♛ TIME WILL TELL ON THEIR POWER MINDS. MAKING WAR JUST FOR FUN. TREATING PEOPLE JUST LIKE PAWNS IN CHESS. WAIT 'TIL THEIR JUDGMENT DAY COMES —

The hills of the Heartlands were enough to drive anyone mad, let alone one already struck with the burden of madness.

It had been ages since the male had last been in the state of New Hanover, as much of his time was spent in the vast deserts of New Austin, where the Daremos had made their home. It was in New Austin where an older female came upon him, seeing his strength and openness to take on dirty deeds, so long as it was a job with purpose. The mission he received seemed to meet that requirement: hunting down Lavro, a male guilty of her son's torture that led to his unfortunate, slow death. Senseless, she called it, absolutely senseless. It was a mission Seeker was more than eager to take on, his muscles twitching with anticipation at the mere thought of sinking his fangs into a sinner's neck, draining the cursed, damned blood from him and sending his soul to Hell. Judge, jury, and executioner. He could be all three. In exchange for his claws, he would be given information as a reward: information on a piece of land somewhere in New Austin that was bountiful in prey, even in the harsh desert landscape — a wondrous place to call home, perhaps even recruit more hunters for his cause. All he needed to do was complete this task unnoticed.

But New Hanover was an immense, densely populated state. Luckily for him, the client had mentioned that this target had a densite in the Heartlands, somewhere hidden amongst the endless hills and burrowing underground. A peculiar place for a den, but perhaps remaining in hiding was preferred for a sinner who didn't want to meet his fate yet. Given the appearance of the target and his (albeit still fairly vague) location, the beast went off across state boundaries to hunt.

The wolf attempted to save his energy, making his way across West Elizabeth's Great Plains in no hurry. Traveling from New Austin to New Hanover was no easy feat, especially when rushing the journey. One had to cross the Lower Montana River first, trekking past the human occupation of Quakers' Cove if one did not want to venture into the territory of Tall Trees, which, as he had learned from the client, had become recently occupied by a pack. Unwilling to meet his fate at the end of a shotgun nor cause trouble with a group of wolves he had no care for, Seeker went for a longer route in between the two regions to avoid both of them effectively. Past the Dakota River next to the rolling Great Plains sat the Heartlands, and in them Lavro.

By the time he reached the Heartlands, days after he embarked on this journey, he began to have his doubts on the mission. Could Lavro have fled by now, to another land? Seeker could only hope this venture was not in vain, for turning back empty-pawed now would make him out to be a fool. I am no fool. Lavro dies here. Yet even as more restless nights ticked by amongst the Heartland's many hills, this aforementioned densite was becoming more and more of a fable, until he stumbled upon it: an earthy entrance leading into the ground, just big enough for a wolf. Yet when he entered the den, the scents inside it were beyond faint, almost nonexistent. Lavro had not been here in a while. Growing agitated and physically weary by the time he circled back to Horseshoe Overlook, Seeker let his immense body fall upon the trunk of a tree and his eyes drift shut, his dreams filled with nothing but irritated flames.

In the morning he rose from the comfort of his tree trunk, his body grateful for the opportunity of rest. He had little time to process his slumber-filled invigoration, as there was a new smell in the area, also belonging to a canine. Curiously he padded over and took in the scent, which led further towards the peak of Horseshoe Overlook. A familiar stench, yet he would have to confirm if it was indeed what he smelled at the abandoned densite. His paws light, he cautiously followed the trail until his hungry gaze rested upon the white figure that weeks had gone by for: Lavro.

"A lovely view, is it not, friend?" Seeker commented, his eyes also following the same sunrise that Lavro had watched since however long he had been here.

"I...suppose so," the older male said awkwardly, unsure of what to make of the other's abrupt appearance.

"Beautiful, the cycle of nature. Day and night, summer and winter, life and death," he continued with a grin. "Unfortunate that some attempt to become nature themselves."

"How do you mean, sir? 'Become nature'?" Lavro asked.

Seeker finally turned to meet his confused gaze. "Take the cycle into their own hands. To bring about an innocent's death. As you have, sir."

The other's confusion melted into frustrated anger. "How dare you? I did no such thing!"

"Someone's son is dead because you decided to become nature itself, to end his own cycle you had no business interrupting. It is so cruel to tell an innocent man to meet their fate for nothing. Yet, when that man is far from innocent, is that not simply called a consequence?" In what seemed to be the blink of an eye, the older male was beneath him now, squirming upon the forest floor to be released from his great grasp.

"You hypocrite! You fool! You kill me and defy your own laws!"

"I am not nature. I am simply a consequence," Seeker declared with a beaming grin, his voice that of a cat's purr and filled with sickening delight. In an instant his fangs wrapped around Lavro's neck, staining a once-perfect white pelt with marks of crimson as blood gushed out, draining life from the male. To Hell you go.

So the deed was done, but proof of Lavro's death had to be conjured up once he met with his client. Taking a sharp claw, the beast got to work, carving out the tendon that he would fashion into a necklace, an accessory that would hold the claw he would also tear from Lavro's corpse to keep as a trinket of evidence for his brutal demise. Stepping away from the body, his maw twisted into an expression of disgust. "Ruining the view, you bloody beast," he said, and he stepped forward once more to press his weight onto Lavro, pushing the destroyed body off the peak of Horseshoe Overlook with an audible THUD.

Now how perfect was this view? The rising sun now fully emerging, painting the land a vivid orange, the male turned around, the adrenaline of a purge beginning to ebb away. He would have to embark on his days-long journey once more, but at least he had something to bring home.

But something stopped him in his tracks. A pair of eyes amid the trees, watching his every move since his encounter with Lavro. Seeker's muscles froze, and he stared back for a moment, waiting for any form of interaction. Nothing. Perhaps he would have to instigate this himself? Licking the blood from his muzzle and his claws, he plastered a wide grin upon him once more. "Come now, it's rude to just stare," he mused. "Come into the light, join me here in this sunrise!"

// open to a witness to the event, but anyone else can hop in afterwards as well!