Already Dead
Acere
Master Fighter (275)
Master Intellectual (245)
Knight
13+ Years
Male
131
Dragon Mod
The first signs of winter had arrived, evident by the snow that began to fall over the lands and the blankest it created on the ground. Crimson gaze stared out from the warmth of his den, limbs shifting as he made himself more comfortable. The fox kits would be waking up soon, and when they did, they would no doubt want to go play in the snow. For now, he took the time to relax as much as he could before they woke up. His thoughts weren't good, however. The image of Domina was burned in his mind. The way he had found her body with Elias standing over her. He knew what his ancestors demanded, knew that that had always been their culture. But it wasn't his. So when Elias had tried to justify the murdering of his niece, Ace had snapped. He had always thought himself strong of mind. Avoiding the grasp of the demons. They had managed to snake their fingers around the minds of everyone he loved in what he used to call home, and even around the mind of his brother...
His throat tightened. His heart threatening to break. Why did he even still care about Elias? He had done something so terrible...so unforgivable...Ace didn't understand what he was feeling. Honestly, he wasn't even sure he was capable of play time with his kits now. So he woke Ignis, instructing his nephew to keep an eye on them while he went out on patrol. Ace left the den as quickly as he could, racing to the borders edge. The falling snow did well to help him blend in with his surroundings, and he hoped that nobody had seen him running like something was chasing him.
When he reached the furthest edges of the border, he came to a slow stop as he stared out past the trees. He sat heavily on the ground, head down and shoulders slumped. He felt his heart pumping hard against his chest, breath coming in short, quick gasps, and his throat feeling like he might choke. He didn't know what to make of this strange feeling, but the more it went on, his eyes would start to feel hot. The prickling sensation of tears threatening to fall. Was he...going to cry? He couldn't really remember the last time he had cried. Perhaps when Winter had died all those years ago...but even then, he couldn't remember if he had cried. He had sealed those memories away long ago. But now? He felt like everything was trying to break loose, and he wasn't quite sure how to handle it.
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Okay, so his expression had been to serious for that to be the issue, but after a moment of ensuring he wasn’t being chased, she would amble on after him. Her pace was much slower, her belly wobbling beneath her as she moved.
She tracked his scent with some difficulty over the snow, puffing herself as she dragged her extra weight after him. She found him at the very edge of the border, sitting, shoulders slumped. Shockingly still for the way he had been moving just a moment ago. She groaned a little a she eased herself down behind him. Pregnancy was already a nuisance for the active Alpha, and resented a little having to slow down, even as she berated herself for not doing everything in her power to ensure she didn’t hurt them.
“Ace?” she asked, voice soft as she finally sat beside him, coat brushing against his. “Is everything alright?”
Most people dont want to be nagged about threads - I do! If I owe you a post, tell me. I've taken on a lot of threads and gotten lost. If you want a post, tell me where, and i'll reply.
Acere
Master Fighter (275)
Master Intellectual (245)
Knight
13+ Years
Male
131
Dragon Mod
He wasn't aware that he had been seen. That someone was following him. His mind was far too wrapped up in trying to sort out what he was feeling that he hardly noticed the world around him. It wasn't until he heard his name echoing in his ears and the the soft touch of fur brushing his. Even when he was asked if he was okay, he remained still as he stared at the ground. He knew he wasn't alone now, but still...he felt like he was worlds away. He swallowed through the tightness in his throat, feeling a wave of sadness wash over him. Then with a deep, shuddering breath, he finally responded. "I...I don't know..." He didn't want to tell her what he had witnessed. Didn't want her to know how truly fucked up his family was. What if she saw him and Ignis and Actaea the way he now saw Elias? Being related to the bastard, there was no telling if they'd one day, succumb to the things Elias did. Ignis and Actaea especially...they were so young still...
"I...I found my brother..." He managed to say. Though his voice was full of mixed emotions, it was very difficult to pick them apart. He was angry with his brother. Wanted to kill him right then and there. But he didn't. He didn't know why he didn't. He couldn't. And he couldn't understand why. That was all Elias deserved now, wasn't it? For what he'd done to Domina. The sound of her screaming echoed in his head, the image of her body and what Elias had done to her caused his breath to hitch as he clenched his teeth so hard he swore they might break.
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When he finally did respond, he sounded confused, uncertain. His breath was shuddering, and painful. It reminded her so much of her own experiences lately, she just wanted to make everything right with him. She couldn’t fix her own life, but maybe she could fix his.
She stayed beside him, not moving or speaking, just giving him a chance to find his words. Of course, when he did find them, she couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath of air. It hissed between her teeth, before she found her control again. She had heard enough of the man to know that he was a bastard, and she had hoped he was gone. If he was back. Well, she would just have to make it clear to him that Actaea, Ignis, and Ace.. they where heres now. They had found freedom, a life here. He could not take them back to that hellhole of a pack.
Ace’s breath hitched, and Shaye, wrongly, assumed she knew what upset him. “I’ll protect Ignis and Actaea, he can’t have them back. He abandoned them, and they are starting a new life here. They aren’t my prisoners, but they are mine to protect.” there was a feriousness in his voice, protective instincts rising up inside of her, perhaps even more acute with her own belly swollen with babes.
Most people dont want to be nagged about threads - I do! If I owe you a post, tell me. I've taken on a lot of threads and gotten lost. If you want a post, tell me where, and i'll reply.
Acere
Master Fighter (275)
Master Intellectual (245)
Knight
13+ Years
Male
131
Dragon Mod
It was so hard for him to figure out what to say. What to do. How to feel. But the more he thought about what he saw on the top of that mountain...the more he replayed the scene in his head...the less he was able to contain it. Shaye spoke, promising that she would protect Ignis and Actaea. Of course...she thought it was them he was worried about. Granted, he was. He always worried about them. But the possibility of Elias trying to take them back wasn't on his mind. He knew he would fight Elias to the death for those kids if he had to, and anyone else who sought to take them away. They would not be slaves to Ruina's ways...to those demons that caged his brother's mind and made him a prisoner. Ace had been lucky enough to not suffer the same fate as his brother and the rest of his family. But he always thought he was stronger than them, too. Strong enough to keep those demons at bay...so far.
He closed his eyes. Another wave of sadness hitting him harder this time. It was because of Elias' beliefs that Domina was dead...his niece was innocent...she didn't deserve it...she had so much ahead of her...she could have been happy...here...with her brother and sister...and now?
He had been too late in saving her...
Without warning, Ace turned his head and buried it in Shaye's fur. He felt defeated. He felt smaller than ever. A wave of pain and guilt consuming him. He was always the strong one. Rarely one to show so much emotion. Most of what he did let others see was anger. But this? The last time it showed was when Winter had died. And even then, he had cried and mourned in secret. But in this moment, the tears flowed freely as his body shuddered with each aching breath. Heart clenching tightly, painfully. "He...killed her...she didn't deserve it...I was...too late..." His voice was broken. Full of powerful, raw emotion. He had been too late to save Domina...just like he had been too late to save Winter...
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Ace turned and dug his head into her coat. She blinked in surprise, before pulling him close as though he was family, as she would have for Vail or Rhyme. “it’s alright” she whispered as she pulled him close and let him feel whatever he was feeling. She was still a little confused as to what was going in his mind, but it didn’t matter. She would offer him comfort.
He began to cry, leaving Shaye feeling even more bewildered and hopeless. “Shh, its ok” she whispered gently into his coat. Then, Ace would speak, and she would tense, going still as she heard his words. Her breathing quickened, just a little. The sudden, undesirable urge to howl for Act and find that girl, swept through her. She held herself still instead, forcing herself to wait, and see if she understood Ace properly. “Who did he kill, Ace?”
Most people dont want to be nagged about threads - I do! If I owe you a post, tell me. I've taken on a lot of threads and gotten lost. If you want a post, tell me where, and i'll reply.
Acere
Master Fighter (275)
Master Intellectual (245)
Knight
13+ Years
Male
131
Dragon Mod
Her words did little to soothe him. But it wasn't her fault, part of him knew she was trying to calm him. But he couldn't calm his frantically beating heart and shaking breath. He tried to get a grip on himself. Tried to turn off the tears. He didn't want to appear weak in front of Shaye after all the time he spent staying strong. But Elias...Elias had broken him a part of him. His brother had betrayed him. Killing his niece that had so much to live for. And for what? Because she did what all kids did at some point in their lives and didn't listen? He was glad then, that Elias abandoned Ruina and Ignis and Actaea. Because if he had stayed, he probably would have killed them for doing what kids did. And Ace knew that if Elias tried to kill them now, he would have no choice but to kill him, and to do it without mercy like Elias had done to Domina.
She asked him then. The question falling from her lips sending a fresh wave of heartache through him. He kept his face pressed against her, unwilling to let her see the fresh wave of tears that flowed down his face. "Domina...he killed...Domina..." He knew she didn't know who that was. And at this moment, couldn't recall if he mentioned her name when they first met. With a shaky breath he added, "Actaea and Ignis' sister...she was just a child..." And his brother murdered her in cold blood.
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She felt relief, and then disquest at herself for feeling it, as Ace spoke a name that was not Actaeas. She didn’t know Domina, hadn’t had a chance to love her, to offer her protection, and she would have done so - if she ever had the chance. She gently licked Ace’s ears, trying to calm herself, as well as offer him comfort.
Their father had killed their sister, no doubt her little mentor and Ignis would hear about this soon enough, through she wished to protect them from it, she knew she couldn’t ban them from hearing the truth. Dammit, this was going to be a world of complicated. “What are we going to do about Elias?” she asked softly. Ace was hers, and his problems where hers. Not to mention the danger this man might pose to her little ones, Ignis and Actaea.
Most people dont want to be nagged about threads - I do! If I owe you a post, tell me. I've taken on a lot of threads and gotten lost. If you want a post, tell me where, and i'll reply.
Acere
Master Fighter (275)
Master Intellectual (245)
Knight
13+ Years
Male
131
Dragon Mod