Hmm?
Something felt off.
Nuzzling against Inkani, Ilio focused on the man until he noticed the slightest signs of movement.
He's okay... but then why do I feel so unsettled?
Ilio carefully inched his way out from beneath his vampire's arm, though it took a lot of effort. He'd finally gotten to rest with his mate and now he was going to walk away.
Just need to check out the area.
He wanted to make sure that Inkani was able to sleep well so he would just go check the area out real quick.
Except, by the time he got to the front door of the inn he could tell that everything was not fine.
Master Bin?
He knew that the man had been standing guard out front, but now he was gone...
Lifting his nose up a little, Ilio sniffed a few times as he channeled his wolf closer to the surface.
He left?
Turning his head in the direction the man's scent was coming from, he sniffed a bit more, picking up another scent that didn't quite seem right. He then looked back toward the building Inkani and his crew were in.
Bin is very important to Inka...
Deciding to check out the situation further, Ilio began following the scent left behind by the vampire. He quickly became aware of the eyes watching him as he quickly found himself in a bustling part of town.
It's too late at night for all of this activity.
Brushing off the attention he was getting, Ilio continued on his way. After a little while he stopped outside of what appeared to be a busy restaurant, but he didn't dare step inside, as the smell of cigars was already burning his nose.
He went inside, but then he came out.
He took a few steps away from the building and sniffed the air again.
Farther down the street.
"I've never seen a wolf walk right into a settlement before."
"Is that really a dog? He smells like one, but being here is suicide..."
"He's kind of cute. Maybe I'll keep him for a while before I skin him..."
Bug off, all of you. I already have a vampire.
Ilio didn't wait for them to start trying to surround him. Channeling his wolf, he allowed its power to begin radiating outward, making the vampires that had begun walking toward him immediately hesitate.
"No way..."
"He doesn't look like he could be so strong..."
Ilio made it a few more yards before his path was blocked by a burly looking vampire. He could have just gone around, but it was clear that just exuding power wasn't going to deter them for very long.
"You might be a strong wolf, but you're also a little twig. I'm not going to pass up such a large payday just because I'll have to fight a little dog for it!" the large man said, his words encouraging several others to step closer, too.
He just called you a little dog, Ilio thought to his wolf with a hint of laughter to his words.
His dog was already lifting its hackles and baring its teeth internally at their situation. It wanted out.
"He's probably just a decent beta, guys. We can take him if we work together. Then we can split the coins we get from piecing him out," the man said, earning a few hesitant shouts of agreement from the circle of men now surrounding them.
I haven't let you out in quite a while. I suppose now is as good a time as any.
With a little half shrug, Ilio smiled slightly up at the bigger man, his teeth already changing into fine points.
"I'm not sure how you vampires say it, but I think I have it somewhat right," Ilio said, then added.
"My wolf will speak with you now."
Before the larger vampire could even draw the giant sword on his back, Ilio's massive wolf was on him!
For all of his goading words, the man fell surprisingly fast after his throat was torn out. The few vampires that had been closer, pretty much set on taking him on, too, quickly backed away as his wolf lifted its now-bloody face.
Letting his tongue lol to the side, Ilio swung his tail back and forth a few times, his wolfish side clearly entertained by the quick kill.
Well, the man might live, but it definitely wouldn't be an easy life if he did, vampire or not.
"W-wait a second. Why does he smell like lord Inkani?" one of them asked, making several of the other vampires begin sniffing the air.
Quite a few of them even took a few more steps back once they caught scent of his mate. As for Ilio, he simply shook out his coat, stretched out his fuzzy legs a bit, then continued on his way since the group in front of him had hurried to part after his initial kill.
"Is... is no one going to stop him? He might be an alpha who knows Inkani, but he's not that big!" someone yelled from somewhere behind him.
Ilio didn't bother looking over his shoulder, but he did tilt his ears back a bit to listen. Vampires always thought that they could walk completely silently, but there was really no such skill. At least, not to an alpha wolf.
So, when he heard two vampires try to creep up on him from both sides, he calmly waited until the moment before they intended to strike, then swung around with so much force that his paw sprayed sand in the opposite direction, then slashed both of their throats open in one simple, swift motion.
Both vampires fell backwards, their screams turning into gurgles as blood flowed out onto the ground, as well as into their torn wind pipes.
They wouldn't live pleasantly if they survived, either.
By now, there was quite a bustle of commotion around him as vampires, and even a few humans, whispered none-too-quietly about how fast and lethal he was. And how his wolf didn't match his human form.
In all honesty, though, it did match him quite well. He was tall and lanky as a human, and his wolf was pretty slim but reasonably muscled. Most other alphas, including Marquise's wolf, were easily bigger than his own.
He, however, was plenty fast enough to hold his own against them, too.
When no one else dared to step forward after a few more moments, Ilio slowly turned back around and continued on his way. This time, no one bothered to try any kind of sneak attack, either, and eventually, the stragglers that still followed him a block or two fell away as well.
By the time he came upon a rundown looking shack home, he was pretty much alone besides a wary glance from a homeless peasant here and there.
He hadn't been too sure about the other scent mixed in with Bin's, but now he could place it without hesitation.
That demon is here, too.
Hurrying forward, since he was now quite a bit more worried, Ilio stepped into the doorway with his ears perked up and his teeth slightly bared.
His appearance didn't go unnoticed. Karalius, who was kneeling in front of someone he could only assume was Bin, slowly looked over his shoulder just enough to meet his wolf's golden gaze.
"The dog is here... but I do not sense your vampire," he said, his words sounding quizzical, as if he were contemplating the situation at the same time he was speaking about it.
Noticing that Bin was currently being held down by his throat, Ilio didn't bother wasting anymore time. With a grunted growl, he lunged forward... only to have one of his large paws break right through the dilapidated floorboards and send him fumbling forward with a painful yelp!
Several splinters quickly planted themselves in his skin beneath his fur, but Ilio didn't let them distract him as he quickly regained his footing and scrambled out of the hole, then leaped toward the demon who had now risen to its feet.
As Karalius flexed his fingers, Ilio noticed razor sharp claws beginning to elongate from the man's regular nails.
"You would rather raise a dog over me..."
It hadn't been a question, but more of a statement. Perhaps it would have even sounded heart-wrenching if the person saying it had been able to express any kind of emotion besides anger and hatred.
The man easily dodged Ilio's first attack, his speed on par with his own. They danced within the tiny home until the walls began to crumble and the floor was in tatters, yet neither were able to land any meaningful hits.
By the time they'd broken apart from their sixth bout, they had all but swapped their starting positions. Ilio now stood in front of a barely-conscious Bin, while Karalius's form took up most of the destroyed doorway.
Ilio was panting pretty hard but was still ready to attack again at any second. Karalius, on the other hand, was calm and collected, but seemed like he was no longer interested in continuing their fight.
The man's form wavered as the miasma that had drifted off of him during their clashes flared like a freshly-lit fire. It crawled up the left side of his body and eventually clouded even the features on that side of his face.
Another second later, and the man had dissipated into a dispersing cloud of dark purple smoke.
Ilio remained on guard for another five minutes before finally lowering himself to the floor and beginning to gingerly licking at his more-damaged paw.
At some point he felt a faint pressure lean against him, but after a quiet grumble, he ignored it and continued with his cleaning.
I should try to get him up and back to Inkani...
"Ilio..."
His fuzzy ears pricked up and tilted slightly before his head lifted and turned in the direction of Bin's gruff, tired voice.
The man was leaning into the thick mane of fur on his shoulders, allowing Ilio to see the dark purple bruise beginning to color a good portion of his neck.
I wonder why Karalius wants to hurt him so badly.
Bin didn't seem like such a bad guy, even for a pirate.
"Captain is lucky..."
Ilio flicked an ear, not really interested in chatting. Mainly because he was in quite a bit of pain, and he also couldn't exactly speak while in his wolf form.
He was just about to return his attention to cleaning his bloody paw when he heard the sound of familiar footsteps outside. In a blur he was up and facing toward the door! His wolf even gave a tiny whine as its tail flicked from side to side excitedly.
When Inkani's form filled the doorway a moment later, Ilio couldn't help but hop a bit on his front paws, even though they still hurt quite a bit.
The pirate looked like he was about to draw his sword, but after a moment of contemplation, decided to leave it in its sheath at his waist as he hurried forward.
"Captain..."
Inkani immediately knelt down beside them, his attention focused Bin. He checked over his crewmate with careful hands, then gently helped him to his feet.
Ilio immediately began following after them as they started toward the door, but to his surprise, Inkani told him to stay where he was.
"I'll be back for you. Wait here," he said as he made it to the doorway with Bin.
Ilio, of course, didn't want to wait, but a hissed warning from Inkani a few moments later did finally make him sit down with a quiet whine.
"You made quite a mess in town. Wait here and I'll come back and get you. If you try to follow us right now you will only cause more problems."
Resigned, Ilio lowered himself down to the floor, then settled his head in the dirty spot between his paws. Inkani had left him. Just like that. Of course, he understood why it could be an issue for him to walk around right then, but even with his injuries he could easily handle a few more vampires.
I wouldn't let anyone bother you...
Huffing out a sigh, he waited, and waited, and waited. It wasn't until the sun was nearly about to break free from the night sky did he hear those same familiar footsteps again.
When Inkani finally appeared in the doorway again, Ilio didn't hesitate to stumble to his aching feet and hobble over with an excited whine.
Upon closer inspection, the man looked incredibly conflicted, and still quite a bit tired, too.
Inka?
When Inkani knelt down, Ilio nervously stepped closer to finally put himself within easy reach. The first thing his mate did was grab two fistfuls of his fur as a quiet growl left his lips.
"You..."
The word was hissed and a little slurred, but that was no surprise considering that the man's fangs were extended to pinpoints.
It looked like it was a dangerous situation, but Ilio managed to see through his man's act. Or, well, it wasn't technically an act. He didn't doubt that Inkani wanted to skin him right then and there, but he knew that it wouldn't be appropriate.
For one, he'd just saved his close friend and ally. And his second reason was more leaning towards aesthetics. His coat was quite a mess at the moment since he'd been sick for the past several days. It also had several spots of blood still remaining from his fight with Karalius.
All in all. He wasn't going to make a very good fur coat right now.
"Can you shift back?" Inkani finally asked after nearly a full five minutes of simply holding onto him in silence.
It would hurt, but he wasn't going to complain.
Ilio closed his eyes and slowly felt his fur beginning to recede back into his skin. It took a few minutes since he was already pretty worn out, but he eventually managed to complete the task.
Before he could really process his new situation he had something partially wrapped around him, and then in the next moment he was being lifted up into familiar arms!
Forgetting all about his minor injuries, Ilio wrapped his arms around his vampire's neck and snuggled in as the man began to carry him back toward the inn.
They were silent for quite some time as they made their way back through the now even-more chaotic part of town.
Something smells really good.
Even with his injuries, Ilio couldn't help but lean back a little and look around as his dirty nose lifted into the air.
"I know what you're looking for," Inkani said as he turned to his right and walked down a few yards, adjusting the blanket that was wrapped around Ilio's waist a little as he moved. He then stopped at a stall that was just getting started for the morning.
"Have any ready yet, Jim?"
The short, plump man running the stand turned around from what he was doing and immediately beamed at them.
"Lord Inkani! It has been far too long!"
Inkani nodded and offered the man a tired smile.
"Ah, oh yes! I will have one ready in just a moment!" Jim exclaimed as he quickly turned his attention to tending his frying vat.
Ilio watched him like a hawk, licking his lips every few moments as the scent of whatever was cooking caressed his nose.
A few more seconds of impatient waiting and the man finally turned to him and handed over a large steaming item that looked like a skewer of meat rolled in some sort of flour and fried with what smelled like honey and cinnamon.
"Here, hold it tight, okay? If you drop it I'm not coming back for another," Inkani said, his voice already chastising as Ilio sloppily grabbed for the treat!
He nearly dropped it, too, but thankfully managed to keep hold as Inkani paid and turned back toward the direction they'd been heading.
It smells so good!
Since werewolves weren't exactly ones to saver their food, Ilio immediately dug in like a starving pup!
"I know I fed you earlier. You didn't throw up again, did you?" Inkani asked as he walked.
Ilio quickly shook his head, but his mouth was way too busy devouring the hot treat to bother with words.
They walked in silence for another stretch of time before they finally arrived back at the inn where they were staying.
"Captain! Bin was treated and just fell asleep a few moments ago. The doc says his wounds should heal up fine as long as he gets enough rest," one of his crewman said as he ran up to them.
Inkani nodded and thanked the man, then turned and headed straight back to their shared room.
Once there, he took the skewer that was now completely cleaned of any scrap of food and set it aside, then put Ilio down in a chair before walking over and retrieving a small washbasin and cloth.
For the next ten or so minutes the man cleaned him, wrapped a few of his worse cuts, and even helped him get into a pair of soft pants before walking him over to their bed.
He lied down obediently, but when Inkani didn't join him, and instead walked toward the door, he immediately pushed himself back up.
"Stay there and rest. I have some things I need to do and I want to go check on Bin. I'll be back in a little while," Inkani said sternly.
Ilio was just about to get right out of bed anyways when Inkani gave him a quiet warning growl.
"I'm not asking, Ilio. Stay there and get some sleep. I will be back when I finish what I need to get done."
He still wasn't happy, but eventually he relented and slipped beneath the covers more. In fact, he tossed and kicked a bit, too, messing up the whole bed out of frustration. All his antics got him, however, was a quiet bit of laughter before he heard Inkani walk out the door.
Still a little grumpy that he didn't get his time to cuddle, Ilio reached up and grabbed Inkani's pillow and even tossed it off the bed before curling up with his own beneath his messy hair.
He'd intended to go to sleep quickly and not bother waiting for Inkani to return, but, of course, he couldn't manage to even grow tired until he heard his vampire quietly slip in through the door, then climb into bed after removing his boots and sword.
Ilio was going to wait until he drifted off before closing the distance between them, but before he could consider it Inkani's arms were around his waist, pulling him backwards until his back was pressed against the man's firm chest.
I-I...
He was a blushing mess!
Thank goodness there were no candles lit in the room!
"A little pup seems to have tossed my pillow somewhere without me noticing. I suppose he'll just have to share his for tonight," came Inkani's deep voice right behind his ear.
Ilio had no response because his tongue was completely tied in knots and his heart was beating so quickly that he wouldn't have been able to get in enough breath to speak even if he wanted to!
So, he pushed aside his former frustration and forced himself to close his eyes, even though he really wasn't all that tired since it was early morning. To his surprise, however, as soon as Inkani began to relax against him, his body simply followed suit.
Pretty soon they were both fast asleep, but as the day progressed they ended up rolling around a bit in order to get more comfortable, or perhaps they just weren't used to sleeping next to another person yet. In any case, by the time midnight came around Ilio actually ended up being the one with his arms around the other, and Inkani would be the one hugged comfortably against his chest.
The sight would have given just about anyone who walked in on them a heart attack from shock... except for Bin, of course.