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It had been a long and sleepless night for the maddened wolf. Well, almost a sleepless night. He had dreamed of it, the moment he became what he was. That made the rest of the darkness lacking in comfort for him. Not that he was horrified by what he'd done, no, not at all. Tiberius was overexcited by it. He had found a replacement for the one who was lost. And a convieniently submissive one at that.

Not like his dreams where Julie walked, and fought back. Those were almost like invogorating nightmares. Truely he hadn't meant to hurt her, at least he didn't think he did until the blood was all over his maw and paws, and he liked it. The power in it was something he tended to lust after even in sleep. Strength over another wolf who was not his match, and who could do nothing in the wake of his flashing blue eyes. That was why he was excited and couldn't sleep. Blood raced through his veins and he thought only of crimson against his fur.

Xieros didn't deserve that, not yet.

However.

Birds without cages ran free, and one night of forcing Xieros to realize that she was nothing but a plaything in the paws of a monster, and everything was beyond her control, would not be enough. One night was never enough to instill enough fear and power over an individual. So, he started the training early that day.

Slowly the bicolored male crept out of the den, backwards. He did quite a good job of being silent about it as the captive female slept tenatively, and didn't seem to have awakened her. Biting his lip to stifle a chuckle, Tiberius wandered off - but not far. Not far at all. He may have been completely out of his mind but unfortunately for those that met him, he was smart. The male lay, basking, atop the crest of the small hill the den bored into.

He could see everything that would go on at its entrance, and knowing the flame of rebellion in Xieros she would bolt like an arrow from the string. But the crazed wolf knew he was faster. Stocky and long legged, he would have no problem chasing down the small, exhausted and hungry female. Another lesson for her to learn, he was always lurking somewhere.

And if she came back quietly maybe, just maybe, he would let her have a little bit to eat and drink. If she was lucky. It wouldn't be devastating to her health to starve the little wench for five days though if he had to. Eventually, when the pressure is on, every creature does what it has to in order to live. In Xieros' case, this would be total compliance.

Grinning to himself Tiberius watched. It probably wouldn't be long before Xieros noticed him gone and a clear path.

What a wonderful morning this was going to be! A planned chase, a hunt if you will. He hunted other wolves before, after all. Not to eat though, no, he was not a cannibal. If anything the male was driven more by sadistic bloodlust than anything else, all his life. All of it that he could recall.

But, it would be interesting to make Xieros think he may eat her.

Tiberius stashed that mental note away for use later. It might come in useful one of these days. What was more frightening than a crazy cannibal he didn't know.

Laughing inwardly, he lay still and silent, waiting only for a sign of his captive femme.

Deep blue eyes watched the fleeing Xieros and darkened immediately into something that was a glorious meld of glee, determination, and almost instant insanity. He had wondered how long it would take for the little black and white to make a break for it, and this was just too perfect. She was making a bee line of escape, and it had the highest possibility of failing. His brutish cackle hailed his forward motion, paws coming to life beneath the evil lupine.

He was off the top of the hill like a shot, legs taking the fall fairly well, though they crumpled down like springs to take the shock of the wolf's bulk. While he was only a little taller than average, Tiberius was stocky and thickly muscled.

The pause was only brief, however, before he was after her, laughing. She had fallen right into it, and she would learn today, right now, that there was no escape from a mad wolf. Xieros would never be free again if he had anything to say about it.

Night and day sprinted over the forest ground after her. The best though, would be if he hung back long enough for the black and white femme to realize that she was not going to be rescued, and no one had followed her here. The terrible grin that spread across his maw at that thought remained for quite some time, flashing white teeth more than visible against his deep blue and black muzzle. There was no light in his personality to be seen through the expression, only the blackest of souls.

He held back, just staying even with her, letting her feel his presence for a long while before the dark wolf reared back his head and hailed his arrival with a howl that ripped through the trees, deep and true. Tiberius' voice was not at all like his speech, it was a low, sounding tone that would put some wolves to shame.

It was all just too perfect.

He knew he looked as mad as the first moment she saw him, and that drove the insane wolf on even more. She belonged to him, after all.

Now there was just the matter of burning that fact into Xieros' mind.

He tossed his head and cackled, the dark wolf deciding that he would simply run the bicolored female down until she could barely move, and then run her back to his chosen den without a rest.

((Shortish, but I'll gain momentum as I go. xD Been out of it too long.))

You belong to me.

A second broken, awkwardly sung howl followed the first as Tiberius gave chase. He wasn't the tallest or the fastest of wolves, but his legs were longer than hers, his chest a broad place for heart and lungs to fuel the bursting contractions of his muscles. He was hunting Xieros now, chasing her down with a longing like that of a starved lone seeking prey. A need, a searing desire to capture the smaller femme and take her down, sieze her under his paws, feel the flesh of her lithe body against his teeth. A lovely sadistic embrace. One of the most twisted forms of passion.

Wind cascaded down the throat of night and day, a huge breath taken between leaps to still the fire growing in his legs. He felt no fear of rescue, held no confidence for the escape of his lovely prey. The reminder of the only one he had cared for, the one he had left for dead. Her blood and her screams still rocked his mind, specifically in times such as this when her memory could be strongest.

Juliana.

I'll take you once again.

The size and the colors of Xieros still reminded him of her. Not completely, the resemblance wasn't as striking as he originally thought, but she was in the forefront now. No rescue. A fatal flaw and a fading will. Xieros' accidental suicide. Like the breaking of a vital artery. Cut off from everything that once was.

No rescue.

Tiberius couldn't get rid of his grin. It was interfering with his breathing, letting the sear of a full run course through his legs. Pain. Muscles rebelling. Slowly it brought him back from the visions that had been blurring his vision, and the monster realized he hadn't gained much on his fleeing prey. Driven by a mortal fear. Oh, but he could outlast her. Stocky bodies were fantastic for long runs.

Another cascade of air, a fall of the vital invisibility of the world expanding his chest. Burn receding. Blue and black claws digging into soft earth as the beast of a wolf gained speed again, forcing his muscles to contract faster, tearing forward in a starved run that could not end well for the fleeing femme. But he couldn't hurt her much. Tiberius still wanted her in one piece, breathing and alive. She had to realize, however, that she was nothing in comparison to him, and perhaps that would take a few bruises.

He was gaining. Madness flared in him for the second time in this game of chase. Trip her, send the little pretty sprawling onto her back. Oh, it was going to be beautiful. Closer, closer still.

Part of him almost wanted there to be a lone rescuer, so that the black and white could watch him tear her only hope to pieces. One wolf, one normal wolf that was, would not be enough to keep him from his goal. The idea of it was lovely, but that would slow him down. Inflicting terror, that was the point of this venture after all. And the brief look he had caught from Xieros when she saw him gaining told the mad wolf that indeed, she knew a good part of the fear that he wanted her to feel.

It will never be enough.

Of course it wouldn't! He knew that. The voices of a crazed mind did not lie, at least not in the eyes of a crazed mind.

"Give in!" A short, demanding bark between the strikes of his pink and dark paws against the ground. Perhaps she would, but he didn't expect it. A yowling and begging Xieros might sway some of the violence rooted in the thoughts of madness, but not all, and maybe she knew that. But where was she going? Did she know the way home? Tiberius had been careful to take her far the previous day, force her into the unfamiliar. "You can't hope," paused by a lunging stride, a far off n** at her tail but near enough for the clack of teeth to be heard, "To find your way!"

Tiberius was suddenly in a dream.

The world slowed and disappeared. Earth fell away from beneath his paws and all that was left was air as he descended into darkness and then into memory. A mottled black, white and brown female, scruffy and undersized lay beneath him.

Bloody from muzzle to tail, he watched and grinned as he knew she was drawing her last breath.

Masses of howls came into the distance, and the day and night wolf ran forward in his dream.

Eyes that were not his own looked back.

Juliana was still breathing.

But that was a dream! And here he was, in reality, leaping into the air and looking down on another helpless figure. Phantom smell and taste of blood reached the craze of night and day as he descended on Xieros. Teeth flashed, she was trying to stand and it was too late. Blue and black muzzle twisted as his tended to do, the face of the night contorting into a mass of sharp white teeth and wide crystal blue eyes. He had her. The top of her muzzle was in his jaws, the stocky legs of the evil male on either side of his fallen prey, weight of his body pressing her down. Embrace her in his bloodlust. White canines streaked across her muzzle, Tiberius' way of marking her as his. He didn't know if it would be permanent or not, the maddened wolf had no way of knowing how much pressure he had used other than the metallic tinge of iron did indeed reach his lips.

It was a horrible, almost lusty pin that he locked his precious little prey into. Tiberius let the full weight of his body fall on her, sadistic passion mixed with the adrenaline of the run taking him over. The length of his body pressed against hers and the larger male rubbed slightly against Xieros, the scents of the two mingling. Pink tail and blue hackles rose, fur bristled, a sign of his dominance over the smaller femme. It was a shame she was still so young, or he may have shown just how much he appreciated the blood-smeared closeness the two now shared. His tongue ran across the newly-made shallow wounds and he released his hold, trailing further up across her head and between her ears with the lick, streaking crimson as he went.

Tiberius ran his muzzle across the fur of her ears and neck, hailing his passage with rough nips and bites that he paid no heed to the pressure of. If she turned crimson by the time he was through, then he didn't care so long as she was still breathing. The insane wolf did still want his companion alive if he could resist his twisted carnal urges.

Certainly in time she would come to understand that so long as she remained terrified and obedient she would continue to breathe. That lesson, to a maddened mind, did not seem hard to learn. How else could she survive, with no one to help her with food, shelter or water? She would belong to him and be his to do with as he pleased. It was a fair trade, after all. Life for services rendered.

But not now. There was a job to do. Tiberius had to teach her the rules, that Xieros could not escape if she wanted to, running was futile. Slowly he drew back, now tinged muzzle still open and his discolored teeth never losing their threat. Just enough to keep from crushing the air out of her lungs with his weight. Night and day wasn't certain if she could breathe with him on her. He was panting, beautiful blue crystal eyes staring off into nothingness. They would have been incredible to look at if the sadistic madness in his mind did not shine through them. He reaffirmed his hold on the smaller femme, muzzle wrapping around Xieros' scruff to keep her in place, the evil male going so far as to pull back and jerk her head and muzzle into the air. A deep growl vibrated through him, more of a threat, one that he knew she could feel since he was so close. He knew he had to take her back to their makeshift den, but for the moment Tiberius could not bring himself to move away enough to drag her. He still stared off, fighting deadly desires. The sadistic dance was stopped that way, with his teeth in the back of her neck, as he beat down the want to end their little adventure here.