With his home of bones and old death now infested with the white, Anubis found himself venturing away from what was once a comfort and now a danger. But the tunnel he had been to already he could not return. He had no desire to step through the lifeless space again, where it was so empty and dry and wrong that it felt like death itself had hollowed into his bones.

But another tunnel was something...very different. Vibrant in color, magical, shining, where his diluted colors stuck out like a sore thumb. He felt vulnerable here, expose. So he stuck to the wall, hugged the shadows, and eventually came to a stop, too nervous to continue, for now. He set Aati down in front of him, the mouse barely breathing, and hugged it close, as if it were a doll. Perhaps he should turn back.

He was still for a while, just observing the unmoving cave, until a flash of something caught his eye. He turned in its direction and saw the crystals moving. They flew overhead, with wings shaped like a bat's, and came to stop on the other side of the tunnel, not far from where Anubis was crouched.

He got a good look at it then - not a crystal, no, a bat! A strange one, but the shape was unmistakable.

A living creature. Not crystal.

Something that could die.

He breathed in softly, suddenly excited. Oh, this creature was such an anomaly! He had to study it, he had to watch it. But it was larger then his usual subjects. He would have to do something....different.

He slowly got up and crept closer, not really sneaking, as the other creature was standing perfectly still, but also not making a huge scene of approaching. Aati was left behind, but the mouse didn't seem to care much.

Once Anubis was close enough, he gathered his magic, as much as he could, and a small puff of spores erupted from his fur. He held his breath and turned away, once the magic was cast. He retreated a few steps so that he was out of the spore zone and turned to watch what would happen now.

@Bacchus

The creature of glinting, mineral flesh knew nothing of the attention that uncaring--but oh so interested--eyes lavished on it. It inhaled its tainted air, sucked Anubis's intentions into its lungs, and its eyes slid shut in helpless surrender to his plans.

The knotwork of its muscles loosened, and it slid into a colorful, shining heap sprawled across the rock.

A vibrant life only seconds ago, now at the jackal's mercy.

This tunnel sparkled with light, Bacchus idly noted, much like the cave it connected to. Some might have thought this place beautiful, but to Bacchus it was unpleasantly barren. The lack of visible plant life made this place greatly unappealing to the leopard.

Nor were there many creatures scurrying about that he could easily play with. All there were so far as he could see was those glimmering bats, that barely looked as if they were living beings. He wondered if they would react to pain in the same way as living things.

But Bacchus could not fly nor stun a bat, so he thought the chance to play with one was out of his grasp.

That is, until he noticed one slumped in a sprawled heap and the canine behind it. Magic, he assumed, judging by the bats unnatural posture.

"What a wondrous ability, to so easily bring down another living thing," Bacchus commented warmly with truth in his words. Though, he envied the canine for having the being at his mercy even as he admired him for the same reason.

He prowled closer. He studied the canine. "Was your intention to-" He paused, cutting himself off as he noticed the barely breathing mouse. What a torturous existence it must have.

"Oh, that is lovely," He exhaled, purple eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure. "Is that mouse yours?" He nodded towards the suffering creature. Some might find it pitiful, but Bacchus found it beautiful.

@Anubis

Anubis waited until the bat had fully fallen over and unmoving before he crept from the shadows once again. He circled around the lesser, gently poking at it with a paw to ensure it was fully asleep before he relaxed. He was turning to go back and retrieve Aati when he found himself face to face with a leopard. He blinked, surprised, ears twisting back for a moment, but he was speaking - ah, another not-rat! And from the tone of his voice, Anubis was not in danger.

"Hi," he offered. "I wanted to study it. I've never seen anything like it before." He looked down at the crystalwing and touched its body gently with his paw. It was strange to the touch - not crystal, like it looked, but feeling similar. As his paw slid across the surface of its wing, a visible mold-like fungus began to sprout swiftly on the surface of its body. Anubis could feel the muscle underneath his paw relax as weakness took over and behind his tail wagged, almost innocently. "Now, when it wakes, it cannot run."

He looked in the direction of Aati and quickly hopped over to scoop her up. "Yes! This is Aati. She keeps me company. My work can get a little lonely. She likes to run, though, so I gotta keep her tired." He set her down and angled his ears forward, an offering for Bacchus to get a closer look at her, if he wished. "I'm Anubis, by the way. You are...?"

@Bacchus