Onyx

Onyx, those in the encampment would joke, truly belonged with the Stolen Voices. Deposited one day by their Ringleader, apropos of nothing; no plan, no scheme, no rumored vengeance against her forebears, no explanation from He nor voice to speak of from her. Yet even without a voice, she still was striking for two reasons. Her piercing, almost clinical gaze, observing the environs and people around her, and the blight, a ... smirch that crowned her head.

It was Luce who first took it upon themselves to see if they could assess the severity of Onyx's affliction. They found that despite being voiceless, Onyx was more than apt at communicating with writing. Through testimony and testing, they were able to confirm this was no leprosiecal disease, but a quirk of inheritance, and the little Spiral confirmed her own sire suffered the same. While not hazardous to her health, the bands of smirch were scaleless and did curse her with some minor discomfort, but the markings had apparently also gotten her cast out from her former community.

"It just isn't fair," Luce sighed one evening to Rukaa, "She's such a bright child, but nobody bothered to look past her muteness and blemish."

Rukaa made a non-committal grunt in response to his healer friend, but still turned a weathered eye to the lass who had slowly become Luce's second shadow, to see her watching them both over the flames of the campfire, contemplative.

It was a day later when Rukaa sought her out again, lounging languidly outside a tent with a King Quillrunner he had captured before. She looked up, curious as he dumped a shimmering pool of metallic fabric before her. With a sharp nod of his head, she reached towards it, and in response it curled up her form.

With a breathy gasp, Onyx gazed at her new form, before turning to the Predator questioningly.

"If those braindead idiots are going to stare, might as well make it envious, rather than contemptuous. Iffin they're that bothered by looks, their opinions don't mean jack anyhow," he explained.

Onyx seemed to ponder this for a moment, before nodding her head, and Rukka could almost feel her happiness radiating from her.

And in the future, when he hunted, if he gained another shadow in the form of a inquisitive tiger prowling silently behind him? Well, Rukaa wasn't going to complain.