Beast

@/Actor made this beautiful art



Assassination day-
Beast dashed through the undergrowth, trying to remain hidden at all costs. This was it. The assasination that could make or break the future of the kingdom.
The top secret intel that he needed was kept somewhere with a dangerous ridgeback, whom the king had called Orpheus. And Orpheus certainly wouldn’t go down without a fight.
Unless he was killed before he could even know what was going on.
Beast continued on, thankfully unnoticed, until he came to a halt. There it was. He thought. The outpost. Orpheus should be there.
Looking around to make sure nobody was there, he crept forward behind the bushes. Peering into Orpheus’s outpost, he began to investigate from afar. There were a few guards near the door, and on the top of the towers. Beast didn’t see Orpheus, but maybe he was inside.
Beast started to creep closer to the outpost, getting as near as he could without getting spotted. He was near the entrance of the keep, and a guard was right next to him, with another one a few meters away.
The guard looked behind himself. Right in Beast’s direction. For a moment, Beast thought he would be spotted.
Thankfully, this guard started talking instead of calling for assistance. “Hey, Ara, it’s your shift now. I’m done standing over here. Nobody’s going to come by.”
Ara groaned. “Fine. I’ll be right there.” She started a slow trudge to the door.
Should’ve hired better guards, Orpheus. You miscalculated. Without a moment to lose, Beast crept through the door. There were no guards on the first floor of this tower, luckily.
There were three towers of the outpost, though. Orpheus could be in any one of them.
Beast’s thoughts were interrupted by a noise. Footsteps. There was nowhere to hide. A singular guard walked down the stairs. A ridgeback. Orpheus. What was he going to do? Kill him right then and there? But he would be overpowered. All Beast could do right now was run. He dashed outside of the keep, taking off into the sky with a leap. He thought he made it out, but a call came from behind him.
“Hey! Orpheus! Someone’s there!” Ara said, scowling.
Orpheus glared. “Which way did they go?”
Ara pointed in Beast’s direction, though thankfully he was out of her line of sight. “That way, I think. Be careful.”
Orpheus nodded. “Thanks, Ara.”
Beast was flying away as fast as he could, but Orpheus still caught up to him. Beast was trained for stealth combat, and even though he could hold his own in a fight, he supposed he was no match for this Ridgeback, twice his size.
Orpheus growled. “I’ll crush you like the bug that you are. There’s no point in running.”
Beast was always analyzing. Monologuing. Typical for someone like him. He holds a high opinion for himself, overestimates himself. Something I can exploit. And that satchel on his back? Probably holds the files. No more time to think, though.
Without saying a word, Beast began to fly all around Orpheus’s head, a blur of pure speed and fury. Orpheus called him a bug? Fine. Beast would act like one, then. He kept looking for an opening to get to the satchel as the ridgeback kept swatting at him, and finally found one. Tackling Orpheus down, Beast dived, plunging to the ground with the ridgeback‘s neck in his grasp.
“Give me the info, and we’ll both go home unbloodied.” Beast said, as Orpheus struggled.
Orpheus spat. “I- I will never surrender to a weakling like you. You’re insignificant, and I have many more dragons waiting. If I give them the command, they’ll all go after you, and-“
Beast laughed. “And what? How will you command them if you’re dead?” He now had a claw on Orpheus’s neck, ready to kill at a moment’s notice.
“You wouldn’t.” Said Orpheus.
“Are you crazy? Of course I would.” Beast said.
Orpheus finally seemed to realise his arguments were futile, but still kept talking. “Then take the scrolls off my dead body.” He gave one final struggle before Beast slit his throat, the life draining out of what was once a proud Ridgeback. It may have been unpleasant, but it was Beast’s job. A job he would continue to do until he died.