Absinth’s lips curled into a sneer at his comment. “Fucked up doesn’t even begin to cover it. Or what else he’s capable of. But we knew this.” She agreed, her voice steady and low, careful not to disturb the small hoard of pups. Her eyes narrowed further, a flash of anger igniting within her. She could sense the struggle in Aresenn’s voice, the discomfort as he cleared his throat. The truth was harsh, bitter and vile, but the reality of the situation. ‘He beat her to death.’ Aresenn’s voice was low, filled with a mix of rage and disgust. She didn’t like or even care for Aurelia, but there was something about having children that made her feel for these motherless pups now.

Absinth’s jaw tightened, her gaze hard and unyielding. “Fucking figures,” She muttered under her breath, her voice a low growl. She had always known Sephiran was a ticking time bomb, a psychotic breakdown waiting to happen. Her own father was a recurrent nightmare of the very same behavior.

‘He beheaded one of them, Absinth. He cut off the head of his own pup… What kind of sick fuck would do that? To his—his own.’ The world was sick, and she’d almost forgotten about it here within this den, with these small new, innocent lives. Absinth’s eyes blazed with a fierce, controlled anger. “Of course, Sephiran.”The fae spat with a humorless laugh, her voice icy with knowing. “But we don't have the luxury of dwelling on his madness. We deal with what’s in front of us.” She glanced down at the fragile pups nestled against her, their tiny bodies seeking warmth and sustenance. “I’ll call for Rhazien. Motherfucker should handle this, politician and all. It’s his blood.” She hissed the words, her eyes rolling before they flicked to a raven at the entrance of the den. The bird immediately alighted into the sky to carry out her order.

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Tap. Tap. Tap. In the stillness of a frigid, winter night, Rhazien is pulled from his sleep by the sound of tapping against stone. A single, bi-colored eye fluttered open, the arm he had wrapped around Medulla sliding down her back as he peered toward the entrance of his den. The sound was faint at first, a rhythmic series of taps that echoed through the stillness of his den. His eyesight adjusted to the lighting, revealing a flash of glossy, black feathers. A raven. His head cocks slightly, trying to decipher the bird's actions. Each tap seemed to carry purpose, a message hidden in the cadence. Absinth was summoning him in the middle of the night. His curiosity was piqued, his body shifting as he slipped out from beneath Medulla, summoning his companions to his side as he emerged into the frigid, nighttime air.

Walking through the Polar Sound, Rhazien picks up on the palpable tension lingering in the air, enhanced by the shadows dancing between the pines. In the corner of his eye, the Saxe male swears he catches movement darting between the trees, a flash of leering eyes shimmering against the moonlight shining in his peripheral, before fading into the night. A chill ran down his spine, and he quickened his pace- he wasn’t the type to scare easily, but something about this night felt… ominous. As if there were a new kind of monstrosity looming in the shadows- a threat far beyond his comprehension.

Silvery light beamed through the canopy above, guiding his way to Absinth’s den. As he approaches, the sound of whimpering pups resonates from inside, accompanied by an overwhelming array of aromas. Blood. Birth. Disbelief. Rage. His pelt bristles out of reflex, his lips pulling into a tight line but he corrects his expression before slipping inside. His gaze falls on Absinth first, their eyes locking in a silent exchange before he does the same to Aresenn.

Having acknowledged them both, he analyzes the scene before him, trying to decipher the reason for her summons. She’d given birth recently and had several pups clinging to her belly. Wait. Was one of them cerulean? He couldn’t get a good look, because her tail blocked most of their bodies. But there seemed to be an abnormal amount of wiggling welps. “Needing a milkmaid?“ He crooned, flashing Absinth a faint smirk. But despite his bantering, her fierce, blazing expression was unrelenting, and Rhazien was no fool. Something severe must have occurred if Sephiran’s underlings were desperate enough to summon him in the middle of the night.

"Rhazien Saxe"

Aresenn gaze returned to Absinth, his eyes dark and hardened like the frozen earth beneath their paws. Her words swirled around his mind, a bitter and foreboding whirlwind. Aresenn growled softly under his breath, the sound almost lost in the howling wind outside their protected haven. His muscles coiled like springs, his teeth gritted as he fought back the bile rising in his throat. His thoughts raced, a violent tempest that threatened to consume him with its fury. "This...this isn't just about survival anymore," He growled, his voice echoing ominously in the hushed stillness of the den.

Aresenn's heart clenched as his gaze followed hers to the huddled forms of the pups. Their innocence was a stark contrast to the madness that had brought them here. His fur bristled, a growl rumbling in his chest as he vowed to himself and to them that they would know no such cruelty under his watch. "I won't let him murder any more of them.” he stated with a deadly certainty, his voice thick and low with the promise of retribution. His eyes sparked with a feral flame, an unflinching determination that belied his outward calm. “If they are going to be ours, then we will treat them as such.” He vowed, his voice resonating with an iron promise as he looked back at Absinth, a hardened determination etching his features. He would protect them as his own.

Aresenn nodded, his eyes hardening at the mention of Rhazien. As much as he held disdain for the older Saxe brute, he didn’t doubt that Rhazien would probably be the most equipped to even begin to handle this. And just as soon as the words rolled off her tongue, her raven left to deliver the message.

His gaze fixed firmly on Rhazien even as the older wolf's attention was momentarily caught by the litter of squirming pups. Each word that slipped from Rhazien's lips was like a thorn in his side, fueling his temper further. Aresenn didn't like the fact that they had called upon Rhazien, but didn’t see any other way around it. “Are you capable of reading a fucking room?” Aresenn seethed lowly, not wanting to raise his voice in the presence of the newborns. He shot a brief look of annoyance at Absinth. This asshole. Only to continue on to fill the Effendi - Dhaka in. “I don’t know the entire chain of events leading up to this evening, but I can tell you what I saw. Caedes summoned me to his den, and upon arrival I witnessed Sephiran standing over Aurelia’s mutilated body. Two dead pups - one of them having been decapitated- likely by the knife Sephiran used to stab her repeatedly. Caedes had the three pups bundled up-” He gestured to the fresh newborns that clearly didn’t match his own. “And sent me on my way. I left Sephiran amidst a psychotic break down.” Aresenn finished, maintaining a hardened glare through his entire explanation. “Absinth’s ravens reported seeing him dragging Aurelia’s body to whatever lair he’s claimed to do gods know what with.” Not that he particularly cared what happened- but it was just another example of their Sultan overtaken by his insanity. "So the question is, how would you like to go proceed?" How do we handle a madman who has fallen over the edge?

"Aresenn Praetor"

Absinth met Aresenn's hardened gaze with a steely resolve, her eyes reflecting the fierce determination burning within him. Her ears twitched as the wind howled outside, a grim resolve settling over them both like an unspoken pact. The fuck was this situation? She had to do as she had said, take the punches as they came.

“Survival has always been the bare minimum,” She responded, her voice a low, icy whisper that cut through the tense silence. Her hackles rose slightly as she spoke, the tension evident in every fiber of her being. “We’re fighting for something beyond mere existence now. For them. All of them.” She glanced down at the pups, their fragile forms curled against the cold, her gaze softening momentarily.

Aresenn’s vow stirred something deep within her, igniting something within her she failed to label. She straightened, her posture exuding strength. It was her agreement. Her own, voiceless vow.

Her gaze locked onto his, intense and all-consuming. “Aresenn.” Her voice was firm, unwavering. “Blood means little to me. Bond does. They are mine.” It didn’t matter if she hated Aurelia; it didn’t matter at all. These babes were suckling on her, warming against her own pups. Hers. They were hers.

Awaiting her bird to deliver its message was an easy task, softened by her own prodding and lapping at the children at her teats. She checked each and every one of them, driven by motherly instinct to nurture their newborn lives.

When the brute, Rhazien, finally arrived, he was as decrepit as she recalled as he joked at the children’s expense. “Fucker,” She rumbled out, her tone filled with a sultry kind of hate as she nearly rose to face him – feeling the weight of the pups trying to keep warm against her urging her to settle back down. “You don't recognize your kin? Check your eyes, old man. Sephiran has killed his lovely Aurelia, and left his heirs motherless.” She grinned, a bitter, taunting thing. She met Aresenn's annoyed glance with her own smirk that teetered on the hate she felt for the older man. She was warning her fiery brute of the action that burned within her limbs. The fight.

She remained silent as Aresenn began to hiss out an explanation, her attention split between shooting Rhazien begrudging eyes and a softer look as she cared for a whining pup. Her heart was a battlefield, torn between the fierce protectiveness she felt for the pups and the simmering hatred she held for Rhazien and the chaos Sephiran had unleashed.

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