Cut From the Same Cloth

Imperia showed up promptly, not leaving the dark brute waiting for long. Good. Alastor despised being ignored, but it also showed Imperia's commitment to his wife. She had no obligation to come see him or do anything he asked. He held no power, and yet she still did as he requested. She showed up with a curt and frosty greeting, if one could all it that, and asked what he wanted. There was no formality, no warmth or friendliness. It was brutal and honest. Alastor could work with brutal and honest. "Follow me," he said in low, husky rumbles, turning to start loping off through the sparse pine trees along the edge of the rocky shore and frigid waters. He wanted everyone in Elysium to be at their peak performance for when Manea needed them to rise up with her and take their pack by force. Secretly, he hoped it would be from the scurvy pirate bitch, but he wouldn't care whose blood he spilled to make his wife smile.

The world was quiet, with only a faint whisper of arctic wind rippling through the pine trees. In the dim twilight of the strange world, Alastor seemed to blend and meld into the shadows, moving fluidly through them like a fish through water. He didn't say a word while he led the way through the forest, his nose twitching to catch the scent of another predator on the wind. It was a scent Alastor knew well, and one he would never forget. Grizzly bear. "Everyone will need to be prepared to fight and kill when Manea calls us to take her pack," he stated simply. "I know you're angry about the pirates. I am too. We'll get our revenge on them one day."

Alastor turned abruptly and stopped in place, facing Imperia, who looked like she'd grown an inch or two in the weeks since Manea's fight for the pack. "You and I aren't like the others, but that doesn't mean we aren't the deadliest. So today we're going to be violent together." He left the decision up to her now. "There's a grizzly bear nearby. We can kill it together. Or we can fight." The bear was dangerous—but Alastor was arguably more dangerous than it was.

"Alastor Mendacium"