ORIGIN

The All Mother's Bleeding-Heart had made it through the icy tunnels, her thick curly fur settling as the purr died in her throat. Before her stood the devil's den, the dusty, windy cavern of Monoceros. She could taste the mongoose's stench in the air as her dirty paws crept into the large, open cave room. Silence filled her as she listened, ears pricking at the sounds she could hear under the roar of the winds. There were many gembounds here, huge, heaving creatures that could crush her... And she bared her teeth as she crept over to the wall and breathed,

"O All Mother, shield Your Bleeding-Heart from their poisonous stares."

Immediately the light around her grew dim, shadows cast from natural places growing darker where her path touched. The feline stepped lightly, though under the roar of the twister she had little need to worry about someone hearing her. As long as they could not see her, she would be safe. The next part was finding the dear, precious Fang, and waiting for the moment to strike.

For you see, The All Mother's Bleeding-Heart was not to steal as Fang had. That was not who she was, it was not what she was meant to be. She was better than the common thief, who tainted with filthy paws and lied with poison. The All Mother had a plan, one that whispered to her in her dreams, as blood poured from her chest and she drowned on the venomous ivy that slid down her throat-- nightmares that the feline remembered with vivid detail.

No, no, the feather thief's fate was to be punished, slowly and silently. There would be no screams, only a thick sweat and gasps for air, a panic seeded into her mind that would lead to paranoia. Fang would feel the touch of the All Mother in visions that the Bleeding-Heart would provide, free of charge.

Ever since she'd stolen that feather things hadn't been good... She'd had dreams. Terrible dreams of death, decay, torture. All of it about her and the creatures she called her family in the Merrymen. It was terrible and keeping her from getting the right amount of sleep. For day, for weeks she was unable to properly sleep. It was just today that she was able to get a quick nap in. Her tiny reddish form was curled into a circle on top of one of the ledges. Her small sides rose and fell with the rhythms of her breath as she got her much-needed sleep.

However, it was not to last long. Someone was stealing away to mess with her dreams. Someone she had not thought about since the nightmares first began and someone she didn't think about now in her current dreams of hunting for insects.


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"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

The Bleeding-Heart picked up the scent of the thief queen, and with quiet, soft paws she crept her way up the ledges, pressing close to the shadow-casting walls. Her pale eyes caught sight of Fang and she knelt down, making sure she was well hidden from sight, and quietly reached out with her magic, trying to brush the small creature's spirit with her venom.

At first, it didn't work. She wasn't precisely sure of what she should be doing, but she had a feeling like she was close. Exhaling quietly, the kitten closed her eyes. Perhaps she was doing it wrong?

A stillness fell over the kitten, like a trance, as she steadied her breathing. This time, she did not force her magic upon the sleeping mongoose. Forcing it never seemed to work. Perhaps she simply was not powerful enough. The All Mother had to carve her path for her, even now, and she resisted the urge to be frustrated.

In due time, she would succeed.

The Bleeding-Heart was slowly, ever so slowly, drifting off into her own sleep. Unintentionally, she allowed the All Mother into her own spirit, letting the magic wash over her. It was an art which she needed practice in, still, but she knew she could not give up. Not now. Her breathing grew shallow in the dusty, quiet air, overshadowed by the roar of the twister bellow.

And slowly, as feline fell asleep, she found herself waking up in a place foggy and unreal, that swayed under her paws and made her feel as though she was poisoned once again. If it wasn't for the sight of Diamondfang in the distance of the dream, she might have not realized it had worked. A coy smile crept on to her lips as she prowled forward into the dream, getting a feel for her surroundings.

In her dream the little mongoose was sitting with her son, the little howler-monkey child Howl. She was teaching him how to sneak, how to properly thief. How to keep his pawsteps light and how to make sure that his pelt was properly blended into his surroundings. It was a decent dream, the first decent one that she'd had in a while...

But it wouldn't last that way.


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"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

The silent shadow crept forward, nearly surprised by how still, how absent, she felt at the hazy edges of the dreamscape. She could feel the grasp of shadows about her, their blackness calling out to her. The Bleeding Heart did not beat in the silent, other world that did not belong to her, but she did creep forward. She tugged at her magic, but here in the dream, it seemed the magic had failed her. Instead, she waited until Howl disappeared into the shadows as Fang had taught, and then lashed her tail as she parted her jaws.

She hissed, loudly, sharply through the air, violent and vicious.

"YOU DARE!"

The yowl broke through the air as she crept along the edge, staying near the shadows that obeyed her will.

"The All Mother Sees All, she Sees your child and She will take him from you, destroy him, as payment for your crimes, Fang. Can you find him here, in the shadows? He is gone, gone, gone, and you'll never see him again!"

The feline screamed, as loud as she could, willing the dream to shape around her words. Of course, it wasn't up to the cat what happened, but rather the mongoose's own mind.

"He will drown in the waters, suffocate in the tempests, and you will never even see him die. Foolish mother, you should be careful not to take your eyes off of him-- for She Watches, She Waits."