It had taken Hiana weeks to track down her brother since the...incident. The last time she had seen her mother alive. She couldn't believe that it had been so long since that had happened. The guilt inside her seemed to be eating her alive. She had to talk to Neculai, she just had to know...had they done the right thing? Or not?
"Neculai," she called out, seeing him in the distance. His fur was matted and dirtied, his mane unkept and messy. He looked about as bad as she felt.
He flinched and glanced up at her call, squinting at her in the sunlight. His eyes were dry and reddish; they looked sore. It took him a moment to recognise her, but when he did, a look of rage fell across his face, darkening his features and twisting them into an ugly expression that she had never seen before in her life.
"What are you doing here?" He roared, rising to his feet but almost falling. His legs looked shaky and weak, but his rage was intense.
Hiana flinched backwards at his rage, hesitating but she had to know. She stepped closer slowly, cautiously. "Brother," she tried to appease him, calm him down but the reminder of their relationship seemed only to enrage him further.
"Do not talk to me!" He yelled, stepping backwards; his back leg fell into the water behind him, slipping and wetting his fur. "You do not have the right to talk to me!" He roared.
Hiana was baffled, staring at him with wide eyes and anxiety. "But Brother...what did I do?" She begged, trying to move closer to him. "Tell me, please! What did I do wrong? You have to-"
" I don't have to do anything for you, murderer!" He bellowed, the water reaching his waist in his attempt to avoid her.
"M-murderer?" Hiana stammered, wide-eyed. "Me? I didn't do anything! Please, brother-"
"DO NOT COME NEAR ME!"
Hiana whimpered. "Please...I need your help..."
"Just go away!" He swiped his paws at her, claws extended and mouth pulled back in a growl. She flinched but he was too far away for his swipe to make contact, so she didn't fear for her safety.
A new voice broke through the growls though, and startled Hiana. "I don't know what happened between you two but one must never threaten a lady!"
She glanced towards the intruder, surprised to find a large, white male with a full mane and armor pinned to him by vines stalking towards them. His eyes were narrowed in annoyance, and after a few moments he had planted himself firmly between Hiana and Neculai.
"This is none of your business," Neculai growled furiously, his eyes narrowed in anger. "Leave!"
"You are threatening a young lady, that makes this my business." The male remarked casually, straightening his posture to reveal his sheer bulk. He was big, fluffy and well armored in places. His posture was casual but refined, and his eyes were narrowed in warning. " I do believe you should make your leave now."
"He wasn't going to hurt me," Hiana tried to defend her brother, but her voice lacked conviction and the fear in her voice was growing as she saw the look in her brother's gaze. He would have, she realised. He would have hurt her, had the male not stepped in; but surely it would only be as he had before, a simple smack across the face? No claws.
Glancing down, his claws were extended, digging in to the dirt and rescinding back into their sheaths, only to extend again fully and scraping the ground. It was a threatening gesture.
"Or so you hope," the male corrected her, and took a step forward towards Neculai. "Take your leave, sir. Or I will force your paw."
"Come and force it then," Neculai snarled. He didn't wait for the stranger to make the first move though, hurling himself towards the male with as much force as he could manage. The male dare not move aside, or else the male would hit Hiana squarely. Instead, the male squared his shoulders and braced his form. Neculai's claws hit the male's fur, but did not shake his stance. Instead, the male barelled into him also, throwing his weight around and basically stopping the attack in his tracks. Taking advantage of the momentary disorientation of the counter-attack, the male swiped out his own claws, catching Neculai's hind quarters. Neculai yowled loudly, and stumbled in his stance. The male took further advantage of the disorientation, and threw his body weight at the already unstable male. Neculai hit the ground, the pale male standing over him, claws extended in the ground and his mouth pulled back in a snarl.
"Stand. Down." The male's face was dead serious and Neculai snarled, but did not attempt a retaliation.
The male stayed in his position for a few moments, before exhaling sharply and stepping backwards. He turned towards Hiana, who stood in shock where she had been when the fight began.
"I apologise, my lady," the male said, stepping towards her, "I did not wish to fight but he left me no choice. Please allow me to escort you from here, to wherever it is you wish to go. I would not feel right leaving you so soon after such an...encounter."
"Ahh," Hiana stuttered. "Sure."
"My name is Rior," the male introduced himself, lowing himself into a low bow. "Might I know your name?"
"Hiana," she admitted quietly, as he ushered her away from her fallen brother. "He was my brother."
"No brother should threaten a lady, even if that lady is blood. Especially if she is blood."
"I didn't think he would," she defended, lost. "I don't know what's happened, Rior. My entire family has fallen apart."
"Now, now," Rior chidded gently. "Don't be too dramatic. Why don't you tell me what's happened, and surely there will be a logical step for you to take?" He encouraged, leading her away from her seething, fallen brother. The male on the ground looked...furious, but Rior did not worry. He could take the fallen male again, should he chose to rechallenge him.
For now, he was focused purely on the lost female before him. That was his mission for now, he would think of the revenge soon to be taken on him later.
[WC: 1079]
