NOT A TYRANT

Chapter 18 | Her Sister

2022. 8 Years.

(Riot Roi)

How long has it been since she last saw him?

Heavy paws padded against the earth.

Her soul pulled her like a string in a specific direction. She chased the smell of rogues, but she felt there was a deeper motive for what she was doing. She was being told to do something- to protect something.

How many years had she spent alone? Fleeing? 

The stink of untreated wounds and puss filled her nose- flushing through her body with a familiar excitement. 

Sometimes, she found herself choosing not to think of it at all.

Her sharp white teeth tore into matted fur, tearing at flesh until it came off in bloody chunks. Wet tongue, dripping with blood, felt satiated with the crimson tears. She flung herself toward the next victim, her claws tearing through the wolf's stomach. 
Guts flew out, howls of agony making her roar with glee. She watched as a liver slammed against the side of a tree and rolled down it, creating a messy puddle of gore on the ground. Riot tore into the final wolf with grinning jaws, tearing out his throat until he was left with nothing.

Her heart pumped through her ears- beating heavily as her slaughter reached a standstill. She stood in the middle of a grassy clearing in the forest, blood dribbling down her stained white fur.

The distinct noise of a heartbeat broke her from her trance. Another one left?

She turned to pounce but was met with a human. 

Her eyes widened- pupils becoming smaller as her heart thundered in her chest. A young woman stood before her, one with long white hair and crystal blue eyes.

Blue eyes she has never forgotten. 

Riot could no longer hold the walls. Her dam broke like tinfoil, flooding memories of anguish and grief, lacing her mind like sorrowful venom. She found her legs shaking, paws barely sturdy enough to keep her standing.

"Athéna? Je peux jouer avec toi?"
[Athena? Can I play with you?]

She felt her heart shed tears.

"Tu es la meilleure des sœurs!"
[You're the best sister ever!]

Tears welled up in her eyes as grief took hold of her. 

"Je t'aime, Athena."
[I love you, Athena.]

The scared woman broke into a frantic sprint, her heels digging into the ground to throw herself away. All that was left were the shuffling of leaves and snapping of branches as Riot listened to her run away.
Her skin molded- fur shedding until she was left a large woman. But right now, Riot felt like a scared girl. She shrunk to the ground, on her knees, holding her face. Loud- wretched sobs escaped her like lonesome howls.

Her nails dug into the dirt, ripping up the grass. Riot sat in the middle of blood, guts, and corpses- which dug into her nose like knives.

Riot threw her head back and screamed, tears and snot rolling down her face in anguish.

The pain that coursed through her body was indescribable. Battle wounds were papercuts compared to this- she felt like teeth were gnashing at her flesh from the inside. She held her hands to her chest, gasping for air desperately between her hiccups and sobs. 

All Riot could wish for was for the pain to stop.

It hurt more to think about it- but she couldn't stop. Riot thought back to that last day she saw River. 

"Vous aimez?" The squeaky voice of her sister broke her thoughts.
[Do you like it?]

Athena grinned ear to ear. "Oui."
[Yes.]

River was overjoyed with her reaction. She presented some tiny fish to her elder sister before dumping them into the fake plastic pond.

"Please..." She sobbed, her chest raising rapidly as she held her head. The joyous voice of her little sister aimed to soothe her aching heart, but her grief and regret were a toll too great for River to please.

Riot sunk further to the ground. She pressed her forehead against the earth and shrunk- cradling herself with desperation.

Each memory brought her further pain. When she experienced these, they were full of love and joy, but now all she received was the loathing for it to stop.

"Je peux venir?" River asked innocently.
[Can I come?]

Athena sank into herself. Artio seemed disturbed, wanting to break the wavering thread of the silence. As the elder sister reached the door, she answered without fail.

"Non."
[No.]

An invisible caress soothed her head. 

Her eyes, full of tears, still ached against her head. A gentle whisper wormed its way into the forefront of her mind- calling out to her from the pit she had dug.

It shushed her like a caring mother. She curled up on the grass, uncovering her reddened face to stare off into the distance. She no longer thought of the heinous smell and painful memories- instead of what was in front of her.

The gentle voice was higher pitched than hers. It blew away her thoughts, whispering a gentle, sweet French lullaby.

She slowly closed her swollen eyes- eyelashes heavy with tears. She felt as if a gentle embrace held her against the earth. She was pulled out from the caves and onto the grass. Riot's heartbeat slowly began to steady itself.
When she opened her eyes- the lullaby had gone away. She felt like she was in control of her thoughts now. The aching pain was still present but wasn't as strong as before. Riot felt like she had control.

"Merci..." She whispered tentatively, "Artio."

"That wasn't me."

Her eyebrows shot up. How could it not have been her? The only voice in her mind that wasn't hers was Artio's. 

"It invaded our mind with ease." Artio muttered, "I found myself captivated."

Riot did, too. 

It was beautiful.