Classical Conditioning.

Aresenn heard the panicked cry of the raven before he saw it, a sudden sharp crack in the stillness. He paused his meticulous work with- a tilt to his head as he glanced up toward the sky. It wasn’t unlike Absinth to pull him away when he was right in the middle of something- he was all to willing to encourage her distraction. And even though he had a sharp retort ready to send back with the Raven, it died unspoken as he caught sight of her messenger. The raven's feathers were ruffled and its eyes gleamed with an urgency that immediately left a sinking feeling in his gut. What now?

As he neared her den, her scent, usually pleasant- familiar- was tainted by the heavy metallic smell of blood. His pace quickened, dread knotting in his gut. Rage mixed with enough concern to distort his vision. The entrance to Absinth's den was a foreboding sight. The ground around it was a disarray of disturbed soil and trampled foliage, consistently bearing signs of conflict- or a psychotic break. Perhaps some of both? Aresenn’s heart pounded in his chest as he approached, the eerie silence pricking at his nerves. He burst through the entrance of the small space as if the threat occupied the same space. Yet, it was only her. Oh god, it was only her.

Inside he was met with a scene straight out of a nightmarish tableau - blood-splattered walls and fragments of bones scattered haphazardly- her treasures. His gaze landed on Absinth, who lay in a heap on the soiled bedding, her chest rising and falling with erratic breaths. His mind raced, overwhelmed in the split seconds of trying to draw a conclusion on what to do next. They needed a healer. He needed to hold her- to ensure that she was safe only to be convinced by his own physical touch … and he needed to kill whoever did this to her. He couldn’t find the rationality to prioritize. How could he? “Who did this!?” He asked, his voice angry and desperate as he drew near. It was all he could manage of himself to await her answer, immediately assuming that Rhazien was involved.

"Aresenn Praetor"