ORIGIN

V-Chaos-Eight was only a few days old, but that was quite alright. Nothing that the Overseer had planned for this little day trip required intense coordination or communication. It was more like a family-friendly outing with a fun uncle, which was exactly the energy that Cain was channeling today.

"V-Chaos-Eight, welcome to Orion," Cain declared with a sweep of their wings and twitch of their tail as they reached the threshold of the bland, boring cave tunnel that opened up into a vast room of blue stone and glistening pseudo-starlight, filled with the ruins of an ancient civilization.

It hadn't been an easy trip, not for a kitten like V-Chaos-Eight; but Cain had been quite generous. With its juvenile size, Cain could carry it for the difficult parts of the trip-- over the vast expanse of forests and rivers-- whether by its scruff or by riding between the Overseer's wings. Cain was content with either option, and had been quite accommodating when the little one's paws grew tired.

And now? Now, they were finally here.

"Are you hungry?" Cain asked curiously, lagomorph ear swiveling toward the hiding holes that lesser rats loved so much. "This is where we'll play for today. But we can rest for a moment, enjoy a meal, before we get into the game."

The Overseer reached out with its magic, but even as it knew the prey was nearby, it couldn't latch on to any nearby prey. Perhaps because they were out of sight... All the same, the winged feline padded forward on silent paws toward the nearest crumbled wall, where a large crack led into what should have been a lesser nest.

"Has Master Vargas showed you how to hunt?" It wondered, more a hypothetical than anything. "Come here," it waved them close with a tail.

No? That was alright. It meant that Cain had more to teach Chaos-Eight. It was sure that the little chaos-kitten would appreciate this lesson, if only because it came with a delicious snack at the end.

"There are many ways to hunt, but one of the most useful skills you will learn is how to go about undetected," it explained patiently, settling the end of its tail gently upon the young cat's shoulder. "If your prey does not know you are there, it is easier to kill it. You will never be harmed if you can avoid being noticed until it is too late."

Safety was important, after all! Cain was doing its best to keep it simple-- so it didn't go into a much deeper discussion about predator and prey, of the complicated mess of detecting magic and other ways to circumvent those methods. Instead, it was teaching a surface lesson. "To begin, you must learn to move quietly and avoid being seen."

As was almost tradition at this point (like Master, like Overseer--) Cain's pelt suddenly crawled with a violent allergic reaction as its pelt flashed a vibrant shade of hot pink that stood out against the cyan. The exact opposite of what its magic should have done, but its whiskers twitch with humor.

"Your pelt is already naturally designed, in some aspects, to blend in. You're dark like a shadow, with faint stripes to break up your silhouette into the texture of your surroundings. There is magic that can hide you better-- like this magic, that is demonstrating the opposite of what you want to do." The itchiness crawled like fire ants through its pelt, but its tone was amusement, as though this was intentional. (It definitely was not.) "Your element of chaos may allow you to draw shadows in, to blind your prey. It may make them panic if you do so suddenly, but it is worth practicing."

The hot pink Cain stepped away from Chaos-Eight, stretching out its legs before lowering into a stalking crouch. "Most of the lessers that you can eat in these caves have exceptional hearing. They're adapted to low-light conditions, especially in the darker caverns that you'll want to be hunting in. Eventually, I'll teach you how to fly silently-- but for now, practice with me. Crouch low, so you have better control of your balance. Spread your weight evenly between your paws, and keep your tail out behind you, low but not brushing the ground. Your tail will steady you further-- if you need to spread your wings slightly, this can also help, but if they grow tired, they may make more sound, not less."

This was a lot of chatter, of course, not a lot of fun action. "Of course, you also need to be able to find your prey. You may not be able to see them, or hear them," Cain challenged in a soft voice, "but there's other ways to locate your next meal. Tell me, what do you smell, Chaos-Eight?"