Hunger drove Nikolai like a whip to mutt, each stinging lash goading him into dragging the weight of the sled, of his aching body forward. His stomach growled and groaned tirelessly, a beast within the bars of a ribcage demanding to be sustained. And the silk-voiced parasite nestling in his brain where a bullet once tunneled continued to whisper savagely, reminding him of the consequences if he were to disobey the instructions to passively observe. But it hurt. Hurt more than the butt of a rifle against his jaw, more than the bitter cold freezing his hands until he could not flex his fingers without the skin of his knuckles splitting at the seam.

    Cravings consumed his waking thought that afternoon, distracting from the heat sticking miserably to his tundra coat and the frustration swelling with every confused look when he spoke. The wolverine grit his teeth, scraping at the earth with broad paws, searching for anything to devour and sate his demanding gut. Worms and grubs were abundant in the exotic humidity, yet did nothing for the ever-present nagging. He needed flesh, he needed blood. Hunting would not be an option -- the horseman still stumbled over his new four-legged gait. Huffing to himself, he scoured the land for any sitting duck or carrion, saliva dripping from scarred lips in anticipation and wetting the inside of his gas mask.

    The scent of decay wafting from a cavern's mouth caught his attention, his nose flaring as he lifted the bottom of his mask up just enough to snag a breath. Dark paws echoed as he delved into its depths without a second thought, the whip snapping back and forth in his mind. Nikolai paused in the entrance to what seemed to be the main cave, tapping bear-like claws against the stone in thought. With a single glance through tinted lenses, the space appeared to be decorated as though it were a homely room -- someone lived here. But nosing through another's personal life was not why he stepped past the natural doorway.

    A blanket poorly concealed the source of rot and crusted gore; he hastily yanked the cloth away, praising his luck upon revealing the stack of primate bodies yet to be buried or cremated. He reached around to unfasten the bottom straps of his gas mask, allowing it to be lifted once more and rested on his forehead. Seizing one by the unmoving leg and dragging it forth, he nestled it between his paws, nibbling away a patch of fur before he plunged in. Nikolai made quick work of the corpse, tearing muscles from bone and organs from viscera. Everything provided substance. Everything would be devoured. Eyeballs were an interesting texture, popping in his jaws like an egg he mercilessly slurped down. The cardiac tissue proved to be tough as always, gritty with work as ventricles caught in the gaps of sharp teeth. He paused for only a moment to probe a particularly stubborn shred of heart stuck between molars. Intestines, stomach, kidneys, liver, lungs -- he snapped a rib to suck the marrow, holding the bone akin to a straw as he worked to free it of stored fat. With his meal stripped clean, he moved to its head, gripping the bare skull between his jaws and crushing until a crack sounded and grey matter peeked at the outside world. The horseman once wondered if consuming the brain of another would add to his intelligence; now deemed to be a wive's tale, he only thought of protein and fat as he gagged down the smarts of another creature. The rest of the heap disappeared in a similar fashion, soon nothing but gnawed skeletons remaining.

    And yet the whip persisted. Muzzle stained with gore, he turned to the unexplored portion of the room, blinking at the sudden movement behind wire grating. Cages..? Scowling at the wickedness of the cave inhabitant, he approached cautiously, nipping through the rope knot of one before nosing the gate open. Within an instant, just as the creature inside lurched to escape past him, he clamped jaws down on its smaller body, tightening even as he heard bone crunch and blood spurt. Its life fluttered stubbornly even as the horseman shredded into its flank, wrenching free tissue to hork down in front of it. The remains joined the bones at the entrance when there was no more to consume. The second was released, cowering after witnessing the demise of its brother -- he pinned it against the grating, dispatching it by gripping its shrieking head in his mouth and jerking to the side.

    Finally satisfied, he slipped the askew gas mask in place over his bloodied muzzle and fastened the lower straps, smearing his crimson paws across the stone flooring as he glanced around. Nothing else interested him, except for... Nikolai raised a hand-turned-paw to his concealed cheek, brushing against the mask's valve as he studied the reflection copying his movements. Surreally, mockingly, the reflection turned its head this way and that, puffing up its chest before hunching. His intact brow pinched upwards, his nose crinkling as his breath hitched. The mask stared back, a glimpse of a grey eye widening behind the glassy plane. What was he doing? What even was he anymore?

    No answer was whispered into his ear this time. Only footsteps and another hungry soul traversing down the hallway.