where the moon fails to shine

sometimes love is a feather, sometimes a cannon ball

That Remi's panic gave way so immediately to his fury made all the more righteous by Ronin's presence and dark demeanor was perhaps as worrying as Aoife's disappearance. Luckily one of those things could be dealt with later. The former though? That would receive their full attention for as long as it took.

Having discovered that their daughter had been picked up by a friend had set the men immediately into action with little time for queries or additional information. What was there to know, after all? Aoife had been taken with not but a small strip of paper left for the two men. A note demanding an exchange, Aoife for Nikki.

"Skyler." Remi said, teeth clicking together as he thrust the note towards Ronin. "I met his sister at the Rathskeller once. She...described him as an absolute monster, Ronin." The alchemist added tersely.

With heartbeats beating in the synchronized march of the inwardly irate on their respective fingers and in their chests, feathers had blurred away to strands of golden mane in Remi's hair as his hands became punctuated with claws. "I can follow her scent." Remi said with a tense look towards his husband, his voice like stone. Never before had this sort of spear-tipped anger felt like such a relief but as the alchemist slipped into his lion's skin like an old friend, allowing the haunting melody of his primitive drives to supersede all rational thought, he felt himself wanting to drown in it.

The big cat's lips were curled into a snarl as he turned his head into the breeze. Aoife's was a scent he'd know anywhere, and though his eyes were all but useless on this venture, his other senses were not. With muscles coiled as tightly as any spring, the man within the beast forced himself to take the time to be sure of what heading to following before shooting a crisp and lethal amber stare to the hunter and moving off at a swift trot down the road.

Remi

Table coding by Sky, inspiration from Jae!

Ronin was... silent. Eerily so. To look at him he might have been on his way anywhere, and only the thunder of his hearbeat would give any indication to his true feelings. Hands clenched into tight fists, shoulders squared and with Emmett's axe in a strap over his shoulder, the blight made him seem monstrous now rather than weak, as though it was feeding the dark rage building within. "Well we'll find out, won't we?" he replied curtly as Remi spoke of this Skyler and his apparently horrific nature. Ronin didn't negotiate, not when it was his daughter. And this creature who had stolen Aoife and demanded another innocent in exchange...? It wasn't difficult to drive Ronin to the edge these days, and this man clearly knew how to push buttons. Remi advised he could follow their daughter's scent, and he waited quietly by as his husband became a lion and turned his head to the breeze. When Remi finally set off Ronin was close at his heels, white noise roaring in his ears, panic entirely drowned by the need to find their daughter and to do he didn't know what to the person who had taken her. No, actually. He knew exactly what he was going to do. He just didn't know he was capable of it yet. RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving

sometimes love is a feather, sometimes a cannon ball

Any watching might think Ronin and Remi were having a spat, what with the big cat setting a brisk pace and the hunter stony-faced behind. This was one of those rare occasions where any sort of mental communication that the alchemist might want to create between the two was utterly unnecessary. Dark and bleak though the king's presence might have been at the lion's side, for once the alchemist didn't shy away from it. Didn't need to wonder at it. Perhaps he ought to have; sending Ronin away rather than straight into what would surely be a hellish confrontation was probably the best course of action. But it was for better or worse, they'd promised each other in so many words not so long ago.

Halting at an intersection, the lion tilted his nose into the breeze. Here the scents mingled and though Ronin's haste and anticipation nearly felt palpable, the lion would not rush. Pacing back and forth, nose high and then low again, Remi's tail twitched anxiously as he glanced back and forth. Partially shifting his mouth—something he hated doing for all its unseemly awkwardness—he gave voice to information his senses had recently imparted.

"I do not smell blood." The lion advised. He'd not say that Aoife was safe or unharmed, but the lack of metallic-red on the breeze was one sort of relief. But there were many ways to hurt someone, especially a child.

"This way." So saying, the lion darted towards the left. The greatroad gave way to cobblestones and twisting side streets. The area of town was less inhabited, which made it all the easier to pluck Aoife's sweet and youthful scent out.

Remi

Table coding by Sky, inspiration from Jae!

Halting a few metres behind Remi to give the lion room to pace and find the scent, Ronin swept his gaze along the intersection for any sign of their missing daughter, or any sign for what might have befallen her (nothing had happened to her, he told himself at that point, over and over until the words made no sense). He blinked back at Remi when he spoke, jaw clenching at the news: no blood, but like his husband, he knew all too well that this didn't necessarily mean that she wasn't hurt. A surge of fury gripped him, causing his breath to hitch, and he spent a long moment or so in taking a deep breath and letting it out again. Only Remi's indication shook him out of it, Ronin giving his body something to do in darting after the lion, keeping careful to mute his footsteps on the cobblestones. On edge, he expected at any moment to see their daughter, or this Skyler asshole. RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving

sometimes love is a feather, sometimes a cannon ball

Not one for ambushes or assaults, even the alchemist knew better than to draw attention to what they were doing. This was personal, and though undoubtedly anyone who heard what had happened would be on their heels to help, Remi was cowed by his predatory nature suggesting that if he could not do this alone, better to share the kill hunt with as few as possible. And who better a hunting partner than the blighted guildmaster of the monster hunters?

Still, no small part of Remi longed to shift to something much larger and more gruesome.

The path bobbed and weaved suggesting Skylar had all but strolled casually with their daughter in his grasp. With the scent to focus on there was little time for Remi's stomach to roll and clench as it otherwise would have done. Fear gave way to adrenaline, anxiety to thick tendrils of saliva glistening off sharp white canines.

The trail led to a door, as unassuming as any other. Lifting his head and resting a paw on the woodframe, the lion sniffed at the doorknob. If Ronin needed any indication that this indeed was the place, the immediately snarl on the lion's lips should have been evidence enough. Stepping back, the alchemist eased into his own body. Immediately he felt the thunderous drumbeat on his finger, so wild and percussive it was almost distracting.

"Here." Despite having a man's lips and tongue again, Remi's voice was no less of a snarl.

Remi

Table coding by Sky, inspiration from Jae!

It was lucky that Ronin, in comparison, was so focused on following the trail that Remi was leading them on that he deigned to notice just how casually Skyler must have been in the kidnap of their daughter. And why? Because Remi had been in conversation with his sister once, in the Rathskeller? That in itself almost coloured the hunter's vision red, and he could barely hold himself still when they finally came upon the door. Remi confirmed it, and Ronin did actually take a brazen couple of steps as he dropped back to shift, breathing heavily, forcing himself to think, to reason, to try. "Skyler!" he called, his voice loud enough to carry through the door. "We're here. We have your sister. But nothing will happen until you let Aoife go. Please." He had to grit his teeth around the last word. RONIN if there's one thing i'm good at, it's surviving

Skyler, the man that had so many enemies but also the respect he was due sat in a magnificent chair as the child were crying loudly behind him. This did not seam to face Skyler where he sat, slowly stirring his drink infront of the fireplace. Aoife was probably both hungry, bored and thirsty since Skyler had no thoughts at all to feed her or anything like the sort. Only reason the child was alive was cause he needed her to stay that way until he got his claws into Nikki and could get the death he required out of her. Nikki had eluded him for way too long; it was time to end it.

The sobbing of the child could remind one of torture and in a way that wasn't totally untrue. Imagine to have gone so long without food, attention or water? Just a man who totally ignored you while it all grew inside of you, got worse and worse. She was technically unharmed, at least Skyler hadn't inflicted physical violence on her yet but mental torture was not to play with either sadly.

As his name got shouted outside of his door he slowly turned his gaze towards it before getting up to fetch the upset child that started sobbing louder as he approached her to tell him that she was unhappy and needed to be taken care of. Since she was so young it would probably be hard to tell if they were in danger, just wanted the closest human to take care of them. Always thinking all adults would do what's right for them.. While normally that would be true, Skyler was not really the care taking type of monster. As he grabbed the childs arm and without sympathy pulled her up from the floor by only her one arm she started sobbing louder while (ignoring this) Skyler coldly but clear spoke. "It's open." Holding a tight grip of Aoife's overarm and waiting for them to get into his home.

sometimes love is a feather, sometimes a cannon ball

Had Aoife not been crying, it was entirely possible the men might have entered calmly. Might have kept up the pretense of a negotiation, might have done any number of things. But sounds of the sort Remi had never heard before rang in his ears and though his strange new gaze would not allow him to see red, something inside of him broke in earnest. Aoife had wailed before, had screamed down the house on any number of occasions, but it had never been a cry of need. Of hurt and confusion. Hunger, pain at starting to teeth, sure. But this was the cry of the abandoned and lost, and where Remi could not focus his frustration into anything productive where Ronin and the blight was concerned, here is anger was righteous and warranted.

Fueled by the blight though his husband might have been, Remi was ever the stronger of the two. An unlocked door or no, the alchemist shouldered himself against it, breaking wood from hinge as he did so. Hands which had begun clawed left deep gashes across the handle that the lion was barely aware of.

Eyes shattered but not unseeing fell upon the madman from Nikki's stories, holding their daughter precariously up by one arm. "Put her DOWN," the lion-man snarled, moving swiftly towards Skyler. Magic sparked at his finger tips and though Remi was not known for using his abilities offensively, he held nothing back now. Vines appeared from nowhere, streaking towards both Aoife and Skyler. Remi's intent was to wrap them snugly around the kidnappers arm hard enough to cut off circulation thereby forcing him to release his daughter by the time his arms were around her. Should Skyler be foolish enough to try and drop (or gods forbid, throw) the girl, there was telekinesis at the ready to catch her.

Remi

Table coding by Sky, inspiration from Jae!

the wounds are open and bleeding out

Later, Ronin would realise that, in the back of his mind, all he had wanted to do upon hearing his daughters cries was go to her, comfort her, hold her against the world and whatever it had done to hurt her. Later, though. Now, something cold and foreign shivered down his neck and across his shoulders, steeling his posture and feeding on the bile and rage that rose in response to Aoife's sobbing.

He stood motionless as Remi went for the door, feet carrying him quietly after the lion-man. He didn't see Aoife - either way, the alchemist was there for her. Which was wonderful, because that meant his blighted fury was all for Skyler. He didn't know if he actually addressed the man holding his little girl - if he spoke, it was inhuman, and no sooner had Remi reached out with his vines, Ronin sidestepped him and launched himself at Skyler, throwing his whole body into it. If successful, he hoped to pin the other man to the ground.

THE

FALLEN STAR

Table coding by Sky

Skyler reacted quicker then one could had thought by quickly pulling the child up as a shield when the two attacks came at him. A normal person would never use a small child as a human shield but as stated; Skyler cared for nobody but himself. If the girl got hurt or not he really didn't care; all he wanted was his sister. Catching Aoife with his forearm around her chest his other hand suddenly closing around Aoifes throat his hetero eyes focused to use her as a shield from both vines and the flying Ronin. According to Skylers calculations Ronin would most likely tear off this first attack to make sure he didn't harm Aoife but the vines was a tricker matter for Skyler which is why he had grabbed a hold of Aoifes throat to maybe make them rethink their actions. It was for skyler a type of chicken game, if the wines grabbed his arms then would he be able to kill the child before the wines could force him to release her or not? Lets find out shall we?

As the wines quickly came closer to Skyler and the now crying shield his grip got stronger around the childs throat which made her try to catch her breath. "Give me Nikki!" His icecold voice shot through the air as his eyes where locked at Remi, which might be a slight mistake since Ronin probably could find a new direction in his attack. Skyler may have calculated the first attack but didnt have time to think of the next step as the wines came at him.

sometimes love is a feather, sometimes a cannon ball

As a man the alchemist might have been deterred by Skyler's actions, but it wasn't a man's mind that currently moved his body, but a predator. Lions were not known for yielding, after all.

As Aoife's cries became strangled with the tension of Skyler's fingers around her neck, Remi roared with the vocal chords and teeth of the monster that he too could be. Reaching for Aoife with speed and dexterity far greater than Skyler possessed, a collar of rock would appear beneath the man's fingers and around Aoife's neck. It would be uncomfortable for the staryy-eyed girl to be sure, but it would indeed halt the madman's hand from clenching any further. Then, the rocky circle would expand further so that Aoife could breathe easily while her neck remained protected.

Reaching out with a hand punctuated by claws, if Skyler would not release Aoife into his grasp, he'd find his wrist shredded beneath long and dangerously sharp claws forcing him to yield the child.

Remi

Table coding by Sky, inspiration from Jae!

the wounds are open and bleeding out

He was hurting her, more than before, and Ronin thankfully had time and sense enough to divert his attack as his daughter became a shield for the monster that held her. Sometimes, though, it took a monster to hunt one down, and as Ronin forced himself into a roll, springing up behind Skyler this time, it was to see Remi protecting Aoife from further harm. That was all his blighted mind needed, and in a gesture that was far too relaxed for the situation, he shrugged Emmett's axe from his shoulder.

"You get nothing." He snarled in response to the demand for a woman Ronin had never even seen, and in a blunt swing and a sickening thock, the hunter had buried the axe in the soft flesh of the back of Skyler's legs. Regardless of whether Aoife was out of harm's way at that point, the spray of red and the smell of copper took his senses entirely. Letting go of the weapon and seizing Skyler's collar, Ronin yanked the other man back, careening them both into one of the walls.

Injury to himself went unnoticed, and if the creature that had taken his daughter fought back, Ronin wasn't aware. A brief struggle and they were on the ground, Ronin astride Skyler. And then the blows came raining down.

Blood flecked Ronin's face in small amounts at first, amid the crack of bone and teeth, but as wheezes became gurgles and the sound of his punches grew wetter, the hunter was dripping with it. Teeth bared, blue eyes all but black (was it the low light? or something else?), the man beneath him had grown silent a long time before Ronin finally sat back, his chest heaving, breath coming out in exhausted gasps. His knuckles were torn, ink black mingling with the red, and there was a look of utter satisfaction on his face as he took in what he had done.

---

PP granted by Valentine! Skyler has been killed. :O

THE

FALLEN STAR

Table coding by Sky

sometimes love is a feather, sometimes a cannon ball

Torn tendons and the warmth of blood was nothing compared to the sweet weight of Aoife in his arms. Her cries were all but stunted now, likely out of horror and shock, and to Remi's chest she affixed herself with a strength the alchemist might have been surprised to feel had his mind been perceiving things rationally. It wasn't though. He heard the sound of bodies striking the wall, the wet and tangy pulse of blood like a sweet aroma in his nose, causing bits of mane to spring up amidst his curls.

Through eyes hooded and crazed he saw Ronin go down on top of Skyler, and it was then he blackened the world out. Wings, large and tawny sprouted from his back and though Aoife's earthen collar fell away to dust, she was captured in a different sense by the warm darkness the alchemist's plumage provided. Her heritage was blood and stars to be sure, but she was old enough now that the hazy images of murder might haunt her for far too many years. Sinking to his knees with Aoife wrapped in his arms, her face tight against her neck and his hands whispering soothing patterns against her back, against the background melody of murder, Remi sang. The words were nonsense but the melody was sweet against his daughter's ear, and while her other father relieved the life from the bastard who had hurt her, the alchemist sang of the stars and vast oceans.

When the world grew silent and the heartbeat beating on his finger was slightly doused, Remi parted feathers speckled horrifically with blood. Turning into the crispness of the revealed air, Aoife cranked her head around and, spying Ronin, immediately held out her hands and bleated heartbreakingly for him.

Remi

Table coding by Sky, inspiration from Jae!

the wounds are open and bleeding out

The mostly headless body beneath him ceased to move, to choke, to gasp for air, and Ronin felt at peace for the first time, he thought, since learning that the blight was in him. Is this what it was that soothed the rage and turmoil pumping through his veins? Was it this he needed? Thoughts for another time.

For now there was Remi, there was Aoife, and there was a lot of cleaning up to do. Wiping as much blood from his face as he could with one of his sleeves, there was little he could do for his clothes, but he was at least on his feet by the time wings parted to reveal his little girl and his husband.

"It's alright now," he said, his smile warm and almost sleepy as Aoife held out her hands for him. Treading blood across the floor, he moved to lean down by the parted cocoon of feathers, reaching in to scoop her up and into his arms. Like a balm against the storm within him, Ronin cuddled her close, ensuring that she was turned away from the body in the room, tucked securely against him. Slumping to sit on the floor, he glanced up at Remi with an expression close to adoration on his face; for being there, for getting her out of harm's way, for sparing her from seeing what he'd had to do.

THE

FALLEN STAR

Table coding by Sky