A Ballad of Sacrifice

Aresenn gaze returned to Absinth, his eyes dark and hardened like the frozen earth beneath their paws. Her words swirled around his mind, a bitter and foreboding whirlwind. Aresenn growled softly under his breath, the sound almost lost in the howling wind outside their protected haven. His muscles coiled like springs, his teeth gritted as he fought back the bile rising in his throat. His thoughts raced, a violent tempest that threatened to consume him with its fury. "This...this isn't just about survival anymore," He growled, his voice echoing ominously in the hushed stillness of the den.

Aresenn's heart clenched as his gaze followed hers to the huddled forms of the pups. Their innocence was a stark contrast to the madness that had brought them here. His fur bristled, a growl rumbling in his chest as he vowed to himself and to them that they would know no such cruelty under his watch. "I won't let him murder any more of them.” he stated with a deadly certainty, his voice thick and low with the promise of retribution. His eyes sparked with a feral flame, an unflinching determination that belied his outward calm. “If they are going to be ours, then we will treat them as such.” He vowed, his voice resonating with an iron promise as he looked back at Absinth, a hardened determination etching his features. He would protect them as his own.

Aresenn nodded, his eyes hardening at the mention of Rhazien. As much as he held disdain for the older Saxe brute, he didn’t doubt that Rhazien would probably be the most equipped to even begin to handle this. And just as soon as the words rolled off her tongue, her raven left to deliver the message.

His gaze fixed firmly on Rhazien even as the older wolf's attention was momentarily caught by the litter of squirming pups. Each word that slipped from Rhazien's lips was like a thorn in his side, fueling his temper further. Aresenn didn't like the fact that they had called upon Rhazien, but didn’t see any other way around it. “Are you capable of reading a fucking room?” Aresenn seethed lowly, not wanting to raise his voice in the presence of the newborns. He shot a brief look of annoyance at Absinth. This asshole. Only to continue on to fill the Effendi - Dhaka in. “I don’t know the entire chain of events leading up to this evening, but I can tell you what I saw. Caedes summoned me to his den, and upon arrival I witnessed Sephiran standing over Aurelia’s mutilated body. Two dead pups - one of them having been decapitated- likely by the knife Sephiran used to stab her repeatedly. Caedes had the three pups bundled up-” He gestured to the fresh newborns that clearly didn’t match his own. “And sent me on my way. I left Sephiran amidst a psychotic break down.” Aresenn finished, maintaining a hardened glare through his entire explanation. “Absinth’s ravens reported seeing him dragging Aurelia’s body to whatever lair he’s claimed to do gods know what with.” Not that he particularly cared what happened- but it was just another example of their Sultan overtaken by his insanity. "So the question is, how would you like to go proceed?" How do we handle a madman who has fallen over the edge?

"Aresenn Praetor"