The wolf rose and stretched, tipping forward in a bow as he stretched his back, then pulling forward with his front legs to extend his hind paws upwards, then shaking his body in a tornado of black and grey fur. Agrinost padded over to the canvas and began sniffing at it, licking at particular spots. Being laid out, the material was 8 feet wide by 10 feet, the canvas material heavy and oiled and a dark green. There were spots on the canvas where it appeared darker liquid had been spilled, these were the areas at which the wolf lingered.
Done with his inspection, Agrinost walked over to the room's double-door entrance. Actually, the doors appeared to be braced open, giving the area an eerily inviting feel given the owner's nature. As before, the noise from the common room was muted by some form of warding.
Agrinost paused at the doorway, snout tilted upwards to sniff at the air. There was an anticipatory baring to the wolf.
"Well hello there, gnasher," one of the guards said at the table outside. Karthan couldn't see them, the table situated to the left side of the opening. But Agrinost lifted off his front paws a moment to catch a morsel flung to him. "Best cut of the lot, just like you like."
Almost dog-like, Agrinost shook his head, tail wagging in appreciation as he licked and swallowed the meat. The wolf moved towards the provider of food, front end of his body disappearing behind the wall, but his tail still visible and wagging. "No more, no more, you're welcome. Now I need a bath!" The guard laughed.
"He'll mount you yet, Eric." The other guard chided.
"Shut it."
Done with his visit, Agrinost returned to the room and positioned himself in front of the hearth, seated and facing the canvas. Whatever was going to happen, the wolf had a sense it be happening soon. Agrinost looked over to Karthan, head tilting to the side in query, golden eyes piercing into the elf’s.
Karthan placed a hand on the table to steady himself. He felt a bit torn, like being in two places at once and his bearings were off. He closed his eyes to clear his head…
…Karthan stands in a clearing, snow covering the ground, his breath misting in front of him. The wooded area around him is shrouded in an afternoon twilight, gray skies above him. In the midst of the clearing, he sees a mass of furry shapes writhing and jerking, snarling coming from them.
Wolves…Karthan feels compelled to step into the clearing, to step closer to the mass of wolves as they snarled and nipped at each other…they were feeding.
As he steps closer, one of the wolves raises his head and looks directly at Karthan…it’s Agrinost.
“Come, Young Stalker on the Ridge. Will you not feed?”
Agrinost bites and challenges another wolf to move aside, giving room for Karthan. On the ground, the elf sees the eviscerated body of Weiss, dead eyes staring up into grey skies...
Karthan opened his eyes, finding himself in Sebastian’s parlor, the elf still standing at the table, the Rook still looking through the books on the shelf, Agrinost still looking at him in silent inquiry. Had no time passed?
