A lot had happened and a lot had... eh, actually. Not much had happened. She was trying her best. Ever since the pups had arrived, she tried. It may not have seemed like it, but there had been some effort. Yet every time she looked at her pups, every day they grew older and she grew sadder. Why were they growing up so fast? Always getting into trouble. Wandering off. Not even wanting to be home. Had she done something wrong? The depression, the anxiety, and the feeling of impending doom wrenched at her heart no matter how hard she tried. She tried to hunt. She tried to care. To raise them. To be there for them. Could I have done better? Frustration laced across her face as she wandered the Stone Steppe. Celeste wasn't even quite paying attention to where she went until she came across an old door that was nearly falling off of its hinges. Cobwebs lined the entryway as the door creaked open with the chilly wind. Both of her ears perked up as her aquamarine eyes tried to glance in. Being too dark to see inside, she did see the scurry of a rodent as it slipped through. Ah, maybe she could catch a snack for the pups? Maybe a little hunt would help her feel better. Taking the steps as quietly as she could, the dainty huntress slipped inside the cool cellar. From the musty smell and dim hallways, she could tell someone hadn't been there in a long time. Except for the rats and mice and rabbits. Rabbits? Why in here? Her brow furrows slightly as she continues down a hallway until she finds a large room lined with rotting old shelves. A jar upon jar lined those shelves, nearly falling off. How they hadn't all come crashing down by then she wasn't sure. "Hello?" Celeste calls out quietly as she peeks around another corner.

Not a lot got past the old man's nose. But today something had, or rather someone's. It was hard to parse their scents apart, they all blended together, undisguisable from one another. Not in the way that family and friends smells sort of vibed, it felt deliberate, like they'd coated themselves in something that made it impossible to say who was who, even how many whos there were. Not a lot got under Oki's skin, it could be argued he was too laid back for his own good, but this felt weird in a way that was too glaringly serious even for him. Pale brows furrowed he followed the scent, the trail led deeper into the territory and though he probably ought to have called for back up or something he was confident he could manage this alone. He wasn't a pushover, he could hold his own way better than most. Probably even better than the Viking boss himself.

He moved at a casual pace, his gait light and springy as he pressed further into the Steppe territory, the tail lead off into the basement. Several paw prints scuffed the ground nearby- and there was another scent. One he recognised this time- shit. It was Cel.

Hurrying down the ladder-do you know how hard it is for a wolf to descend a ladder?- his paws hit the paved stone flooring, his claws clacking slightly as his dark gaze struggled to adapt to the pitch blackness of the room.

"Cel, you down here, I think-" And before he could even finish his sentence someone was upon him. Slamming him into one of the bookcases so hard the wood rattled and containers went tumbling, glass smashing the sound easily covering the thudding of paws as they rapidly approached. Dark figures descended upon him and the worst of it there was no growling or snarling. Just the white of teeth in the dark.

CELESTE

She should have heard them coming. As adept at hunting as she was, one would think Celeste could hear a pin drop on the other side of the continent. Yet, as she peeked around a bookcase, her aquamarine eyes blinking against the dim light, she was taken by surprise. Her singular hello was answered by paws and teeth grabbing ahold of her. A thin and ratty piece of cloth was quickly wrapped around her muzzle. She began to fight back. She whipped her head back and forth as much as she could, hoping to catch one of them with a horn. Her paws scrambled against the cold stone, clattering and echoing until a rope was tied to her ankles.

Cel felt confident of escaping until she heard Oki's voice. For some reason, knowing he was down here made her even more afraid. Her body froze as she fought to scream against the tight hold of the cloth. "Hn-hh!!" The muffled noise was nothing compared to the sound of Oki beginning to engage with her attackers. Her eyes widened even more, the whites glaringly obvious in what little light flickered around them. "Oohhh-kkk," Cel continues to try and say his name, calling out to him, hoping he can save her, as she flails like a fish taken out of water.

Speech

Kuroki shook his head, his vision swimming as he attempted to scramble to his feet. He was no slouch but they-he couldn't even count to see how many there were-descended upon him whip quick. He kicked and struggled, claws slashing as he lunged up grabbing a hold of someone's scruff as he used that as leverage to pull himself up. But for every hit he managed to land four more would strike him first, he hadn't had much fight training really and relied on natural talent to coast through life. But it was clear the same couldn't be said for them, they were better than him. Faster, stronger, they knew what they were doing and he did not. The playing field was so painfully uneven and they knew it, capitalised on this fact.

He surged forward, attempting to barrel his way through them as his ears desperately titled forward to try and figure out where Cel was. But it wasn't a simple matter of reacting and doing, there was so much going on at once and they wouldn't even give him a second of reprieve. Not a breath passed without someone grabbing a hold of him, teeth ripping at his skin, splattering his blood against the ancient stone flooring.

"Cel! For fucks sake-get off me!"" He snarled, for perhaps the first time in his life.

Celeste

Oki had to be right there. Just around the corner. His voice calls out to her. Tears form in her eyes as she kicks out a paw but makes no connection. She continues to writhe and struggle, but there's no getting out of their grasp. The mysterious figures begin to start dragging her as one smacks her in the face. Celeste feels the scrap of paws drag across her skin. She tries to let out another scream but her muzzle is soon tied around with rope. Fear lights her eyes as she tries to see through the darkness. She can hear him struggling, but it's so dark, its hard to see where Oki is.

Out through a door and then down a long hallway, they drag her. Celeste is losing strength as she tries to kick and bash them with her horns. It's useless though. There are too many of them and it feels as if there is one wolf for each of her limbs. Finally, she closes her eyes and stops fighting. Why keep going if there was no hope?

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