That's the price you pay
Leave behind your heart and cast away
Just another product of today
Rather be the hunter than the prey
And you're standing on the edge, face up
Leave behind your heart and cast away
Just another product of today
Rather be the hunter than the prey
And you're standing on the edge, face up
.
" You look a bit frayed at the edges there, comrade. "
The voice did not come as sound, not truly. It was more like the cold touch of breath across the back of the neck, the weight of something dead and heavy in the air. The pine shadows thickened, darkening into a suffocating fog until, finally, two slitted embers blinked open in the black, smoldering, watchful, unblinking. Coalstrike stepped forward, and the darkness followed him like a cloak. His massive body was a silhouette against the void, his fur matted and torn, the great wound at his neck still fresh and red in defiance of death itself. The killing bite. Wolfpack's mark. The only mark that mattered.
" Ah. " Coalstrike rasped, his voice low and gravelly, scraping like stone dragged through the dirt. " So it i s you. I wondered if I'd find you skulking about these woods. The one cat among them who had the spine to do what was necessary. " The faintest flicker of a smile cut across his muzzle. It wasn't kind. It wasn't forgiving. But it was genuine. " You did what the rest were too cowardly to do. " he went on, stepping closer until their pelts nearly brushed. His gaze glowed, bright and sharp in the dark. " They wanted me to die choking on herbs. Pitied. With their soft words and softer eyes. Deathberries. " His lip curled, a growl building in his chest. " What a pathetic way to end a warrior's life. What a weak, dishonorable way to kill a fighter. "
He let the silence hang for a few seconds more, the tension pulled tight between them. Then he exhaled, a dark, rasping purr rumbling up from his chest. " But you understood. You looked me in the eye. You didn't turn away. You gave me the death I earned. Blood. Teeth. Finality. There is no greater honor than to die by the fangs of one strong enough to end me. " The grin widened then, shadowed and haunting, half hidden by the flicker of spectral darkness that rolled off his form. " For that, Wolfpack... You have my thanks. "
It wasn't warmth that filled his voice, it was approval. The kind that came from a creature who had long since shed the burden of love. It was the thanks of a predator recognizing another predator. He turned slightly, gaze drifting to the dark pines surrounding them. " I despise those who stood by to let me wither. Who wished me to die choking on herbs. But you... " His tail lashed, slow and deliberate. " You ended me properly. You honored me. You understood what I was, what I am. "
He stepped forward once more, and this time, when he spoke, his tone was something darker. A promise. " Because of that... I will linger. I will watch over what is mine. I will ensure the weak remember what it is to fear the strong. " His torn ear flicked once. " You may call it a curse, or a blessing. It is both. " He leaned in closer until his muzzle brushed Wolfpack's ear, the words soft but heavy as stone. " You did well, comrade. You gave me death. "
There was a moment of silence as he pulled back, his head dipped once, a sneer to his face.
" And in return, I give you memory. You'll never be rid of me. "
Speech, thoughts/emphasis