Demons in the Night

[Deleted]

It seemed like Nico was finally beginning to see the truth of Ker's existence, and she nearly levitated into the air at the notion. She had completely forgotten the incident at camp and the beatings that would meet her upon her return. This was the golden opportunity, and she was going to grasp it with all four paws...and her tail, for good measure. She blithely ignored the twists to his features as he tried to grasp what was happening. She was too far gone to try and analyse what each twitch and crinkle meant. Instead, she picked up on the beginnings of the story. It started out the same as Ker's and she felt her anticipation build. Were they going to be the same? Were they going to be different? She watched him lie down, and it took all her willpower not to bounce closer to him. Just because she was able to peer down into his eyes did not mean that his story would be told any faster. So she kept herself still, her tail swishing backwards and forwards and backwards and forwards. The words were beginning to fall now, slowly and first but with gathering swiftness. It was music to her ears, this story. It unfolded as she expected, and yet there was a different spin to things. A more...human spin to things. She felt her heart blossom, and she was so close to forgiving Zarek his transgressions. How could he help his actions if he had never known kindness as a pup? To have his siblings murdered; to be trained for murder...well, no wonder he lost his mind! She didn't comment, for fear of interrupting the story. Instead, she leant closer, almost trying to drink the words off Nico's lips. She could have hugged him. Kissed him even!! Before she could properly think through her action, she'd lent down to run her tongue briefly across his cheek. "Thank you" she breathed, staring down at him with wonder in her eyes. This was going to work. This was really going to work!! "It never was Zarek's fault. He could no less help his upbringing than you or I." She took a step back, understanding dawning on her. "It is admirable, really, that he found love. Perhaps he didn't pursue it quite correctly...but he made the effort. That is more than can be said for a great many others." She paused, his last words ringing in her ears. Now was going to be the tricky part. She needed to make quite sure that Nico didn't have any of Ker's mad aspirations. "Do you hope to finish what Zarek started? Find a mate who'll understand you and bear your young?" She paused, a faint frown marring her features. "You mentioned Zarek saw females as failures for not being Shai's...ghost or reincarnate or whatever it is he was searching for." She nibbled her lip, worried at the answer to the question she wasn't sure how to phrase. "Do you think us that worthless?" "Speech"

[Deleted]

Nico

Nico knew he was playing on very shaken ground, there was a chance that he was about to be sent spiraling down something deemed worthy. His head tipped to the side and he watched her absorb. Yes, he needed to be comfortable, despite the smell of the dead beside him. But his eyes were tinged with the look of a madman, even while he spoke so calmly. It was startling to think he could harness himself so well,  even Xanthus would have questioned what was happening to him. Perhaps it was just the fact he was in the presence of another more gone around the bend than himself.

Whatever he expected though, it was not the tongue across his cheek. The male was shocked, his head jerking back as he blinked owlishly at the female. Confusion reigned on his features, even as she started talking once again. What was the purpose of that? What had been her intentions, or had it been truly impulsive? Nonetheless, to touch him was considered to be an insult most of the time. The rage never blossomed though, and he managed to gape in a little bit of air like a fish might have before he spoke. "Of course, my father was a victim of circumstance, he was born genetically hardwired for insanity -- but it might never have rose had it not been for the circumstance."

As he swallowed down the bitter pill that was on his tongue, his tail swished lazily behind him. It was hard not to marvel at the female. Well, at least she was content to go along with his story. It was the truth he knew, but he had heard many other versions. Head tipped a bit, and his mouth twitched. Ah, now she was thinking about something very serious. Did she not realize how clear her face was with the expressions that were offered?

How did he feel about females? Ah, a tricky question, He blinked at her, but his voice responded the best he could. "I've given you time to attempt to prove yourself, haven't I?" His words were blunt, curious. "I am not one to judge on gender, I know an idiot when I see one -- ah, the alphas of the other territories for example. I've yet to meet one who could hold their ground." His laughter was harsh, but he shrugged his shoulders. "Some are worthless... I simply choose to either kill or disassociate myself with them. But everyone gets a chance." Until they open their mouth, anyway, the male silently amended.

[Deleted]

She was quite relieved when her impulsive show of - well, it wasn't quite affection, but it was certainly somewhere on the road to such - was met with a simple blink of the eyes. She hadn't trampled over any boundaries that had him hissing and snarling like a wet cat. It also meant that she could swiftly move on with the crazy idea that had blossomed in her chest. It was as though she had been rebirthed, the world suddenly full of lightness for all that they were stranded on a dark beach at night. She knew she shouldn't get excited over something that could so easily backfire and throw her into a viper's nest...and yet she had always been painfully optimistic. That, and she was desperately in need of some good news. He answered her question readily enough, his words falling on her ears like rain unto the parched earth. "You have, Nicostratus. Oh, you certainly have!" She was quivering with the enormity of what she was about to do, a bright smile curling across her features. She didn't care that she was probably an open book for the male to read - she was never going to learn how to mask her emotions. Privately, she didn't think it was healthy to do so in the first place...but then not everyone was an open-hearted as she was. She tried to breathe deeply, her tail beating the air in a near frenzy. Oh goodness, oh gracious! "I must calm down" she muttered, letting her body drop suddenly to the ground. She landed with a dull thud, her breath catching momentarily in her throat at the impact. Right, now she needed to calm down just enough so she could think straight. She needed Nico to believe her, and be willing to extricate her from the mess that was Ker's ambition. "Your cousin tells a different tale" she managed a long moment of simply staring at the wolf before her. "His acts of unmitigated murder and torture are all done in the name of his father. He believes that in killing all who stand in his path, he will fulfil the destiny that Zarek could not." She paused, her voice softening slightly before she continued. "Yet all he manages to do by such is tarnish Zarek's name. Who will remember the good in him, the trying life he led when his son is the perpetrator of sins far darker than anything your father performed whilst in the clasp of insanity?" She was vaguely aware that it was morally incorrect to set brother upon brother...but what hope did she have. She had tried to show Ker the error of his ways gently, and he had simply rebuffed her attempts. No, this was something she was not able to do on her own. She needed allies...strong friends on the outside to cover her back...and she was almost certain this miserable night had introduced just the wolf for that. "Can you really tolerate these actions? Are you really willing to let Kerberos ruin Zarek's legacy with his own blind ambition?" "Speech"

[Deleted]

Nico

Namiko was not the kind of wolf that he would have wanted to meet on one of his more impatient days. The reminder was enough to keep him well leashed while he watched her all but trembling. The reaction was welcome, he was pleased that she was so delighted with the concept in spending time with him. Whatever was rolling around in her mind was quite the advancement, and he was content to lay there and wait for her to breach the issue.

What was the purpose behind her intent? It was something that played on his mind while she attempted to work herself out of the fizzle. Surely she was just not looking for a story about his father, no matter how wonderful the wolf had been. Laying his head on his paws, the exhale was harsh as he felt the air roll over his lips. What a madness it was to get to deal with a wolf so foolish, so intent on making the world a better place when that was not so easily achieved.

Tipping his head to the side, he listened to the words that came out of her mouth. The male looked utterly impassive over the announcement, although the sigh rolled out of his lips. "Murder was not off the table for Zarek, you know. He liked hanging bits of bodies around his territory as a warning to others." His words were careful, nonchalant. What was he really feeling? Well that was not to be decided quite at the moment. Everything that was being spoken about would have to be ran through Xanthus.

Yes, he would need time to think on the concept. While Zarek would have held no issue in ruining the lives of everyone, and clearly this female seemed like the type who would fall under a crazy wolf's hold... Well. His head shook lightly, "I won't start a war for you." His voice warned, soft on the air. "What a crazy wolf does with his sheep is his own issue, my dear." There was a tone to his words that was supposed to be reassuring, but he wagered it was not.

"Zarek would be pleased with his kin spreading chaos." His words were gentle still as he spoke, but the frown was evident in his features. "But no, he would not tolerate his name besmirched." The consideration was certainly something to flop over a few times in his mind. Such a trouble it was to even consider it.

[Deleted]

As the male spoke, she felt the sparkling bubble of hope in her chest tremble and lose its lustre. When the damning speech was over, the bubble quivered one last time before succumbing to gravity. It shattered on the rock bottom of her despair and she felt the air crushed from her lungs. It was a good thing she was already lying down, else this devastating proclamation would have knocked her paws right out from beneath her body. That Zarek had murdered for fun, she was aware of. Despite the mitigating circumstances, she could not fully absolve him of guilt...no matter how well Ker and Nico painted him as the victim. She scrambled her wits together, trying to come up with a way of salvaging a situation that had run so horribly out of her control. "I did not ask you to start a war" she managed after a moment, a frown lining her features. "To do so would be folly on your behalf, unless you too have a pack at your back." She tried her best to hide the defeat in her voice, her gaze shifting from the male to stare unseeingly into the darkness. "But there will come a time when the lands will be fought after. Then war will be inevitable, and the question remains as to whose side you will be standing on." Her voice was soft and heavy, and she shifted her body to curl into a tighter ball. The shadow of foreboding lingered on the edge of her conscience...and she knew in her bones that something terrible was going to uproot life on these lands. She didn't know what would spark it, or how it would end. But it was definitely coming. She twisted her head to meet Nico's gaze squarely, releasing a shaky breath. "Perhaps you will wish to counsel with your brother" she began earnestly, not quite sure where her words were going to take her. "Kerberos will not appreciate your existence, and I will not being able to keep that from him. All I can offer you is updates on the expansion of his realm and aspirations." She fell suddenly silent, a look of utter shock crossing her features. What had she just said?!? Was she out of her mind??? She lurched to her feet, kneading the ground agitatedly. "Oh my! This is madness. This is treason!" She turned about in a circle, worry lining each angle of her body. "i shouldn't have said anything. I should never have left the den. No, no, no...this is bad. Terrible!" She was speaking hurriedly, her ears flat against her skull as the enormity of what she had just offered hit her. She should just leave. Confess her sins to Kerberos and accept her fate. Feeding Nico information was way out of her league - she couldn't even lie without feeling guilty, let alone lying convincingly. No, this was utter madness. Kerberos was a bad, bad influence...but she'd already known that. "Speech"

[Deleted]

Nico

Intensity was not lost in the feelings that were being thrown at him. He felt the tensions and saw the relief that was sudden, violent. His head cocked to the side and he found himself offering a bit of an amused glance at the dead seal. There was no missing the fact that the female felt like she was about to suffocate herself, and eyes closed carefully as the burning was just a smack up the side of the head.

He considered her words, and her offered the faintest of smiles. "For such a well meaning girl, you're very manipulative." His words were proud of the notion, shocked at the mere fact he had stumbled upon such a little treasure. His tongue snaked out of his mouth, running over his teeth before he offered a wide yawn. It was just a fact that had to be stated, so he managed to give her a pointed look.

A raised brow welcomed to the words that she would report to him, and he stirred enough to look surprised. "Gentle, my little filly, gentle." He was up on his paws as he cooed to her, creeping in close. She was lost, and yet he had suddenly found her a bit more fascinating. Treasonous little wench indeed! Heart was throbbing in his chest, he leaned down and brushed his nose against her face gingerly.

"He will kill you for talking to me then." His words were confident as they whispered in Namiko's ears. His head pulling back as he offered her a bit of concern, "He will not tolerate, if he's as bad as you say, a moment of you being so... cruel to his trust." His head shook fiercely, and he shifted to pace around the female, running his gaze over her. No, if they were going to play the game of chance, he was going to play it the way he wanted. So when he came back to the side again, he dropped himself beside her, he half curled his body around hers - marvelous, his body big enough not to be denied.

"You will, for the good of yourself and others, go back and lie to him." His purring voice murmured, "I know you have trouble with it - you feel it wrong, but do not worry. If you give him all he hopes for, in slow little hungry pieces like he's breaking you down and winning..." His  head shook briskly, "You'll seduce his eyes away from the horrors that await him. Perhaps if you want to save him, he can be saved. If not... there may be a time when I will kill him for you." His eyes twinkled, and he offered her a bit of a smile.

"You are an appropriate judge of character, Namiko. I can tell. I will not ruin your chances at bringing about redemption if that is what you wish to try first." His eyes softened, offering her a serious look. Leaving up the decision to a loon seemed irrational, but oh, he had his reasons. Delicious reasons indeed.

[Deleted]

She froze when his cool nose brushed against her cheek, and she was almost certain her heart stopped beating for a moment. The touch was unprecedented...and by all rights, she ought to have recoiled or started....or even just give a reaction. He was big and strong, and very definitely - potentially - dangerous. All things that reminded her of Ker and the misery that awaited her at the dark males paws. Yet Nico was different - he was softer and more reasonable, and so she let herself fall back down to the ground beside him. His body was solid and warm beside hers, and she was vaguely aware that he must feel the ridges of her ribcage. Until now, her long white hairs had shielded the thinness of her body from sight. As much as she didn't care much about appearance, she suddenly felt the irrational urge to prettier. She scolded herself mentally for the nonsensical whims, closing her eyes as she leant against her new friend. He was comforting, for all that she still had no idea where his allegiance lay. "He might" she agreed quietly, letting her head rest upon her paws. "Though he'll probably prefer to bring me within an inch of death. He'll want to break my spirit completely before giving me to death." There was no judgement in her tones, just a load of sorrow for the wolf who was so determined to ignore love and kindness. "He'll not manage that, though" she continued, perhaps more confidently than she should have been. "As long as I can see the world and know there is still joy to be found in it, my soul will stay intact." She opened her eyes slowly, the pupils dilating in the meagre light as she peered up at the male. She would have to lie. She would have to be manipulative. Her heart stuttered at the notion, and she pressed herself more firmly against the male - trying to draw his strength into her frail body. "I will play my part" she echoed quietly, a soft sigh slipping across her lips. What choice did she have, after all? A lapse in honesty was a small price to pay for the freedom of her fellow prisoners. "I shall determine with time if there is any hope of saving the damned" she whispered, hoping in her heart that Kerberos would be willing to find forgiveness. "I might yet prevail..." her voice trailed off, her eyes closing in a painful reminder of what would happen if she didn't. "If not, then at least his soul may find rest without decimating wolf-kind." The wind had died down, she realised, the waves no longer grabbing the shore with unruly fingers. Instead, it murmured softly, a quiet tune that threatened to lull her to sleep. "They will have missed me at camp by now" she spoke to no-one in particular. "This is the first place they'll look for me, so it would probably be best if we parted ways for the moment." She couldn't shake the sadness from her tunes, as she pulled herself away from the male. "Be careful when you next stop by, my friend" she murmured, rubbing her cheek briefly against his. "When you next wish to see me, speak to the ocean. She'll send your message to me." With a last lingering look in the male's direction, she trotted towards the cold waters. A quick bath wouldn't completely erase Nico's smell...but it would at least mask the closeness she had shared with the male. "Speech"