At once, it was aware, of the gentle thump-thump-thump of their heart, of each breath taken in then exhaled. And most of all it was aware of pain, the kind of inescapable, consuming pain that could drive you to madness. Anteros- that was its name, it realized- clawed at the walls of it's cage, slick with oil and smelling of pungent rot.

With a muffled shriek, the creature reeled back and kicked, slowly enlarging the fissures forming on the outside of their chrysalis before exploding outward in a rain of crystal shards.

Yet, despite their violent entrance to the caves, they made no move to attack, no move to do anything at all. Instead it curled into a ball on Canises dirt floor and covered it's sensitive eyes with arms still slicked with oil.

The light, oh the light, what agony it brought them! It was like a thousand tiny needles penetrating their eyes. Each new sensation only added to their pain. Anteros let out a wail, gagging as they choked on oil.

@V-Ruby-One

Content Warning
This post contains potentially sensitive material:

abuse

Just to be safe, this tag stands for this whole thread

Was it fortune that brought Helion back from its hunt just as its spawn at last emerged from its shell? Or bad luck that the parent came to gather the child before they could take a step into freedom away from the black shadow of its creator? Perhaps if Anteros had hatched moments earlier and had the thought to flee, it would have had a far different fate then the one it was now destined to have, as Helion had stepped away from the chrysalis for a moment, hunger gnawing at its stomach. It had otherwise been sitting next to the chrysalis for days, knowing that the time was coming soon for it to hatch. And in the one moment it looked away, it had done so.

But it was not too late to give Anteros a chance to escape. No no no, it arrived just as the child crashed from the shell and unknowingly threw itself into danger outside of the crevice it had created to house it.

Eyes widened and it rushed forward, the wail activating some kind of instinct in it. Protective? Parental? That was a suitcase to unpack at a later moment as the fearful thing in its heart rushed forward. Get it back inside before someone sees or hears! Why is it crying? Yes, why indeed? Was it Chaos, already biting into its neck, as it had when Helion first hatched?

It was at Anteros's side in an instant, hissing softly. "You should be inside the cave, not out here!" With three arms it made to pick the child off the ground, with another it touched the wall, willing the stones to crack and shift and break so that the cave was bigger - more room for two creatures. But the magic lashed back as it reached for the wall, heat raced up its arm and a sharp pain followed soon after. It didn't mean to, but the claws it was reaching for Anteros with gripped too hard as it shoved the child towards the crevice, where the shattered remains of its chrysalis still sat, where the miniature Spire still spilled its corruption into the black tainted stone.

"This is your home," it snarled. It wouldn't follow it inside, but rather linger outside. It was too cramped, now that it was hatched and stretched out. "Safety. Okay? Say it back to me. This is your home."

@Anteros

Vision blinded by the oil-slick tears spilling from Anteros' eyes, the creature failed to notice their parents approach. Instead they remained, quivering as they curled into a little ball. Through the buzzing in their ears Anteros could hear approaching footsteps.

All thought fled them in an instant as claws dug into their scruff, now with only adrenaline and animal fear to guide them, Anteros reached inward, magic welling up from their core, it just wanted the light to stop, it wanted everything to stop.

"Let go!" They shrieked, yet, nothing came to aide the hatchlings call, only more pain and a scant few wisps of shadow. With no other plans of action, they twisted around in their attackers grip, flailing until their muzzle came into contact with one of their arms and Anteros bit down as hard as they could.

@v-ruby-one

Immediately, it fought back. Helion didn't understand - it was trying to help. But no, all it did was struggle and twist and turn around and bite its arm. The ruby didn't flinch away but merely snarled back and clench its fist as it stared down at its spawn, something roaring in the back of its mind. YES. YES!! IT'S STRONG. IT FIGHTS!!! IT HAS WEAPONS AND IT KNOWS TO USE THEM! It was mildly unhelpful right now, considering that it was fighting back against its parent. Off to a great start.

Instead of escalating things further physically like it wanted, however, the scared thing grabbed onto Helion's shoulder (it could almost feel it digging its claws in) and hissing in its ear. You don't want to hurt it. There are other ways. We should be protecting it, not fighting back. We're trying to help. True. Very true. And if someone saw all this happening over here or heard its wails, the cover could be blown before Helion had a chance to explain things.

So, instead, it relied on their shared corruption, its magic pressing forward into Anteros's mind. GET IN THE CAVE! came the roar of Chaos before it could do it more gently, the words coming with the will to follow that direction.

@Anteros