#cm.cain

There were brief splotches of time where Xavier found himself missing the sunlight. As he stepped out onto the dock, scanning the area around him carefully for any of the wolves that owned this territory, he paused as the melancholy engulfed him suddenly. It ran deep - the want to watch a sunrise on this dock - entranced as the rays splashed across the water in spring. He could almost taste the pollen on the air and feel the warmth bathe him. He swallowed it back - the scream of rage that was always trapped in his throat - and settled for the white silver glow that danced across the lake instead.

red path

Xavier hadn’t meant to get this far into the Darklands - and he hadn’t even wanted to go anywhere near the old circus. There had been an imperceptible tug in his mind that worked its way through his body, leading him to straight into the lion’s den. He’d heard about Khaos so long ago- and when he tried to recall the memory it felt like he was watching it through someone else’s eyes.

It was his mother, whispering madly in the dark of the Haven to him about a twin pair of beasts and their toys. Their awful games and the types of danger that lurked there after their sudden departure. Xav had never once been curious about it- or anywhere else that might strike him unannounced and leave him dying alone for that matter. Still, he was not alone in his curiosity as crowds had gathered there, milling at an entrance and across the way, talking around the mysterious set of doors in the center. His gaze fell upon the red, staring intently at it.

The whispers began within seconds: He can do it. He can walk through the door. He should walk through the door. There is nothing there but a silly game. Silly game for silly people- they said. The four that liked to narrate his day, liked to tell him that any moment someone was going to snap his pretty neck. Or that he should do it before they have the chance.- it went on and on in varying degrees of absolutely bonkers to downright terrifying.

He hadn’t seen Cain as he approached the door. The voices were too loud and he couldn’t stop staring at the deep red slash on the murky horizon. As he stepped inside, they quieted like a crowd falling hush right before the curtains rose on stage. That was when everything snapped into clarity and he felt the presence of the alpha before he saw him- turning to reach for his wrist.

The club was at near capacity, which meant her kochba would be overflowing by the end of the night. Valerie paused in her sitting room, reaching up to run a pointed nail down the column of her favorite decoration’s throat. The man was emaciated, having been trapped in her web for the last decade- kept alive with scraps and the occasional feeding of another patron who broke her rules. The broken groan that escaped chapped and battered lips brought a grin to the demonness. “Are you tired of being my chandelier?” When he could not answer, her palm met his face in a loud smack. The action roused him enough to produce a quivering response that sounded something like No, mistress - except his vocal chords were so raw from the screams that it was garbled and messy. She could not recall exactly when the werewolf - who she'd named Dog - had broken. Sometime between his third year and now. Pity. She'd expected he would last longer. "I'll see you soon, dog. Be a good boy for me. Don't make another mess on my marble or I'm taking another one of your teeth." ~~~~~ On the dance floor, the thumping of the bass reverberated against the crowd, who moved in what could be unison - if not for the random patrons who hadn't a lick of skill in their bodies dancing. They created uncoordinated jerks within the crowd that made her nose scrunch in distaste. Amber liquid passed her lips from a crystal glass, and she swirled it, resting back against the u-shaped couch. One arm extended over the back, nails tapping the fabric as she observed her kingdom - waiting for the next patron who might find their bravery beneath the drink. She was awfully bored, and hadn't had the opportunity to punish anyone in months. "All fun and no play," she muttered aloud, gaze shifting to her right as a man she did not recognize approached her booth. Sitting forward, the glass slid onto the table, her head cocked curiously at his looming presence. "Is there something you'd like to complain about?"