Hunger and thirst were common place. Even if she looked and acted like the monster so many hated, she still had her needs. The same needs as everyone else. The solitary hunt had begun along the tunnels to Cetus but when that proved to be unfruitful the black wolf moved further into the caverns. As usual, the area was steeped in mists and shadow. The air dank and dreary. Dread hung in the air as thickly as the fog, yet it did not deter the young gembound from walking headlong into the thick of it.

The scent of water was everywhere, washing away completely or mostly covering any scent she could possibly track. Hunger pushed her from end of the cavern to another, rounding twice the murky pool laid out in the center of the room. On her third pass with nothing to show for her labors the ebony pup laid down upon the cool mud and watched ripples of the water dance according their own desires. For a while she simply laid there, listening to the echos of the cavern until apricot eyes began to drift. In and out she became, unwilling to take the leap into total unconsciousness.

table by Sara

@Cancer

It had been quite some time since the Secret King had hunted for himself. Niru worried over him, had all but begged him to stay put, let him handle the trouble. Instead, Cancer shushed his boy, set him up with the duty of guarding Cure and Remedy, then headed out to Cetus, naked and natural. No armor this time. No hiding his scars, his disfigured tail, his glittering arms. The cat moved easier now, his injuries all but healed with careful rest. He'd suffered too much lately to care about physical injury- plighted with scars, he was used to the pain. He was beginning to forget what it felt like to be otherwise.

Cetus was his favored hunting ground. Eridanus was good for the deer that lived there, but Cetus was a special place- it gave him the chance to fish, a treat he'd never gotten to enjoy since he'd been on bedrest. They never lasted the journey back to Orion, if Niru ever bothered to get his paws wet. Lions and water didn't mix. Carcino couldn't imagine why not. He liked it just fine.

The mist of Cetus greeted him like a lukewarm blanket. It hugged his pelt as he slipped into the undergrowth, alert for sounds of prey around him. He summoned forth his magic, and focused on the hushed sounds of heartbeats around him...

...and though it didn't surprise him, he noted a few larger heartbeats in the flood of tiny rapid beats around him. Most were minor, lesser gembounds scurrying around and searching for food, no doubt. One was closer than the others though. One that didn't match with the resident pulses here. He looped around to approach out of bored curiosity. A familiar shape. A wolf? Arkrael? No, this one was smaller, younger. He chuffed softly to alert her to his approach as he emerged from the growth around them.

@Aleera

She was upon the precipice of sleep. Drifting between this world and the next. Aware of the world around her in bursts that grew less and less frequent. This pattern was broken only when a new sound echoed into the wolves ears. A sound not made by rocks or plants, one that no matter how tired Aleera may have felt in the moment jolted her back to wakefulness. Orange eyes opened and legs still a bit thin rose the ebony female to her feet, attention swinging round and landing squarely upon another obsidian colored creature though larger than she. It was a feline. It’s graceful proportions and slender tail gave that away within seconds, though this one displayed a pair of stout horns upon it’s skull ranging from yellows to reds. The cat was covered in wounds, still healing from some sort of altercation and came toward the pup with a relatively easy calm…Yet this had been the case with many who had attempted to coax Aleera into a civil discussion.

All to quickly the pup devolved into a state of defensive aggression and turned to face this new creature. Head hung low, ears drawn back, and teeth displayed as a hissing growl rolled out to announce her displeasure. This may have continued even further, had not a familiar scent wafted through the air that distracted Aleera long enough from her hostile nature to assess it. ”You’ve been around Niru.” She asked, still keeping her distance though she did not seem as defensive as before. ”Who are you?”

table by Sara

@Cancer