Ascardia

((11)) The Eradication of the Pagani Plague

Onyx stepped carefully through the suffocating foliage outside the small village she was helping. Nox was silent, invisibly following close behind her, keeping a trained eye out for any stray Pagani pack members.

A twig breaking close to her position in a clearing made Nyx whirl quickly, her swords glinting menacingly in the dim light the thick leaves allowed through. She knew it wasn't her husband, for shadows didn't break fallen foliage.

"Come on out, snake," Nyx called into the darkness. The damp leaves beneath her boots gave her no warning to where her opponent was...but still she listened, watched, and counted her heartbeats. She heard the slightest movement of a flower, just behind her.

Foolish snake. Onyx thought and threw a silent knife in the direction of the sound. An agonized scream let her know it had struck true. Feeling victorious, Onyx walked in the direction her knife had flown.

The Pagani in question was fairly young. Possibly no older than Philip her stable boy. She did not feel guilty for killing the young monster, instead, she bent and retrieved the knife now coated in the abnormal thickness that was monster blood.

She felt a buzzing in her skull, alerting her to Nox's presence.

I'm okay my love

Onyx mind-melded to her distraught husband who appeared before her moments later.

"I would've been here sooner but I was cornered by five matured Pagani. All males. I haven't seen or sensed any females."

Nox's revelation shocked Nyx, wasn't the purpose of a pack to reproduce and grow stronger as a species?

"Something isn't right. What's the point of traveling in packs if not to reproduce? Pagani is skilled hunters and trackers there's no need for a large gathering of males. What if they're banding together because there are no more female Pagani of breeding age?"

"And they are trying to conserve their numbers! What if this pack is the last of the species?"

"The villagers never said if the children taken were boys or girls. What if they took twelve female children, not to eat, but to raise as breeders?"

"Are they desperate enough to dilute the species? What would happen to them?"

"I'm not sure, let's go back to the village and ask more questions. I want the full story."

"You're the boss, boss."

***

Nox walked close to Nyx as they walked through the small village. He noticed, there was hardly any children out playing. The schoolhouse seemed to be closed, the windows dark, and the chimney smokeless. The children he did see clung to their mothers.

Nyx entered the local tavern and was instantly met with silence. She was recognizable as their Princess, but they also knew she was here purely for warrior business.

Nyx walked towards the bar, hardly noticing the curious stares that followed her. They were probably wondering what the cattra was doing here a week before her coronation as the next Fiesta.

Sitting in a darkened corner was one of the representatives that had hired her. Onyx started in his direction so fast, Nox barely saw her move. He hurried to pull her back, not for her safety but for the stranger in the corner.

"Nyx, calm down. Try not to make a scene, yeah?"

Onyx grimaced at him but eventually nodded in agreement. It was hard not to make a scene, she was a beautiful woman of immense power, dressed in tight black leather, and had weapons strapped to almost every inch of her. She had caused a scene just walking into the tavern.