@blaireau @sykotikkytten @CanisLupus03 @SparkyLurkdragon @Averis @Orru @SnoCone @linguistic @Istoki @tigressRising @Bibliomancer @Pasafatu @Babaaeyes @HuntingAlpha @Dessoestma @Mito @Nakhoda
Initially, Murex didn’t mind hunting for Rue. Hell, he even felt a little sorry for her. She didn't choose to be born into this mess, after all. But any sympathy he harbored for her rapidly evaporated as she grew up.
She was ungrateful, demanding, and, above all, enormous. Murex was the only one able and ‘willing’ to hunt for her, and it became a full-time thing. He transitioned rapidly from dangerous, muscle-strengthening game to plentiful ‘boring’ animals in order to keep up. He began to drop body weight again, and knew that without help he would probably waste away.
But Murex was surrounded on all sides by enemies. Everything he did, he did by himself. It was painfully lonely. He missed his old mirror pack keenly. Sometimes he had the mindset to run away, and sometimes he made it so far as to walk miles from the camp. But he always came back, afraid that if he strayed too far Keto would come after him again.
One particular day, Murex had the fortune of securing a couple of fat rabbits very early in the morning. While Murex normally would have been happy to have met his meat quota so quickly, he was in a very dark mood. There was a bitter chill in the air that heralded the changing of seasons that depressed and irritated him. In the Ashfall Waste, the land was permanently hot. That weather, while probably intolerable to outsiders of the fire flight, had kept him active and happy throughout his entire hatchlinghood.
Those days were long gone. How all he had to look forward to was Rue, who would probably complain about the prey being 'too bony' or some other nonsense. She never made it easy for him.
Carrying all of the rabbits all was a bit of an undertaking, and he was careful not to drop them as he entered Rue’s lair. Once inside, he glanced around the cave to see if Rue was there. Once confident that he was alone, Murex tossed them resentfully on the ground, muttered a curse, and turned to walk out. He'd take every small chance for rebellion he could. It was a mental health boost, really.
Suddenly, Rue appeared, sending Murex stumbling backwards. She didn’t walk out of some corner; she simply appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.
“HA! Gotcha!” Rue squealed triumphantly.
“You- you were invisible?” Murex spluttered.
“Shadow magic.” Rue said, raising a forepaw and wiggling her fingers at the mention of magic. “And I’ve got proof you don’t actually like me now.” She said smugly, teeth flashing. “I wonder what Keto would have to say about that?”
Murex flinched involuntarily, jaw clenching. His mind scrambled for a rebuttal. He found a deep well of long-suffering anger and clung to it.
“You were invisible. Invisible." He repeated. "What on Sornieth am I doing hunting for you, you ungrateful whelp?” He exploded, breath beginning to smoke as he exhaled.
“How dare-”
“What do you think will happen if you do tell our oh-so-merciless god how I really feel?” He hissed. He couldn’t help but notice with satisfaction that Rue’s cheeks were ruddy with embarrassment. “They’ll kill me if you asked, I’d bet! But then who will hunt for you? Certainly not Botch. Certainly not them.”
He was breathing hard. It felt good to release some of his anger, but he could feel the scar on his face itch as if to remind him that maybe he wasn’t making the soundest decision. A low growl was rising in Rue's throat. She seemed ready to attack him. He couldn’t help but add one more insult, however.
“I eagerly await the day you finally leave on your stupid guardian quest.”
Rue bared her teeth and flared her fins aggressively. With a snarl, she lunged forward, teeth snapping. Murex lithely sprang out of the way and darted for the exit. She roared and chased after him, paws thudding heavily against the stone floor.
It was nothing like being pursued by Keto. It was laughable really, how slow and clumsy Rue was. Murex had run this gauntlet before.
But that didn’t mean he wasn’t frightened. Perhaps he'd run away for real this time.
Day forty one:
Day Forty Five
Initially, Murex didn’t mind hunting for Rue. Hell, he even felt a little sorry for her. She didn't choose to be born into this mess, after all. But any sympathy he harbored for her rapidly evaporated as she grew up.
She was ungrateful, demanding, and, above all, enormous. Murex was the only one able and ‘willing’ to hunt for her, and it became a full-time thing. He transitioned rapidly from dangerous, muscle-strengthening game to plentiful ‘boring’ animals in order to keep up. He began to drop body weight again, and knew that without help he would probably waste away.
But Murex was surrounded on all sides by enemies. Everything he did, he did by himself. It was painfully lonely. He missed his old mirror pack keenly. Sometimes he had the mindset to run away, and sometimes he made it so far as to walk miles from the camp. But he always came back, afraid that if he strayed too far Keto would come after him again.
One particular day, Murex had the fortune of securing a couple of fat rabbits very early in the morning. While Murex normally would have been happy to have met his meat quota so quickly, he was in a very dark mood. There was a bitter chill in the air that heralded the changing of seasons that depressed and irritated him. In the Ashfall Waste, the land was permanently hot. That weather, while probably intolerable to outsiders of the fire flight, had kept him active and happy throughout his entire hatchlinghood.
Those days were long gone. How all he had to look forward to was Rue, who would probably complain about the prey being 'too bony' or some other nonsense. She never made it easy for him.
Carrying all of the rabbits all was a bit of an undertaking, and he was careful not to drop them as he entered Rue’s lair. Once inside, he glanced around the cave to see if Rue was there. Once confident that he was alone, Murex tossed them resentfully on the ground, muttered a curse, and turned to walk out. He'd take every small chance for rebellion he could. It was a mental health boost, really.
Suddenly, Rue appeared, sending Murex stumbling backwards. She didn’t walk out of some corner; she simply appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.
“HA! Gotcha!” Rue squealed triumphantly.
“You- you were invisible?” Murex spluttered.
“Shadow magic.” Rue said, raising a forepaw and wiggling her fingers at the mention of magic. “And I’ve got proof you don’t actually like me now.” She said smugly, teeth flashing. “I wonder what Keto would have to say about that?”
Murex flinched involuntarily, jaw clenching. His mind scrambled for a rebuttal. He found a deep well of long-suffering anger and clung to it.
“You were invisible. Invisible." He repeated. "What on Sornieth am I doing hunting for you, you ungrateful whelp?” He exploded, breath beginning to smoke as he exhaled.
“How dare-”
“What do you think will happen if you do tell our oh-so-merciless god how I really feel?” He hissed. He couldn’t help but notice with satisfaction that Rue’s cheeks were ruddy with embarrassment. “They’ll kill me if you asked, I’d bet! But then who will hunt for you? Certainly not Botch. Certainly not them.”
He was breathing hard. It felt good to release some of his anger, but he could feel the scar on his face itch as if to remind him that maybe he wasn’t making the soundest decision. A low growl was rising in Rue's throat. She seemed ready to attack him. He couldn’t help but add one more insult, however.
“I eagerly await the day you finally leave on your stupid guardian quest.”
Rue bared her teeth and flared her fins aggressively. With a snarl, she lunged forward, teeth snapping. Murex lithely sprang out of the way and darted for the exit. She roared and chased after him, paws thudding heavily against the stone floor.
It was nothing like being pursued by Keto. It was laughable really, how slow and clumsy Rue was. Murex had run this gauntlet before.
But that didn’t mean he wasn’t frightened. Perhaps he'd run away for real this time.
Day forty one:
Day Forty Five
My nuzlocke! ^
