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Keina blinked awake. She had curled up upon her throne, tail over her muzzle. Bird-song chimed like bells outside the cracked glass window by the staircase. The Pareil pack leader yawned, slowly getting to her paws and stretching lazily. Her tail flicked and her eyes roamed the room.

Sho seemed to be missing. Probably went out to look for cooking ideas. She sighed and smiled a bit. Perhaps we could try that cooking idea soon. We need fire, is all . . . Keina's eyes halted on the still figure of Count D. So he was still there.

Keina had tempted D to return to the Pareil, telling him lies of a feast. But now they were to actually hold this feast. The canines of the Pareil had been running to and fro, hunting and preparing. The feast would take place just outside their home building, in a small park only a few blocks away. They would be leaving shortly.

"Count D, it's time to wake up," Keina crooned, jumping off of her couch and approaching the pillow he was sleeping on. Her voice resembled that of a mother trying to wake her children. "The feast will be starting soon." She flicked her tail over his ear and smiled almost warmly.

It was all just a masquerade.

ooc . oh my god. waking up to see keina standing over me with a smile on her face would be terrifying. o.o

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[Rai;;+]

ooc|| xDD;; I'd bet.

bic||

D had been awake for a while. The truth of the matter was: he was not the kind to take nicely to waking up later than anyone else. Back home when he'd been still a pup, he'd always be the first one of his family awake. He hated having to be woken up by others, and was actually usually the one last asleep too - there'd been no shortage of questions on whether he actually slept or not. Since becoming a wanderer though, he'd been able to commit to his own lazy sleeping schedule, having no one to compete against.

However, as soon as he'd stepped in Pareil Pack land, it was the same story. His inner clock would simply not let him sleep past the crack of dawn (or sometimes, even earlier) when other canines were about. Especially if those canines belonged to this particular Pack. He wasn't about to let his guard down so easily.

However, he had been curled up, tail over his muzzle, with his back facing the rest of the room, so it's not like anyone would've been able to tell.

Ahh, and here she comes... He could discern Keina's pawsteps from the lighter ones of Sho, and when she spoke, D turned around to face her, bi-colored eyes glimmering, revealing that he'd been awake for a while yet. Her warm smile was not lost on him, but neither was its ulterior meaning. He wasn't about to fall for any of her tricks, no matter how enticing she might be. Outwardly though, he simply gave her his characteristic eyes-half-lidded smile, and uncurled himself, a snake unwinding.

"Dark already?" he commented, glancing towards the half-boarded window to the blackness outside as he leaped down from the couch, a good deal smaller than the maned wolf that towered over him. He gave his fur a few quick licks for appearance, and then nodded. "Well, we'd best get going soon - "

"Keina."

The word was spoken quietly, but with a piercing sort of tone that couldn't be missed even if he had spoken amongst a large crowd. D turned his head to see a rather young-looking dog, an English Setter, if he recalled this breed correctly. He was clearly a male judging from his voice and his build, despite his overall feminine appearance. But then... that was more or less characteristic of all Setters.

Kadaj bowed his head towards the leader, and then flickered his eyes towards D, though his words were still directed at Keina. "The feast is prepared."

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Keina nodded and flicked her ears as Kadaj entered the room. She turned toward her packmate. "Alrighty then. Let's go!" She was in an oddly great mood again. Today many of her goals would be accomplished, and she already had new ones forming in her mind. With her golden eyes narrowed, she trotted forward lightly, sparing a glance over her shoulder.

"Well, come on! The feast is to start soon!" Keina winked at D and bounced down the steps gracefully, tail flicking in excitement. To be honest, she was a bit eager for this feast. This event would give her packmates confidence in her. Yes, loyalty was good . . .

"Servants!" Keina snapped. A group of canines immediately scampered to her side. "Order the guards to watch the building - and make sure to tell them to keep an eye on the pups and mothers. Also," she lowered her voice, glad that D and Kadaj had not caught up with her yet, "bring the spies. They will be me and my friends' guidance to the feast tonight."

The servants nodded, and in a few minutes the other group of "servants" joined her. Keina flicked her ear in the direction of D as he approached. They knew exactly what to do. She growled at a passing coyote, "You. Do you know the whereabouts of my Commander, Laeco?"

The coyote bowed. "He went to the feast with prey in his jaws, ma'am, and was helping to prepare." Keina nodded the canine away. Good. My plans are working fine for now. "Let's go," she said, her voice almost grim. Her servants clustered around her and D as they trotted down the sidewalk toward the park. "So, D, are you excited for this feast?" She asked, moving to his side as she walked.

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[Rai;;+]

A smile on his face, D trotted along behind Keina, keeping his distance for a while as he watched the maned wolf discuss something with her servants in a low whisper that he couldn't hear. Truthfully, it didn't matter to him what she was saying, or whatever she planned to do with him, because he could not be directly linked to guilt for anything that happened here. He wasn't stupid enough to outright attack any Pareil canines - oh no. All of D's fighting was done quite undercover. And of course, if the need arose, he had some tricks up his proverbial sleeve, but magic was quite a last resort. It got tiring to use it a lot, even if he was very experienced with some of the better spells.

"Hm...?" he lifted his head with a curious hum when he heard Keina address him. By now he had caught up to her, and they were flanked by a small group of other Pareil canines, no doubt her servants. Kadaj was following behind them, remaining silent. "Oh yes, of course!" His entire person seemed to brighten considerably at her question. Count D wasn't entirely a canine made of facades - his eagerness for the feast was quite genuine. Whisking his tail delightedly, he continued, "it's not everyday a loner gets offered an abundance of prey. Thank you again for your hospitality."

Behind them several paces, far enough to not be considered part of the conversation but not far enough to be suspicious, Kadaj watched the two canines before him. His leader was quite a good deal larger and taller than the compact, elegant black fox that trotted beside her. So this was Count D... he'd never met him before, but over the last couple of days, he had been the talk of the entire pack - Keina's special guest, they would say. "I hear that he's a sibyl - one of the originals that helped create theTsin... That part interested Kadaj immensely.

If there was one thing he was interested in, it was finding the Tsin again.

But who was this fox? He didn't seem to be intimidated by Keina's demeanor at all, when normally her black stare and cruel smile would send even the bravest canine cowering and whimpering in submission. On the contrary, he seemed to be on relatively good terms with her. And he didn't flinch at all, no matter what she said. He was quite something.

But if Kadaj knew anything about Keina, he knew she was planning something. She wasn't just inviting D here for the sake of inviting him. Of this Kadaj was certain.

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Keina smiled. "Well, we'll make this the best feast of your life, then." She looked ahead. Oh yes. This will be in fact the best feast of his life. And one to remember. Soon the park came into view. It was a splendid place, filled with greenery and carpeted by vivid grass. A few trees splotched the area, which was surrounded by stones, here and there. The park grew naturally now, without the help of human machines and technology. The Pareil had gathered some old party items, lying streamers and banners across the trees and plants. Broken street lights illuminated the park.

Keina stepped gingerly into the soft grass, letting her paws adjust to the comfort of it after walking on the cold, hard sidewalk. Her packmates were gathered in the park, strewn about the place. A few loners had joined the celebrations as well, after hearing some rumors about D and the festivities. Some were just chatting with each other, while others were eagerly waiting for the feast to begin. In the center of the park lay a crate of prey which they would be selecting food from. All the prey had been caught the day before.

Keina smiled charmingly at her pack and stepped forward, until she was standing in front of the crate. "I want to thank you all for the effort you have put into catching this prey and arranging our feast tonight." She glanced about herself as canines began to gather around her. "But enough of such tiring talk. Let the feast begin!"

The pack members all murmured in satisfaction and formed a jagged line in front of her. As leader, she got to pick her food first. She motioned to D and Kadaj to come behind her. "You two can have your pickings after me." She turned, eyes glittering with a corrupt light, and sniffed the prey intently. Some of it smelled a bit old, like it had merely been found on the streets. She scowled and nosed to the bottom of the crate, finding a plump pigeon and a mouse as an appetizer.

I would have preferred this cooked, Keina joked lightly in her head. She moved off to the shade of a tree, which was decorated beautifully with ribbons and old Christmas lights. Without waiting for D and Kadaj, she tore into the mouse, finishing it quickly and moving on to the pigeon.

Meanwhile, Laeco was uncovering his prey, which had been hidden behind a bush. He gathered the food in his jaws and trotted toward Keina. "Hi," he said in a muffled voice, sitting a few feet away from her. His eyes gleamed and he gazed down at the catch, wondering which one he should eat first.

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[Rai;;+]

D and Kadaj sat beside each other as Keina gave the order to begin the feast, and there were rumbles and barks of appreciation in response. As the two stood again and followed after the Pareil leader on her order, they waited while she selected her first pieces of prey.

After the drawn-out silence, Kadaj glanced towards the black fox. "I do hope you enjoy your time here," he quipped smoothly.

D glanced towards him and nodded in acknowledgement, but said nothing more as Keina moved towards the tree and he stepped forward. There were a few grumbles behind him from the lower-tiered dogs, but he proceeded to select a rabbit from the top of the pile and moved out of the way.

"I would suggest, anything Keina says, you obey," Kadaj's almost serpentine voice came again as D passed.

The fox simply responded by glancing towards him again and smiled that smile of his through the fur of the rabbit, and then continued on towards the tree where Keina sat. The large maned wolf was already digging into her food, and he positioned himself comfortably across from her and began to delicately bite into the rabbit with impeccable manners. Not a single scrap of meat landed elsewhere than in his jaws. Wonderful, he thought to himself with relish as he dug in happily. Not a moment passed before another canine came over to join then, mumbling a gruff greeting towards Keina before sitting down and eying his own prey eagerly.

D lifted his head to observe the newcomer, a wolf he recognized... ah, that prey he had. The Count remembered now. Laeco had taken it from the pile he had brought in. Of course. "Always delighted to have company.

Within another moment, Kadaj joined them wordlessly, lying down near Keina but not close by at all. He calmly began to eat his selected pigeon without a word, keenly watching the other three without seeming to.

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Keina flicked her ears, tearing the feathers off the pigeon. It felt like forever since she had eaten. She dug in, attempting to eat it slowly and formally, but still she managed to look a bit sloppy, biting into the bird greedily. When she finished, blood and feathers were caked around her muzzle. She licked it off contentedly.

"So, how are you three liking the feast so far?" Keina asked, her voice pleasant and chime-like. She smiled, realizing that she was surrounded by males. I never knew I was such a tom-boy. Soon the real feast was to begin.

Laeco had already dug into the first piece of prey that was lying by his paws. It was a hare, and, lucky for him, it was untouched by the poison. However, he planned to eat a vole next, and that was, unfortunately for him, poisoned. Keina knew D well enough not to trust him and eat his caught prey. And he was naive enough to believe that she was only trying to keep him here for the feast.

I pulled this off very nicely. Thank Feina for servants! Keina thought. Soon her plan would take action. Laeco swallowed a chunk of his hare and replied, his voice muffled because he had already begun to take another bite, "I'm really liking it. This'll really tune down the nurses. They've been quite agitating lately." The pack leader nodded. "Yes, that was one of the objectives of this feast." Her voice was trimmed and the opposite of suspicious. One might figure that she simply meant that she wanted to calm down the rest of the pack, too, or some other pack-related business. But she knew the real reason for this feast.

It was one step closer to world domination.

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[Rai;;+]

For D, not eating his own prey was just an act of courtesy. He could quite easily have gone over to his pile and selected one of the animals that he had not poisoned to lower suspicion on himself, but he didn't. He was content to have the Pareil canines think he was quite a bit more foolish than he actually was. Why make them think highly of me? It only raises more wariness towards me.

In fact, there had only been a pawful of incidences in his life when he'd had to completely drop this facade of easygoing mysteriousness and revert to a far more serious and deadly side of him. One of those times had been when he'd been young and there'd been an incident with a thief within his Kingdom who had attempted to steal the royal dagger. He'd had to crank his seriousness up a notch for that.

Then when the Pareil had first invaded his home and killed his family. For the following three years, he'd been forced to utilize the best of his powers to help create that twisted Thriene. After that, he'd been left alone to his own life as a loner, but now... Perhaps I might have to be a little bit serious soon...

"Oh, an uprising among the nursing mothers?" he questioned cheerily, not at all sounding suspicious of mocking, but like an innocent passerby who just happened to join in on the conversation. He was not ignorant of the several canines that passed by the little group, all wanting to catch a glimpse of this honored guest. D glanced from Keina to the other two canines, demurely licking rabbit blood from his maw.

Kadaj nodded and looked up from his pigeon. "Yes, just a little bit, but nothing worth worrying about. You should not concern yourself with such trivial matters, Count. You are, after all, here to enjoy yourself."

The Count smiled again, though his bi-colored stare seemed a little harder this time. "Of course."

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Keina quietly watched the show of hostility between the two males. "Now, now, no need to be so demanding, Kadaj. Today we should all be able to relax." She eyed Count D warily, wondering if he was actually planning anything. Although she held doubt to that question, she would not underestimate him.

Suddenly Laeco began to choke. She tilted her head to observe him quietly. "Something wrong, Laeco?" She asked, her voice twisted. Well, of course something was wrong. "C-choking . . . can . . . can't br . . . eath," the dog wheezed. "Well, whatcha choking on?" She pursued, her eyes focused on D although she was speaking to the dog.

"I . . . 'unno . . . I just swallowed . . . m-mouse and . . ." Laeco lost the ability to talk. He panted, falling to his back. Canines began to stare. Someone screamed. "What's happening to Laeco?" A wolf barked. Keina shrugged innocently. "He's been poisoned, I think."

But no one did anything. No one knew what to do - no one wanted to do anything. As the Pareil canines began to think about Laeco, they found that they had had no happy memories with him. He was a ruthless, cruel tyrant. And so they just watched. They watched as he suffered, until, finally, his breathing stopped.

Suddenly someone spoke out. "Hey . . . Laeco told me that he had eaten the prey of Count D. So . . . was D trying to kill one of us?" Growls of outrage swept through the park; the pack began to circle around D. Keina's eyes narrowed. "Well then. I have no choice. What you have done is mutiny, D, and so we must punish you for that. Capture him." She ordered, almost lazily. "If you fight back, we will hurt you more. If you run away, we will chase you down. We have allies, D, all around this country. All around the world." The canines formed a tighter circle around the sibyl, and began to lunge forward in attempt to grab him.

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[Rai;;+]

ooc||

Soooo ~ I'm not entirely sure if what I did in this post is allowed, but... xD Let me know if I took things too out of hand this time and I'll work on it.

bic||

When the wolf beside him began to choke and gag, D's eyes flickered towards him, though he made no move. He never even asked if Laeco was okay, or what was happening to him, because at this point, what was the point of pretending? He knew that no matter how he acted, he'd be pinned for this act, because... who else in this Pack would do this?

As expected, the canine was strangled to death as the poison asphyxiated him, slowly tightening his windpipe until air couldn't move and he was suffocated to death. All the while, D calmly bit into the rabbit at his paws, and when the canine had finally died, he rose slowly to his feet, glancing around as he heard the first persecution from a dog behind him.

Within five seconds, he was being threatened and closed in on by the other members of the pack, Keina included. Still he held a nonchalant, smirking gaze, mismatched eyes glittering knowingly.

Yes... now I might need to be just a little bit serious.

Suddenly, without warning, the air around them began to waver, causing a couple of the dogs to pause. The ground beneath them seemed to be shifting, melting away, as the trees swayed from side to side until they seemed to multiply... and multiple, vastly, until all the dogs seemed to standing in a large rainforest. The air was muggy - insects the size of one of their tails whizzed by. The ground beneath their paws was soft with water, and the sounds of tropical birdcall around them filled their ears. At this point most of them stopped, confused as they glanced around.

Kadaj was the first to snarl. "Don't think you can get away, Count. What is this - some kind of mind trick you're playing on us?"

D simply smiled, his expression decidedly sinister now. "Mind trick...? No, my dear Kadaj. This is no illusion. You are simply in my world now."

From behind him emerged a silken orange and black tiger, golden eyes glinting with hunger and bloodlust. It snaked past D, long tail quivering, claws glinting with the crimson of blood. Kadaj snarled and backed up, but to his shock, he saw similar tigers emerging from the dense foliage all around them. Some of the Pareil canines were beginning to panic, turning and trying to flee, only to be cornered by the massive felines. D alone remained unfazed, and he swished his tail, stepping backwards until he vanished into the shadows.

"And in this jungle... there can only be one king."

--

D watched as the canines remained transfixed, caught completely in the power of his illusionary magic. He had mastered that - his greatest trick - many years ago, and rarely ever used it. In fact, he hadn't never used it in the presence of the Pareil. Just as a magician never revealed its secrets, he didn't like to pull out his trump card unless necessary. But this was perfect. His illusions affected all five senses, and he watched as the dogs staggered in terror from the cats that, though they looked 100% authentic, could only draw illusionary blood.

Eventually someone would realize that as soon as they stopped being afraid, the pain would vanish. And the illusion for them would disappear. His magic all depended on the psyche and state of mind of others. It was they, not he, who made his magic work.

Turning, he ran into the underbrush, away from the camp, as fast as he could, leaving the Pareil canines in their own nightmare.

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Keina smirked. She was a bit surprised to suddenly find herself in this tropical world. The trees were greener, and the grass had turned into the mushy ground of a swamp. A huge orange-and-black striped cat prowled before them. She, too, was a bit intimidated, but if the tiger was real, why was it not attacking D? And, in fact, when she saw the Count leave, a tinge of blue had lighted the sky from the gap where he had left. Their world was just beyond the undergrowth. "No worries, my friends. Not even the greatest sibyl could accomplish this. It is an illusion. Calm yourselves now." Slowly the lush, green trees, the vivid-colored tiger disintegrated.

Keina's eyes narrowed. "Now . . . track him down. Capture him. I don't care if he's alive or dead when I see him - but we must have him now." The canines nodded, immediately tramping off after D. True, they were a bit scared, but they knew now that Keina was right. Only fear would make them weak, not D's power. Howls of the canines - mainly the coyotes - pierced the air as they followed Count D's scent trail. Soon the black fox came into their eyesight.

"Gettim!" A pure ivory fox screeched. Her dark eyes were narrowed maniacally. This, in fact, was Faloir. Many believed her to be insane. But she was unbelievably priceless. Faloir was a renowned tracker, fighter, and, most of all, she was a viewer. Although it was a very rare gift, and it only ran in the bloodlines of the arctic fox, to be a viewer meant that she could see things far away. So no matter where Count D went, they would practically be with him.

There was no chance of escape.

The canines surrounded him, teeth bared and fur bristling. "We ain't 'fraid o' you now, you damned sibyl," Faloir snarled, her blood-stained teeth glimmering dangerously in the night. Her eyes seemed to be pure, evil black as she glared at the black fox. "Your magic ain't very powerful at all. Naw, you can only fight with your pathetic illusions." A twisted smile curved her jaws. "Let's end this now."

ooc . would you mind if the pareil caught d now, or would you rather have him escape? i can pull the canines back any time. (x

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[Rai;;+]

ooc||

They can catch him now - why not? xDD I think Fallen may have been (hopefully) planning to make Orcot soon, so he can come into play here sometime. ^^;

bic||

Damn! How did they catch up so fast...? Though he had not been expecting his illusion to last long, he had hoped at least he'd put more of a distance between him and the Pareil before they caught him. Now, hearing the howls behind him, he knew they had seen him. Mismatched eyes flashed into the night of the forest as he raced over branches and through bushes in his attempt to escape.

He risked one glance behind him, and in that moment realized how they could have found him so quickly. The blinding white fur that seemed to illuminate the foliage around it... that was an arctic fox. Cursing silently under his breath, the Count turned back around, only to come to a complete stop.

"Don't make this too hard on yourself, D," Kadaj spoke as he stepped forward. "Come on, we're taking you back."

Flattening his ears slightly, D growled. His fur bristled out a bit, but before anyone could make another move, another canine had launched himself at the Count, jaws agape and snarling. D's eyes flickered to the side for a moment, and then he seemed to vanish.

The Count's speed had always been his greatest asset - in his Kingdom, his family had all been taught to make in this way, mastering a sort of unreal agility. Within a second he had turned around and launched himself at the fox that had lunged for him, expertly sinking his fangs deeply into the other dog's throat. A high-pitched yelp of pain filled the air as the dog wrenched itself from D's jaws and lay in the underbrush, thrashing and whining, blood pouring from his neck. He was not dead, but very severely wounded, and as D turned, his fangs dripped with blood. He was not at all fond of fighting directly - he hated it, in fact, but if that was what the situation called for...

"Enough of this," Kadaj snarled, and leaped forward.

D turned, but not quickly enough as the English Setter brought the butt end of his dagger down on the Count's skull hard enough to elicit a loud thunk, and the Count growled, but fell to the ground, unconscious.

Kadaj regarded him with narrowed eyes, and then jerked his snout towards two of the dogs who had come along. "Pick him up. Let's get back to camp."

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ooc. okay then. ooh, this is getting good! xP

bic .
Keina's eyes glimmered as she saw the canines carrying the limp form of Count D in their jaws. Faloir walked a few feet behind Kadaj. She was practically the same rank as him - a Commander, while he was a Chief. One other canine, a wolf named Taleo, was another Commander; Taleo walked beside Faloir, his russet and black-striped pelt ruffled after his run.

"Excellent job, all of you. Drop him with the rest of the sibyls, and continue your feast. You deserve it." Keina's chime-like voice pierced the air, full of happiness. They had finally gotten him - Count D! I don't think it was worth the trouble. Oh well, we have him now.

They kept the sibyls in the basement of their home building. It was practically impossible to escape - three dogs always guarded the outside, while the rest of the warriors slept just outside the doorway. There was no other way out except up. Not even sibyls could break through the ground, nor the floor. The basement was dark, and it often smelled of carrion. The white tiled floor was filthy and always cold on the paws. A perfect prison.

"Soon the real thing will begin," Keina growled to Kadaj. But where in the world was Sho? Perhaps he had taken a vacation of sorts. The unexpected little canine had done it before. Well, if he left again, she would just make Kadaj her mate. Keina and Kadaj. Their names went along well. Suddenly her mind swerved to a question: Would she ever have pups? She had not yet chosen a heir, and, if she ever had pups, it would surely be one of them.

Perhaps now is the time to think about that. I cannot live forever . . . Keina sighed, but let go of the thoughts. She would ponder later. Now was time for her real plans to begin. She beckoned to Faloir. "Faloir. Keep an eye on the sibyls - well, you don't really need to watch them. You know what I mean. I have the spies set up around the mothers, too. Now . . . I want you to send out a patrol of my strongest canines to gather an army. If they can't get the canines by persuasion, they must do it by force."

Keina rose her voice. "It is time for us to act, my allies, my friends. It is time for the Pareil to become what it was destined to be - the most powerful pack. This time no foolish gods will interrupt us. Soon we will have the Tsin, and domination. We will be the Pareil, not the weak, not the cruel, but the powerful. We will be the rulers of a new world - our world."

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[Rai;;+]

Kadaj nodded in response to Keina's words - he said nothing, but the glint in his eyes was enough. He wanted this - he wanted power, he wanted the revival of the Tsin and the restoration of the Pareil Pack. He had not been alive when it had fallen, but that didn't matter. He knew enough of the Pareil to want it all back. Just as Keina had said, once more the Pareil would rise and the other Packs would quiver beneath their power. That will show them... ignorant fools, thinking they have the right to do as they please to us simply because of their pathetic Thriene.

When the rest of the lower canines that had come back with them began to hobble towards the main building with D in their jaws, Kadaj frowned and sauntered up beside them. "Now then boys, let's move a little faster here. Don't want him waking up here, do we?"

A grumbled 'no sir' was his response, and he smiled slightly as they picked up the pace.

The creaking groan of a steel door was the last thing D heard of the Pareil.

---

D awoke sometime later, and the first thing he noticed was the lack of light and the steely, strange odor that filled his nose. He rose to his paws, only to find that he was trapped in some sort of large room with no exit in sight. He frowned - he should have expected this.

Well, there was nothing to be done now. He could not escape from here on his own.

His best bet, he figured, was to wait and see what the Pareil had in store for him. At least he had managed to take down two of their company during his brief stay here. Might as well make myself comfortable...

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