Hatched. Hatched! The kittens had hatched. The one called Rockeater had completed its sojourn within its blood-colored quartz chrysalis. The inner flesh—cracked! The baby um... thing, released! At first, it begins by gnawing on the shards of its own chrysalis. But when the shards don't go far enough inside, the boy-thing looks around for something more chewable.

Aha! Right before it! Big, bright, shiny—beautiful! Pop rocks. The only thing it ever craved to eat in its brief nanoseconds of life. Rockeater advanced.

The kitten tried to get a running start to climb up the blue Spire. He didn't trip or fall or anything, but his clambering and scrabbling wasn't enough. He couldn't reach the loose highly edible stone fruits dangling above his head.

The other flipping thing could though. Hatching from a world of bumblebee agate (a very beautiful stone that made for a somewhat disturbing looking set of organs), this kitten had a little more, uh... to them. They saw a kitten. Wow! What a funny looking thing! They ran after the kitten, thoughts already awash with playful puppy scenarios. They could play, and frolic, and laugh, and swat each other for fun like bugs, and lick each other!!! There were so many things they could do, now that they were alive!

It seemed the other little thing had already thought of a game. Wow! There was something in the sky that was floating and shining at them. Aha! They understood. The other kitten couldn't get up there. But maybe they could?

With a little less bull-headed grit and a lot more puzzle-solving grace, the kitten named Blastocyst (by some cruel twist of fate) managed to climb up far enough to reach the floating rocks. One very foolish leap of faith later, and the kitten was back on the ground with two tiny stones in tow. Ow! The landing hurt.

"Hi!" said the kitten, spitting out two small, glowing blue stones. "I got your rocks! What do we do now?"

Rockeater watched with a level of patience and focus no sane kitten should have. It seemed to be... absorbing the way the other kitten climbed up the Spire and acquired its pieces. When the two rocks were deposited before them, Rockeater paused to stare blankly—first at the other kitten, and then at the stones. For an uncomfortably long time, Rockeater basked in their thrumming magic, transfixed on their magical sheen.

And then, without warning, he ate one. Like a dorito chip. Popped it in his mouth and swallowed without chewing.

The other kitten watched with great delight as their hatchmate showed them what to do. The cold stare and complete lack of response was not disturbing to this plucky young kitten in the slightest. Wow! Look at him go! Gobbling up that rock in seconds flat! "Wow! Okay!"

Blastocyst would lean down to pick up their blue Spire rock in their own jaws. They would carefully consider chewing; just holding the rock in their mouth already felt like sucking on a live wire. It was hard to keep going. When teeth met stone, the texture was... grating, to say the least. But Blasty swallowed all concern, and the Spire rock went down with it.

gore

The acquisition of the pieces of the Spire was, itself, a painful task. The crystal structure crackled with so much intense, pure radiation that it was nearly tangible. Sparks popped and burned the footpads of the young cat that climbed and grasped for a couple of pieces, rebellion all the way until the moment of consumption.

For a moment, it was nausea and pain, perhaps something normal for eating rocks, but then in the pit of their stomach, agony erupted. Pops and crackles of Spire radiation burst off of their bodies as something akin to fire began to burn the two cats from the inside out. Energy surged through their veins so intense they began to rupture, blood vessels breaking open as their naked skin began to burn away from muscle and bone.

The twin stones trembled under the direct assault and rapidly began to move out as their bodies succumbed to the radiation that was devouring them piece by piece. Shimmering turquoise streaked each of their chrysalis as the last few popping sparks died away moments later. They would find, upon awakening, that they were stripped of all elemental magic, unable to reach that which had once been natural to them.

Both cats have been forced into their chrysalis and will awaken in 2 weeks time as non-elemental gembound. Additionally, they will suffer the following chrysalis consequence:

Blastocyst-
Adjunct, minor. Blastocyst will awaken with an additional front limb on the underside of their neck. This limb is healthy and usable, although it hangs a little awkwardly and doesn't quite reach the ground.

Rockeater-
Oculi, minor. Rockeater will awaken with an additional eye on the outside of their back right leg, just above the foot. This eye is cloudy and blind.

@Blastocyst @Rockeater

The little kittens' bodies, as precious as celadon, were also just as fragile. Somewhere in transit, the little rock and the magic therein made an utter mess of Rockeater's insides. He held it down, though. The whole time. Even as it crackled and fizzed, even as he felt every delicate artery and vein burst; the lining in his stomach dissolved, the acid itself vaporized, a thousand tiny suns shredding through every cell of his body. I would compare it to eating garlic straight, but much more agonizing. Tears swelled, but not from emotion. Just the body's natural response. Nausea persisted, and bile rose, but nothing came out. Tenacious whelp. Rockeater may never know a pain greater than this.

- exit to chrysalis -

Content Warning
This post contains potentially sensitive material:

kitten suffering ): also vomit

It's always sad to see a kitten in pain. Blastocyst was not faring well. His brother struggled not with the emotional side of things; life hadn't gone on long enough to hold any meaning for that one. Blastocyst, on the other hand, seemed to have been born with a more innate appreciation for living. For living in comfort, even. Tears came to his eyes when the agony began. They weren't sure what was going on inside, but it felt far too big for their little kitten body to contain. Why? Why did the pretty rocks make him feel like this? How was the other kitten doing? Why wasn't he...?

Blasty did end up barfing before the chrysalis mercifully spared him the rest. A fruitless attempt at removing danger from within. In great contrast to the scars this would leave on Rockeater's mind, Blastocyst's scars would be prominent and sore. Probably forever.

- exit to chrysalis -