like...a tail...and as he looked down her skin was starting to turn white with those pinkish-red marks. He heard chirping as he thrust into her but he didn't even stop, then he heard a yowling, like she'd suddenly turned into a cat, like Jax when he was being forced into his carry case for the vet...

He woke up with a start, confused, slightly erect still and with a lot of noise around him. He could still hear the yowling from his dream and it took him a few moments to orient himself before he realised what was happening, the scene in front of him. Neva had Jax held down in front of him, the poor cat struggling frantically to escape the much larger alien whom had already tilted her head back, mouth open and rows of razer sharp teeth ready to descend on the poor creature. Elijah's eyes widened as he panicked and flung himself forward from his chair, landing on his knees behind Neva and his arm hand finding her throat. He was less gentle than he would have been if he felt he had time, pulling her back, hand managing to find her chin to stop her from lunging at Jax, so close to her teeth though...and he was practically on top of her, so similar to his dream yet he was fully clothed and desperate to stop her. "Neva no, no! You don't eat Jax, Jax is good, my cat, my pet!" While his one hand dealt with her deadly mouth and head, memories of her crunching much larger and thicker bones than Jax's with ease earlier, his other had come down much like it had in his dream, smacking her rear sharply, hard...it had been the only thing he could thing to do! Two times he had spanked the no doubt confused alien before he had pinned her down, his knee on her tail...relying on the fact that such a clearly predatory species wouldn't be as fragile as she looked, as fragile as she was to the heat.

Struggling, he tried to get her onto her back and straddle her waist, pulling at her hand to free Jax and being rough but firm...her tail was powerful, he had to be careful of that and her jaw, had to pin her beneath him but also had to not hurt her, he was at least managing to avoid her burned hand as he looked down at her and his tone was gentler as he spoke again. "Neva, stop, no, we don't eat our friends, okay? Stop, I...I'll get you some more food if you're still hungry!" He'd known she'd wanted more earlier but was she really still hungry enough to hunt his cat? How much could Neva eat? Jax finally managed to wriggle free as Elijah straddled the aliens waist and grabbed her wrists, pinning them down to the ground beneath him, looking down at her. His features weren't angry, neither was his tone, more desperate. "Neva, please, I'm sorry, I'm not trying to hurt you, please understand..."

Bunny · Aug 5, 2021

That draw he had was not shared by his charge. No doubt he wouldn't have thought that particularly strange for Aphrae was more or less innocent with a bit something bratty wrapped around her personality. On her planet she would have only just started to really pay attention to the males of her kind, yet she wasn't around many young males of her kind. She'd been the eldest of the brood aboard the ship so her attractions had started slightly skewed from those around her age to the elder men. The captain had been one of the men who she'd set her focus on and he had indulged the youngling as she'd cooed at him. In her world, because of how their aging worked and the maturity of their kind, it wasn't seen the same as it was on earth; at her age, on her planet, it was normal to see one of her age with someone like the captain. Aphrae wouldn't grow anymore, she was fully developed mentally and physically and long lived as her race was, there was little stigma on such relationships.

Stupid thing... So hungry.. Aphrae was covered in fine scratches from her battle with Jax, but she had managed to lift him up and open her mouth below him. Her stomach gave a grumble of protest and she lowered the loud, thrashing and frankly annoying creature. She'd been trying to have her meal silently, but the fur covered beast seemed to object to this very distinctly. In their battle furniture had suffered and Elijah's home was now in disarray. It almost looked like someone had been searching for something, a small end table was on it's side, papers lay littered around, a cup of coffee had been tipped over and while the cup had not shattered, the remnants of it's cup had spilled along the counter. No room had really been saved from this treatment as Jax had fled from Aphrae. The shower current now hung half on the rod, his bed was askew and the bedding pooled almost completely on the floor. Claws bit into her arm and she growled in frustration, spinning to pin the thing to the floor. Pinning it, the furry little pain in the ass couldn't claw her anymore and while it dug its claws into the carpet, Aphrae was far more powerful. Her mouth opened once more.

The thumb behind her had been the first indication of Elijah being awake. "⍜⍀⍀⊬ ⟟⎎ ⊬⍜⎍ ⍙⟒⍀⟒ ⌇⏃⎐⟟⋏☌ ⟟⏁, ⏚⎍⏁ ⟟ ⏃⋔ ⌇⍜ ⊑⎍⋏☌⍀⊬! ⟟⌇ ⍜☍⏃⊬?" Aphrae's voice held frustration, even as she spoke, head lowering. A hand closed around her throat and she snarled. The reaction was instinctual and the sound stopped as the other hand found her chin. His weight was foreign and Aphrae found herself being pushed forward, almost on top of her meal. She bucked, trying to dislodge the larger form from her back, her tail lashing about like a whip and the sound of something shattering could be heard. Pulling against Elijah she made to bite at the creature again, her stomach giving another plaintive growl. His words made no sense, his actions made no sense! Already worked up, this only added to her confusion. One of his hands shifted and came down against her rear hard and she hissed, the sound snake like, one of furry. Elijah shifted pinning her tail and her down, the hand that had been so offensive against her unprotected rear now pulling at her hand on the creature. "⎎⟟⋏⟒! ⋏⍜⏁ ⍙⍜⍀⏁⊑ ⏁⊑⟟⌇... ⟊⎍⌇⏁ ☌⍜⟟⋏☌ ⏁⍜ ⌇⏁⏃⎐⟒ ⏚⟒☊⏃⎍⌇⟒ ⊬⍜⎍ ☊⏃⋏'⏁ ⎍⋏⎅⟒⍀⌇⏁⏃⋏⎅ ⋔⟒ ⏃⋏⎅ ⟟ ☊⏃⋏'⏁ ⎍⋏⎅⟒⍀⌇⏁⏃⋏⎅ ⊬⍜⎍!!!" Her hand released Jax who scurried away to hide, leaving them alone.

Elijah was instant with his movements and after a moment or two of anger she rolled to her back sullenly, looking up at him. He'd pinned her down and spoke again, though his voice was softer now. Her face was still dark with her annoyance, her clear pout. "⍙⊑⍜ ☍⟒⟒⌿⌇ ⎎⍜⍜⎅ ⏁⊑⏃⏁ ⊬⍜⎍ ☊⏃⋏'⏁ ⟒⏃⏁? ⍙⊑⏃⏁⟒⎐⟒⍀ ⊬⍜⎍ ⏃⍀⟒, ⟟⏁'⌇ ⌇⏁⎍⌿⟟⎅. ⎎⍜⍜⎅ ⟟⌇ ⎎⍜⍜⎅ ⎎⍜⍀ ⏃ ⍀⟒⏃⌇⍜⋏. " Her voice was sulky as he pinned her, straddling her small waist. Her tail flicked and she lifted it, curling around his waist she tipped him, the pair rolling to one side. Now Aphrae straddled him and she looked down at him, her face still sulky. "⌇⏁⟟⌰⌰ ⊑⎍⋏☌⍀⊬ ⏃⋏⎅ ⊬⍜⎍ ⌰⟒⏁ ⏁⊑⟒ ⎎⍜⍜⎅ ☌⟒⏁ ⏃⍙⏃⊬..." Her tone was still sulky, bus she leaned down and nuzzled her cheek to his and a soft, rumbling purr came from her chest. Her hands had been freed as they rolled and she laid them on his chest, the injured one was clearly still being favored and didn't press down as hard as her other hand. "⊬⍜⎍ ⎅⍜⋏'⏁ ⌰⍜⍜☍ ⌰⟟☍⟒ ⏁⊑⟒ ⏃⏃⋏⎐⍜⟒⍀⎅⟒⍀, ⏚⎍⏁ ⊬⍜⎍'⍀⟒ ⌇⍜⍀⏁⏃ ☊⎍⏁⟒ ⊬⍜⎍ ☍⋏⍜⍙?" His actions trying to wrestle her away from her meal reminded her of how she saw some of the adults act and she gave a low coo at him, though she doubted he'd understand what it meant.

Staine · Aug 5, 2021

Elijah couldn't even understand what his new alien companion was saying nevermind understand her thoughts, that his attraction wasn't quite reciprocated, though it didn't really matter, it was a fleeting thought, no more, and as he'd fallen asleep he hadn't had to bear witness to the havoc that she created in his home either. A deep sleeper, there hadn't been many crashes, a lot of the chase taking part outside of the room that they were in so he'd been blissfully unaware of his terrified pet cat and the new apex predator he'd introduced into Jax's normally sedate life, right up until the panicked yowling coming from the poor creature, loud enough that even he couldn't sleep through it. He'd reacted instantly, seeing those razor sharp teeth descending down towards his beloved cat, wrestling with Neva while trying not to hurt her until he saw Jax wrestle free, running for freedom. He'd flipped and pinned her down to the ground so she couldn't chase him, straddled her and held her down while trying to reason with her, scared that he was going to hurt her while trying to avoid getting in range of those teeth again...he didn't think she would bite him, not really, but he didn't know for sure, he'd already smacked her ass, he'd grabbed her, why wouldn't she defend herself?

Was she...sulking? Pouting? He couldn't quite read her expressions but she looked as though she was a teenage girl who had done wrong, not quite guilty, just unhappy that she had been caught and while he didn't understand her words the tone wasn't aggressive. "Neva, you can't eat Jax, okay? I'm sorry if I hurt you, I...ahh!" He'd let go of her wrists tentatively as he'd started to speak, and had felt her tail on him just moments before she pulled him off her, flipping him easily onto his back, the movement much easier as he had already started to relax. Wrestling her to the ground had taught him a few things. Firstly, she was more durable than she looked, she was tough, she wouldn't break just from being handled roughly and second of all, he was stronger than her. He'd had his doubts seeing how powerful her tail was but aside from that he could overpower her pretty easily. The tail...that was another problem, and the reason he was suddenly on his back with her on top of him. "Neva!" His tone was half panicked, half laughing, but remembering the hurt in her eyes from before he didn't assume the worst this time, and was rewarded as she leaned down to nuzzle against him. Pressing his cheek back against hers he brought his left arm up around her waist, holding her close, chuckling. "I know, I know, I like you too. Sorry if I hurt you there, I was just looking after Jax, you didn't know you couldn't eat him, did you?" She said something back to him as she nuzzled him, yet more noises, chirps and purrs he didn't quite understand but it felt affectionate. "You must have still been hungry huh?" One arm still around her, running up and down her back he reached the other hand into his pocket, fishing out his cell phone and lifting it up so he could see it as he scrolled through the numbers to find what he wanted. It was pretty late, but he knew they would still be open.

Calling the number, he held the phone to his ear on the opposite side from where her cheek was still pressed. "Hello? Yeah, I'd like some chicken please. Umm, how much do you have?" He had no idea how much it would still take to satiate Neva's hunger, but she'd already eaten more than he could manage in maybe a whole day and was still hungry, so he wasn't going to underestimate her this time. He couldn't afford this every day, but he could figure out a cheaper source of food tomorrow. "Can you cook more? 20 piece buckets, yeah, regular, not spicy. Erm...do you have enough for...4 buckets? Yeah, 4. No it isn't a prank, we need a lot of chicken here, and a few burgers, maybe ten quarter pounders? How much is that? Yeah, cash, I got it. No problem, you have my address right? Thanks, see you soon." He'd heard her making noise as he'd been talking and he'd tried his best not to chuckle, already worried that the restaurant wasn't going to take his order seriously, and he sighed as he put his phone back in his pocket. "You know you're already a pain in my ass Neva, now come here."

Gently this time he rolled her onto her back again, being firm while still trying not to hurt her as he straddled her yet again and reached for her uninjured arm, or as uninjured as it was: He could see small scratches and cuts along it now where Jax had done his very best to defend himself and he shook his head softly as he brought the arm up, leaning down to press his lips to the cuts, giving them a small kiss. Silly as it was, he remembered his mother would do that for him whenever their cat back then had scratched him. "You really have to stop injuring yourself you know. This doesn't need bandages at least, we can wash it later, maybe take a bath. You were out in that rain long enough." Reaching down it was his turn, not nuzzling with his cheek but caressing hers with the palm of his hand. "Food is coming, maybe this time you'll have enough, but I'm taking some of the chicken. It's my pain in the butt tax." Leaning down he kissed the top of her head before climbing off her and starting to tidy up until the doorbell rang, letting her collect herself.

When it did, he paused and found Neva, lifting her and placing her in his favourite chair, standing and pointing a finger at her. "Stay! I mean, wait here..." Realising she wasn't a dog, that talking normally might be better, he just wanted her to understand. He'd already made sure not to open the curtains. "I'll be right back." He closed the door separating his front room from the hallway, then opened the door just a little, grinning sheepishly at the annoyed looking delivery man standing by five carrier bags of food. The exchange took a couple of minutes where he paid the man and took all the bags in, hooking them over his arms and carrying them with him into the front room, placing them all on the now righted table side by side, starting to pull each bucket out of the bag and placing all the bags in one of the drawers in a nearby cabinet. Finally he was done, and he opened a bucket, taking a piece of chicken for himself. It was warm but not hot, and he smiled at Neva before biting down on it. "Mmmm, delicious. Go on, eat. Let's see if this is fucking enough..."

Encountering Her {Staine x Bunny}

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