The caller's piercing scream distracted Nox from her quiet eyrie, and a ripple rushed through her flesh inch by inch, skin contorting and tying itself into knots as she drew back slightly. Then, she started, head lifting and drawing back in fear as the bird attacked- but her first, instinctive reaction was to strike back at the attacking caller. Opening her beak, her head lunged like a serpent, long neck stretching taut.

She felt her breaths growing hot, a warning sign of her fear. Not here. Not here. Not now...

Her beak opened wide and for a moment time stood still. Then her beak closed with a wet snapping sound on empty air. She let out a low hiss through her nostrils, rumbling deep in her chest, and parting her jaws to once again find the bird. her first point to check was on her young charge, the child huddled beneath her- if it went for the chick, someone would suffer.

@Hikari

The little Gembound leapt back, crying out as the bird went for Mommy- he didn't want her hurt!

"Stop it, stop it!" he yelled at the bird, flapping his wings to try to get up to it, but with no success. "What did she do?"

He looked up at it, feeling quite overwhelmed. He didn't want anyone to get hurt- what was one little creature to do?

A sudden idea came to him, and he reached for his magic. Magic protected him from the dangerous light; maybe it could fix this mess? Even if it didn't, it was worth it. It couldn't possibly make things worse, right?

It was a struggle to bring the magic up- like lifting something that was almost too heavy for him. His "grip" slipped once, twice, before he finally managed to get a hold of it and cast it at the bird.

There! Problem solve-

A sudden rush of sensation disoriented him. He toddled on his feet, trying to regain a foothold, both in the real world and in his own mind, where a whirlwind of feelings tossed his thoughts about. He tilted about for a bit, before standing stock still, trying to sort out his own mind.

@Nox

The bird fluttered back, beak open and eyes wide, landing in the mud and not even fully-closing its wings. It was still within Nox's striking range, and now vulnerably motionless.

A flood of emotion would strike Hikari through the newly-opened link: fear, near-terror. Anger, protective courage, and above all, desperation. Perhaps this was what now had the bird, too, frozen: its new and unexpected link with the chick nearby.

Though it might be hard for one so young to divine, the Caller's desperation seemed far beyond what a single, healthy bird should feel. Its single scarlet eye suddenly flicked up to view Nox, and the terror and desperation came on in a new and even stronger flood.

@Nox @Hikari

The yelling of her child drew Nox further away from lucidity. She barely heard the youngster's words- she wanted only to protect him from the fear in his voice- and so, she rumbled, the skin along her length twisting and shifting. The only thing on her mind was- protect Hikari- And she acted only on that.

Great breaths gurgled in her throat, spraying slime and steam from her nostrils, as she coiled her neck back like a cobra preparing to strike.

With frightening quickness, her long, serpentine neck lunged forward again towards the lesser Gembound who had come down far too close for her liking to the newborn bird. Her beak opened wide and glowing, crimson eye met the lesser's own- like looking in a distorted mirror.

Hikari screamed.

It was the type of long, drawn out scream that made people think someone was being murdered.

And, in a way, he was. He could feel the other being eaten, sharp teeth digging into his flesh, prying apart his feathers, pulling him deeper into the abyss-

The link cut off, leaving him in a sudden void. He stood there, for a moment, expecting sensation where there was none- and wasn’t it interesting that one could get used to something so quickly?- before taking in one long, shuddering breath. Something within him, some part of him had died at that, and now his world had finally restarted, but in monochrome.

There was another moment of dull silence.

Then two.

Hikari burst into tears.

@Nox

M for Grim Death

The bird barely had time to twitch before it was engulfed, the desperation a screaming horror as it was swallowed whole. The link certainly broadcast its fear, its scrambling terror to escape, to claw free... and only eventually, this faded into nothing.

As Hikari began to sob, a soft and questioning series of tweets began to come from the tree just above.

Where a nest sat quiet... and now abandoned.

@Nox @Hikari

As her fleshy neck ceased its frantic squirming in a familiar sensation, Nox’s skin rippled and squirmed as she jolted back to attentiveness with Hikari’s scream piercing through to her core. When she was able, she parted her jaws and looked down at him uncertainly, dropping her head down to his level.

It was obvious that she was concerned, afraid evem, as she blew out in rapid breaths and rumbled a quizzical noise. When the drawn-out silence was finally broken again, Nox felt her worry growing, her skin never ceasing its rippling, shifting motions. She was a beast made of worms, or maggots, or perhaps leeches. And the disturbing spectacle lingered.

“We are sssssafe,” she rumbled quietly, as soothingly as she could. “It’sssss gone.”

Through the slick slithering sounds of her own skin, the draconian just barely heard the peeping, cheeping sound. But her attention was single-minded, her focus and worry wholly on Hikari. Such sounds were not uncommon in the swamp.

@Hikari

He looked up at this creature, tears pooling in his eyes as his keen sadness gave way to traumatized terror. For the first time, he noticed the writhing of her skin, ripples dancing their way across her slime. It was like the bird was still alive, in there, spread across her body, trying to get out but unable to.

The sound of chirping from above made his heart stop cold. He remembered the pure, unabated desperation he had felt, almost like it was his own. It was trying to protect its family, wasn't it? It was just trying to help its kids.

And she had murdered it. The lightwalker had murdered it, snapped it up like it was nothing. He stumbled back- what was the real reason she had taken him out of the light? For companionship? He doubted it. For- for food?

He looked up, again. He could run. He could lead her away. He could hide- save his own life as well as the birds'. He had to.

The world slowed (at least, to him) as he turned and ran. How far could he make it before she caught up? Would it be enough?

@Nox

Nox, for a moment, mistook the lessening of Hikari's tears as a sign that her comforting words had worked. The frantic movements of her skin slowed slightly, eye focusing on Hikari and a low, rumbling purr growing in her throat- though the sound could easily be mistaken for the low, low growl of a feral beast, if one wished. But then he stumbled, and another ripple rushed through her skin in worry. She moved her head a little bit closer, confused and concerned- looking at him. And her eye followed his movements as he turned and ran.

Confusion flushed through her, and not knowing what else to do, the draconian raised her head and followed. Her strides carried her far with each great step, and though her weight was great- a hundred of the peachick's frantic steps would equal only one of her's. Still, she followed, slowly- allowing herself to be lead. If she wanted to she could have overtook, but she didn't.

As her skin thrashed and writhed, Nox wondered again why he ran.

And then it struck her. Of course- he was a bird, and she had eaten a bird before his very eyes. The draconian realized this belatedly, and with a scaly thrill of guilt washing over her. It was no deeper than that, to her. But she had been protecting him.

"Ssssmall one. Where do you go? I won't hurt you..." she gurgled, as low and soft as she could.

@Hikari

Hikari heard Nox's words, and cast them aside. Lies, all lies, all of it. She had hurt, and she would hurt again, he knew it.

But he knew that he couldn't outpace her forever. He looked around, trying to find an answer to his problem- and then it came to him. Hide.

He dove into some nearby brush and hunkered down, trying to make as little sound as possible, hoping that the draconian hadn't seen him do it. Perhaps he could lose her in the swamp, among the darkness and all the dull greys and browns. Perhaps- but what then?

Hikari couldn't let himself lose track of the current situation, so he forced his mind away from that train of thought, and focused on the problem. The lightwalker. Had she seen him? He couldn't tell yet.

@Nox