Her wondering had not trailed far from Orion. Merely exploring the whole of the area with the keen notion that Niru was nearby somewhere kept her from feeling apprehensive about the entire situation really. The idea of being attacked again did not bear upon her shoulders as heavily as it had before, all because of that lion. Perhaps he did not realize it, but he was more helpful to Aleera than anyone had ever been in her short life and for that she would be forever grateful to him. In this light hearted exploration of the glittering cave the wolf pup came upon an opening to one side of the cavern. It went in deep with little light to guide the way of those willing to go inside. Gaping, grasping, Aleera could feel a cool sweep run down her spine that forced onyx fur to stand on end in delicate spikes. The wafting of mist coating the floor as the low moan of the cave called out to her. Her heart already began to pound as she peered into the darkness, expecting a hand of some sort to reach out and snatch her up, to devour her whole. She was afraid the second her half blinded eyes fell upon it’s opening…and yet, she could not bring herself to move.

What was it that made this place so scary? A chill in the air? The sinister shadows? Or was it something more? Something that went unseen that although repelled her, also called to her like nothing else in these caves did. Though every fiber of her being told her to turn and move on from this unholy place her paws took her forward and into the depths she plummeted. Deathly still, nothing was seen to move and nothing was heard to speak, all that came from the walls was the echo of Aleera’s claws scraping the stone every so often. Luminous eyes searched every jutting stone, every dark shadow, but beyond the suffocating stillness and the mildly annoying mist, the cave was silent. Scents did not linger upon the stone and prints could not be found in the settling dust. Was this cave so unused? What prevented others from coming down here to get to whatever other entrance it led to? The solitude that this cave provided slowly began to turn from haunting to damn near liberating. For the first time since her birthing Aleera felt as though she was truly alone. No one was around, just her in the darkness, and no one could hurt her. A type of joy welled up in her that allowed those deformed features of her to twist into a smile that did not make her any prettier than she was before, leaping about with a happy yip as she danced. There was comfort in solitude for her, or so she thought.

All to soon her dance ended, and she was welcomed again by that deafening silence. The happiness of her realization faded all too quickly, and the haunting sense of being watched crept up along her back to remind her of everything she’d left behind. Niru was not here to ease this crushing lonliness. No one was here. Not even that stupid bird Ambrus, and suddenly she felt herself pinning for even that idiots attention. Anything to break the quiet. A breeze swept through the tunnel and Aleera spun round to meet the only the dimly lit stone walls, releasing a cry when she scared herself with her own shadow. The scream echoed on down the caverns of rock, ringing back in the pup’s ears only to fade back to silence. A whimper rose up in her chest and the cave seemed to breath it in, moaning as another soft breeze came by to carry a whisper upon the wind. ”Aleeeeeeeeeerrraaa.”

table by Sara

Giggle had seeded the tunnel with spores only the day before. Throughout the day she'd been testing herself, testing her magical limits, but now she paused to check the spores once more.

The tunnel was the only way into Canis, and using the spores was a damn good way for her to keep an eye on anyone who went in and out--assuming she happened to check the spores at the same exact time someone was travelling through.

But she knew that Kerberos, guarding the Orion end, would keep it safe. Unless he strayed for hunting, or sleeping (did the beast even sleep?), Canis would remain safe.

Regardless, it was good practice, and it was a good practice: to watch the tunnel with her own magic, as well, a backup to their three-headed canine guardian. Huffing, the hyena trotted up the path until she could barely see the black mouth of the tunnel in the distance. Then she let her eyes drift closed, and she focused, letting her consciousness drift toward--and into--the spores of the cave.

She could feel her mind wander, feel the sudden cool damp of water around her, feel the rush of cold and misty air. She could feel the embrace of the darkness, so pleasant to her fungus, and she felt pleased, like a mother whose children were flourishing.

There; vision seeped in. She could see the cave walls, see the few broken chrysalis shards that still lay scattered--some pus-green, some ruby red. And--what was this?

Something leggy, something black, wandering and peering. Giggle watched, through her spores, tilting her head; it was a canine, she thought, as the vision shimmered and flickered. A stranger.

The hyena let the vision fade; it was taxing to keep looking for so long. Instead she thought it prudent to simply trot forward and meet this stranger herself. Licking her jaws, she trotted up the path and to the tunnel's edge, pausing at the lip to peer into the darkness.

A whisper echoed around her, a name, she thought; she responded with a chilling cackle of greeting. She realized at once, listening to the echoes of her sound drifting away into the darkness, that this might not be the best way to say hello to someone, and so followed it up with a masculine, raspy shout.

"Hello? Wolf? Dog?" She trotted forward, then, realizing that it might be odd that she knew what the stranger looked like before even laying eyes on them. She rolled her eyes at herself.

Oh, I'm just playing the perfect host today, aren't I?

Dismissing her own sarcasm, she trotted around the corner until the wolf was visible, and then dipped her head in greeting.

"Hello. My name is Giggle; are you lost?"

She couldn't see the wolf very well in the darkness, but she knew that nobody lingered in this tunnel by choice, so perhaps the pup simply needed some directions.

________________

Roll the bones.

@Aleera

All this time she had yearned for true solitude. But now that she had it, she wanted nothing more to do with it. It seemed like a lot in life was like that, making you think you wanted one thing, only to turn around and show you what that thing was really like. It was true then, be careful what you wished for. The shadows pulled in close, fraying, flicking at the edges of her sight and forcing the pup to jerk this way and that to catch a glimpse of what hid in the darkness. Half blinded eyes searched frantically and yet nothing came to greet her but the sound of her own heavy breathing, the thumping of her heat in her ears, and far off whispers she couldn’t determine to be her imagination or truly there. ”Aleeeeeeeraa.” They came again and she jumped around completely, facing the pitch of the tunnel, where light did not even dare to linger. ”Who’s there?” She asked, backing up just a bit, but again her eyes could not locate a possible source for this whispers.

Her call went largely unanswered, but the shadows continued their dance at the edge of her vision, taunting her with the fact that she could never see them fully. Another whimper escaped the black pup, her gem glinting in the light as still half panicked she searched for a source of these sounds. ”Sad. Sad. Sad. Mad, angry, rage. Pity. Pity. Pity.” The sounds came up from all around suddenly, all at once, roaring in her ears and deafening her. She felt as though something was staring her in the face as it shouted these words. They wanted to be seen, known, and she got the distinct impression that it would not stop until she understood their desire. But nothing was in front of her. Nothing but the dim glow of the light, the twisting shadows, and the wails of whatever thrived in this tunnel. ”Wh-what?” She managed to stutter out, having backed up so far that her entire side was now pressed against the cold stone wall, wetting her fur due to the moisture that clung to their.

”Run. Run out of tears. Dry, dry, no more.” It came again and sinking feeling hit Aleera hard in the stomach, making her cower against the wall as the voices came back again to surround her. ”You, you have the key. You. No one else. Free. Freedom. Be bound by nothing. Nothing!” They screamed at her and her ears fell flat against her skull, forcing the pup to be nothing more than a cowering ball against the stone. They were so loud they drowned out the sound of someone actually calling into the cave, staying that way even as the new creature approached. ”Aleeeeeeerrrraa.” The shadows moaned, but faded, this time which allowed the obsidian pup to finally realize that she was no longer alone in the tunnel. Orange eyes wide with fright looked upon this new creature and though words tried to come out from her parted jaws, the marred gembound could find no words. This was a fear she could not process and it froze her in that spot as the caves echoed her name.

table by Sara

@Giggle

Giggle tilted her head. The black canine looked terrified, though she couldn't be sure in the dark; she seemed to be looking to and fro, then frozen, staring.

Giggle shook her head faintly.

"Wolf? ...Are you all right? Can you speak, can you understand me? This tunnel's no place to linger."

She could understand being frightened of the tunnel, in truth. It had a cold, aching feeling about it, the sense that living things didn't belong here, an oppressive pressing. But Giggle knew why, and so it had taken some of the fear out. Perhaps it might help the pup, to know?

"Ignore the feeling; it's just residue of some old barricade magic, meant to keep something out--or in," she added, what should sound ominous instead coming out matter-of-fact with the hyena's practical tone.

"You want to come into Canis? If Kerberos let you by, I'm sure you can be trusted." And if he'd been away, or sleeping... well, potentially dangerous or not, this black canine seemed more gripped with fear than hostile intent.

With a faint sigh through her nose (her weariness made obvious), the hyena turned and padded off down the tunnel a ways, back toward Canis, glancing back at Aleera to see if she would follow.

________________

Roll the bones.

@Aleera

The creature, not entirely unlike her did not seem deterred by the voices. She stood with confidence and regarded Aleera with concern, rather than the hostility she had come to expect of near everyone. Gently, the round eared canine asked Aleera several questions, her willingness to help confronted only by the continued whispering of the cave and the dance of the shadows all round. ”You’re tired. You’re lonely. Lonely. Lonely.” The ebony pup flinched back again, squeezing her eyes shut tight as the breeze in the cave caressed her bare skin like spindly fingers. ”They think you a monster. And you are.” They taunted, pressing against her ears and drowning out the hyena’s attempt at explaining what it was she must be feeling due to some left over magic that had once inhabited the tunnel.

Still pushing herself against the wall, she dared only to peer out at the opposing wall as they continued to plague her. ”They think you’re crazy but they don’t know the feeling. We know the feeling. Feeling. We understand you. We’re here to help. Help. Help you.”. ”Help, me?” She asked, her voice quivering and pathetic just as the one who was present spoke again. She remarked upon one named Kerberos and that he must have let her enter the tunnel. Momentarily distracted from the voices the wolf pup looked back to her and shook her head to indicate that she had seen no one by the entrance to the tunnel. In fact, she found it hard to believe someone was actually guarding it. To go to Canis had never been her intention, lest she run into that stupid bird again, curiosity had drug her into these darkened depths and now fear that gripped her very soul kept her from leaving. ”The shadows have watched. The shadows know. You rely to much, much. Much on others. You are a Queen Dibbuk. Show. Burn. You are…fire.”

Those eyes so touched by fright danced around the cave again in a desperate desire to find the source of the voices. Again she could see nothing, nothing but the hyena turning to head toward the end of the tunnel. She stopped when she was almost out of sight to look back to Aleera expectantly, did she want her to follow? ”You are the monster of their worst nightmares. Nightmares Dibbuk. Embrace what you are. Let no one diminish your brilliance. Follow. Follow. Follow that one. Rebirthed in shadow.” They told her things she didn’t understand, things she wasn’t sure of, but the feeling of pride leaked into her fear and was soon to eclipse it completely. The ebony wolf pup rose to her feet, the shadows becoming quiet and solid. Once last glance over the tunnel revealed that what had come and also gone as quickly as it came. ”I am…fire?” She repeated softly to herself, feeling the sting of her paws again. ”Yes…I am fire.” Aleera turned apricot orbs upon the hyena, fear gone, and began to trot a steady pace after the other. ”I do not believe you said your name?” She asked, her voice calm and steady, a distinct change had occurred by the one before the wolf could not begin to understand what.

table by Sara

@Giggle

There was the first indication that something might be off. She hadn't heard the very first thing that Giggle had said.

The hyena slightly tilted her head, eyeing Aleera perhaps a fraction of a second too long, before dismissing the thought--for now; maybe the wolf had simply been distracted by fear. Yet her sudden change in demeanor--that was off-putting, as well. Giggle sighed to herself, but did her best to hide her exasperation; was this to be yet another mad lunatic, coming to spew nonsense and then wander off? Look, she was already talking to herself...

"My name was the first thing I told you," Giggle replied, her words firm and measured. "My name is Giggle."

She debated whether to broach the topic of the wolf's sanity; had she somehow killed Kerberos, perhaps? Giggle glanced back toward Orion, then shrugged it off. Kerberos wouldn't be destroyed so easily, and even if there'd been a fight, she would have heard it. She turned, pacing off toward Canis--but then her decision reversed, and after only a few yards, she paused and looked back again, doing her best to hide her mildly-exasperated suspicion.

"Listen, are you sane? Because if you go crazy and attack me or start babbling to yourself and wander off, well you'll be the fourth one, and I've gotten rather sick of that," she blurted matter-of-factly.

She had come to expect it, in truth. Kerberos had attacked her outright, Baratheon had lost his mind to bloodlust, and Rafael... well, he was better left unaddressed. Even Usui had held more than a touch of insanity, she felt: declaring suddenly and abruptly mid-conversation that he, too, could now "read the bones" (as if the fool could possibly understand what that meant) before turning and walking off.

Really, she wasn't sure if she could deal with another one.

________________

Roll the bones.

@Aleera

The irrationality of a thing was not an argument against it‘s existence. Rather, it was a condition of it. Nothing was so common as the wish to be remarkable, common, but no less a powerful desire. A social creature could never aspire to be the beast of solemn solitude because it went against everything she was designed to need and want. The want to be accepted was the only thing in this world that all could identify with, Aleera more so than anyone. Her disfigurements and lack of beauty forced her into confrontations and situations that left her biggest weak spot wide open for any one to exploit…Because she let them. As she neared the end of that tunnel the dread, the fear, the oppressive sense that something was about to happen left her entirely. The anxiety that she would normally have for even being with eye shot of another, never came. It never came because the message was clear. She was a monster, but…not in the traditional sense. Of course she wasn’t some toothy, tentacle creature meant to suck souls and rend flesh. She was a different type of monster. One you didn’t know you were looking at until it was too late.

Regardless of these rising realizations, or lack there of, Aleera portrayed no outward hostility toward the other. Not even when sighs of exasperation escaped her jaws when forced to repeat what she had already stated, but Aleera in her cowering had not heard. She revealed it again to be Giggle and continued a few more steps along the tunnel that Aleera followed without a word, thoughts flooding her mind to determine something for herself. Sometimes there were no words, no clever quotes to sum up what’s happened that day. Sometimes you could do everything right, exactly right, and still feel like you failed. Was it destined to end this way? Was there something she could have possibly done to prevent the accumulation of all this resentment? The realization of what could have been and should be, eclipsing one another until even something as opposite as love and hate were one in the same. The change was beginning and it wouldn’t just forever alter Aleera’s life, it would change the lives of every gembound she came in contact with in these caves. For now they believed that monsters didn’t truly exist, just the grim tidings of a merciless nightmare…until they found that they’d been living in the presence of one all along. She didn’t quite grasp what it all meant just yet, but all good things to those who wait.

When giggle came to halt again she turned her gaze upon the pup, who in turn, looked upon her. She asked all to plainly if insanity would be the wolves trade mark, for the other had suffered incoherence in the past and no longer would she put up with it. Especially from the likes of her, it would seem. Luminous eyes narrowed a fraction, almost as if she didn’t understand the implication of the other’s words, but she understood, she simply didn’t like what it implied. ”I’m as sane as I deem fit.” The pup retorted with a flick of her tail. ”Now I have a question for you, Giggle.” Aleera began, slowly turning her head as she spoke to glance back down the tunnel from wince she’d come. ”Did you hear anything in there?” Ember eyes turned back upon Giggle with a tilt of her head which was slowly starting to appear more and more mature as the days went by. The faults and defects of the mind were like wounds upon the body. After all imaginable care has been taken to heal them, still, what would remain was the invisible scar no one but those whore bore them could see.

table by Sara

@giggle

"Uh-huh. And what does 'you're as sane as you deem fit' mean? You know that doesn't mean anything, right? No, there was no sound in the cave. Not before you saw me, and not after, except for your own noises."

Yup, there was something definitely off about this pup.

Giggle turned and trotted off swiftly, not bothering to wait for a response. The wolf could follow, or she could not. The hyena had been concerned about a lost pup; she really didn't feel like dealing with another absolute lunatic.

Not with her own hide on the line. In fact, as she went, she tossed what might be a parting comment over her shoulder.

"If you're going to be friendly and need something, you can come with me. If you're going to lose your shit and attack me, go back the way you came."

She didn't say the rest of what she was thinking: that if the wolf attacked her, she would try to kill it. Not fight, not fight off, but kill. Just kill.

She'd let the last one go...

And he'd nearly killed her son.

________________

Roll the bones.

@Aleera

The creature grew agitated at the pup‘s words. Yet instead of feel the bone gripping fear she had so many times in similar situations to this, she felt…amused. Amused by the fact that her words could draw out such a reaction, good or bad. Rather than speak on the subject further, for her peace had been made on it, she instead focused on that last bit of what it was Giggle had to say. She revealed that she’d heard nothing in the tunnel. That was perplexing, vexing, and all around unsettling. The thought of going deeper into what it was she’d heard that the other didn’t passed over the wolves mind briefly, killed only when Giggle swiftly turned and began through the tunnel once more toward what Aleera knew to be Canis. She’d been there before, and disliked it for several reasons, and knew she would not be prone to follow.

Instead, Aleera remained where she was and watched the agitated creature move on back toward what she could only assume as the others home. Perhaps she knew of Ambrus, perhaps she didn’t, but the bird was hardly a focus of thought here. Giggle called back to her, inviting her to follow if she was going to be friendly but if her intent was ill willed then she could go back the way she’d come. Amber eyes, even half blinded, displayed a portion of her surprise by that very comment. Her intention had never been to harm anyone by wandering into this tunnel, and why Giggle thought it was was beyond the pup for only a moment. The voices were right. Another of the various ilk whom made it a pass time to put Aleera down or even out right harm her because she was different. Because she was their monster. Get her before she could get them. Eat or be eaten. Well, if that was how it was to be then she would be the worst monster anyone had ever seen. The pup didn’t call back to the other, instead she turned back into the darkness of the tunnel and allowed her ebony form to meld with the shadows and vanish back into the only place that had made sense to her since she’d been born. Perhaps she would spend more time here, if only a little to listen to the whispers before she returned to the caverns to reveal what it was she knew herself to be.

Aleera Exits

table by Sara

@Giggle

Giggle paused as she neared her bone pile, half turning back to try to project herself through the tunnels' fungus, to watch and to be sure that the wolf left. But she found herself too on edge, her instincts too sharpened to the possibility of danger. She turned again, loping to her pit; she barely slowed as she gripped a femur, tossing it into the pile, trotting up onto her ledge to peer down.

As her mind and her eyes searched for pattern in the bones, her lips moving, she kept glancing off toward Tunnel K. There was something off about that wolf. Something wrong, that much was obvious; and she'd stated her own intentions clearly enough, by not following. Like any wild thing, she knew that something about the way the wolf moved, speak, positioned herself, was fundamentally wrong.

Giggle looked down again, eyeing the bones with a rapid flicking of her eyes to and fro.

Lost. She is alone. Split. Different. Cannot change. Trapped. Death. Death. Unchanging. Misery. Danger. Delay. Despair.

Giggle blinked, her mind picking out the patterns of impaled skulls and a tibia trapped within a ribcage, of bones scattered alone and some shattered, interpreting it even as the whispering drifted through her mind. Perhaps she was just as mad as Aleera, in her own way, but what she saw in the bones was rarely wrong.

And everything she saw of Aleera was wrong.

"Best she stays far from here," Giggle muttered, standing and trotting up to the fortresses, intent on alerting Aza'zel to the issue. She expected to feel guilt for abandoning a young one, especially one so clearly troubled, but to her surprise she felt hardly anything at all. No, Aleera was a threat to those young already within Canis, she felt certain.

Best if she stayed far, far away, and never set foot here again.

________________

ROLL THE BONES

(exit giggle)