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Purifying an entire land would require much more effort than dismantling a barbaric fence. The third horseman observed with curiosity from a distance as the same large black cat who shouted nonsense began to tackle the gruesome chore. He had never seen the border before -- at least, not while in his right mind.
His expression darkened as the spiked wall brought to light old memories bottled far beneath the gas mask he wore. A crude muzzle of barbed wire, the collar of his threadbare shirt yanked, choking him, the sting of iron as the manmade thorns raked his face. A tongue dared to swipe over now shredded lips, cringing at the ragged grooves. Cruelty extended beyond man. Or was sadism simply nature? Primal, predatory nature. The instinct to hunt, to kill, to eat. It ran deep within the blood of every living being.
He hated it.
Yet heavy paws still splayed themselves across the sand, no longer mindful of the burning heat against broad pads. The scent of rotten meat drifted toward him, curling a finger and beckoning the boy. Nikolai obeyed; he always obeyed. Glancing to Kydobi, his feathery tail wagged slightly, the harsh glare of the sun obscuring whatever emotion his single eye displayed through a tinted lens. "Приві," he greeted, voice hoarse from disuse and thirst. With nothing better to say, the wolverine reared onto his back legs, mimicking the big cat and shoving down a sharpened pole. He was just as eager to destroy the barrier and not only because of the abundant meals pierced by it.
His expression darkened as the spiked wall brought to light old memories bottled far beneath the gas mask he wore. A crude muzzle of barbed wire, the collar of his threadbare shirt yanked, choking him, the sting of iron as the manmade thorns raked his face. A tongue dared to swipe over now shredded lips, cringing at the ragged grooves. Cruelty extended beyond man. Or was sadism simply nature? Primal, predatory nature. The instinct to hunt, to kill, to eat. It ran deep within the blood of every living being.
He hated it.
Yet heavy paws still splayed themselves across the sand, no longer mindful of the burning heat against broad pads. The scent of rotten meat drifted toward him, curling a finger and beckoning the boy. Nikolai obeyed; he always obeyed. Glancing to Kydobi, his feathery tail wagged slightly, the harsh glare of the sun obscuring whatever emotion his single eye displayed through a tinted lens. "Приві," he greeted, voice hoarse from disuse and thirst. With nothing better to say, the wolverine reared onto his back legs, mimicking the big cat and shoving down a sharpened pole. He was just as eager to destroy the barrier and not only because of the abundant meals pierced by it.