As Sephiran walked beneath a moonless sky, the air around him was sharp and biting- the forest frozen in an eerie silence, after several feet of snowfall blanketed the Sparse pines in a thick, cold layer of white. The only sounds were the occasional rustle of wind pushing through the pine branches, and the crunch of snow beneath his paws- his massive frame moving in and out of the shadows- hyperaware of his surroundings.

But the silence didn’t last long- somewhere in the distance, was the soft, thrilling cry of injured prey. Sephiran is drawn to it, like a moth to a flame- slipping between the towering tree trunks- coming around a bend to witness a macabre scene that was delightful.

"Sephiran Saxe"

Ravana leaned over a flat rock, carefully arranging her tools with a pep to her motions—a hollowed wooden bowl, a shard of obsidian, and an assortment of foraged plants. Her lilac eyes glinted with wicked glee as they shifted to behold her captive, a fox bound and gagged to her right. Its chest heaving with panic as it fought to get more air than it could, terrified yelps muffled by the gag of bone between its teeth, dried intestines wrapped around its muzzle to keep it in place. She liked the drip of saliva falling to the ground, leaking from the vulpines desperate maw.

She hummed a delicate tune as she reached for a twisted root of sorts. With careful claws, she cut through its outer shell, letting its sticky sap ooze into the bowl.

The fox writhed ever more violently, muffled protests growing louder. Perhaps it knew the plant? Ravana tilted her head, amused, her grin stretching wider, baring her gleaming dagger-like teeth at it. "Oh, hush now. You and I? We’re going to have a lot of fun."

"Ravana Seraphim Saxe"

His gaze landed on his daughter first- an assortment of tools spread out at her paws- wicked glee gleaming in her eyes, as she sorted through each item carefully, meticulously. Beside her, was her toy- a fox bound and gagged with macabre tools- a test subject, if Sephiran had to guess.

Her voice echoed through the small clearing- it was obvious that her mind was engulfed in her task- that her senses were dulled to the world beyond her podium of terror. She didn’t notice him in the shadows, even as he circled the meadow, testing each vantage point- searching for a front-row seat in this show of horrors.

"Sephiran Saxe"

Next, she added in a couple red-capped mushrooms that she cut up with her obsidian shard, crushing them with a pestle between her claws until the fine crimson goop mixed into the sap. Really, she thought it was much prettier in its purest form, but the fun in reducing something to suit her needs? Far more intoxicating.

She worked with a smile, her eyes intent on her task, only every so often looking up to cast the fox an excited look. “We’re just missing one little thing.” Ravana sighed almost longingly, her fingers moving to continue compounded the mixture, adding in three strange seeds with a giggle before lifting it to her nose, inhaling deeply.

"Ravana Seraphim Saxe"

Leaning against one of the pine trunks, Sephiran indulged in the scene unfolding before him. Ravana was engrossed in her work- crushing the caps of red mushrooms, reducing it into a salve before adding three, potent seeds. He felt a pulse of excitement quicken in his chest- the fox was growing more frantic, and Ravana, was more manic. The wicked glee on her face told him everything he needed to know- she was creating a poison.

Leaning forward on the edge of his seat, Sephiran savored the fox’s panic in the air- it was palpable- he could taste it on his tongue. Even the forest around them seemed to hold its breath- an oppressive weight of the inevitable, bearing down on the clearing in thick waves. But how would she transfer the poison into her victim, he wondered?

Ahh, the thought made his skin prickle with excitement.

"Sephiran Saxe"

Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment as she savored the toxic fusion. Jimson weed was a favorite of hers, it was only just that she added the seeds in—to see just what it was capable of in combination with the mushrooms and hemlock root. "Perfect," she whispered, the word dripping with utter satisfaction, a purr of revelry. Her tail lashed in anticipation, eyes becoming half lidded as she allowed herself to feel the heady sensation rippling along her spine, the heat in her core.

The fox thrashed, catching the scent of the toxic goo that should have never been created—instinct telling it to get away. Far away. Ravana laughed, such a sweet and chilling sound from the girl, her attention returning to her unfinished task. Her metal claws dipped into the mixture, coating them in the concoction.


"Ravana Seraphim Saxe"