Taste Of Poison

[Deleted]

King of the Coast, Kerberos

Paws were an exhausting move, and the shoulders were dropped and he could not find the motions that were coming on his heels. The burning sensation was enough to want to chew on something - anything. But that thought in itself was a dangerous one, and the risk whispering through his ears was enough to make him wary of the stones. The snow was falling, it was promising a cold ever after if he slipped into the water. Still he walked along the edge, looking particularly… unkingly. In fact, Kerberos appeared shaken.

Better thoughts for lesser kings, o captain my captain. The calm voice was one filled with mockery, but the danger in his tunes was enough to make sure that Kerberos forever listened to the Warlock. The danger of disguising himself in a spot of confidence was something he had to walk with. He was self proclaimed King of the Coast, he had been such for years. There had never been a loss for him, there had never been something missing in his heart.

Now he found himself wary with the thought that something might be happening, that a shift might be coming. Something had been happening with Namiko, something that had caused the dark male to want to stay away. Something about the last night he had spent with her… It had caused him some unsettling feelings about her, the place in his life. Ah, perhaps he was just being foolish. Perhaps it would have been easier to give her over to Maxim.

Maxim didn’t couple for fun, but he did it for punishment. There was no need of breeding for him, simply because most would not exist. The dominant part of the time she was forced to look at nothing but her den, but he had been sending Maxim for socializing. It was the best he had been able to think up in a small moment. There had been stranger things happening in the area around her.

Now she was shaking his head and finding the horror that he could not be denied by, the feeling that something terrible was about to happen. The anger was evident on his features, and his mouth pulled back and his teeth were showing. There was an aggression that could not be denied, the growl was soft in his chest. Someone was going to have to pay for him feeling so off center. Heavens forbid the first one he came across died from his mood.

[Deleted]

She was still smarting over Maxim's little joke. How could he think it funny trying to make her eat rotten meat? It also left her in an odd position of not knowing how much she could trust what the male told her. Part of her wanted to make it easy and say don't trust him at all. The other part of her cautioned her to take all his words into account in case he fed her a snippet of truth that would be the difference between torture and safety. Still, she was fed now...and that was the main thing. If Maxim got a kick out of making her suffer, then there was little she could do to alter that. Nico's words were ever on the forefront of her mind: 'Some of us don't want to be saved'. Well, it was quite plain that there was nothing in Maxim worth saving. Her heart ached at that acknowledgement. She had never given up on anyone in her life...it felt almost blasphemous to do so now. But she was left with no other choice. She had witnessed enough of the male to know that he was lost from lightness forever.  She had slipped out of her cave soon after Maxim left her in peace. She had half a mind to complain to Kerberos about her treatment, but she thought better of it. In the end, she had been fed. What right did she have to complain on the matter? The outside world was cold and white...the snow almost blinding as it reflected light from the surroundings. Namiko waited hesitantly for a moment, carefully scenting the air. Kerberos' scent was stale, and she mused that she hadn't heard him in days. The thought worried her. Had something happened to him? Or had he forgotten her? Both boded very poorly for her, and she set off at a brisk trot. She would take a very quick look around, just in case he was somewhere near by. She didn't dare go much further afield - the last thing she wanted was to be accused of running off when that was the last thing on her mind. Her punishment weighed too heavily on her mind for her to risk something of that magnitude. She shivered in the cold, sneezing as a snowflake landed on her nose. The longer she was out, the swifter the snowflakes fell, until they were dancing around her in a mad swirl of whiteness. She blended in perfectly, her white coat melting into the snowflakes that capered around her. "Where is he?" she whispered, almost afraid to break the silence. "Could you lead me to him? Please?" She let her paws carry her onwards, keeping a careful awareness out for the direction of her den. She had almost reached the outermost point of her self-imposed limit when she caught sight of something broad and grey...and moving. There was no doubt in her heart that it was the male she was looking for, and she hurried forwards. Halfway towards him, she slowed to a walk, suddenly second-guessing the sense of her actions. Would he approve of her seeking him out? Or was she supposed to be on standby whenever he wanted her company? Before she could backtrack and hide in the snow, she was too close. His gait was stiff, tension knotting the muscles of his back and shoulders. She nibbled her lip as she moved inexorably closer, like an iron filing drawn to a magnet. She felt she ought to say something...and yet Maxim had made it abundantly clear that she wasn't to speak in the king's presence unless he demanded it. As it was, she didn't know what to say. To ask him how he was would no doubt gain a derisive comment...or send him into a wave of fury. It was painfully obvious that something was not alright, but she doubted he would see fit to inform her of the matter. She was lowlife, after all. So she simply let herself fall into step beside him, her coat almost touching his, her gaze angled downwards. She could feel the tangle of his emotions, the crackling of his aura jangling her nerves. Oh, he was in a strange mood indeed! Still, she was here now. All she could do was try to offer some form of comfort until whatever ate at him found its conclusion. "Speech"

[Deleted]

King of the Coast, Kerberos


Eyes rolled skywards with the warning that someone was coming in his direction, and his shoulders tightened around the edges. There was a thought running through his mind to lash out, in the end it seemed highly unlikely that he would make the approach to anyone. The mood was dead on the air and his thoughts were running rampant with the notions of hurting someone, making someone pay for the dark foreshadows that had been unleashed on his world.

Ker’s gaze narrowed and his tongue flicked out of his mouth, knowing it was his little Wave who saddled up beside him. She was silent and docile, but his mood was only further irritated by that fact. What was she doing coming to look for him? What did she want from him if she had made it so busily known that she thought he was a monster? Perhaps that was the truth, Kerberos was a fair bit of a monster. He was a horror stricken demon that had no choice but to accept the choices that had been made in his life.

“Lesser have thrown themselves into the water in an act of suicide.” His words were quiet on the air, reflective of the conversation she had been offered up with Maxim; Kerberos had been depressed once upon a time in his youth, shortly after his father’s death. The loss had been a stab to the heart although the pair had never been close. His smile was faintly amused, “It’s always a pity to come across one of the girl’s bodies banging against the stones.”

“I am not who any female of sound mind would want,” His voice continued on as he walked, padding across the rocks. There was a cold look into his features and he twisted his face to peer at the little female. The look of thought stayed on his features, struggling to try and make sense of his own mood. It was not a pleasant thought, and his tail swished from one side to the other in a show of lazy threat.

Paws paused him, and his attention turned a little more intently to look at her in a show of honest displeasure. “I am a monster, but death is not an escape. Regardless of what you believe in.” His words were a warning of sorts, and his shoulders shrugged. His walking resumed, “I trust you’ve been obeying Maxim?”

[Deleted]

It was becoming increasingly clear to her that this might not have been such a stellar idea. Yes it was winter, and yes winter's tended to be cold...but it was perfectly gelid now that she was in Kerberos' company. Something had rattled him badly, and the little voice of common sense and self preservation warned her that now was probably one of the worst times to inflict her company on him. Then again, everyone needed someone who listened to their worries and comforted their fears. Not that Ker would agree with that, she thought glumly. She cast a sidelong look at him, the broad features drawn and impenetrable. Her silent and boring den suddenly seemed quite attractive. But now that she was here, she couldn't simply vanish again. So she traipsed across the snow, always careful to keep at his shoulder - altering her course to match his so the distance between them neither increased nor decreased. At length, when the soft crunch of snow beneath his weight grew nearly unbearable, he spoke. She started slightly at the sudden disruption, though her heart fluttered with relief. Now she might be able to gauge better how exactly to proceed. She frowned, sneaking a glance beneath his muzzle at the grey expanse of water far below. Why was he bringing up the conversation? Why turn to the topic of death when her being here made it abundantly clear that she wasn't about to bite the bullet. If things had gotten that desperate, and she found the courage to end her own life, then neither Maxim nor Kerberos would be able to stop her. "It would take great courage and greater desperation to cast oneself over the cliff," she commented quietly, not sure whether he was even looking for a reply. Things were never black and white with the male, and no matter where she stood one day, she was standing in a completely different place the next. Still, he'd probably make is painfully clear to her if he didn't want some of her insights. She nibbled her lip nervously at the thought. He was definitely in an odd mood, his next words catching her completely off guard. She turned to look at him, blue-grey eyes connecting with the single orb of his own. She held his gaze for as long as she dared, trying to read on the bleak features what it was that he needed. She came to an abrupt stop when his motions suddenly ceased, her tail kept low as he stared at her with disapproval. What had she done now? She stopped herself from cowering against the ground - he wasn't about to injure her yet, and she would salvage whatever pride she could. "Even monsters can be loved" she all but whispered, bravely keeping her gaze on his. "Everyone has a redeeming quality somewhere - it is just a question of whether one wishes to spend the time to find it." Even Maxim must have some semblance of goodness in him somewhere, though she wasn't about to go digging. But there was the way he looked at his king that informed her that there was a single streak of benevolence to him. He was suddenly on the move again, and she hurried to catch up. "No, death is not an escape, my king," the words sounded foreign on her tongue. "It is a termination. An ending to all we have accomplished and suffered, and the loss of all we could still give to the world." She sighed gently, watching her breath form little clouds in the snowflake-spattered air. "I have no fear of dying, that is true." She paused, choosing her words carefully. "I have not offered enough to the world. To step into emptiness without having done all that my heart asks of me - that is my fear." She fell silent, knowing that it was dangerous to be so candid with the male...and at the same time acknowledging that she must be honest with him on as many fronts as she could. She barked a short, dry laugh at his question. Obeying Maxim! As if anyone would have the madness to disobey. "I have. I would not dare to do otherwise." Well, not if it was something that Maxim actually required of her. If he'd applied a little more pressure, a little more force...then she would have eaten the rotten hare and suffered the illness that would follow. She remembered her wish to complain to her true keeper, and the words died in her throat. Now was probably the worst possible opportunity to raise the manner of her treatment. "Nonetheless, his company is less...engaging that yours. That is why I am here." She spoke simply, preferring to watch the snowflakes dance before her eyes. When it really came down to it, there was a vague sense of safety in Ker's presence...that simply wasn't around in Maxim's. "Speech"

[Deleted]

King of the Coast, Kerberos

The male was well aware that he could have scuffed her, shaken her. Hell, he could have thrown her to the ground and tortured her without needing to have a reason. However, he was not quite the shapeless monster that Maxim was. In all his glory, Kerberos was purely honest in who he was and the standards he kept. Even he, although it seemed impossible to think so, had standards in which he would not cross.

Which was why his keen eyes lingered on nothing but the sky, making sure she was not a spark to his rage. While he would harm her without thinking, it was not what he wanted this very moment. A small blessing to be sure, it was enough to give her some time to speak her mind. So he had the chance to listen to her, to process the words that had been bubbling out of her lips. Death was an answer to a lot of things, and his eyes rolled to look along her back for a moment.

"Fear is something wise to have in these times." His words were soft, amused, "I do not fear death's embrace either, although I do not encourage it." His honesty was given back since she had been so blunt, almost daring on the matter. It was enough to make him study her a little closer, but Ker was not interested in going so deep. "I am deemed in this land something... to be put down." His words were blunt, to the core. Almost like he had heard the thoughts on the wind.

No, it was the dang foreboding of his Warlock. The words hard been twisting about his ears, tormenting him. It was like he was walking beside him now, instead of his little Wave, and that feeling unsettled him. We can't all live to die, my liege. Shaking his head, he dismissed the words purring in his head, the promise that could not be denied.

"Maxim was once as normal as you are now," His words were slight on the air, his head tipped to the side as he swayed loosely in his walk. The slippery rocks whispering about a fall, but he had long ago snuffed out the concern of such. This was his land, this was his saving grace. "He is now little more than a thinly leashed demon, something of a present from my father, I suspect." Blithe words were almost reverent in the matter, but there was a small tint of sadness.

"I touched many lives in my youth." His amusement was slight, "None so much as Maxim, who was born here and simply never left."

[Deleted]

It was odd, how they could lapse into these moments of pure honesty. These moments in which she spoke from her heart and he answered like-wise. It was almost unnatural, given their very different positions in life. The way things worked in his pack, she had no need to think, let alone voice he opinions...and yet, for some odd reason, she was given special dispensation to do so. There were times where common sense told her it would be better to remain silent. She listened to him, keeping her heart carefully free of judgement. The male was like an onion, wreathed in so many different hues and layers that she dared not label him one thing before she had managed to see beneath the surface. She took his speech as another warning - a soft reminder that her life and sanity was in his grasp alone. She stopped dead in her tracks as he continued, horror outlined plainly on her features. Put down? Simply eradicated. "Who?" She wasn't capable of doing more than gasping out that one syllable, orbs wide in shock. Yes he could be cruel, and yes, she disagreed on the way he viewed a female's place in life. Most of all, she disagreed with the filthy way the less lucky girls were kept - toys for a male's anger or pleasure, and otherwise machines for breeding the next generation of warriors. A terrible thought came to her mind, and she barely managed to restrain the whine of horror. What if this threat came from Nico? What if he hadn't just agreed to trying to save the females? She shivered, limbs trembling with the enormity of what could just have happened. Nico had seemed kind and honest, someone she could curl up beside and not have to worry about something occurring. But he shared Ker's father - perhaps he too had a gilded tongue and careful masquerade to play. "No one should be put to death" she muttered, almost wildly as implications settled firmly into her conscience. Nico had said he would kill Ker if she asked him to; perhaps his offer of leaving her to redeem him had simply been a clever ploy to soothe her ruffled feathers? "They can't just kill. There is no honour or dignity in destroying something as sacred as life." Her head was spinning, her heart beating forcibly against her chest. True, Kerberos had done all of those things. Why shouldn't he suffer the fate that he had bestowed on others? It was a justified question...There would be many who argued the life of one wolf would outweigh the benefits of removing his presence from the land. But she simply could not reconcile with that emotion. No matter how much he had done wrong, no matter how many hearts his deeds had broken...she couldn't just hand him over. Not when his future was unwritten; not when she had the chance of showing him the light. She stumbled forwards again, sending little rocks skittering out from beneath her paws. His story of Maxim chilled her right to the bone. How much must have gone wrong if the Gatekeeper had once been normal? How much had Kerberos destroyed in a young wolf's heart to make him so vile a creature? She had hundred and one questions to ask, and yet she didn't have the bravery to face the answers. The knowledge of just what Kerberos could do to the innocent was heart-shattering, and she stared forlornly at the bleak surroundings. "You broke his heart" she whispered suddenly. The thought came to her completely out of the blue, but she knew instinctively that it carried at least part of the answer. The reverence with which Maxim spoke of his king, the cutting disdain of her being one of Kerberos' special companions...little details that all seemed to slip into place. "Did you know? Did you even care about the damage you caused?" Anger welled up inside her, furious at the damage inflicted on an untarnished soul. She halted again, glaring up at the male with fire in her eyes. "Did you take pleasure in his suffering? Did you enjoy watching as bitterness turned an open heart to the evil and darkness?" "Speech"

[Deleted]

King of the Coast, Kerberos

The ill boding feelings were not going to disappear. But the fact the female reacted as she had set him on edge. It was enough to cause him to stop in his tracks again, half circling as if he was going to start pacing the other way. Why was she so concerned when there was a clear feeling that she would be free again without him in her life? The notino was enough to make his head tilt owlishly, and the stare continued.

Who? "Many know of me, Namiko." The calm in his words was almost dead, flatlined with the sound warning and his tail flicked with a show of irritation. "I have made many enemies over the years. I intend to make more, simply because some do not know when to bow." His words were slightly more aggressive, considering the notions that could be spoken.

What did she know? The thought was just a little too intense, and her tongue speaking about things that were a risk was enough to make him infuriated. Somehow, however, he was caught off track as she continued the barbaric reactions. Turning on him about Maxim! Maxim of all the wolves in the world! It was enough to make him see red, no, it was worse than that.

The blackness kind of fell over his eyes as he crashed with a roar into the side of the female, pinning her to the ground. Had she hit her head against the rocks? Had he cracked something? Already he knew where she was injured, already he could taste the air on his tongue that promised he would consume her some day. No matter what he was concerned about, he knew that he would outlive the female beneath his paws.

"How dare you make me responsible for someone with free will!" The snarl was more than a threat, it was accompanied with some spittle not unlike his father would have done. "I never did anything to him! He was simply worshipful of me - I never made him my gatekeeper until I found out how much he hated sour scum of the earth - your gender!" His words were almost a growl, almost.

Somehow he seemed shaken with the notion of blame, but he was not about to humor her, not about to give in. It was why his teeth leaned down, aiming for her face as his jaws snapped. Oh, he wanted some of her flesh, to rip it away! That would teach her well enough! "He turned shortly after the dumb dog that broke my heart left... I suspect he approached her and she mocked him; mocked him because he was weak!"

"I made sure he was never weak again." Although he held the promise of his words in his voice, he could not attest to that was what happened. There was a mystery surrounding what had changed Maxim; something that Kerberos had never really bothered to explore. It had never been of consequence.

[Deleted]

She shrank back as he turned towards her, recoiling under the harsh words he flung forth. Her heart keened at his admission. Why oh why was he so intent on damaging life? Why was he so desperate to cling to the darkness his father had fallen in to, when there was so much more that could be embraced? She shook her head silently, pain glittering within the sea-blue eyes. He was slipping away from her - sliding further into the dark abyss where her words could not touch him. "Do you know when to stop?" she questioned, overstepping boundaries again and yet too torn up to care about it. In the end, what ever physical pain he inflicted upon her would be secondary to the great lacerations he carved into her heart. "The world is not designed for one creature to lord over all others. To believe so will be your downfall, Kerberos." She gazed up at him, a silent plea for his understanding within the bleak stare. "Why insist on making enemies when you could make friends instead? There is such beauty in life - why destroy that over something as fleeting as power?" Namiko hadn't expected her words on Maxim to garner the reaction they had. By the time she realised that she had blundered into dangerous waters, his full weight connected forcibly with her side. She fell down like a matchstick in a gale, colliding heavily with the frozen ground. She shrieked as his paw connected with her broken tail, her vision spotting as her lungs refused to draw in oxygen. She gasped for breath, her lungs fighting against the weight of the male as he towered above her. All she could manage was draw in one shallow breath after the other, her flanks quivering. There was a vehemence to his words that frightened her, and at the same time indicated how close she had touched him. He was expressing more emotion in this moment that he had in all their previous encounters pooled together. She flinched as his jaws lunged for her, her eyes closing in silent expectation as she turned her head to one side. At least that way it wouldn't be the tender flesh of her nose that needed to suffer. She groaned as the flesh of her cheek was stripped away, the winter air stinging the open wound. Whining at the pain she turned her head upwards again, peering up into that furious face. "You never asked him, did you?" Her voice was rough with pain, the blood throbbing in her tail. "You thought it beneath you to enquire about his thoughts and emotions." There was a deep, aching sadness to her vocals. "You think you can rule the world, and yet you fail to see beyond the tip of your nose. Perhaps you didn't do so intentionally - that can be your saving grace - but you set him on his path to destruction." She paused, running her tongue across her dry lips. "He's beyond salvation now" she paused, staring balefully at the male. "And you don't even care." That was the crushing truth of the matter. Kerberos and whatever situations he had gotten himself in had irrevocably shifted something in Maxim's heart. Perhaps he spurned his company over that of another, perhaps he simply hadn't offered enough of himself to the impressionable male. The ivory girl didn't know the details...and frankly, the very thought of obtaining them terrified her. But she did know that Kerberos carried a huge portion of the blame...and it was a slap to the face that he had never acknowledged it. She closed her eyes for a long moment, glad that the cold ground was supporting her head. She felt worn, drained by sorrow the male brought out in her. "You ask how I dare blame you" she spoke after a long while, keeping her eyes closed. She couldn't bear looking into that eye now - an eye so much like hers...and yet so cold and infinitely removed. "I dare because I am the only conscience you'll ever have. As little as you wish to accept it, I am the only one who is willing to offer you redemption." She paused for a moment, opening her eyes to look at him. "You will hurt me and hate me, Kerberos. But I will leave this world knowing I made an impression - however small it may be." "Speech"

[Deleted]

King of the Coast, Kerberos

Blaming the male for something he did not deserve, felt he had nothing to do with, was not the way to get into him. The anger was infuriating, and his mouth was on her neck as she continued to speak, threatening to close off her air. The thought was enough to make him shiver, the infuriating motion was enough to make him stand on her. His front paws pinned her to the ground, furious, and he pushed his wait onto her.

Shaking his head fiercely, the snarl was inevitably gentle on his tongue. There was a good chance that she was going to end up losing her mind on the time. Her head was still moving, she was still speaking trying to make sure there was a point proven. She thought she was so damned special, it was enough to make him swing his back leg into her stomach roughly, claws splayed as he aimed with a grunt.

The hit was awkward for him, but still he refused to move. He shook her like a piece of a toy, growling as he rattled her body and reminded himself that to kill her out in the open would be a waste. No one would get there before the body cooled. It was enough to make him unhinge his jaw, but his head dove into her stomach to sniff where he might have caused a mark.

When he found the blood, he lapped at it; oh, he was not in the mood to give her anything back. The only warning that was uttered was, "Perhaps you do want to go play with Maxim more... usually it's the male who requests a female..." His head lifted, and the coldness filled his gaze. "But you seem to favor him now. He's been so kind to you," The husky tones of his words was one filled with laughter, before he took another lap at the marks he had caused, and danced back from her.

Lumbering paws hit the ground harder than he would have preferred, but the snarl was in his throat. "Another word on your good intentions, and I will place you where you think it would be better used." His voice was ginger, the temptation was endless.

"I am serious." His words were infuriated with her, aggressive on the matter. "Maxim will be given permission to do with you what he pleases. Not a single cry for help will send me to you."

[Deleted]

She had known, deep down, that she had pushed him far over the edge. This was a creature who was unaccustomed to dealing with deeper emotions, and so he reacted in the only way he knew how. It didn't lessen the pain when his claws sank deeply into the soft flesh of her stomach and wrenched three parallel lines through the tender tissue. She yelped, writhing instinctively in his grasp as she tried to curl into a small ball. Her motions were futile though, the male's jaws clasping her firmly by the neck as he shook her to and fro. She choked, her oxygen supply diminishing severely with each furious shake of his head. She wasn't sure which way was up and which was down, the whiteness of the world spinning alarmingly. All she was aware of was the heat of his body and the relentless pricks of pain that ran up and down her nerves. She drew in a shaky breath when she was released, her head resting mercifully against the still ground. She keened softly as his tongue washed against the wounds he had inflicted, the touch both soothing and inflaming. She knew he did so out of bloodlust, a cruel show of how little her life meant to him...and yet the ripped flesh would need cleaning regardless. She kept herself completely still, resisting the urge to curl up and hide from the world. She had started the business...with time, she might be able to heal some of the rawness that surfaced behind the shield of anger. If she lived long enough, that was. "I already mentioned that I prefer your company over his" she whispered, her throat too bruised to allow any more volume. "He embodies everything I am not; a darkness to smother the spark of hope in my breast." No, the last thing she wanted was to be thrown back at the male. There was no humanity left to him. He was bottomless, devoid of conscience and innocent thought. The evil of his presence made her ill without him touching a hair on her head. If one thing was going to tear her sanity from her, it would be Maxim. And that was something she simply could not allow. The stifling weight of his presence disappeared suddenly, and her eyes fluttered open in response. She could just about make him out, the pain that sparked each nerve making her vision hazy. His words were as clear as a mountain stream, and she sighed deeply. There was simply no getting through to him, no way of making him see without forcing up his shields and eliciting a furious response. "You will do with me as you see fit," she voiced after a moment, her gaze on the grey sky above. "Maybe you hope Maxim will break the childish hope in my heart" she continued softly, defeat in her tunes. "And one day he might well extinguish that fragile flame, and I will mourn its passing - not for myself, but for the echoing whisper in your own heart that will die alongside." "Speech"

[Deleted]

King of the Coast, Kerberos


It was a cruel twist of fate that she had been thrown into his life. His paws were effortless as he moved away from her, unimpressed by her words. She was intent on torturing him, and he could feel his mouth water. instead, he walked away from her - knowing that somehow, his commanding presence was enough to make it clear. She was expected to obey, and somehow he had curbed himself enough to give her the chance.

The male walked until he came across the corpse; three days old. There was missing eyes stolen by the ravens, and the female had been gutted in a way that marked the pleasure. It was nothing that could be said, but the loss of life was blatant in the dead body. There was nothing less, and as Kerberos had promised, there was no escape.

The scent was almost too much for him to handle, the rancid odors filling his nose. His paw brushed aside the exposed skull, peering at the missing spot that was best suited for the brain. What was left that was any value? Regardless, it was almost as if he had witnessed the exchange between Maxim and Namiko. He was prepared to torment, and his tongue was thick.

When he heard her steps coming behind him, his voice was gruff with excitement. He was stimulated, his body aroused. This was what he had wanted all along, this was what he wanted to do t the shaken up female who had followed him. "This is what you'll look like when I've killed you." The words were soft on the air, the pant added to his voice as his tail waved.

"It excites me, the monster that I am." His head snapped toward the body again, and he leaned down, rolling the body and flopping it, splayed like a deer hung from something, legs wide apart and body slit down the middle, clearly gnawed on by different types of mouths. "Eat some."

Darkened gaze eventually turned towards her, "Do not argue, or I will force it down your throat." His warning was gentle on his tongue, "You want to cure me, I don't plan on doing anything less for you."

"Eat her. You were her replacement."

[Deleted]

He moved away from her and she lay feeling a little dazed. Now what? When it became abundantly clear that he was not coming back, she rolled cautiously to her feet. Her stomach and cheek stung, her tail still smarting at the abuse it had sustained over the past few days. She walked slowly, inching along and leaving a faint trail of crimson drops in her wake. She was breathing heavily by the time she caught Kerberos' broad form up ahead, her head spinning unpleasantly with the mixture of exertion and pain. She wasn't sure what he was waiting for, excitement radiating off him. Her heart trembled at the idea that his rage had been so quickly assuaged. Whatever he was anticipating, it didn't bode well. She smelt it, before her eyes focused on the corpse. She gagged at the scent and the very vivid sense of déja-vu. No, not this. Not again! Her paws halted of their own accord and she was quite certain her heart stopped beating. This wasn't just death. This wasn't like the trespasser Kerberos had had tortured and then killed unceremoniously. There was something calculated about this. The meticulous manner in which the stomach was slit open, the gaping hole in the head that showed only white bone. She felt ill, her body flopping ungraciously to the snow as her legs gave out beneath her. His words rumbled over her head, but she needn't have listened to them. The very sight of the poor female confirmed the suspicions she had harboured but never given voice to. She had lost him. He had shrunk away into the shadows and disappeared rom her grasp. She obeyed his orders feeling curiously detached. She pulled one small chunk from the female's flank, the sweetly rotting flesh making her stomach roil uncomfortably. She chewed without really tasting the meat, her heart splintering into thousands of pieces. He was blind to her hopes, deaf to her pleas on his conscience. Why couldn't he see that she was willing to look past the mistakes of his past. Why couldn't he accept the love that she was prepared to give him? She crawled away from the carcass, closing her eyes in a moment of private grief for the creature who's life had ended so cruelly. Had she suffered much in her time? Or had she been acquiescent and docile - disposed of simply because Kerberos' interest in her waned? She hoped for the latter, if only because the poor soul will have suffered less for it. She felt utterly desolate. The spark of hope, the little flame of promise extinguished in a single moment. What use was there for her now? She had failed in the one task she had ever set herself. Nico words of warning rang in her mind, and she wept in her broken heart for all that could have been and all that was now lost. She was dimly aware of the cold snow numbing the pain at her stomach, the snow melting beneath her muzzle. She was done fighting - done trying to make him see when he insisted on staying blind. She had done all she could, and he had rebuffed every word. When the time came, she would not stop Nico if he insisted on avenging her captivity. And so she mourned her loss of innocence, and the breaking of a heart that had once been willing to embrace something broken and tainted and make it whole again. "Speech"

[Deleted]

King of the Coast, Kerberos

The expectation lingered in his eyes as the king of the Black Coast, and head tipped to the side as he found himself wanting to taste the flesh that was in front of him. There was a want that could not be denied brewing in his veins. What more could he do with this type of situation? Putting a lesson in the female's mouth was the only thing he could think of, one last desperate attempt on his part to try and hold onto her. Worth it? Impatience shined in his eyes, and he held his tongue.

The growl was a threat in his chest as she moved past him, but his eyes watched. Oh so carefully he took in the sight that he expected everyone to taste it. His tongue slipped over his teeth, excited to see her swallow. It was the most he had gotten out her, and the eagerness was blunt.

"I'm shocked you know how to obey." The words were dry, icy as he stared at her. "Crescent" His introduction was brutal on his tongue, "was a fair bitch. She had a broken tail like you, but she also had a shattered jaw and a chewed off tongue long before she was killed." The explanation was not a happy one, but it was done rather of matter of fact. There was nothing reassuring about one of the females most desired, there was no safety in the matter if there was not proper etiquette.

“I don’t like the easy ones,” His gaze pinned on her, pointed in his amusement. “Orthos says it’s my one sin.” His words were fond, something that was hard to believe as he spoke of the Warlock who had been absent. The mere thought was enough to make people frustrated, and his head cocked to the side as he found himself staring at the body. The stab of mourning touched him.

“But that’s what happens. That’s what you all deserve,” The sadness in his voice was tight as he admitted something he was not proud of knowing onto the air. It was the last thing in the work he could have ever wished to voice. On the other hand, what was it worth for him to lie to her? She was going to have to get used to him. This phoney sweetness in her would have to die properly.

[Deleted]

She shivered as he spoke, a combination of winter's chill and the aching emptiness in her heart. Perhaps, if she gave it time, a small seed of hope would sprout once again. But she wasn't holding out on that - it was too painful to entertain the thought of rebuilding her heart only for it to be crushed again. Her mouth tingled in a silent reminder of what she had just tasted, and she swallowed thickly. Ker's voice wasn't helping. Where once she would have preferred him to speak than endure endless silence, she now wished otherwise. Each word was another biting reminder of how she had failed himself...and her by extension. She gazed stonily straight ahead as the story unfolded. Perhaps he wanted to intimidate her. Maybe Kerberos just wanted to get the matter off his chest. Namiko couldn't tell, and was frankly not in the state of mind to try and pull the puzzle apart. Instead she watched the errant snowflakes that fell from the sky, a little crystal of white that spun in lazy circles under gravity's pull. There was a singular grace to the movement, something soothing and peaceful. She latched onto that feeling, desperate to assuage the echoing numbness in her chest. She breathed slowly, eyes half lidded as she almost believed she was a snowflake. Maybe a little bit, maybe less symmetrical...but both white, and both silent. She paid Kerberos only half her attention, soaking up the information he was depositing on her without a sign of registering her words. Had she been deemed not easy enough for his liking? Was that the reason for her solitary confinement ever since her capture? She wondered what would become of her now. He'd been so determined to squash the spark that was so characteristically her...did he realise just how that would alter her? A small, rational part of her said no. He was so blinded by his own ambitions and beliefs that he didn't know how to empathise with others. He didn't know how to put himself into the paws on someone else and think of how they might react. The same little voice of reason informed her she had better be careful on how she handled herself and the male. Goodness only knew how nasty things would get if he grew bored with her. Physical pain she would learn to accept, but she didn't think she'd survive much more psychological damage. With her heart in tatters, it would need only a small push to send her away from sane thought and reasonable emotion. She figured she ought to say something, not bothering about the name that fell so sweetly from his lips. Whoever this Orthos was, he likely boded ill for anyone of her sex. Kerberos never spoke of sane, well-cultured creatures with that measure of affection. "Only in your world" she answered softly, blue-grey eyes fixed unseeingly on the grey sky over her. It was astounding, that the same sky rose high above different packs and clans, who all crafted realities to suit their purpose. At least the sun wasn't shining, she mused dully as an afterthought. The snow-laden clouds echoed her sorrow quite nicely. "Speech"

[Deleted]

Depression was not an uncommon sight in the eyes of others. Not when they were forced to face the reality of the world. It was enough to be a nasty reminder on the subject, and his teeth bared in a nasty grin. There was something broken about her, just in the actions. He could steal away her lifeblood without her even blinking in that moment, and it was pleasurable to look at the situation and know that he was ready for the motions that were coming to the forefront.

Tail swished from one side to the other, and his mouth was curled as he stepped closer, knocking over the body that was already dead and dissected. That was what he had been counting on, it was what he had been hoping for all along. As he leaned down, he found himself wanting to stop and take a strip off the body. That would just not do though, it would make him look like he was ignoring the female of the moment. The blasted, arrogant female who thought she could save the world.

"Cheer up." Soothing voice purred over the matter, stepping up beside her, he moved himself to stand over her. Running the tongue of the killer that he was over the top of her head was an honest gesture. There was nothing to be hidden in the matter, and he found himself determined to make himself known. She could not just tune out and ignore him, no matter how much she would have hoped in that moment of time. It was enough to make him grin like a madman, knowing somehow he had won the battle but not the war. Would any further combat really be necessary on the matter though? Perhaps she should have given up while she was ahead.

"You see, little Wave," His pleased voice spoke before he could even make the words sound sensible in his mind. "This is what you have subjected yourself to." Laughter was in his voice before he could stop it, and his head was shaking from one side to the other, bumping against her ears as he did so. "It's a lovely circumstance that every single one of your choices has resulted in up until this point." His purring voice was filled with almost a childish laughter.

"I do feel I've learned you don't believe in anything other than yourself!" His giddy words were enough to make him grunt with pleasure, nibbling at her neck as his head bowed down. He was looking to get a little piece of flesh against his neck. It was pleasure, it was something so fancy. "So there you go. This is all your fault."