Toxicity had not yet grown accustomed to the sun never rising, and what little daylight they were allowed was never enough. She wasn't sure where her next pawsteps would take her, but a voice on the horizon led her forward as ever. It spoke in the language of the Gods- a language so dear and comforting to the priestess. The voice pulled her to ever glowing waters. They were like the shrines water, only with ice crystals jutting to and fro in every direction. Tox was drawn to it- to the glowing waters where she had worshipped so often. Her paws touched the glowing shore, the waters lapping softly at her toes. "Further," the voice commanded, and so further she went. ""

He couldn't deny that he'd been lost for some time. Not physically, but spiritually. He felt disconnected from his father and the religion he had grown up learning, unable to return to his roots on his own. And with the world the way it was at the moment, he felt even more disconnected than ever. He approached the frozen lake, though it wasn't quite as frozen as he thought it might be. He wasn't sure what brought him here, but he swore he thought he heard something on the wind. "This way..." He didn't know what compelled him to listen, but he did as he was told. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, yet he couldn't quite recall who it was. He felt like he'd been lost in a fog and was unable to find his way out. Though the crystals that grew around him seemed to bring him a small form of comfort. He walked the edge of the shore, and as he lifted his head, spotted a form he remembered from childhood. "Tox?" He asked with uncertainty, his own eyes glazed over as he tried to figure out if she was real or not. "Speech"

ART BY IRISH

The whirlwind of voices surrounded her, calling to her, asking her to go closer, deeper into the glowing waters. They addressed her with sweet words and coaxing voices as she took another step in. The sound felt like it marred her vision, as if she was unable to see simply because all her focus was on trying to hear all to voices.

One from behind her called her name, it was Gadreel, her brother from long ago. Now he too called to her from beyond the grave. Toxicity took another step closer. She had failed him, true, and perhaps that is why he wished for her to join him in the glistening waters.

The fact that she hadn't answered him seemed to cement the fact that maybe she wasn't real at all. Instead, she seemed to move further into the water, but before he had time to do anything, he heard the voice again. "Lost, lost, lost. Hungry. Scared. This way. Release. Lost..." He turned his head in every direction, trying to figure out who was calling or what. The single voice began to turn into a multitude of voices, however, and his confusion grew even more. "Who is it!?" He exclaimed.

"You. You. We. I am. Us." "Tox? He swore he heard her. But she wasn't the only one. It sounded like a mixture of her voice, and his father's. But also another foreign voice, one more powerful that he couldn't quite recognize...

The voices continued to swim into Toxicity's head as she walked slowly deeper and deeper into the waters. The voices called her on, and her faults and shortcomings weighed in her heart. They told her to imagine how weightless she'd be if she just floated with them. The water ebbed up to her chest, and the glowing algae surrounded her. It was as if she was home. She stepped deeper, tilting her head back as the water lapped at her cheeks. She could hear them all now- her father, Abraxas, and surely the pup she had culled to send to God too. They were waiting for her. Before she plunged below the surface, she heard one more voice call her name, but this one was above the surface, making her question herself last minute as the water flowed over her nose. ""

Toxicity

As your nose begins to fall beneath the surface, a swarm of a hundred or more fireflies converge upon you, slamming their semi-ethereal bodies against your snout over and over, as if, perhaps, trying to pull you up? If you choose to go along with their frantic nudging, you'll find that every inch of you that breaks out from the water is also covered in the buzzing, glowing insects, and you can't determine if it's their version of a hug, or merely an attempt to smother and/or blind you.

Maybe you shouldn't have done that...

At first, Toxicity thought it was the glowing of the lake, but then they moved, nudging her, nearly pulling her to the surface as the water entered through her nose and into her lungs. Before she even had the chance to think,, she found her maw above water as she sputtered and coughed for air. It was as if the bugs led her out, as her body felt shaken from the sudden intake of water. When she got to the shore, she nearly collapsed, save for seeing another wolf facing her. When she finally brought her gaze up tot he figure, she recognized it as her brother, but wasn't sure if she was comforted or more on edge. "Gadreel?" she rasped. "Are you... a ghost?" ""

It Continues for Toxicity...

Huh? It doesn't seem like anything happened... Well, maybe that's for the best...

He watched as she went deeper into the water, though truth be told it all felt like a strange dream. Fireflies danced and buzzed around him, the lake, his sister...but all around him, he heard the voices whispering to him. How long had it been since he heard his father's voice? Since he heard the voice of Abraxas? "Too long" He slowly turned his head towards the fireflies, a puzzled look on his face. Had they been able to hear his thoughts? They flickered down to the water as if beckoning him to follow. He took a step forward, but he didn't take any further steps. He stood there, forepaws in the water as it lapped at his toes.

He seemed to watch helplessly as Tox went under, but he felt like he was unable to move. Frozen in place. His body refused to move, and he seemed to soundlessly scream at the fireflies and the voices that suddenly assaulted him. Tox's voice was faint among the noise, but it was as if he couldn't make a sound.

Gadreel

As they did for your sister, the fireflies swarm around your head too, temporarily blinding you. Seems coincidental, must be a sign of some sort.

Maybe you shouldn't have done that...

He felt like he'd been unable to make a sound, though he could see what was happening, however surreal it looked. While Tox had been breaking the surface, he didn't miss the fireflies that seemed to be converging on his sister. Similarly, fireflies began to swarm around him now, only they were obscuring his vision and blinding him. He couldn't see Tox anymore, which sent a wave of panic through him. Even though they hadn't been around each other for some time, she was the only sister that he ever felt comfortable and felt a bond with, even if it was one-sided. The fact that he couldn't see her anymore and the fact he'd been unable to answer her question, made him wonder if this was all just a dream or if maybe he really was a ghost and he was looking at things through a paranormal lens. Was that even possible?

"Speech"

It Continues for Gadreel...

Huh? It doesn't seem like anything happened... Well, maybe that's for the best...