lullaby | lost child

[Grimm]

[align=center][div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; width: 60%; text-align: justify; line-height:120%"]The moon in the window, the sun in the sea…

Delicate the broken construct of waning hum hanging suspended within the humid depths of twilight drenched air, a chorus the strengthening chirp of hidden insects. It seemed held a breath, still even the breeze as though frightened of reception awaiting if it dared to stir the thick undergrowth. Sightless depths of ebon that cast a dour presence upon chosen shelter,if it may be deemed such.

Now is the quiet - just baby and me.

Caught within the scraped together cradle of fallen branches and gathered leaf litter miniscule seemed the kitten bathed within dying illumination, a bright point the soft cream against the earthen hues of his makeshift bed. Loose the manner paws curled against the threadbare fabric of treasured possession, the dark buttons all that remained of a face obscured beneath his grasp. Softened expression is disturbed for a moment, twisting pale lips until the delicate points of teeth peek through. Closer grown his hold, a quiet fear of loss driving sluggish actions.

And the sun will sleep in the ocean tonight.

Of a moss hue the eyes that flickered open - once, twice, rapid the succession of blinks allowing him time to adjust. Time trickled past in quiet moments, confusion a heavy burden upon hunched shoulders, unshifted even as minutes gather. Yet of such he bore no knowledge, strained aching muscles as head arose and twisted in a hope new perspective may bring new knowledge. There was nothing, however, weak croak parting cracked lips.

"Mama…?" Throat ached with a budding heat, harsh the sudden cough trailing after. There as nothing left, heavy limbs grown weary, trembling even as he clutched the bear. He knew not when the broken murmur of choked sob arose between the closure of teeth, how his tears fell with a gentle patter against the gathered leaves. Unknown the words once crooned when sleep grew an elusive companion, teasing as it lingered about jagged edges of unkind conciousness, yet familiar the melody. It was as such soft and broken that which he hummed to himself, at times succombing to the sobs barely withheld.

[Blazic]

[safflower]

safflower wasn't all too familiar with interacting with children. to be frank, the tom was probably awkward when it came to them, relying mostly on their body language to communicate. the knights hadn't had children in... some time, and he and his sister were the only children his mother ever had. safflower could only go off of how he and his sister were as children to figure out how a child's mind worked, which was tough considering he was not the most well behaved kitten.

his sister had been more decent than him. always more attached to their mother than he was, more compliant and eager to please. an attribute that had made them quarrel often in their teenage adolescence especially. though even still safflower had a much differing reaction to hearing a mewling sound. he wasn't really even supposed to be here, having infiltrated the place for the umpteenth time. it was fun messing with the inhabitants of tanglewood, overall.

he wasn't sure how he felt messing with a little kid, though. especially one crying and calling out for its mother.

the blue tabby approached him hesitantly at first, not wanting to get involved right away. he seemed genuinely alone though, no scent of another around him aside from the hyena that certainly was not its mother. he stood at the ready with his paw pads pressing into the ground with each step, cautious of the predator lingering too close to them.

think. think of something, quick!

he coughed rather loudly as he came closer to them, glowering down at snarl as he came behind the kitten. "uh, hey. this is my..." he looked down at the kitten for a few beats, squinting his pale eyes before looking back to snarl. "my baby sibling. so kindly back away, please." his hackles were raised as he spoke, trying to look decently opposing to the bigger animal.

oh my god what are you doing. this kid isn't even yours? safflower quickly shoved his doubt away, remaining behind the cream kitten.

[QUIET]

[align=center][div style="text-align:justify;width:55%;font-family:verdana;"]A life before this one was a thing she could not bring herself to recall. It was there, in flickering images, but that naive memory had shattered and found itself replaced by flashes of fire, violence and a quaking rebirth. She vibrates with it, the heaviness of the memory: the knowledge that she was no longer a being but a thing, spore-cloud skinned and living off the blazing of the sun. It seemed the fire came for them all, in one way or another, and while she'd been engulfed in flames once before she now turned to that star in the sky to sustain her. A dual life, in more ways than one, she had died once and now she lived again.

Fractals of light break through the trees and give her sight, wide eyes blinking rapidly as she tailed the bodies through the wood. Snarl left her cautious, wary of the trail she left behind. Both women bore scars to remember their pasts by, and while the creature could cover her tracks and dance through the branches like the birds above, the hyena carried her weight with a purpose, a centripetal force that careened her through the circle of belonging in a violent swing. And here, the creature found, the woman was forcing her hand: pushing that belonging as though the forest were hers, as though she bore the right to live and to die on her spit-dripping teeth.

The creature, if she could be so forward, had long since decided that no one knew this land quite like her. Snarl was fooled if she believed herself on par with Mother Nature and her death-bringing hand.

Mama.

If there is a pulse under her skin, she feels it quicken. The drone in her chest heightens, shimmering insect wings flitting in the breeze as they began to swarm. She would speak, if she could. Call out to the child, maybe, tell it that it was going to die. But where her vocal chords shift her trachea restricts, and in what feels like a thousand hands pulling back on the bands that allowed air through, she wheezes. Her mouth snaps shut, nostrils flare - and as she realizes that no word of warning will come from her throat today. She must, if words will do nothing, act.

A deep and lilting hum presses out from her sealed lips.

She matches the child's song, guesses the tune. The insects upon her coat writhe, reflecting the sunlight on their wings as the swarm extends itself in tentative tendrils towards the nervous man and the child he claimed his kin. As best she can, the mutt situates herself between Snarl and the vulnerable one - like Bloodhound had done for Aurum, when she rose from the crater wailing. In the back of her head, beneath the noise, she felt that perhaps this place and its people were something she ought to look out for. With a soft sound still wavering on her tongue, she carefully trains her eyes on the hyena, and dares not blink as they lock in. Lips peel back to reveal yellowed teeth, crowded into her gums. Where she usually allows herself to attack first, she considers the child and its innocent eyes; this is not a fight she wants to give, not with something so frightened and small watching them.

[Ivan]

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IVAN
slav. "god is gracious"
---
a son
a brother

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ALYOSHA, MY DEAR, MY ONLY SON, I'M AFRAID OF IVAN —

Ivan was quite the unremarkable kitten at birth with his small and undersized form. His stature had improved somewhat in his swift feline aging — he now looked more like an adult cat than a child. He made no effort to hide his disdain for those his age group or younger than him. He spared his siblings from this scorning, for the most part. There was, of course, Atticus.

A child's crying wasn't enough for him to change course. Someone else would be better suited to take care of it. He couldn't even keep a goddamn bird safe. Maybe he could find someone else to take care of it. If Aurum were here, he'd adopt it and then Ivan would have to call it a cousin. He would be hard-pressed to admit it, but he missed the two-headed eagle that he had inadvertently adopted as a sort of daughter or sister. However, he had not seen her since the tremors and a sickening pit was clawing at the corner of his gut whenever she crossed his mind (which was quite often, surprisingly).

Mama ...? "Yeah I lost mine too."

That is, until he heard Safflower's outburst. The Maine coon halfbreed angled his ears in half-hearted interest. Upon investigation, he saw two individuals shielding the scrap of fur from the hyena. Weary eyes wavered from each one. If Ivan had been killed at birth, he would have known nothing else. However, now that he understood he existed, he was almost shamefully covetous about life despite the afflictions he was cursed with.

"Why are you both looking at Snarl like that?" He rasped. "All she's doing is standing there."

He figured it must be due to her appearance. He would have felt bad that people distrusted Snarl to be around kids, but he didn't want to give his pity to the hyena. He didn't think she wanted it either.

— I'M MORE AFRAID OF IVAN THAN THE OTHER ONE.

[OCTANE.]

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OCTANE

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OCTAVIO SILVA
High-Speed Daredevil
AFRICAN CHEETAH
TYPHOON
"Ooh, sick death, dude!"

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[align=center]The tension here? Kinda cringe bro.

Octane giggle-chirps to himself at the thought, metal feet clapping against damp earth. At least he wasn't fucking tripping everywhere like in the Typhoon, sheesh. Mud was good, mud was fine.

Octane can't tell what's really off here. His ears twitch and fur stands, the Cheetah knows something is off, but he can't quite place his finger (paw?) on it. "So uh," he looks down at the little... thing with them. Octane tilts his head, ears flicking down, "'fuck's that?"

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Original code by lexasperated / artwork by @R_HillPrime

[Grimm]

[align=center][div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; width: 60%; text-align: justify; line-height:120%"]Broken the ill fated symphony wrought upon lips laced with gathered salt. Unknown the traversal of unfamiliar lands drawing from heavy litter of fallen leaves a quiet crunch, passage further marked by the expulsion of stale air. For brief moment a sputtering flicker the tentative gleam of hope ignited in fluttering heart, makeshift cushioning parting beneath the sudden tumble of forgotten comfort. Dour the ebony buttons watched on in silence as child took to unsteady legs, as though fawn where he traipsing about until stilt limbs, a grin bore upon gentle countenance.

Beast of shadow and brimstone, narrowed depths of smouldering flame settled upon his direction as though assessed for the quality of taunt muscle. A mere morsel would he be, swallowed in moments his mind may need to connect fleeing points. Yet there was only the heated expulsion of breath, the wet presence of a nose hovering above him, withdrawing as supposed assessment drew to a futile conclusion. Within a certain manner alike his own proceeding manner, if of a less desired result. Upset his poor balance, the hast of backward momentum enough to tip the scale.

There is a distinct lack of grace in the manner he comes to lay within a loose sprawl of limbs, partial the closure of pale lids over unfocused vision. Delicate at first the budding heat of growing ache, filling the still moments suspended between each slow breath. Maybe it best he merely stay within such placement, the brief relief of temporary daze fading.

From him seemed stolen the choice in such matter, if formulated even an opinion on proceedings beyond the acknowledgement of prior proceedings. Another, softened the swirling traces of slate against feathered backdrop, mind trailing along delicate memories of plump clouds against a blue sky. For all the pleasantry of reconstructed scenes played against the brief darkness of shuttered depths close drawn all but the extension of tail that flicked with an uneven rhythm, unwelcome the close proximity of stranger. Yet it seemed the conclusion of his passage was premeditated, between left the child caught in growing perplexion.

Empty the brief conversation staged above his head, if the abrupt intrusion of other bent upon defusing the unravelling threads of transpiring scene may be deemed such, enough all the same. Dark the depths that arose, met those that narrowed in a brief moment of contemplation. Further progressed the supposed conversation though adrift the weak concentration of preoccupied youth, sizable ears drawn forth.

"Mama." The rasping croak of barely used vocal cords arose beneath the construct of mimicked hum. Poor the tune drawn across pursed lips unfamiliar with its delicate rises and falls, breaking into ground upon which it was not supposed to tread. For all the flaws peppered in the lilting call a moth drawn to the flickering illumination of tantalising flame was the child, forfeited the safety offered by Safflower. Light the press of paw against the damp surface of the packed terrain, tracked the movement of other, unimpeded, if slow, the progress made.

Another, always another, brief the acknowledgement of averted attention. Always drawn back, centered upon creature burdened beneath the cloying press of thriving flora, the buzzing hymn of hidden multitudes caught in thick foliage casting a static about stilled thought. "Mama…" A silenced ghost dancing about the blurred border of closing eyes, the desired placed over the cruelty reality presented. Onto his toes was eased his weight until he moved to gently press his forehead against the leg of the creature, benefit entirely his own, sought the comfort of proximity he may never indulge within again for reasons his mind struggled to comprehend.

[Blazic]

[safflower]

several curses and prayers cycled through safflower's thoughts at once as he stood his ground. he stared snarl down, gaze unwavering. he side-eyed quiet as she came forward, trying to ease the rising pace in his heartbeat as she came closer. his eyes squint as she matches the little harmony that had come from the kitten before, but ultimately relaxes when she comes between them and snarl.

he wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth but... he had hoped for a maybe better looking knight in shining armor. less bug-infested at the very least.

his tail lashed when two more came forward, tilting his chin up at them. he was giving off much more confidence than he really had, but he hoped it was at least selling.

"stranger danger." he answered ivan snidely, holding his breath as caustic spoke. he hoped, prayed again he didn't recognize safflower.

instead he would answer snarl, exhaling a heavy sigh. he would have to go pretty far with this plan... did this kid have a mom? who knew, but even if it did... he wouldn't trust that kind of mother with a houseplant. "left. awhile ago, kid hasn't been the same since." he hesitantly placed a paw on the kitten's head. "i told'em to stay while i went to get food, but clearly they don't listen too well." the lie rolled off his tongue like butter, but his heart still slammed in his chest.

"now, uh, back off! d'know what kinda diseases you got, hacking up your lungs like that. we don't want whatever it is."