Don't Tell Anyone About This...

It started with the scent of blood. The tangy smell was rich in the air and there was something terribly wrong about it. It definitely wasn't the blood of a prey animal. It smelled like the blood of a wolf, but there was another thicker, more acrid stench surrounding it. Curiosity getting the best of him, Merrick followed the nose biting scent to its source.

It was indeed a wolf. The corpse was flayed wide open, ribs and viscera exposed. It wasn't an Elysium wolf, not that Merrick would have cared, but his sister surely would. The nasty scent that clung to his nose and tongue was piss. Feline piss. There was nothing in the world that smelled so nasty. So sour. The brutes lips pulled back and he sneezed, trying anything to get rid of the thick, cloying scent. He hated it. In fact, he pretty much hated cats. He'd never met one that he didn't want to kill. Well, he'd never met much of anything that he didn't want to kill. The carnage made him think that it was something big. A tiger? A lion? Surely not something as small as a lynx or snow leopard. Whatever it was, it had been right at the edge of Elysium territory and that was too close for Manea's comfort, so the purple bastard decided to do something about it.

Merrick followed the scent far away from Elysium and towards a tall, craggy mountain. Again the brute wrinkled his nose, this time in distaste. Mountains were work and Merrick was decidedly lazy. He liked to use as little effort as he could manage unless it came to the act of killing. Getting there so that he could kill something... not his favorite part by any means. For a moment the man waffled, not really wanting to put in the effort to chase the cat up the mountain. Ah, but he'd come this far... Maybe he'd make a little effort. Just a little one. Teensy, tiny effort. Sigh.

Wide, black paws picked their way up the mountainside, following the natural pathways. The scent of cat was there the entire time and Merrick knew that he was still on course. If the scent didn't give it away, from up above he heard the lowing roar of a tiger. Further off, he heard an answering call. That made him stop and look up. One tiger could be taught a lesson, but two tigers? That would be more than a little risky. The cold wind of oncoming winter ruffled the thick fur of the brutes chest as he weighed his options. A low growl pulled from him and his tail flicked in irritation. Yeah... he should probably keep going up.

WC-455/1500

"Merrick Mendacium"