I never understood how a person could be so angry to let the urge to hurt someone rule over their every actions. I never knew that the term 'blind rage' could be literal. 

My flight speed was much greater than the running speed of the kidnapper, so it was easy to track her down, especially when I could smell Iña in close proximity. 

I dive bomb in front of them, my landing leaving craters in the ground. I growl out dangerously, wanting to attack but unwilling to accidentally hurt Iña.

I hear the girl, who is impressively holding the chubby woman up over her shoulder. Then again, I've seen these people haul around hundred pound weapons like they were nothing. Well, SOME of the people. Questions for later. 

"Drop her." I say, my hoarse, raspy voice having not healed yet.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I have orders." She says back, her face a marvelous stoic depiction. I gotta admit, she's got balls. Won't save her, though. Shame, she's kinda pretty. 

I get into a low position, ready to attack. She does the same, an odd-looking achievement for her cargo. But as I lunge, she throws something down at the floor, smoke exploding and shrouding the area, prompting to track her by scene again. Imagine my enraged confusion when all I smell is wet earth and insects. 

I've seen some hunters use smoke bombs before, whenever any monster becomes too much for them to handle. 

I flap my wings, dispersing the smoke but roar when I find that she's gone. Another scent brings my attention over to the forest in the distance, Markos is riding a Jagras towards me, but I'm in no mood to entertain him. I take off into the air, my wings spraying the blood and gore from my feeding frenzy around, and I take to the air. 

I'm searching, now. They couldn't have gotten far, and every moment that I'm denied my Iña is another moment that I'm getting more and more pissed. 

I lock onto their scents again and make my way to them, only for the woman to aim her slinger at me and shoot a barrage of blades at me. My muscles seize up, and prevent me from moving, even as I see her running off. 

"What's your plan, bitch?! Bring her to Astera, catch a boat back to the Old World and suddenly you're a hero?!" I scream, my voice causing the ground to rumble and the trees to shake. As soon as the paralysis wears off I take to the air again, following their trail once more. This time, I'm done with the games. There aren't any ways that I know of to and from the two continents that I know of, except through Astera, so I fly ahead of them, landing hard on the docks of the hunter's base.

My blood soaked presence has caused a panic, several of the hunters drawing their weapons while the researchers and civilians escape to higher ground, unwilling to be swept up into a potential battle. The old timer with the longsword who ruined my meal a while ago steps up, as does the Commander, but I pay neither of them, nor the crowd of hunters any mind. 

"One of yours has kidnapped Iña. She said she was under orders. There is no where she can run on this continent that I can't find her, but she might try to take a ship. And so, I'll be destroying them." 

My words, imperiously spoken (heh), cause a stir among all the people gathered, and the Commander raises his hand. 

"If you do this, you'll be leaving us dead in the water for months, without any correspondence between us, our families, and our superiors." The Commander, to his credit was trying to appeal to my rationale, but his mistake was thinking I cared more about these people than I did my lover. 

"I do not care."

"Please wait! We'll help you find her, I promise." 

"...I cannot trust you." I say, chewing on my next words.  "Fine. I will give you this one chance. When she is found, she is mine to punish. If I find out that any of you helped her, I'll kill you all." 

The Commander looked grim when he heard this, nodding slowly and then looking to his subordinates. "Well?! Get to it. Find them!" 

As people scatter he turns back to me, expecting to see that I'm satisfied. I stare and give him a nod and take off into the air again, following Iña's scent. 

I won't tell them, but the Commander's willingness to help me does abate my anger somewhat, but only somewhat. 

What ignites my fury again is that I've lost their scent. It leads to the Wildspire Waste, to the swampy region Barroth typically wallow in, and then it's gone. 

The bitch must've pulled a Predator on me. 

Well, the scent of fresh earth is all around but my eyes can follow her muddy tracks on the ground. She cannot hide. 

But as I follow the trail, I start to get the smell of blood and other fluids, before a scream pierces the air again, prompting me to break into a sprint. When I find them, the woman has Iña a little hollow, gagged, covered in mud, with her clothes off and legs spread, blood coating the ground beneath her.  

My mind blanks with fury before I rush forward and slam into the woman, my hand gripping her neck. 

"You will listen to me. Right now all I want to do is to pull your stupid little head off. But if you want to live, you'll do exactly as I say. My mate is giving birth to a clutch not due for another week in the fucking desert, covered in mud and blood. You're going to help me or I'll kill you painful and slow."

I can see her face going pale at my fury, then red, then purple, then blue from how hard I'm squeezing her neck. Although she doesn't succeed in nodding, I can feel her neck muscles tensing in the attempt. I drop her and turn to my beloved. 

I really want her to run.