COME UP FOR AIR | ongoing

ACT I SCENE I | 1

ACT I SCENE I | 1

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THE icy air sliced the sunset as snow fell, coating Pierce's shoulders with minuscule white specs.

He brushed them off, gently.

The beta was displeased, as it was cold and he would have much rather been shut in his apartment, under a tepid blanket and gazing up into the ceiling in solitude.

He hadn't really been able to properly sleep for some time now, not since the war began.

He always thought that when the war ended, his nights would feature dreams of tranquil rivers or at least something like that... but now it was two years later, and though he had somehow found himself on the winning side of the war, his eyes shut and he would hear screams rivaled only by those he'd heard on the battlefield.

'Some rogues have been spotted south of the border. We have reason to believe that they may be runagates.' Pierce's thoughts were interrupted by the ever so vexatious voice of his inferior, his green eyes glided across the rimy badlands and finally met those of who dared address him.

'You know the drill. Kill them.' Pierce barked in response, his gravelly voice as hollow as he could possibly manage as a blank stare flitted onto his face.

The epsilon before him winced at the harshness in his tone before nodding acquiescently.

He hurried across the lands, joined by about five more epsilons to chase after the rogues by the border.

Why did I have to take tonight's watch? Pierce thought to himself, making his way across the frozen wasteland, followed by a couple of epsilons and zetas trailing carefully behind him.

Pierce stopped in his tracks, turning around to face the hunters behind him. 'You, you and – you.' He pointed his fingers towards some hunters. 'Disperse north.' He pointed them off in the direction he wanted them patrolling.

'You and you.' His lips were pursed in annoyance. 'West.' The two zetas ran off into the foliage, racing towards the trail that they were supposed to be patrolling.

There were about five zetas left, all standing at the ready to receive instructions on where to patrol.

This was a daily routine for the Tenebris.

Even though they had officially declared themselves the winners of the war, they had to guard their territories and track the remaining members of the Solas.

Pierce every so often found himself wondering how things would have turned out if the Solas had won the war instead.

Would it have been different?

... Better?

'You five, follow me.' He motioned to the warriors behind him, all standing at the ready to receive their instructions from the big scary beta.

The air was thick with silence while all of Pierce's subordinates exchanged confused glances with one another instead of following his orders.

Pierce felt his displeasure rise like bile in his throat. 'What?' His jaw was clenched irritably, as his emerald gaze settled on a single, scrawny zeta stood at the very edge of the line.