-- to the sound of a h e a r t b e a t pounding .

[Pæreime]

A scream shreds through the silence and is followed quickly by a low chuckle. My grey lamps sparkle viciously under the blinding white of the snow. I grin maliciously, lips torn back over my glistening red teeth. Cloaked in wolfy gear, I survey the hawk in front of me. Its elegant beige chest is torn apart and bloody, staining icy crystals of water around it. The ruby red sparkles on the snow, transforming the scene into a superfluouant jewel, though be it dark and gloomy and in all finality a sadistic picture. My stained tongue slides effortlessly across my lips as I listen to the fowl shriek in agony. Metallics dazzle my taste buds, the irony glory sliding between my teeth and off my muzzle. A gentleman must look presentable, I think to myself, amused. Delicately I raise a paw to my parted jaw and set about the cleaning of that too. Finally, with one pleasurable last howl of pain, I see the bird still. I snicker, not enjoying how quick the creature was to die. «I will have to invest my time in something more versatile, next time. What a pain.» As I turn to leave the carcass, I flick one lazy back leg and send snow flying to spray the now-dead body. I don't stay to watch as the iced particles melt into the gory feathers. This was not a fun kill. Too quick, quiet and pain free. Grey eyes roll at the disparity and lungs heave a sigh at the idiocratic death. Maybe there is a human out, wandering around... My spine tingles excitedly. Humans are good fun. They are amazing under torture, with their bone piercing cries and the particularily clean essence of their blood. I sit. My tail whips back and forth, as my mind endures the ecstasy of an image of that so called blood of a man running down my human fingers, slipping down my body like molasses. And their dying wails, oh yes. I jump to my feet. I must find myself one of these upright delicacies. My image blurs as I quiver deadly.

[Ni{K}olas]

A gag wracked my body at the profuse smell of blood in the area. It wasn’t like I was weak to blood, no… that would just be stupid. I’m a natural born hunter! A damn good one at that, I couldn’t have that sort of fear, it was unheard of. I swallowed back the distaste before pressing forwards, ears perked as noises came from all sides. The winds rustled branches, snapping a few of the more unfortunate twigs from their mother branch and falling down into the bracken that covered the forest floor. My front paws slowly burrowed into the loosely packed dirt as I tried to stretch my senses, as I tried to find where the stench was coming from. A shudder rolled down my body before I shimmied to get rid of the ominous feeling that was clouding my mind, whatever it was wasn’t that stable… wasn’t safe. Great. FANTASTIC. I’m feeling particularly on the wild side tonight… NOT. My thoughts were sour and soaked with false enthusiasm and sarcasm. Needless to say, I wasn’t that interested in coming across some megalomaniac freak. Marching forward at a steady pace, the smell only got more and more potent until it had become the most predominant smell around me. Inhaling slowly my eyes roamed until they fell upon the blood-covered shape that somewhat resembled my own, different coloring… definitely different breed as well by the looks of it. Another gag rolled through my but I contained it as I moved past the shape, jerking in surprise when that mass moved to its feet. That was… unexpected. I thought it was sleeping. Eyes narrowing at the other wolf speculatively, I simply kept moving. Judging by how gruesome the fellow creature looked, I didn’t want to mess with it. That would’ve just ended badly for both of us, but seemingly more me than him. I didn’t have the energy to bother trying to fight right now anyways.

[Pæreime]

Instantaneously, the hourglass shattered on impact of a single brainwave. The acrid and harried oxygen snapped vices around my senses and lapped at my instincts like hungry kittens mewling for their dam's milk. I am on quad toes in half of a heartspan, alert as a sparrow in hunting terrace. The image of deglorified humanic remains flees from immediate attention, refuging in the darkest furrows of my mind, wishing to never again be brought fruit. My grey lanterns slit as I observe a fellow beast. His blood reels to my buds, dank and shallow with what I pursue as a quick fallow to the irony haze that saturated the snow, thus. I chuckle lowly, once. «Omega fathomed soul,» I call unto him. He looked not as one to serve the heavenly kingdom above. «Should it happen that you have an ill-given suitage? I will like to know how to address you as we...advance further social intercourse.» My mind jumps quickly to another pleasant activity. As it were there is not a humanly creature about for miles, and this delectable piece of rawhide and flesh has crept eagerly into my jowls. How marvelous, I think gaily as I grin with malice. Oh, I shall enjoy this. I really certainly shall enjoy this. What a wonderful dessert to pick my teeth with after such an ungraceful entrée. The way a lupine shed his blue blood was a sticky, sweetly engrossing and messy affair. To have a toy such as this could be compared to a child with a lollipop. Sticky and sweet but immensely satisfying and a treat. I grin, ghosting closer to my prey with every heart palpitation. I can feel his breath disturbing the air, and its' promise of life draws me closer still, madly smiling like a joker at royal court. Such a show there will be when my cards are played. I happily wait for his salivating reply.

[Ni{K}olas]

There was an inexplicable sense of companionship for, let me think… less than a second before the chilling voice entered my mind. It made a shudder roll down to my haunches as I all but ignored the cool gaze of the seemingly bloodthirsty beast that occupied the opening. >You… expect me to stay long enough to, as you say, advance further in social intercourse yet you stand there with the stench of blood pouring off you and that same crimson liquid staining the ground and your fur. Please, enlighten me as to why I would want to stay within your company?< My voice was detached, mildly disinterested, and severely monotone as I replied in a curt and factual manner. How would one expect to keep the company of another when they reeked so fully of death? Surely it was in my better favour to simply walk by without acknowledging the other once again, but I also feared the idea that I may make him become murderous once again. That was certainly not in my best interest. I would much rather have kept trekking without his notice back that was obviously impossible now. >But I suppose common courtesy and a lack of interest in starting a brawl… I’m known as Nikolas. And yourself?< Pausing in my steps, wide eyes gazed at the other wolf, trying my best to seem as though I meant no harm, that I didn’t wish to interrupt him and that I had absolutely no interest in a skirmish. Another squirm of a movement rolled down my spine at the unnerving smile that was sent my way. Why was he looking at me with such ill intent when I’d done nothing to him to begin with? I didn’t understand, though I couldn’t and probably wouldn’t understand many a things. Serial Killers were Serial Killers, sure… they had things that made them that way but this one particular butcher gave me an odd feeling.