ORIGIN

It was a real glutton for punishment. Every trial had to be harder, more difficult. It has to earn more marks and scars from each encounter it faced; it had to. It didn't know why, but sitting and waiting around or laying back and enjoying life made his skin crawl. As if his muscles and flesh would run away without him, it was a dull ache when he tried to rest, in his legs, in his spine that refused to let him rest unless he'd earned it. It was maddening. Unable to rest without the exhaustion of coming down from an adrenaline spike, and the usual methods had ceased providing that surge of chemicals his brain so desperately desired.

That blue thing had mentioned a place called Hydra. A place of danger. It was where he'd find his latest thrills.

Never had Brother seen anything like it when he stepped out from Tunnel P. Canis he'd long since grown bored of, the bones could only provide amusement for so long before he needed a real test of his limits. But this? This was fascinating. It was as if the air itself wicked away the moisture even from his own maw. His skin felt dry under the oppressive heat, a thick hide that could withstand it, but for how long until it blistered?

His body thrummed with thrilling anticipation, this place would be the perfect spot to test everything he'd learned from Lacerta. A training ground worthy of him, a challenge to utterly different from his home. There was no lush jungle here, naught but sand, rock and salt. And-- He'd not yet perished here. It was a fresh start.

He couldn't help but wonder if the watering spots would be as contested as they were at home. Never safe to drop your guard and drink; you never knew who was watching. Would it be the same here? He couldn't see any watering holes as he ventured further in.

The sand underfoot was already scorching, stinging the thick skin on his heel. This is exactly what he was looking for. Without further preamble, he strode into Hydra proper with a lightness in his step.

Nothing bad ever came from underestimated a place and overestimating yourself, right?

Without letting things like 'concerns' stop him, Brother stepped into the cave proper. He could just about make out some different spots, a place that looked to have cliffs of some sort, but the glare of the lights coming off the sand it was challenging to make out any of it.

Already the heat of the sand was too much. Brother tried putting his foreclaws down on the sand to ease the weight off his already blistering feet; but only succeeded in burning his hands too. Walking quickly became hobbling, and hobbling quickly became dragging. Why was it so hot?! His eyes scanned the horizon for shade, for water but found nothing but more light in his eyes and sand.

With no way to sweat, the heat beating down was also beginning to slow Brother down. He gasped for dry breaths between steps, his mouth agape as he tried to exhale some of the heat building in his body. Foamy drool compounded at the corners of his jaws. This was not a good start.

Brother shook his head, willing away the thoughts of being too hot, too dry and too hot. He had to focus. He wouldn't be bested by heat and sand; he hadn't found any of those big creatures to hunt yet; no he had to focus. If he found something to hunt he could suck the moisture from their meat, yes. It wouldn't be much but it would wet his jaws. Though, he was beginning to doubt anything lived out here. Perhaps he'd been set up? That they planned to have him wander out here and die.