Wage War *Obi x OC* (COMPLETE)

Picture Perfect

Obi---

I growl out of frustration as I slam the man against the trunk of the tree. I've been trying desperately to track any hint of information I can get on Reim and his whereabouts but nothing's turned up so far. It's been three days since I lost Arowen and I haven't gained any ground on finding her. I don't know what to do. I'm running out of options and I can't exactly go breaking down every door from here to Tanbarun trying to find her. I'm wasting time. For all I know she could be dead already, but I have to hope she's okay. Arowen's always been a fighter. She wouldn't let a creep like Reim break her like that.

"Where. Is. He?" I repeat, slamming him after each word.

"I-I told you, I don't know."

"You're lying! Tell me where he is or I'll string your intestines through this forest! You have three seconds to tell me or I'll begin carving you. Three..." I pull a dagger from my pouch. "Two..." I press it harshly to his stomach, just hard enough to draw blood. "O-"

"Alright! Alright... He's hiding out at a cottage not too far from the old Pack base."

I move the dagger away, then stab him once in the stomach. "That's for taking so long to respond."

The Pack changed bases shortly after Doe took control of the group when Rabbit died. I don't know where they've settled now, but their old one is hidden behind a waterfall. I haven't been inside it before but I've been in the area. There is an old cottage not too far away, near a pond surrounded by flowers. It's been abandoned for a few years now. I never met the woman who lived there, but I passed by one day and saw her running around the front yard with a little girl. It was sweet. I don't know what happened to them, just one day they were gone and a couple of months later, the pond was surrounded by blue flowers.

I stop at the edge of the clearing and study the cottage. It looks almost the same as I remember, but the blue shutters are gone from the windows. If that man was lying about Reim being here, I don't know where to go from here. Even if Reim is here, what if she's not? What if-? I sigh and shake my head. I'm wasting time on what if's. I need to get in there and find out. It's been five days now... I decide against the subtle approach and after silently apologizing to the mother and daughter, I kick the door in.

Reim is sprawled out on the couch, looking heavily out of place with the rest of the room. It looks like the family left and left everything behind. The little girl's toys are still on the floor and their dishes are still on the counter from being washed. Reim looks half dead, rather pale and haggard, but it's to be expected. I'm going to kill him for real this time, but out of respect for the family, I won't do it in here. It's not my place to destroy. Reim looks over at me with a cocky smirk and gives me a half-wave.

"Took you long enough."

"Where is she?"

"Oh, she's just hanging out. No harm done. She was rather easy to break though, it was almost disappointing, but still so, so satisfying."

"What the hell did you do to her!?" I draw a dagger and lunge at him as he slowly gets to his feet.

He blocks my attack all the same and as we fight, I notice fairly new bruising on his face and arms, especially his nose. At least Arowen fought back. I just hope she's okay. I dodge his swing, duck low to sweep his feet, then knee him in the nose as he falls. It's already broken, so why not shatter it? He's dazed now, so I take the opportunity to drag him outside so I can kill him, respectfully of course... A few minutes later, I kick his head off into the woods before returning to the cottage to find Arowen. I'll finally get to take her home with me again and I'll cook her the nicest breakfast she's ever had. She's tried so hard just to have breakfast...

I can't help to let my eyes wander the cottage as I move through it. I can feel the love that the two had for each other, especially as I see the child's crude drawing of herself and her mother on the table. There's a heavy sadness here as well though, like a great loss. Nothing looks out of place though. I move to the hall and check the open door first. It was the little girl's room, but it definitely shatters the picture perfect feeling this home gives off. In the center of the room on a small rug is a circle of stuffed animals and a book, all covered in blood that's long-since dried. Leading away from it are bloody drag marks and I can see slightly larger hand prints on the door and door frame. Judging from the size of the pool of blood, the little girl was murdered there and the mother was stolen away. How sad.

I move to the closed door and try the knob but it's locked. Reim didn't have a key on his body, but I can get in anyway. I'll just kick it open like I did to the front door. The room has no light except for the sunlight filtering in behind me, but I can tell this was the mother's room. I don't care about that now though, my eyes are focused on Arowen bound to a chair in the middle of the room. She hasn't looked at me or reacted to the door being opened but she is conscious. I can hear her mumbling under her breath but I can't understand it until I get closer.

"It's too dark... I can't see... It's too dark... Too dark..."

"Arowen?" I keep my voice soft and gentle so I don't startle her, but she seems to only repeat her mutterings slightly louder and more frantically.

"It's too dark. I can't see. It's too dark. Let me out. I'm sorry."

As I look into her eyes my heart drops. She's not blind, thankfully, but they're glazed over, like she's trapped in a memory. I gently lay my hand on hers after undoing the binds and the contact makes her scream.