Chapter Text
A dragon once rambunctious with those he cared for now fallen silent, Troy watches from his shadows often the only things visible of him being his bright yellow eyes and the swirling mark of Shadow upon his sealed tomb. Few of his current clan members know of his existence due to his shadowy existence, and of those who do, not many choose to attempt a conversation with the Ridgeback. However, most those who do receive short muted response in return. Most being the key word. For a few - those few being Cole the Snapper who took him in as a son when he returned from his isolation, Tia his little sister who always seemed to make her way into his head, and Anna his mate even before the incident which stole away any pure feelings he might have had - may still draw conversation from him in the way it used to come should his mind not be so preoccupied by the wrongs of his past.
It had been a long day of silent watchfulness, and with a quiet sigh the large male pads off from his post towards his shared den. He knew sweet Anna would be waiting for him probably worry some wondering if today would be the day he would once more leave. He had promised her he would never leave her - or their clan - again, but at the same time he knew she was no fool. She saw right through the guarded eyes into the deepest part of him: into the swirling darkness of fear, and grief, and madness within.
Stepping through the entryway, he is immediately greeted with a quiet humming and the feeling of his mate’s hide and the white leather she wore brushing against his flank. With a light nuzzle himself he reassures her that his day was alright and it’s nice to be back in their shared den in her presence. He was looking forward to a quiet night with her curled up. He may not have been able to feel as he used to after the infection of his soul, but he knew that despite it all she was still dear to him and brought slight respite to his ever pained existence.
~*~
Many years of working for Reaper and learning the ways of Shadow had changed the young male into what many would consider a monster. The shadows of madness which swirled around him and his once bright yellow eyes now seemed almost violet as they stared down upon an encampment which his master Imperial had sent him to massacre; this encampment was standing in the way of their final goal - though even after all these years, he still hadn’t been trusted with that final goal.
A twisted smile split across his face as his claws dug new gouges into the soft earth. It wouldn’t take the large dragon long to reach the outskirts of the camp, and his favorite part was still that not even the most skilled of night guards would catch sight of his approach. The shadows around him grew thicker as he passed the first folds of the temporary abodes; however, those same shadows which before had been keeping extremely close to his large spine form now slithered just above the ground sneaking out their prey.
They would wrap gently around their forms before entering their dreams to scare them awake, but that would only be the beginning. Once their eyes opened in fright, the wispy shadows would silence their screams and make their dreams play out even before their waking eyes. The game would continue for a few moments in most cases until the darkness entered their bodies and sucked the very life force from their veins. Troy had come to love this method of combined torture and execution. In fact he reveled in it as their fear flooded his system in a sick and twisted symbiosis of their life draining and his being rejuvenating. Yet, at the same time the Ridgeback still hadn’t been able to give up the thrill of a truly physical kill, and so he left the main tent of the leaders for his own. He wanted to feel their blood on his claws and know for certain that his job had been done to the bottom of his soul itself.
Just outside the tent flaps, a deep breath of death tainted air flooded his lungs and a deep rumble left his lungs as a consequence. He burst through the door and everything went white.
~*~
Once more he awoke next to his mate with shame drowning his heart and shakes wracking his body. “Troy..?” Her soft voice seemed to call to him from across a huge canyon though he knew she was settled just beside him in the warmth of their nest. He had massacred a whole camp full of Ninjas and nearly murdered his sister as well as his mate. Heavy breaths filled the room for a few moments more before his tainted eyes met the bloody ones of his mate.
“I’m so sorry..” His hollowed voice breathed out, and the understanding was plain to see as it flooded Anna’s face. The young Imperial merely gave him a soft, loving smile before nuzzling against him gently in a silent sign of forgiveness: over the years she had learned that telling him of her forgiveness and how she had put it behind her would do nothing, but if she showed him kindness and the love she would always have for him through physical means, the night-terrors of relived memories would fade much faster.
His mate was beginning to fall asleep again as the memory is finishing its exit from his being. Tonight will be a long night of wakefulness, but perhaps it will be an atonement for a time so that he can sleep well beside his mate and give him what semblance of love that he can still manage on the morrow’s eve.