ORIGIN - Visiting the Bone Room

Sizzle

The white snake had spoken of a room of bones.

That had drawn the young snake's attention. It sounded fascinating, and it drew her. She wanted nothing more than to find the room. So, once done speaking to Winter, she began to make her way through the tunnels. By listening to whispers, she'd been able to make her way to the Bone Room.

The Bush Viper reared up as she slithered across the floor, tongue darting out to taste the air. Yes, she could taste decay. She was near, very near.

And then suddenly, the tunnel began to widen, expanding into a long room. She slowed, allowing herself to look around. There was a wall, made of rock, covered in drawings and carvings that provided little interest to her. In the middle, sat many rock structures, while there was a circle of open floor around everything. Everywhere else, bones were scattered along the ground, and even some structures made of them.

But...

She darted her tongue into the air, sensing a creature nearby. It was small, she could tell, as there was only the slightest amount of heat. The snake dropped back down, and slithered forward, making her way through the bones.

And then, suddenly, she lunged, fangs sinking into the meat of a mouse. It was completely instinctual, her first meal. Venom was pumped into the snake, and she didn't hesitate to drag it to a nearby heap of bones. She coiled up under it, and stretched her jaw, working to swallow the mouse. Fungus began to crawl around the bones surrounding her, starting with the ones her scales touched.

"I'm speaking..."
'I'm thinking...'

Aztec had grown much since he last ventured into Canis. No longer was he a little, clumsily cub. His body had grown much into itself, though his paws were still big and some baby fat clung to his curves. He spent his time batting at mice that scurried among the bones. He had managed to trap a few under his paws, but refrained from crushing them. It was test of coordination, his muscles had developed well and he was amused at how gentle he could catch things.

Aztec decided to play another game with his unfortunate victim, keep the mouse from escaping. The cub released the frightened rodent from under his paws, but quickly jumped and batted it from its escape route. This happened many times. He enjoyed how erratic the game was. Aztec pounced and prodded his prey, each time the mouse tried to out maneuver him, but failed. Eventually, he grew cocky, and waited until the last second to direct the mouse. Suddenly, in a twist of irony, the rodent slipped through his paws and darted towards the bones. Aztec panicked and slammed his paws down hard, and the mouse let out a shriek was silenced by a sickening crack. He drooped and dragged its body back, realizing what he had done. The fun was over. He bent down and gave it a sniff before snacking it up in his jaws. Turns out his unwilling playmate made a good snack too.

The young jaguar's attention was drawn by a strange stirring of fungus peeking through a pile of bones. A curious cat as ever, Aztec carefully approached the area, pawing at the bones with caution. Eventually he caught a glimpse the source, spiny, colorful scales that reminded him briars. What creature did these belong to?

"Speech"

@Sizzle

Sizzle

Sizzle closed her eyes, allowing herself to rest as she digested the rodent. It was rather annoying, but considering the mouse was rather large to a young snake, it made a considerable bulge in her hide, and made it a pain to move. So she found easier to simply rest until it had been digested enough to get around.

Her nostrils quivered, and she tasted the air. A rodent, that was to be expected. But there was something else. Something far bigger, with heavy pawsteps. No prey animal, for sure.

She could hear the mouse and the whatever-it-was moving around, the mouse squeaking. And then, suddenly, there was a loud crack, the familiar sound of breaking bones. Her tongue darted out into the air at the same time there was the sound of shattering bones. She shifted in her little hide-away, peering out to see a young feline consuming a rodent.

Sizzle laid still as the cat approached, until he was close enough. She wormed her way through the bones, so that her upper half was free, before looking the leopard in the eye. "Hello." She hissed curiously.

"I'm speaking..."
'I'm thinking...'