“Talk not to me of blasphemy, man; I'd strike the sun if it insulted me!”
Well this was fucking fantastic.
Such a long time away from his beloved pack, and what was his welcome? A challenge. He wasn’t surprised; he should’ve expected this. After a leader takes such a long absence, all the young mutts start to feel lucky. Maybe they won’t come back and I can just sneak in and take over. He was a boy once. He knew how it went. What they fail to realize, though, is that the Alpha always know. They have connections, ties, instincts. The bond with a pack was one that ran deeper than blood, one that pulsed in the very core of the being and thrilled at every heartbeat spent closer to the borders. This was his ultimate strength.
And what did this little wench have in her favor? She looked like any other well pedigreed princess, living life in cashmere comfort. A warm, open teat filled her infancy, the joyful laughter of brothers and sisters resounded through her puphood. She no doubt had made friends with every living thing she encountered and regarded them all with ‘love’. A sneer rose to the King’s lips, a nasty chuckle bubbling in his chest. It’s not that the brute didn’t believe in love, he just had issues with those who threw the word around like the tassel upon their rear. Love was something intimate. It was like ice taking up residence in the heart, burning and freezing and refusing to thaw. And, if the conditions were right, it could freeze the organ solid and coat it in a layer of impenetrable frost.
The dark titan’s lithe form glided through the forest, every cell in his body reveling in the feeling of their home. It had been so long... Too long. Serris hummed as he walked to the borders, musing over what had happened a minute before. Aindreas and his little girlfriend had been waiting for him, like two parents waiting to reprimand their rebellious child. How ironic. After the girl’s intentions were made clear, Serris just didn’t feel like talking anymore. He stared, deciding whether to laugh at the statement or not, for surely she could not be serious. He had seized Munashii from the grasps of desperation and raised it from the ashes with his own iron will. He had reigned here unchallenged for moons and moons on end, his power absolute. And now, just when his spirits were as high as ever and his soul ablaze, she decided to vainly try and snatch his kingdom? Foolish girl, what a horrible awakening she had coming to her. Serris wasn’t softened by his darling Kobato anymore; her touch still lay deep within him, but he was back to a more glorious version of himself. Yes, this would definitely be fun.
His destination was the river that ran along the border of Munashii Gekko. It was a sacred place to the he-beast, a hidden land far away from the pains of the mortal world. He had bathed in these very waters the day of his first challenge, washing himself in the biting cold of the clear liquid. It was almost like a religion to the soldier, this obsession and devotion to that perfect crystalline substance. He would be buried in this trickling trail; that he knew for sure. Serris soon came within sight of the stream, drawing in a deep breath before slowly stepping into the flow. His silhouette disappeared inch by inch, every hair resisting the plunge until they were irresistibly and inevitably pulled under. The chilling autumn water rushed around him, filling every crevice of his form. He was up to his shoulder blades, but Serris did not stop there. He went fully under. The only sign of his departure was the whispering echo of a hastily taken breath and the lingering distortion on the water’s surface. Fantastic shapes danced in front of the Master’s eyelids, the sparkling blue of his irises hidden from the cold. Ribbons of light painted pictures in the blackness. If there was a heaven filled with petty pagan gods, this would be it.
But wolves are not meant to be creatures of the surf. Serris, to his own grief, was no exception from this rule of evolution. Soon he felt his lungs burning, and this pain led to the sad truth that he had to get out sooner than usual this time. It was not fear of drowning that chased him out. No, he merely would need all the air he could get to display his dominance. He would not lose to a prissy little girl. The warboy pulled himself from the water’s grip and dragged himself back onto the land that he so hated. Shaking the melted crystals from his pelt, Serris felt a shiver of adrenaline run down his spine. Every cell felt shockingly alive, as if his veins had turned to power lines. Everything in him screamed for action. And who could resist such demons? His pace was steady but swift, his strides long. What Serris lacked in muscle he made up for in speed and stamina. He would leave his opponent breathless, gasping for air. He would drown them alive. A crooked smile rose to his ebony lips at the thought.
His entrance into the clearing was not an extravagant one. Serris slowed to a concentrated walk just moments before his unveiling. He found the gray mistress waiting for him, trying out a look of intimidation on her face, and at the sight Serris couldn’t contain a small bout of amused laughter. The charcoal monarch padded towards her, his pace slow, lackadaisical. As if he meant to have a nice long talk before their dual. “Oh put your lips down, little girl; even the mice of the brittle wheat are not afraid of you.” His words were every bit sarcastic as they were venomous, the lyrics of a man who did not appreciate having his righteous power questioned. His own raven kissers pulled back into a grin, but his orbits betrayed his true feelings about the situation. There was no humor in their icy depths.
They were closer now, a little more than ten feet -- still a comfortable distance for both -- when Serris decided to let lose his second string of melody. “Are you expected words as to how ‘sorry I am to mess up such a pretty face as yours’? No, my little wench, you’ll get none from me. I hold nothing for you but hatred; even the shadow that clings to my paws despises everything that you are. You’ll get no mercy from me.” And with that he lunged.
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