[TW] Bite Marks and Blood Stains; Working Men Ahead [M]

[Albrecht]

...

In Mors, it does not matter how loud you scream, nobody will be around to hear you.  
If you are taken in the night with no one around to see, you will be lost forever. 


For Albrecht, this was ideal, he did not want anybody to know what he knew.  He did not want anybody to do what he did either.  Collecting bodies for his cartel was risky enough business as it was.  The money in it was too good, he'd kill his competition if he knew it was out there. Business was slow being a one man show - he didn't have eyes everywhere because he didn't want to put line the pockets of cheap crooks who'd crack easily under pressure.  Or be greedy.  Albrecht paid well if the job was done right, if it wasn't, well --


.. his last business partner found out the hard way when he tried to make a little money for himself on the side.


One scout was all he needed, stationed high in the disguised lookouts which one could spy both the popular and less-traveled passages to either get to Sand City (or around it, even).  He had chosen very carefully this time, someone seasoned with the work but new to the area.  Someone with little or no moral, too.  Someone who was virtually nameless to society.  Someone who might actually even enjoy the work.  Scouting lost souls in the sand required keen eyes, nose, ears, and taste - it took a psycho to determine what kind of horse was host to the wind that would blow the scout's way. 


It took a sick, sick man to know just what kind of a victim he'd have by tasting the air he breathed in around him. And Albrecht had been doing it alone for too long.


 
Most travelers made it successfully through the desert never knowing the type of dangers that might await them in the dark.  Most of them would never know how they were being sized up against Albrecht's supply list.  His clients were picky about their requests and Albrecht always strived to deliver the perfect package to them.  Finding bodies was one thing, preparing them for the market was another.  He wasn't sure which part he enjoyed more, the hunting or the conditioning.  Maybe it was both? 


Tonight he and one other set out to travel deep into no-man's land, some of the harshest terrain in Mors where there wasn't food or water for miles.  They did not speak to one another in any sort of casual way - most likely this cloaked figure beside Albrecht was primarily interested in the payout for delivery of whatever the dark horse wanted.  Mors opened up to a vast spans of rolling blue land (it was the dead of night, not a grain of sand stirred for miles and miles outward) -- and they were not alone.  But Albrecht already knew that, for he had spotted this fool out in the sand hours ago and was simply waiting for nightfall.  This one matched the criteria.


Albrecht paused in the sand, his breath besilvering the intimate space between he and the narrow black maw which listened intently.  


"You are certain that this was an appaloosa, grey and white, black and white hair," it wasn't a question it was more a confirmation that his hired hand was competent with the orders he had been given.

No facial markings, snowflake pattern, clean legs.  I spotted her two days ago in the canyon, doesn't look like anyone knows her - just another Jane Doe.  The contract replied.  Albrecht purred with delight, his molten gold eyes tracing over the list as they checked it one more time.  

"Take the dust, dose her quickly.  We'll drag her out once she's down.  There is a lot of money in this so be careful.   My client will not pay for damaged goods."  Albrecht then checked the rolled up tarp he had strapped onto his shoulders, they would have to haul their quarry back to the Compound like a pair of farm horses pulling a till.  Things like this were the only times that Albrecht had any burning urge to work - when the payout was too good to be true.


The two conspiring snakes in the sand parted, then.  Albrecht left and the contract right.  The tall black creature hoisted himself into the air on two impressively large and silent wings.  The jingle of his jewelry around his neck grew faint as he took to the air and disappeared up into the clouds rolling in for the night.  

ALBRECHT

this is what you came for. this is what you get

@Lauren Creative freedom on how to respond/who to respond with  P.S. I just want your attention

[Silas]

Although the sky had just grown dark, the desert in the night was cool. Almost too cool for his liking. It was a pleasant change from the heat of summer and the blistering sunlight, but with the extremes of the sandy landscape bringing the temperatures even lower.... A small shiver ran through him before his body remembered it was not that cold. He was surprised to see, then, that there was another wandering out in the evening. A young lady, spotted and pretty. She was a small distance off, not so far that he couldn't make her out, but not so close that he could strike up a conversation.

Not that he particularly cared to.

Voices nearby got his attention. They were soft, almost inaudible. Silas couldn't make out what they were saying, and only keen focus let him hear them at all. He twisted his head toward the noise, ears swiveling and straining to make out the words. It was no use: the conversation being had -- he could make out that there were two different voices, at least -- seemed intentionally soft and secretive, and he was simply too far away from them. The voices died and a soft whoosh in the air replaced them, then faded to nothingness.

His curiosity grew as the seconds ticked by. He thought he heard the sound of wings flying above him, and he turned his body, moving nearly as silently through the sand, trying to keep up with the figure somewhere in the clouded night sky above him. It was headed toward the girl who seemed so misplaced out in the desert alone. The dark figure materialized before him - not directly above, as Silas could not keep up with the mysterious figure by hoof alone.

The kirin stopped, breathing a little harder than normal - from exertion, from anticipation, from excitement. He couldn't see for sure what happened, but the winged creature dropped the poor appaloosa to the ground without her ever seeing what was coming. Dead, he didn't think so. The way she fell was more like weariness than death. Silas headed toward the pair, and he thought he heard footsteps behind him. He couldn't be sure... was it the other voice?

He ambushed the dark pegasus, slamming into him as his victim turned to meet the sudden noise. Snarls flew from Silas's mouth as he attacked the unsuspecting stallion. His victim wasn't helpless, though, and despite being knocked off balance, quickly recovered and met Silas head on. Silas was prepared though, the pegasus was not. There was a scuffle, and sand flew as the stallions fought in the darkness. It ended, however, almost as quickly as it started. Silas had the advantage of surprise, and the canines to assist in his victory.

Only a few minutes had passed, and now the pegasus lay next to the appaloosa. One dead, one still alive. It was only as he stood there catching his breath that he noticed a gold necklace around the corpse. He gently plucked it off with his teeth and the telekinetic magic that he'd only just started to appreciate. He placed it around his own neck, smearing blood both his own and foreign along his neck. He had a few cuts here and there in his pale hide, but he barely felt them. Silas turned away from the two bodies to face the one who he suspected had followed him.

A shit-eating grin spread across his face, scarlet-tinged canines glistening. "I hope you weren't too attached to him."

@Albrecht
Sorry it took so long. I think it was worth it though!