The cat lay motionless, completely unaware of the mushrooms nor the storm dying down around her, nor of the tiny poke against her cheek. Thankfully, when Aure checked her chest, he would feel a heartbeat, and a strong one at that. And as time went on the heartbeat got faster and faster and faster.
Her eyes snapped open, they weren't awake. They were misty, unseeing, and her whole body began to tremble uncontrollably. She gasped loudly and her head jerked up. Her breathing was rapid and uneven as she scrambled to her feet. She choked on whatever words she was trying to say, her tongue lolling limply. She tottered where she stood and magic began to pulse in her body.
As she finally managed to speak, her magic touched the mind of Aure and anybody nearby, not caring what mind it spoke to.
But, the air seemed to go bad. Something was wrong and the wyvern feared that he may be at fault for it --- Wilder was unseeing, again, twitching and trembling. Every breath was hitched, labored, fast. The little black cat swayed as she stood, and Aure's mind swayed with panic. It didn't help that a primal, distorted voice invaded every facet of his thoughts, screaming and echoing horridly; preaching about the spire, about its presence. The hybrid's ears flickered back, flattening against his skull as he tried desperately to shake the voice away.
In the midst of a few head-shakes, the cursed broadcasting seemed to stop just long enough for Aure to focus. His first idea was to get Wilder out of this cave --- maybe something about the Spire was tipping her off? --- and he had to follow through, given he literally couldn't hear himself think. Completely on autopilot, the wyvern flapped his wings and rose into the air. As soon as he had enough lift, Aure's blunt talons darted forth, hoping to snatch the cat by her scruff. Maybe things would be fine if the thing she was yelling about wasn't there anymore? It was a dumb idea, but just might work.
Now, if he could manage to pick Wilder up was... another story.
@Wilder
As the fit began to pass, hey eyes rolled into her head and she sunk to the ground, motionless again, her eyelids falling once again to cover the glassy, misted orbs. She did not struggle or wake when Aure tried to pick her up and stayed limp and motionless. However, after a few moments, however far Aure got with her, her mind began slowly stirring back into consciousness.
She suddenly jerked awake, her eyes snapping open.
The wyvern simply set the cat down before himself, landing in a rather sloppy heap. Lifting his head from his mess of ruffled feathers, Aure blinked once or twice. Bright eyes stared into pink ones, confused and wholeheartedly bewildered. "I think you survived? I stopped the tornado with my mushrooms, and then you started shaking and screaming at me and in my mind?" He hesitated for a moment, lowering his head as he stood eye-level with Wilder, "something about the Spire? Maybe you aren't supposed to be in Polaris."
It was out there, but maybe... true. Maybe the Spire wasn't all that it was cracked up to be.
@Wilder
A deep sense of unease arises in mortal minds nearby, accompanied by an impulse like a suggestion shouted from afar.
Easy to disobey but impossible to ignore as the alien impulse fades as quickly as it arises.
A small crack appears in the ground as the impulse fades completely away. Something is near.
TW in the fourth paragraph
Wilder's eyes clouded with worry. Miru had said something about this. Actually, a lot of people had said something about this. She knew that she sometimes blacked out but she didn't know what happened during them. What had she been screaming? How was she screaming in his mind?
Tears collected at the corner of her eyes.
She glanced at the Spire, which was gleaming in the distance, and felt the same feeling she was used to now, stirring in her chest. She forced herself to look away and it was like an addict falling off their substance. She had to look back. She couldn't leave!
She froze as something passed over her. An impulse. A dark impulse that resonated through her head and whispered deeply in her ears. Her eyes went hazy and she sucked in a breath.
What had she done? What had she done?!
The air went wrong, again. He froze on the spot, feathers puffing up uncertainly. Unlike for Wilder, the impulse and thought of it lasted a mere second, forgotten already. The little black cat was not so lucky, eyes clouding once more and a garbled voice escaping her. Aure scampered forth, a clipped "hey!" slipping from his beak. The earth split beneath them both, and something was wrong. They had to get out of here.
With a few quick beats of his wings, the wyvern had risen into the air again. "We need to get out of here, something's happening and it feels wrong!" Tunnel I was so close. All it would take was just a quick flight and they could be home free, right? Aure's legs stuck out, hoping to snatch Wilder up. "I'll carry you, Wilder, come on!"
@Wilder
The little cat was freaking out, looking more terrified then she had ever looked in her entire life. There was no amusement gleaming in her eyes. No excited twitch of her tail. Her ears were flat against her head and she gaped soundlessly at the wound on her leg.
As she turned and spun, she found herself staring again at the Spire. It's blue glow penetrated her mind and whispers and echoes bounced through he ears. Ṱ̴̇ḛ̴̋a̸̧̓r̸͔̉ ̶̼͗t̶͕͐ḣ̵̰e̵̯͝ ̵͍̉f̴͈͑l̷̻͒ẹ̶́s̶͓̍h̶̢̾ ̶̩͛f̸͍̋r̵̯̆o̷̭̎m̷͉̈ ̸̙̇t̸̻͝h̴̦̍e̶͕̐ ̷͖̆b̵̯̿o̵̮͊n̸̦̓e̶̜͊.̸̝͝ ̵͍̄T̵͈̈e̴̟̕a̸͘͜r̴̦̐ ̴̪͌ẗ̶̹́h̴̢͛e̶̝͐ ̷̞̍b̶̥̉o̸̲͋n̸̙͝è̸̹ ̸̯̑f̷̥̓r̸̮̋o̵̭̊m̴̱̅ ̵̩̔t̴͖̐h̴͍̕e̶̟͘ ̶̖̽g̵̖͘e̷̪̅m̴̼͛.̷̥̏ ̶͓̈́Ḑ̶͆ȇ̵̯ą̸̓t̷̫̅h̴̑͜ ̵̈́͜i̵͓̍š̷̭ ̸̡͌a̵̛̪ ̶̜̇l̵͈̈́i̸̲͑ḛ̶͝.̵̮͘ ̶̢͌T̷̜͆ḧ̵̥́ḛ̷͝ ̵̀͜è̶͔n̸͒͜d̴̻͝ ̵̺͒i̸̧̚s̴͚̄ ̸̘̋c̶͚̾o̷̥͆m̶̭̌i̴̟͛n̷̗̄ģ̵̄.̵̩͂ ̶͔̎T̷̰͊h̷͎̊ė̵̘ ̸̞̄c̶͚̔y̵͇̐c̷͘ͅl̵͔̊ḙ̷̀ ̵̭̾c̶͍̓o̴̗̓ń̸͕t̵̘͘ȋ̵͜n̸͍͝ǘ̶̺e̵̮̋s̸͈̽.̶̞͘
She backed away, unable to look anywhere else and the only part of her mind that still could function knew that Aure was right. She had to go. Go to Canis.
Mere seconds after the little black cat had voiced her desire to leave, the wyvern took her up into his talons, ("let's go!") carefully placing one foot on her scruff and the other about her back. His wings carried him up and up, and Aure did not dare look back.
;exit Aure to Tunnel I unless stopped
@Wilder
As soon as Aure picked up the little cat, she began struggling. It was weak, halfhearted, and not enough to make him drop her, but it was still movement. As if she was trying to turn around and go back. Like half of her mind wanted to stay and the other wanted to leave. For a while she fought this until the moment they passed from Polaris into the tunnel. Her body went limp and her consciousness sunk into darkness.
*exit