only for you - open; gator skull

Not to long ago her girlfriend had done an amazing feat. One that needed prowess and quick feet. The strength to out match the large reptilians was no laughing matter and she had experienced it when fighting a crocodile herself. There was to her and her people no greater feat or blessing from Cipactli to be able to kill one. Even a cousin of the crocodile was something to behold. It had been a few days now since she had been gifted the gator from Arrow and she had been spending time between her duties and making a gift. She hoped that her moon would love the two gift she was about to present to her after a few more touch up. With care she took the items with she for a wash. Finding salt water to be the best thing to preserve the skull.

She took her time, scrubbing and making sure it was bleached white and no longer was stained with the tint of red or pieces of flesh. She had already made the skin, dying the scales along the side a striking yellow for Arrow to wear if she wanted to. As she left the beach the woman held pride in her gaze as she carried the skull into town. Tail waving back and forth as she looked for the king cheetah. "Ah. Has anyone seem Arrow? She is looking for her to give her some things." The Luminary asked after she out the skull down, trailing off to go and get the skin and bring it back.

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Tis was true, the legends were fact. Arrow had kicked the shit out of one of the swamp gators in a burst of manic energy that probably wasn't too bright in retrospect, but shut up, she killed a giant lizard. Or so she would say if confronted about her potentially fatal mission with no warning, rhyme or reason.

The wounds sustained had begun to sting from time to time, once the adrenaline and frustration of the recent happenings began to wear off. To her disdain, she had actually began to care about if her appearance was still up to standard, if only for Elsweyr and no one else. Without the validation from her girlfriend, the cheetah could not have given less of a fuck. Even if the asymmetrical damage could pose both an annoyance and benefit for pranking purposes, whipping around to frighten flightly Tanglers with a sudden mutilated ear and scar that would make a seasoned mobster jealous. Or, it would be that soon enough, she was still healing. But you always sort of knew when something would be a scar.

"Perhaps she's hunting for her new target. Dad joke, darlin'." Having heard that the Luminary was looking for her, Arrow had been persuaded to leave her resting spot immediately, finding her new task to appear present much more important. The skull Elsweyr carried was finely preserved, and she expected it had been made from the large prey and was to be placed somewhere in the home they both shared. "What'cha got there?"

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It was funny how Atbash made a home here, despite the alligators scaring her. She didn't like them, for good reason, obviously; they could probably swallow her up in one gulp, wouldn't they? They were ferocious creatures and to a certain extent, so were dragons. And yet dragons were sentient most of the time and had a thought process just like her or Elsweyr. It was fascinating how similar species ended up on two separate spectrums, although granted maybe the radioactive waste prevented these gators from evolving. Atbash didn't know, nor did she care to.

The savannah was relaxing on her porch when she heard Elsweyr's voice. She opened her eye, listening in to the conversation that was happening. Her gaze lingered on the skull that the Luminary carried, before she finally looked back up at Elsweyr, waiting for her to respond to Arrow.

Watching her walk up, feeling the fast pace of her heart hammering away at her chest as she gripped the skin in her jaws. It was like the first time all over again. A moment where she didn't understand what her own feelings were trying to say to her. She was such a clumsy woman back then in her own opinion. But she had grown so much and she really hoped that she was someone who was worthy enough for Arrow. Someone she could lean on. Someone she could trust. The lioness tried to focus and calm herself. Smile as she laid the other gift beside the skull she had brought here first. With a sweep of her fire tipped tail she leaned forward and aimed to press her muzzle against the other woman's, a gentle caress against the side of her snout before she stepped back. The wild lioness didn't show it often but she was strained. Tired. Breaking

"She is sure, jokes aside, any target she chooses won't stand a chance." She meant her words as she saw her love to be a formidable fighter. But she had veered from the true reason she had brought her here. Lightly she moved both the skin and the skull toward the cheetah, shuffling her paws. "She cleaned them for her. Trophies for her catch. She can wear them with pride for her accomplishment and if she wants this one could give her a bone piercing to commemorate the feat."

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"T-Totally, not a chance. I'm pretty damn tough, yeah. Strongest thing in the swamp." Arrow rubbed her face with a paw, a dazed but affectionate expression matched with an equally dazed stupid smile as the lioness stepped back. This was starting to get ridiculous, at least to her, there had to be a point where she could physically handle affectionate gestures from her girlfriend without acting like she'd never so much as brushed shoulders with someone. Not that she had a lot of experience with this romance thing, in reality she had next to none. It wasn't much of an excuse to look like a fool, jingling around with a beat red face and a little bell like a silly court jester. Metaphorically, of course.

Luckily for her, the skull and skin that Elsweyr had so lovingly cleaned gave her a distraction for the time being, which was enough to snap her back to reality. At least for a moment, only being replaced with a new emotion. The cheetah lightly stroked the side of the skull, blinking up at Elsweyr and back down at the gifts. Both for her. "I...I don't know what to say, I got nothin', m'just...that's real nice." She was just choking up is what she was. Arrow inhaled shakily, rubbing her eyes as they began to tear up a little. Nope, nope, she was the toughest thing in the swamp, she wasn't supposed to cry. But this was nice enough to jostle the emotions within her like a snow globe. "Thank you." She at least got the important thing out of the way before she started actually crying, sniffing and nodding at the offer of a new piercing in the ear that wasn't totally fucked.