backdated vaguely to some previous, younger time lol

Shadow shook herself, overly dry fur shedding from a rangy frame into the darkness around her. She didn't look healthy, or wouldn't have, if she were really visible. Thirst, constant; a lack of light, an ever-present gnawing hunger as she barely got enough to eat... and that was in part down to her siblings. Her younger siblings.

Silver eyes flicked down the tunnel, pensive. Thick stone made up these walls, cold and clammy, and there was so little life here that even finding a rat--even long after the prison's opening--was a chore. She had to dole out what she could, often going hungry herself, but at least they were getting old enough to hunt for themselves, now.

She considered, hesitated, then called out. Her voice was soft and tentative, with a croak of disuse--there wasn't one among them that hadn't become aware of something else in the distant dark, she thought, though they hadn't really spoken of it. Or maybe it was superstition, fear of the yawning black unknown beyond their little prison corner. But if not? She feared drawing its attention. "Khemi?" she called. They could hunt, maybe. Together. Find something, anything, to snack on. A mouse or some moles... she padded forward, black claws clicking on rock, and tried to summon up some light. Her nose worked, too, trying to track the younger hybrid through scent even as she sought him with sight. She didn't think Khemi was the best hunter, but... that's why she was calling him. Practice would make perfect, or so she hoped--or at least make him a little better. Maybe they could learn something together.

The dimmest pale glow flared around her, making her a beacon in the dripping dark; if her siblings were around, they'd know this to be her summons.

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Lanky limbs were curled in against a thin, shivering frame, cowering against the wall of one of the tunnels. He had lost his way and he had no light, none at all. He didn't know where he was, he'd wandered off to find some water and gotten lost. Aleonis had been hungry earlier today, and Khemi had offered this time. He was slightly light-headed from the blood-loss and needed a bit of a pick-me-up, but of course he thought he could do anything alone. Oh by the light, nothing here could be done alone, because now he didn't know where he was!!

(He was just a tunnel over. All he had to do was walk in a straight direction to reach the main cavern where the "family" gathered.)

And then...light! Faint light, a bit of a glow, and his name whispered and echoing through the dead tunnel walls. He scrambled to his feet and shuffled over, an inquisitive and hopeful whine making its way out of his throat. Even though he could see now, faintly, he still kept his flank brushing against the wall, just in case. What if the light went away? What if this was some kind of hallucination? Wouldn't that be cruel?

"Sh-shadow? That you?" His older sister, Bacchus had said, but she hadn't hatched with them. She didn't look like either of their "parents". He didn't get it. But he didn't care. She was here in the dark world with him and the others and that made her family. So he scrambled to her side, clumsy in his haste, moving from the wall once he was close and instead getting in range so he could feel her, even if it was the tip of his fur against her legs. "Hi," he breathed, as quietly as her. "Thanks for the light. I...got lost."

@Shadow

The faint tremor in Khemi's breathy voice wasn't lost on her. Afraid-? She winced. She was always afraid, here, albeit in varying degrees. Sometimes it was a general but thankfully low-level tense anxiety, one that kept her looking back over her shoulder into the darkness just in case. Right now, Khemi's own fear spiked that, making her afraid empathetically. Lost. He'd gotten lost.

Shadow suppressed a shudder. This place was unkind to the lost.

"Hey," she offered, voice soft, keeping her tone lightly cheerful. She leaned in, offering body contact, a lean and a shoulder-bump, should her younger sibling accept it or even welcome it. They were alone down here; they were all they had. "Glad I ran into you, then. I'm going to look for food, I think. Maybe a mouse? -That sound good?" and again, she tried to sound cheerful, if quiet. "Wanted to know if you wanted to come with me, maybe get some practice in--if you're feeling up for it?"

She wasn't sure if he would be. They weren't, these kids--not always. Their diets, the dark... Shadow didn't know there was another, healthier life, outside and in the orb-lights, with more plentiful food and room to roam and (relatively) flowing air, even weather. She just knew that life was hard, dangerous, and sometimes, a Gembound needed to rest.

"I won't go far," she added, this thought in mind. Maybe he'd be up for a shorter jaunt toward where the crumbled stone pitched into the Cistern, but not a proper hunt. She'd leave that up to him.

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@Khemi

The offered contact was gratefully accepted, as Khemi leaned in closer so that he could fully feel Shadow's leg against the muscles of his shoulder, an assurance that she was still there in this lightless place, even with the faint, wistful glow she gave off.

Food sounded...amazing. Just the mention of it made Khemi's stomach growl with desire. He unconsciously licked his jowls, wishing the mouse was in their paws already. "Y-yeah, it does. I could eat." Enthusiasm filled him, wariness souring the edges. He wasn't a good hunter. The last couple times he'd tried to help hunt, he'd done nothing but scare away the precious small rodents they could find. What if he messed up here too, and ruined both his chances for a meal and Shadow's as well? But surely...surely he couldn't always do bad!! And she was offering for him to get better. It would be fine. He would try his best.

"Practice is good. We can go however far you want. I'm not scared!" A blatant lie, but he didn't want his cowardice to hold her back from a decent meal. If there was better food farther in, he would suck it up.

@Shadow

The young wolf hesitated, thinking. However far? She debated, then settled on a solution. "Well, no point going farther than we have to, right? -Let's go as far as we need to find food, that's all."

There were places she usually avoided--places that were stained dark, places that looked like they should stink of blood, but were so old that only musty stone odor remained. The absence of the young huntress meant that Lessers sometimes took shelter here. There were other places, like the garden and the cistern--food and water respectively--that drew Lessers by their nature. But prey was still new to this place: when they'd come, they'd had to completely rely on their parents. The Prison had been freshly opened, then. Now? Now the rats and mice were filtering in, but it was still a slow process. If Bacchus didn't bring them the occasional meal they'd have still skirted starvation. It was a hard line to walk, and Shadow was rail-thin as a result, but she'd learned where to look. "We'll start at the cistern?" she decided, making it a question. "The broken one," she clarified. The one just east had light filtering in from above. Its shattered stone had half-collapsed the grate. They could get down there, if needed, to slake their thirsts. Rains from above trickled down, and deeper in--farther than she'd been brave enough to go--it smelled like more, if stagnant, water. Maybe it'd be a good place to find a rodent or three, today, if they were lucky.

Shadow stretched and turned, wagging her tail briefly at Khemi: a reassurance, a confidence she didn't fully feel. If only she had some way to be a better big sibling. Khemi's attempt at courage was almost inspiring. They all put on a brave face, here, but not all of them could create light as she could, to stave off the frightening dark. "I learned a new magic," she said, a quiet offer. She had to nose around a bit to find a little stone--not anything natural and smooth, but a time-worn little piece of rubble. Gray brick, porous and ugly. But her paw and a brief flicker of magicka set it to glowing: a silver-white little light for her younger brother. "Want it?" she asked, stepping aside. "We could keep track of each other a little better, then." It wouldn't do much to light his way; maybe she could learn such a magic with time. But for now, it could be his little token for their journey, something to hold onto as they hunted and beyond.

Not that he had hands to carry it.

Well, maybe he could leave it behind, to mark a place, or something. Light brought her comfort. Maybe it'd help him, too.

Shadow waited, then--waited confirmation or maybe a better idea on where to hunt, and waited to see what Khemi would do with the stone. Then they could set off. The rumble in her stomach matched the lip-licking of her brother, and she stifled a smile, at that. Hunger wasn't really funny, but it was endearing, in a way, to see him so earnest.

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@Khemi

Khemi nodded, feet shifting nervously. The broken cistern was okay, right? There was light there, at least. They might find something. Not too scary, not too scary, especially not if Shadow is there. He could do this! He quietly tried to hype himself up, because maybe that would make him a better hunter so he didn't let his sister down. That would be nice.

The tail wag did something as well and he felt a little bit of a growing excitement at the coming hunt. It would feel good to do something with a purpose, to stretch his legs and focus and try to do something to tame the eternal feeling of emptiness in his stomach. Even more so when Shadow turned and created a little light for him. His eyes widened and he leaned forward to sniff the rock. "Wow, that's amazing! Yeah, thank you!" He reached forward and picked it up in his jaws, the glow on it enough to illuminate Shadow more clearly and give at least some relief from the ever-oppressive darkness of this place. His thanks were bright in his eyes and the genuine wag of his own tail, oddly dog-like despite the more feline feature. He couldn't talk through the stone, but he stepped forward to show he was ready, excited for the hunt, now.

He wouldn't lead, but he would follow Shadow to the cistern, a few steps behind, clutching into the rock fiercely. But he still put his nose to the air, sniffing for something living other then him and his sister. But the musty old scent of the tunnel, and their own scents muddling the air, made it hard for him to get a good sense. And the taste of rock in his mouth wasn't doing much for it either.

@Shadow

Shadow offered a canine smile, black lips pulled up as the silver of her eyes briefly squinted at her younger brother. Then she turned, claws scratching on the stone as she loped slowly off ahead.

Silver light glimmered up again to wreathe her, both to give her some vague idea of what lay just ahead of her paws, and to give Khemi a better beacon to follow. It was dim, though, like moonlight scattered down across her fur--not that she knew what moonlight was--and it was still easy to lose her without sharp sight or the scuff of paws.

The little wolf picked her way along the corridor ahead, weaving around shattered stone columns, hopping over rubble, occasionally glancing back and pausing to ensure that Khemi was neither falling down nor falling behind. And as she approached the cistern, she slowed her pace and allowed the light to fade; light shafted down from above, here, anyway. It was one of the few places broken to the outside, though only high up; the glimmer was dim, but enough for dark-adapted eyes to see by.

Below and ahead, in the circular room, the stone floor had long ago shattered and collapsed. Shadow paused at the lip, head tilting to one side with ears pricked as she listened and smelled. Then she glanced to Khemi, expression questioning, before asking in a whisper: "Smell or hear anything?" She didn't--not yet--but if he did, already, they'd want to move very carefully so as not to spook their potential meal.

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@Khemi