There's no saving me.
I've become a shell of the man I was. Only time will tell if I'm strong enough.

Oh how Harley tried to push his buttons, her words little more then some failed effort to goad the feline into action and yet, the cat remained as still as a chiseled Greek God statue, staring at her with intensely vibrant irises. He watched as she pressed her assault and yet, the panther was hardly perturbed as she strove to place him into a corner. It was hardly her efforts to force him that finally prompted some movement in the Were-King, though he was certain she would view it as a victory as he rose to all four paws. His tail flicked behind him at the thought, though Tetradore failed to voice even a syllable as he descended from the tree branch with remarkable fluidity. The moment his paws silently found the earth, the emerald of his gaze turned upwards and towards the newly turned cat. His ears twitched at the nearly audible groan that left her ebony jaws, even if it was far more of a feline-like yowl then any human breath. The contempt within the depth of her purple irises was altogether visible as she stretched out upon the branch. Her claws dug deeply into the bark beneath her, leaving marks in the wood as she engrained the tree with her scent. The very action was nothing short of possessive and yet, it was the indication of the woman giving into her feline nature that truly pleased the stoic Alpha.

He watched as she maneuvered with care down a makeshift staircase, utilizing the branches to aid in her descent though they would soon fail her too before a leap was once again required of her. He waited until she found the end to her temporary stairwell, those purple eyes left staring at the daunting distance between the slender branch she stood on and the firmness of the forest floor. His vector's aversion to that final jump was all but evident within her hesitation, prompting the Alpha to reduce himself to the same taunting that had worked so flawlessly thus far. There were some things he could count on Harley finding irresistible - her reckless determination to best him was one of them. Without even the slightest word of warning, the ebony panther's one still frame surged into action. He bounded into the undergrowth, his abrupt disappearance near forcing movement from his vector as she landed upon the ground with a heavy thud. At the very least, however, he could be certain she was following. Harley, after all, lacked the same...poise and grace that so afflicted Tetradore's every movement. He could hear her crashing through the undergrowth behind him, just as he could feel that connection that bound them.

It was that which he so relied upon as he raced through the southern forest that surrounded Sacrosanct. Tetradore was careful to remain just out of her reach, his speed transitioning based upon her distance and the difficulty she had with the terrain he took her through. He made every effort to appear as if he truly was exhausting all of his capabilities, all the while he kept astute attention upon that connection to ensure he never once lost her. It was a precarious dance he weaved, one done just for Harley's benefit alone as the pair vaulted one after another over boulders and rocks, on top of and under fallen trees and around the bushes and foliage that made up the vast depth of the forest. Although his species was hardly made for endurance running, Tetradore surely had the advantage in this. From a young age, his feline had been honed to become the very apex of his kind. His figure was the epitome of muscular, the man far more capable than most to simply endure through the exhaustion that afflicted him in the way that most failed to. In some ways, he was a shining example of what his mistress' hardened hands could create - though he thought little of it as he simply ran through the forest, pushing his own vector to her very limits.

Her defeat was, admittedly, inevitable. Tetradore knew she would tire before him though she had certainly pushed through far longer then he had anticipated. He could feel the distance between them expand as she deviated from the course he had set, the man stopping abruptly in his race. His breath was heavy, his sides visibly shifting with each exhale. A slight sheen of sweat covered his tone figure and yet, he was hardly at his limit. Not yet. Nevertheless, the ebony feline turned in his path, his footfalls near silent as he sluggishly trailed back towards where he knew Harley now rested. For sometime Tetradore was content to languidly meander towards the young woman, as if providing her some moment to see to her needs without him. Eventually, however, his ebony form slank through the foliage, his ears twitching at the sound of the rushing river and the water that even his body so craved.

Tetradore was hardly surprised by the glare he was given at his arrival and yet, he provided the grumble of the voice in his head and the flash of ivories with only a brief glance. His attention, rather, was entirely steadfast upon the flowing water before him as he approached the bank of the river. Her inquiry of his 'deal' the only one that prompted a response from him, even if Tetradore hardly deviated from his own efforts to lap the water of the bubbling brook. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Harley.". And truly, he didn't. As far as Tetradore was concerned, the Were-King was doing his best to provide the woman the skills she would need to survive in the hellish club they would both inevitably be dragged to. It was that almost pensive question, however, that eventually caused his gaze to rise as his emerald irises turned towards him. The panther's head tilted to the side ever so slightly. Was it not obvious? Perhaps not. Perhaps it hadn't mattered to her. "I thought it would be the easiest place for you to hide...if you should want to." He answered softly, only for the Were-King to meander slowly past her. "Come on, we're done for tonight. I'll take you home." It was, after all, the very least he could do. They were far enough away from the city that walking back tonight on her four, clearly tired paws would be a cruel punishment, even for him.

This is my last goodbye