Threads of the Soul

"I'm telling you! There's something out there man, I can feel it."

"And telling you, for the last time, that you're just jumping at shadows. Plus, even if there was something, Lord Crow has got his statue things out there to scare them away. Nothing has gotten past them yet, and nothing will."

Frank, one of a pair of guards manning the wall, let out an exasperated sigh as he thoroughly regretted signing up for the night shift guard duty. They were usually easy shifts, especially with the Lord's goons endlessly patrolling outside. They rarely had to do anything with those big bastards stomping around.

He had wanted a relaxing night that would let him catch a quick smoke, then he would be able to go back and see if he could get some 'extra benefits' from his position out of one of the girls he was 'protecting'. While he still planned to do the second half, nothing in the world would stop him from doing that, his relaxing night had been ruined by the person he had been paired with.

His 'partner' was a scrawny kid, couldn't be any older than 17 years old, called... what was his name again? Timmy? Shimmy? No, Jimmy. Yeah that was it. The only mutation skinny little Jimmy had was a second pair of gangly arms situated underneath his originals. It didn't make him any stronger, in fact all it did was make it even more embarrassing when the kid turned out to be a complete and utter klutz. Four hands and he still managed to drop everything and fumble with a basic spear.

He had no idea why the kid had signed up to be on watch. Maybe it was for the same reason as Frank, god knows he wasn't going to get any tail anyways. Not even with the ones who had actual tails. No... This kid was probably some hopeful starry eyed brat trying to 'do the right thing' after seeing the Lord fending off the army. What a joke.

Casting a dirty look at his watch partner, Frank decided 'Fuck it' and just lit up his cigarette anyways. It was his last one and he had saved it for long enough, no way he was going to wait another day for this. With a click of his fingers, a small flame appeared above Frank's thumb which he used to light his cigarette. His last one had been spoiled by that golden eyed bastard, although it was fun seeing that uppity punk getting beat, he was not going to let this scrawny kid ruin this one.

"I definitely say something that time, I swear!"

"Kid, for the last time. Shut the hell up before I burn that tongue off. I'm telling you there's nothin-"

AAAAHHHWOOOOOOOOOOO!

Frank's smoke spewing rage was cut off, the lightly glowing cigarette hanging from his lips as his mouth was left agape, frozen mid rant. His eyes trembled slightly as he stared at the kid, who was shaking more than a chihuahua in a frozen tundra, before he slowly turned his gaze towards the origin of the sound.

Sat at the crest of the hill, where an army once stood, was a lone wolf. It's long, thick and matted green fur hung off its body like freshly grown moss, while its tail swished behind it was like seaweed.

Its legs were composed of knotted, twisting wood like a miniature forest whilst its head was snow white, contrasting heavily against the lively green of its fur. It was as if its bare skull was on display, which it very well could have been. At this distance he couldn't make it out enough, but he wasn't focusing on its face, nor its fur or its feet. Instead his eyes were locked onto its, and its onto his. Those glowing emerald orbs drew him in across the distance, even though he shouldn't be able to see them. Yet he could feel them on him, burrowing into his soul, as the wolves howl echoed throughout his mind.

It kept his gaze for a few more seconds, before raising its head and letting out another howl that pierced through the still night air.

AAAAHHHWOOOOO!

The howl reverberated within the deepest recesses of his being, spreading an unnatural cold through his body. A cold that wouldn't go away no matter how much he radiated his mutant heat throughout his body, even when the air shimmered with an intense heat haze around him the cold only sunk its teeth deeper into him.

"Frank? Frank are you okay? It's... It's just a wolf. Like you said, we'll be fine."

Yet even though Jimmy tried to comfort him, that comfort fell on deaf ears. Even if he had heard it, he wouldn't have been able to respond. As he stared wide eyed at the moss covered wolf, like a deer in headlights, Frank could barely breathe. His heart was thundering in his chest as he felt the noose tighten around his neck.

When the wolf... No, when the Cù-Sìth, raised his head to let out its third and final howl, Frank couldn't take it anymore.

Tossing his weapon to the side and desperately clamping his hands over his ears, Frank leapt from the wall and immediately broke into a sprint. No care for dignity or the partner he was leaving. He just had to save himself. However, this pathetic display as he fled for his life was exactly what the beast was hoping for.

Not the Cù-Sìth, that particular beast stayed exactly where it was, swishing its tail softly as it contained the third howl, it was too late anyways.

No, the beast in question was the one lurking in the rich shadows cast by the night guards torch lights. Unable to contain its urges, especially in the sight of pathetic, fleeing prey, the beast leapt from the shadows and revealed itself as it pounced on the easy prey.

Manifesting from the shadows mid-leap, with its claws extended and teeth bared in a fearsome snarl, a black puma slammed into Frank's back and easily pushed him to the ground.

He barely had a second to react before it was sinking its forearm length fangs into the soft, tender flesh of his nape. With a swift and powerful yank to the side, a sickening crunch echoed out as the Puma shattered the neck of its prey, leaving it helpless to its fate before it could even dream of fighting back.

Dropping its prey, who's head flopped limply to the side at an angle it shouldn't have been able to, the Puma was already salivating. Yet before it could dig into its meal, while it was still nice and fresh, the collar around its neck flashed with bright runes, halting its movements.

However, It was that same pause from its collar that made it unable to dodge the spear, which was clutched in all four of Jimmy's hands, as he plunged it deep into the Puma's chest.

Jimmy forced the spears tip into the ground, pinning the beast on its side as it let out whimpering and gasping cries of pain before finally growing silent.

It's eyes losing their luster as dark, oil-like blood seeped from its wounds and mixed with the saliva still dripping from its lips.

Jimmy's hands trembled as he held the spear, still pushing it into the ground as if the corpse was about to get back up, as he stared at the beast. His mind couldn't help but wander to the fact that, it could have easily been him that it took instead. They hadn't even realised it was here, it had just... appeared out of nowhere like a phantom from the shadows.

However, before he could lose himself in that spiral of 'what if', his head snapped up as a bloodcurdling scream cut through the air and stabbed into his heart. He quickly glanced at the beast dead at his feet, as well as the broken corpse of his partner before the fear melted away, replaced with a resolute scowl.

Gripping the spear so tight the wood trembled and his knuckles turned white, Jimmy ripped the weapon from the corpse and charged inside.

This is what he signed up for, after all.

***

"Will we ever be rid of this vermin..."

Shaking his head softly, Seth inspected the shattered remains of the metallic collar in his hands with a melancholy gaze, running his thumb over the grooves carved into it to make the runes. This particular rune in question was somewhat similar to the one he had been crafting. However, whilst his was simply for fire, the one carved into the collar was for searing pain, at least that was the direct translation.

After weeks of studying, he finally understood enough to grasp the most basic possible understanding of how these collars worked, although that knowledge churned his stomach.

These things, These Hemogoblins, didn't bother with making proper control collars, at least not in the brainwashing sense. They just burned their victims souls until they obeyed, or died.

Clenching his fist at the thought, Seth crumbled what was left of the collar like it was nothing more than tin foil, before tossing it to the side like the useless scrap it was. Lifting his gaze, his expression was unreadable as he stared directly ahead, at the wall before him and what was pinned to it.

Kept suspended to by a cluster of razor sharp feathers, looking like the most macabre circus act in the world, was the corpse of a large, black cat-like beast that appeared from the shadows tried to attack him. Unfortunately for this beast, Seth was always with his protector, who killed it with little more than a flick of his tail.

As screams echoed throughout the peaceful library, and chaos took reign over civility once more, Seth simply narrowed his eyes and spoke in a low tone, even though he seemed to be the only person in the room.

"Look after me little guy, I'm going to take care of our pest problem."

His body swayed as his soul departed from this earthly vessel, racing down the threads which connected him to his puppets, like he was nothing more than electricity in a wire.

As soon as Seth left his body, a shadow the size of a horse descended from high above. It's fearsome talons digging into the wooden walls as it slowly crawled its way down. When it finally reached the ground, it extended a large feathered wing and gently drew Seth's body towards itself before curling up into a ball.

Keeping Seth safe under his wing, the mighty protector swished his tail gently, as if daring anyone to try and take this body from him.

{I shall protect Father, Do not worry. Any that oppose will rue the day they faced me and soon all will cower at the name of the Mighty Omelette}