Luna busied herself with preparations, keeping the vision of Cassiopeia in the forefront of her mind - rather than the odd, obsessive need to break down every second of the transaction that'd directed her there. Yes, this was the nature of business and the want to be good at it - to dissect every little detail, constructing a conspiracy board complete with a web of red string. But this was stronger, somehow, and she felt as if she were on the precipice of some great revelation.

This did not assist her in her ambitions, so she discarded this train of thought as best she could. She, however, was unable to get the smell of fresh meat out of her nose.

Perhaps when - if - she saw the Collector next, she'd offer him a sprig of mint.

She scoured the bone-piles now, having experienced a brief moment of inspiration - perhaps she could fashion some kind of spear from one of the larger, longer pieces? Fossils clattered around her as she grubbled through, searching for the ideal shape.

She pulled from the mass a long, white bone, perhaps part of an arm or leg. It was a little shorter than she was tall (on two legs, that is), and the perfect size for her plans. Now, should she sharpen it now, or later?

She took a rock the size of her fist from the ground, and began to grind the staff's end. She wasn't intending on using it anytime soon, and the dark throne was abandoned according to her intel - but the remains of the fallen being repurposed, especially for violence... That was a poetry that she couldn't pass up.

@Callista

I used to think that the day would never come
I'd see the light in the shade of the morning sun

The feline was making to leave Canis for the time being, deeply unsatisfied with the environment of the cave - too many bones to climb over, too many small puddles to fall in, cold and cramped and mildly unsettling. The energy in here was just...ugh. How some managed to live here was beyond her. But she could not deny that picking through bones and rocks could be pretty exciting. Perhaps when she was bigger and taller and not prone to fall into everything she would return to do her own trinket searching. She liked picking things up.

Already, she'd picked out an interesting shard of bone, twisted and cracked and burned by flame. There wasn't anything special about it, but she liked the shape of it, so she clutched it for now, transferring it from one paw to the other and ran her fingers over its textured surface. It felt nice to hold.

Something clattering alerted her to movement nearby and she froze, head immediately turning to the source. Not too far away was someone else - a little taller then she was, but far bulkier, picking through the bones and doing something weird with them. Interested was immediately piqued and she almost immediately forgot about her hurried flight from the cave.

Her momentum shifted and her course changed, climbing closer to the thing, not exactly gracefully or quietly, still growing into paws that were currently a little too big for her body. But eventually she shuffled closer, trying to get a glimpse of what they were doing. "What's that?" she asked, loudly. "Did you find something cool?"


That my life would depend on the evening moon
That the night would never comе

@Luna

She worked gently, unfamiliar with the material and the process - consider it an experiment, of a kind. She had little strength in her fore arms, only enough to carry her own weight if need be, so Luna knew she'd be here for a while. The time alone would give her space to think, to prepare her mind as well as her body.

Consumed by her work, the sound of distant clattering did not immediately draw her attention. Her antennae perked absently, just in case - but the disturbance continued. Louder, closer. She set her tools down, finally, to turn and face its source.

When she finally caught sight of the kitten, Luna smiled. "Oh! Hello!"

She guessed Callista's age from her proportions, all head and paws. She'd adjust her expectations accordingly. "This, is a little idea of mine."

(Luna was fairly certain she wasn't the inventor of the spear. This, however, was not relevant to the conversation.)

"It's not much more than another bone in Canis as it is now, but I hope to make use of it - to sharpen it into a weapon." She gestured with a paw towards the staff, inviting Callista to get a closer look. "I do hope though, that in my coming journey, I will not have to use it."

And, before she forgot. "I'm Luna. And you are?"

@Callista

I used to think that the day would never come
I'd see the light in the shade of the morning sun

Perhaps if Callista had any sort of danger sense at this stage in her life, she might be frightened of a massive bug creature with scary fangs, but she had so far not encountered anyone that had been outright mean to her, or even violent. The Collector had mentioned murder, but it hadn't yet crossed her mind that murder could potentially happen to her. So she approached, unafraid, and leaned in to look at the bone.

"Hi," she chimed back, almost like an afterthought that she'd forgotten about. She tilted her head at the bone spear, looking at the tip that had been slowly sharpening to a point. "A weapon. Like to hurt people?" She didn't look taken aback by the notion, but rather interested. The questions continued - "Why? Are you in danger? What journey?" She leaned back from the spear and looked up at the moth-thing. From where she was standing, this was a ferocious beast that did not need protection - she had teeth, after all.

"That's a nice name," she offered. "I'm Callista."


That my life would depend on the evening moon
That the night would never comе

@Luna

Luna watched Callista approach, admiring the richness of her colours in the orb-light for a moment. She hoped that the kitten learned to take care of the coat she'd been blessed with, as Luna had - it'd be a shame to see it smothered in dirt and grime in future cycles.

"Yes, to harm. But primarily to defend!" She gestured widely with a paw as she went, emphasising the importance of her words. "When you are small, you're always in danger. You can feel it-" She pressed that paw to her chest, where her gemstone sat. "Inside. That constant drum... we anticipate the chase. An eternal dance with death."

Luna remembered her situation. "BUT!"

"I am making it in case I find more, ah, tangible threats on the way through... Hmm... Draco, it was? I think?" Maybe she should've asked more questions about where she was headed, and less about the Inevitable Death of Everything she Knew. She had gotten a little distracted, we'll say.

"Plenty of trouble that way, even if my intel indicates the destination is clear. Have you seen Draco before, Callista?' She asked, less as a genuine question (this was clearly a baby) and more of a segue into a spiel - if she took the bait, that is.

@Callista (I TAGGED MYSELF WITHOUT NOTICING??)

I used to think that the day would never come
I'd see the light in the shade of the morning sun

The sudden intensity of Luna's words seemed to invigorate the young cat, who leaned forward, mirroring the bug's gestures - a paw against her chest, as if she would actually feel the danger that was being described to her. She didn't...feel anything besides her own heart, but it did seem to be beating a little faster at the moment. She wondered why.

She didn't know this "dance with death", the words didn't really make much sense to her together, was death something that could be danced with? Was death a physical being one could meet? She didn't express this verbally, since she figured from how it was spoken that she was supposed to understand this. So she simply nodded, interested.

Luna was speaking in far more fanciful phrases then Callista was accustomed to at this stage in her life. But instead of requesting that maybe she slow down or rephrase, she simply slipped on through the conversation like she understood. "Should I have something to defend?" She looked down at the bone in her hand - it was pretty sharp. She held up up for Luna to inspect, to tell her if it was an acceptable defense mechanism.

"No, I haven't been to Draco. What's in Draco? Is it pretty? I've seen..." She paused and tried to remember where she'd been already. "This cave. I saw the big volcano cave. And I hatched in the cave with little lights on the ceiling. Not normal lights, really tiny white ones. It was pretty."


That my life would depend on the evening moon
That the night would never comе

@Luna

My sincerest apologies to Callista. Luna is not great with children - not in any immediate and frightening way. She's more like... a current, or a strong tide. She keeps going, and you can't stop her. You can only try to follow along as best you can, or risk drowning. Though the worst case scenario in this situation would be an awkward conversation and not, y'know, suffocating.

She was not accustomed to adjusting her language and tone for someone else's benefit. Perhaps she'd never learn how - she had just been pretty intensely enabled a few moments ago.

Luna considered the question for a moment. "Well, it depends on your circumstance. When you're our size, something is better than nothing - and considering what lurks in the darker corners of our home, our natural defences might not cut it." She peeled back her lips, retractable teeth emerging from her gums. She tapped on the yellowed enamel in emphasis.

She nodded at Callista's own weapon. "A good start. I'd recommend something with more reach, maybe? You wouldn't want something larger and stronger than you getting close." And if the distance was closed, that was where claws and teeth came in.

"Now, Draco..." She began with a toothy smile (rather than a naturally gummy one), "Is a cave where true monsters lurk. I've watched, admired them afar, as they hunted their quarry in the adjoining caves. I have not been past its entrance. But I've been close enough to see the yawning darkness further onward, and the constant stink of something sour, rotting and wet. It is where nightmares are born."

"And it IS pretty. To me, at least."

@Callista