Mutant Thread Asharya was enraptured with the newfound freedom that came with growing older. She wasn't a baby anymore, she was ready to stretch her legs and explore! Her mother had already taken them on a few expeditions beyond their home canyon, and Asharya was craving more. That day she decided to push eastward and see what she could find. Her trail was obvious enough to follow, and she wondered if any of her other family members might decide to join her as well... Just as long as they didn't tell her to stay put or go back home. Asharya came to a rocky shore, bordered by crashing waves and lots of water. The ocean she thought, though perhaps maybe a large lake? A river so wide that she could not see it's other edge? She knew her mother had done her best to educate them about the world around them, but Asha was prone to daydreaming and far from the best pupil one might ask for. She wracked her brain for answers, but found none. With what can only be described as teenage ignorance, she pressed onward to attempt discovering it herself. Fog hung between the dunes, seeping out occasionally onto the beach, only to blown away by the ocean breeze. Asha padded out among the stones, at once beginning to nose at a pile of seaweed. The smells were so weird here! She drew in a few big lungfulls of air, reveling in the nuances of each. Their was a strange scent to the air on top of all the others, something foreign and distinctly strange. It clung to the water and hung heavy in the air, something distinctly wrong. She noticed the plants closest to the water's edge had begun to with and die. Some where... well, strange colors compared to the rest. The shore was littered with dead sea creatures, slimey and ripe with putrescence. Asharya began to notice strange things about them too... How many fins did fish normally have again anyways? "Talk" "You" Think

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With a goal in mind Ashiel was feeling much better about venturing away from the canyon, which he partly felt was his territory. His mother was right, if they were going to rule this world they needed to know more about it and there was only so much he could learn hanging out in the canyon all day. However, he wasn't quite sure how to go about adventuring. Did he just pick a direction and go til something happened? That sure sounded like his mother's approach but Ashiel preferred something a bit more strategic. As he travelled he he kept his nose sifting through the air for any threats or scents of interest. Wait… was that Asharya? Ashiel bent his head, sniffing the dirt until he was sure it was her. The scent was fresh and Ashiel figured what the hell, it'd seemed like awhile since he'd been exploring with his sister. Ashiel followed her scent far to the east, taking his time and enjoying the fresh air. The scent of salt began to tinge the air as he heard the crashing of waves. Ashiel scrambled out onto the beach, enjoying the feel of the sand between his toes until he caught an acrid scent. He wrinkled his nose…. what the heck was that? Ashiel turned around and froze as he noticed dozen's of fish floating in the water, the waves bringing them to shore and leaving them there or taking a few back with it. Their silvery bodies glittered ominously and Ashiel quickly skittered away from them. He didn't like this… as he travelled down the beach he caught of Asharya and bounded over to her. "Asharya! Did you see-" his voice cut off as he noticed the weird looking fish she was staring at, covered in fins, way more than it was supposed to have. "Something's happened to these fish… they aren't supposed to look like this." At least he didn't think they were… "Talk" "You" Think

Out of concern for his young cousins Malleus had decided to follow them once it became clear they were headed beyond the safety of the canyon. Both pups were bright and promising, but they were young and inexperienced. It would be nothing for a more experienced wolf or a large, fearless predator to snuff out the young Abraxas. Malleus was committed to the cause and there wasn't a thing he wouldn't do for his family. If that meant watching over the children like a nanny he would do it without complaint.

This little surveillance mission served another purpose. While the safety of his cousins was his driving concern the titan was also keeping an eye out for medicinal plants. It didn't hurt to be prepared. He wasn't looking for anything in particular, just casually eying the vegetation as he trailed far behind the exuberant pair.

Up ahead it looked as though Ashiel had caught up to his sister. The pair were looking at something, but at this distance he couldn't tell what. For a moment Malleus debated whether or not to approach. Kids could be a little funny about their freedom being undermined by the watchful presence of an uncool adult and the titan didn't want to rain on their parade. But-

Squish.

Malleus froze and lifted his forepaw to examine the pads of it. His expression quickly shifted from surprise to disgust as he realized what he'd stepped in. Or, rather, the state of whatever it was he stepped in. The creature - he couldn't tell what it used to be - was in an advanced state of decay. Bits of scales and fins had glued themselves to the pads of his paws - so much so that scraping his foot across the sand didn't completely removed the mess. With his face still scrunched up in disgust Malleus hobbled further into the surf.

He was in the middle of washing the mess off when a dead fish washed in and got hooked around his other foreleg. Immediately he set his forepaw down and raised the other so the carcass could wash passed him. It was then he noticed the others. Small fish, large fish, crabs, sea snakes...it seemed as though a specimen of every kind of marine life he was aware of was represented in the surf. And, he squinted at a nearby snake, some of them were weird. Everywhere he looked he saw extra fins or eyes. Hell, one fish even looked like it had teeth. With a frown on his lips, the titan returned to the beach. Something wasn't right about all of this. Maybe the beach was cursed?

Still frowning and now a little unsettled, Malleus hurried towards the sibling pair. He could see it now: one of them poking at a toothed fish on a dare and getting bitten. He couldn't allow that to happen on his watch.

It was not long before Asharya heard the muffled sounds of another's approach. She turned in time to see her faithful brother spill out onto the scene, as she'd hoped he would. A wide smile stretched across her lips and she bounded up to meet him. She reared up on her hind legs in an attempt to wrap her arms around his neck and nip his ear before bounding away again. Ashiel had noticed the dead sea creatures as well, and seemed just as perplexed as she was. From time to time the canyon would host small pools or a gently gurgling stream, but the life found within was mostly limited to frogs and other amphibious ilk, only the occasional minnow. It was nothing like this! "Maybe we should bring some back for Mama," she said with a grin. Pyralis would be so proud of them for having discovered something so strange! Then again, she wasn't one hundred percent sure she wanted to put anything that was dead on this beach into her mouth. Aside from the usual smells of decay, there was something otherworldly and distinctly wrong about the particular putrescence that clung to them. Compounded with the fact that Asha wasn't exactly sure they were supposed to be so far from the den, well... okay maybe they shouldn't tell Pyralis, but that didn't mean they couldn't have fun now! Asharya's glacial eyes glinted, and she feigned a mask of innocence, waiting for a good moment to strike. The arrival of her cousin provided the perfect distraction. Malleus seemed to have stepped on something, and was shaking off a paw. She wanted to laugh at the disgruntled expression on his face, but she had to focus. This was a matter of pure skill. Taking only a heartbeat to aim, she darted a paw forward and flicked the joint sideways, dull claws hooking under one of the fish's many fins. It was an art, a craft in fact, to fling anything directly into the face of a sibling. Luckily it was one Asharya believed she had mastered. The mutated fish hopped into the air, sailing towards her brother's head. Asharya tensed, glee written across her features, waiting to see if her target would be struck. "Talk" "You" Think

ART BY HAGON <3

Ashiel felt the fur on the back of his neck stand up as he looked at the fish. He had no idea what would happen to make the fish look like this but his guess was either poison or a curse and either way he was ready to leave. Godling or not, he wasn't keen to figure out how he fared against the various curses of the world. He wrinkled his nose as Asharya suggested bringing it back to her mother. "Ew! You can if you want but I'm not putting my mouth anywhere near that thing. Maybe we can put it on a piece of bark or something." It would be nice to bring it back to their mom so she could at least explain it but he didn't want to touch it and he also didn't know if moving it would bring the curse with it. He'd been so intent on deciding whether or not bringing the creature back was worthwhile that he missed his cousin's arrival. It was a both an embarrassment and a stroke of good luck. He was mortified that someone was able to sneak up so close to him but glad for the gained time because he just managed to duck as Asharya threw the nasty thing at his face. "Gross! Asharya, knock it off!" Of course with him ducking, the thing was now sailing for his cousin. Hopefully, Malleus was still far enough back…. oh who was he kidding. Ashiel was totally fine with flinging gross fish at his cousins, he just didn't want to be hit himself. "Talk" "You" Think

The strangeness of the sea creatures concerned him. Was it some kind of sign? Surely it was an omen of some sort. Who but the gods could have mutilated those creatures this way? They were unnatural abominations. Malleus frowned. Perhaps it wasn't a omen, but a cleansing. Maybe these creatures had always existed and it was the very act of living that had offended the gods. He himself found their appearance repugnant and was he not a prince of heaven?

So consumed was he by his thoughts of superiority that Malleus was oblivious to what was happening with his two young cousins. It was possible that he would have missed the whole thing had the rotten fish not struck him across the left side of his face as he stared out into the sea.

Startled, the titan gasped. Immediately he regretted doing so as he inhaled a lungful of stink. The stench was so potent it left an oily coating on his tongue. Thoroughly grossed out, Malleus retched and coughed in the hopes of clearing the smell from his lungs. He couldn't, though, because like the dead thing he'd stepped in, bits of the fish and its stink now clung to his cheek. Frantically he swiped at his face with a foreleg. The idea of something that gross on his face made him want to peel his cheek off.

For the moment - but certainly not for much longer - the children responsible for his predicament were forgotten. Soon there would be hell to pay.

... Oops. Asharya watched the scene unfold with a looking of growing horror and awe, knowing it was too late to take anything back now. Though, in all honesty, would she really have changed anything anyways? She watched the diseased creature sail through the air as if given life once again, only to collide bodily with the side of her elder cousin's face. Asharya froze, the air catching in her throat as if hiding there. "Err..." she began her eloquent defense. Oh man, Malleus was going to kick her ass. She watched the emotions run their gamut across his face, from shock to disgust to rage. Well, that couldn't possibly be good. She inched a step away from her brother, towards the long stretch of beach behind them. "Say Ashi," she murmured under her breath as Malleus retched. "Last one over the horizon is bear meat," she hissed, then spun on her heels and began a headlong sprint as if hell were at her backside. The fact that it was not just a figure of speech but a very literal possibility did do something to boost her stamina. She did not dare to look back over her shoulder as she ran, too concerned with navigating the beach's gruesome obstacles. Carcasses of all kinds littered the sands, a gut turning display of extra limbs and abnormalities. What the hell had they stumbled into, exactly? Asharya wasn't sure whether she was more fascinated or horrified, but it wasn't like she had much of a choice, knowing anything was better than being too close to her cousin's side once he came to his senses. "Talk" "You" Think

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Ashiel couldn't look away as the grotesque fish soared through the sky in slow motion before connecting with the side of his cousins face. It seemed to hang there for a moment before sliding to the ground with a sickening flop. Uh oh. Ashiel her Asharya start to speak but her voice cutting out. Ashiel didn't know whether to laugh or start apologizing- wait… why should he apologize? It was his stupid sister that flung the fish in the first place! Not that his cousin probably cared and he didn't feel like getting his as beat. Ashiel turned to glare at Asharya. "You just couldn't help yourself, could you?" He heard the sound of Malleus retching as his sister whispered to him then took off running. Ashiel growled and took off after her. "Hey cheater! No fair you getting a head start!" It really wasn't fair. She was faster than he was and they both knew it and he was going to get caught and he wasn't even doing anything! "It's Asharya's fault! She threw the fish at me I was just defending myself!" He didn't want to get chewed on because his sister just couldn't control her impulses. Her growled stubbornly as he leapt over a fall piece of driftwood covered in weird green jellyfish. Asharya was just up ahead and he put on a burst of speed. Maybe just this once he'd catch her? Ah who was he kidding! This wasn't going to work. Spying a mound of boulders Ashiel changed tactics and started madly scrambling up them hoping to make himself less of an appealing target. "Talk" "You" Think

So engrossed was he in removing the rotting scales from his face that Malleus completely missed the words exchanged by the siblings. The titan, rough and brutish as he could be, was fastidious. Cleanliness, in his mind, was one of the key qualities that set him apart from the savages.

His gaze lifted briefly to glare at his cousins and then, because the space they'd been occupying was empty, the titan did a double take. The little wretches! All he could see of them was their backsides as the pair lit out across the beach.

Immediately Malleus took off after them in a spray of sand and mangled fish bits. He wasn't built for speed or grace, but the giant had righteous anger on his side. He was going to catch them one way or another. His long legs ate up the ground between them and in no time at all he was on Ashiel's heels. The boy was smart; he quickly scrambled up a pile of rocks that Malleus knew he wasn't nimble enough to navigate well.

The titan's gaze flicked from Ashiel to Asharya. She had to be the thrower anyway, unless Ashiel managed to throw the fish over his head somehow. Vengeance would be his! He hadn't yet decided how he was going to exact his revenge, but, contrary to what she may have been fearing, he wasn't going to maul her to death. His vengeance would take the form of embarrassment. But what might embarrass a soon-to-be yearling? He didn't know, but before he could do anything else he had to catch her. Perhaps he'd tickle her until she wet her fur.

As he neared the girl Malleus reached out with a forepaw and swatted at Asharya's hind paws in the hopes of tripping her up. One stumble was all it would take for him to close the distance between them and tackle her.

Asharya saw Ashiel dive out towards a jumble of rocks as she herself darted past it. Coward! she thought to herself, more amused than angry at her brother ducking out of this one. She would concede that while it was fair, seeing as she had started it, sibling law dictated that she still get him back for it later. Oh well, now was probably NOT the best time to be thinking about it, because that quick glance over her shoulder told her that Malleus had not been fooled either, and he was gaining fast. She cursed her useless, young body. Ugh! She could retch all day about the joys of youth and time she'll never get back, blah blah blah! She wanted to be strong like her mother and aunts, and definitely faster than her cousin. Hot breath at her heels and a deft swipe of his paw was all it took to send the young, smoldering fae nose over tail, tumbling out across the beach. She skid to a stop against the heaping, putrid carcass of some long dead sea mammal with a squelch. In a vain attempt to scramble to her feet, Asharya felt her hind paws step in something distinctly moist and slick, which filled the voids between her toes and caused the bile to rise in her throat. Her hindquarters seemed to dart out from underneath her and she fell once again, with about as much aplomb as the first tumble. "I give, I give! You got me. Nice knowin' ya, Ashi," she wheezed from her place on the ground. Festering whale juices leeched into her fur from where she lay in a heap on the rocky shore, defeated. She couldn't bring herself to care. "I am vanquished. Vanquished!" She flung a paw up to cover her face. Well, you could never say she was one to shirk dramatics, if the need arose. Frankly, the sooner he put her out of her misery the sooner she could get this stench out of her nostrils. "Talk" "You" Think

ART BY HAGON <3

Panting Ashiel finished his climb to the top, just in time to! Malleus had been on his heels but with his maneuver Ashiel had managed to make himself a less tempting target and his cousin took off after his sister. Taking a few steps down he watched with interest and maybe a teeny bit of guilt. He and Asharya were thick as thieves but really… she'd started it. Malleus reached out and tripped Asharya and she went down hard. Ashiel quickly scrambled down the rock pile to get a better view as he watched his sister slide into rotting carcass then scramble back with her fur on end. He chuckled as she stated she was vanquished and then he charged. "Don't worry Asharya! You shall be avenged!" Ashiel's hackles rose, his ears pinning to his head as he charged. He was intent on ramming right into Malleus when he let out a sudden shriek as pain shot deep into his paw. He scrambled back, waving his left leg madly until he flung a freaky looking crab into the air, sending the creature skittering across the sand. Ow, ow ow…. he lifted up his paw, staring at the blood for a minute before he noticed another crab near his feet. He leapt over it, scrambling toward Malleus and Asharya. There was another one! And another! "Uh… guys…" "Talk" "You" Think

A triumphant grin quickly overtook the scowl on his face as his young cousin careened in the carcass. Maybe he should have felt guilty about tripping up a child, but he didn't. Nope, nothing but satisfaction. Payback was his! It served the little goober right.

My, she was a little dramatic, wasn't she? He snorted a laugh. "Relax, kid, I think we're squar-OW!" he yelped as a sharp pain raced up his leg. He'd been too busy gloating over his victory to devote enough attention to Ashiel. If he had, he'd have heard the boy's warning. Unbeknownst to the titan, the ruckus hadn't gone unnoticed by the inhabitants of the beach. As he'd stood and watched his little cousin's antics, out of the sand and carcasses had crept a horde of mutant crabs.

With an angry kick he shook the crab off his leg and then turned to make sure he'd flung it far enough away that it wouldn't be a problem. What he saw wiped the smirk off his face. The critters creeping towards them were crabs, sure, but like the fish they appeared to have been cursed by the gods. The one he'd flung off lay a few feet away on its back flailing four giant claws at the sky. Everywhere he looked crabs were creeping out from under logs and carcasses, or rising from the sand like tiny wraiths. "Ashiel, Asharya..." he said lowly, "How about we go back the way we came..."

Asharya was pretty sure this was the end. She was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Metaphorically or otherwise. Her cousin had vanquished her, and as she lay there in the pile of refuse, she wondered if a different path might have led her to a different resolution... Nah, that was crazy talk. She didn't regret a single second, not a single action. She grinned as Malleus loomed over her. "Relax, kid," he said, unexpectedly. "I think we're squar-OW!" Strangely enough, her cousin's words seemed to echo a sudden jolt of pain she felt in her own backside. Asha surged upwards, scrambling to her feet. "Shit" she swore aloud, bewildered. That hurt! She heard her brother's voice behind her, a hesitant "Uh… guys," as the writhing forms scattered across the beach began to take form. Shit, indeed. Malleus advised they head back the way they came, and Asha was hardly disposed to disagree. "Last one there is a rotten carcass," she scoffed as she surged forward, leaping at the last moment over a trio of mutated crabs freshly unearth from the sand beneath her paws. "Talk" "Listen" Think