Ouroboros Spine uivigginattuk ⋬

If he ever had the power, he would make sure Adrastus would suffer for taking this away from him. Raimo had never had this before — the position, the respect from his fellow hunters, the attention of a good woman. He had gained all of this, he thought, as a reward for hard work and just as he obtained it, it was taken by this rival. Raimo did not think of himself as a person who held grudges but this story he had built around himself, that he gathered from Moonglow, had changed him. Brought pieces out of him he did not know existed. A possessive quality; a lust for everything that a true hero deserved.

There would be time for him to rise again. The next time he did, Adrastus would fall. Raimo pledged to himself that he would succeed no matter how long it took, or what he must do. It was not only his own role in the story that was under threat — but Kukutux', and any future they might have together.

So when she spoke, he listened until her voice broke. Then he sullenly turned and prowled from her side, choosing not to linger where he was not wanted. In time he would find his way back to her.