Glasica
Claren

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The storm was massive. This late in the year, the glacier should be fairly clear, if not just overcast. A summer blizzard was rare and she needed to get this batch of medicine to the village she guarded but the ice was slightly melted. It made this weather dangerous. Glasica urged forward, aware of the danger, but ignoring it for now. The sled behind her was attached to a heavy duty harness that wrapped around her shoulders and torso, kept free of her scarf and hood and goggles. A thick crunch beneath one of her paws let the sphinx know she was starting onto thin ice. "Oh no..." She whispered, and her paw slipped through the ice, but she recovered. The sphinx froze, listening to the ice beneath her as well as she could. Suddenly she dropped, and yelped as the cold water sucked her under the ice. There was no sign of her anymore on top of the glacier.

Under the glacier, in the frigid water, there was no evidence of the blizzard. Only calm, that's what Claren loved most about it. No matter the chaos above the waves, below was always pristine. He swam through a small cavern that had formed through the glacier, hoping to find a large fish or perhaps a lost penguin that would make quite a feast. With no luck in the cavern he made his way out to try his luck, skimming the bottom of the glacier. His eyes caught something, commotion in the water. "Possibly something good to eat," he thought to himself as he began to swim that direction, putting his arms flat against his side, to streamline his body to gain momentum. As he drew closer he wrapped his hand around the spear and brought it around, ready to harpoon whatever this thing was. But when he got a clear look at it, he realized that this was no aquatic creature, and this was made more evident by the sled that it was strapped to. Next thing he knew he had used the spear to cut the restraint that was holding the sled and was grabbing a hold of the creature. He began swimming, quickly to the surface, breaking through and switching to his primary lungs so he wouldn't suffocate. He placed the creature back on the top of the glacier.

Glasica had all but drowned by the time the humanoid had reached her, but when he cut her sled free underneath her scarf the sphinx screamed, releasing a jet of bubbles. That medicine was a life or death situation for her village... if she lost it they could die. With that last thought Glasica slipped beneath the darkness just as she was pushed back onto the snow.

Claren hopped up out of the hole as he realized the creature wasn't moving. "Crap, crap, crap. What to do, what to do? he said as he paced around. Wondering if he might be able to save it or if he should just cut his loses and eat it, he decided to try and save it. He dropped to his knees and rolled the creature onto its back. Placing one hand over the other atop its chest he pushed down hard and repeated this a few times and began doing CPR.

Coughing and heaving for air, the sphinx was brought back to life quite quickly, using her paw she swiped her scarf off and turned to the side, coughing harshly again, flapping her wings slightly in her effort to clear her lungs. Through her goggles in the blasting snow of the blizzard she saw the one that saved her. Squinting, Glasica raised her paw again, lifting her goggles from her gold eyes. "What... who... are you?"

Claren froze as the creature began speaking to him. He immediately regretted his actions, now he was going to have to be social. He put his webbed fingered hand to his chest and said "Claren." As he answered, he inched back towards the hole in the ice, maybe he could dive in and escape quickly.

"Oh..." She gasped, "My sled! Please! If you can retrieve it, it will save countless lives in the village I guard," Tears of desperation filled her eyes. "Please." Glasica touched his arm.

Claren didn't quite know what to say, so instead of saying anything he just took another step back and went down the hole into the water. He looked around quickly for the sled she was talking about and almost missed it as the last few inches of the cut strap fluttered down into the blackness of the depths. "Crap" he thought to himself and he began to swim as fast as he was able. If he didn't get it then he would be directly responsible for the deaths of many people in this lady's village. As he swam further down, the sled became visible again, causing Claren to let out a small sigh of relief. He grabbed a hold of the sled's strap and began to swim towards the surface. It was much slower going up now that he had the weight of the sled to haul, but he made it eventually. He pushed the sled up onto the ice next to the lady he had saved, but this time he stayed in the hole.

When he reached the air again Glasica was licking herself dry, and instantly a smile rose to her lips, "Oh you found it! Thank you, Claren you said your name was? I'm Glasica." She pulled her hood off so he could see her completely, "I am eternally indebted to you." The sphinx bowed deeply to him, the wind not hindering her large folded wings.

Claren pulled himself up out of the hole and sat on the edge, letting his legs dangle over. He shrugged as Glasica thanked him, not really sure what the appropriate response should be for something like this. That's when he got a good look at her wings, "What an interesting thing." he thought.

"If I might be so bold..." Glasica began, "What exactly... are you? I've never seen your kind before." Her short tail fluttered as she reset the feathers inlaid and sat down, shifting her paws in the snow. It seems the snow and wind had paused, and an odd calm filled the air around them.

"I'm, uh....I'm a Varenn." Claren said as he grew more uncomfortable with the questions. This caused him to lower himself slightly into the hole. His mind was starting to drift towards the main reason he was in the water to begin with, he was hungry.

"I've never seen your kind before..." Her gold eyes looked him up and down slowly, then she smiled again, teeth showing sharp canines. "Well, again, I thank you for this. If you would like, the village normally has a nice plump dead seal waiting for me. You can share my meal, not counting towards that debt I owe you." She winked at that. He must not know how the sphinx culture works if he was so quick to leave her when she owed him a... debt. Her smile widened, "Please, I would be most unhappy if you did not accept. The village is not that far from here."

Glasica had Claren at dead seal. It had been awhile since he had such a delicacy as seal. He hopped up right out of the hole and gestured with his hands, "After you."

"One moment..." Glasica examined the harness he had cut, nudging it with a paw before letting out a soft hum of disapproval. Glancing at Claren, the sphinx seemed to ponder something before shrugging... as much as a cat like creature could. She opened a wet pack and pulled out a water proof bag, then her form shimmered. Glasica allowed her weaker form to appear, naked, before shimmying into a small dress. It was obvious she did not ever change while out in the snow of the wild, but she needed her hands for this. Unlike most people, she had no embarrassment of her bare body. Fixing the harness with a few knots, Glasica made a small sound of approval and just as quickly slipped out of the dress and became the sphinx most people recognized. "Sorry." She told him, "I needed to fix that though."

Claren may be lacking in social skills and may be pretty much a nomadic barbarian, but he knew that such bold nudity, no matter how quick, was a taboo. He quickly diverted his gaze as to not seem rude. He did catch a bit of a view and had to shake his head to remove any thoughts. When she spoke to him again he risked a glance backwards to make sure she was decent before turning back around.

She actually laughed at his behavior. He obviously did not know sphinxes. "You know... people have died for the favor of a sphinx," Glasica began, after slipping the harness on and moving forward through the powder. "Have you never seen a sphinx before?"

Claren shook his head no, "Unless I've eaten one before and didn't know it." he thought to himself, not wanting to say this out loud since the idea of someone eating one of your own kind is usually a welcome one.

"Ah." She was rather proud of her race and being who she was, Glasica informed him of a little bit of her culture. How many humans here did not like the other species, but that she served this village because it was a blood oath she had taken with her brothers a few years ago before they had died. They treated her like a sentient animal, but Glasica didn't mind, she forced herself to be happy, and at least they fed her. She also told him how the women didn't like her around, because sphinxes had a knack of stealing away men. Glasica scoffed at that, "Not like any of the men here could earn a debt from me anyway." She understood that Claren did not speak much which was funny, Glasica was actually a good listener but it had been a while since she had someone to talk to. The time she spent talking brought them within sights of the village, and Glasica turned to Claren at this time. "From telling you of my past and culture, I can tell, you don't know what kind of debt I owe you." She smiled softly, "In our society a debt is repaid in a mating dance and procreation." With that said, Glasica abruptly let out a small sound of excitement and began a brisk run towards the village. If he chose to follow her at this point, could either mean he wanted that meal she offered him, or perhaps the debt she owed him.

Claren froze as she informed him of what she owed him. "Food works just as good." He said, catching up with her as she strode towards the town. He was getting a bit nervous with that though of having so many people around. The potential for social awkwardness was outstanding.

She shook her head, "You don't understand," Glasica laughed at that and practically danced in the snow as she trotted, "It is not something that can be negotiated, it is a binding contract when you save a sphinx's life." She didn't mention that he did have a choice on the matter, but... her eyes glanced to his running form, and she grinned wickedly. He didn't have to know that. Several human children ran up to the sphinx, excited that she was here and pet her fur affectionately, while the adults shooed them away. They ignored Claren. "As usual, the seal is in the barn." One human told her while unpacking the medicine and other supplies.

Claren watched the humans interacting with Glasica and frowned. He was glad that they were ignoring him, but they didn't seem to care much at all about the Sphinx, despite what she does for them.

When they were finishing, Glasica led the way to the barn, partially hidden in snow and ice. There was a large stall in the back behind the penguins that they kept here. Cattle couldn't survive the cold, so they kept a large family of penguins in captivity. Stuffing her sled near the side, Glasica shook herself free of the harness, snow and ice. "Here we are." The large male Harp seal was cold, but the flesh not frozen. The heart was probably a little warm. "Dig in," She called to Claren, grinning with her teeth and latching herself onto the neck.

Claren didn't have to be told twice. Using his powerful jaw he ripped off a decent sized piece of the seal and began to eat it, taking very large bites. It wasn't the best he had ever had, but it was food. "How long has this been here?" he asked, seeming to warm up to talking a bit more.

"Probably a catch from yesterday," Glasica responded, a small dribble of blood slipping from the corner of her mouth. "Why do you ask?"

"It isn't fresh." Claren said with a mouth full of seal meat, trying to chew through the frost. "Not a good trade."

"Trade for what?" Glasica asked innocently, while continuing to drain what blood she could from the corpse.

"You bring them important stuff, life or death, and they give you this." he said gesturing at the seal and swallowing his bite.

Glasica grew silent at that, taking her time before answering softly, "My mother whelped us here, in this desolate place was the only safe haven she could find to birth us. The villagers were reluctant, but decided to let her use the barn. We owed our lives to this village. When my mother died, my brothers and I swore a blood oath to stay here and protect what we had decided was our home. When they were killed a few winters ago..." She sniffed at that and looked away, "I couldn't bare to leave."

Claren looked perplexed. He knew the severity of breaking oaths, but knew that this was no way to live. Being under the control of some humans who didn't care about her one way or the other, just as long as she continued doing their bidding. "Tough situation."

"I don't mind..." She murmured, shaking her head. "I'm not like you, Claren. I'm not free. But it isn't like they are forcing me to stay here, I choose to."

"I could not live this way." Claren said with a shake of his head. "Unable live where I wanted to go where I please."

Glasica shuffled her wings in thought. He had the ocean, she had the sky, yes she chose to keep herself on the ground, in the snow. Glasica sighed. He was right. "But if I leave... they could die."

Claren shrugged, honestly not caring. "The strong survive because they have the will to do so. If they die it is because they did not fight hard enough." he said, slightly shocked at the ease in which he was speaking now.

"But wouldn't my oath bind me to their deaths?" She asked him, turning her eyes to his.

That was even tougher for Claren to figure out. In the end he couldn't do more then shrug again. "What was the oath exactly?"

"To protect the village," Glasica replied simply.

"Sounds like you have been doing more then that already." Claren said, referring to going and getting supplies for them. "Sounds like they are using you for a sort of free work."

"Yes... but the humans are too weak. They cannot make the trek." Glasica explained. "If they don't get these medicines and vitamins, they will die."

"Then perhaps they should pack up and move." Claren said before tearing off another bite. "If they cannot make the trek there and back then they should move closer. It's like living where there is no food, you will die, it is as simple as that."

She didn't know how to tell him that they fished right off the edge of the glacier, or that they had been here for a long time. He was right though, in all fairness she should break her oath and leave. "Where should I go, Claren?" Glasica asked him after a moment, tearing at the seal's neck meat.

"Where ever the food is." Claren said as he swallowed his last bite and laid over onto his back with a satisfied sigh. "That's the first thing they tell us when we are young."

"So you are from a nomadic civilization? That is interesting..." She picked briefly at the bones of the spine before saying, "Sphinxes tend to wander too, but eventually we all settle down and find dens. I'm still too young for that though." Glasica smiled at that, and turned to look at him. "You have blood on your face." Despite the fact her face was just as dirty, she slowly stepped over him so that he wasn't alarmed and bent to lick at his cheek and chin.

Claren was about to answer till she came over and started licking the blood off his face. He froze and couldn't do more then stare at her as she did this.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Glasica asked sweetly, a frown of concentration on her own bloody face.

Claren mumbled his affirmative as he started to feel weird. "This is very very weird." he thought to himself.

She grinned wickedly at that. "You've never been with a female, have you?"

"Um...no. No I haven't. I'm not old enough yet." Claren stammered.

Glasica glanced down his body then back up, studying his face before grinning again, "You look old enough to me." With that said she continued to lick him, putting a paw against his shoulder. Slowly, her form melted and her paw became a hand as she became humanoid on top of him.

Claren stammered out the rule breeding among his race and how it was only those above a certain age that were allowed to, but it was mostly incomprehensible. As she turned into a humanoid he felt that weird tingling feeling growing stronger.

With blood all over her face, Glasica leaned back slightly, a soft smile on her lips. "There's more to life then hunting and eating..." She said softly, then leaned back down and licked his lips. At the same time, the sphinx nudged his legs open and settled herself between them.

Claren realized that his feelings of uncomfortableness were quickly being replaced with a strange feeling of desire. He started to resist less and accept what she was doing, but was still wary.

Her rough cat like tongue tugged gently on the down of his skin, and she watched his reaction curiously, then glanced down to the closed gills of his neck. Glasica grinned again, turning her head to reach them with her mouth. Carefully, she kissed his neck along the lines of them. She didn't want to hurt him, but she was curious if this would please him. Glasica could however feel the heat underneath his loincloth spreading and giggled quietly to herself. Nuzzling his neck, she sucked gently on some of his skin and breathed into his ear.

Claren was surprised to hear himself let out a little moan as she teased his neck. He closed his eyes as she continued, and found himself placing his hands on her back, as if making sure she didn't get away.

Glasica smiled against his neck, then introduced a new sensation for him. Pushing down with her hips, she grinded slowly against him while arching her back causing her small breasts to lift off of where they were laying on his chest and gently lowered herself back down to him. Fluttering her small wings, she leaned back and lifted herself a little bit so she could see him, a small smile on her face, "So you do have emotions."

"I never said I didn't." Claren said with a dreamy tone in his voice. His whole body was filled with an amazing sensation that he didn't ever want to leave. He placed his hands on her hips as she grinded against him.

Her eyes were half lidded now, and she licked his chin, then kissed him there and slowly raised her lips to the corner of his mouth.

He returned the kiss, growing a bit more passionate as he went. He felt like he was on some sort of drug, like the strange tobacco that the sages smoked for their spirit visions.

Glasica's eyes closed at this, a small sound of pleasure quietly produced within her throat. Suddenly her ears perked, and she froze on top of him.

Claren was too lost in ecstasy to notice the change as he kept trying to kiss her.

She pulled away from him, putting a finger in front of her mouth. The sphinx's ear twitched, as the barn door was pushed open. A draft of cold wind blew inside, but didn't bother the two non-humans within the straw and behind the large stall. The penguins started to squawk in panic, and several began squealing as the snuffling of a large animal made itself known. It growled. Blood sprayed the walls of the barn, and Glasica flinched at that. "Stay down..." She mouthed, as her form became furred and she lifted herself stealthily from him to look over the stall door.

Claren was disappointed when she pulled away, but was pushed back to reality when he heard and saw the blood. He pulled his spear and got it ready while he hid behind the straw pile.

Glasica's fur bristled as her hackles raised, sharp teeth bared as she saw the offender. A Hohbgo, here? Many human's called them yetis, but that was not what they really were. A strange mix of polar bear and shark, they were semi humanoid, eight feet at the shoulder, and had no neck. Their heads were smashed against their shoulders, a gentle curve, almost like a bowl was their heads. They ate anything they could kill. It had already killed and blooded ten penguins in such a short time. The sphinx glanced to Claren, wondering if he had encountered such ghastly horrors before.

Claren caught a glimpse of the creature and had to hide his concern. Basic Varenn tactics towards these creatures was to hide and only fight if there was no other choice. He had a feeling that Glasica wasn't going to hide, and moved up to her and nodded letting her know he would fight alongside her.

With the creature's back to them, Glasica lowered her cat like body to the ground and shook her hindquarters. Springing into the air, she kept her wings tight to her back as the barn was way too small to open them and landed on the things back. It roared as her teeth bit into the thin part of its skin at the neck and spine.

Claren sprinted forward to use the creature's current preoccupation to strike. He aimed his spear and stabbed it inward and upwards in the creatures side, hoping to puncture a lung or its heart.

Flinging her side, Glasica was tossed into a stall filled with penguin corpses, a support beam cracking from the force. It felt the spear, but thanks to its thick skin and blubber the spear hadn't had enough force to get past the armor. Chuffing, the Hohbgo lifted its great paw and was about to take a swipe at him when a yowl sounded from the side. Glasica, covered in gore and small cuts rammed into it.

Claren rolled away as she rammed it to make sure he wasn't caught up in it. Once on his feet he ran up to it and stabbed repeatedly at any near vital spot he could see without jabbing Glasica.

A lucky couple of stabs hit its throat and the creature gurgled before falling over, its dark blood spilling and soaking the entire floor with it. Glasica's chest heaved as her body shook with adrenaline. Her bloody face looked up to Claren, worry in her eyes as she bolted out into the snow to see to the village.

Claren continued to stab the creature till he was sure that it wasn't getting back up. That's when he noticed that Glasica wasn't there, he looked around and saw her running for the village and followed suit.

What met their gaze was a bloody mess. The whole village had been slaughtered. The ground was packed with pink snow, and tracks of multiple Hohbgo. There were no tears in her eyes as she looked over the massacred bodies. Claren was far enough behind her that she assumed the sound was him, but it was another of the beasts, left chewing on a hapless arm. Turning, the beast roared and swiped her with its long claws, catching her across the wing and shoulder.

"NO!" Claren yelled as he saw the creature take her down. He sprinted forward and leapt upon the creatures back, wrapping his legs around the best he could and started stabbing mercilessly, blood splattering his face.

Bellowing, the creature went down into the snow next to Glasica, dieing as its spine was cut. The sphinx on the other hand lay on her side, three deep cuts hidden by a shivering wing.

Claren didn't waste time with extra stabs and rolled off of it and close to Glasica. He looked her over quickly but didn't notice the deep gashes till he lifted her wing. "Shit." he said and looked around for some cloth to bandage her up.

She lifted her head, looking at him with those gold eyes of hers. "Here... let me change, it will... make it easier." With her body tense she used what energy she could to make it so, and her humanoid form appeared, completely bloodied from both penguin and her own. The gashes were over her shoulder and across her back, just missing the small wings she had in this form. Sphinxes naturally relied on this weaker form to heal from injuries such as this.

Claren scrapped up some of the ice and used the heat from his hands to melt it, using the resulting water to clean the blood away from around the wound to try and prevent infection. Then he found some cloth from one of the corpses that wasn't covered in blood and brought it over to her to wrap her wound with it to keep it clean.

"Not so shy... now." She muttered, laughing quietly to herself. Glasica touched his hand that was supporting his weight, "Please, Claren, take me away from here." Her blood oath had failed, but this allowed her to leave in peace.

Claren knew that this would weigh heavily on her heart for a long time, and nodded solemnly. "My home is not nearby. And since I cannot swim with you, I will have to walk it, it will be longer." As he said this he lifted her up into his arms and started walking in the direction of his den.

She closed her eyes, "Thank you Claren." Slipping into a light sleep, Glasica began the process of healing.

Some time later, she awoke on a pile of skins and a small fire off to the side. Claren was crouched in front of it. Her shoulder was bandaged and she was laying on her good side, a thick fur covering her and keeping her warm. "I feel as if I owe you an apology." She whispered to him, letting him know she was awake.

Claren jumped a bit as he was deep in thought, staring into the fire. He smiled as he saw her awake. "How are you feeling?"

She grunted, sitting up, not bothering in covering herself. "I feel as if I've been hit by a massive block of ice." Glasica was not exaggerating... her whole body was sore. Grimacing, she touched the clean bandage that wrapped around her shoulder, and noticing that she was completely clean of blood. "You are not hurt, are you?" She asked him, genuinely worried for him.

"No, I am fine. The Hohbgo was distracted by you and I was able to get a clean kill." Claren said. "I was tempted to return and bring back their corpses for food, but didn't want to leave you here by yourself should you wake."

"They don't taste very good anyway," Glasica admitted, then smiled. "I like your voice," She said softly, "It is soothing." There were no words she could say that spoke her gratitude for his actions during the day, and she felt a little bad for tempting him with her body earlier, and suddenly she was shy, and pushed a fur to her chest. Still smiling, she glanced away from him to the fire. "Why don't you come over here... lay with me."

Claren remembered the feeling from earlier and how good it felt to be close to her, but now that he was no longer in the heat of the moment, his shyness returned. "There isn't room for two on the bed, I can just lay over here." He said, and gestured to a smaller pile of skins and furs that he had been sleeping on.

"Oh nonsense, this is your bed, come claim it." Glasica insisted, and leaned back with a barely audible groan.

Claren was reluctant, but assured himself that she wouldn't try anything while in her injured state. He got up from his spot near the fire and went over to the bed, sitting on the edge.

The sphinx actually snorted. "Come on, lay behind me, keep me warm." She was in fact, warm enough, but his body behind her would be a comfort. Her species was one of physical affection and his reluctance to be near her made her sad.

With a sigh, Claren put his legs up on the bed and scooted close to Glasica. "Is this better?"

She nodded, and closed her eyes as she nudged her body to mirror his. Then, "You didn't complain about my closeness earlier, and neither did a certain part of your body." The sphinx murmured, a little bitterly. "Do you not find me attractive?"

"No, that's not it. You are quite wonderful to look upon, its just that it isn't the way of my people." Claren tried to explain calmly, but ended up blushing and stammering a bit.

Withholding a gasp from pain, Glasica rolled over to face him. "So why didn't you stop me?"

"You really shouldn't move so much, you'll reopen your wound." Claren said as he made sure that there wasn't any blood on the furs or skins that would indicate a seeping wound. "I don't know. It felt so good that my mind didn't want it to stop. But I know that I shouldn't do it."

"Ah... but you do not know my species, Claren, just as much as I don't know yours. We heal a lot faster then humans." She paused, then pouted, "Denying a sphinx to reward those that do good unto them is a great insult to us."

"But if I allow you to 'reward' me then I would be going against my people's culture." Claren tried to explain, not wanting to offend her, but not wanting to be shunned by his people. "I have not yet earned the privilege of taking a woman into my bed. In a way other then to allow her to rest after an injury."

"I am not exactly a woman." Glasica murmured, having enough energy to roll her eyes. "Your culture allows you to be free, yet they do not let you do as you please." She let out a breath, almost a sigh. "I... I want to please you."

"I think it's more of a forces us to be free, but still expects us to make our people look good." Claren said, thinking about it. "And how are you not exactly a woman?"

She giggled at that. "I am a female. Since my real form is not humanoid, it is... almost rude to call me a woman. "And, I do not see any of your people here, how are they to know?"

Claren didn't figure that she would go for the old 'They just will.' so he didn't say it. "So I will no longer call you a woman, got it."

"You're avoiding the subject," Glasica muttered.

Claren frowned at having been caught. "I guess there isn't a way for them to know, I guess they believe that the penalties that come with such a breach will prevent us from risking it."

"Well that's the beauty of inter-species encounters, there is no consequence..." She smiled, almost sweetly before touching his face lightly with her hand. "You can't hurt me, nor impregnate me. Who's to know? And besides, I'll guarantee you will find it most..." She slowly blinked as her smile thinned to a smirk, "Most pleasurable."

Claren wasn't sure what kind of argument he could use against that. He fought with himself trying to come up with some reason why he couldn't. "I don't know."

She pulled his head forward a little to get him to look her in the eye, "Then why fight it?"

"I guess it's just hard to fight what you've been taught all your life." Claren said with a shrug. "All my life I have been told how it is an awful thing to do and not to do it."

"Why would such an awful thing feel so good though?" The sphinx leaned in to kiss him along his jaw.

"Because it could lead to altered judgment." Claren said as he closed his eyes to her kiss.

"Hmmm..." She murmured, nuzzling his neck with her soft skin and trailed her kisses along his gills like she had earlier.

"Altered judgment like this." Claren said as he tilted his head away to expose more of his neck.

With one hand supporting herself, the other slipped under the furs and began to caress his chest, smoothing the minuscule hairs of his race. Her lips dipped further along till they reached his collarbone, letting out a soft breath.

Claren let out a gentle "mmmm" as she touched his chest and kissed his collar bone. He slid his arm under her and began to caress the small of her back, taking special care not to hit her wound or her wings.

Glasica lifted her face and smiled, rubbing her cheek against his. "If you can walk away from me, right now, I won't bother you again. I will leave you once I am able, and I will forget your debt." She whispered to him, seriousness in her voice. Her hand was still making circles on his chest as she laid quite comfortably within his embrace. "If you stay... I promise to give myself fully to you... and you won't regret it." She was almost pleading with him now. Sphinxes had a knack for knowing a compatible male by their scent... his was like a sudden addiction.

Everything in Claren's mind pushed him to get up. To throw off the furs, put his feet on the floor and walk away from this temptress. Unfortunately his body refused to move. He felt like his arms and legs were like noodles. "Altered judgment." saying that was about all he could manage to do.

"Yet I am giving you a choice." She said resolutely. Glasica's hand stopped moving yet she did not remove it.

"And I can't seem to refuse." Claren said as he opened his eyes and looked into her's.

She blinked, then smiled. "I still want you to know, that if you want me to stop, I will." Glasica tilted her head and leaned her forehead against his neck, just breathing in his scent.

"I know." Claren said with a slight smile, "If you didn't I would be forced to kill you."

Glasica let him believe that and didn't say anything back and suddenly she realized just how tired their conversation had made her. She was sound asleep a moment later, completely against him and laying safe and warm within his embrace.

Claren looked over at her when she didn't respond, and saw that she was asleep. He smiled and patted her on the back as he rested his head on the bed. Soon he drifted off into a fitful sleep, as he imagined the punishments that would await him should he succumb to her advances... which he knew he would.

It was impossible to tell time, beneath the snow. When Glasica awoke it felt like it had been quite a while. Her shoulder no longer hurt, instead was just sore. A good sign. she thought to herself, then leaned back and untangled herself a little from Claren. Her stomach growled besides herself and she winced, hoping she had not woken him up.

Claren rolled over and snorted a bit as he got comfortable again. Then after letting out a satisfied sigh, went back to sleep.

Glasica's ears perked as she listened to him for a while, then decided it was safe to get up. Naked, she stood, a little shaky in the snow den, barely any light coming from above her. Rolling her shoulder, the sphinx removed the bandage carefully. The skin had reconnected itself with scar tissue, and would hold together as long as she didn't do anything rash. Her gold eyes looked to Claren. He would be quite happy if she provided him with a fresh seal this time...

She grinned, then changed forms. Finding the hole that led to the surface took a while, but she eventually found it and squeezed out into the dawn.

Claren suddenly jolted awake and looked around. He wondered where Glasica went, worried that something had gotten her. He grabbed up his spear and ran up the exit to his den, looking around to see if he could spot her.

He arrived on the surface just in time to see Glasica take off into the sky a few yards away, winging her way into the air like it was water. She didn't just fly away though, it was obvious the way she was gliding above the ice and zig-zagging that she was hunting.

Claren let out a sigh of relief and set his spear down, watching her fly about. He was interested in seeing how she hunted and what she could bring down.

It didn't take long for her to spot something, a seal perhaps coming back to its own den. She dive bombed to the snow. Gripping something by the throat, she dragged it back to Claren, surprised to see him above the snow. Glasica dropped the small seal, barely three feet long. "I didn't want to wake you." She said softly, leaning down to lick at her bloody paws. To her credit the wounds she had received just yesterday looked unperturbed.

"A notice would have helped." Claren said as he eyed the seal. "A scratching in the ice maybe?"

"A what?" She cocked her head, then her eyes widened, "Oh! A message..." She blushed and looked away, playing with some ice near her paws. Embarrassed, "I can't read or write. Sorry..."

"We have a basic writing and reading." Claren said. "Simple things like warning and do not enter."

Glasica looked further embarrassed, but didn't reply for a moment. "I was never taught." She murmured. Her stomach growled and her gold eyes glanced to the seal. "Let eat before it gets cold, yeah?"

"Definitely." Claren said, as he grabbed a hold of the seal's tail. "If it gets cold, we can just heat up back up on the fire."

"Ewww... but then it will cook. I prefer my meals raw." She replied with a smile, then folded her wings tight and scuttled her way into his burrow.

Claren dragged the seal down the hole into his den. He took it over to a pink and red tinged area of the den. "This is where I eat my meals, that way I don't get blood all over the place."

"I see..." She said, walking along the edge of the circle before asking sweetly, "Is there any part of it you prefer to eat?"

"As long as it's seal it's all fine by me." Claren said as he tossed it to the ice. "Your kill so you get first dibs."

Glasica's smile widened for a moment before she pounced on the seal playfully. Tearing into the hide, she began to strip the meat and blubber from its ribs.

Claren smiled as she dove on the dead seal and started rending its flesh.

"You going to eat?" She asked him over her shoulder, her face quite messy already.

"Like I said. It's your kill so you get first eat." Claren said. Seeing her face covered in blood reminded him of the meal in the barn and her...interest in him. He had to look away to hide the sudden unexplained flushing of his cheeks.

Her gaze stayed on him a moment longer before she shrugged and continued to tear into the carcass. It took her a few minutes to get a good sized chunk of meat away from the seal and sidestepped to give Claren some room while she sated her own belly.

Claren smiled and stepped forward for his share of the seal. "This was a good kill." He said as he tasted the meat and felt the still warm blood on his tongue.

Glasica giggled happily, quite pleased. "I thought you would like a fresh meal. Normally I hunt for myself, I eat fairly well considering my ability to fly." She shuffled her wings at that.

"I can imagine." Claren said as he tore off a chunk. "I can go a day or two without eating sometimes, depending on how many animals are around and how stealthy I can be."

Glasica frowned, a little unhappy he wasn't able to eat as much as he'd like. Then her frown vanished, "Well, now that I'm here you can eat as much as you'd like." Stretching with a slight wince, Glasica changed forms and walked to the bed, laying down slightly on her side so that the cuts from the day before were not touching the furs. She set her hands intertwined over her now full stomach, blood tinging her fingers and staining around her mouth.

Claren, much to his own surprised, couldn't take his eyes off her as she changed forms and went and laid on the bed. When he caught himself he let out a small cough and continued eating.

She opened one eye to glance at him, then giggled to herself and closed it again. "It is okay to look, Claren." The sphinx said softly, the smile not leaving her lips.

"That may be, but I know that it usually doesn't end with just looking with you." Claren said as he chewed through a particularly tough portion of the seal.

"Then you may touch as well." She replied, trying to keep from laughing.

"See, that's exactly what I mean." Claren said with a shake of his head.

Glasica licked at some of her fingers in thought, then agreed with him. "True. But then again, that is expected in my culture. Much like other felines we are an extremely social and affectionate race."

"There is a difference between affection and seduction." Claren said as he took the last bite from the seal.

"They are one in the same according to my race." The sphinx replied.

"Is there an actual society in your race? Or is it just a loose gathering of the same species?" Claren asked, hearing her speak so much of her race and culture, yet never had he heard or seen them before.

She hummed to herself, trying to remember where exactly the city was, but couldn't remember. "There is a city, somewhere in the mountains. It is inside a caldera, the remnants of a volcano. I have never been there before, but I've heard of it." Glancing at him again, Glasica noticed he was finished eating.

"You've never been to your own species' city?" Claren asked, incredulous.

Glasica shook her head, "No... does your people have a main city too?"

"Yes, it is a major holy site where all important Varenn occurrences happen." Claren explained. "From births to coming of age ceremonies. Every year all Varenn must make a pilgrimage there for a week long ceremony to the Spirits."

"Ah..." She murmured, a little embarrassed she was so dissociated with her own kind. Turning her back to him, she sighed quietly.

Claren was deep in thought at the moment, trying to remember how far away the pilgrimage was from that day. He wanted to make sure he didn't miss it. That's when he noticed that Glasica had turned away. "Have I offended you?"

"No... Just hearing you talk of your kind makes me feel incredibly lonely." Glasica said after a moment, a hand reaching up and around to lay gently over the fresh scars.

"Well... we can go look for your kind if you want." Claren said as he stood up and walked over to the bed.

"I've never been off the glacier before... I'm too scared to go alone," She admitted, a slight bit of emotion cracking through her voice.

"You aren't alone now." Claren said, hinting at his earlier offer of going with her.

"Why would you go with me?" She uttered, almost coldly, "You owe me nothing."

Claren was shocked by the cold tone in her voice, it was very unlike her. "Because everyone should know their people. That and you may be happier among your own kind."

Glasica rolled onto her back, bare to him and knowing he was standing near her. "But you owe me nothing, where as I owe you everything." Her gold eyes stared at him, untold thoughts written within.

Claren continued on, trying not to focus on her body. "I'm not offering because I think you owe me something. I'm offering because you sound like you want to go and I am willing to go with you. I don't have anything else going on that is more important then helping you."

Staring at him a moment longer, she deemed what he said was truth and her gaze softened, "I'm... I'm sorry Claren." Curling, she hid herself from him and looked away. Glasica had tested him, and yet she had no idea why.

"I don't see why you should be sorry." Claren said with a smile, "But apology accepted anyways."

"I just... I don't know..." She uttered quietly, not looking at him standing above her.

Claren sat down on the bed next to her. "You are single-handedly the most interesting thing I have ever met and not eaten." He wasn't exactly sure how that sounded to her but he said it anyways.

One of her eyebrows quirked at that, but she accepted the compliment anyway. "I'm just a sphinx Claren, nothing more."

"Well, then you Sphinx are interesting." Claren amended. "When do you want to leave?"

"Tomorrow," She replied, "If we are to fly I want to give this wound a little while longer to heal."

Claren stiffened a bit after she spoke. "Flying? I thought we would walk." he said, a little worry in his voice.

Glasica furrowed her brow and leaned to the side to face him, "Why would we walk? Flying is a lot faster."

"I've never flown before, obviously." Claren said as he raised his arms and twisted his body to show there were no hidden wings or gliding flaps. "I think I will be a bit frightened."

"Oh nonsense. You don't trust me?" Curling around him, Glasica lifted her head to rest it on his knee.

"It's not that I don't trust you." Claren said honestly, "I just don't know how I will handle being that far from safe ground."

She laughed quietly to herself, one of her hands sliding up and over his thigh where her head lay and played with the strap holding his loincloth to his thin frame. "Probably just how you handle my advances... with caution."

Claren smiled at her joke about his sexual insecurity. "And if you handle it in the same situation then you will eventually overpower my will to say no."

"I'm just asking for you to give it a chance," She said offhandedly, meaning both flight and some... bodily enjoyment. Twisting, Glasica turned onto her back with her head still resting against his thigh. Taking his hand in hers, she pressed it between her breasts, over her heart. "Give this a try." She whispered, looking up at him.