ORIGIN

While Marigold had told them to remain, they couldn't help but be curious about where she had gone. They sort of knew - she was out hunting and would presumably come back with something to eat.

Regardless, they listened, ears pricked and eyes wide. They heard a thump and the screeching of frightened rats, followed shortly by a flash of black and red as Marigold began to chase after one.

The remaining three rats scattered off - one coming towards them. They tilted their head, blinking.

They decided not to hesitate further, however. There was a meal coming straight for them, and they had already decided not to let it go. They readied themselves for the rat to come up to them, close enough so that they could simply bite it.

Perhaps they could give this one to Marigold, as some form of gift or surprise, a token of 'friendship.' It made sense to them, at least. They hunched their shoulders somewhat, pain shooting up their legs and chest as they stretched the membrane connecting them, teeth bared.

They didn't really know what they expected - as the rat got closer it only turned directly to the right the second it got close enough to Morpheus. The hybrid spat somewhat and turned to run after it.

Every step was painful. He wheezed and he rasped, head lowered close to the ground and mouth wide open. He could taste the lingering scent of the rat, but he wasn't catching up to it at all.

He winced as he closed his eyes, concentrating as sweat beaded down his skin and the stone settled between his shoulders began to shimmer gently.

They had expected to appear right in front of it - or, even better, on top of it, but nothing happened. They were still lagging behind, wheezing and hurting. Had they not concentrated enough? Perhaps they had to remain still.

They shifted and they came to a stop, watching the rat continue to run. They couldn't breathe as they closed their eyes once more, gemstone still glowing dimly.

Perhaps their understanding of their own magic was... misjudged. The rat fled their sight as they crumpled down onto the ground, pain shooting down their belly. They wheezed and they rasped, whimpering and whining for aid.

Perhaps the other hybrid wasn't too far away. Perhaps she could hear them - but what could she do? Perhaps they were dying. The only thing they did know is that their belly felt like it was on fire - though a quick glance at it showed no pain.

They whined again, croaking loudly.

Marigold hadn't expected them to move, never mind find them whimpering on the ground. She did not waver however, approaching as calmly as she ever would, and placed the rat down by their muzzle. "Eat," she ordered quietly.

She didn't care if they did or not. For now, she nosed around his limbs and their chest and belly, searching for the source of their ceaseless whimpering.

They eyed Marigold and the dead rat for a moment, watching as it was dropped in front of him. He whined. He reached out and he carefully began to eat. It seemingly turned to dust in their mouth, but he continued to eat anyway.

It was tasteless. He could barely see. The pain was blinding. He glanced at the hybrid for a moment, brow furrowed. "Belly," he rasped out as he leaned over to take another bite from the rat, as if it were his medicine.

Marigold was no doctor. She was slightly surprised that, when she put her nose against his belly, they screamed in agony and choked slightly on the morsel of flesh they had in their mouth.

She promptly decided that this was not normal behaviour - the hybrid paced around Morpheus for a moment, observing him.

She was not a doctor, but she did know a healer.

Would they survive? Probably. Marigold seemed to know what she was doing, even if her touch was causing them pain. It didn't matter. She presumably wanted them to concentrate on eating, so that they did.

It didn't help much, but it was staving the starvation away. If only it would ward off the agony deep within his belly. Swallowing another bite of rat meat, Morpheus looked back at Marigold still pacing around him.

Marigold wasn't too sure how to do her next few steps, but she started by carefully planting her head under their chest. Then, she scrambled completely under them until his chest was on her back. Hopefully, they would have the mind to hold on.

She shifted before she turned and began to carefully hobble out of Polaris and back down tunnel I, barely giving a glance to the carvings marked against the wall. She shifted. Morpheus would be alright in the hands of Priest. She trusted the tiny creature enough, at least.