To my dearest with love... [Damian, anyone]

[Electus]

"What? Oh, yes, I see what you mean. But I think that if you approach it this way...hm? No, a little bit more to the left. Yes, that's what I meant, I'm sorry. What's that? Yes, but I'm not sure why she would do that. It's utterly preposterous! I daresay, I think she was going a bit at the end there."

Cohen sat staring intently at empty air and apparently also having a conversation. With empty air. In retrospect, one might think that it was only a matter of time.

"You were certainly in the right. Yes, you were definitely in the right, that geezer was cruisin' for a bruisin'. I don't know, I was really drunk at the time. Why do people do things? Why do people do anything? Yeah, I don't really know. But ah, on to different matters, shall we? Did you hear about Cohen? I hear he's quite insane nowadays. Or maybe quite civil! Ah, rumours, eh, old chum? Dreadful. Just dreadful."

The mad wolf shifted, dragging furrows into the ground and yawning.

"Why no, I haven't seen any activity on the border as of late. I don't understand it. Yes, I agree! Quite useless, quite useless. Now, to my dearest with love....I understand that you're quite cross. Why, I'll never know. But! I hope you will find solace wherever you go, and that you'll remain safe. I will never know what I'll do if you aren't safe! But these are the ponderings of an old fool. Stay sharp, my dear. I'll always be just around the corner, watching."

[nightblood]

"Why no, I haven't seen any activity on the border as of late. I don't understand it. Yes, I agree! Quite useless, quite useless. Now, to my dearest with love....I understand that you're quite cross. Why, I'll never know. But! I hope you will find solace wherever you go, and that you'll remain safe. I will never know what I'll do if you aren't safe! But these are the ponderings of an old fool. Stay sharp, my dear. I'll always be just around the corner, watching."

"What's useless at the border, Cohen?" Damian asked as he came out of the shadows. The Guardian had been watching from a distance as the mad Sentry began talking to himself. Talking to ones self did not always beget madness. It was when you started answering yourself when you were truly on the brink of insanity. Cohen, no longer on the brink, but far across the border, had already proved his craziness to Damian upon their first meeting. Talking to himself did not surprise the Guard.

With Damian was a very large rabbit lying at his feet. He had dropped it in order to speak and it was now twitching as the last few breaths escaped its lungs. He intended the rabbit to be for the slaves, staying true to his word for Blackavar. He would have an extra meal for each Slave. However, he could not carry more than what looked like would only feed himself. This way he looked less suspicious.

The Guardian had been lieing in the darkness eyeing the mad wolf for quite some time, stopping there on his way to the Slave's Hold which, conveniently, was placed on the way to the stores. If anyone had caught him, he could say he was taking the rabbit there instead. At Cohen's mention of the border, he thought it was best to get what information he could out of the dark male.

[Electus]

"What's useless at the border, Cohen?"

"Nothing of import...nothing of import." the mad wolf said softly. He slowly turned, regarding the Guardian. His eyes narrowed as he looked him up and down. Cohen remembered the orders from Nightshade...keep Damian away from the Slaves' Hold.

"Where's that rabbit bound, Damian?" Cohen asked in the same slow, soft drawl. "And on the same note...where are you bound?"

[nightblood]

"Where's that rabbit bound, Damian?" Cohen asked in the same slow, soft drawl. "And on the same note...where are you bound?"

That was the clue he needed. At the emphasis of the word 'you', Damian was almost certain Cohen was under an order to tail him or some similar command. Not that he was surprised. He had never wanted Cohen, or any other wolf for that matter, to know what he was up to. He would just have to keep a sharper eye out for him in the future.

"I haven't decided to either take it for myself or put it in the stores. I'm not all that hungry, but it'd keep up my strength so I can hunt something bigger and take it there. Unless you'd like to spare me the burden of deciding- Would you like to have it, Cohen?"

With that, the Guardian pushed the rabbit forward, not exactly thrilled about the possibility of having to arrange another dead body for the mad wolf. But such was life in Sallin.

[Electus]

"I haven't decided to either take it for myself or put it in the stores. I'm not all that hungry, but it'd keep up my strength so I can hunt something bigger and take it there. Unless you'd like to spare me the burden of deciding- Would you like to have it, Cohen?"

Cohen tilted his head. "Not today."

He circled Damian slowly, still speaking in that slow drawl. "You're a smart little wolf. I'd imagine that you've figured out...certain things. Like why I'm here. But I'm just here at our Queen's behest."

The manic wolf paused, staring into the sky. "What do you see in them Damian? Have you a conscience tucked away somewhere under all that bravado?" he chuckled, lolling out his tongue. "Ah, my poor, deluded comrade. I know more than you think."

[nightblood]

"What do you see in them Damian? Have you a conscience tucked away somewhere under all that bravado?"

"See in who?" Damian asked, rather seriously. He wanted to find out how much Cohen knew. If he knew, or suspected, too much, it would be a good idea to lay low for a while, entirely away from the Slave's Hold.

"Ah, my poor, deluded comrade. I know more than you think."

By staying quiet, it would send the signal that he was indeed hiding something, but playing dumb would just annoy Cohen, most likely. Best say something

"That surprises me, Cohen. I was under the impression that your kind couldn't hold too much information. Please, forgiveme of my ignorance."

A slight bow was his only movement, and it was nearly impossible to tell wether it was sincere. To Damian, it obviously wasn't, but the way he carried it out may have masked it quite well.

Placing a paw on the meat, the Guardian drew it back to him. Although it was the least of his worries as he followed the dark wolf as he circled him. Right now, his entire focus was getting out of his presence unharmed, with or without the meal.

[Electus]

"That surprises me, Cohen. I was under the impression that your kind couldn't hold too much information. Please, forgive me of my ignorance."

Cohen threw back his head and laughed shortly. "There it is again! I knew I saw something in you...the very first day we met, in fact."

He flicked a claw contemptuously at the bow. "You needn't. I've no use for fake bows and hand-me-down lies."

Cohen then inspected one of his own paws, musing over the wretched claws that were attached to it. "There are many ways to keep someone away from something. Especially here in Sallin. I regret this had to come to pass, Damian. I have my orders."

The black wolf stopped circling, his eyes now very narrow and very wild.

"How much longer can you hide that you have feelings, my friend?"

[nightblood]

"You needn't. I've no use for fake bows and hand-me-down lies."

So he saw through it. Interesting creature indeed.

"There are many ways to keep someone away from something. Especially here in Sallin. I regret this had to come to pass, Damian. I have my orders."

'Definitely NightShade's orders, then,' thought Damian as he watched Cohen inspect his claws. Even a simple scratch from one of those would probably result in a fatal infection. The Guardian would bet a mountain of meat that he never washed them.

"How much longer can you hide that you have feelings, my friend?"

Damian chuckled at this question. There was no use in talking about feelings to someone who didn't have them or wouldn't understand what they were anyway. No one in this pack had any feelings, except maybe fear. The smart ones had fear. The mad ones didn't. Damian feared, but he was in control of it. However, he could feel it growing in the presence of this... creature. Best get out of here.

"Heh. As long as I need to, Cohen," Damian answered as he took up his meal and turned to leave. He aimed his paws away from the stores, even more importantly, away from the Slaves' Hold, and, most importantly, away from Cohen.

[Electus]

"Heh. As long as I need to, Cohen."

The mad wolf smiled. "A bold answer."

As the Guardian turned to leave, the sentry spoke out in a voice that was neither slow nor a drawl. And the tone of it alone could have killed several things nearby.

"Don't turn away. I know what you think. Why Cohen, he's insane, why would he know anything about anyone's feelings? The only things that he feels are random fits of violence, anger, and hysteria." There was no anger in Cohen's voice, but it was cold and hard.

"That may or may not be true. I myself do not know. But Sallin is a home that accepts many of those...attributes."

Cohen closed his eyes for a moment before speaking again. "Angst ist schwach. Ο θυμός είναι επικίνδυνη. Sono solo. Jaz sem sovražil. То, что я стал, я знаю, нет."

His voice dropped to a loud whisper. "You see? Even I do not know where the real Cohen has gone. He is lost, maybe forever! Lost in the madness, the pain, the armageddon of fire and blood! Do not turn away, Damian! Do not turn away from fear, lest you embrace it and use it as a weapon against your hated foes!"

Lucid for one of the rare moments in his life, Cohen was almost begging, willing Damian to listen before the mad wolf was consumed again.

"Would that I were what I once was, Damian, I would not have to do this. Perhaps this will be the last you hear of me. Yes, I am insane. There is not curing that. So heed my words while I can still speak them. War is coming. I can sense on the borders. Nightshade suspects you, as do I. You are up to something."

Cohen's eyes rolled in their sockets, bloodshot and manic. "Смерть изменникам! Теперь наши действия будут решать судьбу слова!" he rasped gutturally.

[nightblood]

"A bold answer."

'I thought so,' Damian snapped in thought.

"Don't turn away. I know what you think. Why Cohen, he's insane, why would he know anything about anyone's feelings? The only things that he feels are random fits of violence, anger, and hysteria."

His tone, if nothing else, made him stop. What he had to say was entirely true. That was what he thought. But why would it concern him? Damian put the rabbit down, showing that he would listen, and turned his head to view the mad wolf. Better to keep an eye on possibly enemies than to leave your back unguarded.

"That may or may not be true. I myself do not know. But Sallin is a home that accepts many of those...attributes."

The next words were of a dialect Damian did not understand, but he sat through them, so to speak, even turned around fully to show Cohen that he had his attention, not that he necessarily needed to verbally command it. Any mad wolf in any pack had everyone's attention.

"You see? Even I do not know where the real Cohen has gone. He is lost, maybe forever! Lost in the madness, the pain, the armageddon of fire and blood! Do not turn away, Damian! Do not turn away from fear, lest you embrace it and use it as a weapon against your hated foes!"

Other than his ears perking for half a second, Damian gave no other indication that he was surprised. Was Cohen offering to help him? Could he risk such a thing? The saying was 'Keep your enemies closer', but surely that was not what it had meant?

"Would that I were what I once was, Damian, I would not have to do this. Perhaps this will be the last you hear of me. Yes, I am insane. There is not curing that. So heed my words while I can still speak them. War is coming. I can sense on the borders. Nightshade suspects you, as do I. You are up to something."

"Both you and NightShade have nothing to fear from me, Cohen. I give you my word that no one will suffer from my actions."

It was a true statement, emotionless as it was. But he doubt that it registered with the deranged wolf, since it was at about this time that his eyes went red and blank as he began speaking in that unknown dialect again.

"You really should control these episodes, my friend."

[Electus]

"Both you and NightShade have nothing to fear from me, Cohen. I give you my word that no one will suffer from my actions."

Cohen laughed mirthlessly, the laughter trailing off into a hoarse choke.

"You still don't understand, do you? NightShade does not fear you! And you are afraid of me! Don't you see? I have been ordered to keep you away from the Slaves' Hold!"

Cohen's eyes glittered.

"She did not say how. That leaves it up to me."

The black wolf flexed his claws.

Lamento. Em breve, eu serei ido. O assassino e os rampager em breve tomar meu lugar."

Then Cohen laughed shrilly, horribly, madly. He rolled his eyes and gnashed his teeth, grinning as his mouth filled with blood and his eyes grew red. He tore at the ground, dragging furrows and scraping rock and pebble.

"Fragments, fragments! His mind, my mind, their minds! All falling to pieces! Blood, blood, BLOOD! I want it! I need BLOOD! I will have it! ! جور! واسمحوا نهاية مرات تبدأ! واسمحوا النار المطر ، وحرق!"

Suddenly, he lashed out, claws streaking through the air like lightning. His face grimaced in pain, as if some invisible assailant was torturing him.

[nightblood]

"You still don't understand, do you? NightShade does not fear you! And you are afraid of me! Don't you see? I have been ordered to keep you away from the Slaves' Hold!"

"Oh, I understand that quite perfectly. And if NightShade has ordered you to tail me, she does, in fact, fear me. Everyone fears what they do not understand. Like I with you, Cohen."

"She did not say how. That leaves it up to me."

Damian tensed when the mad wolf flexed his claws. Surely he wouldn't? Even the insane understood the meaning of a single Guardian? If he was decommissioned, there would be no one to guard the border... properly.

"Fragments, fragments! His mind, my mind, their minds! All falling to pieces! Blood, blood, BLOOD! I want it! I need BLOOD! I will have it! ! جور! واسمحوا نهاية مرات تبدأ! واسمحوا النار المطر ، وحرق!"

"Then take it you crazy bastard!"

With that, Damian quickly tossed up the rabbit into the mad wolf's face. Hoping that would disorient him long enough, the Guardian dashed for the nearest boulder, though he could feel claws ripping at his fur. He was able to jump onto the rock with a breath of relief. No pain yet, but he wasn't high enough. No where was far enough away from this terrible wolf. He leapt onto a thick tree branch, swaying as he tried to gain something of a balance. He was no cat.

[Electus]

"Then take it you crazy bastard!"

You better make your face up in your favorite disguise. With your button down lips and your roller blind eyes.
With your empty smile and your hungry heart, feel the bile rising from your guilty past. With your nerves in tatters when the cockleshell shatters and the hammers batter Down the door.
You'd better run! Ha haha ha!"

Cohen leapt agilely after Damian, claws slashing the rabbit aside effortlessly. Damian was not quite fast enough in escaping; Cohen was close behind, jaws slashing forward to crush the bone of the Guardian's left leg. The black wolf's claws lashed out again, aiming to sever fibers and tissue.

[nightblood]

Damian payed no attention to the wolf's words. Instead, he focused on getting himself out of the situation. Absolute fear was the only time Damian ever showed emotion. His eyes were wide and his ears were plastered back against his head. His tail was between his legs as he tried to find a good spot to land. Eyes finding a second set of stones, the Guardian aimed his paws in that direction.

Too late! A second too late!

"ARG!!!"

Damian snarled as pain gripped his leg like a vice. Teeth! Those wicked teeth! The lighter wolf landed on his right side as the pain brought him down to the earth. A wolf's jaw could sever bone. If he did not move, he would surely loose his leg. To remain limpas if being attacked by a bear was not an option. Cohen was too crazy for that. He would simply keep on slashing and not give a damn.

In his panic, Damian knew that to pull away from this wolf would mean to loose his whole leg entirely. Instead, he focused on the most painful, but quickest way to get out of this canine's reach. He aimed his jaws forward at the back of Cohen's neck. He did not mean to snap it, though it would be a bonus if he did, but instead his intentions were to snap the rest of the bone off entirely, let Cohen have his leg, and run like hell away from there.

[Electus]

"ARG!!!"

Cohen broke off as blood filled his mouth, taking a good part of Damian's leg with him. The black wolf lashed out reflexively as Damian retaliated, claws raking for a second time towards the Guardian's face.

As he watched the Guardian beat a hasty retreat, Cohen spat the limb out from his jaws. Blood and other unsavory things were expelled from his jaws, and as he rolled his eyes and flexed his jaw, he looked down at the bloody mess at his feet.

"Right then. What the hell am I supposed to do with this?"