Haunted Wood I can't help that I'm so selfish.

He is free in about 10 days, hehehe.

In the weeks since being discarded in the pit, Revui had learned very little of his captors. Or rather, he thought what he learned was limited; he knew of the general number of wolves and their ages, their prowess. He knew of the leadership vaguely - but could not recall with clarity ever meeting the master behind the curtain. If he had, perhaps the poppies lacing his meals saw to obliterating the memory. He knew when the wolves took to their patrols (based on who visited him or the strength of the nearest scents); similarly, he knew when they were too busy to tend to the wolves in the pit.

It was these moments he waited for. Patient beyond all reason, beyond what came naturally to Revui anyway, he waited until the wolves were distracted and began his work. If he wasn't busy training (terrorizing) @Orochi then he was pacing along the edge of the pit. It wasn't enough to work up his pulse but it did work his legs, and with his hind limb nearly mended he was trying to keep the muscle tone somewhat even.

This was strenuous work in the tight space. Revui could do a few laps before his leg ached too greatly, most of the time. Lately the wolves of the forest were keeping close to the pit though; perhaps due to the infrequent hunts, the lack of prey, the difficulty of keeping their own energy levels high -- they did not stay away for long enough periods now, so his self improvement window was getting smaller and smaller as the days began to shorten.

Today Revui was basking in a thin patch of sunlight, seeking warmth. His limb remained propped on a pile of rocks behind himself, soaking in the rays. He feigned difficulty whenever he sensed one of his captors near, playing up the damage to his limb to give the impression his healing was going slowly, an imitation of suffering. Perhaps if someone came to visit him for extra treatment he could get his teeth around their throat.

Black Hat was busy as ever these past few weeks, giving him little time to linger by the pit. When he did stop by for a visit, his stay was typically brief. He kept to the shadows, masking his presence to the best of his ability to view the captives' conditions in truth. But he never saw anything that sparked alarm or even suspicion, so he worried little about a jailbreak anytime soon.

Going in with this lax mindset, the overseer stepped into the light. His goal today was to gauge their demeanors towards him, particularly the larger one. He wondered if the man held onto his resolve throughout the weeks of abuse, of starvation and deprivation. Or had he finally broken? Black Hat perched on the edge of the pit and peered down at them disdainfully, beginning his little test on the lowest setting. The man was splayed rather comfortably in the sunlight, all things considered. Was he so filled with rage towards the one who crippled him that his mere presence would elicit fury, or would he remain apathetic?

Something stirred out of his view. He thought to rise, or give the struggled feigning of such, just as the visitor made themselves known over the ledge of the pit. Revui pointedly ignored them as long as he could but the scent of Black Hat was too strong; he knew precisely where he was and the fact he loomed there, watching and waiting, did have an effect on Revui. He tried to stay where he was for as long as possible... But in the end the presence of the wolf moved him to some emotional degree, and thus caused him to rise. He didn't think to stagger his steps immediately and easily handled his weight - but then remembered, through the haze of his loathing for the man, that he should keep up the act.

With a fake wince and a slight hitch to his hip connected to his "broken" leg, Revui swaggered across the dirt. When he got closer to the edge where Black Hat stood watching he made a show of trying to lift his injured leg further and further, and let out a hot stream of urine directly below. Afterward the patch of dampened soil appeared to steam in the cold. Revui sighed as he placed his leg back down and took a few steps away, still silent, and kicked the dirt as if to mark it, tossing dry sand across the ruddy brown of the wet patch. He wondered how the man would feel about the sharp scent wafting obnoxiously up to where he watched - and flashed him a brief hateful glare.

At first, it appeared the man cared not about his appearance, or he was at least too drained to be arsed to move. Black Hat was in no rush though, he allowed several minutes to tick by while he sat still as a statue. His subject was nigh just as motionless. He was just about to rise and turn things up a notch when he saw the man stir and get to his feet. There was something off about the ease of which he accomplished that task. Then, only solidifying his suspicion, the nitwit realized his mistake and shifted his weight where it would have been were his leg still as injured as initially expected.

Though left with only one good eye, it remained razor-sharp. Observant as always, he saw right through the captive's ploy. How he tried to play it up as if so woefully pained by his definitely-still-broken leg elicited a laughing fit very much directed at him. How rich, thinking I'm half as stupid as you! You're quite the actor, dear captive, but there's no point in keeping up the facade. Save your precious energy, Black Hat ridiculed.

As he ran his mouth, the man lifted his leg in a dramatic display and... pissed right in front of him. Even worse than the despicable display was the stench he wafted his way. That roused him to stand with a disgusted wrinkle of his nose, but he was no fool; Black Hat knew the captive aimed to draw him down into the pit and tear him apart while he had his guard down. An admirable scheme, but the execution was crude.

He'd learned a lot of crucial information from this brief visit, and that satisfied him despite how the captive got under his skin. As much as I'd love to come play with you, I don't have the time. He idly kicked a rock aimed right for his head. I'd ask if you're plotting your escape in the near future, but you've already made that clear. Black Hat turned away, but before taking his leave, he peered over his shoulder to give a parting message:

We'll be waiting.