While patrolling the borders of the Sparse Pines at the midnight hour, Sephiran’s falcon was watching from the sky, swooping in and out of the pines to complete a lap around the perimeter. It caught sight of a small but growing azure figure, gold hues accenting its fur, indicating a certain pup the Sultan had set his sights on. Xairo. Returning to its master, the falcon reports its findings, and Sephiran’s impulsive nature takes over.

Xairo, all alone, at the midnight hour. No Absinth. No Aresenn. Vulnerable.

Turning on his heels, he takes off into the forest, leaping over fallen logs and sprouting underbrush, zeroing in on his son. Primal energy surged through his veins, his presence seeming to fill the forest around him, casting a long shadow that served as a warning of the impending danger. He wanted to hunt his son down like a toy. To ignite a chilling, visceral fear in the boy, to challenge his fight or flight instincts that would tell him to run.

"Speech"

Code by Sea

Xairo was acutely aware of the sensation that prickled on the back of his neck, like a cold breeze swirled by unseen whispers. His ears perked up, emerald eyes scanning the darkened Sparse Pines around him from under the cover of a pine needle carpeted divot in the earth. A sense of unease overtook him. He was too exposed, too vulnerable.

Without wasting a moment, he picked up his pace, his heart pounding in counterpoint to his thunderous thoughts. Not quite a run, but faster than a casual walk. The forest seemed to close in on him, the typically familiar pines now towering over ominously. His breath came out in short gasps and he could hear the blood roaring in his ears. The tension in the air was palpable, heavy like a predator lying in wait.

"Xairo Saxe"

In the distance, the deep, resonant sound of thunder rolls across the sky, altering the symphony of the forest but Sephiran does not lose his grip on Xairo’s location. He’s hyper-fixated on the boy’s smell, primal energy propelling him forward. His ears are perked forward, alert to every sound, every slight change in the environment. The crack of a branch, the rustling of foliage beneath pacing paws.

As he closed in, the forest seemed to follow suit; the gnarled branches and tangled undergrowth seemed to reach out, trying to grab their paws and pull them down. Dark shapes and distorted forms loomed in and out of the shadows, heightening the sense of paranoia. Low-hanging branches spread out like skeletal fingers, brushing against their fur, tearing at their skin. But Sephiran did not care. The thrill of the chase was far more enthralling- it was easy to ignore the pesky details of his forest - the forest he’d memorized every inch of.

"Speech"

Code by Sea