find your own way

For some strange reason, Mort wasn’t feeling so scared of the dark. He spooked easily, sure, he didn’t trust the water and heights made him feel sick. He didn’t like the dark when he was alone, but he wasn’t alone, he had Azure with him, and somehow that made all the difference.

Azure didn’t argue with his logic, just followed quietly behind. It gave Mort a chance to sort out the scents, and he every now and then thought he felt a subtle breeze tickle through the sensitive feathers of his wings. They still lay hutched up on his back like a stalking bird, ready to flare out in balance. He tripped a lot, and he was starting to really get the hang on his wings helping him balance.

He put all of his effort into finding that very faint fresh air scent he kept catching, almost walking into a wall when he didn’t realise the cavern turned. Because of his concentration, he didn’t catch whatever Azure did. It wasn’t until Azure spoke, that he realised his brother was getting frightened by the darkness. It was so… so unexpected. Mortis was almost having fun with the challenge. Azure with with him, following him, paying attention to him, and he was enjoying it. What was scaring Azure?

Mortis paused, scrunching his nose up in hard concentration. He walked up to a really thin Stalactite, and shoved his shoulder into it, breaking off a stick of it. He grabbed that in his teeth, making frustrated, thinking noises in the back of his throat. “Hold this, and don’t go anywhere or I’ll lose you.” he said, shoving the ‘stick’ at his brother, before vanishing into the darkness.

He was gone a little while, as he found the scent of, stalked, and caught a mouse. He held in his mouth a time, breathing hard and trying to find his resolve, before he broke its neck. He shed a few tears, safe in the silence of the cave, before skinning it like Venom had shown him how, and brought it, and a stone back to his brother. He made sure his eyes were dry before he reappeared “Just me” he said softly, warning his brother, sa he grabbed the stick back, wrapped the coat about it, and then shoved a stone and some dry moss he had also collected into a pile. He worked hard for a little bit, leaning over it, using his wings to shelter it from any faint breeze, and got a fire working. “Auntie showed me how.” he explained as the fire crackled faintly to life. He handed the mouse-wrapped stick to his brother. “Stick it in the fire” he directed his brother.