What Happens in Fenmyre...

Chimera considered his proposal for a moment, then agreed and offered Artorias use of Fenmyre's services for free so long as he had a warrior providing protection to the pack. A tit for a tat, so to speak. The bargain was struck with a nod, and then Chimera was demanding the slave girl out of the cell with threats that Artorias knew had been brought to action before. The slate-furred woman slunk out, silvery moonlight revealing the subtle striping within her coat. Artorias' eyes widened when he noticed her brindled fur, flashed of memory returning to him. It was strikingly similar to Oxx's, but varied just enough to remind him that this was not the brute that had broken and violated him. But it was a start.

With that, Chimera turned her over to Artorias. Just like that, the black and blue brute was in possession of another slave, if only for a temporary time. He never would have expected to end up in this situation again, yet here he was, with wildly different intentions this time. Artorias glowered at the timid woman, feeling like two different personalities were at war with one another inside himself. One part of him took pity on the scared wolf and wanted to do nothing to harm her. The other side wanted to unleash that pent up rage until he exhausted himself. In the end, Artorias nudged the wolf towards one of the empty cells. He didn't need witnesses for this; not Chimera, not whatever gods or devils existed, no one. She didn't resist, which made this moment easier and worse. A tug at the back of his consciousness urged him to stop, but he was in too deep by this point.

In his last rational moment of thought, Artorias vowed he wouldn't harm her too badly. This nameless woman had done nothing to him, here only by the stroke of misfortune, and she was far too pretty to be destroyed. She slunk into the shadows and Artorias followed, both wolves melding into the dark. Artorias didn't waste any more time. He released that last tether on his rage, letting it spill forth with a snarl and a lunge of fangs. He caught the fae by the back of her neck, hearing her yelp the moment his teeth gripped her skin and tossing her to the ground. He was on top of her a moment later, pinning her face to the ground with one paw and another on her slender throat, cutting off her breathing with a strangled gasp. "Don't scream," he growled down at her. He didn't want to risk breaking the illusion of revenge his brain was creating, for if he heard her beg or scream, he didn't know if his conscience would try to take back control.

From that point on, Artorias switched off his mind, letting the rage guide his more primal instincts. Artorias sank his teeth into the fae's shoulder hard enough that he felt soft flesh rend beneath his fangs, followed by the hot gush of blood. She yelped again, but the fury-blind young brute did not stop this time. His heart hurt, but he was too far gone. All he could think about was the humiliation he'd suffered at the hands of the wolf that looked just like this young woman, the fire that consumed his every thought, and the violent revenge he would have. As if he could transfer this woman's pain to his nemesis by voodoo, Artorias tackled the slave girl, and he didn't stop snapping his jaws until the fires had burned down to embers.

- time skip -

It was still night when the flames had finally died down and Artorias could comprehend what he'd done. He didn't know how long he had been with the slave. An hour, two? More? The young brute couldn't comprehend anything other than the hole that had been ripped through him. He had splatters of blood across his fur, only barely visible on his blue coat, and the metallic taste of the woman lingered on his tongue. He'd bit her, clawed her, made her yelp and cry and whine. But worst of all, throughout the entire thing, she had obeyed his only command—she hadn't screamed. Dutiful to the end...

Artorias sat with his back to one of the walls of the cell, staring at the bloodied girl as she wept, the only movement of her body a stuttering rise and fall of her chest. He had done that. He had unleashed that primal rage he'd kept carefully contained for so long and this was the outcome. At some point during the frenzy, Artorias' feral mind had attempted to follow through with Chimera's suggestion of breeding the girl amidst the bloodshed, but whenever he tried, the conscious part of his brain would recall Briar and Bowen and he couldn't follow through. His Briar. His Bowen. They loved him, and both would be horrified to see him like this. They had prevented him from taking things too far tonight.

Artorias slowly shifted, slinking low almost on his belly as he approached the wolf he had injured, giving a soft apologetic whine and reaching for her with a tender paw. The young fae saw him and flinched, cringing away in fear. Artorias' heart broke. He had done this. He had caused this pain and fear. He thought about his parents, his family, his pack... What would they all say if they saw him like this? The Aegis' stomach churned and he felt the bile rise in his throat. He wanted to help the slave, to fix what he had broken and undo what had been done, but it was too late. She was alive and whole, but that was the only silver lining he could pull from this mess.

"I'm so sorry..." he whispered to the slate woman, wanting desperately to help her, but ultimately retracting his paw away. She was terrified of him and he couldn't blame her. Rising to his paws, Artorias stumbled back away from her, unable to tear his eyes from her beaten body. Then, as if to drive the dagger just a little deeper, the wolf glanced up at him with tear-filled eyes as if asking him why. Artorias stumbled backward until his back hit the cell door, his mouth moving but no words coming out. The black and blue brute slid out of the cell, his eyes turned to the ground the entire time. He felt disgusted with himself. He wanted to wash the blood off of his fur as soon as he could. He wanted to go back to the castle and pretend this night never happened.

"I'll have my wolf to you within the week," he told Chimera while he tried to keep himself held together. He had partaken of Chimera's services, and though he had found the relief he sought, he didn't know if the cost to himself it came at had been worth it. He no longer felt anger, but guilt had replaced it, and that felt far worse. But he was a wolf of his word; he had taken Chimera's deal, and Chimera had given him what he asked for. He would send Ezra until the winter. Then after that, perhaps more deals would be made. But for tonight, Artorias just wanted to go home, drink himself silly, and forget. "Thank you, Chimera. I think I'm done for tonight. Please, make sure she's okay."

Once their farewells had been exchanged, Artorias wasted no time heading down to the ferry, with or without Chimera's escort. He got himself across back to the mainland and made it all the way up to the aspen forest and through the pumpkin patch there before his stomach finally gave out and he vomited from the gnawing guilt. He had gone to Fenmyre expecting relief and satisfaction, and while he'd quelled his rage, he'd found another problem entirely. In his head, Artorias saw the heartbroken and disappointed faces of his loved ones. Tamsyn, Sirius, Briar, Bowen, Rudyard, Ulric... He was supposed to be the good wolf, but tonight had shown that there was a tarnish to his heart of gold. Through the dark of the night, Artorias made his way back home, praying he could find some peace of mind at the bottom of a bottle.

"Artorias Carpathius"