More than just a pretty face

As the weather began to turn warmer towards the gradual approach of spring, Rogue had been spending a lot more time out around the northern territories of Boreas. Was it because the tundras were becoming less like icy wastelands and more like temperate biomes fit to explore? No, not at all. It was because that was where Kaino was! To say the young brute was smitten with the Saxe fae would have been a horrid understatement. With no pack to tie himself to, his family scattered to the wind, and all the time on his hands, Rogue had become a bit of a restless free agent, and so he stuck close to the Syndicate lands in hopes of stealing some of the lavender and gray femme's time and attention. Kai made him feel important again, like he was someone worthwhile when he was with her. And Rogue was hooked on her like an addict on a powerful narcotic.

On this night, Rogue had invited Kaino out to stargaze and enjoy the auroras while they were still in full swing during the remnants of winter. He had spent the day crafting a campsite of sorts, with a makeshift den carved out of a slope in the earth and a fire pit dug just outside to keep them warm—although he had another idea of how they could keep each other warm. Rogue had managed to catch a few fish from the nearby streams for their dinner and had traded for some furs from the nearby Armada market to make a comfy bed for them. Piles of ermine and snow leopard pelts lay strewn inside the den, plush, warm, and cozy to keep them comfortable. Hey, even if they were roughing it a bit, Rogue still wanted to make sure the lady was taken care of. His mother would have never forgiven him for such poor manners.

After Kaino had arrived and their meal had been cooked and eaten, night had fallen across northern Boreas. Lying together around the crackling fire pit, Rogue gazed up at the stars overhead, watching them twinkle from between the bands of auroras dancing above them. It was all so very romantic... until a snap of a nearby branch caught the brute's attention. Amethyst eyes snapped down, scouring the dark tree line for any signs of movement. His senses were on high alert, sharpened and ready to react. Then they made their appearance. Three brutes Rogue didn't recognize emerged into the perimeter of the fire's glow, glaring at him while leering at Kaino with lecherous intent. The wolves growled, low and threatening, and Rogue's eyes narrowed. These were exactly the kind of wolves Kai had been afraid of coming for her...

"Get outta here, boy, and leave the bitch to us. Maybe we'll let you live," one of the brutes snarled out, his friends responding with sinister chuckles, echoing his sentiment.

Without a moment of hesitation, Rogue got to his paws, disappointed at having to leave the warmth of Kai's side, but there was business to be handled. Rogue had seen Kaino fight before against Nimue and was sure she could hold her own and help drive these savages away, but Rogue wanted to prove himself to her. His bravado wanted to show off to the impressive fae that he was more than just a pretty face and a good lay. "Excuse me a moment while I take care of this, Kai," he said with a debonair grin and devilish wink to Kaino. Then he turned to the wolves creeping closer and engaged.

Rogue immediately charged the closest brute with a snarl, long legs quickly closing the gap with a few swift bounds. The brute swung a paw upward to try to catch Rogue's jaw, but the Klein brute ducked the attack and went in for the wolf's exposed neck—but not with his fangs. Instead, Rogue extended his razor sharp black diamond claws and drove them into the brute's throat with a viciously accurate swing. The brute gave a choking gasp of surprise, and then gurgled as Rogue tore his claws up through the wolf's neck, severing tendons, veins, and arteries, and rending his trachea open like a knife. Blood sprayed all over Rogue and his foe, who fell to the snow clutching desperately at his neck to try and stop the fatal bleeding in vain.

With one foe dispatched, Rogue turned to his next opponent, who was already rushing him. "Whoa!" Rogue quickly jumped back, narrowly avoiding the jaws of the wolf snapping down where his leg had been a moment before. Again Rogue swung at his foe's head with his claws extended, but the brute was equally as nimble and backpedaled out of the way. Back and forth they danced, Rogue testing his opponent's reflexes with feint attacks while deftly dodging the bites and slashes of the brute. Eventually the brute got his timing right, and Rogue felt the wolf's jaws lock around his foreleg and bite down hard. A yelp of pain tore from Rogue, but the Klein was smarter than his foe. Using their close proximity, Rogue toughed out the pain and brought his free paw down over his enemy's eyes, digging his claws straight into his eye sockets, blinding him. The wolf howled in agony and instantly released Rogue, allowing him to pivot and kick the wolf away and straight into the fire pit, setting his fur ablaze. The wolf howled and screamed, scrabbling about blindly before taking off aimlessly into the forest, where his body could be seen smoldering a ways off before he finally collapsed and burned out, clearly dead.

Turning to his last foe, Rogue fixed the brute with blazing sunset eyes and a snarl, advancing on him. This wolf had more brains than balls though, and with a simple "Nuh uh, nope!" he turned and took off into the forest again. Rogue considered taking off after him to finish the fight, but he didn't want to just run off from Kaino and his foreleg was beginning to ache where he'd been bitten, and a high speed chase didn't exactly sound like a fun way to spend his evening. Letting out a dominant howl after the fleeing wolf to warn him against coming back, Rogue returned to the carnage to clean up. He dragged the dead brute's body into the woods and out of the firelight, leaving it for whatever scavengers wanted an easy meal a short distance away.

Rogue returned to Kai's side, slightly splattered with blood and sporting a slight limp on his front left leg as he walked. It was bitten and bleeding a bit, but nothing severe and likely just a sprain. "Have no fear, my lady. Your virtue is safe this evening from those bad men," he teased her with a playful grin, hamming it up and recounting the way she'd teased him the first time they'd met in the hot springs. He flopped down beside her, trying to mask the wince on his face as a jolt of pain raced up his leg. Yeeeeah, definitely not how he'd planned this night to go...

WC: 1189

"Rogue Klein"