normally, the tunnel was quiet, with only sparse, occasional foot traffic. however, the last few days, heavy paws trod back and forth, trembling the small stone tucked away in pale greys and browns embedded in the floor.

this disturbance was troubling. the little creature that slept so soundly found it harder and harder to ignore, like slowly being pulled away from a comforting dream that was slipping further and further into nothingness. sleep was becoming a long forgotten friend, and in its place came a sense of tightness and discomfort.

the creature struggled, and the thin, brittle shell cracked against its straining. a single black paw broke through the surface, tiny, hooked claws flailing into the open, stale air. another foot broke free, and scratched furiously at the confines, until the small creature pulled itself out of the earth, hissing and spitting before collapsing in a lump of fur and limbs.

he breathed.

the first sensation tore through his tiny body with a shiver, and a pathetic mewl escaped his tiny lungs. it raised to a wail, a deep, desperate cry as four tiny black eyes opened to stare down into the darkness of a pit that held no warmth or promise of love. he cried with the ache in his stomach, yet to put a name to the horrible feeling.

the world, so cruel and unyielding, did not provide an answer or aid. he was left alone, abandoned in the darkness. his mewling carried on until his voice grew quite hoarse, and he shuffled back to his shattered chrysalis, still embedded in the earth, and pushed away bits of stone until he could slip his tiny form down into the divet. it was not the same as an embrace, but it was all he had.


@purity

He hadn't left. How could he? This was his home, now, marked by his paint, by his wakes of death.

The moths were beginning to gather, drawn by the trail of ink. That, that gave a smile to his face. Nostrils flared as he held his head to the ground in a mock prayer to the divine whispers that curled around him.

Scuffling noise snapped his head up to attention. Ah- another being? Small. Prey, his mind supplied. Tail flicking up, he stalked forward, following the cry ringing through the mist of the cave. Cat-paws found the silence in this foreboding place and morphed it to his exclusive benefit. No sound. No tapping, no claws scraping, only the soft quiet of his fur rustling in the misting, still air.

There was a chrysalis long forgotten in an unknown corner of the cave, and its inhabitant was hiding in it. Perfect prey, gorgeous prey... His mind droned out pleading lullabies as he drew himself up.

This was no mouse, no rat. Lessers did not hatch from chrysalises- as far as he was aware. His nose flared with the scent of newborn and it overwhelmed his tastebuds. Even with knowledge of it being possible sapient, the seeds sown within him yelled to curl his claws into it, to spread it through the world-

But, no. He came impossibly close to the shards before rising fully, looming over the casket of life. "Hello, young one." It had cried for help. It was not able to ask for what it had received. A sharp, pointed claw extended out as he drifted a paw closer to the shaking head. The eyes did not bother him, the curious formation it held- in fact, he rather saw himself in this being. "My, how new you are." His voice droned dully, deep and regal as he made to cradle the child's head in his paw. "How young. How vulnerable."

He sat, pulling his paw away. "Are you hungry, little one?" His tail tapped at the floor, head tilting to just the perfect degree, eyelids lowering ever so slightly.

@ultraviolet

a beast rose, casting looming shadow over the babe tucked away into its shell. black eyes stared up at soft, tender pale green eyes. fresh and new, like staring out at a field coated in frost after a brisk, dark eve.

the little one was still making connections, puzzling out what the world was, and what he was doing in it, when Purity interrupted. he did not move as the claw brushed his cheek, but his head did lift as the pawpad tucked under his chin.

the touch was so much softer, so much more comforting, than the cold of stone. words, glorious, useful words poured into the air, so much more concise and useful than the helpless mewling the child had been given.

hungry. this word, in particular, clicked into place. that was the sensation that was tormenting him, dragging him down with exhaustion and pain. he was hungry. it was hunger. "... hungry," the kitten formed the word, voice small and whiny with youth.

"i want," and as he spoke, the dark patches in his fur that were impossible to make out in the dim light, began to glow; first fuschia, then bright yellow, flashing with the demand. the marking upon his forehead was still indistinct, a cloud's impression of a skull, and the rest of his body was mottled with spots that flickered in and out.

his words, still simple, grew confident with each syllable, "i hunger."

@purity

A facsimile of a warm smile curled his lips up at the confirmation of the word. "So you are..." His voice was nearly a whisper to himself at that. How small this being was, how much of himself he saw in its flash of a pelt. He blinked at that, paw flinching back for a moment- bright colors meant poison, did they not?

Hm. "That's a neat trick you have there," he purred, pulling his paw back from the child's face. The tip of his tail flicked up and his head tilted to trace his eyes over the skull curling around the alien's true one. "Can you walk? I may have some food stored up, if you wish to have some." A tufted ear flicked when he got up to pace towards the hole. It was a simple twist, his head turning owlishly back to watch for the kid's movement. "It will help relieve that hurt you speak of."

He couldn't keep calling this kid just 'the kid'. Maybe just a formal 'Kit' would do? Yes, that fit. Why, it may know its name now, but he had already proposed one adventure for it. Kids needed patience, after all.

@ultraviolet

the child did not know what trick the soft stranger was referring too, his body merely acting on instinct. no more conscious of it was he than he would have been the breath coming in and out of his lungs.

perhaps the beautiful man meant, the childish thought came, the words he spoke through his squeaky throat. the mimicry of a learning toddler. it was a wonderful thing.

the Kit (though, he did not know the stranger's decision to call him Kit) blinked a few eyes at a time, and then the remainder, watching the fluffy tail flick brush by his nose as the giant prowled away.

though his feet were too big, heavy and clumsy, the extra set of paws seemed to balance them out. it took a little bit for them to figure out how to do more than stand awkwardly like a camera on a six-legged tripod, but soon enough he was tiptoeing after his new fascination.

"food," he agreed with a chirp, raising head high. he managed to get a few steps before he began to move too fast, and one paw caught on another, and the whole thing came crashing down with a squeal.

the narrow body tumbled, paws flinging up into the air with razor sharp claws swiping for traction on nothing. he hissed and sputtered, spots turning bright gold, until he was motionless on his side, puffing air through his lungs. it had not at all gone as planned.

before the stranger could come to aid him, however, the Kit jolted to all six paws, tail flicking up and flailing a little uselessly at the lopsided heaviness of the small gemstone at the tip. "i can walk," the toddler insisted, fur puffing out comically.

@purity

When he looked back, he struggled to not give an expression of- surprise?- concern, at the number of legs the child had. It seemed Kit had more and more surprises to it the longer it existed. Any other oddities?

Oh. An odd placement for a gem, it seemed, as the Kit fell to his side. His head bent in closer to help, but- it was an insistent little thing. Well, he could admire that in a kid. "Well, come along, then," Purity purred out with a faint laugh cutting under his words.

The kid was, admittedly, kind of growing on him.

Anticipating Kit to follow, Purity paced closer to the hole with fading black paint outlining its edges. He'd gathered a few corpses for a garden of his own- there should be that half-rotten rat that's edible, right? "Careful with the black," he spoke as he paced around the mass. Hm. That's not for a child to eat, right? Paw shaking, he fixated on the oil as he scooped it away, revealing fresh meat underneath it. Surely something there would be edible without it being tainted, but he could still spot the black specks of rot that enticed him just so. His tongue ran over his lips dangerously- no. No, he did not need to consume more. He had quelled that need today, and he shut his eyes carefully to avoid looking at it.

He had to distract himself, turning to place a paw to renovate the art around the hole. A paw stroke here, a line there, and he began to create curves and strikes without meaning while he looked back to see if the child was eating. If it went for a particularly black spot, he'd warn carefully with a "the black," a whisper so quiant that it didn't sound like it came from him. "Wait, actually-" He cleared his throat and bent down, shaking off the last of the rot from his paw. Carefully sharpened nails clawed out a hunk of actual red meat- this, this was edible for the child.

"I don't know if you are ready for the black. It is a bitter taste- it's not something I think a child like you should be eating." For someone so power-hungry, he seemed conscious of what he was doing, at least. "When you are sound of mind, when you are older, when you are powerful enough to sustain your soul among the others it provides, then you are ready to consume it."

@ultraviolet

tw; gore? probably? we're eating half-rotten meat boys

the Kit stalked after the adult, waddling with a furious attempt to impersonate the smooth, graceful movements he had yet to master. his paws, big and clumsy, propelled him after the stranger to the piles of rotting meet, and wide, void-like eyes blinked as he watched. thoughtful, and learning, he observed the way the older cat wiped away the black goo and from rot created semi edible meat.

he was hungry, so with a growl in his stomach, he reached forward. his snout crinkled at the smell of the black, and he licked at the decaying gore. the taste of rotten rodent made him stop and almost wretch, but there was a stubbornness in the kitten's behavior as he pushed his nose down into the tender (it was, after all, marinating away under the Black) meat, taking bites and throwing his head back to horf it down. he sniffed at the black, ears twitching with a morbid curiosity-- but again came the stranger to ensure he ate only the fresher, non-infected pieces of meat.

and the babe stared at Purity, as he explained. the Kit stared, tail thunking on the stone floor, and turned his nose away from the fresh meat on the claw, rising up to his paws. perhaps, the child did not require much food before he was satisfied. perhaps he was put off by the smell to some degree. definitely, however, he was a prideful little shit, and did not want to be babied too much. his muzzle slick with the mess of his meal, he prowled away toward the hole marked with thick lines of rot-scented goo.

"... what's this?" he asked, ever inquisitive. if he strained his ears, he could hear something coming from bellow. the marks looked like warnings. the Kit reached a paw for the goo, fully intent on mirroring the man's artistry by making his own marks around the strange void that called to him.

@purity

[ i guess also kinda m for gross honestly, he's a nasty man ]

Purity watched the Kit as it quietly ambled along, tail sweeping slightly in help to correct that stance he held. Well, he couldn't expect perfection this early. But, he was eating, and Purity gained a small albeit genuine smile on his lips. It seemed to have trouble, at first, and Purity briefly had mind to get fresher meat. No, no, it was strong enough to power through this.

And so he watched. The meat was rejected, and with a shrug Purity pulled it back to the corpse, claws clicking on the hard ground of the floor. The Kit's meal was done, and the elder shuffled the body (now mostly black and bone) to his budding garden. Another piece of art that was slow going for him.

The Kit's voice came from farther off than he expected when he twisted back around to look, tufted ears flicking up. 'What is what? Does it mean art, or the Altar?' He stepped closer. 'Probably not art.' He loomed over the Kit as he looked up at his own markings, ones he had to reach for, tracking them like a familiar road. "The markings of a home, little one," he half-purred, watching now as the Kit's small paw traced where his own large one had once been. "My home. It is dangerous inside, though- dangerous as the rot. As the black." He turned his gaze inside now but flicked his tail over to the garden to indicate it. "Although, I will not stop you if you desire to see. It is quite grand."

Though, here, he stepped over the Kit and stood as the Altar's gatekeeper. "First, I believe it may be good to give you a name, before you enter. Others may be inside and they may ask questions you are unprepared to answer." Or, they may not say anything. But it was empty last he saw, only the chrysalis and Altar left for now. "Any name will do, any noise you like, any word that calls for you. You do not need one yet, but a name is important, special and unique to you and you alone." There was a slow blink and a nod down to the kit. "Take your time choosing. You don't need one just yet." And here, he stepped to the side, letting the Kit pass if he decided he wanted to.

@ultraviolet

a name.

what a grand, important thing to think about.

the kitten stared down at the hole, marked with a pitch black line as warning. the goo was slick between his toes, and he flexed his tiny murder mitts. "...oo...vee," the kitten mewled, blinking all four eyes one at a time, before stepping forward.

"oouu... you-vee," he played the sound upon his tongue, raising his chin high. "Uvi," he declared. "... I wanna see," he insisted, "home." and with determination, the kitten trotted down into the hole.

the slope got steep quick, and soon he was tumbling down into a world of inverted light. his eyes blinked, his pelt washed a sickly green-white, markings flashing deep greens and blues. the smell was stronger here, as he stumbled to his feet.

whispers, unknowable but encouraging, drew his curiosity closer. he found his feet, and prowled forward, whiskers twitching. the unnatural slab of white-- just like him, casting faint multi-color across its surface-- called the child, so easy and impressionable.

the kitten only had one thought: this was home, and this, this was his world. uvi, as he was now named, stepped forward to the perfect slab at the end of the dark, alien hole, and gingerly pressed his nose to the cold surface.

@purity ;; exit! +3 corruption