Blood Mountain (BWWM)

Little Wolf

***

Hizen had hoped sating his urges would calm his misplaced desire. He was wrong. He left Julie's home feeling worse than when he first arrived, though it was no fault of hers. While he had performed and definitely appeased Julie, on the other hand...he couldn't finish. Nothing would bring him there. After a useless hour of trying and failing, he'd tucked himself away and slipped back into the night. He'd tried to assure her it was his own issues that caused his...inability. He hoped that was enough and she didn't think less of herself because of tonight.

Hizen scowled at the forest floor as he returned to the coven, ignoring Biron as he prowled into the mouth of the cave. Like before, he kept his mouth shut. Smart, as always. The blue flicker of ethereal fire danced across the hard angles of his face, illuminating what few would ever see in true light. He kept it that way for a reason. He didn't deserve to feel the sun...didn't deserve warmth. Not after what he'd done.

The path to his quarters was silent. His coven kept a wide berth from his private rooms, which was for the best. He had a temper most, if not all, feared. And rightfully so. He hadn't gotten to the top by playing nice and making friends. Alliances, sure. But true comradery was a foreign notion.

Hizen's stomach spasmed in hunger, clenching on nothing. He had to brace an arm against a stone wall to keep from doubling over. His face twisted in pain and he glared at nothing, feeling useless. There was no quick solution to this. Not until Caedus and Bellamy found a cure...

Something tickled the back of his throat and Hizen jerked upright. His nostrils flared as he scented the still air outside the heavy curtain of his room. The smell wasn't wholly unfamiliar, but...

He ripped the curtain aside and startled the wolf on the other side. The girl jumped a foot in the air and wide eyes widened even more, a hand flying to her chest.

If his shock was obvious, she didn't comment in favor of calming the rampant palpitating of her heart. He snapped out of his surprise in less time than it took to blink and let the heavy cloth settle into place behind him. Hizen stalked into the room and ignored the child. There would be a time for questions but currently, his stomach was rioting and demanded food. Or the next best thing.

The satchel of pills felt like a dead weight in his palm as he snatched them from a shelf bordering the wall adjacent to his desk. He tossed three back dry and swallowed with a grimace, feeling them catch as they sluggishly slid down his throat. Disgusting. It would take maybe an hour to settle, but it was something at least. It should help ease the clawing emptiness in his gut.

Hizen pinched a thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose as he turned to the waiting wolf. He arched a brow and slowly drawled. "...What can I do for you?"

Sahira fumbled over an answer now that his attention was on her. She hadn't expected him to be so...calm. Though he hadn't given her a reason to expect otherwise, either. It was just—she made a confused sound and shrugged. "Sorry?" It came out as a question. What she was apologizing for? She had no clue. It just slipped out.

Eyes like chips of ice dragged over her fresh appearance. She'd washed and gotten a clean change of clothes. The sickly smell when she had first arrived was completely gone and replaced by the scent of cherry blossoms. Her hair (before a tangled mass) was cropped close to her skull, a buzz of short curls just grazing the top of her brow. He didn't dare look any closer. Hizen narrowed his pointed gaze. "For what, exactly?" His languid prowl carried him to a massive armoire and he pulled on the doors to grab fresh clothes.

Hizen shrugged out of his coat and didn't hesitate to yank his shirt off, tossing it in a pile to the side. The burn of her eyes on his bare flesh didn't go unnoticed and he rolled the heavy bulk of his shoulders with sigh, swiveling.