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The sharp tang of blood hung heavy in the air, invisible fingers threading through her mane, sliding up her nose to burrow into her sinuses, the stench of death too much to bear. She shook her head, backing away from the furry, slashed up corpses of the wolves slain around her. She gasped, hiccupping back a sob, her head pounding, throbbing, aching. Fear climbed up her throat in a scream that she bit back down, fangs sealed together as her paws scrabbled over the grass soaked with blood and rainfall. Tail tucked between her thighs, she cast one long, lingering glance to her mother--fallen, her eyes still open in a plea for help. “I’m…I’m so sorry,” her voice a rasp, throat raw from the screams. She willed back the tears burning her eyes, turning to flee. She hadn’t been there to stop them--hadn’t been there to save them. Goddamnit, they’d come and slaughtered the entire pack… This time, a sob did burst free, angst-ridden and wounded in the chilled air.

Her paws thundered the ground as she ran, ran away from the countless dead wolves with gashes and slashes across their bodies, intestines torn from their still-living forms as the wolf-Walkers had their way with them. She’d stood there. She’d stood there and watched, unable to do a damn thing as they ripped through the pack with the force of a hurricane, blood-stained grins and excited howls. She’d let them die because she’d been foolish enough to screw with the enemy.

Never trust a skinwalker, not even if they promise you the world.

A scream ripped through the air, feral and loud and her blood ran cold, pumping ice through her veins. She slowed, ears flat against her skull, tail tucked and teeth bared as He strode forwards. Tall and broad and flawless with a freshly-skinned wolf pelt of the purest white, his blue eyes gleamed as they bore into her. Cyanide trembled under his gaze, a low growl escaping between her lips, rumbling like the thunder overhead.

“I offered you everything I had,” he murmured, voice smooth as silk. “Yet…here we stand. You knew this would happen, my beautiful Star…” The nickname, once a fondness spoken from the heart, was bitten out like poison on the tip of his tongue. Abraxx smiled wide, too wide to be normal, his teeth and maw stained with the blood of her family. “You knew the moment you left me that this would be the end.”

They had been something, once upon a time. Before greed and jealousy and cold fury entered the picture. Before she single-handed shattered his heart beneath her paw, just for something better. Now he had Turned, become the devil himself, a skinwalker incapable of love or feelings, feelings that she had broken, fearlessly foolish. So yes, deep down, she knew… She knew what her sharp tongue was capable of--breaking hearts, wounding souls to the point where her once-love was now purely evil.

Cyanide said nothing. Her eyes glowed as she stared into his empty, ice-blue eyes, emotionless, detached. He stepped forwards, his breath hot on her throat, fangs dangerously close. “You took everything from me.” A rumble, quiet and deadly and she knew she should run. She was fast and sleek, but he… He was strong and fueled by fury. A wicked smile curved his maw. “Run, little wolf,” he whispered as his teeth snapped the air where her throat once was.

So she ran. Paws pounding the ground, muscles straining, legs pumping she ran--but he was behind her. And if she faltered, if she fell… She let out a war cry, straining for more speed, begging the Goddess that did not exist to help her, to save her because she was a coward and a fool.

But when his fangs scored into her thigh, ripping through flesh with ease, she faltered, stumbled, fell to the earth. She spun, kicking out with claws and snapping with fangs, blood soon soaking both their muzzles as they snarled and fought, pure fury against pure fear. He flung her through the air and she hit the ground hard enough to crack ribs. A hiss escaped her once, and then she was at him again.

Abraxx always had the upper hand and in minutes, Cyanide was swaying, flesh torn and ripped and hanging in flaps, muscle and bone exposed to the daylight, blood running in rivulets down her legs. Her chest heaved, lungs aching for breath, but she was tired…so tired. He threw her to the ground with one large paw, pressing his claws against her throat. She looked up at him with one blue eye, refusing to beg for mercy, refusing to give him the benefit of the doubt…

Abraxx stood there for a long while, growls rumbling up his throat, blood dripping from him where she’d managed to wound him, the wolf’s pelt slashed and stained with crimson. “I loved you, Cyanide Stardust.” He opened his mouth, fangs gleaming bone white, and Cyanide looked away--looked across the field, heart thundering in her chest.

But he didn’t kill her. He should have--he could have, but he didn’t. When she opened her eyes, he was gone and she was slowly bleeding out in the middle of a field. Her body exhausted and oh-so heavy, she couldn’t fight the exhaustion, couldn’t fight the pain the soon turned her numb both inside and out, and the memories of the night began to slip away. Perhaps it was self-defense, her mind blocking out the traumatic experience.

Because soon, all she knew was the slow, shallow breaths she took as darkness overcame her…

Ashanti was happy in her life, she'd made mistakes when she was rather young, as most young mares did. Her children now grown and left though they visisted from time to time it was hard to keep track of them as she and her mate travelled. Oh the travelling she'd done before meeting Monfulta, since too but mostly before. The things she had seen, some bad but more good, there were tales to tell, tales that had been told as bedtime stories, to young souls and older ones alike but she had never felt as at home as she did now she had found Monfulta and his family, she had never been close to her parents, had no siblings either, ir if she had, her parents had never mentioned them. but this, ... this was true family. Ashanti loved them with all her heart, Moofu's son, his grandsons, his daughter in law, now she was a young soul and the greenish mare never failed to bring a smile to Ashanti's face whenever they ran into Moofu's son and his mate.

She was behind Moofu, thinking over all this as he reached a clearing and didn't need to say a word, the smell hit her before the sight did and her heart sank, her stomach twisted and tears threatened to fall. She didn't know these Soq has he did but the sight of it broke her heat as she could almost feel Moofu's darkening at the savageness before them. She drew up alongside him, giving him a body to lean against in comfort, even as she sought it from him. She made no mention of the confusion that showed on his face, she had no need to. "I'm so sorry Moofu my love" she murmured as he moved among the slaughtered pack, it made her shudder to see so much death.. but not just death, it was wanton destruction. Killing for food, or to protect yourself or your family, she understood.. this was just... well it made her feel sick that a creature could do something like this.. a whole.. pack..

She'd nodded at his suggestion at looking for survivors and had split apart so they could cover more ground. Everytime she came across another body she hoped that it's soul was running free and safely. Though as she came to one she couldn't take it anymore, it was a young mare, and from the state of her, had been pregnant when she'd been killed. She stood, shuddering over the body, sobs wracking her for minute before she brought control over herself and wished the mother and her unborn a new life someday, free from the evil that could do this. She turned away and looked towards Moofu and from the look on his face, the normally stoic stallion, there was a haunted look in his eyes that broke her heart, she knew he'd seen young ones dead, it was one of the things that could bring her beloved to visible hurt like that. Her heart went out to him, and her feet moved in his direction, wanting to be close to him, to give comfort and draw comfort from him, they needed each other, more than Ashanti could ever say. "Moofu did you find anyone?" though from his face she knew he hadn't found any survivors yet, neither had she.

As she walked towards him she thought she heard something, her ears flicked backwards against her head and her body tensed, instantly thinking whatever had done this had returned but there was no more large noises, only a body she hadn't checked a short ways off. She turned to move back towards Moofu when she caught the faintest glimmer of movement from the body.... breathing.. this one was breathing.. barely... "MOOFU!... Someone's alive!" she called to him, knowing he would join her quickly and she moved towards the body that was Cyanide Stardust, bloody and torn but alive... just.

(No worries, Vis smile )

Her mind was lost to the darkness as it spread around her, a giant void of empty silence, going on for forever… In this world, her body was light as a feather and numb to everything, her thoughts wild and free to roam the shadow world, thoughts dancing through her mind, but not memories—they were stuffed deep down inside of her, locked away with a shadow padlock, the little black key hidden amidst a proverbial haystack. But it was okay—she didn’t need them. With a smile that didn’t reach her physical being, Cyanide felt truly free and truly happy.

And then she heard it, soft and steady, the sound of dripping water. Plink, plink, the sound echoed all around her, echoed through her mind and through this faceless, nameless place. She lifted her head and scented the air, but all she smelled was the chill of winter’s cold grasp. Plink, plink, faster, louder now, hurting her head. She tossed her mane and spun around, paws flexing against the solid black ground. She let out a growl, the sound burning through her ears like fire. Her body was gripped in flames, then and she bolted, trying to run from the pain seeping back into her muscles and joints and bones and flesh, even as the numbness wore off and her mind was blanked with agony. She threw her head back in a cry, her body twisting, tensing…

Before the pain could truly fade, Cyanide was slammed back into reality, where the darkness was replaced with harsh sunlight beaming through rainclouds, too bright. She thrashed, struggling to find herself again, nostrils flaring with a trickle of blood that spotted the ground. Her breaths came short, fast, frantic and panicked…until she saw the large, black dog-like being standing above her, his very presence…almost soothing, almost crooning.

“Please,” she breathed, her voice hoarse and sharp, reaching out to him with a paw. Her body began to tremble—she wasn’t dead. At least not yet, but she didn’t want to die.

Ashanti moved respectfully back as Monfulta approached the injured mare. She also wished Amuru and his unicorn Mate was around, or even one of their children. She listened hard as Moofu explained what herbs he needed and in what quantities and as soon as he was done she was darting off, trusting her mate to know what to do to help the wolf mare.

It took her a little while longer than she'd hoped to gather together what Moofu needed, but was hurrying back to them when she heard a cry that lent speed to her hooves and she galloped full pelt back to Moofu and the mare. "I have everything" she said, dropping the herbs at Moofu's feet, not sure she knew how to treat such serious wounds but she looked at Moofu and the scared and hurt young mare and she closed her eyes tightly for a second before laying down next to the hurt mare, lending whatever motherly comfort and warmth she could. Losing a vast amount of blood made you cold, she knew that much.