Worse Than Death

[Aro]

TAKE AN ANGEL BY THE WINGs
BEG HER NOW FOR ANYTHING; Ask her for the strength to stay
TAGGED @vero	Deep within Podakru lands, a feral creature called the woods home. Of course, he wasn’t always a creature... he used to have a name, a home, a brother... He used to hold a sword and shield with pride while he fought for his people and now he tore into a buck’s throat with his bare hands like an animal; feasting on his kill. Whatever he used to be he was no longer; now he was a reaper. The Mountain came down upon the Yujleda scouts who had wandered too close, ages ago and from the warriors they plucked Aro Kom Yujleda and made him into what he was now with pain and intoxication. After the mountain fell, he fled. He went west with all the red he could carry in a leather bag he’d stolen off the corpse of a fallen Trikru warrior after the fight. Now he was surviving and avoiding camps and villages. He’d heard rumors that Skaikru had managed to cure a reaper, but this didn’t appeal to him. Not in this state. Going days without the red was painful enough. To stop it entirely was unthinkable; which was a thought that paled him every time he looked at his dwindling stash of the drug. It was the only thing that concerned him... When he heard movement, he straightened himself out and snarled with blood pouring from his mouth. He could smell their flesh; closer than the nearby Podakru village. They rarely came into the woods; the reason he stayed in them. It was strange to hear a scout, or a hunter so close. Perhaps they were tracking the deer that he’d so viciously killed. He didn’t know, but his sword was drawn; ready for a fight.

pyxis ★

[Deleted]

Tag: Aro

blood and battle

ARE ALL I HAVE EVER KNOWN

Vero wasn't sure what it was, but something pulled him toward the source of the sound. Curiosity perhaps. Some sort of deep instinct he could not ignore. He was in Podakru lands right now, traveling through the woods. Which, wasn't a difficult task considering the strong alliance that held between the two clans. But right now, Vero's mind was not on that. It was following this inexplicable path. One that compelled him to tightly grip the hilt of his sword in his land in preparation for whatever it may be. Yet when he laid eyes upon it, his entire body froze. Numbed. Just as it had been when he'd gotten the news. His eyes widened a little as he just stared, unable to form words . . . wondering if he was even breathing.

And just as before, he could have sworn his heart skip a beat. Only this time, not in devastation. In shock. And somewhere deep within him that had yet to reveal itself, was relief. "Aro," he breathed, sword dropping from hand in utter surprise. A horrible thing for a warrior to do and yet he could not help himself. Without thought or any need for caution, he took a few steps toward Aro, wondering if he was hallucinating. And yet, if he was . . . his brother would not be looking at him like that. Or, looking like that at all.

Something was drastically different about him. Vero had encountered men like him before, but never could he consider that his brother would become one. And yet, the unfamiliarity in Aro's gaze caused a chill to run down Vero's spine. "Brother." Still inching toward him. Whether the word was a desperate plea to him, or a question; acknowledgement or conviction. He didn't know. He only knew that right now, more than anything, he wanted to wrap his arms around the man he thought dead for so long. The man he had never been whole without. His beloved brother.