Though she was 'barely' two hundred years old – quite young for a Pyre – Naida considered herself quite experienced in all things 'Other-related.'

When she was still human and so painfully young – barely sixteen – she run off from a life she hated. Nearly literally sold by her father to a bastard that liked to establish his rules with his young wife by the fist, Naida thought running off would be her salvation. No such luck, as he found her quickly and nearly beaten her to death… He would, the fucker, if Gabriel – by fate passing by the alley her 'husband' dragged her off to – took offense and snapped his neck… if not before giving him an equal beating.

He – Gabe – brought her to his home at the time – shared with Raphael and Roxanne, and she liked to believe that her arrival and story were what inspired the 'true' Pyre to finally establish his House. She was eighteen when she asked to be turned – determined to serve her Sire and prove worthy of belonging to his Bloodline.

Only those true Pyre created by Nox – with their characteristic 'starry' eyes – could establish their Houses, and to Naida's knowledge, Raphael was the last one to do so. Though only humans could be turned Pyre, it created a mental link between them and their Sire, and none other would be able to handle sharing themselves with others that way. With a very few of them, she knew now that there were ten Bloodlines in total. And though Raphael's was the 'youngest,' it was likely the most loyal one – consisting mostly of survivors like her.

Opposite to what humans' mythos told of them, they did not feed on them. They did need blood to survive, yes, but only that of their kind. Each House had its way of going about it – and in hers, the 'unbound' Pyre was blessed with their Sire's blood whenever needed – which also made them probably the most powerful. And a few decades ago, when Raphael showed interest in the newly created Coalition, they eagerly signed up for its Enforcers in an attempt to please him.

Naida didn't really care how the other Houses regarded their creators, while in hers, Raphael and his Bonded mate, Roxanne, were their parents – in many cases, so much better than what they had known as humans. And despite his sometimes gruff disposition, each of them could literally feel how much their Sire cared for them – and that made them eager to repay that affection in any way they could.

The Coalition – in her personal opinion – was something that she was proud to be a part of. And like many of its Enforcers, she felt that she owed a debt of gratitude toward the shapeshifter's hybrid for its invention and convincing the leaders of Others' communities to its benefits. Once set and organized, it created the rules they all agreed to abide by – and it was her and others Enforcers' task to see its ideals realized.

For Naida, it definitely made her eternal life more interesting!

And this particular task – more than any other before – proved for her how very important it was for the Others to stand united. The whole fucking Clan of shapeshifters that dabbled in slavery... and – as she was made aware after their arrival at the coast – predominantly targeted their young.

Let's say… stalking down the corridor she was assigned, she believed that all of them got a kick out of blasting the immobile fuckers to pieces!

Against an older and trained Pyre, the Keepers (if looking at them, it didn't feel right to call them that) didn't stand a chance. Their skin made them impervious to the shapeshifter's destructive magic – and she took a particular glee by setting off her blasts squarely in the middle of their heads once she arrived at the part that the hybrid's voice apparently didn't reach. She would gladly set about the long corridors hunting down any eventual survivors… but Naida had her directive to follow straight from her Sire's lips: find and secure the victims – not to mention she couldn't wait to see the fireworks of his making.

Though they – the humans turned Pyre – depending on their age in most cases, could create a blinding blast equal to a supernova, the 'true' Pyre was rumored to be so much more capable in that area by the grace of their starry Mother. The idea of witnessing their Sire's gift at work sounded like a reward for them… not to mention promised leaving no evidence of this hellhole for humans to discover and wonder about.

Once she arrived at her destination, Naida's path was covered in blasted remains of the fuckers, if she still pushed the golden plate leading into a smaller section of nooks carefully, unsure what to expect. They were warned that Keepers would be mobilized by the time they were allowed to go in, but the only possible threat to their endeavor – their leader – was apparently contained by the ink-black hybrid. She wasn't the only one surprised – and a tad disappointed – to learn it wasn't Ares, though, but more unknown youngest of them. Stepping down the stairs leading down to her intended goal, she hoped that this… Senri, was it?... would have a good sense to make the motherfucker who ran this place pay… a bit, at least, before the Coalition took over his care.

Pushing open the last plate… her dark eyebrows shoot up to her hairline at the sight that welcome her as dark eyes even as the head of her target turned toward her, and its… his eyes narrowed into slits, promising her a world of pain if she neared. And looking at the mauled corpses of the three Keepers that apparently made that mistake on the ground between them… she didn't doubt that he was more than ready to deliver.

Unicorns were not as 'sweet' as the humans imagined them, and tossing a quick look behind the horse-like creature covered in the blue-silver coat, she quickly understood the mistake Keepers made in dealing with one of them. A boy with a black collar hurdled into a corner of the room behind the unicorn, pale and looking toward her with huge, scared eyes from under the messy mop of blonde hair looked like an early teen by human standards – if seeing his cat-like features he had to be few decades old by his race's slow aging. Not looking directly at him, she focused her eyes on the unicorn instead, raising her hands in a pacifying gesture.

"I mean your charge no harm," she said soothingly, keeping to the room's threshold.

"You… don't look like them," the stomp of the hoof raised sparks from the dirty floor as it… he, by the pattern of his horn, carefully moved its form to bare from her the sight of the Seeker.

Yeah… give a unicorn something – someone – to protect, and then try to threaten them… not smart by any standards. Aging much faster than Miqo'te did, this male looked completely mature for its form, which, even if the Keepers designed the kit as its caretaker as she had been told – made the boy and his obvious innocence a prize to set off his charges instincts… even if the unicorn was raised in this infernal pit.

"I'm not," she answered carefully, not even trying to look toward his prize. Not even daring to think about anything but her wish to help them – knowing that they – unicorns – were empaths by nature and he would trust her feelings easier than any words she could provide. "My name is Naida, and I've been sent to set you – and your charge – free. I'm a Pyre, different than you and them… but I mean you and the boy no harm, I swear."

He looked her over suspiciously before turning his horned head toward the boy, then back to her.

"I can feel… you don't, but he's scared," he said slowly and glared at the corpses, stomping his hoof again. "They barged in, trying to take Seven away… And they felt… wrong. Bad."

"They were," she agreed easily, then moved aside, freeing the doorway. "Me… and others like me, we're busy freeing the others like your boy. If you follow me out, I'll bring you to a place where he would be much safer than in here, I promise."

He eyed her for a long moment, then sighed softly, shook its long mane, and turned humanoid – and despite her surprise, she kept her expression carefully neutral and her thoughts soothing while the male with long, pointy ears cooed soothingly and carefully picked up the young boy. She wasn't that surprised to see the kit curl into his arms if he seemed much less fearful, clearly trusting in his friend's judgment.

"Lead the way… Naida," the male with blue-silver hair demanded, while the boy looked between them with huge, slightly owlish eyes before licking his lips nervously and focusing on her.

"Four… is she safe?" he whispered barely audibly.

"I'm afraid I don't know who do you mean?" she answered honestly, stepping out on the corridor and heading toward the stairs.

"She's a number… like me, but… bigger," the Seeker said, and she tossed him a quizzical look over her shoulder. "She said… there's trouble coming and told Haurchefant that if anyone other than her comes…" he trailed off, cringing before burying deeper into the male's arms.

"I see…" One of the other Seekers, then? Naida sighed and shook her head before looking forward. "I'm sure one of the others will find her and ensure she's safe. I'll bring you where we all are supposed to meet, and you'll see for yourself, okay?"

"O-Okay…" the boy, if anything, sounded resigned… but she could only hope that she wasn't lying.

After leaving the unconscious Seekers with Gabriel in the designed spot, Raha returned to the gate of the lair as fast as he could and, turning to his true form, sprang down the long corridor toward his mate. Passing on the way armless, heavily bruised… male heading up with an empty expression, he only growled, ignoring him otherwise. The designed Pyre at the entrance was supposed to deal with the fucker… and he had different priorities.

He involuntarily sighed with relief meeting his lover – unharmed – lower down the corridor, seemingly just leaving the slightly open plate of the nook… if a brief look tossed toward the rites on it had him tighten his jaw.

Human-raised in a catholic home, his relationship with God was… well, he wasn't really much of a believer before. He respected their parents and others' faith, obviously, he just never really felt compelled to believe himself. Damon, with his weird worldview, kind of… changed his outlook when they were quite young, honestly. His twin insisted that considering their neighbors, there was no denying that there was more to life than humans used to believe before the shapeshifters' emergence, obviously. If whenever they talked about it, his twin would shrug and point out that he didn't really see any religion as superior to the other. They each had their history and issues, his brother would shrug and move on to topics he found more interesting, but Raha found that… quite compelling.

Now, knowing that those gods were actually real… and they were apparently demigods themselves…? That in some way Bastet was their creator… and, much more importantly for him: that he owed Her for his gorgeous soulmate? Well, what that plate depicted – a male with a canine-looking head brutalizing a female with a cat-like one – even without that knowledge and debt to Her would be disgusting by itself. He wasn't surprised – or minded, honestly – when his mate turned and, with one powerful swing of a clawed paw, tore the… picture, growling invectives. No, he only neared the nearly twice bigger than him hybrid and rubbed his side against his, then buried his nose in the thick, ink-black fur at Senri's neck, purring to offer comfort while his mate's massive form nearly vibrated with a need for violence.

"I really… really want to tear into something, kitten," his lover growled, setting his triangular head over his neck.

"Then that's what we'll do, my beast," he assured, trying to recall the map Gabriel showed them as he raised his head slightly, sniffing the air.

"This way," Senri breathed, nudging him right at the crossroads of the corridors they were near. "I smell more of them that way…" he growled, stalking toward it, and Raha followed, more than trusting his sensitive nose.

That corridor seemingly led deeper into the cliff, down-tilted as it was. He was happy enough watching his lover exhaust his aggression on the immobile Keepers along the way, keeping slightly behind him while he mulled over how to break to him the news of his… find in that cage. Once they join the others outside, Senri was bound to… freak at the sight of Cael if not warned…

Mulling over that, he nearly walked right into his mate's behind when the hybrid stopped suddenly, raising his head and sniffing the air furiously.

"What is it?" he asked, twitching his whiskers curiously.

"I… don't know," Senri replied, then, with narrowed, ice-like eyes, turned into one of the more narrowed corridors, heading even deeper. "Something… else, but nothing I've ever scented before," he seemed unnerved by that if the way his fur bristled was any indication.

"Some of their victims?" he asked, hoping it was the case. He couldn't wait to see this pit blown to smithereens!

"I'm… not sure," his mate edged, and his enthusiasm in dealing with the Keepers along the way seemed much more… cautious than before. As if he was saving his strength for whatever his sensitive nose led them toward. "Stay behind me, kitten," he cautioned when they neared the plate at the end of that corridor, and Raha complied easily. Not even considering his superior size, Senri was older and more experienced than him – especially when it came to a hunt – if this whole thing hardly seemed like that.

Plus, it was his mate's nature to crave to protect him – and he felt that need vibrate across their bond as his lover silently pushed the plate open and headed inside. Following him quietly down a short staircase, they found themselves in another, much smaller corridor set between three plates guarding their nooks. Senri, without a hint of hesitation, turned toward one of them, then pushed it open, looked inside… and froze. And feeling his… surprise was his only warning before his mate started swearing, pushing that plate completely open until it slammed against the wall, revealing the sight that made Raha's jaw drop.

"Preeey," three canine-looking heads turned toward them with a hiss, despite the creature apparently sharing one body. Their ears laid flat against their heads, the fucking cerber left the mauled corpses of something that once perhaps was a few Keepers, then leaned on its front paws, in sheer size triple that of Senri's true form. Three muzzles full of wickedly sharp-looking fangs snarled toward the hybrid, who growled a warning, moving between… it and him and clearly ready for a brawl. However, when his utterly baffled gaze moved between its massive paws and he spotted a child huddled in the corner behind it, Raha Shifted to the humanoid form seamlessly and rested his hand on his lover's neck, curling his fingers in the ink-black fur and pulling him back slightly. Three pairs of yellow eyes shot toward him and gave him a once-over, and the creature pulled back as well, its heads exchanging hesitant looks.

"…a number?" one asked suspiciously.

"No collar," third replied, giving his throat a narrowed look. "Trap?"

"Don't look like the others," the second head motioned toward Senri, then they exchanged another look before all three focused on him. "What are you? A number or a master?"

"Neither," he replied softly, subtly using his Expression to calm them down while tightening his fingers in his mate's fur. "We came here to punish the masters… and help those like him," he carefully pointed his free hand toward the visibly terrified kit and then to the cerber. "…and like you, I think."

"We're fine by ourselves protecting Six," the third head snapped at him and first hissed at it with annoyance.

"They smell… different," the second hesitated, carefully sniffing the air between them. "Like… fresh air."

"We can lead you outside," he offered carefully, trying to keep his expression earnest despite his pounding heart.

A fucking cerber! What the fuck…?!

"…outside?" the first head shook, then looked at the others. "What is that even supposed to mean? Where is Four?" it growled toward him, its yellow eyes suspicious again.

"She said to eat whatever comes here for Six," the third assumed a similar pose while the second snapped its jaw at both.

"Peace, brothers," it sounded a tad wryly while giving him another once-over. "You look like a number… but don't smell like one and that… What is that?" it narrowed its eyes toward Senri, who looked at him, then sighed and Shifted to his humanoid form, taking hold of his hand. "Ah…" All three heads looked stumped for a moment… then exchanged looks and fucking split!

Three smaller wolves in front of them now looked between them, then one that apparently used to be the middle… second head, shook it and exhaled slowly before moving back to sit next to the trembling kit who gawking at them shakily raised his hand and curled it in gray fur at its neck.

"That's why it smelled so weird," Senri muttered, tightening his fingers around his, and Raha looked at him hesitantly. "Three different scents… thought my nose messing with me," he admitted with a sheepish smile when Raha raised his eyebrows, then turned his pale eyes toward the other two wolves, tilting his head slightly… almost curiously. "A neat trick… You're frost wolves, aren't you?"

"…we are?" the first looked surprised, then scoffed, turning its yellow eyes toward the boy. "We're a pack of Six, not… that. He's been caring for us, so we care for him… Four said trouble is coming, and then they tried to take him," it pointed its paw toward the pile of mauled corpses. "She called them the masters… but they weren't that tough when we united," the vicious grin on its muzzle was partly a warning, but Raha only nodded in agreement, unwilling to antagonize their intended rescues.

"What are the frost wolves?" he asked his lover softly, pretending he didn't see the three pairs of ears raising in interest as their eyes focused on the hybrid's seemingly casual stance and matching smile. Only knowing him as he did – and feeling his emotions – he was likely the only one aware that his mate was ready to tear them to pieces at a moment's notice.

"Tricksters," Senri replied, inclining his head slightly toward the creatures. "I've never met one before, only heard from my brother once about how he met the whole Pack living in Norway... They're Loki's children, kitten," he chuckled at the redhead's baffled expression. "Also shapeshifters, but… different. They can't turn humanoid, for one… and that's their true form," he waved his free hand between the three wolves.

"…Loki? As in the Norse god of mischief?" he asked incredulously.

"Mhmm… I think you really need to stop getting so… surprised at the mention of gods," his lover remarked with a toothy grin, and he rolled his eyes, even as his face heated up considerably before he turned his eyes toward the… well, apparently the frost wolves who still looked toward them quite suspiciously.

"As I said… we can lead you outside," he repeated, motioning behind them. "One way or another, you must leave this place because soon it's going to… um, cease to be. We found others… like him," he pointed toward the boy, who stood up slowly, still holding on to the wolf's gray fur as the other two moved to his side, surrounding him and putting themselves between the Seeker and them.

"Four…" he whispered hesitantly, looking at them a tad hopefully. "…she's bigger and has pretty blonde hair. Is she okay?"

"Ah… she is," he smiled reassuringly, only slightly wincing at the reminder of the state he found the female in… and the conversation he needed to have with his lover before heading to the meeting spot. "We can take you… and your friends to her, kitten," the endearment came on his tongue surprisingly easily, but the boy very much looked like one. In human terms, he wouldn't give him more than eleven, twelve years – if he was sure he had to be older than that, considering that in Miqo'te lair, that would hardly make him more than a toddler unable yet to Shift. Did the poor thing spend his whole life in this hellhole?

Trying not to look toward the collar wrapped around his throat that looked a tad too tight even for his very skinny form, swearing internally at these monsters, he nudged his lover aside slightly, seeing how the boy tossed him fearful glances. With his size, he could only imagine how intimidating Senri had to look to the tiny kit!

"My love…" he tightened his fingers around his lover's slightly to gain his attention, and his mate frowned, giving him a questioning look. He smiled somewhat wryly and pointedly looked behind them, lowering his voice. "Do you mind going ahead, Sen, and… cleaning up a bit?" he sent a meaningful glance toward the boy who seemed far too young to witness the… mess his lover's rampage left in their path.

Senri hesitated briefly, looking between him and the wolves… then nodded and leaned in to set a kiss on his temple and then whisper against his ear.

"I know you don't want to… but if they threaten you, kitten…" he trailed off, straightened, and gave him a deceptively sweet smile before letting go of his hand and heading out. He didn't really need to finish that sentence, and Raha carefully kept a smile on his face while looking after him for a moment as his heart lost its rhythm.

Senri devotion for him was so deep that he entrusted him the care of his greatest treasure: himself, and it make his heart swell with affection for his mate. And even if, yeah, he didn't want to use his gift to kill – not unless forced to – he refused to threaten his lover's unbreakable faith in him.

He stifled his undeniably stupid, lovesick grin and cleared his throat before looking at the small Pack around the delicate-looking, dark-haired Seeker.

"I'll go behind him first and hope you'll trust me enough to follow," he inclined his head toward them, turned, and did as he promised… hoping that they wouldn't force him to do anything he didn't wish to do – but determined to fulfill his lover's silent wish. And exhaled with relief when after a moment, he realized that they did follow… while keeping a safe distance from him.

That was fair: they didn't really have a good reason to trust him or his beast… not yet. He could hope it would change once they bring them to the unconscious blonde, and she can…

His step faltered briefly as he swore internally, realizing… Fuck, but how was he now supposed to warn Senri about the other Seeker he found…?