it was a sacred pilgrimage.

the whispers followed him, urged him toward chaos and destruction, and he followed them faithfully. it took a long time to make his way through the caves winding tunnels, avoiding other gembounds like a shadow darting away from light, only to finally stop at a place of Voidlight.

as ultraviolet stepped into cepheus, his inky velvet pelt lit up into shades of gold and violet, not responding to his own bioluminescence but instead actually reflecting the natural light of the room. a sign, perhaps? his own gem practically glowed like a beacon as he stalked through the peaceful fields, feeling all at once calm and unbridled rage.

he spent a small time attempting to catch one of the ivory deer, perfect and pristine and perfect, perfect, flawed by perfection. to no avail. they danced away, taunting him, until he grew too exhausted to continue. forget it.

his paws carried him further, fur flashing like reflective tape, to the top of the only prominent hill in the area, where his dark eyes could survey the land with contempt.

the alien's lanky stride disturbed the perfect blanket of petals surrounding the solitary tree at the top. he reached the blossoming tree, and inspected it for a moment in silent contempt. he needed to rest, hunger gnawing at his bones, but the murmurs in his ears brought a furious twitch through his muzzle. there was a reason why he had been drawn here... perhaps, to go further beyond, perhaps...

claws lashed out at the bark, marring the perfect surface, determined to leave a lasting scar.

@draconua

hunger had returned.

a vicious beast, like the whispers that urged him destruction, the hunger pushed from his core out to his limbs, making each movement more irritable than the last. tail lashed, tendrils smacking into each other as they swept this way and that. not since he was a child did he have to deal with his spots glowing so brightly while hunting, surely this was the reason for his difficulties.

from atop his perch where he had climbed, he stared out over pegasus, claws digging deep into the bark. he watched the herds of pristine white deer move like set pieces. he was the penumbra upon a perfect scene, a shifting blot that had invaded.

the voices demanded.

with a huff, he deemed himself rested enough, and dropped down to prowl back down through the petal-covered hill. he made his way to one of the deer that had strayed too far from the rest, and broke out into a dead sprint. white statues bolted like guns fired, but he threw himself into the straggler. claws sunk deep into soft, delicate fur that was nothing like the marble they feigned.

the prey thrashed, the moment blurred, his skull ringing as he wrestled the beast to the ground. he tore out the throat, finding that it indeed had a stone embedded in its soft flesh, and dragged it away to some bushes where he could wait for it to rot.

hunger be damned. his bones ached, exhaustion rolling over him in waves. but he would be patient. he would feed his urges, but devotion came first. patient, waiting, until the first signs of inky black bubbled to the surface. with a low growl-- a prayer-- the feline bent his head and began to lick the oil from the marble.

oil consumption: +2 points

In the voidlight-amplified shadows of Cepheus, a monstrous sort of thing was lurking.

Given her sheer size, there should not have been a way for her to be so stealthy—and yet, she was cloistering herself in the darkness. Her head was held low and at an angle, so as to keep her faceplate from catching too much light and sending a crimson glare out. Pinhole black eyes peered keenly into the room.

Watching.

Waiting.

... for what?

A bright-spotted manner of beast slunk out across the grounds. It wasn't entirely too large—she supposed that it would be below her elbows, standing closer—but moved with a powerful, predatory grace. The skull turned to and fro, eying the living statues milling about. Draconua found her gaze trailing to the Palace then, for the immense beast that trudged through on occasion. The protector, she supposed. Cepheus being just before other caves meant that she'd spent little time moving through it, and even less unraveling who that Valkhound was.

(Besides unimportant.)

The Sleepless Chaos had meant to leave the feline alone in his endeavors (surprising, she knows) but a stray sniffling— the hot, rancid scent of Oil burned in her nostrils. A primal need switched into high gear. One second's hesitation, then she lurched out the dark recess. Magic snapped out from the earth, Oil manifesting into flesh, and vied for the creature.

If given a grip, it squeezed. It was not with a murderous sort of glee, but the intent to distract and impair while Draconua, damn vulture she was, lurched down to snap up the remains of the marble-skinned deer.

@Ultraviolet