Ravana prowled through the dense underbrush, her movements light. They were supposed to be on a hunt, sent out as their growing independence commanded—as well as their parents. Ravana was pleased at the thought, delighted at the idea that she might be able to witness the world as it truly was; cruel and merciless. Though, that was before that very world suddenly dulled to a haze. One moment she was flanked by Abyss and Sericea, their voices familiar noise in the silence, and the next—a shroud of fog rolled over them, thick as smoke, devouring everything in its path. Ravana froze as it snaked through them, hackles prickling as the fog wrapped around her, cold and unnervingly silent. Strange. She could barely see her paws, much less her siblings.

"Abyss? Sericea?" Her voice, usually haughty, now lilted carefully, swallowed by the fog as though the very air had teeth. The sounds she did hear were…muffled. A chill slithered down her spine, and for a fleeting moment, Ravana felt something she rarely allowed herself to feel—vulnerability. She was lost, cut off from the sounds and sights that usually painted her world in shades of familiar danger and thrill she enjoyed so much. By this point she was actually getting angry, frustration sending her tail lashing out behind her as she huffed. Where did her siblings go?

She stepped forward, intent on finding them, her ears flicking at a faint rustle somewhere to her left. She quickened her pace, paws muffled against the earth. The fog was unnatural, swallowing every scent and sound, leaving her floating in silence and blindness. Her heart thrummed in her chest, a pulsing beat in her ears. The deprivation of her senses left her reeling, and that meant her mood was rotten.

Then, as she turned to catch a new sound, her nose met something solid—solid and warm. A yelp of pain burst from her mouth as she jerked back, the sudden sting radiating from her snout to her cheeks. "Agh!" she hissed, anger flaring as quickly as the pain had entered her nervous system. Her fangs bared, she lashed out without thought, instinctively swatting at whatever had dared to get in her way.


"Ravana Seraphim Saxe"

Sericea blinked, her acidic green eyes straining to pierce the impenetrable veil of fog that had so suddenly and inexplicably enveloped them. The once familiar landscape had been transformed into an alien realm, the dense underbrush and towering trees reduced to mere phantoms, their forms distorted and rendered nearly unrecognizable by the swirling, all-consuming mist. An eerie silence prevailed, broken only by the muffled sound of her own breathing and the frantic pounding of her heart, which seemed to reverberate through her slender frame with an intensity that felt almost primal. She felt the tug of panic at the edges of her mind, but it was swiftly tempered by the fierce determination bubbling within her. Was this what they meant by the world’s cruelty? The obscured vision, the uncertainty of their surroundings? She chided herself for such thoughts; there was nothing decisive in fear.

Sericea felt her world shrinking, the stifling fog consuming the vibrant life and colors she had so eagerly anticipated exploring. Each breath she took seemed laden with an inexplicable weight, heavy with uncertainty and a sense of unfamiliarity that crept under her skin like an unwelcome chill. It was suffocating in a way she had never encountered before, this thick blanket of mist that curled around her like the tendrils of some invisible beast, poised to snatch away everything familiar to her.

"Abyss… Ravana!" she called, her voice trembling slightly as though it were a fragile thread stretching through the haze—a lifeline into the unknown. The names of her siblings echoed in the fog, swallowed and transformed into ethereal whispers. Each utterance felt like a desperate plea, a search for connection in a world that was rapidly becoming estranged from her. She could feel the tight knot of anxiety coiling tighter in her belly, fueled by the absence of Ravana’s steady presence and Abyss’ gentle, reassuring spirit.

Sericea’s heart raced as she instinctively swatted at the presence before her, her short temper igniting into a blaze of indignation. She could feel the heat of whatever was there, the warmth contrasting sharply with the chilling embrace of the fog that enveloped them. But from there, all Sericea could register was the pain from the sudden contact. It was a collision of chaos, her limbs thrashing in wild protest as her instincts took over, the fog swirling like an angry tempest around them. Each movement felt exaggerated, like she was caught in a slow dance of entangled confusion and fury. The frustration of being lost, of feeling so utterly and painfully alone in this shroud of eerie mist, twisted deep within her.

436 Words.
"Sericea Praetor-Inferos"

As Abyss walked through the fog-draped forest, the world around them transformed. The once vibrant hues of the fall-time forest were muted, shadows shifting in the slightest movement of the breeze, creating an unsettling play of light and dark. Shapes seemed to flicker at the edges of perception- some just out of sight, lingering in Abyss’ peripheral vision, suggesting movement where there was none. They couldn’t deny the clawing sensation of apprehension that coursed through their body- the eerie embrace of the shadows and silence, that had transformed the forest they knew into the unknown.

Abyss? Sericea? Oh. They’d gotten separated in the fog- Abyss and their sisters had been out on a hunt, when the fog enveloped the forest. They’d lost the scent of their prey, and had gotten lost in the process- but Abyss could smell their scents on the breeze- the tinge of wormwood and ash that Ravana wore, and Seri’s distinctive perfume that reminded them of their Mother.

Sericea called out next, her voice seeming to wrap around Abyss, echoing throughout the fog with an ethereal quality that sent a shiver crawling down their spine. Abyss knew their sibling’s voices well- but in this otherworldly haze, their voices felt tinged with something unsettling.

Pausing, Abyss tried to pinpoint the direction of their voices. The mist continued to swirl around them, thick and opaque, obscuring the path ahead. They let out a small woof, beckoning to their sisters- but their call was swallowed by the fog, and the amplifying silence that followed.

But suddenly, Abyss heard Ravana cry out- her voice a hiss laced in anger, followed by a growl and the commotion of paws uprooting the earth. As if something was attacking her. A surge of adrenaline coursed through Abyss, and they surged forward into the fog, driven by the instinct to protect their sisters. With each stride, the damp earth squelched beneath their paws, the chilly air stinging their lungs. Branches scratched their skin, pricks of twigs snagged their fur- but Abyss did not care. All that mattered, was getting to their sister.

Smack! Without warning, the dense fog seemed to part for a moment- the sudden shift in the atmosphere was disorienting, and before Abyss could register their surroundings, they’d collided with something solid. No, someone. The impact sent them stumbling back, their jaws snapping into the air instinctively, to ready themselves for an oncoming assault.

word count: 402

"Speech"

Ravana's claws slashed forward in a blur, driven by the searing anger that flared at the sting on her nose. The ache radiated through her snout, and her instinct roared with need to make whatever had dared to cross her path pay. Her vision narrowed, her world reduced to the fog and the anger, logic was gone. How dare something—or someone—sneak up on her, in her space, catching her off-guard like this? In this damned fog! Her blood pounded, her nares flaring with the heavy fog as it nearly suffocated her. She felt caged. Felt closed in.

With a snarl, she lunged, her teeth snapping, aiming for flesh. Her claws scraped against something warm and alive, her jaws catching the scent—something familiar, something almost recognizable. But the fog of anger, compounded by the actual fog itself, clouded her senses, making her care little about specifics. Her mind registered it dimly, a faint whisper that this was wrong, that she knew this scent. It was familiar, like warm sunlight and wormwood, but the rush of adrenaline drowned out all else, leaving only the raw need to tear and punish.

A half-formed realization flickered at the back of her mind, a vague recognition that this was her sister, but the anger pulsed, hot and relentless, sweeping any caution or mercy away. Why was Sericea in her way? Why had she been so careless, so close that Ravana’s own nose had suffered?

And then, it all came to a head, the tension snapping as something else barreled into them—a body colliding hard against her flank, and immediately, Ravana felt a fresh set of jaws gnashing at her fur, eager for blood. What the hell was happening?!
A furious snarl tore from her throat, her vision narrowing as her instincts took over, sharpening to cut through the haze of the white-out world that had engulfed her. The thick fog still rolled around them, not just blurring shapes but stripping her of her visual awareness all together—which only added to the confusion and fury that exploded from her. She fought blindly, each movement uncoordinated and relentless, her senses alive yet struggling to make sense of the chaos.

But slowly, as the mist thickened, her rage began to subside, a strange calm creeping in with the damp, earthy scent of the fog. Wasn’t this like father’s lesson? Only this time she was truly fighting blind. Focusing on her senses, the world softened around her, her breath steadying as the sharp edges of her fury dulled, replaced by a controlled stillness. When her heartbeat stopped hammering in her ears, she realized she had already pinned them both beneath her, her paws pressing down with fierce authority.

...

Oh, its Abyss and Seri.

"Ravana Seraphim Saxe"