Chapter 15

Wolf and the Getaway

Shortly after Ranger had departed and left Holo to her own discourses, she locked the door and made one final sweep of her surroundings before de robing and re dressing in a bathing robe that was provided by courtesy of The Frontira. The water in the bathtub was clean and clear with a cauldron nearby with a collection of coals in it. It was by this means did she use to heat up the water.

Once the water was to her liking she unfastened the bathrobe and let herself in. She let out a soft purr as the sensation of being enclosed in sensational warmth put her in a state of nirvana. There were fine shampoos' around the ledge and a scrub brush made of white pearl with gold leaf embroideries decorating it. Though it was a pleasure to rid the collection of dirt and sweat obtained within the last few days from her skin, the most welcome cleansing of all came from washing her hair and the furs of her tail.

It was then that she was reminded of the sweet memories she shared with Lawrence when they had first opened their bathhouse. Lawrence would go over the ledgers while Holo would sit in the water without a care in the world. There was a time when he had teased her in such a way about it that she had pulled him in!

She smiled at those tender moments before continuing her bathing.

Once finished she arose yet did not step out, for there was a silver pitcher nearby that was used to rinse off the soap suds by dowsing water upon the bather. After that she withdrew a towel and dried her skin off, replaced the robe and began to comb her hair until it was straight and fine.

Once outfitted in her normal garb she checked the time; a quarter to six. She took a deep inhale through her nostrils and set our for Makailov's.

The journey to the restaurant was a rather eventless one considering the risk involved of traveling alone. She entered and took a moment to observe the decor. It was as festive and elegant as the Frontira and could qualify as a sister building considering all it's similarities. Unlike the inn, she was not put on hold when needing assistance, for a member of the staff quickly approached her.

"What can I do for you milady?" said the waiter with a tone of professional servitude.

"Yes, I am to be entertained tonight by a Mr. Evgeny Ovechkin." returned the she wolf with a thread of malice within the hems of her normally delicate voice.

Quickly did the server bow his head and opened the way with a graceful extension of his arm, "Yes, milady, this way."

Gracefully and with all the elegance and determination of a tenured butler, the waiter led the wolf matron through the assemblage of tables, each clothed in table clothes of silk and decorated with flower center pieces, fine china and silver dining ware. For Holo however, the fanciness of a restaurant failed to determine her impressiveness by it's decor alone, but by it's quality of food. And there were plenty of finely portrayed culinary masterpieces whose aroma bewitched the sly she wolf.

She followed the waiter up a set of stairs to where a pair of dual doors with a window panel in each were awaiting the guest of honor. She was able to catch a glimpse of what lay on the other side. Evgeny was sitting at the far end of a freshly set table while a fine female figure sat next to him.

The waiter opened the doors and presented Ovechkin's audience who arose as she entered and stated, "Ah Mrs. Holo so glad you joined us! Let me introduce you to the love of my life Beatrice!"

Holo's eyes met with a beautiful and young blonde woman of roughly ten and eight years of age. There was a brief salutation between the two women before Holo was directed to the furthest end of the table opposite of where Evgeny was sitting. Once situated everyone was seated once more.

Holo looked around at the candle sticks that lay on the table and her empty plate, thinking of all the world of what she could say in the moment. She normally dictated that social undertaking to Lawrence to be the first one to engage in conversation.

Beatrice was suddenly the first to speak, "So you are a traveling merchant yes?"

Holo nodded and answered, "Yes, for about a year now, I am still fairly new with much to learn."

Beatrice then asked, "From where do you originally come from?"

"I came from the south, from the small village of Pasloe."

"Hmmm, is it customary for people from there to wear head ware at the table?"

Holo felt somewhat blindsided by that comment if not stifled, she had never had anyone make complaint over something as trivial before which led her to reply with a smile of annoyance, "Oh forgive me it is just that I do not plan on staying long."

Beatrice crooked her face in an irritated fashion as if to impose by some extreme self declaration that she was not to be spoken to in that manner. Holo simply considered it a witty comeback fitting to end the initiation of it all.

Evgeny found it humorous and said, "Now, now my love, let us not give our guest a reason to leave any sooner than she originally intended."

She respected the words of her soon to be significant other and made more of an effort to conduct herself more appropriately. The room noise was all that accommodated them for the next few moments.

Holo then broke the silence and inquired, "When shall we place our order?"

"It was already placed as soon as you walked through that door milady."

"Well I shall trust your judgment that you know what are the best plates this restaurant will have to offer."

"Well as it so happens,' replied Evgeny audaciously, 'I have advanced to the post in which I now fill today by means of a special gift. And that is knowing what people want, so naturally I can decipher what would be unanimously decided as a hot topic if you will. With this same gift I have placed the order and know that you will not be disappointed."

"Well so long as you know what women want,' said Holo who traded glances with Beatrice, 'then you will have a happy bride."

There was an odd silence that ensued shortly after that pronunciation before Evgeny laughed and clapped his hands, "We cannot turn our backs on this one!"

She returned with a slight smile that faintly tinged her lips before Beatrice added, "So what drove you to be a merchant? One does not see many female merchants these days."

Holo adjusted her seat then answered, "It was by accident really, a traveling merchant came to Pasloe and we met during an annual festival to celebrate the town's god of harvest. I felt that the need to stay in that village was no longer within my best interests and he agreed to take me on his journey's to see the rest of the world. I would accompany him when making deals and bargains and eventually I would assist him with the trades. What can I say more other than that I began to take fancy to it or perhaps it took a fancy to me."

Beatrice then made a pretentiously innocent remark by stating, "Ah, a young woman traveling alone with a man, surely the time you must have spent together wasn't all public was it?"

"We shared the same room but not the same bed if that is what concerns you." said Holo with a hint of offense.

Evgeny quickly piloted the conversation elsewhere, "Tis no matter now seeing how the two of you clearly split ways."

Coldly the she wolf responded with smooth hostility, "Not by choice."

The mood slightly became more stagnant after that. It was clear that Holo was not in any good mood to be discussing her morality. She was sending a message that she was not to be viewed as some trollop.

The doors then re opened and in came the waiter with all the sophistication demanded within his presentation who then with his hands gave the caravan of servers a proper invitation to enter. A group of four men entered, each pushing a personal trolley who presented a main entree underneath a silver lid designed to keep the heat form escaping the food which risked a less than perfect consumption.

The feast was to be assorted meats of salted venison, breaded chicken and roasted ham with a slight maple glaze that was local from the trees of the region. Then came bowls of boiled potatoes with a thick slice of butter that were ornamented with a pepper garnish and rice pilaf.

Once arranged on the table, the servers pulled their carts from the room and began their departure. Holo shifted uncomfortably when observing the waiter closing the curtains on the doors, giving Evgeny the entire room a freedom from outside observation.

The food was then divided among the three from the same serving plates, which put Holo somewhat at ease. Still she awaited for the waiter to leave and for the other two at the dining table to begin eating before she herself would partake.

Though the meat was savory, the potatoes delightsome and the rice rich, she was in no mood to eat which was an anomaly even she detected. She nibbled here and there and did her best to look as though she was enjoying herself, yet for every moment that passed away in idleness brought her closer to the moment when action was to be taken.

"Ah!" exacerbated Evgeny in which Holo jumped pettily, "We have been denied beverage."

He then clapped his hands loudly which brought the waiter in once more and was demanded by the host to bring forth refreshments at once. With a humble apology, the waiter bowed and quitted the personal dinette and went forth to make restitution for this neglectful trespass.

"Aside from this mishap,' started Evgeny, 'I do hope everything is to your liking."

Without finding much to complain for, Holo gave a curtsy with her head and replied, "Tis been sometime since I have dined so elegantly. For traveling merchants must live on a diet of rye bread, onions and hardened jerky. This I do find an acceptable change of pace."

With a sweet respire of refined self gratitude, Evgeny voiced back, "Nothing motivates a man more when finding his services appreciated. I find the banquet of Makailov's… to die for."

Holo's brown began to perspire slightly as she fumbled her silverware. The waiter returned with a silver platter in hand that supported three crystal wine glasses that seemed to be selectively placed in front of each party member.

The hairs on Holo's hidden tail stood on end when seeing that the wine was administered in their own private goblets. She picked it up and swirled it, then gave it a small dab with her tongue and awaited the results. She put the glass down abruptly when tasting the same venomous essence that was first encountered back in Nyohirra. Her wine was poisoned.

The assassination attempt could be thwarted if she simply did not partake of her cup, but she could detect other human beings just outside the door. With her senses she could detect a series of odd clanking when their clothing shifted; they were armed. She could only presume they were there to provide further support should the wine fail.

She was cornered with the predators figuratively closing in. Yet unbeknownst to Evgeny is that a wolf is most dangerous when it is cornered.

He lifted up his glass and proposed, "Shall we have toast!?"

Beatrice was first to mimic the rising of her goblet and urged Holo to do the same with her eyes. The she wolf had done so in which Evgeny pronounced, "Here's to new friends and the expanding of ideals. May we all find that in which we seek!"

"Cheers." said Holo who quickly devised a plan. She put the rim to her mouth yet kept it sealed and flexed her throat to imitated drinking, but not one drop moved past her lips.

Evgeny was convinced and looked all the more pleased, as if already congratulating himself. Using a napkin to wipe away the residue, Holo asked, "Is that the wine I delivered to you earlier today?"

"Indeed so."

Fiddling her fingers while gazing into her palm Holo said, "I can see why there was such a demand for it. It does not compare to any other wine I have had."

Lifting his eyebrows, Evgeny took a drink unto himself.

"Still it will never be as good or as sweet as the wine I would drink with that merchant whom I traveled with. For it is him whom I seek in life."

The two were put on a brief standstill as Holo looked up with callous eyes, "Oh I have not tell you how that story ended, have I not? You see it was like a fairytale, we fell in love, were betrothed and married. We started a bathhouse in Nyohirra and lived peacefully for years."

Evgeny's charm in which Holo found to be more reprehensible, suddenly began to loose it's own appeal as his guest was slyly becoming more hostile with each passing moment.

"Then one day, I was forced to watch that man, whom I loved so dearly, be taken from me by evil villains. So now I roam the country as a merchant in search for him and those who have inflicted this evil upon me."

Beatrice began to shuffle with discomfort as the agitation began to strain heavier and heavier for she was not wholly aware of her lover's side duties. Evgeny was listening and attempting to speak but found his own words betraying him as they made it no farther than his own throat.

Holo then darkly finished her sayings, "And it just so happens that the means in which my husband was stolen, was in a raft, that looks exactly like unto the one tied to the docks of your trade guild…."

There were no more words spoken, nay not even a respire of air or shuffle of garment could be heard. Holo was ready to strike, all she need do is consume a small bit of the wheat, and vengeance would be paid in full.

Suddenly the doors opened and in walked the waiter with terrible swiftness followed by a city guardsmen and Alexandre. He leaned over to Evgeny and began to whisper, which availed nothing to secrecy, for the she wolf could accumulate all pronunciations from that range.

"There has been an incident at Nabakov, the man which you sought left unscathed."

Evgeny scrunched his lips and nodded then arose and extended his hand towards Beatrice. She slid her delicate fingers into his palm and stood.

"See that she arrives home safely to her house." he pled of his associates.

She was then escorted out leaving Holo to ask, "Is something the matter?"

The man paused a moment as if to concoct what to say next. Alas he brought himself to say, "It appears we have a convict on the loose running free in our town. The city guard is demanding a curfew be put into effect until the situation is under control."

The soldier then came forth and addressed, "Forgive the intrusion madam but for your safety we need to have you vacate and return to your residence for this evening."

"Actually,' interrupted Evgeny patting the guard on the shoulder, 'she is staying at Frontira. I can have my man, Alexandre, escort her there safely."

Holo looked down and noticed that the soldier had his hand grasped upon the handle of his weapon. It became evidently clear that the hour of her disposal was ripening. Evgeny seemed to have some form of secret combinations with the lawmen of Cross Iron, and wished that the foul deed of murder be done in a more discrete setting.

She decided to play along a bit more and go with Alexandre. Once she voiced her consent the sentinel quitted the dinette and went on ahead. She arose and went out the door to destinations unknown. Before they had fully departed, Alexandre gave Evgeny a simple nod that seemed to put certain apprehensions at ease.

They headed down the stairs to where the remaining patrons were being filed out by other guards. Holo was about to join them and perhaps lose herself into the crowd when Alexandre stopped her and motioned her to the back.

"Come this way, we will take the back routes."

She had no say in the matter for Evgeny was becoming more physically adamant that she take the detour by applying his hand to her shoulders and ushering her along. She complied only due to the fact that causing any scene in the most marginal degree by showing noncompliance would be detrimental to an already tense situation.

Holo was then navigated through the back of the dining hall by the lead of Alexandre who calmly yet intently positioned themselves farther yonder. They had gotten past the kitchen were the chefs who had now abandoned their posts of culinary discipline had resigned and through a backdoor that reeked of death that was delectably fresh.

Holo was then exchanged to be in front of the man as she was now found proceeding down a wooden hallway. At a sharp right turn she found herself alone with Alexandre in the restaurant's abattoir.

Her hairs stood on end, for all around were meat carcasses hanging by hook and chain. She could see all the tools of slaughter strewn about; hooks, cleavers and a sledgehammer. The floor was cemented with gridded drains that were stained red with the blood of all the skinned and gutted animals that were once housed there.

Nary would it be discernible if a human being were to ever meet with the hands of fate here.

She stopped and reached for her wheat, the time to act was now. Alexandre broke her action by nudging her forward, "This way, just a little bit farther."

She walked forward while digging into the pouch to obtain a few grains until she heard a delicate slide abaft. The soft shrill of metal.

Gasping, she turned to face the man who had pulled a stiletto and had it turned on her. She grabbed hold of his arm with both hands and there resisted his efforts. Raising his forearm up, Holo was left with no choice but to clamp her fangs into his arm.

He yelled and pushed her away causing him to relinquish his hold on the blade. With some clearance granted, she made another attempt for her wheat, but found that Alexandre had recovered and began overpowering her.

The wheat pouch pulled from her neck and found refuge on the stained floor. She would be no match for the man's strength if this struggle were to persist. Once his grip broke free she struck him with all her might, carving four parallel lines of scarlet across his face.

While grasping his injured facade, Holo made haste to distance herself from him by hiding among the upright carcasses.

Grunting and massaging his lacerations which were a bright red due to the freshness, Alexandre fueled his determination with his rage and began to hunt about for his target. Aggressively he began shoving past the cold meat trying to find her.

Holo stayed prone and moved to the furthest corner and attempted to match her movements with his to maintain the distance. Alexandre was moving the obstacles of meat and bone away trying to find her. For the she wolf it was simple to identify his position for every carcass that was transferred rang out the chains that held them.

She carefully crawled and used her sense of hearing to pinpoint the man's next moves so she could navigate accordingly. The rattling of chains met a cessation as Alexandre most likely realized his folly. It was deathly silent, yet Holo could sense the man was still moving about. She could not smell him for the aroma of raw meat was too overpowering.

Making a dash for the wheat pouch would have been a suicidal errand; she cursed her reliance on it in the moment and continued to crawl.

"Ole, ole oxen free…." came the raspy voice of her pursuer.

Suddenly, Holo had an idea and remembered she was still in possession of the knife Ranger had endowed her with. It was still tucked away under her jacket and would be too great a risk to engage the man head on with it, for she was not as coordinated for such things.

She reached over and grabbed a carcass by the edging and gave it a soft shove.

Holo then shuffled away from it as the meat collided about with it's counterparts. The chains rattled, signifying the disturbance in hopes this would leave Alexandre to assume that she was in the area from whence the ruckus came.

The brute hastily moved towards the area, just past Holo with his back turned. She pulled her dagger and rushed as the man was savagely looking around. His eyes caught her advance but just too late as she let out a cry and thrust the blade into his gut.

He shrieked in pain and shoved her away, she stumbled back and let loose for her wheat pouch. She was nigh on top of it before Alexandre's boot kicked it away then grabbed her by the neck and rushed her into the wall with a heavy thud. He had a firm lock on her windpipe and was increasing the pressure causing her vision to blur and her throat to gag.

He had retrieved the dagger used against him from his flesh and pressed the tip to her side. His goal was to make her suffer a long and painful death by slowly pushing the blade in. Holo let out sickly squeal as she felt the sharp edges beginning to penetrate. Then it was stopped and was being reverted. Another set of hands had intervened.

The choke hold had been released, Holo coughed and gasped and could see the struggle happening among two men. She had never before been more relieved until now, to see the Ranger.

The masked man had Alexandre in a rear choke hold with the villain fighting and struggling to break free. He swatted and swung while gnashing his teeth to get free, then used the knifed to slash the arms that held him bound.

Grunting, Ranger relinquished his left hand and pounded Alexandre's wound. The man's eyes widened and let out only a gargle for his airways were restricted by the asphyxiation. Ranger got him to drop the knife then threw him down onto his stomach with him taking the top mount on his back.

Then with both arms applied to his neck, Alexandre was arced back by the jaw and was being strangled. Holo could see his face turning red and his lips purple, his tongue stuck out and his eyes rolled. Once his body was weak enough, Ranger made a viscous twist, making a ghastly crack of the neck.

Alexandre let out grouching moan which gargled saliva and was left on the ground twitching.

Ranger went to Holo who was holding her side and nearly on the verge of tears. The masked man offered to examine her wound then reassured her that she and her unborn would be well for the laceration was only skin deep.

She took up her dagger and said, "Well it is about time you got here!"

Ranger made no reply, he was only meditating and for reasons well enough. Holo was able to observe him in greater detail and saw him ravaged from head to toe with a swelling occurring on his left eye.

"Are you well enough to leave?" he asked with haste.

She began to scavenge about while stating, "In a moment, I must find the wheat."

Holo browsed for the goal possession for she had not an exact location to where it had been lobbed to, while Ranger quickly informed of her, "Quickly we must leave for I fear I may have-"

Before he could finish his warning, in rushed more guards who numbered in four and clearly now had the duo out manned and out armed.

"-been followed…" finished the masked man.

There was no time to debate, the conflict immediately began without so much a second word.

Ranger advanced forward at the rushing group of sentinels, leapt through and wrapped his arms around the collar of one on the left and hit the man opposite with both feet, sending him sprawling. As his feet began to gravitate back towards the earth, he used the inertia to whip and throw the sentinel in his grip to the ground with unbearable might.

An axe swung for his body that was intercepted with his boot swinging up into the crotch of the perpetrator. His enemy dropped to his knees but was denied the killing blow when two of the four men he was contending with seized him and pinned him into the wall nearest.

There was a series of feminine fusses coming from his right in which he saw Holo being subdued by a third in which she resisted greatly. The fourth, who apparently was the leader of this small detachment was immediately recognized as the sentinel who ran the checkpoint when Holo and Ranger had first arrived.

"What are we to do with them now sir?" asked one of the sentinels of his leader.

The leader pulled back his mantle which revealed an article that caused the blood of Ranger to simmer with displeasure. Tied to the officer's side was Ranger's own sword in his possession.

Looking upon the corpse of Alexandre, the officer unsheathed the sword and replied, "These ones are wanted killers, they are too dangerous to be left alive."

Holo began to scramble and protest against the guard that held her down as the officer advanced towards the restrained Ranger with his own weapon. It was then that her ears caught a horrible moan that created a cessation of the moment. She looked to see that Ranger had pulled one of the sentries holding him in line of the thrust and caused the officer to pierce his own comrade.

The lead officer was then kicked back as Ranger made an unexpected maneuver to liberate himself from his other captor. Holo found this hematic distraction her key opportunity to take action as well by grabbing her holder's arm and sinking her extended husk-bids into the tendons.

The guard began convulsing on reaction to rid himself of the hateful gnaw and broke her away. Stumbling yet scrambling she scanned desperately for the wheat pouch. She then caught the glimpse of her destructor coming upon her. Her enemy raised his blade to make a strike for his mark and as it came down it was diverted in a most peculiar manner.

A meat hook came from behind and and intercepted the sword and redirected it into the ground. The owner was none other than Ranger who had broken free from his predicament. The man was still without his cherished weapon therefore he had to improvise to preserve their lives.

The soldier turned about and swung the knuckles of his free hand across Ranger's jaw causing him to stumble back. He was outnumbered quickly three to one as they all had gained up on him and had him backed into a wooden table that was the center piece of the abattoir and firmly fastened to the ground.

As a swipe of a sword came for him, the masked man used the hook to entwine it, then making a great circular motion was able to twist it from the grip of it's owner. Then with the force of redirection swung the hook back around and dug it deep into the side of his opponent's neck and out the throat. Ranger finished the man by turning in and performing a hip throw while using the transfixed meat hook as a means to flip the man over his shoulders and bring him to the ground.

The officer came for him in which he was averted before the second to last guard smote him in the back of the head with the handle of his hatchet. Holo could hear the jarring sound quiet clearly as Ranger stumbled and fell to his hands and knees then was kicked in the ribs in which he rolled over onto his back.

The two sentinels came upon him like two bruins over a struggling elk. While on his back Ranger did at best to perry and keep his enemies at bay, be it kicks to the knee joints or shoves with the arms. During the struggle, Ranger found his guard cleared and the hatchet coming straight down for his chest. His reflexes gave him just enough time to swiftly dodge and redirect the attack in which it was planted into his left pectoral region.

Groaning in agony the warrior found himself pinned down as the hatchet man pressed his knee into his stomach and holding his head down. The lead officer was then in position to take the masked man's sword and plunge it through him.

Suddenly, the hatchet man wailed terribly while the officer began thrashing about. Holo, whom all men had forgotten was present, had rushed in and penetrated the guard's kidney with her dagger and had now jumped on the officer's back with her teeth sub dermal in his neck while her fingers clawed at at his eyes and face.

Ranger, now at liberty, grabbed the hatchet man by the lapels and threw his knee up into his temple which enlarged the severity of his injury as the hatchet ripped and tore as it came out. Ranger repositioned to the side mount as he took hatchet and cleaved the head of his opponent multiple times with it.

Holo's battle continued in an ongoing wrestle with the officer. Though is must be credited to the she wolf for her approach, for she may not have been as versed in the arts of blade and weaponry as her counterpart she could do that which any canine would know best. That is making the most of tooth and claw.

However the officer had the upper hand with his size, strength and ingenuity who swung the sword around and clipped Holo in the side shoulder of her left arm. She shrilled and relinquished her hold while grasping her laceration.

It should be noted that though it is tragedy that such a fair heroine such as herself should endure any kind of injury, however it is also a mere impossibility that anyone can engage in such activity as this and walk away unscathed.

The officer came around with the blade to strike her down whose discourse was interrupted as a foreign object clipped his fingers which caused him to drop the weapon and examine the bleeding. Ranger had pulled the dagger from the corpse he was over and twirled it to prevent Holo's life from coming to an end.

The masked man rushed for the officer who withdrew a machete he kept spared and made a horizontal swipe for Ranger's head as he approached. Our brooding warrior responded by dropping to his knees and leaning back as he slid under it. As he pivoted around he was kicked upside the jaw by the officer and fell back into the wall.

As the officer came in to finish the kill, Ranger grabbed the sledgehammer that he was put in close proximity to, came forward and speared it into his enemy's gut

He staggered and haunched over with a sickly croup then made a final agonizing attempt to slay the man who was charging him. Ranger swooped under and cleared out both legs with a swing of the hammer which shattered his knee cap.

As the officer sprawled out onto stomach region Ranger turned about and swung the sledgehammer down with all his might onto the man's head.

Holo turned and covered her eyes before the initial impact. All that could be hear from her end was the ghastly split and crunch that incurred when the iron met the skull.

There was a long silence that shortly ensued in which her eyes were closed and her head turned away from the carnage. Ranger then approached her in which she pried one eyelid open and saw the man presenting her wheat pouch. She hastily took it from him and retied it about her neck.

He turned from her and walked towards one of the downed guards and ripped off a piece of clothing from their garments. It was then that Holo noticed that some of them were still writhing slightly, they were still alive but were too far gone for medical help to prevent their fading morality from slipping away.

He returned to her and offered, "Here let me tend to you."

She was cradling her wound at the time and allowed Ranger to bind it. He had to remove the jacket and rip her sleeve so that the tourniquet could be applied directly to the skin. Holo on the other hand was still and mildly expressionless with a pale face that transmitted her traumatization.

Twas the first time in her life she had ever harmed a man with a weapon. Though she had laid waste to humans before, the sensation to commit the act outside her wolf form was foreign especially at close range.

Once tied she walked away from him and noticed his sword on the ground and went to retrieve it for him. Yet as her hands reached for the hilt he took it up before her and nearly scolded, "I do not touch your tail, therefore I insist the same courtesy be taken into account for my affects."

Putting her hand on her hip she sharply responded, "Perhaps a little more courtesy should be shown to the person who had just saved your life!"

"And nearly had my life in the process." he reprimanded, for he seemed to believe that her intervention caused the hatchet in his chest to manipulate the injury to a greater degree and nearly made it a fatal blow.

"It was either him or you!"

"I had it under control."

"Both my eyes and ears can tell that is a lie!"

"It is no matter now, let us find Evgeny for every guard that is out looking for us means less for his security."

Holo pondered a moment then said, "His napkin, if it is still there at the table I can perhaps use it to track his scent."

"Come then with haste." said he followed by his departure.

Carefully yet swiftly they navigated back to the dinette. Taking care to check for any more individuals who sought them harm. The diner was empty as far as they could tell and thet soon found themselves once again in the private area that Holo was entreated to.

She took hold of the serviette and pocketed it and went to exit when Ranger held out his hand to stop her. He put his finger to his mouth as a signal for them to be silent then pointed towards the front. Beyond the banister were the doors that served as the exit and they were not by any means a discrete exit. Soldiers patrolled the streets in search of their fugitives making the front entrance a futile means of escape.

Our masked cutthroat headed back into the private dining chambers and pulled the table cloth from under the utensils. Holo's heart sank as the delicious meats fell to the ground making them tainted.

"Tis a shame,' said she, 'for the food was quite delightsome."

Ranger paid no heed, he fastened the table cloth near one of the apertures, then swung it ajar and slapped his shoulders and beckoned, "Take hold."

"We are going out the window?"

"Are you fearful of heights?"

Crossing her arms she harshly reminded, "The last time I went out a window with you, it was rather unenjoyable."

"This place is not being reduced to embers, now come." came Ranger's vague reassurance on the matter.

Reluctantly, Holo wrapped her arms around his back and closed her eyes as she felt them descend out of the window and rappel down. She was not at all amused by the idea that the only thing preventing them from a swift fall and sudden deceleration was a table cloth of satin that did not even extend the length of the footage needed to traverse.

Above this she could feel is rigid muscles trembling under the strain, for the laceration on his pectoral grieved him terribly as he maneuvered downward.

Grunting, Ranger shook at her and said, "Must you squirm?"

"Forgive me! I shall be more…" she suddenly felt her grip slip in which she scrambled and wrapped a free hand around his forehead and greatly shifted the weight application. His head snapped back and let loose his hold on the cloth.

In quick reaction, shot his left hand forward and caught the mantle while his right reached around and kept Holo secure to his body. He felt her petite frame slip through his arm and quickly turned around and caught her by the hand.

She dangled there in suspension while kicking and resisting the urge to scream. She caught him looking at her with a rather amused glimmer in his eyes as he slowly began to lower her in which her feet touched the ground.

They had been much closer to the surface than anticipated.

Ranger forfeited the cloth and came down while Holo paced about in attempts to cool her nerves.

"Next time I will take my chances with the front entrance…." said she with a slight tune of hysteria.

"Now we must find Evgeny." replied Ranger with little to no sympathy for what the last venture had done to the mind of the poor she wolf.

Holo took out the napkin and said, "I do have his scent here, however…."

"Go on." urged the masked man.

"However, my nose is much more powerful in my wolf form."

Seeing themselves in solitude Ranger huffed, "The time for subtlety has passed, they are looking for us now. Hopefully Evgeny has moved himself to somewhere he thinks is safe that may also have cut off any chance for his escape. Also if the guards see your wolf form perhaps they will be discouraged in following us once we leave."

"It is settled then,' said Holo, 'I will retrieve Evgeny, were shall we meet?"

"Outside the walls, far enough away into the woods I am sure you can track me down when you have the man."

"It shan't be an issue,' reassured Holo, 'but are you sure you wish to load up your wagon and fight your way out alone?"

"Not alone, no." he then gave a sharp whistle in which his faithful four legged companion came around a corner and healed at his side.

"Where has he been hiding?"

"I kept him close but had him stay away for the time being just as a precaution. I will see if I can distract them and hold them off, allotting you any spare time."

Holo nodded then said, "Well then now that we are all situated, do you mind turning around? I do not like it when others see me like this."

Ranger had done so and soon after he could her the soft slaps of heavy clothing hitting the ground before the sound of rushing wind overtook the acoustics of the night's air.

The masked man finished averting his gaze to see the large wolf standing before him. She began to step over him as her nose was guiding her to the man in goal when Ranger chided, "Oh fear not I shall have your belongings with me when you return."

She looked back and saw him picking them off the ground and bundling them up in her jacket to make for easier transport. She huffed and was about to proceed until his voice stopped her yet again.

"And Holo, just to be sure that we are clear…" said he in which she turned half her face towards him.

"It was either him or me."

He then turned around and fled into the shroud of darkness falls. It was the closest to a thank you she would ever get for saving his life in the abattoir. The time for overwhelming gratitude would have to be delayed, for now the wise wolf was on the hunt. Though the night was infantile and the sun was barely at dusk, the streets were for the most part desolate. Though they were not at all uninhabited, the life blood that coursed through the alleys and roads was absent as not a single bystander could be seen. Only those who identified themselves as the preservers of law and order in Cross Iron.


Among these we see a group of soldiers escorting a brown haired man to destinations unknown. He was none other than the malicious Evgeny who, due to the regard for his well being, would not suffer himself to traverse alone while a threat was out for his blood.

As they moved about he then noticed the absence of a specific presence, "Where is Beatrice?" he sounded with alarm.

The sentinels who occupied him suddenly realized the factuality of his pronunciation with one observing, "Strange I do not see Eli or Ruben either, were they not in tow with her?"

Evgeny then became more distraught as he went to go back but was halted by a barrage of arms.

"Go on ahead to your suite we will recover the missing ones, sir Ovechkin."

Nodding but heavily reluctant, Evgeny complied and was escorted to his personal lodgings without his beloved. The commute was momentary when the group had passed through black iron gates that led to a modestly sized mansion after the victorian style that sat as the center piece in the middle of a garden that seemed Venetian in characteristics by our standard.

He was let inside with the guards in close proximity as to exercise their precaution whenever a convict is on the loose. He clambered to the top of the stair case with his white-knuckled hand riveting the banister. When at the top he paced about feverishly with sickening worry and no destination in mind as he walked about.

"Sir,' addressed one of sentinels who was at the base of the landing, 'we have our entire force on the streets in search for this convict. Do not worry yourself, Beatrice will be found alive and unspoiled."

Evgeny made a quick retort, "It is not the wild man on the streets that concerns me."

Further from the idea as to what object troubled the guild master, the guard replied with sternest, "What more could there be?"

The fair, brown haired man squeezed his wrists as he began frantically finding the words within his own maddening conscience, "The girl, I believe she was…."

An unusual symphony of yells and cries that were without the walls of the manor cut him off. Each sentry behind the door paused with a deathly still posture.

Evgeny, in his hysteric delirium, fumbled through his affects and was able to light a lantern to to rid themselves of the insecurity that is usually brought about by darkness. The ground began to make harsh rumbles in odd intervals. The desperate cries of man lessened with each thundering until all was still.

The lantern within the sweaty grasp of Evgeny trembled and flickered as the man looked around and tried all he could to find some visual solace for his security. It was far too peaceful after the chaos that had just transpired which made the situation all the more unnerving.

"What was that?" came a soft whisper.

Evgeny backed around and wiped the perspiration from his forehead, "I do not know perhaps she is gone…"

He then turned around in hopes that his assumption was correct until he faced the window. Through the glass aperture was a large eye of yellow and red which belonged to a massive beast staring through with it's predatory gaze set right on the man. The pupil narrowed in due to the light that shown upon it before it lifted from view.

Before there was time to react, a large snout broke through the casement in attempt to snatch him up. The man yelped and leapt away in which the snout withdrew and was replaced with large paw that raked the interior, tearing out the frame and bringing down the woodwork.

The guards rushed up the stairs in the pandemonium with their weapons drawn and began to swing and repel the immense wolf paw back from whence it came. For a brief moment they thought they had succeeded when the beast came back in full force and tore a generous section of the roof off which it rained down debris upon the individuals inside.

Evgeny raised his eyes over the shield he had made with his arms to see the guards being dispatched with ease. One was swiped off to the side with so much force that when he hit the wall his frame shattered with a spat of red lashed onto the woodwork while his eyes had unseated.

A sentry approached Evgeny and went to move him to safer grounds but found his leg snatched up by the jaws of the wolf and flung behind her to destinations that were dozens of feet elsewhere. Ovechkin was on his hind quarters and began to scramble away and headed down the hallway.

He fell when the floor beneath him suddenly lost it's stability. Holo was tracking him and began to shoulder check the manor repeatedly in attempts to bring it down. The man could hear the load bearing beams splinter and break, the structure was not going to withstand this abuse much longer. He ran down the stairs and out the door just as the entire manor had broken free and collapsed on itself.

Sprinting hard and away from the destruction, he looked back to see the wolf god sniffing about the fallen manor. She then looked up and saw his departure and leapt over the rubble after him.

Evgeny turned into an alley and collided with another guard who stopped him, "Whoa there, sir! You are not supposed to be out here!"

Trying to break free the man protested, "Run you damn fool!"

Suddenly a massive set of teeth clamped down on the sentry and was lifted up. Evgeny watched in terror as all his vision could see was a massive figure of blackness bring the screaming guard up before his cries were silenced with a ghastly crunch.

He then felt cool sprinkles of what felt like spring rain coming down from the heavens but he knew all too well that he was being showered with blood that dripped from the jaws of the behemoth.

Before the man knew it he was taken up in her teeth and felt the overwhelming inertia as she bolted through the town of Cross Iron. Soldiers who were present during her commute, projected spear and arrow at her but these were mere annoyances as she cleared the city walls with a single bound and barreled through the woods with ungovernable fury.

Not but five minutes later, Evgeny found his saliva covered body thrown to the earth. He began to crawl away but Holo grabbed hold of his leg and sunk her teeth into his quadricep and made dozen's of fractures in his femur which caused him make an ungodly yell.

"That should keep you from running." said she.

Turning over he exacerbated, "What do you want?"

With a loud and sharp snarl she addressed, "Do not play the fool with me! The man who was on your raft a few days ago, were was he taken?!"

Shifting away he sneered, "And why would I tell you!?"

Bringing her chops closer to his frame she growled, "If you do not, I will see you removed limb from limb, and that will only be the start of it!"

With a rude pshaw, Evgeny responded, "That would be a tender mercy compared…"

"Compared to what Jurgen would do to you?" interjected Holo with searing resentment.

The man was slightly stunned in which Holo informed of him, "I know you are in cahoots with him."

After a brief silence, Evgeny then stated with a tone of insufferable arrogance, "I have never met the man."

The wolf bared her teeth and let out a viscous growl that fluttered the man's clothing. However, this did little to induce fear in him.

Suddenly a third voice introduced itself to the scene, "I would mark my words more carefully if I were in your place."

Evgeny looked back and saw in the shadows a wagon with a dimly lit humanoid resting against it. The figure came forth and followed up, "After all this one knows when a coward is lying."

The hostage smirked with unbearable narcissism, "All gods and brutes are the same. They think all of those who are beneath them to be cowards, do not mistake me as such, for I fear neither death nor pain."

Ranger grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him off the ground with his feet hanging in suspension, "Do not force me to test that resolve." said he.

Glaring at the brooding individual, Evgeny made a callous reply, "Broken bones, mend, torn flesh heals and the human being can only die once. Pain and suffering means nothing to me."

Ranger brought him in closer, "You can learn."

He then grabbed his throat with one hand and his waist line with the other and slung him into the earth which was garnished with twigs and rock amongst the hard top soil. As Evgeny coughed and attempted to draw breath, Ranger applied pressure to his his wounded leg with the heal of his boot and demanded, "Where can we find Jurgen?"

Resisting the torture, Ovechkin grunted, "Even if did know of his whereabouts, I would not tell you!"

There was a viscous bark as Holo came down and snatched him away from Ranger's possession with his small head clasped between her jaws. She slowly began to apply pressure and stated, "You are lying! You do know of his whereabouts and you will tell us!"

Evgeny began to struggle and fight then suddenly began to chuckle. Holo was stricken with wonder, perhaps the man was sincere when he proclaimed to be immune to torment and misery. She released her hold, unsure how to respond as Ranger approached and held his blade to the man's throat.

Evgeny only rolled his eyes and said, "Smoke and mirrors, this is all this is. You won't kill me."

Suddenly the blade's angle was repositioned and it went straight through the calve of Evgeny's good leg. He arced back and grunted and moaned but still was not showing in any signs in favor to Holo.

"You think I will simply betray my loyalties over this!? Jurgen chose me to be his partner because I am unbreakable! Aside from this, I know what it is you want. You want to know where the poor little merchant was taken to and think that if you find Jurgen you find him!"

Holo huffed as Evgeny finished, "I am the only link you have to any margin of hope of finding him, however, I won't betray my master so easily."

Ranger saluted his head and replied with a coldness that even caught Holo off guard, "Jurgen is not as creative as I am."

He then went back to the wagon leaving both the tyrant and the she wolf in a season of confusion. Holo then used her senses to inform her more on what Ranger's design would be and widened her eyes when smelling another familiar scent.

Ranger dropped the tail gate and began wrestling with something within. Female sniffles and cries could be heard as he presented to Evgeny his fiancé, Beatrice.

She clearly was in a state of distress as her cheeks were being bathed with her fretful tears and her hands were bound behind her back. Kaytaff had healed by his master's side and seemed to be readily awaiting a violent command.

Ovechkin's demeanor quickly changed allowing Ranger to see the true fear in his eyes granting him the leeway. He extended his hand towards his indentured lover and silently called out her name. Holo on the other hand kept her eyes locked on the hostage, fearing of what was to come next.

"Do you know what true pain really is?' asked Ranger of Evgeny as he withdrew his hunting knife, 'It is being the one responsible for the demise of the ones you love, when knowing it could have been averted."

Gliding the blade about her delicate flesh which produced a faint whistle that can only come from the combination of these textures the masked man said, "Even if their sacrifice was for what you perceived to be for the greater good, you never forgive yourself. You spend many a night awake and in a savage frenzy seeing their faces burn in your minds' eye. You doubt your convictions and question for what it was they died for. You forever remind yourself of what had happened and eventually go mad with the thought of what could have been. If only I had chosen another way, if only had I acted differently, perhaps it would have been different. These are the thoughts that will eternally haunt you in this world and the next."

He then stepped on the back of Beatrice's knee to force her down and tightly held the blade to her windpipe and said in such an evil tone that Holo did not recognize the man she had been accompanying these past few days, "And now I give you the same choice."

"Please don't hurt her!" pled the grief stricken man.

Increasing her discomfort Ranger growled, "Then tell me where your master is held up, or you will have this woman's death on your conscience!"

Holo became mortified when realizing her ears detected no falsehood in his claim. The man was sincere and was willing to spill innocent blood!

"Evgeny please!" shrilled Beatrice.

The man was hysterically silent as he fought within himself to make up his mind. Holo's brows knitted together as the intensity and controversy was like a dark cloud hanging ore. Evgeny still contended with himself until he heard more cries of distress, he looked up to see the blade was beginning to create a red freshness to run down Beatrice's neck.

"You are killing her!" caromed Ranger with demonic persistence.

"YOITES!"

Everything was suddenly put on a stop. The word pronounced was so unbelievable that it caused the mind of everyone present to perceive even the crickets and wind noise as silence.

With tear drops coming down his face, Evgeny hid his eyes and moaned, "The old village of yoites, there is a mansion on the banks of one it's many rivers. That is where Jurgen is."

Holo was without words, while Ranger was as a statue as if he were attempting to perceive a certain reality. Holo looked out to the horizon with it's ceiling of the firmament and moonshine all while contemplating the gravity of the situation.

Finally she asked, "Where do we find it?"

Evgeny burrowed his face and wept, "I don't know, I swear it, we were never shown when we sailed in. They kept us on the lower decks and were only bidden to come out when we arrived."

Holo, against her desire for revenge, found his sayings to be true then persisted, "How would we find it?"

The brown haired man mumbled, "Ask the locals."

She growled, "Yoites was destroyed, no one lives there now!"

"That is not what they tell me."

"Who is 'they'?"

He would not answer in which Ranger said with a grimace, "The man in the black tunic. That is who. Tell me what is his name?"

Holo's ears pricked, for this was the second time Ranger displayed his morbid fascination with this mysterious human being who acted as Jurgen's enforcer.

"Cyrus….Cyrus Aswadi." came the pathetic answer of Evgeny who was now carrying on as if his whole value as an individual plummeted to depths unknown.

Ranger relieved his hold on Beatrice slightly who was still silently lamenting her situation, then said, "Tell me, this is an odd loyalty you have to other men, what drives Jurgen for the blood of pagan gods? What drives you to blindly follow?"

Ovechkin curled into a ball and said in faint whimper, "Praise be to my master."

Suddenly the fire in Ranger's eyes returned, "What did you say!?"

There was no reply in which Ranger hoisted Beatrice and demanded of the man, "You tell me now whom it is you serve!"

Evgeny could only match his mourning with that of his beloved and he could only beg that he not tell more. For he perceived that the truth would see an end to them both.

Ranger who was willing to enact even the most savage of cruelties to get the information he sought, took the knife and dug it straightway into the woman's arm in which she let out a piercing scream of agony. It was unsure what was going on within the mind of the mask and hood, however one choose to put an end to this display of barbarism.

Ranger was suddenly pushed off to the side which caused him to loose his grip on the blonde and stagger distance between her. The perpetrator was Holo who checked him with her snout.

Glaring at the man she said with coldness, "That is enough…!"

Kaytaff saw this and reacted vehemently by charging and barking at the wolf god, for he would suffer no creature to come upon his master that way. However we was stopped with a loud command from the only voice he respected in which he bristled with rage and stood down.

Ranger was beyond flabbergasted and ridiculed, "You will exercise mercy on the very people who have caused you this misfortune?"

Growling Holo stated, "I will enact my vengeance the way I see fit! But this?! This is being no different than the very villains we are fighting against!"

"This is not a time to debate morals! Have you even the faintest idea of what is really happening here?"

"No I do not for such things you keep secret from me! And what has it reduced us to, torturing an innocent? I will have no part in it!"

Holo was clearly demonstrating her boundaries, and Ranger's ruthlessness and disregard clearly was a line to far for her.

Ranger then inquired of her, "Well then, I leave their fates up to you."

Holo looked back on Evgeny who had been embraced by the quivering Beatrice and said, "They cannot hurt us anymore, in fact once Jurgen hears of his betrayal, they will be hunted and are as good as dead anyway."

Ranger's only response was by simply climbing into his wagon and commanding Kaytaff to load up and began moving away. As he was receding from view, Holo chose to follow but stopped as she passed the couple to flash her teeth at them and say, "You do not have much time, start crawling Mr. Ovechkin."

It was a cruel mercy, for Evgeny had not the use of his mangled legs and Beatrice would not be strong enough to support him. This would make the pilgrimage back to Cross Iron a heightened test of endurance.

Holo eventually caught up with the wagon and walked along side it. Ranger grabbed her belongings as a gesture for her to ride in the wagon but she simply huffed, "I prefer to walk like this for now."

Not much was said after that, in fact the commute went an entire ten minutes before Holo finally spoke, "So it appears you have figured out Jurgen's motive then yes?" Tilting his head up at her, Ranger said, "I fear it be not what I assume it is."

"And what do you assume it is, or am I to guess what is in your head?"

He did not answer right away, he only fumbled inwardly with how the information was to be communicated. He then followed up with an unhelpful, "An old enemy seems to have resurfaced."

"Who? Jurgen? Cyrus?"

He pulled up on the reigns and mulled a moment then addressed, "Remember what our informant said in concerns to Jurgen's motive for wanting the death of the pagan gods?"

"I do I believe all he said was, Irawa Weir Muheddhund. In fact he seemed rather perturbed upon saying it."

"And for good reason.' rejoined the masked man, 'In tandem with that, I have heard the phrase, 'praise be to my master' be used before, and the context in which Evgeny used it means he is a part of a dangerous society that even the Count may not be able to fight against."

"And this society that Jurgen and Evgeny are a part of?"

He then looked into her eyes with a piercing gaze, "Jurgen does this not for the God of the church but for his god. The moon hunting bear."