Venomous resupply

Trudging his way through the thick undergrowth of the cedar forests towards the sound of the ocean, Azrael led Mireia from the scene of their recent slaughter in search of the coast. Although he had been victorious, the Saxe brute had unfortunately broken his last injector in Vaso’s neck during their scuffle and was now without his most invaluable tools. That simply wouldn’t do! He couldn’t go back to his family’s new pack without any of his supplies to begin his work immediately! Gods knew what Sephiran's reaction would be, though he could only imagine it would not be pleasant. There was no two ways about it—he would need to craft more of his injector vials before they made their way north to join the Syndicate.

Emerging from the shade of the tree line out into the open sunlight, Azrael blinked sage green eyes in the brighter light until his vision adjusted. The cove they found themselves at was in its low tide, the ocean receded from the shore to reveal the many pockets of tide pools. Perfect timing! With a whimsical little smile, Az glanced back over his shoulder at his newest Sidi and beckoned her forward with a swish of his tail. "Come along, Mireia! We're going shopping!" Leading the way with smooth, graceful strides, Az stepped down the rocky beach head down into the cove, maneuvering carefully between the pools while sharp green eyes scanned the shallow pockets of crystal clear water for the reason they had come here.

"Mind your step," he called back to her, nose lowered to the ground so he could peer more closely at the rock formations beneath the water. Pausing at one of the larger pools, Az stood perfectly still and waited, watching a single out of place rock at the bottom of the pool. After a few long moments of study, the brute saw the rock give a subtle flick of a fin. A triumphant grin spread across his lips. Gotcha! Reaching his paws down into the water, Az ever so slowly moved them closer to the camouflaged fish... then snatched up the fish with surprisingly quick reflexes. There was a splash of water as Azrael pulled the fish out of the water, tossing it down onto dry land and swiftly drawing his knife to plunge it down into the fish's head. The fish spasmed a couple of times in its death throes, then laid still, dead. One down.

Setting his knife aside, Azrael lifted the fish that looked like a spiky rock to show it to Mireia. "This is a stonefish. This is what we're looking for," he explained to her, handling the carcass carefully to avoid pricking his paws on its spines. Today was not the day he planned on dying. "The dorsal spines on its back are extremely sharp and deliver a deadly venom if you get pricked by them. I need these spines. So you're going to help me gather as many of these fish as you can find for me." Setting the dead fish down, Az began to carefully fillet the fish with his knife, carving away each individual spine from the fish's body along with the venom sacs. He'd had plenty of experience doing this by now and handled the dissection like a master. "Look for any elongated rocks that have fins or shuffle your paws sideways through the sand. Grab them from the side or the tail and kill them quickly. Oh, and do not step on them." Az shot Mireia a wicked grin. How unfortunate it would be to lose this gorgeous new Sidi so quickly. He hoped she wouldn't be stupid enough to get stung, otherwise he supposed he'd get to watch the final show as her life came to a swift and painful end.

"Azrael Saxe"