Runix glided across the room as he chuckled with twisted glee. A maniacal stream of laughter washed over his previous declaration of joy. And all poor Matteo could do was watch in horror. The sinister madman, the laguz behind it all, flicked his wrists and flashed his beloved claws before his victim. In a calm voice which belied his insanity, he demurely asked, "Do you know what I do to traitors?"

Silence mingled with reluctance. The captured spy dared not to answer, for fear of angering Runix. Runix only took the lack of words as a sign of arrogance. Three claw marks slowly etched upon Matteo's pale face. Crimson seeped from the wounds inflicted and Runix lapped up the liquid from his paw. The beast retched backwards in disgust.

"I take it you didn't enjoy the taste?" Matteo snickered, chancing the odds of his survival, even though he knew better than to taunt his foe in this predicament. Rather, he was stalling for time, praying that Shinon wouldn't come for him. Time was valuable and couldn't be afforded to be wasted upon himself. It doesn't change the fact that I'm scared to bloody hell, he thought with disgust. Who in their right mind did not fear death? "Well, I guess not."

Runix did not respond. A scheme boiled in his mind. He turned towards the spy his men had seized in an ambush thrown upon the intruders, two men of blue. A flicker of mischief sparked a flame. Using the time he had, he allowed his thoughts to simmer. While his actions tended to be quite crazy, plotting against others always brought out a potently manipulative side. Coolly he retorted, "I think I'll test the poison on you. See if you grow a tail or a forked tongue. Aren't you curious about the wonders of the pale frost lily?"

Matteo shuddered nervously as a vial of transparent liquid dangled before his eyes. The contents inside seemed to whisper out to him. They called out his name and beckoned for him. Without any sort of physical contact, the young man could already feel the temptation trying to sell his soul. "Get that stuff away from me!" he hissed. No way, not now. He did not want to become some kind of puppet for the devil.

"I think not," was the bitter response.

Shinon paused once he noticed Janaff struggling to keep up with him. The sniper gently settled upon his knees and stared at his companion. He kept his hands upon Janaff's shoulders in order to stabilize the poor hawk. Reaching into his bag for a vulnerary, he cast a frown as Janaff tipped to the side.

An ominous feeling grew in the pit of the sniper's stomach. Something told him, against his better judgment, that Janaff wouldn't last much longer. And neither would Matteo. If only time could be on his side; it wasn't too much to ask for, was it?

Shinon thought no more of it as the corner of his eye saw Janaff rising up. The vulnerary that had yet to leave his fingers was removed from his bag. Whether or not Janaff wanted it, Shinon would give him no choice in the matter. A throaty hiss escaped into the room as the herb met the hawk's wounds. Tears did not spring to his eyes, but Shinon knew better. He'd leave the bird to his brave front. He wouldn't question why Janaff bothered to hide his pain. A simple word explained it all: pride.

And although it most certainly wasn't the time to be prideful, given their current situation, it came as a relief that Janaff could maintain his usual disposition. Shinon sorely lacked in giving due credit.

As the two made their way at a pace both swift yet cautious, Shinon couldn't help but feel more and more intimidated. Strangely enough, his mind was thinking about how the contest would be affected. Perhaps the ones with the most points at the end of this fiasco would win and the time limit would be annulled. And yet, that would make Ike the winner once more. Under no circumstances would he be satisfied with that end result.

"Shinon? Hey, don't go that way. Over here, over here!" Janaff exclaimed, jabbing his index finger furiously down a path. The hawk crossed his arms indignantly after being ignored. Impatiently he strode in front of Shinon and snapped his fingers. His efforts were rewarded with a blank stare.

No witty remarks were exchanged as a howl ravaged the hallways. The two cursed their luck and prayed that no harm had come to Matteo.

Jerking to a harsh stop by the threshold of an office room, Shinon could see a wall and shattered chains. He pulled away quickly, sensing the need to conceal his presence. Janaff caught the gesture and followed suit. The two pressed against the wall and stilled their breathing. Trading places with the sniper, Janaff put his experienced eyes to use.

The hawk watched as Matteo drew a blade from his cape. The young thief was pinned with no escape. Apparently, the broken restraints weren't Matteo's doing. Janaff winced as he heard Runix shout, "Never make me angry. You wouldn't like to see me angry!" And without so much as a warning, Matteo kicked the vial out of Runix's grasp and watched as the container scattered into millions of pieces. Both leaped away from the streaming liquid. "You fool!" he cried.

"Nothing more, nothing less," Matteo responded with a faint smirk. He dashed for the exit, but Runix hastily yanked his collar. The thief coughed in pain as he landed with a thud, shards of glass impaling his limbs. His eyes widened with fear as a frigid sensation washed over his body.

First to leave Matteo was his eyesight. A blurry edge glazed over everything within the range of his vision. Life itself transformed into an oil painting of blended hues. Without even the strength to string together a curse, he wondered if this was how it would end. A silent, chilling death.

The thoughts haunted Matteo as he thought back to his original objective. The whole competition had been a hoax to lure out the White Claw, and he could've been one of the few who helped save the day. Matteo wanted the recognition and fame, but it wasn't simply that. The day beorc turned to help laguz, Matteo wanted to live to see through to that. Death had been the last thing on his eager mind when he had accepted the task from Caineghis.

Yet Matteo had never considered the factor of death.

Matteo whimpered softly and pulled one arm to his chest. Now his fingertips were growing numb. Hah, at least I haven't gone feral. I won't die with the heavy heart of a mindless traitor. The thoughts did little to calm him down.

So that was what life truly meant. It was the warmth that engulfed him every morning he woke up, the sharp rays that pricked his eyes. Matteo felt a hot tear run down his cheek. The warmth, the very life, was escaping from him. His toes prickled and time insisted on calling the reaper.

Funny how a few seconds could seem like a lifetime. Hilarious how impulsive one could act when faced with the passing of an ally. Shinon was quite the comedian.

The sniper could stand no longer, playing the role of spectator. He pushed aside Janaff and yelled, "Don't you dare die on me, boy!"

Runix chuckled darkly and drew a dagger. "Don't underestimate me. I can act as well as I can manipulate." The blade licked Shinon's collarbone, and cried out for more. "I never thought that a human would be able to bring out my serious side. No more jokes."

Shinon stared at the blood splattered across his chest; he could've sworn that time had just stopped. His expression was disbelief, and he waited with bated breath, wishing that everything was just a damned nightmare.

Janaff would swoop in any minute, tickle the sniper with his tail feathers, and break the slumber.

Shinon fell to his knees, for the pain he felt then - was greater than a stupid pinch.