Distant echoes of tortured cries rang in Voltrick's ears, barely waking him from his forced slumber. A terrible, moldy stench filled his nostrils; waking him enough to realize his arms were raised upward and shackled.

Heavy eyes opened to barely see. The area was barely lit by scattered torches throughout the stone walls. Rust covered bars stood before him and strangely enough, the wall wasn't against his back. The beast hung from long chains at the center of the large cell, Voltrick only assumed it was because he was still in his beast form and too large for a normal cell.

The long chains suspending him to the ceiling appeared to be led into a hole in the stone. After further inspection, Voltrick saw an all too familiar looking lever that would loosen or tighten the chains.

As Voltrick's head throbbed from being hit by the soldier, the pain only made him more alert. Becoming more alert only made panic begin to grow rapidly within him.

He was in the dungeon! The one place he wished never too see ever again! They were going to torture him again, break him down until he's completely lost his mind! No! He wouldn't let them win, He cant be tortured again!

A sharp, beastly growl escaped before Voltrick began pulling on his chains. First pulling on both, then using both arms on one chain. But no matter how hard he pulled, the chain refused to break nor the shackle allowing his taloned hand free.

After several failed attempts to break the chain, Voltrick quickly changed back into his normal form; hoping the change would shrink his hands enough to pull them through the shackles.

When the transformation completed, he grit his teeth and pulled his hand back as hard as his weakened state allowed. The chains nor his wrists within the shackles budged. A sharp growl loudly escaped as Voltrick's arms shook, muscles straining.

After a long, failed attempt to free himself, Voltrick released an infuriated yell before finally relaxing his arms. The one thing he was glad of was the fact that the arrows were all taken out of him. The wounds had healed, but his body still ached from the sheer amount that had struck him.

A long time passed until the dungeon doors creaked open by a guard, holding it as a figure walked inside. Afterward, the doors closed with a loud clink, signifying the dungeon locked. The man walked in the dark corridor past the empty cells until finally reaching the only inhabited one.

With a small turn and the light off the torches, the man revealed himself as the familiar superior of the Ministry's forces.

"Barging in the way you did...and you didn't suspect yourself to be locked up in here?" Fyren asked, tilting his head curiously with a hint of an honest smile. Purple eyes rose to the chains holding Voltrick up to the ceiling, lowering a brow at it. "That seems uncomfortable. Let me help you--" he said, turning to the lever behind him. Pressing his palm down, the lever gave way, the chains holding Voltrick suddenly loosening their hold.

Voltrick's attention became instantly alerted to the dungeon door opening and someone coming inside. Even though Voltrick didn't see him at first, Fyren's scent was perfectly clear. This made Voltrick's entire form stiffen in anger and fists clenched above his head.

When Fyren's face was finally seen, Voltrick gave a quiet growl with a snarl. Fyren was obviously down here to mock him. It was enough that Voltrick failed and was locked up in here again... about to be tortured endlessly until he completely loses his mind. Now Fyren was here... Voltrick growled again... with that ridiculous smile of his.

The moment the chains loosened, Voltrick charged forward and desperately reached for the bars. The chains abruptly halted him just before the gate. He growled loudly as he continued to pull forward; reaching as hard as he could for Fyren.

Ending his growl sharply, Voltrick stopped his pull on the chains and stood glaring toward Fyren.

Fyren only watched in mild amusement as Voltrick tried his luck against the chains. "What point would the holdings have if they could break so easily?" he smirked as Voltrick subdued. Coming back to stand before the cell gates, Fyren held his hands behind his back, peering through the bars at the man on the other side.

He stood like that for a long while, a thin frown on his features as the older man's eyes hung in deep thought. The silence was heavy within the enclosed dungeon as the two enemies stared at one another either in hating or in sheer fascination of the scenario.

"It's been a long time..." Fyren began slowly, "I have been giving some thought to all of this...and what you've said earlier had...confused me, in a way."

He paused only to see whether Voltrick would interrupt. As the tiger remained silent, Fyren continued, "You said, in assumption, that I had always wanted you dead. Is that really what you think?"

Voltrick's snarl grew with his growl. "Why else would you be doing all this?!" The tiger snapped. "You've destroyed EVERYTHING in my life, why not destroy me and rid yourself of your brother's killer?!" Voltrick's anger continue to grow as Fyren toyed with him... and that's what he was doing. Why would he be down here then?! Get your enemy riled up before sending in the soldiers and 'surgeons' to do their job. It makes it more fun for HIM!

Fyren frowned to the response, feeling even disappointed by it. It was strange the way he was feeling. Never before would he have even considered showing any empathy with the tiger. Could it be when he had linked with Aidan's mind? Surely Aidan had seen Damian and knew the emotions from that. Fyren had never come across another with his mental abilities. Educated predictions were all he could do in answering causes. But he had raked his mind over that plenty of times.

Voltrick was here now.

"I've taken everything, have I?" Fyren replied with a slight slyness in his tone. "Are you sure about that? Entering Hart's mind, I saw quite a bit." Fyren stepped closer to the cell, even placing a hand around a bar as his face leaned near. "What would he think if you died? And you even asked to die! How about that?! Don't you think that would make him sad? But no. I know you. Your decisions are only made at the moment. No considerations for your surroundings or with others." A pause.

"...No. I can't kill you that way. Not when you ask to die."

Voltrick gave a sharp growl through grit teeth before pulling forward. This time, allowing his hands to fall back to allow his snarling face to get closer to the bars. "Stay away from him! You've hurt him enough, he has done NOTHING to you!" The tiger snapped before a few deep breaths were taken. "I came here FOR him! To stop YOU from hurting him further. If I have to die to keep him safe, I'll gladly take it!"

At that, Fyren smiled broadly through the cell bars, narrowing his eyes hawkishly at Voltrick.

"Such noble words! That's much better. Let's have more of that coming from you. But tell me, Voltrick. I'm interested..." Fyren's maw pressed against the cell bars as he came even nearer, a thin grin planted on his features. "With your friendship with him now...so strong as it is," he added with a light sneer, "I wonder how you'd react...seeing him beaten until he can hardly breathe, can't see out of blood shot eyes as he begs like a whimpering cub. Wouldn't that be nice? You haven't lost everything yet, Voltrick, and I'm here to make sure of that. I'll make you regret ever connecting yourself with him just to save you the wretched sight."

By now, both of Fyren's hands clutched the cell bars as brows lowered in a narrowed, hateful glare, the previous smile now becoming a disdainful glower. His knuckles whited around the bars in his grip.

"I'll destroy him in front of your eyes until you feel sick. Until you can't bear to watch anymore."

As Fyren spoke, removing his smile and growing more and more dispiteful as he spoke about Aidan and what he'd do to him, Voltrick's rage grew uncontrollably.

The more Fyren spoke, the more he threatened and revealed what he planned to do, the more Voltrick was unable to control the growing fury that boiled within him. His shoulders and body tensed up until his muscles shook with strain. His head lowered along with his brow, but kept his infuriated gaze on the one person Voltrick hated above all others.

"No, you wont." Voltrick's voice growled, barely in his normal tone.

A thin smile couldn't help but stretch across one side of Fyren's face as he kept his stare on Voltrick.

"It riles you up so much doesn't it? Imagining the things I'll do to him. Oh, Voltrick...if only you could envision it the way I do. He'll beg...scream to end his life. All the tortures he had gone through in the past won't surmount to what I will personally have in store for him." he continued, seeing how far he could take Voltrick.

Voltrick's breaths quickened, almost burdening; the air escaping through grit teeth. Why did these bars, these chains have to be between him and Fyren?! Why, when everything boiled within his raged engulfed body, must he be stopped to only glare at Fyren when he's threatened to hurt Aidan.

Aidan doesn't deserve to be some kind of pawn against Voltrick, he doesn't deserve to be tortured endlessly because Fyren feels its another way to get at Voltrick. He deserves to be left alone, to be happy! Voltrick may deserve a tormented fate, but not Aidan.

But Fyren had to make things worse for him. To torture his mind and use him to get to Voltrick. Fyren tortured Aidan and still is, he's destroyed everything in Voltrick's life, even murdering Vincent! Yet, when Voltrick is mere inches away from him, he only threatens to hurt his friend. Fyren wanted to hurt Voltrick, why not hurt him directly?!

"What do you want from me?!" Voltrick suddenly shouted, his rage fueling his every breath as his body trembled against the shackles. "I'm here, now, right in front of you! If you want to hurt me so badly, why just stand there?! Aidan has done nothing!! He's done nothing against you or anyone else!" Voltrick only paused to pant heavily, his features finally wincing as panic for Aidan rose within him. "I killed Damian! I killed your brother! I deserve the same fate!!"

"You don't deserve anything!" Fyren suddenly shouted, silencing Voltrick. "I will be the one deciding your fate and Aidan Hart will be a part of it! Damian was the only one I ever cared about in this forsaken life, and so help me, I'll take everyone close to you."

After a moment, Fyren pulled back from the bars gently as a strange smile grew on his face at a thought. "You know...it isn't as though I'm going out to hunt for him. He's coming here." another pause, "...to get you..."

Voltrick's form tensed as Fyren silenced him; trembling muscles shaking as anger began to fill him again. But before he could retaliate, Fyren continued. ..Saying what Voltrick feared and thought he was fighting against. 'I will be the one deciding your fate and Aidan hart will be a part of it!

Fyren continued, stressing how much his brother meant to him. And since Voltrick took that away from him, Fyren was going to take everything away from Voltrick.

Voltrick's grit teeth slowly parted with burdened breaths escaping. Saddened features slowly crept onto his face, lowering his gaze through winced eyes. No matter how hard Voltrick fought or how far he ran, Fyren would always win. All Voltrick wanted was to be free of him and to save Aidan and Gordan from him, but everything Voltrick wanted... everything he did was in vain.

Fyren would always stop him and take everything Voltrick cared about. Too bad it took this long for the tiger to realize it. He could have all the strength in the world, killing every soldier in his way, but it still wouldn't be enough. Fyren's vengeance will never be suited or his wrath swayed... He'll always win. And now Aidan will have to suffer more because of Voltrick's crime.

After Fyren spoke again, giving another ridiculous smile, Voltrick's heavy gaze slowly raised. A defeated gaze fell upon Fyren as he listened to what the cat said. But when he mentioned Aidan, Voltrick's brow raised quickly as sorrow burdened his breath.

"No..." Voltrick said in nearly a whisper. If Aidan was coming for Voltrick, that would only give Fyren the chance to capture him. Capture him and torture him in front of Voltrick like Fyren said he would. Just to get at Voltrick, to take everything away from him and torture every part of him.

A shakey hand raised to cover Voltrick's face; desperately trying to hide his growing sorrow from Fyren. Aidan... Don't come for me. I deserve to be in here for failing my entire life and hurting everyone because of the choice I made as a child. ...Don't let him torture you because of me.