The torches guttered and glowed all around the edges of the offering pile.

Well--... They weren't torches, exactly. Rather, they were the tall, thin, broken stumps of trees that had tried to grow too close to the Heart's edge. Their roots had rotted away, leaving dead wood jutting up from the muck.

Dragon had breathed fire onto them one by one, and now they danced with flame, casting dark and eerie shadows all around them.

The offering pile had on it the prey that his family had been dragging to it over the last few days. It was piled high with offal and bloodied hide, meat and bone and guts, so that Aquarian would have more than a mouthful.

Now it was time for the offering to be made.

But first, there were things he wanted to say. First. there were points he wanted to make.

"CHILDREN OF ROT!" he bellowed. "GATHER HERE, AND LET US MAKE OUR OFFERING!"

He had news for them, but more than that, he had a little speech prepared. He'd gone over it, while laying rumbling in the black water. Now it was ready.

Now it was time to begin to urge his family to do what would truly need to be done, were they all to survive here.

And with any luck, the protection of Aquarian would make them untouchable.

{ art by dark } ~ { table by aura . edited by banshee and dark }

((OOC - JOB FAIRE contest! Anyone can join, ASSUMING that you are a member of / wish to join Children of Rot. Group thread lesgo! @Czernobog @Talat @Ghanyarah @Willow @Pietro ))

It was with lonesome, cold pride that Tal'at had come back from the brink of death. Despite being nearly turned into a toasted scrap of meat to be offered to Aquarian himself, the bat's loyalty was only stronger for it. He stuck close to Czernobog recently, though he found a quiet emptiness in Eve's absence. Dragon-- though the one who had nearly killed him-- he found himself quietly obsessed with.

Perhaps it was just the lack of crow in his life, but as he heard Dragon's call he preened at his own chest fur and swiped down his coat, making sure he was clean-- elegant-- he wanted Dragon to see the dragon his fire had made of him and be proud. His tail twitched behind him as he took flight from his perch and soared toward his family, feeling the warmth in the air. Something special-- something important-- was happening tonight.

The pseudo dragon bat swept above the swamp, avoiding the hot patches of flames by smog stench alone. He swerved through the rising smoke, reaching out to touch at the familiar sensations of his friends with his magic. Perhaps it was the smoke, the heat of the flames, but he could not pick out anything down bellow. Chattering to himself, he slowly descended.

©sanctuare-2k15

wc: 214

The calling was made and Ghanyarah abided, loyal as ever. There was never a time when the komodo neglected the call of his brother, despite everything that was happening lately. More and more seemed to pile on his mind, but the komodo did his best to brush it off, especially when circumstances called for his attention. He parted ways from his tree and lumbered through the foliage, by now having memorized the path he had to take. He was sure he could travel it with his eyes closed, but that would be dangerous and Ghanyarah didn't want to necessitate any risks where risks had no place in being taken. The offering pile seemed to have become their meeting place, which was of no surprise to Ghanyarah; it was where they would convene with Aquarian if the sea monster decided to show his face.

He shoved through the bushes and spotted the alligator waiting there, long tail dragging behind him as he went, and was well on his way to staking a place close to Dragon when he'd spotted something descend upon them. Ghanyarah knitted his brows and raised his head, sunset eyes flickering to the approaching creature - who at first was unfamiliar, prompting the komodo to stand on alert. His elevated himself from the ground, extending his long legs and flicking his tongue. He hadn't said anything, and perhaps it was good that he had avoided pointing out the stranger, for a few more seconds of careful observation soon reminded him of the bat that they had lost. Tal'at...

Was this Tal'at?

table and code © chelsea of ORIGIN


word count: 262

Tiny was gone. Czernobog had spent a solid five minutes panicking, and then another fifteen berating himself for being so possessive and protective - and another ten trying to sway himself from going to find the mutated bat, stuck between making sure his brother was safe and protecting his father's eggs. In the end, the possibility of Tal'at being hurt again got him moving, covering the nest in a makeshift thatch of dry grass and reeds, chrysali hidden from view. Then, he trotted off, snout to the ground, already quieter than he had been in weeks; an open, rotting chest wound didn't exactly conceal breath, but that too was now healing.

Only minutes from the campsite, the boar halted at the roaring, thunderous voice of his father. ROT! GATHER! OFFERING! Czernobog twitched, nervous, but too loyal not to return the call with an affirmative bellow, cantering towards the source. It wasn't long before Dragon came into view, and Ghanyarah - and fire. The pig reared back, almost wheeling around to leave entirely, ears pinned to his skull, beady eyes wide at the sight of the dancing, burning red... but there was a tiny figure descending, and Czernobog raced to position himself under it, acting as a giant, furry cushion. "Tiiiiny! Scaaaared me," the babysitter snorted up at the sky, waiting for the bat's descent.

In the meantime, he edged warily away from the fires, breath uneven, twitching anxiously. "Daaaaaad. Uuuuuuncle," he greeted, offering them a tight, uncomfortable grin, obviously still affected by the memory of Tal'at burning alive.

@Dragon @Ghanyarah @Talat