ORIGIN

Catalyst was relieved to be freed of Ursa. It had been freezing. And this, comparatively, was like being in the jungle. The temperature was pleasant, though the purple grass had given her pause at first. She'd seen gembound gathering food for this... 'Nedies' character in Ursa cycles ago. She'd stayed hidden of course. But it...intrigued her. Given her caveman lifestyle of eating raw meat and huddling by a fire with furs. Just what was Nedies doing with all that food? Why did one need many food for one food? And what was a 'feast'?

She decided that, for Mother's sake, she'd investigate. Mother would surely appreciate more food. Only, investigating was harder than she'd thought. She knew that Cephus was not in Ursa. But not which direction. She'd visited multiple caves looking for Cephus, starting with Leo, then Gemini(where she'd found and picked up a strange, colored sheet of leather), a brief jaunt to Pegasus, and a brief look at and immediate, intense rejection of Tunnel G.

Finally, she'd made it to Cephus. But coming here was not the only trial. The blistering cold of Ursa she would not miss. But this cave? It was just strange. The ground inside the massive building was glassy and hard, like crystal but not. But...worse. It felt WEIRD on her feet, and her claws made a loud tip-tap that went against the Mother ingrained instinct to be silent.

Catalyst lifted her legs overly high as she stalked the palace, looking as awkward as raptorially possible. She paused, sniffing the air. Her nose had caught the scent of food. But different. Stranger, like there was something more to it. She followed the scent to strange room of strange stone slabs topped with wood, and strange, clay shapes. She poked her nose through the door, observing it all. She reserved some caution, in the chance it could be an ambush. The attempted assault still had her on edge. "N-Nedi-ess?" She hissed, struggling to pronounce the new word.

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Catalyst jerked back at the knife brandished in reflex, and the short motion was enough to set her claws scrabbling at the smooth, glossy floor. Damn this. She swallowed a hiss of displeasure at the unwieldy, unnatural flooring.

But she wasn't leaving without completing her mission, ice floors be damned. She dug her killing claws in the grout between tiles, finally stabilizing herself. It was just the one gembound. Not a trap, nor an ambush, at least.

Catalyst sighed. "Ah, you are..Nediesss I presume? The one taking food." She said. She leaned her head into the room cautiously, yellow eyes darting about the bizarre settings before settling on Nedies. This entire pale monolith had felt alien, and Nedies most so, wearing hides more complex than her cuts of thick furs and brandishing a weapon instead of claws.

"You you are the food maker, mmm? I, ah, don't need much, and I won't take much time, I just have a few simple questions." Her eyes brightened, and there was a slight tilt of the head. The signs of a clever thought forming. She could take this Nedies' food, investigate it for safety, and see if it nourished mother more than simple lessers.

The best course, she had learned through trial and error, was kindness. The raptors lips curled slightly upward in a grin. "Ah, but food going to rot would be a waste, do you need help? I am willing, if you would hear my, mmm, questions after?"

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