They swung open the cage door, cattle prods at full power, humming with electricity. The man lazily lifted his hands in surrender. "Now, now." He said softly. His voice was like velvet. "No need. I'll do as you please." The man in the cage said, his...
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His younger brother Mitroshka dropped into the chair next to him, slinging one leg over the plushy red arm. In one hand he held a steel blade that had been folded in forging so many times that it rippled with a dark, dangerous light. In his other, a struggling rabbit.
Kiril, by contrast, sat straight backed and stern faced in his own seat. The cushioning was far too extravagant for him, but Vsevolod preferred things this way. Said they spoke of luxury and power. Kiril thought power was in the bare, foreboding minimalism of the ice.
Mitroshka teased the rabbit's feet with the point of his blade, watching it kick and struggle with a grin. Kiril turned his head away from the squealing creature in faint disgust, though he kept the emotion off of his face with a practiced ease.
The door at the back of the room swung open, and in whisked Vsevolod on steady feet. He swung around behind the desk, but didn't sit down in his own high backed chair. Instead, he leaned against the wall, into one of the velvety red curtains that framed their fathers old war memorabilia. Vsevolod's eyes flickered over Mitroshka. "Put your toy away," Vsevolod sighed, his voice silken.
Vsevolod's ice blue eyes, so pale that they almost looked white when the moonlight bounced off of them, slid to him. "Kiril, I trust you found a landing for our boats?" He wasn't really asking. It was a silent demand.
Kiril nodded. "The winter solstice will give us the chance to land on their closest beach. Their own boats are being moved inland to avoid the winter tides" The gears in Kiril's head turned at this. He knew of the Solstice Treaty between packs- an agreement made in mutual perpetuity that dictated that there would be no war made on the two days- but he couldn't understand why anyone would let their guard down regardless.
His elder brother flashed that brilliant fake smile of his. They were all too wolfish to take such a grin as anything other than an animalistic threat. Those bared teeth said a thousand words, but the most important were 'if you're wrong I'll make sure you pay for it.'
"Now," His elder continued. "In other news, dear Dimetreaus's sister has arrived. Ivan saw her at Rat Bones last night." He tossed a photo down onto the desk in front of him. Kiril didn't reach for it.
"What do you need from me? Your ward should be more than enough to handle her." Kiril asked, eyes locked onto a spot on the wall just over Vsevolod's shoulder.
Mitroshka giggled maniacally, rabbit squealing in his arms. It jerked once, soft foot plunging down onto the blade, sending a spray of blood across his maddened brother's face.
"Mitroshka!" Vsevolod snapped at once. The younger man flinched, dropping his head and bringing the injured rabbit down to his lap where it curled, blood frothing from its mouth and nose, bubbling with each rapid breath.
Satisfied with the submission being shown, he turned his attention back to Kiril. "Don't be so sure of my ward." His lips gained a downward tilt as he spoke. "Strong as he may be, for a mutt, he's awfully sentimental. The wires I've been listening to in his home are enough to cause doubt for his intentions," Vsevolod explained.
Kiril pitied the poor fool and his sister. They hadn't yet learned to keep their mouths shut here in Ilaross, where Vsevolod's ear was always nearby. "You want me to make a contingency plan," he finally gleaned, choosing his words carefully so as not to reveal the sickening emotions that made his stomach churn.
Vsevolod nodded. "Yes. Mitroshka will sow the seeds of distrust with that foul little rabbit of his, and you will follow the girl once her brother is gone. I have no doubt that she will run."
Kiril's eyes flickered to the picture. The image was fuzzy, but he could clearly make out the girl in question. A mane of tight brown curls fell from her scalp, framing her smiling face. His eyes lifted once more, shaking off the resemblance of the smile. "If she runs, what do you want me to do?"
"She will not get very far. I have Aeryn blocking the exit road already, and the next storm will do the rest to finish his work. I just want you to keep on her heels, and collect when the time is right."
His brother paused, studying his face for a long moment. Kiril kept it blank, obedient. "Do you understand?" Vsevolod finally asked.
Kiril nodded.
"Yes, brother."
—
The snow chilled his nose and seeped into the tips of his ears, but his thick white fur kept him otherwise unharmed. He stood there outside of the complex atop the fresh snow's crunchy outer layer.
Above him, a window opened- it would be the one at the end of Dimetreaus's hall, just outside his front door, he knew. Three bangs followed, the sound of a hammer striking a nail ringing out into the silent night.
On the heels of the echo, Mitroshka followed, leaping from the window. He shifted as he hit the ground, crashing down with a crunch of snow. 'Go,' Kiril impressed upon the man. The wiry white wolf obliged him, mouth opening in a half-snarl half-whine. Blood dripped from his lolling tongue as he ran away from the building, disappearing like a ghost into the woods.
He waited a long moment, listening to the faint sounds of a quarrel above. The front door of Dimetreaus's apartment opened, then slammed shut again. A few minutes later, its squeaky hinges sounded again.
He stalked the woman out of the building as she ran to her car, suitcase bouncing recklessly behind her. Her brown skin contrasted harshly with the snow outside, and her light brown eyes spoke of sunlight through honey, and youthful summers long past. He wondered if it was the color or the fear in them that made him think as much.
For a moment, her eyes flickered over his hiding spot. Their eyes caught, but she squinted as if she couldn't quite tell what she was looking at. In that moment, the way her eyes crinkled at the corners and her dark brows furrowed, he saw the ghost of his sister.
His heart leapt in his throat, and he shuddered. As she peeled out of the parking lot, he hesitated like he had on that night ten years ago. But she wasn't here to throw herself upon his blade- he would have to take the first stab all on his own this time.
With that thought grasped tightly in his heart, he split his jaws and let the howl tear out of his throat. The sound marked the start of her unwilling sacrifice.
