[Sarissa]

In the cold morning, the forest was still. The dark halls of Alteron stood empty and vacant of any noise or movement. It was the strange time when those awake at night were falling asleep and those who walked amongst the sun started to wake. One such creature was Sarissa who opened her eyes and felt the soft plush comfort of a body next to her. Eyes shifted, her heart fluttering in love and in anger. The girl laying in her domain slumbered, but it was not the woman she craved.

It was not her twin.

The pain swelled as she lifted her head. Jaw opened to a row of teeth, ready to snap and bite into delicate flesh, but instead she slowly closed her maw and gave a gentle kiss. The bleeding heart within the girl's chest had been patched by daggers laced with jealousy as of late. Red eyes glided to the bare rosebush, her thoughts swirling into a dangerous concoction all it's own. The two roses she clutched tightly weren't enough to quell her growing ire. The itching sensation deep in her soul that she could not scratch.

Wiggling free from her lover's embrace, she would step out into the dim light of morning, a gentle mist blanketing their territory. Head veered to her left and she swung her body that way as she followed the trail to her father's tower. He too had grown distant now that he had a bundle full of pups. Siblings from a woman she detested. The bitch had broken rules before, even her father had given her grief about it. Now he was sleeping with her and bore children with her? Muzzle flashed an ugly scowl, face twisting into a grotesque fashion as she traveled forward.

She could feel the heat within her chest. It was hot and scorching like the licking flames roaring against a God.

As the trail came to an end, she would wait. Ears strained to listen to movement, but they had not opened their eyes. Not yet. Sarissa stalked into the fern and ivy, laying down among the plants as she waited patiently. Face had relaxed, the black and white woman looking serene once more. Those red eyes burned however, flames within the darkness. The eyes of a dragon and a raging queen.

She did not have to wait long, however. The mother hen left with her brood, the father leaving to do his own business as usual. There was of course, the slow and sick. A smile curled along her lips, humming lightly. The boy seemed to look her way, those strange golden eyes widening as he saw a shape in the brush.

"Yes, come dear. I want to say hello." she said as the boy hesitated in approaching her. Once he was close enough, she would strike like a snake, teeth snatching his scruff. She ignored the little peep he made as she stood immediately and walked around the tower until she came to the entrance, heading inside.

"Let's have some fun~"

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[Lucerne]

Eyes peeled back as he could feel movement around him. His siblings stirred as well as his mother. It was time to rise and find some breakfast. As much as he wanted to sleep, his belly rumbled at the thought of food, so Lucerne sat up, rubbing his eyes. He yawned, though was interrupted as he was bumped harshly by his brother that he almost fell backward. Shaking his head, the boy huffed until he was nudged gently up by his father and given a kiss. Lucerne smiled then, tail wagging with delight. "Thanks papa!" he yipped, Orcrist smiling before nuzzling the rest of them before he headed out the door to do his business.

The rest were rustled out and walked out with their mother, though being the runt with the smallest legs, Lucerne held the end of the group, slowly following as sleep still gripped him. As they met the cool air of the morning, Lucerne glanced around for a moment, a little wary of the darkness the forest held as the mist surrounded the trees like a ghost. The child was easily spooked, golden eyes searching for the dark parts for monsters.

And oh he had found one.

Body stiffened as he saw her eyes first. The intense glare startled him and the humming unsettled him. He turned to his family, but they had gone so far ahead and didn't notice his absence. Lucerne was about to bound after them, but he was curious about the girl in the ivy. Was she real? The boy huffed, slowly approaching the ivy bush instead, the black and white woman with red eyes humming a sweet tune. She could sense his hesitation as she now spoke, beckoning him closer.

Ears flopped back against his head as he was still unsure, golden eyes glancing back to his mother's figure that was so distant now he could barely see her. It was a mistake glancing back as he was suddenly struck, the scuff of his neck pulled and pinched as he was picked up. He yelped, but only just. Her teeth was digging into skin, painful yet he was afraid to speak or whine. His small heart pounded and Lucerne watched as she took him back inside of the tower.

He was placed back down into his bed, eyes rolling back to watch the woman encircle him and lay down, a paw drawing him near as the other placed itself on his back, pinning him down. "N-no... I..." he stuttered, trying to detest.

Whatever fun she had in mind, Lucerne wanted no part of it. There was something ominous about this woman, something he did not trust. This feeling grew as he felt teeth on the back of his neck.

Oh he should've followed mom.

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[Cuff]

They're not a miracle, but they're still hers in the end, and they're still loved.

All six of them.

Cuff had never been a deep sleeper, and so it wasn't too unusual to see her rising long before the sun or her family did. She appreciated that small window of peace, when the tower was dark and quiet, and Orcrist was still fast asleep alongside their children. It had taken her awhile to adjust to the idea of raising a new litter again, not to mention accepting that she wouldn't have to do it alone this time around.

It was strange, yes, but far from terrible. Orcrist was proving to be an attentive father at least.

She wouldn't delude herself into thinking that things were suddenly going to get better though. A new family didn't fix that. But she could settle for enough, just enough, and that was fine. Life wasn't a dream but that didn't mean it had to be a nightmare.

As her children grew, it soon became a routine for Cuff to take them out every morning for small excursions, gradually increasing the distance from the tower each time. She dug up stores of food for them to eat and let them familiarize themselves with the land, teaching them valuable little lessons along the way. Today would have been no different from the others. It shouldn't have been.  

The disappearance of her smallest son changed that.

When she noticed his absence, Cuff immediately stopped, carefully watching the empty path behind them, waiting patiently for him to catch up. It wouldn't have been the first time Lucerne or one of his siblings had fallen behind, and it no doubt wouldn't be the last. Developing minds were easily distracted, after all. It was only natural. 

"Lucerne!" she called, before falling silent, carefully listening. When no answer immediately came and he still didn't appear, she called out to him again, a little more loudly, a few of her other children echoing her.

Still nothing.

Tensing, Cuff immediately acted. "Come," she ordered, ushering the rest of her children close to her, close where she could see them, silencing any loud complaints with a single look before she led them back the way they came. She was sure Lucerne had been right behind the others when they'd left. He would have answered her by now.

Something wasn't right.

Her unease only grew the closer they drew to the tower, and before she knew it she was standing before its entrance, peering in because that's where her instinct had told her to look. And it wasn't wrong.

She stared unblinkingly at the scene in front of her, the wars of all her sacrifices and failures echoing on her silver face. An all too familiar feeling of dread crept up on her, taking root deep in her chest, spreading like a vicious weed, constricting until she could barely breathe.

Not again, she thought numbly. Not again.

Her vision shuttered and wavered, and for a moment it wasn't Sarissa she saw in front of her, curled around her smallest child — it was the shadow of an old memory, the shadow of a monster dressed in red, curled around five and cradling her heart, breathing brimstone along their beautiful silver and golden coats.

She saw the past play out in front of her, again and again, an endless, torturous loop that seemed to go on for an eternity before she blinked and it suddenly disappeared. And then the image in front of her cleared and she saw, saw the way her son was being pinned down, saw his discomfort, the growing fear on his face.

She saw the smile on Orcrist's daughter's face that mirrored the monster from her memory.

One minute she was standing and the next she was suddenly moving, fast, faster than she'd ever remembered moving, faster than her brain could process, swiftly closing the distance, vocal chords quiet, quiet, so very quiet, a silver shield turned blade.

Fear had kept her begging the first time, had kept her weak and complacent, had kept her from acting.

But not this time; this time, her body moved, and her blood roared.

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[Sarissa]

Incisors and Fangs rested against the small little neck of her brother. She could feel him trembling, the fear radiating off his tiny body. She could easily snap his head from his shoulders. Sarissa was tempted, the anger brewing in her chest fueling this notion, but her tongue glided over his crown instead. A small hum vibrated in her throat as she wondered how to play with this little runt. He stammered a no, but she wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Oh~ and why not? Am I that scary?" she asked, giggling with delight. The boy sat frozen and she sighed. Oh how boring this would be, unless something interesting happened. Perhaps she could stimulate his senses a bit, make his adrenaline flow so he could entertain her while she played with him as if he were prey. Yes, that was such a good idea.

The sword rolled her paw over his body, forcing him to face her as he lay on his back. Sarissa smirked wide, those golden eyes widening as they faced the eyes of a monster. She was so occupied with Lucerne that she hadn't noticed Cuff in the doorway of the tower, staring in horror as flashes of Azuhel curled around those small bodies flickered in her eyes. Only this time it was her smallest and weakest son in the clutches of a girl whose blood was tainted by a Dragon and Tyrant.

Once Cuff bolted, Sarissa heard the scratches of claw against cobble, eyes lifting to see an angry mother barreling toward her. Shit. With quick action, Sarissa picked the boy up by his left arm, and threw him toward Cuff, though her throw wasn't well aimed. The boy hit the stone hard, yelping in pain as teeth tore through flesh and the impact sucked the air from his lungs. Lucerne hadn't landed far either, possibly in the fray as Cuff and Sarissa collided.

The sword met the page with teeth, snapping at her shoulder. If she had hooked there, she would try to use her weight to push Cuff back, possibly rearing up in order to gain some advantage. If she had missed, she would soar past but swing back, ready for an attack. The kids in the doorway meant nothing to her, just as Lucerne laying on the cobble in the middle of them meant nothing. Her eyes were dead set on Cuff and she would surge forward again if Cuff hadn't already.

She wasn't going to accept this lying bitch to be part of their family.

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