A fire burned in her lungs, sending her breath out in ragged, smoke-like wisps. Each exhalation briefly fluttered out behind her before chilling and disappearing in the frigid air. Exhaustion made Sindri's limbs heavy, but fear pushed her on. She wished to sleep, to curl up somewhere and rest like the dead, but the thundering footfalls of her pursuers rang loudly in her ears. Rest was not an option. Her escape had been equal parts planning and luck; no one thing could be credited for her success. The freedom had been hard won and if she didn't push through the exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm her, would be quickly lost. Sindri could no afford to lose. There were no three strikes among the Tsanka. This was the second mark on her record and she was sure the next would mean a punishment too horrible to consider. Behind her, the steps drew nearer, so close to catching her that Sindri could almost feel their breath on her heels. Desperate, the fae spun, sending a shower of loose snow into the air. Her hackles rose, eyes narrowing and defenses falling into place as she glared through the fog. She would not go back. Death was a far more appealing option; Sindri wouldn't allow herself to be taken back alive. If it was a fight they wanted, a fight they would get. "Talk" Think "You"

Moonlight struggled to break through the cloak of grey clouds that stretched across the frigid autumn sky. The cold offered the brute a bit of respite from the rising heat of his own body. Powerful, scarred limbs pushed him onward, nostrils flaring at the scent of his quarry, a scent that bothered him in its familiarity. Sigmarr's icy eyes closed for just a second then opened in honed intensity. No, he could not dwell on things like deja v?. He was on the hunt. His trainer and handler, the warrioress Aernd?s was right behind him, a familiar grin of lustful cruelty marking her maw. She reveled in violence and it was up to him to make sure she didn't get carried away with the target. Punishment would be dealt out by the Tsanka, not them. Their job was to deliver. Aernd?s made a gesture with her head and Sigmarr nodded. They were to split up. He'd trained so long with the rust-kissed woman he could practically predict her thoughts. They would split up circle in on the target.


Sigmarr slowed, nose working to trace the scent. It was scattered but reasonably strong. The hunting duo were close to their quarry? so close. Snow was falling gently on the terra and all the sound seemed to muffle creating an eerie silence. Sigmarr panted lightly but he knew better than to rest for too long. Aernd?s would throttle him viciously if he lost sight of their goal. His pale eyes glanced down briefly at the unusual scar on his left shoulder. The scar of his owning. He belonged to the Desanka? to Aerndis his mistress and this mark was proof of that. He flinched slightly at the memory but quickly buried it. No, he had no past any more.


Fog blanketed thick across the land but he pushed forward as he finally picked up the scent. They were closing in. He let out a howl to Aernd?s as his fangs bared a sadistic grin spreading across his face. Ears pinned, eyes narrowed and hackles rose as his weight shifted evenly over his limbs, coiling tightly before he sprang at the target. Gotcha?


Fangs sought to latch into the direct center of the left side of the fae's neck, both his front limbs coming up to wrap around the base of her neck right in front of the shoulder blades. Sigmarr sought to use his weight to drag her down and pin her on the ground. This game was over.

Like a ghost, her assailant came barreling through the fog. He towered high above her, dwarfing her small frame. His eyes were like ice; cold and unfeeling as they bore straight into her soul. She recognized him immediately for what (not who) he was: a pawn of the Denaksa. Blind to his true identity, Sindri saw only what her fear conjured. Monster. He bore down on her, and Sindri, fueled by an unshakable defiance, held her ground. She knew how it would end, knew she didn't stand a chance, so she wasn't going to turn and run. No, she would give this pawn a scar to remember her by and haunt his dreams for the rest of his days. She would make sure he never forgot her face. She let him near her, body going ridged the closer he got. At the last second when it became apparent where his fangs were aimed, Sindri tilted her head to the left, jaws flinging wide as she attempted to intercept him and sink her teeth into the bridge of his nose with crushing force. In a matter of heartbeats, she found herself on the ground with pain flaring up the left side of her neck. Startled, the fae was slow to retaliate. She hadn't expected to be put down so hard or so fast, but when realization kicked in, Sindri struggled against the brute's hold on her. Enraged, she screamed, lunging upward in the hopes of repeatedly sinking her fangs into whatever she could get a hold of. "Talk" Think "You"

 

The woman turned to face him and his eyes met hers just briefly but nothing about her registered other than where on her body he needed to bite to take control.  Nothing beyond that mattered.  She was his opponent and she would be taken down as brutally as he saw fit.  Fangs shredded across his muzzle leaving two bloody lines across the top, just inches from his nose but the sting was not enough to deter a brute who'd been christened with pain and trained for the arena.  Sigmarr's fangs latched into the left side of her neck and with a mighty push the woman was down on the ground.  Success…  Aerndís would be pleased.

The woman continued to struggle, fangs lashing out.  Sigmarr jerked back, moving his left foreleg just in time to avoid the woman's flailing fangs.  He moved to position himself over her before suddenly pausing.  Nostrils flared, taking in her scent.  What… what was this?  It was so familiar.  Eyes narrowed as he took another deep breath, no…. no, no this…. this couldn't be.  Sigmarr was so lost in his puzzlement that with a mighty jerk she slipped from his jaws and when their eyes met again it hit him.  "S…Sindri?  No… it… it can't be you….." Horror clawed up his stomach, shredding his entrails right to his heart.  This could not be happening…..

 

Hanging from his jaws, Sindri continued to thrash and snap. Suddenly she was released, the change in events so unexpected that she simply flopped to the ground. Her name, not the one she'd been given as a captive, but her birth name, was stuttered from the monster's lips. On some level it registered, not only her name but the familiarity of the brute, but fear was a powerful illusionist. All she saw was red. A sudden burst of ferocity hoisted her off the ground and threw her into the face of the brute in an attempt to hurt him as she'd been hurt. Blind rage overcame her. She wanted him to suffer, to see him humiliated and beaten, laying broken upon the ground and so thoroughly spent that simply standing was a feat too tough to attempt. She wanted him to pay for their sins. "Talk" Think "You"

 

Sigmarr felt bile rise hot in his throat as he resisted the urge to wretch.  The sister he'd gone searching for when he'd been captured was the very wolf he'd been sent to hunt down.  His mind was reeling, his body felt weak, he could barely process what was happening.  Sigmarr had to be hallucinating.  He was going crazy that's all this was.

The woman threw herself at him in blazing fury, only brutal months of torturous training allowed him to react as he hurled himself to his right, his head twisting out of reach but his body not following with enough speed to avoid her attack.  The woman's fangs sank deep into the middle of his upper left arm.  The pain seemed to jolt him awake as ice blue eyes blinked rapidly blinked.  

"Sindri….S-sindri it's me.  It's Sigmarr….. oh god…. Sindri….."