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Post by tsukikoko on Oct 23, 2020 12:25:18 GMT -6
Only a few seconds after Casmir landed in a bleeding, crumpled heap, the redhead cast from his grip, a crushing weight slammed into the Hunter's chest with enough force to crack ribs. Wet, sticky globules of blood and saliva dripped onto his face and limbs, as the enormous, nightmarish maw of the skinwalker parted above him.
But, rather than crunching down onto the injured man, as it very well could have attempted to do, the beast instead let out a deep, rumbling snarl that towed a line somewhere between laugh and yip. Madness swirled in the black pits of it's eyes, darker even than the warehouse that surrounded them. It was a gaze that promised pain and a fascinated delight in inflicting it. A gaze that soon tracked from Casmir's prone form... over to the deathly still body of a certain crocodile-tailed shifter.
With it's back legs still completely immobilised and one malformed paw pinning the scarred Hunter, the beast ended up digging a few claws into Casmir and dragging him a couple of feet across the floor as it reached out for Sara. Piercing the tip of her tail with one claw, it slowly, ever so slowly, drew her towards itself. Despite the blood now oozing between her scales, the woman didn't even flinch. By this point, the skinwalker didn't even deign Casmir with a glance, so sure was it that he was trapped and defenceless. All that madness, the bloodlust, was once again focused upon the fair skin it wanted to rend between it's fangs.
Even when it spoke.
"You watch." Was the approximation of words that fell from the coyote's nightmarish maw, unable to correctly articulate the complex sounds from tongue and lip movements in it's current form and mental state. But even if he couldn't figure out the words, the intent would almost certainly come through, when the creature moved one extended toe to force Casmir's head to turn, until his cheek was pressed into the floor. It gave him a nice, clear view of where Sara had been dragged to and the steady progression of the skinwalker's claw towards the base of her spine.
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Post by luscen on Oct 30, 2020 2:21:36 GMT -6
Casmir grunted as the Skinwalker's massive paw slammed down onto his chest, hard enough that he felt the concrete beneath him crack. The runes on his armor held out, if just barely- he could feel the magic protecting him starting to buckle under the force of the creature's raw, animalistic strength. Blood seeped out from the wound at his thigh, but he'd be unable to treat it like this, pinned as he was.
Then the beast's gruesome maw turned towards Sara's prone form, a shuddering, eager sigh rattling it way past those wicked jaws. Keeping the Hunter pinned, it reached out its other hand, grinning uncannily with a perverse, almost sexual glee as it slowly drove the tip of its talon into her tail, just between the reptilian scales. A small pool of blood oozed forth around its claw, making it lick what passed for lips in hungry anticipation.
Casmir hissed furiously, grasping the thing's wrist with one hand to try and pry its grip loose, but the beast pressed down harder against him, and this time his runes couldn't weather the blow- Casmir growled in pain as he felt his ribs creak under the strain. The Skinwalker pressed the tip of its index finger's claw against the Hunter's cheek, forcing him to turn his head, which put Sara's unconscious body dead in his field of vision.
“You. Watch.” the Coyote gurgled in a barely comprehensible tone. Casmir's red eye swiveled up towards it, wide with rage. This thing was treating all of this as a sick game, getting its twisted amusement from making the two of them suffer. How many times before had it done this? How many children had it eaten in front of their helpless mothers? How many men had been forced to watch it devour their lovers?
There was no trace of nature running its course, no instance of someone being forced to do unsavory things for the sake of survival. It was just pure, unfiltered hedonism and cruelty. And it drove Casmir's vision red. 'Your fault,' Casmir's accusatory voice hissed at him. 'She's going to die, because you're too weak to stop him.'
The statement seared into Casmir's soul, feeding his fury like kindling for a flame. With an almost eerie calm, he used his free hand to drag two runes from the pouch at his hip, the smooth, black stones clutched tight in his palm. He pressed the first against the Skinwalker's arm, and with a flash of blue light he invoked the Isa rune, a sickening crackle and a bitter cold snap of air preceding a trail of pitch-black ice that shot up the beast's limb, entombing it.
The coyote growled in confusion, eyes widening, but it didn't have time to react- Casmir immediately followed up with the second rune, Algiz, which sent a bluish-white shock-wave blasting upward that completely shattered the arm holding him down, and knocked the Skinwalker off of him and up into the air. Heedless of his leg wound, Casmir stood, his red and blue eyes burning with hatred as motes of ice fell around him.
Casmir's heterochromatic gaze locked onto the Coyote's wide black eyes, and his arm shot out, grasping the creature by its neck and choke-slamming it into the ground. The Hunter's other hand snapped out, the dagger hidden beneath the sleeve of his coat springing into his hand. Had he been more clear-headed, he wouldn't have drawn it. But his rage refused to be quenched, and the dagger of U'rah blazed with like-minded fury. A god-forged weapon, its blade was made of pure light, and burned with the eternal ardor of the Sun. It was this irrepressible blade, with its searing refulgence, that Casmir plunged into the Skinwalker's wretched heart, a single word driving home with it:
'BURN!'
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Post by tsukikoko on Oct 31, 2020 7:20:48 GMT -6
In the course of the skinwalker being violently thrown backwards by the force of Casmir's rune, Sara's body was set rolling across the floor, smearing a trail of blood in her wake from the oozing wound in her tail.
The monstrous coyote barely had time to register what was happening. It cast a bewildered glance at the shattered remains of its own arm, only to then have the world turn sideways as a grip snapped shut over its throat and sent it slamming into the floor. Pain ricocheted through the creature's skull, but it was still snapping its jaws, ready to fight. But the Hunter was fast, too fast, the skinwalker had made a mistake.
When the blade sank home and the burning fury of the sun lanced through its body, the coyote clawed madly, with its remaining, freakish hand, at the wound in its chest. As though to do so would somehow prevent the blade's damage. The gaping hole rent in its flesh. Thick, pooling blood choked the beast from within its own throat as it writhed. Jaws parted but the only sound to emerge was a rattling gurgle. As animal eyes met Casmir's, for the first time in its life, right at the moment the black maw of oblivion rose to meet it, the skinwalker was afraid. In those last moments, fear shone back at the Hunter, gone was the gleeful bloodlust and terrible humour. Then, a low, rattling hiss left the coyote's lips. What little light remained in the creature's eyes dimmed, before snuffing out completely as its body fell deathly still.
Casmir was left in the dusty, darkened quiet of the warehouse, with only the steady drip of his own blood and Sara's unconscious breathing for company.
Which is why the scamper of clawed feet echoed so loudly through the confines of the building.
The Beshilu, a coward by nature, had crouched in the darkness while all the fighting took place. Without the golem it had not wanted to interfere with the crazed skinwalker, even though John's target was going to be ripped apart. Instead it had desperately sought ways to escape the Kimiho's ire, or perhaps sneak in to grab the girl while the coyote was distracted with different, male prey. It had certainly not expected the skinwalker to die!
The rat needed to get out of here. It would hide from John, the wolves, everything. His kind had managed to do so for eons, he would to. Yes, yes, escape.
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Post by luscen on Nov 6, 2020 0:38:04 GMT -6
Casmir's gaze burned into the black-hearted eyes of the Skinwalker, watching in grim satisfaction as the beast's expression succumbed to its mounting terror. Whether it was fear for its life, or fear from the Hunter that was currently ending it, it didn't matter. Casmir didn't relinquish his grasp on his dagger until the creature's movements stopped, and its eyes went dark. Even then, the Hunter had to take a moment to collect himself, panting heavily through grit teeth and trembling from the surging adrenaline.
When the Skinwalker stilled, Casmir stood, sheathing his dagger. The Hunter stumbled slightly as the pain from his leg wound caught up to him; that was going to cause him trouble if he didn't take care of it. He reached into the breast pocket of his coat, taking out a small jar of salve and dabbing some of it onto his finger. He carefully ran the ointment over the wound, which created a secure, organic covering that soothed the injury and would keep it from getting infected- the benefits of salamander saliva mixed with beeswax and aloe vera. A handy concoction that had saved his limbs on more than one occasion. He let out a small, relieved sigh as the salve did its job, but he would need to keep from over-exerting himself if he wanted it to recover properly.
Casmir spared the corpse of the Skinwalker a look, just to make sure it was still dead. They were notoriously resilient, even compared to werewolves, as the Navajo were often tight-lipped about them and their weaknesses- superstitions about sharing things too freely with strangers. He'd burned the heart out of it using the dagger, however, which seemed like it would do the trick. Given that the creature hadn't moved, it seemed safe to assume it was truly dead, and Casmir spat over his left shoulder in response, glaring down at it and uttering “No idź już sobie*” under his breath.
Just then he heard the skittering of clawed feet scrabbling across the warehouse floor. Casmir grunted, turning to see the Beshilu making a break for the exit. He reached into his coat, pulling out a spell scroll, and focused on the fleeing ratman. Unfurling it, the sigil written upon the scroll flashed, and a set of glowing blue chains wrapped themselves around the creature, holding it fast. Marching up to it, Casmir grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, hauling it off the floor.
“Leaving so soon?” he asked quaintly, before throwing the creature into a pile of boxes, the wooden crates shattering with the force of the toss. “What's the matter, now that your pet golem and your psychotic ladykiller aren't around to help, you decide to cut your losses?”
He stomped his boot down on the Beshilu's tail, holding it in place as it thrashed wildly. “Unfortunately for you, I have some questions,” Casmir grunted, taking out a cigarette and clamping it between his teeth. Igniting it, the Hunter kept his eyes on the rat as he glowered down at the wretched rodent, the red of his right eye glowing in the light of the cigarette and giving Casmir a menacing look. Pulling out his revolver and flipping the chamber open, Casmir pulled out six bullets, then began to load it. “We're going to play a little game,” he commented, his expression humorless as he blew out a trail of smoke. Holding up the last bullet for the Beshilu to see, he continued. “This bullet is engraved with the Hagalaz rune; I'm fairly certain you know what will happen if this hits you, but since I'm feeling generous, I'll tell you: That corrupting cancer you call a 'spirit' that's letting you walk around in that crude flesh heap? It's going to be sent screaming back into the hell-hole you crawled out of.” He afforded the rat with a unpleasant smirk. “The other five bullets are normal ones. Lucky for you, they won't kill you. They'll just hurt an awful lot.”
He inserted the bullet in question in along with the others, then spun the chamber, before clicking it shut. “I'm going to ask you a question, then I'm going to shoot you. Give me something useful, and you get to scurry off and live your miserable little life cowering in terror for another day.” Casmir bared his teeth in a very unsettling grin. “You have five potential chances to avoid getting sent back home, bile-breath, so you'd better not waste my time.”
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Post by tsukikoko on Nov 6, 2020 10:10:02 GMT -6
Credit where credit was due, for such a small creature, the Beshilu had a pair of lungs to it.
The furious, terrified squealing it refused to stop emitting, even while Casmir dragged it around, tossed it and explained the situation, threatened to drown out even the Hunter's deep tones. It thrashed and hissed, trying in vain to move at all through the bindings holding it down. 'Should've discorporated, the rat thought with a frantic, irritated tone at itself. It had been loathe to abandon the body that had taken so long to cultivate, to scatter into a million tiny pieces, at risk to the many predators that lay out in the spirit wilds. Including John himself.
Yet, in that, there had been a chance. With so many shards, at least one of them would have made it to the hoarde, or been able to claw back up to a semblance of the intelligence the rat currently sported. Now it was trapped, held fast by some ape with stolen power at his fingertips. Stupid. Stupid.
Only when Casmir spun the chamber and the gun clicked shut, did the Beshilu stop screaming.
Beady, twitching eyes stared at the Hunter's finger, the one nearest the trigger. A second ticked by, then another and another, as the creature seemed to contemplate the situation it found itself. Then, it scoffed. This man was not of the wolf, he didn't know the intricacies of spirit function. Let him use his crude metal machinery! It might hurt, maybe he did have a banishing trick, but the rat would not die. Surely this ape didn't know how to do that. If freed from the mortal vessel, it could scurry off and-
Be consumed by the fox.
No- no. John surely would not find him in the spirit wilds, no matter how surely the menacing creature had said so. The rat had believed him in the moment, so potent was the fear it felt in his presence; but now, with some distance, it found the threat most absurd.
And yet... the fear remained. Pulsed inside the rodent as a part of its very nature. Of the Hunter, the fox, the wolf baying through the city with its silver speckled fur and scarred face. The rat swallowed. Spat at Casmir in the next second. "You have no special bullet! Those were just scribbles!" It shrieked, the terror clear in its rising tone, yet still it tried to call the Hunter's bluff.
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Post by luscen on Nov 6, 2020 10:58:04 GMT -6
Casmir shifted the cigarette in his mouth as the rat spat on him. His face an impassive mask, the Hunter cocked the gun, before aiming it at the Rat's shoulder and firing. The BANG! was loud in the empty warehouse, echoing in the silence, but Casmir had the feeling that it was either warded for sound, or that anyone who saw the place from the outside knew to simply avoid it. After all, this wasn't a really a place for nosey types; odds were, anyone snooping around were likely to find their noses cut off. And given the amount of sedative in the redhead's system, she wasn't likely going to be roused from unconsciousness anytime, soon.
"Four chances," Casmir growled around his cigarette, keeping his eyes on the Beshilu's beady orbs. "Better hope your luck holds out. In the meantime..." he cocked the gun again, grinding his heel against the rat's thrashing tail. "What did you nab the girl for?"
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Post by tsukikoko on Nov 6, 2020 11:18:10 GMT -6
A squeal of pain and indignance spilled from the rat's mangy mouth as that bullet landed home, an involuntary spasm wracking its entire gaunt frame. But there was an odd curdle of addiction in its gut, too. Mortal bodies could feel pain - real, aching pain. It was a sensation the spiritual creature was not accustomed to, as the 'pain' it could feel in the spiritual realm was not truly agony, but an echoing falsehood of the real thing.
On one level, it was astonished by such a sensation. Yet the body also knew to be deathly afraid of it, to stop it from happening again. Such swirling conflict loosened the creature's tongue somewhat, though perhaps not in the way Casmir hoped for. "You blind? Not see how much the dog wanted to eat her? Even I can tell she's a pretty one by the standards of you apes, freakish tail notwithstanding." The rat's tail had a surprising amount of strength to it, as it tried to worm out from beneath the Hunter's foot. "She was always teasing him in that wretchedly loud club; would not shut up about her skin." Now the creature smiled. An unsettling expression that most certainly wasn't fit for its face. But there was still fear swirling in its eyes, heightening the already squeaky note of its voice. Seemed the creature was running its mouth out of nerves, spinning a yarn that was at least partially true.
The disgust was plain to see, too. It hated how this human had managed to corral it. The small, sunken eyes flickered in Sara's direction, then back to Casmir. "But from what I hear, you ran her into my friend. Terrified she was. Got too handsy with her, did you?" It didn't have many options for biting back at the Hunter, so the creature settled for verbal goading.
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Post by luscen on Nov 6, 2020 11:37:46 GMT -6
The Hunter managed to maintain his poker face, instead shooting the rat in its other shoulder. "Funny how the dog was perfectly capable of subduing her on his own, and could have taken her to any dingy hole to indulge himself," he observed over the rat's pained screeching and thrashing. "And yet he brought along a rat and its pet golem for extra muscle for one easy target? That they then took miles out of the way?"
Casmir plucked the cigarette out of his mouth, snuffing it out on the rat's nose and deftly avoiding its snapping, spitting jaws. "You're boring me," he said in a dull tone, clicking the chamber open again and checking the bullets. "If you're going to waste my time with bad lies, then I'll just do us both a favor and put you out of your misery."
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Post by tsukikoko on Nov 6, 2020 12:03:57 GMT -6
Now the pain was a lancing inferno. The Beshilu squirmed and screamed, hardly able to comprehend these experiences rampaging through the flesh it inhabited. Couple that with the stench of smoke abruptly in its nose and a burn upon its snout, for a little while all the rat could do was shriek.
"If you're going to waste my time with bad lies, then I'll just do us both a favor and put you out of your misery."
Those words cut through, quietening the rodent until it was whimpering behind grinding teeth. It could get out of this, then, sooner than later. Goad the human into sending it back, since surely the ape couldn't really hurt it. Surely.
Except, when the rat lifted its head, ready to spew vitriol and call the blonde's bluff, beady eyes met heterochromatic and fear sparked anew. It grew, rising from a smoulder to an inferno. Because what if he did know? This ape had killed the skinwalker, after all. What if- what if he could harm the Beshilu, truly?
"Ok! OK! She was for someone else, I was to make sure the dog didn't eat her!" The words spilled as though the rat had vomited them - as though even its words were laced with the same pestilence that comprised it.
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Post by luscen on Nov 6, 2020 18:46:58 GMT -6
Casmir's eyes focused on the rat, again- to see if this was another poor attempt at a lie. The anxiously lashing tail, twitching nose, and the way it kept looking from the Hunter's face to his gun, however, indicated that the Beshilu was speaking the truth. "See, that wasn't so hard now, was it?" the Hunter replied, spinning the chamber again and clicking it shut.
He pulled out his lighter, not wanting to waste another cigarette, and began to flick it open and closed, the ratman's beady little eyes darting to it every time the flame sparked on. "Looks like you've got my interest. For a bit longer, anyway. Try not to bore me again, though; I'm a busy guy, and it's been a long day, already."
Casmir cocked the hammer of his Colt, leveling it at the rat. "What did this person you were making the drop for want with her?"
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Post by tsukikoko on Nov 6, 2020 21:03:57 GMT -6
It was a strange series of expressions that followed Casmir's follow up question, for the frantic twitching of the rat's nose and bared teeth of stress didn't look quite right on such a disjointed blend of rodent and human features.
Why had it said anything? Now this was going to drag on for even longer, not to mention this ape was highly unlikely to even let him go in the end, anyway. Certainly other humans had been shown to go back on their word in such a way. But now that the Beshilu had given away some information, how was it going to avoid spilling any more, without potentially getting itself killed?
But you still don't know he can even hurt you. Just the flesh body you're inside of! Why did you sayanything just let him get bored, let him shoot you, let him- ohgodthepaindeviceisback. The creature's thoughts rapidly spiraled as it looked down the barrel of the Colt, it's body recalling with instinctive, abject horror just how incredibly painful the bullets held within had been. How agonising they still were, throbbing in both shoulders.
It tried to flinch away from from the blonde, unable to stop the choking fear rising up from it's core. These creatures were supposed to be in large clans, with hundreds of brothers to help swarm enemies. Yet here this one was. Alone. Faced with an enemy it could not fight and had already caused it significant pain. "I don't know!" It squeaked, words spilling without restraint once again. "Weren't told, but she was supposed to be perfect, so I'm already fucked. You think you can do worse?" Empty words, really. Because in the rat's mind the Hunter could do worse, because he was right here, whereas John was who knows where. It tried to turn the conversation back on the blonde, partially because without a motivation for the man, the Beshilu had no way to know what he might be able to say to get out of this, without saying too much about John. "Why do you even care?! Who's she to you anyway-" as much of a flick of its head as the rat could manage, to indicate the prone form of Sara, "-if you scared her so bad?"
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Post by luscen on Nov 7, 2020 7:57:13 GMT -6
A single bullet bit through the Beshilu's cheek, just grazing it and leaving a contact burn. "Whoops, looks like I slipped," Casmir replied stoically, a mirthless smile on his face as his cold gaze bored into the rat's eyes. "See, I tend to drift off when people keep droning on about the same stupid subject." His smile snapped down into a frown, and he flicked his lighter again, letting the rat's eyes take note of the flame, no doubt wondering if the Hunter might use it, as well.
"Now, if I were you, I'd worry less about my business, and more about yours- it seems like you're down to two chances, by the way." He popped the chamber again, then spun it around before flicking it shut. "Upside? You only have two bullets lodged in that mess of a body. Lucky you, right? " Casmir cocked the hammer again, aiming his gun at the rat's face once more. "Let's see if you can keep that streak going; Where's this boss of yours is hiding? Do you have a way of contacting him in person, or do you just make the drops for him to pick up?"
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Post by tsukikoko on Nov 7, 2020 8:44:41 GMT -6
It didn't make sense. It didn't make any sense! Why did this ape care, when from what the rat had heard, that woman had been running in absolute terror from him? He'd already killed the skinwalker, who had been between him and this... target(?) of his. Why grab the rat and torture him for information about her and John? Was he concerned about encroachment upon prey or territory? The Beshilu didn't know enough about humans to make sense of it, or know if that was even a valid potential.
Add to that, the pain in its body was making thinking rather difficult.
"You really think I'd fucking tell you that even if I knew?!" The rat was screaming now, rambling words as soon as they popped into its head, voice more a rodent screech than human. "Maybe the dog had been there, but oh look, he's dead. Should never have left my den, but he was there, he knew where I was. Not even the vile wolf knew that. I don't know where he is, but he always finds me. Leaves his scent where I can find it for drop off points like this. Always knows where I am. Fucking fox. Said he'd keep the wolf away. Shouldn't have trusted a predator. Kill me then, just be fucking DONE WITH IT. HE'LL EAT ME! THE FOX WILL FIND ME! DON'T EAT ME!" The creature was writhing manically now, frothing at the mouth as it was gripped by the jaws of both fear and anger, rapidly devolving into a terrified prey mindset present inside itself.
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Post by luscen on Nov 7, 2020 9:46:07 GMT -6
Casmir scowled as the rat began to give into its desperation, gibbering nonsense about foxes and wolves. Was it some kind of code? No, this thing didn't seem smart enough for that kind of subtlety; rats were good at scurrying and staying out of sight, not at managing the nuances of deals and subterfuge. Odds are, the wolf and the fox were literal predators of some kind, likely gang lords of some sort.
Apparently, though, it didn't know where this "fox" named John was, or why it wanted the woman. Not exactly a lot to go on, but it was enough.
Casmir, however, found the Beshilu's thrashing and crying to be grating. Keeping his boot on the rat's tail, the Hunter pressed his other foot onto the rodent's chest, hard enough that the thing was likely feeling its ribs start to give way. He pressed his gun against the side of the thing's head, forcing its other cheek against the floor- he knew better than to try getting too close to those jaws. Odds were, it'd manage to snap his gun barrel off, and he was rather fond of the Colt.
"Listen, friend," Casmir growled quietly, making sure the rat had no room for confusion. "Way I see it? You have two choices: One, I leave you here to give this 'John' a message for me, and you maybe have a chance to get out of this alive, if you think you're clever enough to keep from getting eaten." He snapped his lighter open, the flame flickering close to the rat's wide, panic-stricken eye. "Or two? I can put an end to your worries about being eaten by a fox or a wolf. Permanently." Casmir finished, flicking the lighter shut again for dramatic effect.
"So, what's it gonna be, bile-breath?"
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Post by tsukikoko on Nov 7, 2020 10:27:57 GMT -6
For a while, the rat only mindlessly squirmed beneath the discomfort of Casmir's boot, its creaking, cracking ribs a sound too frighteningly loud within its own head. Only the flame from the lighter, a reminder of some of the most powerful, destructive spirits out there, brought its attention back. Though it was small, hardly a speck compared to the raging fury of a forest fire or vehicle explosion, already the rat could feel it licking at him. Hungry. Ready to consume.
The rodent had begun to gnaw at the inside of its own mouth, chew its own lip, such was the frustration and terror it was experiencing. Thick, putrid blood ran down its chin, staining the floor and creating a rank, inherently wrong scent of disease and decay. It seemed Casmir's insulting nickname of the creature held a lot of truth.
But it finally fell still and quiet, seemingly contemplating the options set on the table before it. Neither were good, it came down more to which was worse.
When it finally spluttered an answer out from beneath jaws pressed tight against the floor, the words surprised even it. "I leave a message for him, he'll eat you too." A valid warning, a desperate attempt to make the Hunter consider a different option, or trying to force the man's hand one way or the other? Not even the rodent knew.
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