Kuroo had gone to sleep with the rest of the pack - including Sayuri. Everything had been fine. Peaceful, even, after they all had fun lounging around bonfires, eating snacks, and telling stories. Never once did he believe that something would have gone wrong. This adventure was supposed to have been fun and a good way for the pack to get out and meet more wolves. Not once did Kuroo believe that something would happen. Even as he woke, eyes blinking away sleep, did he barely understand that Sayuri was not anywhere near. She was not where she had been when they'd all gone to bed.

As he stood, shaking off the dirt from last night's activities, he felt a chill travel down his spine. Why was he not warm from being close to the girl? Glancing around, his brow furrowed in confusion. Tilting his nose into the air, Kuroo sniffed until he caught her scent trail. The speed of his steps picked up quickly as he moved through the pines. It would not take long for him to also pick up the scent of blood and decay. Worry and concern laced through him as he went at a full run toward the scene. Taking only a few minutes to make his way to the edge of the pack's territory, Kuroo skidded to a halt.

Lying before him were obvious signs of a struggle. Blood, tracks of different animals, some he couldn't even recognize, and wide ones that indicated bodies had been drug away. His breath caught in his chest as he fought back a sob. He and Sayuri weren't a couple by any means but he had grown close to the girl and considered her a really good friend. Devastation hit him like a truck as he crumpled to the ground. Thankfully no one else appeared to be missing except for her. Holding back the tears as best as he could, Kuroo lay on the ground with his paws over his face.

"Speech"

Northern Boreas was bitter cold. Usagi's thin, short coat did little to buffer him against the frequent chill winds, and the lack of trees to block the chill in this region were unhelpful. He wasn't keen on coming up to this festival, pried away from his pack with wolves he could speak comfortably to and not wonder if his common tongue sounded strange to others, or just interacting with strange wolves in general. Though not shy, he'd been suspicious since they arrived, pressing himself against Kunai almost the entire time he'd been here. He'd been counting down the days until they left back to Auster, where the weather was relatively mild and he wasn't at risk of freezing to death like in this damn place. Still, he'd enjoyed being with Kunai - both as a source of warmth at night, and as a symbol of familiarity when he felt out of place. Same with Kuroo, who'd arrived with Sayuri. He couldn't help but wonder if the two of them were also interested, beyond the scope of friendship. It made him wonder, judging by how close they were, but it was clear they remained simply good friends. So he shrugged off the feeling, as well as his suspicions that something wasn't quite right up here.

The morning proved his instincts right.

Something in his gut stirred him awake, an uneasy feeling that there was something very very wrong concerning Kuroo. Slipping quietly from his partner's sleeping form, the Hohei grabbed his sword from his Akita who'd been laying nearby, slinging the sheath over his shoulder as he frantically loped in the direction on his brother's scent. His loping spurred into a bunny sprint when the acrid stench of blood - though not his brother's - singed his nostrils. Gods, what the hell happened?! He screamed mentally, brow furrowed and breaths quickening as he saw the sick, metallic splotches of blood on the frosted earth. Finally seeing his piebald brother, curled on the ground, he sprinted towards him, at first wondering if he was injured. "Kuroo!" He called out, concern sharp in his tone. He approached him carefully, body tense as his mossy gaze widened at the scene. No body, but the blood was thick, like something..or someone, had been dragged. There was too much blood for anyone to have survived, and a sinking feeing reached his chest and into his stomach. Dread. Pure dread. The blood has a wafting lingering scent of a Tojo wolf, and he could only surmise who it could've been. His shoulders slumped, he avoided the blood splatters and sat gently next to Kuroo, aiming to place a comforting foreleg around his brother's shoulders.

"I am so sorry, Kuroo.." He murmured. He knew he didn't need to mention her name. They knew, both knew she couldn't have survived. But the implications would be extremely saddening. Tojo-kai had lost a talented she-wolf, and a good friend of his brother's. He fell silent, not one for words but hoping his presence would bring Kuroo some comfort.

Speech

wishing there was something left to lose

this could be the day i die for you—

If it had not been for the comforting paw draped over his shoulders, Kuroo would not have noticed his brother's approach. Even the apologies and comforting scent were not enough to pull him from the cries that racked his body. Keeping his paws over his face for a few more moments, he let out all of the emotions he had been holding in. It wasn't that he was in love with the girl or that they were soulmates, no. He was just the type of wolf that took all of his friendships seriously and anyone in the pack would earn this sort of reaction from him. Out, alone, in the open, Kuroo was able to release his emotions in a way that didn't have to be controlled.

A few more shuddering sobs left him before he finally wiped away the mess of tears from his cheeks. Tilting his chin toward the side so he could look up at his brother's shadowy face, he let out a sigh. "Why would something do this?" Kuroo whispered, his voice hoarse and nearly incomprehensible. Closing his eyes quickly to shove back more tears into his skull, he shook his pale face against the dirt. Rolling his shoulders toward Usagi until he was leaning against his brother's thigh, he released another deep breath. It helped somewhat but every time he glanced at the trails of blood scattered throughout the clearing, his heart began to break again. "There were more too. It is not just her scent that is mixed into this tragedy," Kuroo felt sorry for all of the ones who had lost their lives.

"Speech"

Usagi was patient, solemn and silent as his brother cried, grieving for his close friend. He let him sob for as long as he needed to, but simultaneously keeping his left ear perked, swiveling at every noise in the silent woodland. Even if it seemed the danger had passed with the tragic events that took place here, he wondered if the one responsible had gone that far from the crime scene. Maybe they had fled once they did the crime, dragging the evidence with them. As Kuroo shook and shuddered, Usagi let him lean against his side, and he leaned into his brother for comfort as he remained alert for both of them. If the bastard who did this dared to show their face..the Hohei wouldn't hesitate to slice it off right there and then. Avenging Kuroo's friend. His packmate. She had done nothing to deserve such a sudden end to her life. And that was unforgiveable. Worthy of execution, in his eyes.

Usagi glanced dow as Kuroo glanced up from the bloodstained earth, his expression warped in pure pain and grief. Why would anyone do this? The thought lit a fire in his chest, his temper creeping into his bones. He was ready to hunt down this murderer, but he remained where he was. He couldn't leave Kuroo, not like this. Instead, he tensed his jaw, looking down at the piebald koi and then glancing to face the horizon. "I don't know. But definitely someone with no regard for innocent lives." The only explanation. As Kuroo glanced back down, ready to weep again, he mentionec there were more scents intermingled with Sayuri's. Usagi nodded, already scenting the fading smells in his nose. It twitched, capturing multiple people. Multiple victims. His jaw clenched even more, eyes hardened with a bubbling rage. Whoever did this was scum of the earth. He was a hound ready to hunt, a crocodile ready to snap its jaws on its prey. He wanted to hunt this monster, hurt it the way it hurt Sayuri, and the anger nearly made him forget he had to remain with his brother, keep him safe and comfort him."I will avenge them. I will avenge her." He said simply, his voice flat yet cold as a snap of frost. It was perhaps in this state that Usagi was most fearsome - wanting to take revenge for what this thing did to Sayuri and other victims. They didn't deserve to die. None of them did.

Speech

wishing there was something left to lose

this could be the day i die for you—

Exhaustion riddled his mind as he met his brother's chartreuse gaze. The innocent hadn't needed to suffer this tragic ending. Yet, what more could they do? It was possible they track down the murderer who was responsible for the chaos, but what good would it do? Why risk their lives? If something was capable of taking all those lives, they surely wouldn't be able to take it down just the two of them. Releasing a defeated sigh, Kuroo scooted up into a sitting position so that he could face his brother better. Swiveling away from the trails of blood and forcing himself to only look at Usagi, he shook his head. "We cannot risk our lives," there is a firmness to his tone that was not there before.

"Speech"

Even Usagi was taken aback by his brother's unexpected firm tone, eyes widening slightly as he looked down at him. We cannot risk our lives. That part certainly had its merit -recklessly engaging in a fiery game of cat-and-mouse with the murderer would be nothing short of foolish. However, he didn't see even Hattori giving up on this and heading back to Auster without so much as a brief investigation - just to see if anything could lead them to an answer. It was a mystery in its most tragic form, that likely Sayuri and several others had to give up their lives for its sake. His chartreuse gaze, fiery yet detached compared to his brother's outward emotional state, hardened. So did his voice, standing his own ground as he shifted the sword that lay across his back.

"I will risk my own, for the both of us," He said, voice low as he glanced up to scan their surroundings. "I am a soldier at heart. I cannot stand by without at least sweeping the area. for their sake." Would his words seem empty? Maybe. Truthfully, the killer could've been far away at this point, but there was nothing to be lost by just attempting to search. He could not stand idly, or simply crumple and weep, while there was a chance to gain some closure.

Speech

wishing there was something left to lose

this could be the day i die for you—