Ri was travelling further and further from her home and family, but the more she travelled, the more likely she would find the kind of experience she wanted to draw from, and bring home to tell her family. It was a bright morning, with splashes of orange across the horizon despite the early hour as she hunted through the grassy areas between a woodland territory and some caves that smelled of coal and other strange stones.

She tracked the rabbit to its warren and sat in wait. It wasn’t long before one was hoping free, oblivious to her as it sniffed the air, and touched a paw lightly to the grass. She snapped forward, grabbing the rabbit and killing it mercifully fast. She took it away from the warren so the rest of them wouldn’t smell the blood. Trotting with a lightness to her step. Today was going to be a good day. She just knew it.


"Speech"

Today was going to be a good day, he just knew it! Not usually one to be up early, Azrael had ventured out from the Syndicate to get some herb harvesting done dangerously close to the Armadan borders and wanted to use the cover of pre-dawn to mask his presence. Hey, it wasn't his fault the woods they'd claimed had a good abundance of herbs! With his surreptitious gardening completed, the violet Saxe brute wandered south through the woods near the tall peaks of the mountains Hemlock had claimed, a satchel full of pilfered herbs hanging from around his neck and a giddy little spring to his step. So far, his day was going swimmingly!

And it would seem that good fortune was only bound to continue. Moving through the woods, a flash of red through the early spring greenery caught his attention, sage eyes snapping in the direction of the movement and peering round tree trunks to spy what he had seen. There it was again! This time, Azrael followed after the unusual color, curiosity getting the best of him. What he found was not what he had been expecting. A young fae, adolescent judging by her youthful features, wandering alone through the woods with a freshly caught hare in her jaws. She was quite lovely to look at with that vivid red fur highlighted by the silvers and blacks that made up the bulk of her coat. Such a lovely looking specimen of wolf. Perhaps his next pet project?

Altering his course so he could follow her from the cover of the trees, Az kept his curious gaze on the girl, watching to see where she'd lead him to. Was she alone? With a group? Why was she out here on her own? He needed more intel before he launched into interacting with her...

"Azrael Saxe"

She trotted through the grasses a little further, back to the camp she had set up for herself to get through the night. There was a little banked fire, and a single fox coat that she had curled up on for the night. It was on the fox coat she settled as she placed the rabbit in front of her and got to work separating the meat from the skin. She’d enjoy the meal, but she also wanted to make good use of the coat. Waste not want not her father always said, right?

She was bending over her kill, using her teeth and claws to part it asa carefully as she could when she thought she heard movement. She looked up, tilting her head lightly to the side. Bright orange eyes looking out into the morning world. What she had heard could have been anything moving around, critters in the undergrowth, or, just maybe, a wolf! Her eyes lit up at the thought and tentatively she called out. “Hello? Is someone out there? You're welcome to share my fire… what’s left of it.” She added, lightness in her voice.


"Speech"

Stalking through the underbrush, Azrael followed the girl. Silently, stealthily, moving like a veritable shadow between the trees. She led him right back to her camp, where the remnants of a fire still burned. It was modest and barely functional, but it was sufficient to get a wolf through a night. She clearly had some survival skills taught to her early on, but her young age betrayed her inexperience. From the brush Azrael watched her with curiosity while she skinned and prepared her kill. A quick sampling of the air gave no other scents besides the girl's. No males, no family, no one. She was out here all alone. Poor dear... Didn't she know there were monsters in the woods?

Shifting around the clearing to get a better vantage point on her, Az accidentally rubbed up against the brush and rustled the leaves, cringing with a grimace at the sound he made. He prayed she hadn't heard him. Turns out, she had. Her voice, light and feminine and oh so full of innocence, called out, inviting him to come join her by her fire. Oh, sweet, sweet girl... Far too naive. Far too easy. Putting on his actor mode, Azrael swayed his body back and forth a couple times out of sight to shake up his balance, then stumbled out through the brush into the clearing in a burst of leaves and branches, blinking wide eyed in surprise as he looked around like he'd just fallen out of bed. His sage green eyes immediately met the smoldering amber orange of hers and he gave her a sheepish smile.

"Oh, hello! So sorry to barge through like this! I was out gathering herbs and seem to have gotten turned around out here," he greeted her with a bashful chuckle and light voice, putting on a careful ruse of being the harmless and clueless wanderer lost in the woods. Giving his thick coat a shake to loose it of the twigs and leaves, he stood up and smiled at the girl again with a shy folding of his ears, taking the opportunity to get a real good look at her. Such a lovely coat of red... "That's very kind of you," Az said as he came over to accept her invite to rest by her fire, drawing closer to her until he was seated across the flickering fire from her. "My name's Azrael. What can I call you, kind stranger?"

"Azrael Saxe"

Her grin only widened when a purple wolf came free of the bushes, stumbling a little in a way that had her stifling a giggle. She didn’t want him to think she was laughing at him! He took her invite, moving closer, and her tail swished joyfully behind her in greeting. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Azrael, that’s a lovely name! I’m Ririka, by Ri, please, I much prefer it.” she explained.

She had finished skinning the rabbit, and pulled the coat free, hanging it over a small stick protruding from the ground. “Are you hungry?” She asked, tearing the rabbit unevenly, and offering him the larger part, stretching over the embers of her dead fire with a paw to offer the meat to him. It didn’t matter to her that she hadn’t caught much. She had something to share, and it was only right to offer it to him.

"Speech"

The girl was totally unawares of the ruse she was falling for, hook, line, and sinker. She smiled, she giggled, her tail wagged. Naive little girl... you truly did not know you were caught in the spider's web, did you? The young fae must have not been out on her own for long, that or she simply hadn't met anyone to shatter this sheltered facade of a reality she lived in where every stranger was a friend and there were no dangers dressed in sheep's clothing. Too easy... Too genuine... She introduced herself as Ririka—Ri by preference—and offered him some of her rabbit. Azrael politely declined the food with a shake of his head, letting her enjoy the fruits of her hunt.

"You're very kind, Ri, but I had a large breakfast earlier. Besides, I can't in good conscience take such hospitality with nothing to offer you in return but some random herbs." Patting his satchel at his side, the smell of freshly harvested flowers and plants coming from within. While Ririka ate, Azrael took a moment to inspect her campsite. It was highly functional and minimally fashioned, everything that screamed "roughing it alone". "That's some good skinning work you did there." He pointed to the pristine rabbit pelt hanging to dry. "Are you a hunter by trade?" A simple question designed to pry into why she was out in the woods on her own. Would anyone come looking for her? Would anyone miss her if she disappeared?

"Azrael Saxe"

She shrugged and pulled the rabbit back, a little grateful even if the rules of hospitality had encouraged her to offer it. She took a bite, and waited until she had finished eating before she answered. “My family are nomads, we’re used to living on the go. I’m actually on a year's sabbatical from home at the moment, getting some experiences under my belt.” She was more than happy to explain. In fact, she was excited to talk about it to this stranger.

“Are you from around these parts? They’re very pretty, if a little cold.” she continued her chatter, before remembering an important rule - you couldn’t just talk about yourself. She nodded at the purple wolf before her. “Are you a healer than?” she wondered. He must be, he had mentioned being out here to harvest herbs earlier, and now spoke of having them to trade.


"Speech"

Azrael listened intently while Ririka told him of her nomadic family and her time away from them. Ah, nomads... That made things easier. It was so easy for nomads to just wander off and never be seen again. Trying to hide his delight behind a mask of simple friendliness, Az drank in the information she gave him freely. As an interrogator, he was used to prying information from his subjects. Ririka gave that to him free of charge. How much could he glean from her? Well, if she wanted experiences, Azrael could certainly provide experiences to her...

When asked if he was from around here, Az gave a little shrug and a lopsided wave of his paw. "Ehh, sort of. I live here in Boreas with my family now, but I come from a land far away. The climate is much more agreeable there, but I came out here to pursue my work and help my family grow." She asked if he was a healer and Az gave a chuckle and flashed a grin at her. "You could call me that. Plants fascinate me, and I like using their properties to help my family. It's just so interesting to see how a plant can affect the body!" It sounded so innocent and benign when you didn't know the context behind his pharmaceutical practices. "So how long have you been traveling on your own, Ri? Meet any interesting wolves or have any neat experiences so far?" Depending on how long she'd been solo, he'd be able to tell how close or how far away the rest of her family might be.

"Azrael Saxe"

Oh, that sounded lovely! She grinned as Az told her about helping his family. That would be her future one day, but her parents believed in her living her own life first. He was clearly passionate about his healing, and she nodded her head in understanding. Her younger sister was aspiring to be a healer. And seeing how antibiotics worked on illnesses, and salves on cuts was always rewarding. Her sister would probably get along great with this healer.

“I’m a few weeks from home now, I met a couple of wolves. I suppose that’s the hard part of travelling, the constant goodbyes. My sister is actually training to be a healer too. If you have any salves you might be willing to trade with, I could share them with her when I return in a year and she could learn from them?” She suggested, her excitement at the idea growing. To collect new things was definitely part of the experience, right?


"Speech"

The more she spoke, the more Azrael kept a running list of Ririka's personal details. She was a few weeks from home now, meaning she would have put a good bit of distance between herself and her family, and any scent trails would have been long gone by now. She was completely and totally on her own. Ah, and she had a sister too... Younger than herself by the sounds of it, and even she was such a young thing to begin with, still in the prime of adolescence. She asked to trade for some of his goods and Azrael couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped him. "Oh, I don't know if your sister would want anything I have. My products tend to be quite strong," remarked the Saxe brute with a disarming smile. Strong was the mild way of putting it.

Shifting his body under the guise of adjusting his weight, Azrael subtly slid a little bit more around the fire closer to Ririka. Not close enough to draw attention or reach her easily yet, but making his way closer. "So what're your plans next, Ri? Heading anywhere special, or nowhere in particular? Seeking any specific kinds of experiences?" Friendship? Love? What was this lovely little fae looking for in her journeys?

"Azrael Saxe"

The laughter was unexpected, and she didn’t think his story about the strength of it was entirely true. But if he wanted to keep the secrets of his herbs to himself, she wasn’t going to pry. Perhaps he had worked hard to make what he needed for his pack. He shifted his weight, leaning a little closer. It seemed only natural for Ri to do the same, leaning a little closer to him as she propped her head up with a paw, smiling at the interesting wolf that had come to share her fire.

“Definitely nowhere in particular” She said with a soft snort. She didn’t have any plans, she was going where the wind took her. “Well I don’t really know what adventures there are out there. I want to see, and learn, and have stories to share. Perhaps, if I'm really lucky, I’ll meet a special someone.” She said, with an airy little sigh. Yeah, she was a romantic at heart.


"Speech"

Azrael could see the fascination in the young girl's eyes. She was practically thrumming with anticipation for more from him, hanging onto his every word like gospel. It was an intoxicating sense of power he held over the poor unsuspecting fae. If only she knew the depths of the monster sitting so close to her... She shifted closer and he scooted a smidge bit around the fire as well. Still just out of reach of her, but daring to inch ever closer. She had no plans on where she was going next, no agendas or objectives. Although the mention of finding a romantic interest did earn her a curious lift of a brow from the violet and ebony brute. Ah, so she was a romantic, was she?

"Ohh-la-la! Do go on," he teased her with a playful grin. "Is that the goal of your adventures, Ri? To find yourself a mate to take home to your family?" Azrael wanted to keep her talking, to keep her guard down and distracted so she didn't notice his paw slipping surreptitiously into his herb satchel and finding the smooth glass vial of the injector he carried with him. Just a little closer, sweet prey...

"Azrael Saxe"

She grinned in agreement with his words, finishing off the last bite of her rabbit and carefully putting the bones aside. She'd bury them when she got the chance. If she ended up staying here for more than a couple days, she didn't want to encourage any scavengers. She wasn't much of a fighter, and didn't want to fend anything off her meals.


She thought nothing of him scooting closer. She was used to family pressed around her, and she missed the familiar sense of them near. “If I happen to bring home a boy, I wouldn't complain.” She said, voice light. She knew her journey was near its beginning, so she could be patient.

The girl was unawares. Completely and totally oblivious to the danger looming right beside her. Every second she spent in the hunter's presence, the more she became his prey, and the more she would be lost to the world. Her family never to see her again. Her sister never to know of her adventures. Just another face gone forever. She spoke of bringing a boy home with her. How unfortunate it was that she would never be going home again. "Such lovely plans you've made, Ririka..." Azrael mused aloud, almost wistful as he surreptitiously produced the injector from his satchel, holding it within his paw while eyeing her neck, waiting for the right time to strike. When she turned away to put aside the bones from her breakfast, the hunter struck.

With the side of her neck exposed and vulnerable to him, Azrael swiftly jabbed the injector into where he knew her artery would be. The stonefish spine as sharp as a hypodermic needle pierced through her flesh with no resistance, and as soon as the pressure of her skin pressed into that spine, it began to release the serum within the vial directly into her bloodstream. Azrael watched with wicked glee as the contents of the vial emptied within her in the blink of an eye. He pulled the now empty injector back out and slid away before she could lash out at him, waiting to give the drug plenty of time to take effect.

"Oh, my dear, sweet, Ririka... I'm afraid your adventuring plans are about to be postponed indefinitely," purred the Saxe brute, his mask of benevolence now gone and the true beast beneath revealing itself. He grinned, a sinister flash of sharp teeth from ear to ear while sage green eyes smoldered with barely contained glee, watching her closely, observing her, waiting for his results. The sedative he'd injected her with was very fast, but it always varied a few seconds between subjects. How long would she last before darkness claimed her? "You're going to be coming with me, my lovely little ember. It's high time I began to expand my toy collection." And oh, what a fine toy she would be! Azrael's tail began to wag as he imagined all the fun he was going to have with her.

"Azrael Saxe"

She put the bones away and felt Azrael move beside her. She thought nothing of it until a sudden pain struck her neck. She froze, more out of confusion than fear. She didn’t understand… She turned to look at him, her innocent expression showing betrayal as her mind grew groggy. Postponed… What did he mean?

She tried to get to her paws. To… to do something. She couldn’t grasp an idea, her thoughts seemed scattered. The blackness grew in the corners of her vision. Her expression was one of deep confusion and then she collapsed at his paws. Fighting the mixture flooding through her veins one last time, before her eyes closed, and she slumped unconscious over the dead embers of her firepit.


"Speech"

It didn't take long. Just a matter of minutes and then Ririka was slumping over, her body dead weight as her brain slipped out of consciousness and her muscles followed. Azrael had to pat himself on the back; he had done an excellent job perfecting that sedative! Snickering to himself, he stashed the empty injector into his bag for sterilization and reuse, then leaned down to grab Ririka by her scruff and pulled her limp body out of the ashes of her campfire. After brushing the debris off of her lovely coat, Az hoisted the smaller fae up over his back like she were a trophy kill from a hunt and began to carry her back to the Syndicate, whistling a merry tune all the while. It was still dark and the sun was just beginning to rise. He'd have plenty of cover to get her back to his den and begin his fun.

- exit Azrael with Ririka -

"Azrael Saxe"