A Ballad of Sacrifice

Tap. Tap. Tap. In the stillness of a frigid, winter night, Rhazien is pulled from his sleep by the sound of tapping against stone. A single, bi-colored eye fluttered open, the arm he had wrapped around Medulla sliding down her back as he peered toward the entrance of his den. The sound was faint at first, a rhythmic series of taps that echoed through the stillness of his den. His eyesight adjusted to the lighting, revealing a flash of glossy, black feathers. A raven. His head cocks slightly, trying to decipher the bird's actions. Each tap seemed to carry purpose, a message hidden in the cadence. Absinth was summoning him in the middle of the night. His curiosity was piqued, his body shifting as he slipped out from beneath Medulla, summoning his companions to his side as he emerged into the frigid, nighttime air.

Walking through the Polar Sound, Rhazien picks up on the palpable tension lingering in the air, enhanced by the shadows dancing between the pines. In the corner of his eye, the Saxe male swears he catches movement darting between the trees, a flash of leering eyes shimmering against the moonlight shining in his peripheral, before fading into the night. A chill ran down his spine, and he quickened his pace- he wasn’t the type to scare easily, but something about this night felt… ominous. As if there were a new kind of monstrosity looming in the shadows- a threat far beyond his comprehension.

Silvery light beamed through the canopy above, guiding his way to Absinth’s den. As he approaches, the sound of whimpering pups resonates from inside, accompanied by an overwhelming array of aromas. Blood. Birth. Disbelief. Rage. His pelt bristles out of reflex, his lips pulling into a tight line but he corrects his expression before slipping inside. His gaze falls on Absinth first, their eyes locking in a silent exchange before he does the same to Aresenn.

Having acknowledged them both, he analyzes the scene before him, trying to decipher the reason for her summons. She’d given birth recently and had several pups clinging to her belly. Wait. Was one of them cerulean? He couldn’t get a good look, because her tail blocked most of their bodies. But there seemed to be an abnormal amount of wiggling welps. “Needing a milkmaid?“ He crooned, flashing Absinth a faint smirk. But despite his bantering, her fierce, blazing expression was unrelenting, and Rhazien was no fool. Something severe must have occurred if Sephiran’s underlings were desperate enough to summon him in the middle of the night.

"Rhazien Saxe"