The Unraveling - Going Deeper

Suddenly, the serene ice world erupted into chaos.

The untouched beauty of the frozen cave shook in the wake of a tremor, the ground beneath their paws pulsating with life. A low, deep rumble follows, a sudden crack in the ground splitting the stillness, the ice shifting in violent waves. “Dracun! Ravana!” Rhazien called out to the pups, trying to corral them toward Ezekiel and himself. But before they could register his call, the ice gave way- thrusting them down into a dark abyss.

And from that abyss, a monstrosity emerges from a gaping fissure- a writhing, crystalline worm that towers over the group of wolves, its body rippling with grotesque power and hunger.

Pulling himself to his paws, Rhazien is reaching for his Syndicate counterparts. Ezekiel is limping toward Ravana, injured by the fall but trying to pull the pup from danger. Dracun. Rhazien moves with frantic determination, his eyes combing through the crowd with a single purpose. Protect The Syndicate pups.

All around him, members of the hoard were lunging at the beast, immersing themselves in the carnage of the ice cave. Panicked screams filled the space, echoing off the walls with a deafening intensity- but Rhazien was not detoured by the war zone of ice and terror. His priority was finding Dracun.

By the time Rhazien finds Dracun in the crowd, it is too late- the boy is attacking the monstrosity alongside Ravana, who slipped out of Ezekiel’s grasp. Or so, Rhazien assumes. “Shit.” He snarls through gritted teeth, shoving his way through the bodies.

Blood is starting to taint the space around them, creating a crimson mist of gore as the worm eats wolves left and right, satiating its hunger. A body flies past him, thrown towards the cave's entrance by the worm. A flash of recognition forms inside Rhazien’s mind. Wasn’t that the Father of Elysia’s children?

The thought doesn’t last long- shards of ice are raining down from the ceiling, forcing Rhazien to pivot to avoid being smashed. He slides into a wall of ice, and it cracks beneath the force of his weight. Another snarl erupts from him- one laced with anger. In hate, as he watches the worm lash out again.

“Ravana!” His voice is hoarse now, raw with the weight of disbelief. The worm had caught the child- Sephiran’s child. In a blur of motion, Ravana was airborne, slamming into one of the cracked walls, ripping a chunk of flesh from her shoulder before she slid down to the shattered ice in defeat. Her scream fills the cave- its easily lost in the chaos- but to Rhazien, it’s crystal clear. It’s maddening.

Rhazien doesn’t hesitate- he’s bolting across the ice, his gaze fixated on her limp body. He violently shoves past a few wolves, releasing a deep, animalistic snarl bathed in rage and desperation.

He reaches her just as she collapses again, scooping her into his jaws by her scruff. She’s a ragdoll in his jaws, dangling from the weight of her growing body but she is not defying him. "We are leaving, now." He snarls. His decision wasn't up for debate.

Ezekiel is fighting alongside Dracun, and Rhazien is forced to entrust the male with Dracun’s safety. He had to take Ravana home, now.

He would take her to Caedes, The Syndicate’s prized healer. He could do something about this. He could patch her up. Rhazien believed in the male’s capabilities.

He had to.

"Rhazien Saxe"