[Kitsumi]

At first, Volkhard worried that they had waited too long to ask for his help. The trail had gone cold by the time the search parties had given up, and there were very few traces remaining of the prisoner. But 'very few' traces were better than none at all. The Executioner's well-trained eye was able to pick out small signs here and there, tiny breadcrumbs that were showing him the direction in which he should go.

The further he travelled, the clearer and more frequent these signs became. "I've got you," the werecain growled to himself, a feral grin upon his face.

[Jedi]

He held up his hand, speaking to his scarab once more. "I need to get home, little bug. Do you think you can help me find the way?" The beetle, seeming to understand the question, started turning clockwise on his palm. "That way?" he asked, to which the insect nodded his head. "But I'll have to cross the river, and it looks pretty dangerous." It nodded once more. "Okay, but it looks rough." He stood up and began trudging through the water, feeling it get deeper and deeper. Pretty soon, the water was well past his chest and Menes began to swim through it. It was difficult, and at times it seemed like the river was pulling him more than he was actually crossing it. Eventually, he did make it through to the other side, though a slight bit south of where he had started in the river. Not only that, it was now beginning to get dark, the sky turning a bright orange where the sun kissed the skyline.

[Kitsumi]

The prisoner was likely weak from having spent years imprisoned. This was something that would give Volkhard the advantage. He could already tell that he was gaining on the man. In fact, if he were judging the signs correctly, the werecain was practically right behind him.

Coming to the edge of a swift river, he paused. For a moment, he thought he could see a figure moving on the other side. But with the sun in his eyes, it was difficult to tell.

"No way it could be that easy," he mumbled to himself.

[Jedi]

When Menes scrambled onto shore, he found himself gasping for air. Going for a swim in this condition was not the best idea. He began coughing up a bit of water as he tried to stand up. When he'd finally collected himself, he looked behind him to see a werecain just emerging from the forest. This wasn't good. They've found him.

He took off as fast as he could, though his soaking wet clothes were clinging to his body. Before long, his joints were starting to rub together and chafe. He felt like this chase was never going to end.

[Kitsumi]

The noises coming from the steady stream of water in front of him made it difficult for Volkhard to hear anything. But he was fairly sure that the figure he had seen across the river was moving. He was closing in on his prey.

Fighting the current wasn't too difficult in his werecain form. He was one of the stronger members of his tribe, and it showed in the ease with which he crossed. Barely pausing to shake the excess water from his fur, he took off at a sprint, knowing that he would soon catch up to the prisoner.

[Jedi]

Decades of imprisonment, hours of running, and now chaffing joints, were piling up on Menes. His body was failing him, and he found his sluggish form betraying him. The werecain was practically on him when his legs gave out. He collapsed, mid-run, tumbling in a painful series of hurdles.

Although it felt like he'd been crashing for a couple minutes, it had only been a handful of pain-wracked seconds. He clawed at the ground, fighting to find the strength to continue. But his strength was gone. He was unable to run any longer.

When the werecain was upon him, he turned to the captor and pleaded. "Please, I just need to see her. She's dying and it's all my fault. I just need to see her and I'll come quietly after." His eyes were practically flooding with fresh tears.

[Kitsumi]

It wasn't much of a catch, honestly. As Volkhard finally neared the escapee, the man collapsed, tumbling forwards. The sound of bones cracking accompanied the werecain's transformation back into a human, enabling him to more easily communicate with the other male.

"Just stay down," he said, putting his foot on the man's chest and applying just enough pressure to keep him still without causing any excessive pain. "You and I both know that you don't have the strength to fight this."

Eyes narrowing, he frowned. "Look buddy, I don't care if you want to see your old girlfriend or whatever. You're our prisoner, and you haven't served your sentence yet."

[Jedi]

Unable to speak, barely able to breath, he fought to find any ability to speak. His lips moved, moving violently as if screaming. Nothing escaped his throat, as he could move his chest with the boot pinning him.

When he realized he couldn't get air to speak, the man also realized he couldn't get air to breath. He pushed and fought over and over, trying to remove the other mans foot. He gasped and choked trying to escape.

When the other man, the tracker werecain, finished, he pushed with all his strength enough to get a breath. He pulled a large, violent gust of wind into his lung, then found himself turning over and emptying his stomach. With nothing but water and acid in his stomach, the ground stank of running bile. "Mother," he said in a raspy voice barely audible. "My mother is dying. I need to see her. I need to make sure she's okay."

[Kitsumi]

Shit, he hadn't meant to step on the guy quite that hard. When he realized that the man was practically turning blue, Volkhard eased up and gave him some space. His face took on a disgusted expression when the prisoner vomited, and the Executioner stepped back a bit to avoid getting any of the vile liquid on himself.

Nothing about him softened when he heard the man's plea. His eyes remained cold, his stance menacing. Anyone watching him would have believed that he didn't care at all about the prisoner's request.

They would be wrong.

"Where is she," he asked in a gruff voice. "Your mother, I mean. Do you know where she is?"

[Jedi]

He continued to cough and dry-heave, his body trying to get a hold of itself. He was falling apart, physically and emotionally. His face was painted in saliva and tears, which had been escaping his eyes from the abrupt pain he still felt pounding in his chest.

When he heard the words of the werecain, he froze in shock. He didn't expect anyone to even consider his plea. "I..." he started, but then had to speak before trying to recall. "I don't know." It had been thirty years since he'd been locked up, and visitors were not something the werecain captors would likely have approved. "We come from a land far from here. In the desert to the east. Wilt'no." He continued to cough up spittle and wiped dirt and grass stains from his face.

[Kitsumi]

Volkhard heaved a heavy sigh, rolling his eyes. "What were you planning on doing, then? Walking the entire way there? It's not like you have any money or anything of value to trade for passage to this 'far from here' land."

For several moments he fell silent, thoughtful. If the man's mother had been nearby, it would have been much easier to grant him this one request. But travelling across country with an escaped prisoner that he had promised to return within two days... that seemed like the sort of thing that could get him into trouble. A lot of trouble.

[Jedi]

His hope of seeing his mother was dwindling. If he didn't convince the man, he was sure he'd never get the chance again.

"I'll give you everything I have." He threw the words out without even realizing what he was saying. "My mother, if she's dying, will surely leave me all in her possession. I'm an only child, and my father died when I was young. I'm sure I'd be the only inheritor. If you let me see her, you can have it."

He couldn't be sure that his mother even had anything to leave him. It had been two or three decades after all. And his mother wasn't rich when he was home.

[Kitsumi]

Fixing a stern eye on the escaped prisoner, Volkhard sighed. "I have a feeling that you're exaggerating exactly what you'll be able to give me... but hey, a payday's a payday."

In one swift motion, he reached down and grabbed the man's shirt, pulling him up to his feet. "Come on then. First things first, we need to get a camp set up. You're not going to be able to go much further tonight, I think."