The beast fell under the masked man's twin blades. Its cry was stifled by the tear in its throat, and it made only a gurgle as blood bubbled forth. Fallen and forgotten in a copse of trees, the body was the latest in a sanguine trail carving its way to the western coast.

	Augustus flicked his blades clean and returned them to their sheathes at either side of his belt buckle. He let out a muffled breath into the cool autumn air, calming his aching muscles to stillness and dousing the fire of the hunt. He knelt on the corpse and used a clean patch of its clothing to clean the blood from his mask. [i]I am making considerable progress.[/i]

	Soon, he would be free of his duty. His cure was nearing completion, slowly but surely. The endless stream of blood would soon be over, and he would free mankind from their sins. [i]And for this I am thankful.[/i] Yet, he still needed more samples. Day after day, it was more samples, more killing. Augustus entered the trees, quiet as death, hidden eyes searching the sea of autumn for another target.

	He spotted nothing for a time. No movement, nor even a sign of life. Then he saw the tracks. Small, hurried tracks, the tiny shoes of a child. They moved toward where he was only minutes before. [i]I must have missed the child during the last hunt. But is it man, or creature?[/i] Augustus had found his next mark.

	The shadowed man turned to follow when the sound of scraping rock echoed from somewhere near the road. Augustus spun, flying through the woods with a phantom's speed. He stopped near the edge of the woodlands when he saw another victim of the plague, a beast in a boy's skin shuffling towards a set of boulders curiously formed into the shape of wings. Augustus raised his blades, poised to strike, eyes locked onto the glare of the beast's spectacles.

	Augustus' vision flashed crimson and an exploding pain in his head nearly caused him to reel.

[i][center]***[/center][/i]

	"...the Rose Plague, they're..."

	[i]...who are you?[/i]

	"...won't leave you..."

	[i]Stop it.[/i]

	"...I'll figure this..."

	[i]BEGONE![/i]

[i][center]***[/center][/i]

	Augustus shook his head, glancing back up. A boy, barely an adult, moved towards the winged stones. The masked man narrowed his eyes, studying the boy's skin. He did not seem to show signs of infection. Yet, his eyes seemed panicked, somehow.

	Then, Augustus knew. [i]The child. He is looking for the child.[/i] The notion was reminiscent to him, and he found himself wanting to help. But he could not risk a direct confrontation. Not yet.

	Augustus stepped forward, standing at the edge of the trees' shade. Arms at his side, he simply stood, watching the boy. Before long, the boy's gaze met his, and their eyes locked firmly. Augustus stood for a moment longer, then faded back into the woods. [i]Follow me, child.[/i]

[@XxLyraxX]