The chrysalis shuddered, its shell splitting with a wet, tearing sound as something stirred within. It dangled from a thick tangle of ivy, swaying slightly with the draft that whispered through the tunnel—a place of angular stone and deep shadows, where the scent of damp earth clung to every surface.

A tiny paw pressed against the chrysalis. Cracking, shaking. The small frame pushed free, landing with a loud PLAP against the soft wet stones. The dark pup coughed up his lungs, dragging his paws frantically towards any source of dry. His fur was damp, clinging to his fur.

His good eye fluttered around the tunnel, blinking against the dim light. His other did not blink, there it sat motionless. A gemstone buried where an eye would stand.

Unsteady on his paws, claws dragged against the stones as he prepped himself forward. The dripping of unseen waters echoed in his ears, the pounding of his heart wavered to his dark ears. The pup turned his head, his good eye gazed up to the dangling Ivy pressed up against the tunnel's walls. Where his chrysalis remained as he inhaled damp earth scented air.

The masked wolf turned, taking his first steps towards the darkness. Slamming face first into a solid chunk of Ivy that dangled from the tunnels ceiling.

---

"Speaking"

Khemi was lost. Like, really really lost. He had been looking for Shadow - he'd gone out hunting with her again, but they'd gotten separated in the dark. He had never been alone like that before and the poor hybrid had begun to panic, racing through the dank tunnels getting turned around, trying to follow the meager lights that dotted the way, back to his sister, back to his family, and then...

And then he had emerged into light.

He would have turned and run back into the prison, because he had always been told that the outside world was dangerous, that they were kept in there for their protection, so that they would be safe. But having lived his entire life in utter, all-consuming darkness, Khemi was so overwhlemed and blinded by the natural light of Cassiopeia, that he could not find the entrance again. He had turned to run back, but had slammed straight into a wall. And from there, he had only gotten himself more lost.

His panic had turned into hysteria as he tried to find his way back to the darkness because the light burned and he couldn't see. That had been a few hours ago. Now he was stumbling through a tunnel of some sort that reminded him of home and was thankfully more dim then the giant cave he'd come from.

He was exhausted from his desperate wanderings, dehydrated from the crying, hungry from the physical exertion and stress (although that did not both him much - he was always hungry). He was getting ready to collapse somewhere and try to regain some strength before figuring out what the hell to do, when a sudden crack made him almost jump right out of his skin. "WHAT? Hello? Who's there?" He trembled in place, his head whipping around to see where that noise had come from, but he couldn't see either. He hadn't adjusted to the light yet. Perhaps growing up in complete darkness was not good for the eyes.

Khemi moved around, trying to find the source of the sound, and then his paw caught on something - warm, furred, moving, alive, and he stumbled forward, legs scrambling as he tried to regain his footing and stop stepping on whatever he had stepped on. He let out a sharp cry as he pitched forward and tumbled right over the wolf pup, legs splayed all over the place. It would have been almost comical if he hadn't been so distressed.

@Belvadair

By the time the pup had heard the other’s voice, it was far too late. A loud and painful yelp roared from the little one’s mouth. The masked pup stepped backwards in hurt. The stones underneath him slippery from where he had once stood.

With a thud, he collapsed onto the ground. His golden hackles raised up on his neck, baring with what little teeth he had.

"Heya! Dunt go steppin’ on me!"

Belvadair's voice spat back at him, ears pinned hard against his skull. His good eye turned to try and see what had stepped on him. But it wasn't clear from the darkness surrounding the tunnel. Heart pounded hard in his chest, racing through his ears.

"Whatcha doin stepping and running at meh like dat!?"

As hard as it was to hear himself, he wanted an answer as to why he was a stepping stone. Dark paws pulled from underneath him, aiming to stand himself upwards. Crystal-eye moved alongside his good one to try and focus on the man before him.

---

"Speaking"

The poor hybrid was in full panic mode for a second, scrabbling furiously at the ground to regain his footing and get back to his feet, but his desperation only made him trip over his own paws, tumbling onto his other side. "Sorry! Sorry!!" he squeaked as he at least managed to haul himself away.

His head turned to try and see what he'd fallen over, flanks heaving from his heavy breath. His head was spinning, from the light probably (and the long-term effects of constant blood-loss to a vampiric sibling) but he managed to lock his gaze on the hatchling he had stumbled over. But rather then feel relieved that it was a kid, he merely panicked further - had he hurt it? Oh no, he'd made it mad! It was barking at him and, while it was considerably smaller then him, he wasn't fooled. Anubis was smaller then him, but he'd made the mistake of nosing too far into his laboratory once and messing up his work - he still had scars from that horrible necrotic fungus somewhere.

His head lowered, almost so that his chin was touching the ground, and he trembled. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to step on you I c-can't see very well! Your fur is dark. B-but its nice! Pretty. Pretty dark fur that I couldn't see very well. It won't happen again I promise, I promise!" He rambled and babbled and trembled and shrunk into himself, waiting for the blows to come.

@Belvadair