I'm Loosing My Soul

Pushing me to the edge of my decline

The roar of the boisterous crowd filled the Alpha's ears as he leaned against the ropes that circumferenced the Ark's notorious fighting ring. The ships' patrons pressed in on the enclosure, granting that precious bit of space to the Western King alone. The emerald of his vibrant irises astutely watched the spotted leopard in front of him, his Beta having all but ridden the striped okapi before dragging the much larger animal to the matted floor of the ring. The feline's teeth near gleamed in the bright lights overhead as the creature beneath him near flailed in an effort to get itself upright. Already Jackal had begun the countdown, those shouted numbers only provoking the frenzy of the crowd around him. A small simper tugged at the very corners of Tetradore's lips, the man entirely certain that his Beta had this match and within seconds the final number was shouted and the fight officially ended. With the fight over, a fair share of their patrons abandoned their posts on the side of the ring, keen to collect their earnings made from their bets from Raven - the woman often determined in her efforts to assist Jackal with managing the slightly less than legal manner in which the Ark made its fair share of income. After all, the 'house' was delighted to take it's cut on each of those bets, even if Tobias was not particularly profitable. The leopard's impeccable record was all but guaranteeing a safe bet and thus, resulting in few willing to gamble against him.

Tetradore's attention, however, hardly lingered upon his shifting Beta nor the curly-haired woman and her dutiful handling of carefully flattened dollar bills. Tonight, after all, was a uniquely special night. There were few evenings within the Ark when the entirety of the pack was present - particularly when the moon did not hang full within the night sky. That in itself, Tetradore was sure, was something to be treasured. He watched as his newest Vector, Harley, ducked beneath those ropes, dragging the now shifted, naked man that had been the okapi towards the rooms dedicated to seeing to those wounded fighters. The grimace on her face spoke volumes of her discontent and yet, it was better than the pouting she'd previously done while glaring down at the Alpha from his throned balcony overhead. Putting the argumentative woman to work was often the only way to involve her in the pack she clearly abhorred. One day, perhaps, she might find someplace amongst them. In the meantime, however, placing her with Alexis had proven...fruitful. The naive woman easily seemed to roll with Harley's sometimes abrupt nature - and her capabilities for healing had, in turn, proved nothing short of helpful for nights such as these too, even though Tetradore knew her dislike for the fights.

The Were-King's gaze turned from the were-fox as she healed the okapi, the man instead glancing towards the equally as bustling bar on the far side of the ship's hull. Effortlessly, he could pick out the blonde locks of Carolina - the snow leopard nothing short of efficient in her job, even though she was still hesitating to officially join their ranks. She seemed to dance effortlessly between the bar height tables, placing down drinks and bar food with ease. The emerald of Tetradore's eyes turned, finally, towards the bar itself. Both Henry and Mira manned the strikingly well-stocked bar. Despite the Alpha's often reserved, hand's off nature, it was good to see his other vector out of his bedroom. The bar, it seemed, a satisfactory distraction from the woes that Tetradore knew still afflicted him. Henry, in turn, had proven to be nothing if not surprisingly amazing at crafting those mixed drinks, even if he was less than willing to engage their patrons in conversation. Finally, there was Mira. His Mira. Tetradore's head tilted ever so slightly to the side as he watched the sway of her hips with each movement behind the bar, the warm smile upon her lips entirely alluring, even if that grin was not presently for him.

A soft sigh left the Alpha's lips as his emerald irises turned back towards the ring, the man watching as the next two fighters entered. The very last thing he had anticipated, as the two men sized each other up in preparation for their shift, however, was the loud resounding 'BOOM' that abruptly echoed throughout the ship. The Ark from the sheer impact, sending glasses falling off tables to the floor with a clatter. Immediately, the once carefree environment shifted to an eery, unsettled silence. Tetradore was painfully aware of the weight of those eyes turning towards him, the patrons of the Ark clearly looking to him for some indication on what that sound meant. His brows furrowed as his gaze scanned the hull of his ship, though even he was unsure of what he was looking for. The cargo ship creaked loudly, the sounds seeming to echo in the depths of the metal boat before, slowly, the ship began to lean. It was hardly noticeable, at first, that slight shift in Tetradore's stance alone indicative of the slight shift in the boat's usual steadiness. Suddenly, the lights within the Ark dimmed, red emergency lights suddenly flashing as an alarm echoed through the boat. That...definitely wasn't good.

The King of the Damned