Feeding the Beast, Part II

Sundered Forum Ready Room  - Shadowheart

A dark chamber that still stinks of blood, sweat and death - even after months of disuse. The plasma lanterns hang on the walls, imbued with shadow. A pentagon of benches sits around a darkened medical aid station. Lockers for equipment are toppled next to a shattered planning board, where competitors could plan out team sports plays. A rusted sign next to the scorched remnants of an old cell reads: PLEASE DO NOT SPEAK TO THE GUARDS.

Contents:                              Exits: Vagrant Noble Razorback             Out Thug Rkagar                         Tunnel

Darya arrives from Sundered Forum Lobby . Darya has arrived.

The Predator is pacing about its newly reinforced cell looking none-too-happy with the new situation, its eyes periodically flick towards the Timonae as if he were the cause of its new frustration.

Rkagar is leaning lazily on the wall watching the Demarian. The other guards are nearby doing their thing. Looking big and mean and all that.

Said Timonae is sitting in a corner, shiny with sweat, still breathing quickly from previous exercise, and looking utterly bored. For lack of anything else to do, Aadzrian seems to be entertaining himself staring at the Demarian and making ridiculously overdone facial grimaces.

Darya steps into the ready room...but her guards seem busy with someone who's struggling ferociously, a bit behind her. She looks over the new cage, and its condition, and nods. Then, to Aadzrian, "Vi may want to get into vi cell, and close the door."

Rkagar glances over at Darya and straightens up. The young Zangali gives her a nod before heading over to her and the struggling prisoner. "Help?" He asks, eyeing the commotion.

The newcomers catch the attention of the felinoid, its nostrils twitching as it eyes the commotion with some curiosity, its ears canted forward.

All levity drains from Aadzrian's face as he pulls himself to his feet, slowly walking to his cell and shutting himself in with a deep breath. "New glad-iator?" he asks in an attempt at a calm tone, though it's a little audibly strained.

Darya shakes her head. "They will manage for the time it takes. Go be ready to let the cat out." To Aadzrian, she says, "Nyet. It is feeding time; vi do not want to be dessert. Ya do not take well to troublemakers." Behind her, the prisoner held firmly by her guards is yowling quietly, in that intense tone cats get before they try clawing out a throat.

Rkagar nods to Darya and turns to the other guards. "SHishhiSH Iss cathuth Siiiiissssss SrreimM Iss Iss sssSSs hrunth," he barks out at them. The guards get to work clearing the area of anything breakable then mover over to stand by the Demarian's cage with their weapons ready. It is obvious that the young Zangali has asserted dominance over the others.

A low growl erupts from the Demarian as it sees the Timonae enter the cell beside it, but the yowling sound catches its attention again and it drops to a crouch, hissing angrily at the invasion of its territory by another of its species.

Aadzrian clutches the bars of his cage, holding the door shut with a white-knuckled grasp as he stares out at the happenings. "You mak-ing him eats one of own kind?" the Timonae hisses, his laugh a little too sharp. "Be-ing care-ful wat monster you makes of him."

Darya smiles. "But ya did not," she says. "Am ya giving him orders? Nyet. Ya am merely offering him playmate. Remember that, if vi write home about it." She steps aside, letting her guards drag the ferociously struggling Demarian into the room. "Stuns at the ready," she orders. "Tanglers ready. Defend viselves. He does not know one enemy from another." Then, to Rkagar, "Let the cat out." And she herself ducks back behind her guards.

Rkagar nods and stands next to the big cat's door. He gives the other guards an quick nod. They for their part ready their weapons and eye the two Demarians. The young Zangali lets out a loud hiss then the door swings wide. "Zan..." He barks out in standard then moves over to join the rest of the guards.

The Predator seems fairly suspicious of this, sniffing the air quietly, its eyes resting on Rkagar as a low growl erupts from its throat. It slowly and gingerly makes its way out of the cell, its legs coiled beneath it in preparation to leap away from the expected attack that seems to come every time it passes the doorway. Its eyes are focussed on the guards, shifting from one to another. When the attack does not come, its head tilts back as the Demarian rears back to its full height. The roar that breaks free from its now-blood-stained jaws resounds through the room, rattling the lockers.

Aadzrian watches, with an expression mostly blank and unchanging enough to be carved in stone, it seems- the only thing revealing his angry discomfort with this situation is his lips, tightly pressed together in a thin line. "Do no pre-tending you is no know wat do," he hisses over at Darya. "Te one I wishes to write, he is no know or care of Razor, and I would be-ing -stupid- to revenge him for t'is. But do no pre-tend you are no know-ing wat you do."

Darya shrugs, and smiles. "Who is pretending?" she asks cheerfully, as the Demarian is almost thrown into the clear space of the room. A white-furred female, clearly somewhere between infuriated and terrified, her first leap is toward the Zangali guards at the exit. A volley of stun-gun-fire discourages that quickly enough.

Rkagar looks over at the smaller Demarian with what seems like pity in his yellow reptilian eyes. He remains in place though, resigning himself to the role of bystander more now.

The male felinoid regards the Zangali before it with a defiant glare until the scent that drew its attention earlier does so again. It shifts its head towards the other Demarian, regarding it curiously with a faint growling sound. It takes a few liquid steps towards her before releasing a roaring challenge, its ears flattened against its skull, almost hidden by its wildly unkempt mane.

Aadzrian just... keeps on watching, white-knuckled grip holding onto the door of his cage. His hands shake slightly, seeming torn between opening or closing those bars that are all that keep him safe from the Demarian... but also all that keep him locked in.

The white-furred Demarian's ears go flat against her skull, tail bottlebrushing as she gets a good look at Razorback. With an expression somewhere between fear and 'are you SERIOUS?' the female raises one paw, claws extended - aware now that the guards really aren't the biggest problem for her to deal with.

Rkagar continues to watch on. His eyes dart between the two Demarians. The young Zangali is stoic as he watches on.

The dark-furred Demarian begins to make a slow circuit of the room, its tail lashing behind it as its eyes rest on the other of its species, a low growl emanating from its throat.

Content that Razorback's attention isn't entirely on him, the Timonae slowly opens his cage just a few inches, even that small gap in the bars visibly relaxing him. His attention focuses on the two Demarians once more, but with a keen-eyed observation earlier lacking from his glassy-eyed stare.

Apparently clear that this is Serious and not in any way a joke, the white-furred female also settles into a combat crouch. Ears still flat back, she hisses slightly, and sends a clawed paw out in a test swipe at chest height.

The darker of the two felinoids shifts back effortlessly away from the swipe, an angry hiss tearing from its muzzle as it leans forward, a claw-laden paw snapping out towards the female's offending arm.

Razorback's claws rip deep into the white fur, and the female yowls loudly with pain as she tries to get away. A lot of the fur on her arm doesn't manage to get away at all. Hand hanging useless, blood dripping heavily onto the flooring, she tries to regroup.

Rkagar watches on in amazement. The young Zangali has never seen two Demarians fight. He looks over at the female's wounds, and shakes his head.

Aadzrian grimaces, glancing away with an uncomfortable scowl for a moment before he looks right back. There's a weary sadness on his face, but no anger, his whirling green eyes trying to keep track of everything that happens.

The female tries for a sideways sort of leap, to make an attack with her unhurt paw, but stumbles in the act. The result is rather pathetic, really, and for a brief second she's wide open to attack.

The Predator seems to have been mildly unprepared for the counter attack and growls angrily at the female. Its speed seems more than adequate to compensate, however, and it rears back quickly to evade before leaping forward, its teeth bared, paws outstretched to pin the other Demarian.

The pin succeeds, knocking the female flat and knocking her cold, with another gaping claw-wound seeping blood onto the flooring. Still breathing, but no longer struggling.

Aadzrian pulls that cage shut, with a deep, shaky inhalation of breath, and calls out in a soft voice- seemingly idly- "Pret-ty young t'ing, are she no, Razor-back? No like Swift-foot at al. Wel. Look-ing a lit-tle alike to me. Al you furry peoples does, any-way."

"Pay attention," says Darya, from behind her - rather alert - guards. "He may want more of a fight than that one offered."

The Predator seems to ignore Aadzrian for the moment, growling angrily at the unconscious female Demarian. It lowers its head, teeth bared, only to give the other felinoid a rough nudge with its snout. That ineffective, its nostrils twitch irritably while its tail lashes the air behind it. Another nudge as the Demarian seems to be trying to get the female to awaken. All to no avail, its gaze lifts up to sweep the room defiantly.

Rkagar shakes his head when he sees the female go down. He mummbles something Zantra and nudges the other guards when Razorback looks around.

Aadzrian keeps his cage held shut, though tension is visible in his pose and his expression again. Sweat beads on his brow, green eyes returning to a single-minded stare at the still-standing Demarian.

Darya laughs quietly. "Hm. Not hungry?" she muses. "Or the instinct against eating one's own species is stronger with Demarians..."

The Demarian looks back down to the female again, another faint nudge evoking no response. The predator looks up towards the guards from its four-pawed crouch, leaning back to release a roaring challenge to the other denizens of the room, glaring balefully as its powerful jaws snap shut.

The guard ready their weapons and watch the Demarian male with wary eyes. Rkagar slowy changes his stance in preparation for the attack that may or may not come.

"He wil no eat-ing," Aadzrian murmurs hopefully, stepping a little forward in his cage... near the door, but still holding it shut, and not daring to look away from Razorback for an instant yet. He's also tensed as if ready for attack, cage or not.

"So pleased...when he may decide to eat vi," Darya shakes her head. "Foolish."

The Demarian's ears flick towards the Timonae and it regards Aadzrian irritably through the bars. It seems to scan the room for a more accessible target as it begins to pace around the prone and bleeding body of the unconscious felinoid.

Rkagar stands ready to swing into action. The rest of the other guards keep quiet and Razorback in their sights.

"He found-ing me lit-tle harder to ate t'an her," Aadzrian remarks off-handedly in reply to Darya, keeping a very, very close watch on the prowling predator. "He might try-ing. Who know?"

"The bars help, da," she says. "But ya will go now; ya only wanted to see the little thief taken care of, and whether he would eat a Demarian." To Rkagar, she adds, "Ya will send cooler of raw meat. If vi must stun him back into his cage, see that he is fed. Guards will bring body to the gardens when off-shift."

The Predator growls tightly, considering the tight defensive huddle of guards in the corner, than the female which is now behind it. Frustrated, it settles down on the floor between the two items of interest, its tail lashing the floor as it continues to eye the guards defiantly.

Rkagar doesn't move from his defensive stance, his is quiet and watches the Demarian male, interest evident in his yellow eyes. The guards do much of the same.

Biting his lip, Aadzrian slowly swings his door open, watching Razor for any sign of turning around to pounce on the newly somewhat exposed Timonae. He does seem visibly more comfortable once again as the bars part.

The felinoid rises slightly as the door comes open, its ears canting forward with interest as it eyes the Timonae.

While the Demarian has his back on him, Rkagar gestures for the Timonae to remain silent. The guards slowly ease their fingers onto the triggers and wait to see if Razoback changes his mind about the meal offered to him.

Aadzrian pulls the door mostly closed again, eyeing the Demarian with something like an unpleasant grin as he wraps his hands around the top of his cage. "You are no Razor," he notes, "but I would stil no fight-ing you. I is jumpy, t'ough, do no be push me."

The felinoid's eyes flick towards the guards, its sensitive nose detecting a faint change in their stance. It rears up to its full height, letting loose another roar of spine-chilling volume.

Rkagar blinks and nods when Razorback roars. The young Zangali points at the Demarian, obviously wanting to take him down.

One of the other Zangali seems to hesitate for a moment before following. The real interesting thing is that one of the Ungstiri guards pales even more if possible. and it would seem that his pants are sagging a bit..... What's that smell?

The tangler nets are fired first and the two unarmed Zangali follow raining blows, and the stunstick-wielding one comes to finish the attack off.

Aadzrian watches and waits to see the end outcome of the situation, tense and poised to act himself if all of the guards somehow fail, but for the moment doing nothing.

The Demarian leaps to one side, baring its teeth angrily as the tangler nets flash past him. The blow from the unarmed Zangali thuds into its chest, causing it to stumble to one side right into the waiting fist of Rkagar. The blow spins the predator's head around, sending it to the floor, unconscious before it even reaches a prone position.

Rkagar nods his head. "Get in cage. Take," He points to the female. "To garden." He orders the other guards. "I go for carrot break." The other guards nod and get to work, fearing a blow like the one just give to the Demarian otherwise. The young Zangali doesn't bother to look at anyone else, and heads out.

"Wait!" Aadzrian says quickly, sliding out of the cage and throwing the door open. He rushes over to the fallen Demarian. "Let me see-ing first." He reaches quickly to check for a pulse, brows furrowed.

The female is alive, and not much worse for wear but for the two sets of deep scratches in her arms that are still bleeding at a good clip. The wounds are hardly fatal, but without attention, she will most certainly bleed to death.

Aadzrian scrambles away to grab his shirt and tear it apart for bandages, but the Zangali grab the woman while he's gone, and by the time he turns they've got a firm hold on her. "Use-less BASTARDS!" The Timonae swears loudly, shaking a tightly clenched fist. "She are no dead! She are no -dead-!" They ignore him, simply dragging her out. He begins to start after them, but the two Ungstiri point their tangler nets at him, receiving a baleful green stare that suggests the Timonae might not be considering that enough of a deterrent.

The less panic-prone Ungstiri jerks a chin towards the remaining felinoid. "Put dhat vone avay," he growls at the Timonae as two humanoids step in hefting a heavy cooler between them.

With an angry, sharp sigh, the Timonae turns away from the possibility of satisfying reconfinement to instead start hauling Razorback back into his cage again, without much gentleness for once.

The cooler-bearing humanoids wait until the Timonae completes his task without helping. Once the Demarian is in its cell, one of them opens the cooler and pulls out what looks like half the ribcage of a large animal and throws it in, the huge cut of meat bouncing off of the Demarian's fur to land on the dirty floor. Without a word, the other human slams the door shut and the two make their retreat.

Growling in futile anger, once Razorback is safely ensconced in his cage and, well, meated... the Timonae begins to pace around the cage with stalking grace, looking as if he wants something to take on himself now. Hands closing and opening, he forces out, "She is alive... she is alive..." in a continual mantra, causing the Zangali guards to view him a little askance as they return.

'A few hours pass, and..'.

The Demarian slowly begins to stir again, shaking its head, snarling when that results in pain.

Aadzrian is sitting on the floor this time, near where the woman had been, his shoulders slumped and his head bowed. It looks like in the ensuing time he's lost his anger, and gained some desperate hopelessness in return.

The predator's nose twitches faintly as it looks around. Its ears flatten against its head as it moves instantly to its feet, ignoring the pain in its head. The bellow that escapes its throat this time is not a challenge, not the roar of the hunter. The cry seems to carry a sense of mournfulness as the enraged predator sniffs at the air again.

Aadzrian winces at that scream, perhaps somehow recognizing the emotion submerged in it- his voice is dull as he tells the predator, "You does it. You does it. And t'en -t'ey- tooked her away. Roar at you-self for wat is done. No one else is to for the bla-ming."

The Demarian's eyes blaze as it turns them on Aadzrian. Suddenly, the smouldering silver globes slam shut, the immense head folding against the felinoid's chest as the creature crashes to its knees.

Aadzrian's eyes widen, some hope coming back into his ashen, tired expression. He scrambles across the floor on hands and knees, quickly and clumsily, smearing his pants with the blood the Demarian left behind. "Razor?" he asks hopefully as he approaches the cage.

A feral scream escapes the Predator as it struggles against its inner opponent, its eyes opening as they roll back in its head, actually showing their whites at the lower edge. The beast collapses in a heap on the floor, lying across the side of meat, its body heaving with strained breaths.

Daringly, Aadzrian presses his face up almost to the bars themselves to peer at Razorback. At this close proximity it's obvious how badly he's been sleeping, dark circles slathered under his eyes and tired lines inset in his brow. He looks closer to forty in human years than in Timonae at the moment, as he ventures tentatively, one more time, "...Razor?"

"Aadzrrrian ...?"

"Yeah... it is me," Aadzrian quietly acknowledges, a weary smile settling into place on his face. "Good hear-ing you again, friend." He leans against the cage bars, already in the week he's been there noticeably devoid of the couple extra pounds he carried... little more than bone, sinew, muscle and dirt now.

"I do not know how long I can hold it off," the ex-noble says, pushing himself up into a sitting position. "But now it knows lossss as well," he says bitterly. "How arrre you holding up?" he asks quietly, his eyes scanning the man before him, "You look terrrrrrible."

Aadzrian folds his arms over his chest, with an uncomfortable shrug. "Is no so bad," he murmurs. "Worse part are see you, but know-ing is no you, do sush t'ings. I am try get you out fast as can. Of-fer to Darya, spy-ing on who she wanted and hope am to use as cre-dit get you out."

"Aadzrrrian," the Demarian replies gently, wincing faintly for a moment as he forces the Predator back, "You arrre a brrrave man, and a good frrriend, but you musst get yourrrsself out firrrsst. You musst know that I cannot leave you herrre. Not when it is I that caused you to be herrre in the firrrsst plasce."

Aadzrian snorts rudely at that, lifting a brow at Razorback. "-I- is sane," he points out calmly, "on firs' hand. I can stay-ing here fine as long as need-ing to. On second hand, is no one come for me, yes? So am no likely die in res-cue at-tempt. People would com-ing for you. You need be out sooner." He seems to consider that enough of an argument, inspecting his sharpened nails idly.

"You may be ssane," Razorback replies quietly, "But I am not likely to die herrre, and forrr you to sstay whilsst earrrning the rrranssom prrrisce of _two_ people, one of whom being Darrrya's prrrize pet monssterrr ..." He snorts derisively at the reference to himself, "... It is unnecscessssarrry and not at all economical. Earrrn yourrr frrreedom," he says, "Be rrready forrr me when I am rrreleassed, forrr I may not be able to function at all by the time that happens."

"You is fail at t'is 'argue' t'ing," Aadzrian points out, his lips curling into a grin. He still looks tired, but there's a faint brightness in his expression that hasn't been there for a while. "I am no t'ink can be earn -bot'- our price. Is only extra I try get-ting for you. But as -you- say, can-no func-tioning if here too longed. You mus leav-ing as soon as can. Be-side, wat need I go out for? Is few who mis me, wait for me. Is sev-eral want you free."

"I would missss you, Aadzrrrian," Razorback replies quietly, unwilling to press the argument further for fear of weakening his defenses on the other front he fights. "Sshe was quite beautiful, was sshe not?" he says, his lip curling back from his bloody fangs in a faint smile, though his eyes settle on the ground.

A silent pause while the Timonae closes his eyes. Quietly, he offers, "I -wanted- sav-ing her," guilt evident and heavy in his voice. "I wanted. But I was know-ing, could no be figh' t'em al, and t'en, would be puts me in te cage again. I am sorry, Razor-back."

"I know you did," Razorback replies, his tone a gentle one, "As did I. Brakir's Teeth, even the beast wanted to save her. I think it really may not have harmed her if she had not attacked it. At least not at first."

"Te two big ones and Rka-gar was out of room. I coulds has knock lit-tle ones out, hide, sur-prise big one when come back wit'out her..." Aadzrian bites his lip, shaking his head. "Did not'ing- could did not'ing. Knew would end in al us die. But am stil... ashamed."

"You did not forrrsce herrr to ssteal, Aadzrrrian," Razorback replies, "You did not forrrsce Darrrya to brrring herrr herrre, and you did not forrrsce the Prrredatorrr to injurrre herrr." He shakes his head gently, wincing in pain, though a grin spreads across his muzzle. "Rrrkagarrr hitss like a deserrrt bumblerrr," he mutters.

"Mus has got bet-ter," Aadzrian mumbles absently. "He were no matsh for me be-fores." He leans as close as he can to look Razorback over. "No... bad hurt, yes? Not'ing wil no heals soon? Is lit-tle I cans do, but.. may-be if are healt'y, Pred-ator is has more trouble come out...?"

"It is weakened by the lossss of itss perrrsceived 'mate,'" Razorback says, pressing a paw against his forehead, "But it will ssoon forrrget."

"Damnit," growls Aadzrian with a sudden resurgence of his earlier anger, "te only t'ing make t'is more plea-sant would be has you talk-ing to. You pick bad time go crazy, Razor-back."

The Demarian chuckles quietly. "Well," he replies, "Nexst time, I will disscussss the matterrr with you firrrsst." "The hel were you t'ink make sush agree wit' Darya, too? Should has know she break-ing her word," Aadzrian snorts indignantly, folding his arms across his chest again. "I would be yel at you more but is no good time. Am mean save it al for when you is feel-ing more like self, all the time."

"Sshe has not brrroken herrr worrrd, Aadzrrrian," Razorback replies, "I agrrreed to thiss ssituation to prrrotect everrryone on the Worrrking Blue frrrom my foolisshnessss. And to prrrotect Rrrillitan as well."

Aadzrian lifts a brow at Razorback, then glances down at himself, and lifts the brow again. "You know-ing t'at I no do anyt'ing end up here but run into her, yes? And t'at she tell-ing me early-er she stil want-ing Rillitan's head?"

"Sshe believed that you and Vadim had come herrre to Tomin Korrra to frrree me," Razorback says calmly, "Was sshe wrrrong? And yess, sshe still wanted Rrrillitan's head, but sshe was willing to take the Worrrking Blue off of the job."

"We was -going- try-ing money first," grumbles Aadzrian, "but I sup-pose I did was tel some friend t'at would be see you free if have wade t'rough sea of blood do it. Did no know situ-ation be so... compli-cated. Any-way, have no did anyt'ing when grab. Tolded Va-dim to cut loss and go. One more let-ter, no one comes after me."

"Aadzrrrian ..." the Demarian says, his very tone a question mark, "Why me?"

Aadzrian blinks at Razorback blankly, evidently caught by surprise by the question. "Huh?" he asks intelligently.

"Why arrre you sso intent on helping me?" Razorback asks quietly, "I have given you nothing but trrrouble ssinsce the moment we met."

"Oh." The Timonae shrugs, almost uncomfortably, turning so his back is leaning against the bars. "Do no know. May-be be-cause can no tak-ing care of your-self?" he offers, with a teasing chuckle and a faint smirk as he tilts his head back to look at the Demarian.

Razorback chuckles quietly, leaning back against the wall. "Well," he says, "I am quite exhausted, and I would like for once to spend a night peacefully. I am afraid that I may not be ... present when I awaken."

"Yeah, wel," Aadzrian grunts, "hope sleep wel, t'en I wil too. No slammed against door. Nnrgh. ...hope waked up as self. Per-haps trut' are jus t'at I is dumb and have become-ing fond of trou-ble t'at is you. Go to bed."

The Demarian smiles as he curls himself up in order to sleep. "Goodnight, my frrriend," he says quietly and is soon asleep.

Aadzrian turns to watch that sleep, his forehead leaning against the cage. His lips twist into a bleak, humorless smile, and once the Demarian has drifted off, he softly breathes in Timonese, "You don't want to know the truth anyway, my friend." Bloodstained knees are drawn up to his chin, and one more shift of position finds him a huddled ball against the bars... head still turned and watching, until he joins Razorback in slumber.