There was no scent, no sound. His presence was completely erased from me. If my eyes didn't see him in front of me, I wouldn't have believed it.
He wore a black suit with white underclothes. It was messy, not tucked in properly, and full of wrinkles. He was tall but thin, little to no muscle definition. His black hair was short and full of cowlicks, looking like a bird's nest. A familiar bloody red in his eyes, only they were very human looking. His expression sent alarm bells through me. It was a plain, bored look, but my wolf was shivering like a lamb.
"Try not to be too easy." He says with a mocking grin.
He opens his right hand in the air. Two black smokey snakes swirl up his arm, disappearing with a weapon in their place. A large scythe, black metal blade and staff, two ruby eyed snakes decorating the blade. The man twirls it around, it's almost as long as his body.
I blink, the smell of blood fills my nose. Panicking, I quick look at my men. A loud clang of metal sounds out. Vlad is missing an arm, Quartz is locking blades with the hunter. I can barely keep up with my eyes.
Enraged, I let out a murderous, snarling growl. I leap forward. Only I find myself shoved back. I fly through the air hitting and snapping down a tree. I cough up red. My breathe hitching, i shake off the pain. The world is full of snarls, hisses, and the smell of iron.
"Fuck." Vlad mutters, his wound not healing like usual. Blood flows out, too much blood for someone to lose. My wolf and I react immediately, rushing over.
Vlad winces in pain, my tongue lapping away. It stops the bleeding, the wound closing up. I let out a whine. The arm is not growing back.
"It'll heal, puppy." His voice is deliberately soothing.
We hear a thud. Quartz is unconscious, covered in bloody cuts, his white uniform stained in red. Driven by a feral madness, I charge once more, pointlessly. The hunter tosses me aside, even laughing at my attempts.
Vlad rushes in, snarling, his body twisting into something heinous. His lost arm finally regrows, into a part of a clawed scaled beast. He stands tall, screeching in rage. Tail flicking fiercely.
A wide excited grin covers the hunter's face.
"Finally." His breathe speeding up with a lustful face. "Be sure to bleed some more for me."
I'm stunned for a moment by my cat's transformation. The stranger's words snap me out of it. Intense shudders, a mix of fear, rage, and confusion make me cold.
Vlad slashes, bites, and tail thrashes at the interloper in vain. The once amused stranger grows impatient. A frown on his face, sighing, he puts the beast to sleep. It all happened in a blink once more. Vlad was alive but badly wounded, not healing. Covered in deep bloody cuts like my knight.
Both my men. I never felt so weak, so pathetic.
The hunter turns his gaze to me, a twisted grin on his dead looking face. Walking slow, as a further taunt, an insult.
Flashes from a life before, instructions fill my brain. My breathing slows, eyes narrow, muscles relax. An old confidence, power stirs inside. My wolf retreats, my naked human form in the open.
The stranger stops, tilts his head, puzzled. A faint glint of interest, not the lustful kind.
My blood boils, my loved ones bloody smell, a calling to my own. The stranger bleeds, his lips, his ears, his eyes, his fingernails. He coughs, shares an oddly excited expression, falling to his knees. His scythe disappearing into shadows.
If only I remembered my magic earlier. My men would never have been hurt. Blood magic was a powerful tool, and I foolishly forgot a part of myself. My hands clench and twist in regret, and shame.
I focused harder and harder. A seemingly endless amount of blood pouring out from the monster who hurt my men. His smile, by far the most disturbing thing I've ever encountered. It was getting harder to keep the pressure up. He wouldn't die.
"Are you having fun, Argenti?" He spats out with his blood. His eyes full of meaning.
I lose focus, shocked by his words. The blood cooling, leaving my control. The next moment I'm held up the throat, against a tall pine tree. His hand is bone chilling cold on my skin. I struggle, trying to push him away with my hands, panicking.
His chuckles fill the air, it's sickening. I'm dropped to the forest floor, gasping for air.
"Did you like my show?" He stares down at me, arrogantly. He crouches to my level, eyeing me with amusement.
I back up as much as possible into the tree trunk. Fear filled sweat dripping down from my pores. I don't dare look away.
"Paradox sent me to give you a gift." He grins, purring at the name.
He holds out a collar, silver banding, a sky blue heart hanging off it. It drops into my lap. I don't recognize it. He stands back up, stretching his arms.
"As the boss says, 'I owe you one. If you need help in this life, I'll send my blade.'" Again, at the mention of his boss he purrs. He bows before me dramatically. "Ripper, the blade at your service."
I'm dumbstruck. Purely dumbstruck. What the fuck?! This bastard comes in and nearly kills my men, then offers his 'services'.
Ripper's mad grin returns, marveling at my expressions. He rocks on his heels, arms crossed. In a possible act of stupid confidence, I grab hold of his collar.
"Why the fuck did you attack my men?! Heal them, now!" I scream at him, uncontrolled growls snapping out.
He nods at me, removes my hand, effortlessly, and casually walks over to Vlad. Now in his human form, my cat, like me, was entirely naked. He pulls a black feather from his pocket.
He begins to slowly move it across Vlad's face.
Looking back at my angry clearly confused expression. He hums in contentment.
"He's not getting better." I growl at him.
He blinks at me, feigning bewilderment.
"Of course he isn't. I can't heal people. I only break them."
Rage builds up even further inside me. I can feel my blood beginning to boil again. Ripper can't help but shiver in excitement, but moves away. He lifts his hands up in surrender, a playful glint in his eyes.
"They're blood suckers. Feed them, they'll get over it." He states the obvious, pointing a finger at me. "Give them a good fuck too." He licks his lips. "You look like you could use one."
He practically teleports out of the reach of my claws. My attempt to hit him, a failure. He calls out to me as he vanishes from my sight.
"Just holler when you need me!" He waves at me, before disappearing. The puddles of blood, and wounded bodies of my men, evidence of his visit.
For once, the urge to murder, made its mark in my brain.