Tag: brothersofthedominion

Guilt- Aldaril/Jhasi

brothersofthedominion:

The soldier lifted his head just enough to see that it was the Khajiit from Icarus’ classes, but slowly lowered his head back down.

Aldaril clenched the neck of the bottle before he took another long swig. Gods no, he did not want to answer that question. His breathing shuddered as he took a moment to figure out how to explain to the Khajiit that he had destroyed a family earlier that day.

“Just a-… Just another rough day at– at work.”

Aldarils eyes rolled back to the khajiit, “It was J’hasi, wasn’ it? Yer… yer in my- uh, my brothers classes, yeah?” He took another gulp from the bottle. “M’sorry you gotta deal with all of that… He-… He used to not be like tha’, I dunno what happened to ‘im.” He slammed the bottle onto the pelt covering most of the floor. “The hell am I sayin’? ‘Course I know what happened to ‘im. Th-this godsdamned job happened to ‘im, thats what.” He lifted his hand to his face, fingers pressing firmly against his brows, “But hey, tha’s my fault right? I’m th’ only reason he’s here after all.”

He shook his head, looking at the empty bottle in his hand “I jus’ wanted to keep m’ family safe, y’know? Not murderin’ sh- civilians over petty religious politics.”

A ‘rough day at work’? That sure was a hell of a way of putting it. Now that he was closer to the source, J’hasi could smell other scents mixed with the blood, unfamiliar, but he could smell fear, the whelp… The Khajiit jumped at the bottle hitting the floor, tail puffing behind him. He slowly relaxed as the mer kept talking, ears pulling back a little as he listened.

He wasn’t sure if getting closer was a good idea or not, but it seemed that Aldaril was more of an upset drunk than a violent one. The Khajiit slowly sat down on the floor near the end of the bed, thinking over what he was going to say before he said it, keeping some distance in case he was wrong and Aldaril was in fact a violent drunk.

“M’pretty sure anyone who goes into any sort of organized force has similar intentions, and those higher up the chain wouldn’t say anything to the contrary. Anything to get bodies in the army and swords in their hands.” Granted, his reason for joining the Blades was very different. The Emperor got him out of prison solely to use him to consolidate power in a province he couldn’t take by force, and if he refused to do what he was told…

J’hasi shook his head. Focus. He could get some information here. Maybe even something useful to use against the Thalmor stalking the students and staff. Even if Aldaril hadn’t really bothered anyone here, maybe…something to use against his brother or his superior. Anything. He swallowed, then tried to appear more at ease, pulling his knees up to his chest and folding his arms over them.

“You really can’t blame yourself for choices he makes. They’re his own. I don’t see you pushing him when he runs off to do something stupid.”

Secrets Down Under- Icarus/J’hasi

brothersofthedominion:

“Alright you.” Ancano sneered as he dragged his subordinate into the courtyard, “Show me where this werewolf is.”

Icarus pointed at the trap door, refusing to take another step closer until he was certain the beast was gone. Ancano couldn’t roll his eyes any further into the back of his skull. He grumbled something in Altmeris as he stormed his way to the trapdoor, flames at the ready in one of his hands. Opening the trap door, his gold eyes scanned the bottom of the ladder. He puzzled, noting that something large was definitely down there, but a werewolf? Preposterous.

He stuck his head in through the door before going down the rest of the way. Moments passed, and while Icarus would have no qualms over Ancanos demise, he also wouldn’t want that thing to have an reason to come back up here. Icarus jumped when he heard the trapdoor slam open, and for once, he was relieved to see Ancano. Ancano however, did not feel the same about Icarus obviously.

“There was nothing down there but a boot, you miserable sleck!” The Altmer snapped, slamming the foul-smelling boot into Icarus’ face. “I’m not wasting any more time with this. I’m going back to bed, and I suggest you do the same. I don’t care if you’ve had 30 minutes of sleep or not, I will see you at your classes tomorrow. Is. That. Clear?!”

“But it was– It- It had m–” Icarus struggled to form words and gestures, “Sir I assure I was not–” eventually giving in to Ancanos demands, “…. Yes sir.” Icarus slumped back in defeat to his dorm room. Chucking his uniform into one of the laundry buckets. He exhaled through his nostrils, Aldaril had already taken claim to the bed. Icarus curled himself onto the pile of old bedrolls until,

<“Hey Icarus?”>
<“Yeah?”>
<“Why’s it smell like piss in here all the sudden?”>

——————————

The next morning was a long one for Icarus, he was barely able to keep his eyes open, grumbling as he shifted awkwardly in the mages robes. The mess room was rather quiet this morning. Icarus couldn’t help but notice that he had about as much helpings on his plate as Aldaril did. Maybe it was the stress from the werewolf perhaps?

“Gods, these are so uncomfortable.” Icarus grumbled, fidgeting with the wool on his sleeves.

“Well, maybe next time don’t piss your robes and you wouldn’t have this problem.”

“Fuck you Aldaril! I’m telling you, theres a werewolf down there in that cellar!”

Aldaril crooked his brows, taking a spoonful of stew.

“You sure you just didn’t see a bear or something? You always overreact whenever you see bears.”

“Oh shut up! I know a bear when I see one and that was definitely not a bear!”

“Why were you down there anyways?” Aldaril tilted his head at his brother, “I thought that area was restricted, or at least according to Ancano…”

“N-Nothing I just-…” Icarus was flustered, looking both ways before getting up.

“Where are you going?”

“I’ve got to get to class. I’ll see you around,”

The Khajiit came around again a few moments after shifting back, sore and cold and by the Hist his head… J’hasi grimaced, pressing his forehead into the snow under him, eyes squeezed shut. While he always had a massive headache after his monthly shifts, this one was particularly bad… When his skull felt less like exploding and more of just pulsing uncomfortably he sat up slowly, looking around to survey the damage. His eyes wandered over the scrambled pawprints, the barely-touched venison still frozen solid (he figured that the wolf wouldn’t like it) and…

The straps were chewed clean through.

J’hasi shivered, hoping that no one heard him down here at least, though after getting cleaned up a little and dressed before sneaking back to the dorms…it seemed something had happened last night, and he had a sinking feeling it had something to do with him.

He’d gotten a mead to slug down before classes, not looking forward to lecture and spellcasting with his head as it was when he caught the Thalmor whelp’s conversation with his brother. The Khajiit’s heart froze in his chest before unsteadily pounding, listening intently while staring down at the label of his drink, trying to appear calm and not-listening. He shivered a little, the brat had seen him, moreover, he had opened his big mouth about it to everyone on College grounds…

He’d have to be more careful. Or at least give his wolf a bit more of a chance next time…he was wondering why his fur reeked like piss this morning…

Secrets Down Under- Icarus/J’hasi

brothersofthedominion:

<”OH SWEET MAGNUS, NO NO NO NO NO!”> The justciars shrieks echoed through the courtyard. He desperately thrashed his leg to get the sudden stabbing pain off his ankle. It was when he looked down to give the beast a good kick to the face was when his heart went from nearly pounding out of his chest to a complete stop.

Now that he had finally gotten a proper view of what was trying to maul him, the piss he had been fighting so hard to contain had overcome his abilities to actually contain it. He hardly noticed the warmth running down his legs as his eyes were glued what he could only describe as– no, that was definitely a werewolf chewing on his ankle.

The terrified mer held no composure as he screamed, kicked, and pulled away until his boot came off with a pop, whether if it was the lubrication of sweat and urine, he didn’t care. Icarus bolted away from that blasted trap door as quick as a spooked hare.

The doors of the Hall of Attainment opened up with a crashing boom. Icarus paying no heed to the noise of crashing and hyperventilating as he knocked down the nearest barrels and crates in front of the door.

He immediately slammed into the door of his dorm immediately after, his brother immediately jumping out of his sleep.

“Wh- Who- Who goes t–” Aldaril scrambled between Altmeris and common to make out a composed sentence, trying to process what was going on. <“Icarus…?”>   He rubbed his eyes, finally noticing his brother, <“Where have you been? Ancano was looking for you all night. Do you even know what time it is? Where is your other bo–”>

<“GODS. ALDARIL. WEREWOLF. WEREWOLF.”> The spooked justiciar struggled to form a proper sentence, a mess of words rolled gracelessly from his mouth at the speed of light.

<“Woah, woah. Slow down, slow down. In Altmeris please.”> Aldaril held out his hands, attempting to calm down his panicked brother. <”What happened?”>

<“THERE’S A FUCKING WEREWOLF. OUTSIDE IN THE GODSDAMNED DOOR. TRYING TO EAT ME. IS THAT CLEAR ENOUGH FOR YOU. YOU COLOSSAL DEN’NT.”>

A loud thud made the mer yelp, but got flustered when he heard voices outside either demanding that they kept it down or demanding to know what was going on. The rest of the color drained from the justiciars face when he heard that all too familiar voice storming down the hall, slamming the door open.

“Oh, I hope you have a very good excuse as to why you are making this kind of racket at the crack of dawn,” Ancano seethed through his teeth, the fires of Oblivion blazed in his eyes, “Because at this point I have absolutely no qualms with shipping you off to the neare–”

“Werewolf. Outside.” The justiciar wheezed, looking as if he was going to pass out any minute.

“What?”

“Werewolf. Th-theres a werewolf outside.”
There was silence for a moment, then a sudden round of murmurs of concern passed through the hall, before Ancano grabbed the justiciar by the collar, scoffing at the mess he had made in front of the entrance, “Aldaril clean that mess up. This ones going with me to show me this… ‘werewolf.’” Icarus shook his head violently in protest but Ancano was having none of it. The second the entrance was cleared, he dragged the sorry excuse for a justiciar out into the open.

The beast was bound and determined to get its meal, but the rush of scent invading its nose, its mouth from the prey’s urine made its grip slip just enough for it to escape. Well, sans a boot. The creature snorted, shaking its head vigorously to rid itself of the overwhelming stench and taste as the prey took the opportunity to scramble up the ladder and outside.

The wolf let out a snarling roar before leaping for the exit, only to yelp when it slammed its shoulder into the frame and knocked itself back down to the tunnels below. The beast climbed up the ladder and attempted to squirm through, but all it could do was get its head and a single shoulder out in time to see its meal vanish into yet another door.

The were growled sharply, trying to push itself through even harder, legs trembling against the ladder under its paws, claws scratching into the underside of the trapdoor frame…but its shoulders were too broad, its rage pressing too strongly on its mind to think. It wriggled furiously, trying to get through until it let out a coughing bark, pushing itself back into the tunnels with a thump of snow.

The beast paced for a moment, growling, readying itself for another attempt before it felt that familiar sharp tug in its chest. It snarled in frustration, grabbing the lone boot from its prey and furiously shaking it in its jaws before throwing it against the wall, snarling again, louder this time. The werewolf huffed, frustrated and hungry before turning around, dropping to all fours as it started heading back into the depths of the tunnels, sulking over the loss of a fresh kill.

So close, but the moonset was far stronger than its own willpower.

Guilt- Aldaril/Jhasi

brothersofthedominion:

Aldarils mind was was a haze the entire trip back to Winterhold. The sobbing of the mother and child echoed hauntingly in his mind while they were escorted by Morwaen and her companion. Icarus dragged the mangled corpse behind him like a hunting dog who had caught its first prey. The soldier found it difficult to step foot into town; he could feel the icy glares of the observing townsfolk crawling up his back. His stomach churned as they hurled insults and threats towards him and his comrades. Icarus returning the threats did not help the matter. 

Ancano was already waiting at the gates of the college, not even bothering to look up at first. “Well, did you come up with s-… Oh dear.” The older mer grimaced when he saw both his subordinates caked in blood and one of them with a headless carcass. “Well, I suppose I’ll need to make a report on this and inform the jarl.” He exhaled deeply through his nostrils, lips stretched, “Well done, you two.”

While Icarus took the praise like a proud child, Aldaril hardly acknowledged it, just staring blankly ahead. A ten minute walk to the college seemed like an hour, the guilt weighed heavily on his mind. From the corner of his eye, the student mages stared at him, some looking concerned, others shaking their head in disappointment and turning away.

Aldaril trudged his way to their dorm room, letting the bloodied armor collapse onto the floor as he undid the leather straps securing them. He approached the basin; Icarus forgot to empty the old water again, not that it mattered now. Washing the blood off his face, he trembled watching all of the blood drip from his hands. The water in the basin had gone completely red before he had gotten properly cleaned. The harsh words of the distraught mother replayed through his mind, followed by the curses and threats and protests of others he had arrested or even ended the lives of in the span of thirty years. The Altmer were either blessed or cursed with their acute memory. Stressed and overcome with overbearing guilt, Aldaril doubled over and retched into the basin. He gagged, coughing up acid and bile.

They told him it was for the good of the Aldmeri Dominion and the future and safety of its people. They told him this would get easier as the years went by. Thirty years later, nothings changed. He was murdering civilians and he was no longer even sure what he was fighting for anymore. He lifted the skirts from the bed, Icarus generally had some mead hidden under there. Finding an empty bottle, the Altmer chugged the entirety of its contents within a couple of swigs.

Changing into a set of clothes that weren’t covered in dry blood stains, Aldaril lumbered his way to the mess hall– there was no way in the eight divines he could go back to the bar, let alone Winterhold, without getting lynched. Clumsily placing a hand of septims onto the bar, he managed to utter the words “Three Alto. Please.” 

The taller mer glanced back; no one was even looking in his direction, but he could just feel the stares of disapproval hitting him like a mallet to the head. The second the lass at the bar placed the large bottles of wine at the bar, he grabbed them and booked it back to the dorm.

Some time had passed before he finished one of the bottles and was half way through the second. He was seated at the floor, leaning on the side of the bed. His ears caught a small creak at the door. He sighed heavily, taking one more long swig before responding.
<”Icarus, I dunno how much longer I can do this…”>

The presence at the door paused for a moment before pushing it open wide enough for the dark Khajiit to slip inside. He could smell the blood and vomit all the way upstairs and had to investigate or at least clean it up. This close to a full moon…it wasn’t exactly helping his studies…

J’hasi looked over the distraught mer, finding only bruises and… His breathing caught a little in his throat when he spotted the pile of discarded bloodied armor, his stomach clenching sharply. Would it be too much to hope that he’d murdered his brother in a fit of clarity? The Khajiit’s ears pulled back a little, tail curling behind him.

“S’not Icarus.” he said quietly, catching the sound of whispers behind him and slipping inside the rest of the way, closing the door for privacy. If Aldaril didn’t want him here, he’d probably say so. J’hasi took a slow breath, regretting it instantly as the rush of blood-scent taunted his wolf, making his mouth water a little. He swiped over his mouth with his sleeve, cautiously approaching the Altmer on the floor, drunk or at least on the way.

“…what happened? That’s not your blood, is it?” he asked, uncertain if Aldaril would even answer him.

Secrets Down Under- Icarus/J’hasi

brothersofthedominion:

EVADE CHECK: NAT 20 MOTHERFUCKER
PISS CHECK: 11

Icarus jumped at the sound of ice scattering across the floor. He turned his head to see those ungodly green eyes leering at the other side of the hall.

“Sleck!!” The Altmer yelped and scrambled as those macabre bellows grew from one end of the hall to the other in a matter of seconds. Every hair on the mers body stood on its root when a booming crash felt like it shook the entire hall behind him.

His eyes zeroed in on the stairwell not too far in front of him.

Just go up. Just run. Get out.

The mer stumbled his way up the stairs, scuttering through the icy hallway. He didn’t bother with the side doors– this thing could clearly track him down no problem so hiding was out of the question. He slammed into the door leading out of the hallway, the area behind it looking vaguely familiar through the barred rail of the door.

The door budged, but was clearly barricaded by something crunchy– probably snow– godsdamned this blasted snow. <”No, nonono, don’t you do this to me now!”> Icarus panicked, slamming his whole body into the door. A chill ran down his spine when he heard those wretched beastly sounds in the not-too-distance. Thoughts and judgement clouded by fear, the mer used whatever magick he had left to melt the snow instead of saving it to scare off the beast in another up-close attack.

He could hear its feet. The mer desperately slammed himself into the door until he got just enough leeway to squeeze through the door into a small room with a set of stairs and a ladder and–

Oh thank the divines: The exit.

The sound of cold howling wind had never sounded so divine. The mer wheezed out relieved laughter, but he wasn’t out of the woods yet. He made a beeline up the stairway, hands trembling as he grasped the ladder, desperately making his way up to freedom.

The beast tried to slow down, to turn and keep up with the fleeing prey, but it had been going too fast, the floors too slick, its claws only scrabbling against ice when it slammed full-force into the wall, knocking it silly. The wolf shook its head, dazed from the sudden impact, trying to find what it had been chasing down… Its eyes wandered, a little confused…until they snapped onto its fleeing quarry, this time trying to push open a door.

The wolf let out a snarling bark before darting after it, paws nearly tripping over one another as the hallway felt like it was swaying underneath it, hoping to catch its prey before it could open the door, pinning it against the planks and biting deep into its neck. Just when it thought it was going to gleefully tear into a fresh kill, the first good meal in months – it slipped free, darting for the hall beyond.

The wolf roared with rage, powering forward and slamming into the door full force, worsening the dizziness, but getting results. The door exploded outward with a sharp crack-crunch of ice, six-inch claws tearing into the layers of packed and drifting snow as the beast pursued its prey to what it could smell was the exit, fresh air lay just beyond…

The monstrous creature snarled as it sprang at the mer, teeth fastening around its ankle, bracing itself as it landed to pull its prey back into the seclusion of the hallways below. Saliva dripped off the heel of its boot as the beast growled, jerking its head sharply, hoping to loosen the quarry’s grip, ravenous for the taste of bloody flesh freshly torn from bone.

Secrets Down Under- Icarus/J’hasi

brothersofthedominion:

If there was something Icarus was competent for, it was chasing down heretics, and running away from danger. The Altmer bolted like a rabbit running from a bear. An icy chill ran down his spine when he heard the blood-curdling sounds echo throughout the frozen hallway. With stamina running out and no magicka for a second dose of flames, he had to think fast.

D20 LOCK CHECK: 8

Charging through the first door he saw, he slammed it shut behind him. He slammed the lock bolt into the wall, but failing to notice that it did not slide over all the way as he continued his panicked flight back to the college. Or somewhere. Anywhere away from that thing.

Things went silent, the mer slowed himself to a cautious stride; he was going to need the energy should he run into that beast again. Not knowing where he was, not knowing what was chasing him, and not knowing how to get out– his mind was a mess.

He leaned his body onto his knees, panting rabidly out of exhaustion and fear. He needed to slow down, observe the situation, and think it through from there. He was in the bottom of the college, there was a massive beast after him, almost looked like a wolf. A werewolf maybe? Why would a werewolf be down here of all places though, that doesn’t make sense. Should he report that to Ancano? No, gods knowing, that would lead to him asking why he was down here in the first place and–

The mer froze in place when he heard a loud crash further behind him. <“Shit, shit shit shit shit shit—”> He cursed in Altmeris, looking desperately for a way out of this dungeon. Okay thinking time is over, he had more questions than answers– delightful. Not to further away there were a set of snowy steps leading up.

Sweet Magnus please let that be the exit.

The werewolf raced over the slick stone and freezing snow, claws skittering over patches of ice and only mildly tempering its fury as it tracked the wily prey that had escaped. It wanted to rip it to pieces, swallow chunks whole, crack open its bones and gnaw out its marrow… It slipped on another patch of ice, slamming onto the floor with a yelp before attempting to get back onto all four paws again, still trembling with rage. It could smell the quarry, but the slippery traction it could barely keep was slowing it down.

The beast stopped, ears pricking to listen, hearing the air currents in the underground passages, as well as the faint sound of its quarry’s harsh panting, panicked and quick, the sound of its frantically-beating heart even fainter… The ‘wolf licked its chops, fangs bared in its quivering rage before it sank its claws into the ice below it, making its way through the hall, following the panicked scent of its prey. It panted excitedly when it reached the stairs, finding them not nearly as slippery as the hall below.

When it had caught up to the prey, it kept quiet, even as rage wrinkled its muzzle, a growl threatening to rumble out of its throat. Would that fire appear again? It was barely a moment after that before it shook off the thought, creeping closer behind its meal, keeping pace and slowly gaining. Too hungry. Too much rage. It would tear its flesh before the fire had a chance-

A piece of fallen ice was knocked across the floor by its hasty claws, skittering over the stone and echoing loudly.

The ‘wolf’s ears shot up as it realized its mistake, its eyes snapping to the prey’s own for a heartstopping second…before the beast let out a snarling roar. It bolted down the hall, charging at full speed, claws and fangs ready for the kill. It wouldn’t get away this time. It would overtake its prey easily.

Secrets Down Under- Icarus/J’hasi

brothersofthedominion:

Every hair on the justiciars body lifted as a chill ran down his spine. That sounded a lot more closer than it needed to be. The Altmer slowly turned to immediately feel his heart drop to a dead stop. A pair of green eyes in the darkness of the hallway pierced his soul and not a moment later, the black blur possessing them leaped towards him at an ungodly speed.

“Sleck!” The mer shrieked, scrambling to get away– only to be blessed with slipping and falling onto the snowy ground just as the massive black blur launched over him, missing him only by a few inches.
The golden color drained from his skin as his eyes were glued to the predator– A humanoid wolf creature towering over him, saliva almost poured from its maw. <”Oh sweet Magnus, no. No, no, no, no- Oh sweet merciful Magnus–”>Paralyzed in fear, he couldn’t take his eyes away from those familiar eyes. His mind was a blur of haphazard thoughts, breathing had never been any harder than it was now.

He eventually got enough of a grip of himself to start crawling backwards, it was the only thought process that he could comprehend in this time of panic– Move. Get the hell out of there.  He eventually found enough force in his arms to push himself up, following his immediate rational instinct of blasting everything he had at this creature. Animals were afraid of fire. This should work. This had better work.

The ‘wolf snarled in annoyance when it missed it’s clumsy prey, turning as it landed with claws sinking into the thick coating of ice on the floor, leaving deep gouges behind. It ripped them free, claws clicking on the ice as it followed the crawling creature, jaws dripping, eyes burning holes into the quarry’s own… It licked it’s chops, saliva hanging down in thin threads from its sharp canines, bared, ready for blood…

When the prey got up onto its feet, the ‘wolf lifted its lips in the start of a roar, a deep growling already crawling up its throat, it was hungry and it wanted the taste of flesh now-

-only to yelp when a wall of fire rushed in from out of nowhere, startling the ‘wolf even as the flames harmlessly passed over it’s pelt, getting a shiver from the sensation. No scent of burnt fur, or feelings of pain…

The werewolf shook its head with a snort, a little blinded from the sudden flare of light, shaking off the heat from its pelt, looking up…

Its prey had fled.

The beast inhaled deeply, rising up on it’s hind legs to let out a bloodthirsty roar, infuriated by the trick. It was going to feast well tonight.

Secrets Down Under- Icarus/J’hasi

brothersofthedominion:

Icarus struggled to open his eyes, but he could definitely hear sounds– low growls rumbled through the halls of the icy chamber, followed by silence. The mers face scrunched as he yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. It took him a moment to realize how cold he was and that his robes were partially soaked from falling asleep in the snow.

<”Shit!”> The mer seethed through his teeth, scrambling on his feet as the panic began to set in his mind. How long had he been asleep?! What game of Questionnaire would Ancano play with him as soon as he got up there. Why did his mouth taste disgusting. And just what-

His thoughts came to a screeching halt when a booming abhorrent howl echoed throughout the entire Midden. Every hair on the mers body raised on its strand.

And just what in the holy name of Magnus was that?!

His instincts were screaming at him to get out of that place. The justiciar was hesitant at first to open the door, maybe stay hidden until whatever that was was gone. He pulled his dagger from its sheath, stuffed the tome into his jacket. The mer creaked the door slowly, peeked both ways. The coast was clear, the sounds he heard earlier sounded like they maybe came from below. As long as he went up, he should be fine. The mer ran his way up the hall and–

Oh gods.
Sure there were plenty of ways leading up, but most of the entries he saw probably did not lead back up to the college. He glanced at all the doorways frantically, choosing one and hoping it lead up.
Worse case scenario, plenty of places to hide.
Hopefully.

The beast panted excitedly, the broken strap had allowed it to shake off the harness, leaving it trailing along behind it before another vigorous shake left it to tumble into the snow. It was free, there was fresh meat lurking in this place, and the lack of other fresh scents made tracking delightfully easy. The were sniffed the ground, then the air, following its other scent upwards through the winding paths with ease, freezing in place when it caught a stronger whiff of the prey-scent it had been teased with before.

The ‘wolf approached the messed snow, the scent of bile strong in its nose before it moved to a flattened patch of snow, sniffing carefully. Young. Relatively healthy. Ate well, and had eaten recently…presumably before it had thrown it all up across the room. More importantly, it had only left minutes before.

The werewolf lifted its head, sniffing around, then found the bootprints in the snow, baring its teeth in a hungry grin as it trotted along on all fours, sniffing, catching up to its quarry. The scent of old bones, wet stone, ice, snow…it was merely the drab gray-and-white background to the fresh, bright red scent of the prey’s blood, the tinge of acrid yellow-green of vomit, the slightly-sweet and salty scent of sweat…

When it came closer, it slowed its trot to a walk, then a stalk, sniffing and finding that the prey was close. It slipped through a door soundlessly, careful not to let its claws scratch on the floor as its muscles quivered in excited anticipation of the hunt, the chase…the taste of fresh blood and flesh in its mouth, over its teeth and claws…

When it heard the prey’s breathing, it crouched down low, sticking to the shadows, readying itself to dart forward, eyes locking onto the vulnerable flesh of its leg, a quick bite and it would be unable to flee… The ‘wolf licked its chops quietly, then issued a low growl from the shadows…

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