ORIGIN - A Taste of the Darkness

He had run from them. Such a small group to arrive at the bursting of his chrysalis had pushed him to the limit of his comfort zone. As it was, he wished he had stayed after he had gain use of his limbs. Maybe then his belly would be full or he would be warm, without the snow getting in between his paw pads. Early on he had figured out that if he kept moving that he wasn't as cold as when he stopped to lick the snow off his paws.

This was a small comfort but he was getting tired trudging through this horrid place and wished it would be at an end soon. Exhaustion was being to take its toll as he stumbled, landing face first in a snow bank. He righted himself before plopping back down in the snow, shivering.

He was temporarily outside of his territory. He'd left his son with one of his other "children", the ones who weren't mothered by a god. They should feel privileged that he let them watch over the stone in his absence. He only let the best herbivores and most well-trained carnivores do that duty. Not that he had any of the latter. His Beast had been taken by his Goddess. He might have resented it before but he didn't now. His Shadow knew best and she got anything that she wanted. He was not worthy to dispute anything she did... He'd learned that now. It was evident with the scars across his face that he would reap the consequences if he ever spoke against her or went against her words.

The stag shook his head. He could never do so again. His place was to lead the army and his Shadow's place was to lead him. The King when he was born would lead the entire cave in a new era. Hasira shuddered happily. He could hardly wait.

It was then that he noticed something in the distance. A golden creature stumbling through the snow. His eyes narrowed as he silently watched it. Well well well, if it wasn't another carnivore. With Beast being taken as his Shadow's slave he had an opening for a new one. This one would do nicely. Young, impressionable, weak from the looks of it. A cruel smile appeared on his face as he trotted forward and stood right in front of the cheetah.

"Well well, aren't you a pathetic wretch? You are a prime example of carnivore. Weak, shivering..." He lifted a hoof and intended to place it atop the cat's head. "Easily claimed. My little wretched one, you are now mine for everyone knows that carnivores cannot belong to themselves." He placed his hoof back on the snow, his element. "Have you anything to say, hmm? You usually all do." Usually it was stupid things about how he was cruel. Idiots. The only cruel ones were them. He was just doing what was necessary to keep them from overtaking the caves with their evilness.

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"This is how I talk!"
This is how I think!

360
@Keemo
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6/10

Something about the stranger that had come upon him was off. As young as he was he could not think of the word that described this creature. The tone of his voice made the young one fearful and in response he stood. Ears pinned to his head, he let out a raspy hiss while at the same time backing away. He spoke,the guttural slurred nature of his voice become more pronounced with the onslaught of his fear. " Name isssss Keeee-mo, not not wr-rethed one. Keeemo is Keeemo,not yours."

He could run no longer nor could he fight. He puffed himself up in an effort to look bigger. Thinking that this would deter the one before him. His fear grew but a small part of him fought against it. The logical part of his brain told him that he had no reason to fear the creature. That he shouldn't give into his gut feeling because he had no proof of the dark air that encompassed him. Hadn't his fear gotten him here?

Confusion filled his features and he shook his head,at war with himself. His head won and his fur once again laid flat on his back, returning to a relaxed state,as he took a step forward. Dismissing the fear that had once gripped him he spoke again, taking in the creatures full mass. " whoo you?" Wonderment filled the foolish child, to dismiss his instinct so quickly would spell the death of him,but he would learn and grow for that was the way of the world.

@Hasira

Hasira's tattered ears first pinned back then pricked forward when that strange accent hit them. A low rumbling sound bubbled in his throat, it might have been mistaken as a growl at first except his lips were curved up into a grin. The Lord was indeed laughing at the cub's strange accent. It was quite amusing and fitting that a stupid carnivore would speak in such a strange and idiotic way. "Wretched boy, you might want to keep your mouth shut from now on. That accent is doing you no favors. You also might want to keep your mouth shut because those words you are speaking will get you killed." He lowered his antlers, pointing the tines viciously at the cub. "Keemo belongs to me because Keemo is a wretched carnivore. Do not deny what you are. Keep doing so and I will show you why you are now mine, with these." When he said "these" he shook his head to further emphasize those sharp tines.

"I am Hasira, Lord of the Herbivores and ruler of Orion. As I have said you belong to me now, so get up and come with me or feel the pain of my tines." He waited now to see what the cheetah would do. If he would get up as he bid or if he would have to use a little more force.

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"This is how I talk!"
This is how I think!

229
@Keemo
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6/10

Had it not been for the grin to grace the creature's maw he would have assumed that he was being growled at. He was being laughed at and the humiliation of being the cause of such mirth was getting to him. Up until this point no one had commented on the strange quality of his voice or how he expressed himself, sure he had received odd looks but he had thought nothing of it. Before he knew it the spark of his folly was shown, he was just to blind and stubborn to take heed.

This lord said that he was his, calling him wretched,and that he should fall silent before pointing those sharp things at him. He was beginning to dislike that word, it was not his name. To make it worse the lord had no concept of self in his mind. The Lord of Herbivores was who he was and Keemo was Keemo. For him there was no concept of being owned by another and in his stubbornness he refused to listen to this lord. What could he do? Poke him a few times?

The words tumbled out of his mouth and he grew warm from his outright defiance of the lord. "I willll not goo wif you. I not bbbelong to you. Am ssself. Am Keeemo."

@Hasira

The stag watched, eyes glaring down at the tiny cub. He wondered if the stupid thing would take heed of his words or if he would puff up and try to defy him. If that happened he would drag the thing back in tattered pieces with a collar and lead-rope. Heh. Wouldn't that be a good idea? Make a collar for the beast to show him exactly what he was. A slave, a pet. Something to be manipulated and controlled by the true ones in control. The herbivores.

Just as he thought the cub decided to puff himself up and try to tell the Lord what he was. Hmph. Of course. They never wanted to do it the easy way. "Oh yes you will." Then quite suddenly he swung his sharp tines at the cub. Not aiming anywhere in particular, it was just meant to hurt him and show the cub that he meant business. His tines missed but the point would still probably be made clear. "Now, I will give you one more chance, Wretch. Come with me, or else."

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"This is how I talk!"
This is how I think!

229
@Keemo
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6/10