He kept finding himself looking back in the direction of Saboro, back towards that damned volcano that jutted out from the horizon like an ugly sore. Tessen had doubts about his decision, doubts that surprised him. When it had been more than clear that freedom wasn't only possible, but that it was plausible, he had seized it without a moments hesitation. It had seemed like the right thing to do given that there was nothing for him in Saboro. Not anymore at least. Crenate had seen to that. The Sabor had said he'd have a chance to become a Nightwalker again some day, but the pack had marked him a traitor regardless and one couldn't fight the hive mind that was Saboro.

The forest was quiet, peaceful in the early morning. Tessen had loved his first few days of freedom and the knowledge that there was no one watching him from the shadows, judging his every move. Soon he felt those eyes again. They were everywhere. He half expected Crenate or his little spawn to leap from the bushes and tear off more of his skin. He would have sworn he felt Kappa's hot breath on the back of his neck, jaws ready to close around him to snap the vertebrae of the son that had disappointed him so much. Maybe if you had actually taught me something, he would always think to himself as if in some kind of justification for his failure in Inaria.

He rested at the base of an elm tree, head on his paws. He wasn't tired - far from it in fact - but what else was there to do? That was likely the part that would eventually drive him mad. The boredom. He might not have been good at his job, but he had a job to do. He had a purpose. Now he felt like a rock on the side of a river bank had more of a reason for existing than he did. A free life was a lonely life inde-

Tessen was interrupted in the middle of his internal angst by the feeling of something hitting the top of his head. Paranoid that someone from Saboro really had caught up to him, he shot up to his feet and looked around, eyes scanning for the source of-

Shit, there it was again.

This time he turned his gaze upward towards the branches of the tree. It took him a moment before he saw the small, gray shape twitching in the branches. The squirrel stared down at him, eyes wide as it held an acorn in it's little paws. "You son of a- OW!" He raised a paw to his face as the squirrel hurled its treasure at his eye socket.


Wait was it laughing at him?

ooc: set before Tessen meets Desdemona in the Neutrals