Sarah
Arin Cragton
Taemar

Arin took another gulp and shrugged, catching the bag and pocketing it. He had no problem taking another man's coin, especially when it was this easy. His ears perked up as she began to speak. Her voice wasn't like the rest of the people around. She was too confident about her words. He paused for a moment, scratching his forehead and began to run his fingers through his hair, brushing his hair out of his face. He listened closely as she spoke, watching her carefully as she slid off of her horse. He watched her size him up, noting her demeanor begin to change as she began to realize what type of man Arin was. He began to laugh softly for a moment. 

"These nobles are complete idiots! I have made more coin in two weeks than I have in my entire life. All of these men think that their life is going perfect and the women have their fat filthy fingers firmly planted in the men's pockets. It's perfect for someone like me. Why would I ever want to leave?" He said, grinning wildly. 

"But your proposal interests me. I haven't been on a proper hunt in ages. So I'll accept. Might be a nice change of pace, and some exercise. I don't want to grow content in this place. My legs need stretching." He said, rambling on for a moment before stopping suddenly. 

"What sort of creature will we be hunting?" He asked, looking back at her. "It must be... Terrifying for someone as confident as you to ask someone else for help." He said softly, looking back at her.
Robert
Sir Heath Romanov
Castle Grunewald, Taemar

The room offered very little light in the form of flickering candles. The sconces were old and some were tilted, as though they could fall from the wall at any moment. Heath almost wished that a fire would start from a rogue candle, engulfing them all in flames. Perhaps Marin would be better off if every bastard at the council died tragically. Anyanka spoke up, pulling him out of his thoughts. 

"Why wouldn't I be here?" He asked, raising his brows. He paused, raising a hand rub the back of his neck. "I feel as though I should apologize to you. I shouldn't have confronted Cecilia with you there." He could sense that she felt uncomfortable. He hoped that she was not blaming herself for what happened. "Cecilia and Nickles have already been taken care of," He said. 

He hoped Cecilia would choke on a rat down in the dungeons. 

 "I can go, if you prefer. I imagine you want to get some rest," He added, looking down at her.

Prince Nickles
The Best Chambers in Castle Grunewald

Nickles laid upon his silken sheets in his king-sized bed. He had a platter of pastries that he was 
Indulging on.

"Boy I'm glad I'm not in a wet dungeon with no choice but to feast on a rat," He said with a mouth full of creampuffs.
John
**King Dennon and Queen Lucrezia
The Suite of Love in Vallen, Taemar**

"Dennon," Lucrezia said, shaking Dennon awake. "I heard a noise outside the door."

Dennon sighed heavily as he sat up on his side of the bed. He got up and pushed past the giant hog god fertility statue in their room before walking to the door. He listened for a moment before opening it up, not hearing anything. "Holy Hogcock!" Dennon exclaimed groggily at first glance. "It looks like they dragged that pig through here." There was blood all over the floor of the hallway. He closed the door in disgust. "Hopefully that server, Kenneth or something like that, will have it cleaned by morning."
Heather
Cecilia Lyanah
Grunewald Dungeons

The moment the sword was removed from the shifter's body, Cecilia's flesh began to heal. The puncture in her lung was first to close, trapping the blood that leaked inside her organ during her unconsciousness. Once her body managed to mend the damage to her lungs, the muscle and skin on her back began to repair itself, almost like it was stitching the flesh together with invisible thread before moving towards the injury by her shoulder. After Cecilia's shoulder began to restore the damage to its best ability, the wolf's eyelids began to flutter, signaling that she was about to awaken. The pain in her chest was excruciating when she woke, the agony from the damaged inflicted by the silver temporarily distracting her from the fluid in her lungs. The moment she attempted to inhale deeply, the wolf began to choke. Cecilia became fearful as she attempted to breath, her eyes widening in fright while forcing herself to roll onto her stomach. With each choking cough, blood began to pool from the wolf's mouth and onto the cold, blood and shit stained floor. Cecilia wondered if Heath or whoever brought her down to the dungeons had removed the sword from her back as every breath she took felt similar to inhaling razorblades. However, when she turned her head to glance towards her back between her blood filled coughs, she noticed the weaponed had been removed. It confused her.

The wolf's head dropped against the floor while a pained whine left her maw before she closed her eyes, knowing her body would continue to heal if she remained still. During the couple hours it took her body to repair itself, Cecilia thought back to the moment that resulted in her imprisonment, recalling the argument between Heath and herself before she attacked the duchess and then the boy. She found herself feeling guilty when she remembered threatening Heath's family, wishing she had taken a different approach towards the whole situation. It was tempting to call out to Heath and explain why she had been after Nickles even though she knew there was no chance of redemption, especially if he found out who it was that gave her the hit.
Shelly
Charity Lane
Vallen, Taemar

The dining hall cleared out quickly, and Charity followed suit. She was hoping for a night less eventful than the dinner that preceded it, but she was expecting the opposite. After being guided to her quarters, she was greeted by a small room with a bed in the center and four chamber pots. Given what she knows of the Grunewalds, this was as fancy as it gets.

She didn't want any funny business during the night, so she stacked up three of the chamber pots in fron of the door, should anyone try to sneak in, Charity will know. She then settled in for rest. She would need it for the council, and any meetings she might have with any other queens for any reason.
Charles
Lady Anna Barrmount
Grunewald Castle, Valen

Hours later after the feast, the young Barrmount laid defeated on the bed of her assigned room. With her eyes fixed on the ceiling, she let out a heavy sigh.

"Not even the bath lifted your spirits, my Lady?" Pippin asked as she delicately put the white gown on the bed next to Anna.

"Not a bit..." Anna sat up on the bed, her hair a semi dry mess "The king of this lands thinks Vivayn is the perfect man for the Iron Plaines. I bet his family does too, and may the gods forbid it but what if the rest of the council attendants think so too?!" Her voice was close to a cry.

"C'mon! Don't be so grim. Why don't you go for a walk in the castle? Exploring always cheers you up my Lady"

"In a mourning gown?"

"I'll have the traveling clothes clean when you come back"

"I don't know..." 

"Stand up and go explore!" 

"Okay okay!"

...

The white gown, adorned with black floral details and ribbons, and Anna's soft appearance clashed with the interiors of the Taemarian castle. Her feet dragged her through the corridors as her mind wandered over everything that had happened in the past weeks.

Was Sibyl safe? Did Rodrick have a proper goodbye? How many died? How many survived? How many survived only to sucumb to the illness?

Anyone walking by could have easily mistaken her for a grieving ghost haunting the place.

By the time she came back to her senses and noticed her surroundings, Anna couldn't identify where she was.

"Oh perfect, now I'm lost, of course I'm lost" She muttered under her breath. By the looks of it, it seemed like she ended up in the dungeons.

They weren't like the dungeons back home... They felt strange, with the tingle of a metallic scent in the atmosphere that made the Barrmount's stomach turn upside down.

Anna was about to make her leave when she heard a whine. An animal? A person? Was someone down there injured? Did they keep a hunted animal? Before she could realize it, she was following the sound.

"Hello? Is there someone down here?" She dared to call out in a soft voice, a bit scared deep down "I got lost and... Well I-" She gasped and put her hand over her mouth, as she turned the corner and encountered the origin of the grunts and whines
Heather
Cecilia Lyanah
Grunewald Dungeons, Taemar

The wolf's ears perked towards the soft sound of footsteps as someone neared. Her heart pacing at the thought of Anya's men or possibly Bradai making their way towards the dungeons in hope to finish what Heath didn't have the ability to do. Considering the wolf had been incapacitated, Cecilia doubted she the strength to defend herself properly against any attack. Though her body had almost completed it's healing process, the loss of blood made the shifter incredibly weak. Fortunately, her fears were soon calmed when a faint voice began to call out within the dungeons, growing louder until an audible gasp escaped their lips. Perhaps luck finally had decided it wanted to visit Cecilia tonight. She could only hope. 

Not wanting to scare away her possible escape, the shifter refrained from releasing a threatening growl and instead, continued to whimper from the pain in her chest. Even though the wounds had thinned into a fine scar, Cecilia felt pressure along with a painful ache against the back of her lung, making it difficult to properly breath. Lifting her head, the shifter turned from facing the wall and brought her attention toward the bars that caged her, glancing between the thin spaces until her eyes caught the sight of a female in a white gown. The wolf once again lowered her head until it rested against the side of her legs closest to the bars, looking towards the woman with curiosity. She stared silently before attempting to reach out towards the female's mind in hopes to communicate with her. If she was successful enough and hadn't been completely drained in energy, the woman would feel a tingling sensation rush through her head until a woman's voice could be heard.

'*You won't find anyone else down here besides me.*'

Her eyes glanced over the stranger as she spoke, observing the bags had settled beneath the woman's glassy bloodshot eyes. She could only assume they were a result of tears that had fallen previously.
Charles
Lady Anna Barrmount
Dungeons of Grunewald Castle, Valen.

A wolf lied in front of her, damaged and tired in their cell. Some bright blood drops stained the jet black fur of the animal

Anna barely took a step foward when a faint voice ringed in her head. Did she imagine it? No no no, a wolf couldn't speak, she surely imagined it. She was too tired, that was it, exhaustion making her imagine things.

She shook her head and slowly walked towards the bars. The young Lady got down to her knees in front of the bars, grabbing them with her hands for support.

"Hi little one, what are you doing here? Did they hurt you?" It was more of an observation than a question. She cautiously extended her hand between the iron bars, towards the animal "All that blood doesn't look good... Who did this to you?"

Although it was common knowledge in the Witherlands that wolves were dangerous animals, this one was the first one alive Anna had ever seen so close; it cautivated her. It looked so fragile in that state, but so magnificent and beautiful at the same time... Could it bite her hand off in the blink of an eye? Yes. Did she care in that moment? Not much.
Heather
Cecilia Lyanah
Grunewald Dungeons

Judging by the woman's reaction, Cecilia came to the realisation that this woman mustn't have crossed paths with a shifter before. As she drew closer towards the wolf, Cecilia couldn't help but feel slightly amused. She spoke to Cecilia like she was simply nothing but an average wolf and decided it may be worth playing along with her assumption. 

Remaining on her stomach, Cecilia approached the woman through a crawl, dragging her body against the floor until she neared the woman's hand. The wolf continued to whine pathetically as she reached her snout out until it connected with the woman's hand. She had an idea that humans felt sympathetic towards an injured animal rather than a beast or human and used that to her advantage. 

She attempted to reach into her mind again to communicate, however she kept it subtle so the woman would assume it was her conscious or simply blamed exhaustion. 

*'Feed her'*

Cecilia could only hope that her plan would work as her stomach made a soft rumbling noise. She preferred to avoid eating the rats that scurried through the dungeon, knowing their small skeletons made it difficult to devour while providing very little meat. If she was to regain her energy, she would need to eat a minimum of a dozen rats. Something she did not look forward to.

Marsila Vema
Vallen, Taemar

She didn't blame him for feeling hesitant towards her offer, considering the riches he was gaining. Thankfully, he decided to question her further on the proposal given, curious as to what it was they would be hunting. "It's a rare creature that was supposed to be extinct in Marin, an Owl-Griffen. However there have been recent sightings in Terresol so I am currently heading there." Her head tilted slightly as she looked towards Arin, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips when he mentioned her confident behaviour. Rather than explaining further about the beast she happened to be after, Marsila faced away from the man and reached towards the saddle, readjusting it property so it wouldn't slip during her travels. "I won't judge you if you decide against helping me. Many would be too afraid to travel into Terresol and place themselves in front of this creature."

She hoped playing on his masculinity would encourage him to join her. It was a common trait among men from what she has witnessed. Once the saddle was stable, Marsila reached her foot into the stirrup and lifted herself onto Romia's back before turning back to face Arin. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening digging your fingers into pockets."
Charles
Lady Anna Barrmount
Grunewald Castle dungeons, Vallen.

The moment the palm of her hand touched the nose of the animal, after it crawled to get closer, Anna's face lit up instantly with surprise and excitement. The signs of exhaustion and tears became less prominent in her pale face.

A child with a new toy would have looked less excited than the Barrmount in that moment.

Something in her told her to feed the animal. Of course! It was injured and locked, it must have been hungry.

"Oh, oh! Wait a minute, I'll fetch you some food, you must be starving..." Anna stood up swiftly "It will be a moment, okay? I'll be right back"

...

It was a miracle the Lady found the way back to the dorm *And* Back to the dungeon, but there se was back after a small run. She kneeled in front of the animal and opened a handkerchief that she used to store some food from the feast for later.

Anna put the piece of cloth with meat through the bars, offering the untouched food she had on her plate earlier on.

"It's not much, but I hope you like it..." She said with a warm smile drawn on her face "I would have brought more, but the feast is over. It was a disaster anyways..."

The young woman sighed as she shook her head, trying to keep her sorrows and worries away for a bit.

"I'm Anna Barrmount. Well, Lady Anna, but I doubt animals care about titles" She sat more comfortably, letting her butt lay on the floor and putting her legs a bit to the side "I'm really far from home, I guess you must be too..."

She observed the animal for a while, in silence. *In a dungeon talking to an animal, peak of the day...*

"Whoever hurt you like this must have been barbaric"
Katherine
**Anyanka Durhkan 
Castle Grunewald, Taemar
**
He questioned why she was surprised, and she could have listened off a hundred reasons why she didn't _expect_ him to have stayed. "The child you were defending, the fact you know that woman by name and there was something happening that caused not only Nicholas Ramsalot to be in the castle but to be hunted by a shifter." She suggested, feeling like it was a start to a long list of reasons. 

"I don't prefer you to leave, but I ever want you to stay anywhere for me out of obligation." She added. If she had her way, he'd lay beside her and stay until her wounds had long healed and the scars had faded into oblivion. But she wasn't going to say that, because she had an inkling that he was here because he felt personally responsible for what happened. 

As if he'd controlled the woman into doing it. Or made the call to hunt down Nickles. Or had been the one to ask _her_ to talk after the dinner. 

It felt like once more the world was just giving her every signal to run hard and fast away from Romanov, and yet: "Will you lay with me? For a little while at least?"
Rosa
An Islander Guard
The Castle Grunewald, Taemar

The guard had seen the lady run back and forth from the dungeon the whole night, carrying handkerchiefs full of food. The man sighed, rolling his eyes and she descended yet again into the inky darkness of the basement. What horrors awaited her was unknown, and although the Hog King had dismissed his own guards, he had elected to stand by and check over the area. He pulled a small club from his belt and wrapped it on the doorframe to the dungeon. 

"Oi!" He shouted down, "Ye best not be feedin' that wolf. I've seen 'er disembowel a little girl in fifteen seconds flat. Tha Last Council 'a Marin, she killed one of my kin, and now she's back. Don't let 'er pull ye through tha bars." 

The Guard sighed and went back to his own business.
Charles
Lady Anna Barrmount
Grunewald Castle dungeons, Vallen

Anna almost got a heart attack when she heard the voice.

"I-I... I'm not?" Her voice had less confidence than a mice in front of a cat "I'm not sir!"

The young woman cleared her throath as she looked back to the animal. So bruised and bloody and... And *Weak*. If it wanted to kill her it would have done it at the first chance.

"Don't listen to him, you seem nice to me" She said in a low voice to the wolf.
Robert
Kenmath Vaughn
The Castle Grunewald, Vallen 

He clutched a bloodied rat between his teeth and walked calmly to the cells. He brushed past the islander guard, casting him a perfect wink. Kenmath had been practicing his winking for years, always finding that it was almost impossible to coordinate the exact timing. His left eye was a tad bit slower to close and his right was hyperactive. There had been many occasions upon which Kenmath wanted to quit, to resign himself to a winkless life. 

Alas, that was not in Kenmath's nature. He would never quit. He practiced tirelessly, staring deep into the depths of his personal mirror, lowering his eyelids steadily over his eyes. Some days were better than others. The nights were particularly hard, when Kenmath attempted to sleep in his wink formation. He suffered from a chronic dry eye, but that was not enough to deter him. 

His hard work had paid off handsomely. His wink was precise, coquettish, charming, and masterfully done. He saw the astonishment upon the Islander's face. "Never thought you'd see something like that in Taemar, now did you?" He asked, his voice muffled due to the rat in his mouth. He violently shouldered the Iron Plaines' lass out of the way and spat the rat into the shifter's cell. 

"A rat," He announced, wiping the dark blood from his mouth.
Rosa
The Islander Guard
The Castle Grunewald, Taemar

Saeman watched as an old man shook a mouse between his jagged, yellow teeth and blinked rapidly in his direction. His eyes were flickering so quickly one couldn't tell if they were open or closed. As his teeth sunk into the rat he mumbled something and a mess of red blood bubbles formed on his bottom lip. 

"Evening." The Islander Guard said, shaking his head in disgust. He heard the man stumble down the stairs and toss a rat into the Shifter's cage. "She's very dangerous!" He warned again.
Heather
Cecilia Lyanah
Grunewald Dungeons

The wolf waited with anticipation as the woman left the dungeons, her stomach bubbling from hunger as she laid impatiently. Her eyes remained on the entrance towards the dungeons for what felt like hours due to the hunger pains settling in her stomach. She was glad the woman who called herself Anna found her way towards the dungeons before Cecilia was forced to feast on rodents. 

When Anna returned with a handkerchief, the wolf could smell the food the moment she entered the dungeons. Her ears perked upwards as she made her way towards the cell, excited almost for the little food she had to offer. As soon as it was slid towards the wolf, Cecilia wasted no time in devouring the meat until there was nothing but the handkerchief in its place and nudged the material back towards the woman. 

Cecilia felt relieved when Anna lied to the Islander guard, reminding herself to thank the Barrmount if she was to escape her imprisonment. Her relief was short lived when another male entered the Dungeons and immediately recognised him from the feast. If Cecilia was being honest, she thought Kenmath to be her new favourite human with the way he entered, carrying a rat between his teeth. She caught the rat with ease when it was thrown towards her and caught it with ease before swallowing it almost whole.
Charles
Lady Anna Barrmount
She wanted to make a friend in this trying times and now is panicking a bit, Vallen.

Anna felt someone shoving her aside in a much rude manner. A rather disgusting man threw a half eaten rat into the cage.

"Who do you think you are to be treating people like this sir?" She stood up as she spoke, trying to face the man. The putrid teeth and fresh blood on his face stinguish her sudden burst of confidence and made her gulp.
Heather
Cecilia Lyanah
Grunewald Dungeons

The wolf felt herself healing faster with her internal injuries after being fed by both Kenmath and Anna. Using the little strength she had, Cecilia lifted herself onto all four of her paws to keep blood flowing through her legs before they became cramped. The shifter then turned her attention towards Kenmath before curling her upper lip so her canines were bared. Even though he gave her a rat, she wanted him away from the dungeons so it was once again only Anna in her presence so she would have the chance to befriend and use her. 

Her chest began to rumble as a threatening growl escaped her throat, making it look as if she was defending Anna while the woman stood up to Kenmath.
Robert
Kenmath Vaughn
Castle Grunwald, Vallen

"You're feeding the wolf who just ripped a boy's leg off," Kenmath said, flicking her nose. 

*Exeunt*
Charles
Lady Anna Barrmount
Grunewald Castle dungeons, Vallen.

Anna stood there, confused, as the man took his leave. She sat back were she was before being shoved aside, staring in disbelief at the animal.

They had been so nice, and that growl... Was the wolf protecting her? How could it hurt a kid like they said?

"Did you really do that?" She asked, her soft voice back to being the only sound resonating against the dungeon walls, while putting her hand on one of the bars.

"Well you're a wolf, wolves are supposed to attack in certain circumstances, or so I was taught" She started to chatter mindlessly once again "Father used to hunt, tried to teach us but I didn't like it... And honestly I was horrible at it"

Anna noticed the blood running down the legs of the animal and furrowed her brows as she worried. Poor thing...
Heather
Cecilia Lyanah
Grunewald Dungeons

Her head cocked slightly to side as Anna spoke, amused with the way she was being spoken to. Was this common among humans? Where they spoke to animals without expecting a reply? Cecilia was tempted to reply, wondering how she would react to a wolf talking to her. Deciding it would do her no harm, the wolf lowered her hind legs until she sat against the floor and attempted to reach into her mind once again so she could defend her actions. 

'*He was hardly a child. He was an immortal creature who was responsible for the deaths of many. I tore off his leg so he wouldn't be able to do any more harm.*' 

Her ears once again perked towards the sound of legs scurrying behind her and twisted her body slightly while remaining seated. Using her paw, the wolf pressed down against the rat as it went to flee away and trapped it between her extended claws. Batting it in front of her, Cecilia leaned down and snatched the rat into her muzzle before biting into it, efficiently killing the rat before eating it. Once again returning her attention towards the Barrmount, the shifter thought on the conversation before Cecilia asked to be fed. 

*'Why are you far from your home?*'
Charles
Lady Anna Barrmount
About to have an existential crisis, Vallen

This time the voice sounded clear as day in her mind. And it wasn't her voice. She fell backwards, strugling to sit up again. Her eyes opened like full moons.

Did the wolf just talk to her? *Through her mind?*

"You... You just..." Her voice got like an octave or two higher "You speak? You speak... You speak"

Her brain was having a really hard time processing it. Maybe she was hallucinating? She got sick too and was hallucinating? No she wasn't sick, *WHY DID THAT WOLF SPEAK THEN?* ***HOW?***

"I'm in a dungeon, speaking to a wolf, that just told me, through my mind, that it tore an inmortal being's leg off. Yes. Of course. It's... It's completely normal"

Anna pinched the bridge of her nose as she felt a small hammering pain in her head.

After some deep breaths and self conviction that she wasn't losing her mind, the Lady got closer to the cell once again.

"Uh... Well I... I had to flee my home, long story..." Her very core was trembling slightly at how this animal could have spoken to her "W-what's... What's your name?"

If the wolf could speak, better make that fact useful at least.
Heather
Cecilia Lyanah
Grunewald Castle 

The wolf waited as Anna mentally debated whether she was going insane or not. It was Cecilia's entertainment of the day, however she remained expressionless while the woman had a slight mental mental breakdown. It was a normal reaction for someone who had never met a shifter and began to wonder how oblivious she was to the magic that existed in Marin. Cecilia had seen much worse compared to a shifter like herself. Nickels was one of them. 

When Anna returned her attention towards the wolf and explained her situation, Cecilia found herself interested and wanted to know more. She soon followed her answer with a question of her own. The wolf's name. Fearing she may of heard of the infamous assassin who was also known as a mass murderer, Cecilia decided to play it safe and gave Anna original birth name. 

*'My name is Arabella. Funny enough, I too was forced to flee from my home, though it was a decade ago.'* She began, hoping to play on Anna's sympathy. *'I don't think I will be leaving here any time soon, did you want to tell me the story on why you had to flee?'*