Adèlaide

You can't make me disappear

Until I make you.

The air hung heavy, swirling and dancing around a darkened mass, a river making way for the rightful position of a rock, its rough edges and uneven surface the true ruler of the sea. Amidst the fog and suffocating pressure there lay a home for a growing creature, a diluted red in the darkness, shimmering with a galactic might when the faded lights from above might happen to grace a sliver of their incandescence on the chrysalis. It rested against the tunnel wall, discarded in the barren air.

This was no place for life and yet a heartbeat mimicked the throbbing of magic emanating from the entrance to Orion, the beating heart dancing with the fog that hung low around it. For it lay in the thick of wrongness, dead centre of the tunnel, although against the wall.

There was a whisper. Compressed by the grey air. A cracking and splintering. A rough thud. Life has risen in the calling emptiness.

She could feel the cold stone, hard against sensitive paws. She allowed the wet air to settle upon her fur, did not bristle under the ghostly hands or shy away from its murmured and fleeting touches. She could hear nothing around, see only the pushing of the mist that swallowed all sound from around her ears. She sat there, resting back on haunches that felt entirely new. A shadowed head twisting and turning, though gently, she did not want to disturb the air which embraced her. A pink tongue flicked out to taste it: cold, unwelcome. Yet, she did not feel alone in its ghostly presence. Instead she allowed her new body to feel it, taking it into her lungs, allowing the mist to tell her where her limbs lay, where her eyes could pierce and ears could hear.

She could feel her throat contract as she swallowed, could feel the air slither down to her chest, it was then that she opened her mouth. A sound wanted to be pushed out, it was not a word anymore than a scream or a murmur was. It was the sound of a new voice, of the wind and of dripping honey. She could feel something else there too. Something that pushed her voice out further, made it ricochet against the walls and travel out from her. Though dampened, lessened, weakened just like a whisper.

He had not left the bones behind yet in his life, not until this day when he'd discovered for himself a hole in the wall. A very large one. Large enough for the biggest of creatures to pass through and his curiosity had gotten the better of him. Through the wall he went into a tunnel that even put him, the great brutish beast, on edge. He sniffed at the air, his stomach rumbling. There were no rats in here. Nothing at all. Perhaps he should turn around and leave. Go back to where there were lots of bones and lots of rats.

He almost did just that, turning back to the entrance of Canis to begin a new hunt when a crack resounded off the walls, echoing in the horrid emptiness of the tunnel. He paused, his head turning back, nose flaring as he tried to detect what had made that noise. Perhaps it was too far down for him to hear...?

He snorted to himself and turned, too curious to leave the noise alone. He was hungry - perhaps it was a baby rat he could snack on. Or something else, not-rat, that he could eat. No, no no, he could only eat rats! Everything else was off limits.

He approached the place where the source of the noise had been and noticed a mound of dark fur. Looked like a rat so far! As he approached, though, a strange noise began whispering off the walls. He flinched and turned towards the stone, huffing with confusion. The walls could not speak! At least, not in Canis! Was that just a thing in this tunnel or what came after it? Or perhaps the black-fur-thing had made the noise.

He turned back and approached, crouching down as he got near. Glowing eyes raked over the new-hatched creature and he realized a moment later that it was not a rat. He could not eat it. But, perhaps, this was a chance to prove to the world, to himself, that he was more then he thought he was. More then a simple predator - he could think and feel and be gentle. He did not need to eat everything in sight.

He squatted next to the newborn, four arms resting on his burly legs. "Hello," he rumbled. "You...are new. Predator, prey, or...more?"

@Adelaide

Adèlaide

You can't make me disappear

Until I make you.

It was beautiful. Everything felt wrong as if she should not stay for long, this was not a room someone was so readily invited to. There would be no warm hands to take her own, no gentle smiles and soft eyes to tell her that this place was home. Yet, that chilling unease is what made her shoulders relax, the unfamiliar sensation of conscious movement causing pleasure, the sense of control a fascinating concept. She could dance! ...If she did such a thing. There was a smile that touched upon her lips, unwanted but there was no one there to see such a thing. Every breath of the tunnel that touched upon her fur was freedom, every moment of silence was bliss, every movement of her own and each lungful of air she dragged in made her feel alive, and she was yet to even truly go anywhere!

Those first few fleeting moments would be nothing compared to what came next. The haze of the tunnel was moving, no longer a gently rolling river for someone had skipped stones across its surface. They were wading deeper, closer, her eyes did not care for what it was, instead, she focused on how the very air reacted to this new intruder; repulsed and drawn in all at the same time and Adèlaide could not help but feel the same. It was no more than a shadow. A monster in the eyes of someone more experienced. Larger than she, taller than she was long, brutish. Perfect. It seemed that cruelty and volcanic stone had joined together to gift the earth with something beyond imagination and she could not help but be intrigued. It was possible that she had drawn the...creature in, a curious sound that rose questions she had no answers for. Yet, it was that very noise that caused it to glance away from her, seeking something that was not out there, the very sight cause her glee! Of course, she had not consciously tried to do anything and yet that sight of confusion was wonderful! There would no noise to confirm the owner, no raising of her head or triumphant grin, no laughter or exclamation of 'Hey! It was me!' Now, wouldn't that destroy the fun? Dampen the butterflies that danced in her stomach, colliding with the walls of her heart.

He was immense in her eyes that she felt so small, so insignificant, something she could not allow. The feeling was pain, biting into her chest and pressing down on her ribs. The young wolf rose, puffing out her chest and letting her head rest high, staring the very thing back into its own smouldering gaze, easier now he had lowered himself in front of her. She did not take it as condescending, as she probably should have, instead, she felt as if she were bigger now, a queen atop a throne watching as her subjects bowed before her. Magnificent! Her tail was straight and narrow behind her as she stepped away from the wall and closer to the new...friend? Foe? She did not know why she did it, for some reason she thought that it might make her look bigger, help her out if he decided to swing one of the hands at her head. He should try. Now that would make for an interesting time. She beamed at herself, at that though. Yes. He should try it.

There were words that came from his mouth, more developed than her own testing sound had been, deep and penetrating to her very soul. "I am you." She tried again as she went to saunter around his squatting form, finding in herself what she had before that had pushed out her voice, she could feel warmth in her head, her throat contracting ever so slightly more than what normal words would have. She wanted to make those words echo and bounce and seep into his ears just like her first sound had. The heat in her head seemed to grow, causing a slight wince from her, her voice rasping on the sentence ever so slightly. That was not how it was supposed to go.

He must not be alone for he didn't seem too surprised at seeing her, she did not think, yet he also did not quite seem to know what she was. Did that mean everyone here was like him? That would not be allowed, she was smaller than he, furrier, had fewer limbs and did not have a...thing burrowed in her chest. She didn't quite know where she was, who the creature was, what she was and what she could do. The lack of knowledge was infuriating. "Because I like how you look." She would try not to let slip the fear that clawed at her, the worry of the unknown or the confusion and uncertainty that plagued her very mind. All of that already made her feel weak.

Azrael

The not-rat didn't answer his question initially. That was fine. Perhaps it could not speak. Perhaps it didn't know yet. He still did not fully understand how to speak either. It would probably just take time. He was about to say something else when she did speak, but it only confused the poor creature more then he was before. He shorted, shaking out his mane. "Not...understand. I am me, not you." Was she deluded in some way? Perhaps she wasn't very smart. That was probably the most likely option. Did that mean he could eat her? The four-limbs-two-wings had said that he could only eat rats because they were not intelligent. Well...if she was not either, was she open for eating?

Better not risk it.

His brows furrowed and the glowing orbs narrowed to slits as he observed the pup. "I...thank. You like...how I look?" He snorted again. "Many fear. Many see evil beast. But you like. Why?" It didn't really make a lot of sense to him. None of it did. He was a simple creature of simple understanding and all this "not everyone is prey or preadator some are something more" and "only eat rats because rats do not speak" and "I cannot eat this wolf because she talks and is not a rat even though she is not intelligent." Not that he was really one to judge levels of intelligence.

@Adèlaide

Adèlaide

You can't make me disappear

Until I make you.

She could feel the volcano-creature's eyes on here, it was weird, there was something strange about his look but she didn't know what and she couldn't exactly ask because she didn't know what! There were so many questions and she didn't have the words to ask, the could barely get her mind to agree with her and say what she wanted when she did have the words. Or thought she had the words anyway. The young pup was not happy: she was confused, she didn't know what to say to this creature, or what she could do with her body, each movement felt stiff and awkward, she knew she could do this fun thing with her voice if she tried but it didn't always work and it hurt her head and throat when it didn't. Ugh!

"Are you you? Or I you?" She grinned at his confusion, the pleasure of that breaking through her own thoughts. The girl backed up until she was against the wall again, the rough stone bringing some comfort, but that wasn't what she wanted. She watched his features carefully, although her gaze kept dropping down to the stone thing coming out his chest and the cracks in his skin, was he hurt? Did some push it into him? Then she pushed. It took a few tries, her front limbs having to push harder and harder against the floor, underestimating how much she weighed, before she finally pushed hard enough and she felt the stone of the wall rest wholly against her spine. There was a slight huff that escaped her lips when she hit the wall but she now stood on her hind legs, back as straight as she could get it with support from the tunnel and her front limbs hanging in front of her. She could be tall too.

She didn't like his snorting, but whatever. She also didn't like his questions. However, she still nodded "You scary," there was pleasure in her tone though, she would jump up and down if she could have, but she didn't exactly want to topple over. For some reason that was amazing. "You got four..." She wiggled her two front paws that dangled in front of her, "and these cool things..." she tried to shake her head and pat the top of it with her paw to mean his horns but that made her balancing act a bit precarious and she almost slid to the side. "And flapping things and pointy things and this other thing in your chest and so many things! The young pup was panting hard at having spoken so quickly, her lips spread wide. Oh oh oh! "If many fear we can go make fear! How many? Where?" Surely they would find it as fun as she did right? If not, the two of them could have fun watching it anyway.

Azrael

The beast was growing mildly agitated, more out of impatience then anything else. The wolf was being ridiculous. "I am me. You are you. This is what correct." His words came with a sense of finality - there really wasn't anything else to it and he would not discuss it further. He wanted to be nice, yes, but he did not have the patience to deal with some of this.

Concern flickered across his face. He was scary? One of her arms reached out and turned back, the eye in the palm opening to observe himself. He really hadn't taken to doing that before, but he did not know what was quite scary about him. He was dark, yes, and he lived in shadows, but did that make him scary? He lowered his hand as the pup began to make strange movements. Out of curiosity and misunderstanding, he replicated her actions, wiggling his arms and patting his horns. Were they something special? Not really - the four-limbs-two-wings had horns. They had wings too. He hadn't yet met anyone with as many limbs as him, but surely there were others. As for his stone, well, he looked down at it, tracing the cracks. He still wasn't sure what that was for but he had once tried to tear it out and it had caused him so much pain that he had stopped.

He paused and looked up. "Fear?" She was speaking...as if she wanted to make fear. A rumbling in his chest began as he wondered. He did not like fear. Not even in the hunt - fear made the prey run away and it was harder to catch them when they were afraid. However, fear was good for competition. The scarier predator got the most prey. But he had to remember - there was more then simply predator and prey. And fear made anger and anger was bad. He did not like to be afraid and he did not think that other would like it either. It was, perhaps, the first empathetic thought he'd ever had, but it passed him by without importance. He shook his head. "Fear...bad. Fear not needed to make. I don't...want be feared." He paused. "Do you?"

@Adelaide

He had become so adamant, so agitated that she let it slip through her fingers, a mere giggle at his irritation and saying no more on the subject. As per his unsaid rules. It was quite amusing, she was not stupid, really, she knew the difference between him and her, yet she could not hold herself back from finding his agitation with her entertaining. Then he started mocking, or copying, her actions and she couldn't help but think about what someone might see if they walked in on this curious sight: a newly hatched pup standing on her hind legs with her back against the wall and a demon copying her silly actions in a tunnel that really was not used to such childish behaviour. The entire thing was quite hilarious and caused a fit of laughter to spill forth from her lips, this time she did topple over, falling onto her side with a huff even as she continued with almost tears in her eyes.

"I...don't know" She had sobered herself up enough but still lay on her side on the rock floor, watching the mist swirl and dance. Fear had been the first thing he mentioned that he said could be made, whether it should or not was not really what she had thought about. "What else? We make fun instead?" But would their ideals of fun be different? Was there a set definition for it? Perhaps the subject should be changed, she didn't want the conversation to turn sour just yet. "You the first I met, but...you said there are others? Who you met? Many?" Exchanging stories, or more aptly, one telling the stories and the other listening for she had none of her own just yet, seemed like a safe option.

@Azrael

He didn't understand this pup. He didn't understand why she was laughing, why she looked so amused. He had not laughed before - not because he did not find things funny, but there had been little in his life to laugh at at all. So far, it had been mostly hunting and trying to learn to speak. And trying to understand things. So the strange noises she made made him a little uncomfortable, but some instinct inside of him said it was okay. That this was normal.

He set his arms down as she did the same. He sat cross-legged in front of her, letting his folded wings fall back behind him. "Make...fun?" He tilted his head. "Fun. It is familiar. I...not speak good," he admitted with an embarrassed twitch. "You better. Tell me...what fun mean?" Perhaps it was too much to ask a newly hatched, but she seemed to have a better grasp on some things then him. She could speak better, she knew words, so perhaps she knew the meaning of them as well.

He considered her question for a minute. "Others. I meet...some. Four-limbs-two-wings. A prey that speak. Dip. Itchy. Many rats. I eat rats." He glanced down the tunnel, wondering if there was more down there. If there were more rats and more things to speak to. For a moment, he considered just getting up and leading the wolf that way, but he couldn't smell rats...and he was too hungry to adventure right now.

@Adelaide

Adèlaide

You can't make me disappear

Until I make you.

Life, for the few short minutes she had lived it, was a rollercoaster: from tumbling out into a world of darkness, voices ricocheting off the walls, a huge arse 'monster' crouching in front of her and so much confusion but joy and laughter apparently, and annoyance too. So many emotions, so little time. This creature was fascinating to her, a child's curiosity strong in the minds of those who wish to know all. She was lacking so much, but was he lacking more? The girl's head rose from the floor to stare at him for a few moments. "I don't know! It sounded good!" How could you explain fun? It just popped into her head as something they could do, just as she knew that you could make fear if you wanted to, but she couldn't explain either. "Like, that laughing floor thing was fun. You doing what I do was fun." She was very bad at sitting still, as if ants lived under her flesh, have to constantly move. From the floor back to walking absently around his larger form.

Four-limbs-two-wings, could that not be a lot of others? He had two wings himself, although more than four limbs, and she had four limbs but not two wings. was the combination of them both rare then? Then there were words she didn't know, more confusion, though she didn't stop walking. Her head was tilted towards him to listen, eyes narrowed with an act of uncertainty. "Should you be eating rats? Her voice was cautious, a tone as if she didn't know if he was doing the right thing, standing in front of him with disapproving eyes. "Is it right to eat rats?" She wanted to smile at him, laugh again, but she felt as if that would ruin the faux disappointment she had going on so she had to shake her head slowly at him to get rid of that give-away smile.

@Azrael

He considered, thinking back to the imitation he'd done of the wolf, to the laughing. He had not experienced any sort of special emotion when doing those things...was that wrong? Should he have experienced this so-called "fun" at that time? Should he have been enjoying himself? It wasn't that he wasn't enjoying his time, it just didn't feel particularly special. He was talking to this pup and that was pretty much it.

He remembered Dip asking something similar. Asking what he did for fun. And his answer had simply been "hunt" because, really, he didn't do much else. He had a feeling that he should be doing more then eating and thinking about his next meal. Well, he was - he was making friends and learning. That was "fun", right? There was a thoughtful rumble in his chest and one of his claws came up, stroking at the growing beard beneath his chin. "I want know what is fun. I hunt. Not many else. Hunt is fun?" Was that really a question to offer a young child, one that'd never hunted before? Probably not.

But there was finally something he could answer with certainty. "Yes. It is good eat rats. I eat only rats. Rats not smart - you cannot eat things that are smart! Or can talk. Bad to do. Rats only ones not smart." This was, of course, completely untrue, but the demon was none the wiser.

@Adelaide