Kazgut

I will come to be — I will submerge myself in the body of the earth, sink my teeth into its flesh; and rise in my own skin.

Far they had come, moving through the caverns at a pace slow and deliberate; only able to travel so much. For newcomers were they to this world, and as such, there were pitfalls to progress. Measuring distance was impossibly for ones so young, but they had journeyed through the cave system and eventually … found their way into Canis. Small was its cavernous mouth, convex and shaped strangely. The smell, too, was overpowering to those untrained senses. Something like burning - something like dampness - something musty - something wrong. Nose lowered, pressed near the floor, moving along slowly until it met with foreign object. Bone. There was instinctual knowing as mouth passed over it. Never did he grab it, but he did inspect it. Bones? Oh, and there were more. Many more. The cave was littered with bones, covered in them. This was the first time he was unnerved.

Moon eyes passed over a skull, nearing, looking at its great curving teeth - the sheer size of it! Lips curled just, and tongue was passed over it. Gathering information. No good. It tasted stale, much like the air here. Something within him told that this was not the place to find sustenance - that these bones would do nothing for the empty stomach. But the urge was hard to resist, wanting to test teeth on the curve of the ribs of a skeleton - … Vyette. Sniffing, Kazgut raised head, looking for Vyette and seeing that she had slipped momentarily out of sight. Tail raised just and head turned, looking for her wraith form amongst the bleach white and blackened remnants.

Hair raised at nape of neck. Out of the corner of eye - the black shuck thought that he imagined movement. Yes, it must have been simply imagined. For he felt alone in the cave. This was but a momentary trickery of being out of sight of the comfort of company. And the bones were surely still. They were dead, yes. And although the young one did not have a very advanced concept of death, or … much one at all, this was known.

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@Vyette, @Aran, @Deli and anyone else who wants to jump in!

Aran had been wandering. Really he spent most of his time wandering the dark caverns of this place ever since he met that winged creature from before. She told him of many things. Now, though, he was taking to looking for those things himself. Of course... He didn't want to find anything too dangerous for himself to handle, but he also couldn't let his curiosity fester until there was nothing left for him to think of. It would be unfair to his own young mind to do something of the sort.

The top of this cave was shorter than some of the others he had been to now, though he could still move through them for now. His long, thin legs carrying him to his destination. Though, as he was walking, something touched his leg, and made a clear scraping sound against the ground. That induced a shiver within the young Barasingha's body. He didn't like that sound one bit.

He looked down to the thing that bumped him, and it was a white, hard substance that looked like bone. Bones? Now that he looked to the area, instead of being in thought. He could see that the place was littered in them. As if it were a graveyard that he himself stumbled upon. It was terrifying. His instincts were telling him to leave while he still could, though, being the young curious mind that he was, he continued, wondering what was inside.

That was when he heard the sound of someone else in there. His ears perked as he gazed the area, looking for whatever made the sound.

Deli

The small white pup had found this cave rather by accident - upon leaving the tunnel that they'd started from, filled with so many fun little trinkets and playthings, they'd foolishly wandered out, a sense of curiosity driving them to the wider, cooler, star-lit cave that many knew as Orion. They'd been enamored by the glittering, sparkling crystals above but wandering aimlessly with your head turned towards the ceiling wasn't quite useful for not getting lost.

So, when they'd decided to return to where they'd hatched from, they found themselves in the middle of some wide open unknown cave with multiple exits and, for the life of them, they couldn't remember which was the right one.

So the next best thing was just picking one at random and they'd done so - and, of course, it had been the wrong one. But that was okay because this cave was great! Bones everywhere, bones for them to crush up or arrange in fun little patterns. Bones to toss around and hear the clatter just for the fun of it. They were having a blast completely disrespecting the remains of those passed on.

Not far from where the black wolf was wandering, they sat on a flat stretch of rock, with a small pile of bones they'd collected sitting at their side. They jumped around their little canvas, placing down bones and moving them around with a big goofy smile on their face. They'd come up with a strange skeletal shape, unnatural and completely incorrect, but their eyes gleamed as they looked down at their creation. They giggled loudly, pleased with their work, paying no mind to the canine behind them, nor to the deer nearby.

---

They’d played, they’d wandered, they’d hungered together, living and exploring the cave. Always the specter trailing behind the shuck, nose to hip or tail. But now, oh now she’d spied someone else — someone that made her stomach growl.

It was the farthest they’d been since creation: her attention drawn by this odd gemling, the odd shapes reaching from its skull surely a burden in this room. Her predatory senses screamed, and she crouched low to the ground. She was famished.

Void-eyes stared at the deer until something else distracted her — another predator. Small, like them. Familiarity flooded Vyette and she abandoned her hunt, choosing instead to bound towards the other canine. She slowed as she neared, seeing they were busy at work.

With brow furrowed she raised her face to them, tilting her head. And then she barked! A greeting! Tail wagging, for good measure.

@kazgut

Kazgut

I will come to be — I will submerge myself in the body of the earth, sink my teeth into its flesh; and rise in my own skin.

Scent drifted - a mingling of scents - crossing over one another to create a disorienting haze to one unfamiliar with tracking. The black shuck could smell the warmth of living creatures; predator and prey. Within these combining trails of aromas, Vyette. But, there was a stronger presence, nearer. One of predation, and toward this - the pup was drawn, needing to know what its source could be. For it smelled close to how they smelled; of wet dog, really. Unfamiliar, nonetheless. With nose pressed to the slick of rock, sorting through the dampness, the scorched earth, Kazgut followed nose on - until a new sense joined to confirm the first - sound. The clatter of bone and rock.

On a flat stretch of rock, bones were being arranged as though in ritual. It looked like ritual at first, but there was something more. A sound, a manic sound, one that had never been heard before. Something like laughter, but lighter - a giggle. For a moment, the void colored dog watched, watched the dance and the steps to the ritual. The bounding and the hurried, busy movement as bones were gathered, arranged, and played with.

From behind, there was a bark. Vyette! Eyes found her, some distance away. Ears perked at that and stance widened. Bark! He barked at her. BARK! Attempting to get her attention and perhaps call her back to where he could better protect her. Instinctual. As attention faltered from the canine with the boneworkings … deer. Deer. Sniffing at the air.

Unsure what to do in this situation, Kazgut did the only thing he knew; he BARKED. He barked for Vyette to return closer and he shifted his posture so that the others knew that he was not sure about this. Eyes on the other canine, mind on the deer. Hair on back a ridge!

---

Hush.

Shuffle. Shift. Shuffle.

The sounds came from behind them--from the entrance of the cave, or at least from its direction. Whatever it was, it sounded enormous.

Whether they fled, or stopped to observe its approach, made no difference. Either way, on it came--inexorable, impossibly large, a conglomeration of thick enormous bones moving without flesh or muscle to guide them. In life, it must have been massive; in death, it was hardly any smaller. Four-legged, long- barrel-bodied, with two great horns atop its head, jagged bone spikes across its flanks and back--and small, empty eye sockets. These sockets glowed with balls of phosphorescent light--the same light that seemed to wash faintly around the rest of the bones, a strange sort of halo, or aura.

And on it came, head held out in line with its spine: the skeleton of a Rhinoceros, but covered with foot-long spines from head to toe. A single blue-green gemstone flickered at the center of its forehead, below the level of its empty eyes.

It trundled past them, unless they fled: its shuffling indifferent, seemingly on some quest of its own.

@Kazgut @Vyette @Aran @Deli

Aran heard more sounds now, that of more creatures entering the cave. He couldn't match smell with the animals quite yet, but from the barking sounds, they had to be some kind of canine. They didn't sound much older than him either, their paws made funny sounds on the ground and it gave off the aura that they were the same as him. Newly out of the chrysalis, so young. Unable to do much yet.

The Barasingha looked around the cave. It was inexplicably dark. He didn't like the places that were so dark he could hardly see. Especially because he was an herbivore, he had no sight to see in the dark, only the light. He had no way of making glowing orbs like that winged creature from before had, so he was out of luck in that sense, too.

A different, more heavy sound came after that. Behind him and assumed behind the others that were in the small dark cave too. His body suddenly galvanized into action, turning quickly to try and attempt to see what was behind him. Bones, bones, and more bones. Why was this place covered in bones!

Of course the thing now came into view after a moment. ...Moving...Bones? It was walking. So strange.

He should have left, especially with the others in the room, but he didn't.

"Does anyone else... see that thing?" He called out to the group that was in the cave with him.

@Deli

Deli

They were so caught up with their own little crafts that they forgot about the other new kids surrounding their locations. They also didn't realize that there was a large skeletal beast just...wandering nearby. Na, they were bouncing around their little chimera creation, moving things around because it wasn't perfect yet, it could look better! It needed to be perfect!

Two loud barks disrupted their stream of focus and, more out of instinct then anything, they barked back, although it was a far higher pitches sound, closer to a yip. Their paws danced as they flipped around to stare wide-eyed at the newcomers, smile plastered on their face. Oh, new friends, perhaps? Two dogs - like them! - standing a few feet away, barking at each other. A something else with four legs and odd gem horns or something...talking! "See?" They didn't understand.

But then they looked up and they certainly did.

Eyes widened with shock and glee at this new revelation. "B-bones! Big!" They immediately abandoned their bone creation and bounded up to the rhinoceros, passing by the other two dogs in favor of launching themselves right at its feet to walk in stride next to it. "Hi you," they yapped. "Big bone! Move?" As if they expected a walking skeleton to respond.

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@Vyette

She’d barked and he had echoed her — and in his voice, urgency. She faltered, ears flat to skull, tail low. Suddenly her excitement had been dampened and then oh —! Something large! It drew near and she could feel it in her paws, in her bones. And that was what it was: bones. A mass collection of them forming a giant beast. The child’s dark eyes drew wide with wonder and again she was distracted. Awestruck, the wraith watched as it lumbered past. Had Kazgut seen it?

Her excitement was amplified as Deli’s words reverberated. And as Deli bounded away, so too did Vyette! ”Big!” Bark! “Bones!” Bark! Her voice was loud but thin and she took large strides to move up beside Deli, on the side without the animated skeleton.

Her dark eyes were sparkling, trained on the gem embedded into its skull. It was like hers! It was beautiful! Oh and its eyes! She was enchanted. She was not yet erudite to the workings of their world, but she was intrigued.

@kazgut

Kazgut

I will come to be — I will submerge myself in the body of the earth, sink my teeth into its flesh; and rise in my own skin.

The air changed. Amongst them, a Goliath moved; skeletal and impossibly animated. Lifelike. Alive? Hairs of coat stood on end as though a current passed through him - and he felt it! Surprise? Astonishment. Coupled was it with the taste of more … dread. Although not a sound parted blackened lips. Eyes of moon color watched wide as the giant tread steadily by. Ignoring their presence. As though that had no meaning to it. Mind was still retreading; bones had never behaved this way before. Senses betrayed him, for there was little more to be gleaned than the mere sight; weight; proximity of it.

Innate was own caution, but other half was ever emboldened. Words echoed from many mouths but sentiment was singular; it. Black shuck was content to hold ground, to observe the gargantuan beast from afar. For aware was he of self; but more aware was he of Vyette! And she, and she, his lunar being, had moved so very close. In this he tasted fear.

And so - Kazgut moved, fast as young legs could be persuaded to move - to find place beside her. (For he would protect her! For he would act as weapon, as brace!) "Vyette!" The grim warned, maneuvering between her and the great mighty undead thing.

"Too close!" And oh, now he, too, felt as though he were too close to the skeleton, aware of the scale of it. Not just the bones but the gemstones it wore like deathly adornments.

Just still, he too, was following alongside, below its feet almost - right there as it lumbered. Eyes on the others, and eyes on it!

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@Dark