Disaster. There was no other way to describe what had befallen the Fratelli Rossi. Vincenzo's rage at the betrayal of Enrico had burned bright and hot until it fell to a festering simmer when the reality of the situation finally struck him. Flee or die. There were no other options. Vinny snarled, the scar on the left side of his face wrinkling grotesquely at the thought of Enrico. How… How could Enrico, a man he thought of much like a brother, betray them like that? Package them like lambs for the slaughter. His fury threatened to overwhelm him before he took several calm breaths. No, it was time to focus. He had to tell Basileus of recent events and he hoped the other man would accept his assistance. Enrico was going to pay, by God, was he going to pay.

Vincenzo paused and drank in the scent of the man he was tracking. It had been difficult but not impossible. Shortly after Basil had left all hell broke loose and thankfully there was enough of a trail left for him to work on tracking the other man. Vinny did have rather exceptional talent as a tracker. The scent was fairly recent which meant there was a fair chance that Basil was in ear shot and so Vinny took the risk to send out a powerful howl in the hopes the other man would recognize his voice and come to him.

Basileus sat on the beach next to the carcass of the whale he'd found the other day. While he'd intended to eat his fill and leave immediately exhaustion had suddenly overwhelmed him. He'd known he was on the verge of collapse but he'd wanted to press on. The urgency of his task could not be ignored, but, so it turned out, neither could the limits of his body. Unwillingly he succumbed to the exhaustion and fallen into a deep and dreamless sleep. It wasn't until much later that he'd awoken. The brute had been disoriented and instantly enraged when he realized he had no idea how much time had passed. With no small amount of self-loathing he'd laid still for quite some time as he tried to get his bearings and mentally salvage the tattered remains of his game plan. Eventually he'd decided that the first step needed to be a much needed meal and fresh water to drink, so after getting a drink he'd ambled back down to the beach for a meal. The whale was almost too old to be palatable - almost but not quite. He'd ignored the stink and the swarm of seabirds and dug in. The sudden howl that broke across the serene beach sent the seabirds heavenward in a flurry. Instantly Basileus was alert. He knew that voice and he knew it well. It wasn't his man, but instead a comrade. Vincenzo.. Why was he here and what had brought him so far from home? Surely they thought Basil was capable of handling this task on his own! Basileus called out to Vincenzo, alerting him to his presence and inviting him in for a meal. It was a poor offering, but at least they could speak over food.

Vincenzo pawed at the dirt, claws raking slowly through the dust before stopping sharply as his howl was answered.  Vinny's ears stood up alert.  That was Basileus!  And he had food?  Vincenzo's stomach rumbled in excitement though he tried to quiet it.  He had serious news to deliver after all.  Vincenzo shifted his course and headed swiftly to answer Basil's call.  Maneuvering toward the beach he saw the rust-colored male near a whale carcass.

Vinny dipped his head in greeting but for a moment his voice failed him.  What was he even supposed to say?  How was he supposed to start? " Ho notizie ... i nostri fratelli sono caduti . Quasi tutti sono morti , solo pochi di noi ha fatto uscire vivo . Enrico's parole ci hanno distrutto " Vincenzo would speak swiftly and calmly though anger laced his words, threatening to spill out of him.  He'd wait for those words to sink in before offering more details.  He didn't want to dump everything on Basil all at once and he looked to the other man for cues as to if should continue or give he other time to digest the news.

"Why"

In no time at all Basileus could make out the familiar form of Vincenzo approaching. In a loud voice he called out, "E 'così bello vederti, Vincenzo!" He was so pleased to see a familiar face that he was tempted to rush up and kiss the man. Instead he kept his composure, remained by the carcass and let the other man come to him. If Vincenzo had given any outward sign that he was about to deliver bad news Basileus missed it as his comrade closed the distance between them. With a faint, pleased smile on his lips Basileus returned Vincenzo's greeting nod. He was on the verge of saying something when his friend's expression quieted him. The smile quickly fell from his lips as the mafioso spoke. Their brothers had fallen? Unable to imagine such a thing, Basileus was reluctant to believe him. He chastised his friend, "Perché mentire a me, Vincenzo? Non si dovrebbe scherzare su queste cose. È sfidare il destino." For good measure he tsked reproachfully. His father and his father's father had been part of the brotherhood. The clan had weathered many storms but never been touched by destruction. Vincenzo wrongly and with sick, dark humor, teased of the impossible. Hover speech for translation

Vincenzo felt his hunger fade as his stomach roiled.  He was bad at this.  He really should have requested someone else be the first to deliver the news but here he was.  His citrine eyes watched Basil's smile falter only to be replaced with a chastising comment and Vincenzo looked away, composing himself.  He could feel the anger rising again.  Dear God, when he got ahold of Enrico…  

Perché mentire a me, Vincenzo? Non si dovrebbe scherzare su queste cose. È sfidare il destino.

Taking a deep breath he turned back to Basil. "Basileus.  Non sto scherzando.  Poco dopo la tua partenza per la vostra missione i nostri avversari hanno attaccato . Sapevano nostre identità , dove abbiamo vissuto , ha incontrato , tutto! Il nostro Capofamiglia è morto , il nostro Bastone Cap è morto, il Consigliere , l'altro capodecina del ... . Basil sono tutti andati."  His breath was coming in shaky gasps as he struggled to keep himself under control.  His family… ripped apart because of one betrayer.  One monster. "Non so quanti di noi ha fatto fuori , abbiamo avuto altra scelta che fuggire. Per rimanere era la morte . Basil ... cosa facciamo ora"

"Why"

The moment Vincenzo looked away Basileus knew it was true. He went cold, all warmth seemingly seeping from the pads of his paws. How was that possible? What of his brothers, of his father? Did they live? What of his friends, his comrades? How could they all be dead? It simply couldn't be real. But it was, wasn't it? "NO," he said firmly. In an instant he had turned away from Vincenzo and marched off, taking several long strides away from the man before pausing with his back still to him. A few moments passed as he processed it. Finally the weight of what his friend said sunk in. The blow was crushing and it sat on his shoulders with all the weight of a boulder. It was tempting to allow the weight of it to bring him to his knees but he resisted. Finally he spun around and marched back. He could only assume that his blood brothers had not survived and while he wanted to grief he would not do so in front of one of his men. "Si parte con la vendetta." Hover speech for translation

Vincenzo felt his stomach clench as Basil turned away from him but he remained silent.  The other man just needed a moment to take everything in…  well as in as anyone could.  Vinny would still wake most nights, certain he'd dreamed the whole dam thing only to taken in a breath of cold night air and bitter reality.  How were they ever going to recover from this?  Was there such a thing as recovery or would their final acts be nothing more than a suicide pact?

Vincenzo snapped to attention as Basileus spun around and spoke.  His golden eyes narrowed solemnly and he nodded.  "Poi vi invieremo quel demone all'inferno. Di cosa hai bisogno di me? Qualunque cosa chiederete vedrò è fatto."

"Why"