The Citadel of the Heart |IC|

[coltruple]

Rin took a few more moments to respect the fallen animal. He drug the canine away from the bank, and propped it against a tree out of sight. To this day his stomach still turned when he realized what he had done. He had no problem killing things, but the hollow place in his chest that seemed to grow larger after each heart stopped beating due to his hands. There was a screaming in the distance, and he became wary. Was there more than one predator out here that had leaped on an unsuspecting traveler? Before he could do further investigation, he noticed a young woman floating down the river. Obviously she was in a predicament. Rin thought about lending a hand, but before he could entertain it as more than a idea another being had jumped into the water. The second addition to his sight hastily ripped a fishing rod from her hands, and then proceeded to remove her from the raging river. The shirtless young adult contemplated trying to hide away from the two, but it seemed that the duo had heard his struggle as easily as he had tuned into their's.

The male half of the couple broke away and began walking towards Rin. To say the least, he panicked and put his hand on his sword. After years of fearing human touch, he was unsure of how to react. The guy seemed harmless enough, but Rin had enough experience to realize that appearances could be deceiving. "Hey... are.. are you okay?" The runaway didn't answer, instead unsheathing his sword. He had no way to know that this wasn't some scheme that these two were put up to by the mysterious boy who had been his captor. More importantly, he hadn't spoke in years and thus was unsure if his voice worked anymore. All he knew was he wasn't going back into captivity, no matter the cost. He would destroy every last human if that's what would keep him out of the dark and musty cell.

His sword was unsheathed, and a look of determination set in. Well come on then. Come get your ass kicked. Just like the wolf. He couldn't help his cockiness, and a smirk appeared across his face.

[Mishaggi]

The entire situation with the river had left her in a giggly daze. And seeing Karlin so concerned only made her find the situation all the more entertaining. She almost whispered to herself 'Well, I definitely can't fish' as she tired to regain a bearing of her surroundings. She was relieved that the awkward situation before had been avoided and she hoped that Karlin had forgotten about it since she would do the same. She couldn't risk losing him, and she was afraid of saying anything that might do just that.

Savannah was still wiping the dirt off when the snarls were heard. Her mood instantly changed and she was on high alert.
"Wait here." He'd said. To hell with that. She tried to stand but the mud was dragging her down. After a few failed attempts she regained her balance and trudged out of the mud, dripping and cold. But she didn't even notice it as she hurriedly wiped some excess mud off herself and proceeded to run after Karlin.

She stopped at the clearing a little behind him and stared with wide-eyed shock as a man stood shirtless near smears of blood and drag-marks. Questions flooded her head but she pushed them back as soon as she noticed the heated tension between the two. And when the man unsheathed his sword she instantly retaliated.
"Karlin!" she yelled in fear of his life. She ran forward and threw herself in front of him, standing square between the two men. She should have been scared, she had no idea what kind of guy this was or how he would react. He could have been the type to slice through both of them. But she wouldn't let Karlin stand out here and face him alone. He'd always been the one to protect her, it was time she did something for a change. She turned, her back towards Karlin and looked at the man dead in the eyes.
Savannah's face dropped. She saw in them anger, and determination, he was hostile and violent, but thats not all she saw. Underneath all that hatred and rage she saw a person, and that person was.. lost. She knew that he wouldn't hurt her. It was a stupid thought to assume, but somewhere inside he had the same beating heart that she did, and that humanity would save her. Naturally, she was drawn to him. She wanted to help him. He was scared, maybe not of them, but of something else, and he was acting on instinct. She searched his face, fascinated by the anger that he had. What kind of things must he have seen to have so much hatred? But she was distracted by a deep red liquid that oozed from his left arm. She focused on it and realized it was a gash. Had he been attacked?
"You're hurt" she said, it wasn't a question. Her voice broke the silent tension around them but she still remained cautious. She wouldn't run to help him. He was still wielding a blade. But she felt inclined to heal him, if he let her.

[dk123]

As the stranger slowly unsheathed his sword Karlin stepped back and looked aground for something, anything he could use to defend himself. Nothing?!. It wasn't until Savannah stepped between the two that his eyes narrowed and became more focused, his mind was a battleground of nervousness, fear and protectiveness . "Savannah..." He began, his voice was quivering. "Just run, I don't want you to..." His voice was lost, he was unable to utter that last word. 'Die'. A teardrop began to form in Karlin's eye and he took several steps forward, reaching down he tightly grasped a long branch that had fallen from the trees above, then he made his way to Savannah's side. "I won't let him hurt you." His eyes locked with those of the stranger, his face grew sturdy and focused and he had a look that said. 'You want her? You'll have to go through me!'

(Speedy post.)