Karver entered the main cave silently, paying no mind to the guards that stood watch. The blood from the eagle guard he attacked earlier that evening had long since dried on his claws and he hadn't bothered to clean it off yet. He had more important things to worry about, like what excuse he was going to come up with in order to save his hide yet again from Nazar. The tiger was definitely going to be upset when he learned that he had failed to kill the guard at the village.

But then again, why kill only one guard out of nearly one hundred? It just didn't make sense. Karver knew there had to be a reason behind it, but right now it just seemed stupid and a waste of time. He had never doubted Nazar before, mostly out of fear, but now he was beginning to have second thoughts.

The wolf kept his thoughts to himself as he approached the room where the tyrant himself was likely plotting his next move. He came to the opening which led into the room and softly cleared his throat to make himself known, inwardly flinching when all eyes were on him. "I have returned from Elkfield, my lord." He calmly spoke, bowing curtly in the tiger's direction.

A sneer tugged on Nazar's lips as he rose from his chair, his tail slowly swishing behind him. He gestured for the others to leave with a flick of an ear so that it was just himself and Karver in the room. "Report." He uttered gruffly, folding his hands behind his back. There was a dangerous glimmer in his eyes as his gaze remained fixed on the young wolf.

Karver swallowed thickly and nodded, forcing down his anxiety for the moment. He couldn't let Nazar know that he was afraid. Fear only strengthened the tiger and he did not wish to become the next victim to his wrath. "I did as you instructed and selected a guard as my victim. The attack went well, but—"

"But what?" Nazar seethed, a dangerous tone to his voice. He frowned a bit and his tail started to swish at a quicker pace than before. That wasn't good.

Karver felt his gut twist and knew this wouldn't end well. Somehow, he steadied his nerves and managed to keep a straight face. "The guard fell off the wall and was spotted by a villager, forcing me to retreat into the shadows. I was going to finish the job, but the tiger got in the way." He muttered bitterly, averting his gaze from Nazar for a moment. A few seconds passed and he swore he could feel the air grow thick from how tense the situation was. It was getting harder for him to breathe, like he was being suffocated by the air itself.

"Did you say... tiger?"

"Y-Yes, my lord." Karver managed to sputter, forcing his gaze to meet Nazar's once more. He could see the curiosity in the tiger's eyes. What he said had intrigued him. At least he didn't sound angry at the moment. "He looked young, m-maybe around my age. Why?"

Nazar seemed to hesitate for a second, as if he was thinking, before he quickly shook it off and refocused on Karver. "None of your concern." He growled with a flash of his fangs, his tail lashing back and forth. "You failed to kill the guard and now he has most likely told the entire village about your blunder. The news will reach King Malik in a matter of days!" With each word, his voice grew darker with rage. He took a step closer and closer until he was within striking distance of Karver, now towering over the trembling wolf with a piercing glare. The tiger leaned down so that his jaws were uncomfortably close to Karver's face, so close that his whiskers tickled the tufts of Karver's smoky grey fur. "Do you wish to foil my plans, you insignificant pest?"

Karver was shaken to his core at this point, his fear evident as he struggled to regain his composure. Nazar could kill him right now if he wanted to, the suspense was almost unbearable. He half expected him to just rip out his throat before he could answer, but the tiger didn't move a muscle. "No, my lord...." He quietly replied, tucking his tail between his legs in shame.

Nazar looked as though he wanted to kill Karver, but he had no intentions to. Not yet, anyways. There was still so much more fun he wanted to have with him first. All in due time, of course. For now, he simply rose to his full height and scoffed at the young wolf. "Then you will not make the same mistake again, understood?" He growled.

"Understood.." Karver meekly responded before leaving the room in a hurry. That was a close call. He didn't want to get any closer than that, not with his life on the line. Now he just had to survive until he was assigned his next task. He had a slight feeling that it would have to do with the tiger villager he mentioned...