The balmy feeling of sweat on the back of his hands was making his hands too warm. Leo ran them over his shirt. His fingers were trembling slightly, with the ecstatic euphoria he'd just experienced. His eyes focused on the stone brick pathway, all the little criss-crossing cracks and, and the red pooling into them, outlining his path in red...

His shirt clung to his skin where the blood had stained it, and he couldn't move. His thoughts were a jumbled mess, but he couldn't shake off the high. His breath came raggedly, as he caught it with each exhale.

Leo's eyes tingled with pain, but he batted it aside. Slowly, they focused on the limb lying in front of him, from which the blood was gushing out into the stony pathway. As he saw it, he took in a sharp breath. His eyes drifted closer to himself.

He met two cold brown eyes.

Two dead eyes.

The face had no color, no life, and Leo's hands wouldn't stop shaking. His mind slowly brought itself out of its foggy state, and warning bells rang out in his brain. Stringy, limp brown hair, pale skin, bloodless lips parted, and the one arm attached spread out as though in search for a last-ditch rescue, a small woman – corpse – was lying on the road, at his feet.

From her chest, a dark cavity was formed. Torn flesh, broken bone, and blood ... so much blood.

He had killed her. Leo brought his hands up to his face, as the impending consequences slowly bore down on him. But as his hands touched his face, a sticky liquid stuck to them. Leo brought his hands back, feeling dry blood on his face being freshened by his fingerprints.

Leo covered his mouth with his hand, almost nauseous. But this wasn't nausea ... His shoulders dropped forwards, and his body shook.

He was laughing.

The rawness of his voice, the rough, chaotic texture to the sound of laughter, the sweat on his forehead, the blood on the body.

Leo threw back his head, and took flight into the air. As the effects of the kill wore off, he surged energy into his wings, pushing himself further up the turrets of the stormy winds airing in to Avisa. The Wendigos must've been having a field day.

He tried to catch a gust to glide over, but none were that controllable, and he was quickly finding it to be a mistake. He needed to get up. Struggling to maintain a sense of balance as the winds pushed him up and down, Leo pushed upwards again.

He flapped his raven-like wings up into the air, straining to get out. A gust caught him off guard from the east. Leo cried out as he shifted and began to fall.

Panic began to settle in; He couldn't fall – not again. Leo was paralyzed as he dropped like a stone towards the ground.

Monster. Monster. Monster. Monster monster monster monster monste-

A steady stream of lilting whispers drifted through his mind. Leo crashed through the clouds, and he could see his wings in front of him, of no use.

Falling. Falling falling falling falling

Leo closed his eyes in acceptance, awaiting the brutal healing time he'd face after a fall like this. As he had no breath to catch, Leo let go.

"Are you fucking insane?!" His eyes snapped open at the sound of Red's voice. "Wha-?" The rush of air stopped suddenly, the sudden lack of pressure like a punch to the gut. He'd been caught. Leo looked down, at a glowing mass of blindingly gold energy, squinting. It made his eyes water.

He was drifting to the ground. He landed on his feet, dazed and confused. Her eyes flashing, Red grabbed his collar. "Where have you been?! Two days, just disappearing...holy Hell, Leo, you could've been in Oblivion!" Two days? It couldn't've have been. "What . . . do you mean?" Leo asked, shaking his head in an effort to sharpen his senses again.

His gaze skimmed over the empty street, eerily gothic with its lamps flickering slightly, golden light washing over the bricks and old-fashioned buildings. "You disappeared, Leo! No one knew where you were...if Zerces hadn't been able to track down your hunting signature to that woman..." Leo saw Zerces golden hair shine in the lamp's light, but it was his hard stare that Leo felt boring into his soul. Leo narrowed his eyes slightly. "My hunting signature...I see." She studied him carefully. "What happened to you, you asshole?" Red sounded more exasperated than annoyed. "I...I don't know." Leo answered, refusing to meet her eyes. "Two days?" Sighing, he looked up at her. "I'll need to catch up on work." Red glared at him. "You think of work at a time like this?" Leo didn't answer, he tried to get an idea of where he was. "Z?" Zerces inclined his head slightly to the side. "Thanks." Leo said carefully, unfurling his wings. "Don't try to fly right now. The Wendigos are twisting up a storm, remember?" Red pointed out. "Right..." Leo nodded, blinking. "...how are we supposed to get back?" She rolled her eyes. "We walk."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Zerces and Leo walked next to one another. The past half hour had been a silent, uncomfortable one. Red walked ahead of them, obviously familiar with the streets. She knew the city. Leo was somewhat surprised he didn't know that.

Leo's mind was racing. He hadn't Hunted Humans in a while, and the rush was making him think faster, act quicker, be better. Leo was residing deep in his own thoughts. Images of Kelsio, deFleur, and the woman he'd Hunted came to him. Kelsio's mysterious tattoo...a symbol he'd have to track down...

"We're at the main road. If you wanna go anywhere, tell me now." Leo nodded. "Where would deFleur be?" Red shrugged. "Gone. Oblivion." Leo nodded, disappointed. However he looked up suddenly. "Marketh." Red looked curious. Leo remembered Elisabeth Von Marketh. Pale blue eyes, stormy grey azure, dark skin, and wild curled hair,, all made and done to make her look noble and higher than everyone else.

The soul...

"Red, where's Ryn?"

*~*~*~*~*~*

Leo found himself on Dante Avenue yet again, the second time in a month. Confusing. He knocked the Witch Doctor's door, but it did not open this time. Leo exchanged a glance with Red, before knocking again. After several minutes, he gritted his teeth and pushed against it.

The door fell in.

"It looks like an Archangel ran a massacre through here..." Zerces muttered as they stepped inside. Leo couldn't help but agree. Scaffolding from the walls had fallen on the floor, scratches in the dry walls indicating a fight, and more than half of the stairs a heap of splintered wood. Most of all, however, there was a trace of a prescence Leo had not sensed in a long time. "Ryn." He breathed out.

Red ran through the hall, the only sound in the creeping silence of her thudding boots. Leo slowly walked through the hall. It was wrecked beyond repair, and if it wasn't Ryn's handiwork, it was no one's. Leo knew it... "It's his." Red said grimly.

Zerces looked between Leo and Red. "I'm sorry, who's Ryn?" He was skimming the room, trying to figure out who could wreck so much. "Ryn's my Demon pup." Zerces nodded slowly. "Right. So, you didn't think raising a Demon pup would cause problems?" Red's eyes flashed like fire. "Shut up." She snapped. Leo studied the presence's trail carefully. They needed to get out of here, and after Ryn. If he was in full Demon mode, and was not the cute little talking Schnauzer...there would be problems.

Steps from above cause the bickering two to silence, and Leo inclined his head upwards.

Angel.

The steps were getting closer, sounding nearer and nearer to the stairs – or what remained of them. Silently, the three masked their Auras and slinked back, away from the view of the stairs.

Elisabeth walked down to the last step of the stairs, a coy smile on her face. "Little naïve Leo. I know you're there." Jaw clenching, Leo walked away from the other two. "Ah, there you are." She skimmed over him. "Oh, you seem much more serious than the last time I saw you. What is wrong?" She asked sweetly. "You know full well what's wrong. Where's the Witch Doctor?" Marketh frowned. "He's...indisposed of, at the moment." Leo matched her frown. "I see." He said stiffly.

Marketh pouted at him. In a fluid movement, she jumped down from the stairs, landing lightly on her feet and pivoting gently to face him. Silver runes curled on her cheek, standing out against her skin. Her curled hair bounced as she moved.

"Come on, darling! Don't be a bore." She said gently. Her finger traced his cheek, but Leo pulled away. "Where's Ryn?" He asked steadily.

She sighed. "What do you care?" Her voice was disappointed, like a child who didn't get their candy. "Aren't you supposed to be an Angel? The amount of death and destruction that will follow Ryn is against your code, isn't it?" Elisabeth smiled smugly. "Oh, please. I expected better from you. I collect souls, remember? This'll be fun for me."

"And they say I'm the bad one." Leo said under his breath. "Elisabeth, if you don't tell me where Ryn i-"She was standing incredibly close to him. "Or what? You'll hurt me?" Leo smirked. "Not at all. I'm going to kill you." He said lightly. She chuckled lightly. "Kill me? If you even try, a thousand Angels will be biting at your heels in ten seconds." So she didn't know. This made things much easier. Leo's smirk widened. "So they didn't tell you."

Elisabeh twitched her eyebrow, her eyes betraying her suspicious curiosity. "Tell me what?" Leo stepped forwards, their noses almost touching. He watched her carefully. "I'm on call for the Angels, sweetheart. Now tell me where Ryn is, or face your fellows...and their wrath." Leo said smugly. He wasn't much of a gloater, but it was worth it for the reaction.

Marketh's dainty features were stormy with anger. "Too late. He's already reached the Wendigo slums." Her gaze fell from his eyes. "Slums?" He said quietly. "Slums." She replied, her answer fierce and powerful. Her nails grazed his neck gently, and Leo looked down. "Oops. Your collar was crooked." She said, an equally smug smirk playing on her lips. He narrowed his eyes. "Leave before I tear your wings out." She laughed, her hand still on his shirt. Elisabeth balled it up in her fist, and tugged him towards her. Leo frowned, her breath tickling his ear. "You won't last long, Leo. Run." Marketh's voice was ominous, yet as she pulled back and balanced on the balls of her feet, her expression remained the dark playful one it had been before. "Angels aren't my type, sunshine." Leo replied, tilting his head and nodding ever so slightly.

"Right." Elisabeth's knowing look made Leo uncomfortable. Curly hair flying, Marketh slowly dissipated, until she was no longer there.

"Is she gone?" Zerces called out. "Yeah. Ryn, the Wendigos' streets." He nodded, pulling Red up from the small crouching spot they'd been hiding in. Red had a very small smirk on her face. If Leo didn't know her better, he'd have thought it was a smile.

This was one of the times she reminded him of a fox.

"So...Angel, hm?" She asked, as Leo turned and began to lead the way. "She collected DeFleur's soul. Seems more Demon then Angel." Red chuckled at that, making Leo give her a curious glance as he pushed the door open. "What?" She pressed her lips into a smile. "Nothing."

Leo shrugged, letting go of the door and breaking into a quick jog. "We might want to hurry." He explained sarcastically. Zerces shot him a look, and Leo was caught off guard. He still wasn't used to Z's return. They began to run, Zerces the more athletic and leading, with Red navigating and Leo struggling to keep up. "Flying so much stealthier..." He said between shot breaths. "...and less sweaty..."

Their feet thudded against the pavement in repeated thumps. The deserted Avisian streets were peaceful in their midnight allure, and perfect for Demonic drama. There were often fights, but the winds were stormy tonight. Stormier than ever before. In the century Leo had spent in Avisa, the Wendigos had never gotten so riled up.

He knew it didn't bode well.

"Through there and then turn right!" Red yelled over the roar of the wind. Zerces nodded, ducking under a low-cut overpass bridge, Leo following suit. As they ran against the wind, Leo's mind absently wandered to the distant memory of swimming in the lake as a child.

His father always told him to swim against the current. Something metaphorical for life.

It certainly felt the same at the moment. Leo's legs had begun to burn a bit, and he knew he'd be sticking to wing transport from now on. This running thing was way too much effort, way too much time-wasting.

"Elmere d'Artagnan has a side alley, go there!" Red yelled yet again, and Zerces shifted their path yet again. Anyone passing by would've thought them lunatics, running against the wind, yelling and shouting and sweating. As they slid into the small side alley, they ran in single file, a wondrous feat considering Leo was slower than Zerces, faster than Red, and stuck last.

The wind was beginning to deafen his ears, and Leo promised to learn how to fly through winds. This simply wouldn't do.

Zerces stopped, sticking to the side so that Red could lead them through the maze of back alleys to get to the Wendigos. Although Leo knew how to get there, he stuck to the skies, and it was frankly easy to spot Mynth's metal radio tower. Here, you could see nothing through the buildings and clouds.

A subtle sense of claustrophobia had begun to settle in when they finally emerged from the labyrinth into open space. "Holy Hell." Leo whispered, too shocked to mask anything.

The radio tower stood high, the only steady thing in the scene in front of him. Dark, black clouds were swirling into the eye of the storm – the radio signal.

So this was it.

A hulking wolf stood, at least fifty feet high up, shoots of fur transforming to smoke at the ends, like a hurricane. Purple, clouded eyes and slitted pupils. "Oh no." Red murmured, spotting it at last.The wind pressure was horrible here. As the Wendigos battled with the Demon pup, each strike, each hit ricocheting against the wind gusts like a dragon's breath.

Leo skimmed through the various fighting blurs. He saw Mynth in the thick of it, still not healed, and felt a pang of remorse. If the leader of the Wendigos continued as was, she wouldn't last in the fight. Mainly because of him.

As he watched, Leo tensed as he spotted an all-too-familiar figure fighting.

Shadow was here. Eyebrows furrowed, Leo scanned the scene again. Azrel. The masked woman. Several other powerful mages, Wolf-Men, and more creatures were dwelling, watching.

All the powerful creatures were here.

All the power players.

"Red, we need to calm him down somehow." Leo said, turning to Ryn's owner, who looked pained. "There's no way. Once he transforms..." She blinked rapidly. "All we can do is try to get as many away." Leo nodded. No time to protest for the love of morals – especially nonexistent ones. He knew he wouldn't be able to fly through this, considering his wings hadn't managed so far away, Leo doubted they'd be any good at a time like this, in a place like this.

He ran into the din, not looking back for Zerces or Red. They could handle themselves. Leo could've sworn he heard Marketh's light chuckle as he passed by a few battles. Pushing past Monsters aiming for kill-shots, dodging swords, spears, Auras and magic, Leo spotted a Wendigo with an air of authority to him. He was fighting with a shadow Demon – and losing. Leo ran towards him, ducking under a lunging Angel and creating a mass amount of energy. Leo aimed, tensing in preparation.

He visualized himself leaping, as his legs touched off, powerfully punching through the shadow. As Leo made contact, it immediately began to dissipate. Quickly, he clenched the energy around it, smoothly burying it into the ground. "Why?" The Wendigo asked suspiciously. Ever so pleasant, these Wendigos. "Get as many out. Quick." Leo ordered. The Wendigo understood the intensity to Leo's words. Or something or other, because he nodded curtly and ran off.

Leo continued running, without an actual direction. He stopped when the area around him was suddenly empty of roars or cries. It was Miss Lillette. "Ah, you're always in the thick of things, aren't you Mr. Malvent?" She asked, a serene smile on her mask lips. "It comes with the job." He replied, shrugging. "What are you doing here? And why aren't you guys interfering?" She sighed. "It's not that simple."

"So what? Letting them be slaughtered is?" Leo asked, mildly annoyed with the Angelic personality type.

Lillette didn't answer.

"Oh, I see. If they're not Angels, why bother?" Leo continued. Lillette met his eyes. "I'm sorry, but that's not why I'm here. Something big is coming. You have to catch this killer. Fast. No more dilly-dallying and picking fights, hear me?" Leo frowned. "Why the sudden rush?" Lillette tapped her gloved fingers against her palms, her hands together. "We only have four weeks."

"Until?" She looked up, her mask mouth twitching with annoyance. "No until, Leo! We have four weeks to stop it, or it's Armageddon on Earth." The finality of her words, her tone, and everything crashed down. "End end? Like Apocalypse, Doomsday, all that?" She nodded. "I need you to stop worrying about your friends. Get going, or I'll hire someone who can do the work." Friends? Leo didn't have friends. There was Red, but he still couldn't tell her about this. Her side-job as an info broker made sharing secrets a tad more troubling. "I don't have friends." She smiled again, but this was a frosty smile. There was too much cunning in it for that smile to be genuine. "Great. Then me dropping you off at the morgue won't bother you at all, right?" Leo narrowed his eyes. "The Wendigos might be wiped out."

She pushed him back. "We might all be wiped out! Look at the bigger picture, please! There's no time for small matters like this. You need to focus on solving this, right here and now." Leo closed his eyes, counting to ten. When he opened them again, he sighed. "Fine. Four weeks, killer, or Deathday. No pressure, but okay."

She nodded. "Good. Oh, because of your...distracted habits...I've put an Angel to keep up with you. You're to report to them, anything and everything. They will go with you everywhere and anywhere." Leo laughed. "I don't need a babysitter."

"Yeah, yeah you do."