She wasn’t dead.  It was everything Kichi could have asked for.  He should have attacked her that day instead of having to hunt for her now.  Too many wolves were about and this was a private matter between himself and Lurid.  She had to die, that murderer had to be killed and it should be by his fangs.

How fast would he make her death?  Would he try to get a killing bite as soon as possible?  Would she suffer enough in a fast death?  If he did it right, he could make her death slower and agonizing.  How long had he suffered from what she had done to him?  She had killed his parents and lied to him about how they died.  She had met up with Al and for a while, Kichi had someone to look up to, a guardian who cared for him.  Then they’d left him and in the end, abandoned Kichi.

For all her crimes it had to be a slow death.  Of course, first, he had to find her.  Kichi had found his way out here, searching not in the mines but above them around the pine trees.  With Elyssium, Heidinn, and Armada all in the north end of Boreas there was less free land around if she still planned to stay in the north section.  He had been roaming from Elysium slowly westward searching for signs of Lurid.

Kichi was near the mountain's base, moving through the pine trees aware of the mine below.  He could easily see Lurid holing up in a mine by day and out in the trees at night.  What if she had kids?  Could he steal her kids?  What would he do with them?  Al wouldn’t approve of him killing them, right?  Would it make a difference with them being Lurid’s?  If she even had any.  Decisions decisions.

Torch was with Kichi as normal.  While Kichi was dreaming of murder the little deer traveled along enjoying each day.  Fearless and uncaring of his close friends' desire for blood.  
"Kichi"

T he monochrome wolf couldn't have been more wrong. The target of his rage was not lurking within the dark mines he approached. But unfortunately for him, someone else did. After skulking around northern Boreas for days looking for Atropos, Requiem had rationalized that the tricky little bitch must have been hiding underground to elude him for so long undetected. The mines had turned up to be another dead end, so out the crimson brute came plodding from the dark tunnels, silver eyes narrowed to frustrated points. He did not tolerate failure, and so far Atropos was proving to be quite the challenge for him to find. Oh, but he would find her eventually... he always did.

C oming out of the mines and into the daylight, Requiem squinted against the overcast sun and paused to allow his eyesight to readjust to being outdoors. Once he could see again, he began to make his way around the mountain paths and through the sparse pine trees that dotted the mountainside. He knew there were many other caves and tunnels he had to check still and he was burning daylight. To say his mood was less than pleasant would have been putting it lightly. Maneuvering through the trees, the tracker caught a whiff of a fresh scent nearby. Not Atropos', but anyone might have been able to give him some intel to put him on the right path. Requiem altered his path, now tracking down the owner of the scent through the woods with the intentions of a brief interrogation. What he found at the end of his hunt was a male wolf, smaller than he was, covered head to toe in gray fur with what looked to be a small deer with him. He was alone, and judging by his scent, he belonged to the Elysium pack.

G iving a whistle to catch the other wolf's attention, Requiem began to approach the stranger, his demeanor cool and at ease. "Afternoon, friend. Have you seen a woman around these parts about yea high, dark gray fur all over, silver eyes like mine? Goes by the name Atropos, though she might be using an alias." The dire wolf raised his paw just a bit over a foot off the ground to show just how small the lady he was looking for was. If the stranger had seen Atropos, no doubt he would have remembered her. What Requiem didn't count on was the stranger being able to recognize the scent of his mate clinging to his own coat quite heavily.


"Requiem" | "Latin"

As Requiem started heading towards Kichi the other wolf's scent came to him.  He was deciding if he wanted to meet the wolf to question about Lurid or just avoid it and keep looking when Requiem whistled to grab his attention, approaching in sight.  Kichi inhaled and felt his muscles stiffen.  Lurid, this wolf was with her recently. With sick amusement he noticed it was another wolf similar to Al’s size and where Al was black with red markings this one was red with black markings.  Lurid had a style it seemed.

Requiem greeted him and was asking about finding some lady but Kichi’s mind was torn between how close he was to Lurid, his desire to kill her, and wondering if this poor fool knew he was probably just the most recent temporary entertainment for Lurid.  Well, not that Kichi really knew this guy's relationship with Lurid but it just made so much sense.  On top of that, Kichi wasn’t that imaginative.  Damn, it was hard to hide the smile that was trying to creep up as he imagined what her blood would taste like and should he kill her friend too? Let her see his corpse?

Crap, the guy finished talking.  Kichi took a second to refocus on what Red had just said.  “No.  What’s your relation to Lurid?  Where is she?”  Kichi was going to add a desire to see her again but didn’t trust himself to talk about Lurid. The grey wolf did his best to sound polite in his question but it was a stretch. Kichi had no sort of poker face and the more he spoke of her would make it far to obvious his need to kill.  

Torch had moved to stand beside Kichi’s rear right leg, the little deer’s nostrils opening wide scenting likely the same thing Kichi had.  Torch silently watched the stranger, wary of the brute and of Kichi’s potential decisions.

"Kichi"

R equiem asked his question and the stranger... he just stared at him. Looking at him, but not really looking at him. More like looking through him, as if something was in his mind, something Requiem was not privy to. Everything about this wolf's demeanor felt off and put the tracker a little bit on edge as he waited for some sort of reaction from the other male. What he got was... well, it wasn't what Req had been expecting to say the least. A curt denial, and then a leap into interrogating him about Lurid's whereabouts. That instantly sent the assassin's guard up, silver eyes setting a sharp leer on the other wolf. Though he had no said anything outright threatening, everything in the stranger's body language spoke of an ill desire to do violence, and if that aggression was targeted at his Lurid, then Requiem had a duty to do what he must to protect his goddess.

T he crimson brute did not answer Kichi's response right away. Instead, he began to set a slow pace of maneuvering himself around the stranger. If he was observant, Kichi might recognize the pattern as trying to position himself at Kichi's side, slowly circling the other wolf like a predator stalking his prey. "Why do you want to know? What is your quarrel with Lurid?" he asked, equally as terse, his voice hardened and unyielding, giving away nothing. Requiem had no desire nor interest to harm or kill the stranger if he didn't have to—but something told him he was going to have to. His dagger strapped to his forearm was a welcome comfort—as was the knowledge of what he had coated that razor sharp blade with earlier this morning. How useful that was going to become shortly...


"Requiem" | "Latin"

Kichi wanted to kill, admittedly it was Lurid he wanted to kill but the driving emotion was buzzing in his head and there was a wolf in front of him.  Hard logic reminded Kichi that attacking the stranger offered no guarantee of finding out where Lurid was.  The guy was wary, on his defenses.  Actually, the wolf was starting to circle him.  

Who was Lurid? Mom.  The lie was still the first word that came in and Kichi turned his own hatred on himself and Lurid and the bastard who asked.  All the while the scent of Lurid was about him, spinning back the wheels of time.  “I’ve more right to her than you.” He could of said Mom, could have tried to play it off like he wanted to see her on good terms except that he couldn’t.  He’d never say such a lie, it’d sully the name of his real mother whom he hardly knew.

Her fault.  Lurid’s fault.  This guy was in his way.

“I used to call her mom.  Tell me where she is now,” Kichi’s gaze followed Requiem, stepping sideways so the two would stay facing head to head, “or you can tell me when I use your innards as a noose for your neck.”  Not the smartest way but it would be satisfying.  Anyway, if he was Lurid’s latest plaything it might be fun if she saw his broken body before Kichi killed her.

"Kichi"

T he younger wolf answered his question with insolence, and while Requiem was usually one above petty insults, something about the stranger's words rubbed him the wrong way. How dare he claim he had more right to Lurid than he, the woman's own mate? It also put him on high alert, his guard raised and prepared for inevitable violence. Lurid had told Requiem about her time in Boreas, about the pup whose parents she'd murdered and how she'd abducted him as her own son to raise with Alastor. This must have been that same pup. Apparently the orphaned bastard had learned the truth, no doubt from that smiling freak Lurid had been so infatuated with for so long. If that was the case, then there was only one outcome that was coming from this interaction...

T he stranger confirmed his suspicions when he admitted that he used to call her his mother. Ah, so this was Kichi then... Requiem's defensive posture shifted, his expression changing as recognition lit up in his silver and black eyes. A cruel smile began to twist at the dire brute's lips, a sinister flash of sharp fangs as a husky chuckle rumbled deep in his throat. Kichi's threats were so adorable to the veteran assassin. Did he even know who he was threatening? Or was the pup yapping at someone much more dangerous? "Tough talk for such a small whelp," Requiem taunted Kichi, still moving about the other male in order to keep Kichi turning and trying to disorient him. "Dic mihi, puer, lingua nostra te docuit?" When Kichi's face showed no signs of understanding his words, Req chuckled darkly again. "I thought not... You were no son to her, boy. You were her toy, her plaything to build her fake little happy family with that smiling freak. You meant so little to her that she never even tried to find you again. Why would a queen like her ever care about an urchin like you?"

R equiem came to a stop now, turning to face Kichi head on. He glowered at the opposing brute, glaring daggers into Kichi's bright blue eyes. How fun they would be to close forever. "You're lucky you're not the wolf I'm looking for, Kichi. Otherwise you'd be dead already—just like your miserable sniveling parents when Lurid slaughtered them. Now go, get out of my sight before I decide to reunite you with your parents."


"Requiem" | "Latin"