Fiery Grave

Infuriated at his failure, and limping in pain, Edmund made his way out of the depths of the Climb and further towards the entrance of the Barrows. The slashes on his side and the bruises beneath his fur, ached. Yet he hardly felt them over the insistent pounding of his bloodlust. The fight had only riled it further. If he didn't find something to kill soon, the Ancient was going to lose his mind. Coming up a ridge, Edmund froze. Surely this was a gift from his Mother. A lone traveler, yet again. But this one was younger, leaner. Weaker. He was perfect. Stalking silently down the ridge, Edmund eyed his prey. He would kill this intruder and eat his heart. The rest he would leave at the shrine for Mother. A kill in her name was what he had promised. And Edmund hated breaking promises. Once he was close enough, the tiger lunged. Edmund Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright Let's Kill Tonight

MILO

The war had taken a toll on him just as much as it had everyone else. He’s been a wanderer, going from place to place, so unlike how he used to remain in Torchline. But what even was Torchline to him now? Unrecognizable, a place he’d neither grown up in nor lived in. The nostalgia that had been there was long gone in this new year and with it the Abandoned seeks out something else.

He isn’t sure what yet… It’s how he ends up at the Climb, perhaps because of the cold of Leafchange, seeking a similar warmth to Torchline. Perhaps an attempt to get near the hotsprings within, but unfortunately the boy’s lost. So lost in fact that he isn’t even paying attention to his surroundings. He watches the edge of the burrows, the ring of fire within, and tries to figure out where the fuck he’s going from here.

He completely misses the tiger that approaches, and if he had he might have thought in a last split second that it was Aurelia coming back, where he might be able to apologize for all the things he’s done. The things they’ve done to each other.

But it’s merciful he doesn’t, because the tiger lunges and claws pierce into his skin and there’s nothing more than the initial surprised squeak that slips from him as he goes down, trying to turn to fight off the beast, scrambling for the magic he’s somehow managed to forget how to use in his surprise.

as long as we don't die,
this is gonna be one hell of a story

If tigers could purr, Edmund would be purring. This was how his first hunt should have gone. The intruder is weak and the Ancient is able to pin him with ease. The squirming does nothing to knock him off balance, nor to make him hesitate in his next move. It's unintentionally merciful. but Edmund's teeth sink into the side of Milo's neck with ease, a knife to butter. The Abandoned is dead in seconds, blood spilling along the ground in a wide puddle. Paws and teeth coated in blood; Edmund steps off of the body and shifts back. With feral eagerness, he turns Milo over and grabs a jagged rock nearby. Taking it in hand, he messily carves out the man's heart. Once there's enough space, Edmund reaches, blood quickly soaking his arm. Once Edmund's hands wrap around the still warm organ, he pulls it out with a jolt. The Ancient swipes a tongue over his fangs before biting into the heart. The sound that leaves Edmund is one of raw satisfaction. The organ is devoured before he even process what he's doing. Still riding on the high of satiated bloodlust, Edmund reaches down and begins to drag Milo's body to a pit of lava. "For you, Mother." Without further preamble, Edmund tosses the body into the flames as a sacrifice. A kill in Dygra's name, as promised. Edmund the prince of torchline

MILO

His magic is pitiful against the weight and predatoriness of the tiger, so much that even his healing magic does little to help keep the end from coming. There’s a moment of deep reflection amidst the panic, a moment of this is it, when everything goes black. Darkness envelopes him quickly and perhaps it’s a fitting end for someone so tied to those he encountered that he didn’t completely recognize himself without the weight of their presences.

He's unaware of what happens after, likely for the best, and he hopes that Mort accepts him regardless of his Abandoned status, hoping that perhaps he might find where those that have disappeared from him have gone.

- FIN <333

as long as we don't die,
this is gonna be one hell of a story