--Fireflies and voices--

Yes, she and Albi had a brother, but Cerb wasn't always with them. He was their brother, but he was different. The relationship between them wasn't as strong as it was between Scylla and Albion. Maybe because they had different moms? The girl wasn't sure, but she wasn't opposed to trying to strengthen their relationship. So, one night, or... day? It was difficult to tell anymore... One day, when she decided to go out and play on the island, the slate and cream girl invited both of her brother's along. Both were larger than she was, but Scylla was clearly the most outgoing. The sweetest, most charming, prettiest, etc. etc.

With the three of them together, none of the parents would tell them that they couldn't go play. The island was relatively safe, despite the 'strangeness' that the grown ups spoke of. Scylla didn't see much strangeness. She and Albi were young enough that the blue glow and everything that came with it seemed pretty normal. Would Cerberus feel the same? He was older than they were. He had seen more.

Moving along the sand at the edge of the jungle, the long tailed child stopped and sniffed some of the weird growths that were growing around the trees, but what really caught her attention was the cloud of dancing fireflies on the beach. Their vibrant blue glow illuminated everything around them. "Wooooooowwwwww..."  Scylla whispered in wonder as she stepped further out onto the beach. The cloud of fireflies twisted and dipped, undulating as they danced in the sky over the pale, blue sand. Suddenly, there was a whisper in her ear and Scylla spun, mismatched eyes fixing on both of her brothers, a scowl accompanying her gaze. "Don't whisper in my ear like that. I don't like it."

"Scylla Klein"

Cerberus had always been somewhat of an enigma, he hadn’t been raised at Siren’s belly with them, but the older boy had always sort of been there. Their brother, their older brother, by a woman Albion was only afforded glances at. Most of the time, they got to have Cerb as their mother was the one primarily looking after him. There wasn’t much surprise when Scylla invited the both of them off that night. Or he thought it was night, nothing in life had really been normal since their birth, so everything strange was much more normal in the boy’s world.


The blue fog felt like home, the glowing lights were his friends, and the apparitions were nothing more than his everyday. The glowing world around him was everything he had ever known. His big ivory paws paced behind his tiny sister as she led the bigger boys wherever it was she wanted. Albi didn’t spare a second thought about following his sister, she was always up to something interesting. As long as they kept out of the way of getting in trouble he would have followed her through the fog forever.

Eventually the mists parted to reveal a glowing blue sand beach. He stepped slowly out onto the sand, glass blue eyes watching the dancing lightning bugs as they filled the sky with their pulsing light. Scylla was mesmerized, and Albion watched her as much as the lights. He had stopped at the edge of the woods watching as Scylla stepped out into the moonlight.

She jumped suddenly, and Albion tilted his head curiously as she turned around to chastise her brothers. A look of confusion flashed over his features, he was way back here and she was way up there, he hadn’t been close enough to whisper in her ear. "I didn’t say anything.”

"Albion Baskara Klien"

Cerberus from the time of his siblings birth, and the time of his own birth really, was quiet and maybe even a little lonesome feeling. He helped out Siren with her own doings, helped Moccasin clean up his and Viper's room, and other than that he didn't do much. He wasn't jumpy full of energy or super interested and running out to explore. He was obedient in the way of not getting into trouble, but he never did anything to get into trouble. He wasn't quite sure what getting into trouble even meant.

He followed alongside his two younger siblings as they wandered the dark morning of the island. He also was too young to understand that what was happening around them wasn't necessarily normal but he felt the tension of the adults and experienced his own happenings of the haunting atmosphere. When they came to the glowing beach, Scylla moved forward in awe of the stunning scenery and Albion had stayed back in the tree line so Cerberus followed with him as they took a seat. But Cerberus wasn't focused on the moonlight playing on Scylla's features. He was lost in a blank thought as his eyes were drifting into the colored sands in front of him and under Scylla. He felt like the blue and purple glow of the moon that seemed to affect more things as time went on wasn't good because of how the adults felt, and he wondered what it would mean for them. But it was conflicting because he didn't know anything else.

His nonexistent thoughts were interrupted by Scylla's voice, looking back at her two brothers and telling them to stop whispering in her ear. Albion stated he didn't say anything, and Cerberus looked up at fireflies that were in an abundance above and around them though more so around Scylla on the beach. "It's them." He mentioned while his eyes stayed on the floating glits of light, "I hear them too." He didn't hear the voices of the fireflies just now this second, but he was sure they would talk to him especially if they were talking to Scylla. It wasn't but a few seconds after that the fireflies gathered together almost abrupt and aggressively, and started to swirl down the beach and back inland of the forests in a trail as if they were trying to lead the three of them somewhere. Cerberus only looked to his siblings, he wasn't going to follow them unless they were.

"Cerberus Klein"

Albion was adamant that he hadn't said anything in her ear and as the girl's gaze shifted to Cerberus, the older boy spoke. He said that it was the firefly lights that were whispering. Scylla's brow furrowed and she looked back up towards the lights only to see them all mash together, do a little spin, and go careening down the beach. They settled at a path that led into the jungle and Scylla tilted her head in question before looking to her brothers. Were they up for it?

With her braided tail snaking through the sand, the blue and cream fae padded down the sandy expanse of land until she reached the dark path that was only illuminated by the vibrating, undulating swarm of lights. Just as she was about to question Alby and Cerb, another whisper found its way to her ear. Scylla gasped. She had been looking at her brothers this time when the whisper came, so it couldn't have been them. "They want us to go with them." Her mismatched eyes were wide, but Scylla was terribly adventurous. She took a step towards the path, letting it be known what her choice would be. Would her brother's follow?

"Scylla Klein"

Cerberus didn’t claim innocence as Albion did. The red marked boy looked to the glittering lights in the sky and proclaimed the whispers came from the luminescent specks. Albi didn’t know, he didn’t argue, but he wasn’t sure he could hear them like Cerb. Just as his older brother spoke the flock of them seemed to gather, and in sync flew towards a path in the forest. Cerberus hesitated, but Scylla vocalized what they were all thinking. The fireflies wanted them to follow.

Just as Scylla spoke Albion was sure he heard the words: come on, hurry up, and this way, all at the same time. Albion shook his head but turned back to follow Scylla back into the woods after the crazy light. His actions spoke for him and the quiet boy kept his mouth shut as ivory paws carried him after the swarm of twinkling lights with his siblings.

"Albion Baskara Klien"

Cerberus didn't question or stop Scylla as she moved forward with her intentions of listening to the fireflies plain obvious. Albion too moved forward with Scylla, and he was quick to fall into step along his silent brother. He didn't hear the voices, not yet at least.

Only as they went on into the dark path of the jungle was when the foreign whispers rose in his ear first quiet and then louder as they continued to follow the trail of the glittering fireflies. He couldn't understand them, they were jumbled and near screaming in his ears at one point which may or may not have been seen as an uncomfortable pressure fell into his head. And then everything went silent, making him stop in his tracks as he looked around in the illuminated forest, only spots of light around them due to the floating glowing insects. After a brief look around, he noticed a face through the thick of the jungle, not bright enough to really make out but the distinctive markings of Viper around the eyes. He jumped forward, breaking away from his siblings, but once he was close enough to the face it was gone.

"Cerberus Klein"

Down the pathway she went until the forest opened into a slight clearing. The blue lights were everywhere! They swirled from ground to sky, dancing with one another, fighting, fencing, jousting. Whatever other words the girls young mind could muster to say that the fireflies were interacting with one another. Scylla's tail hissed over the ground as it swished back and forth. Did Albi and Cerb find this as interesting as she did?

Scylla turned to question her siblings when Cerberus leaped forward. Scylla's mismatched eyes widened and she let out a little gasp, looking in the direction that her brother had lunged in. "What is it?" She asked, her gaze scanning the clearing for any sign of anything. When she didn't see anything, she gave her brother a quizzical look. Just then, a breeze rushed up behind her and a word was whispered in her ear clear as day. "Bastard." Another rushed up to the other side of the girl. "Bad Blood." "Rrrrrotten." Scylla stepped back, pressing herself against Albion, ears tucked against her skull. "I don't want to be here anymore, Albi."

"Scylla Klein"

Both boys turned out to be quiet and agreeable, especially with their little sister. Albion would have done whatever Scylla wanted, maybe he wouldn’t act like it outright, but with a little prodding there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do. Of course that came at the price of having to deal with his antics, but usually it was this. Something curious happened and the pups followed. Cerberus included.

The red marked boy broke off from them, and Albi’s glass blue eyes shifted from brother to sister as she questioned Cerb. A shiver ran up the boys spine, and he would have swore he heard voices from where Cerberus had jumped towards. Then Scylla pressed herself against him and whispered desperately. She didn’t want to be out here anymore.

Albion looked back to Cerberus. "We should get back.” He insisted as he nosed Scylla’s scruff in comfort.


"Albion Baskara Klien"

Scylla

No sooner then you voice your desire to leave, the fireflies suddenly scatter. Left behind in their absence is a simple cold loneliness, which would be weird, seeing as you are most definitely not alone.

Maybe you shouldn't have done that...

Albion

Along with a familiar voice, you swear you feel someone's warm breath on your ear. When you look over you find your sister still pressed against you fearfully and it definitely wasn't her, but there is no one else there.

Maybe you shouldn't have done that...

Cerberus looked calmly back at Scylla as she asked, shaking his head gently before his eyes went to scan the brush once again, "I thought I saw someone." But his attention was put back to his sister when he noticed the immediate change in her demeanor from whispers he hadn't hear himself.

Albion had suggested they leave, and Cerberus gave another gentle nod in agreement. He couldn't help but feel unsettled, but he was extremely calm for a pup his age and the strange happenings going on around them. He wasn't really scared, but he didn't feel right. He moved forward as if to lead the way, but the fireflies all scattered away in a hurry to leave and after a few steps forward, Cerberus realized he wasn't quite sure where they were in the thick, dark jungle of the island.

"Cerberus Klein"

Cerberus

Whatever calmness you may have felt vanishes as a threatening voice deep within your skull tells you to stay back. The booming command echoes within your head, repeating itself louder and louder to you with each step forward you take.

Maybe you shouldn't have done that...

A shiver raced down the boy’s spine as he heard a whisper against his ear and breath on his skin. He turned around immediately but found no one. There was something, and he knew it was not his brother. He had been equally as fooled as them, he had seen someone. Albion’s brows furrowed in frustration as he frowned and looked around suspiciously.

By now he was ready to go home simply because he felt like he was being messed with. Someone was playing a prank on him and he didn’t appreciate it. "Just leave us alone. We’re going home, alright?” He bargained, trying to sound adult and keep the hesitance out of his voice. He didn’t know what was going on but he was losing his patience for it all.

"Albion Baskara Klien"

Suddenly the fireflies were gone and the clearing was plunged into an unnatural darkness. A strange feeling came over the tiny pup and her bottom lip began to quiver. Scylla liked to think that she didn't get scared, but she was a still a baby. They all were. The girl pressed herself against Albion, making sure to keep herself between her two large brothers. She didn't know what was going on here, but everything felt so hopeless and sad.

Albi's voice brought a little gasp from the girl. Who was he talking to? And Cerb had seen someone? Scylla could hear the muted whispers, though she couldn't make out any words. The whole world was hissing with whispers. She didn't like it. "I want dad," her voice wavered, but she wouldn't let herself cry. Instead, she clung to Albi and Cerb as though they were the only things keeping her from being carried off into the darkness.

"Scylla Klein"

It Continues for Scylla...

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

Firefly Shoppe- Albion

A firefly draws your attention nearby to reveal a cloaked figure with a small wooden table in front of him. On the table lay three items, with their prices beside them. "Choose wisely, and only choose one," the figure says. "If you can afford it, that is." Perhaps he accepts cŕ̷̕y̵̍͊stals and mushrö̸́̀ō̴̉ms... or perhaps its worth bargaining for something greater...


Inventory:

• Potion of Perception- 3 /
  This bottle of silvery liquid has a pair of glasses etched onto it… whatever that means.
  
• Coupon- 1 /
  Looks like a regular voucher but it glows. Apparently it’s good for one bonus purchase next time the Firefly Shoppe is nearby.
  
• Serious Steroids- 1 /
  The cloaked figure assures you it’s not really steroids but he does say it’ll make your body more resilient, he won’t tell you what’s in them though.
  

With Scylla in between them, Cerberus took more of a lead as he wished to find the way out of the thick jungle and get himself and his siblings back to safety. Albion seemed to plead with the unnatural invisible creature that led them here, but Cerberus didn't think that would help them at all. They would have to find their way out on their own.

He took a couple steps forward before he jolted to the booming voice inside his head, cautiously taking another step as the voice somehow grew louder from before telling him to stay back. In his third step he hesitated, but he didn't want to just stay here and wait to be decimated. He stepped forward again, a tingling all over his body from the stress of their situation. It was a new feeling to him.

"Cerberus Klein"

Firefly Shoppe- Cerberus

A firefly draws your attention nearby to reveal a cloaked figure with a small wooden table in front of him. On the table lay three items, with their prices beside them. "Choose wisely, and only choose one," the figure says. "If you can afford it, that is." Perhaps he accepts cŕ̷̕y̵̍͊stals and mushrö̸́̀ō̴̉ms... or perhaps its worth bargaining for something greater...


Inventory:

• Cursed Litter Pass- 2 /
  This looks like it might cause something really weird to happen. The label says, “do not use if you are breastfeeding, pregnant, or plan to become pregnant,” but you can’t read… it’s probably dangerous, or really cool.
  
• Coupon- 1 /
  Looks like a regular voucher but it glows. Apparently it’s good for one bonus purchase next time the Firefly Shoppe is nearby.
  
• Grow Potion- 1 /
  This bottle is shaped like an upside down pear and within it swirls a sparkly gold liquid. The label shows a crudely drawn image of two wolves of vastly different sizes, with a green checkmark over the largest one.
  

Out of the sheer darkness, a single firefly came from nearly no where and started to travel forward into the jungle. He looked back towards his siblings, the booming voice in his head no longer taunting him. Maybe the firefly was going to lead them out of here. He was a little hesitant from the most recent events, but he took the first steps following the floating creature and felt at ease as the woods sounded almost silent now.

It seemed he found the source of the fireflies, or so he thought and he recognized the stranger as a living creature, or to the fact that it had bright eyes in the darkness of it's cloak. He stepped forward warily, first looking at the cloaked creature before viewing the items laid before him. Squinting at the pictures of the mushrooms and crystals, he realized that these were items he had picked up himself after the changes in the late winter. Listening to the creature's words he looked at each item again. They all seemed very different. Finally he pulled out his payment, "I can give you both a crystal and a mushroom for this one here," his paw reached out to point at the Cursed Litter Pass. He also had two mushrooms if The Firefly Guy preferred the same currency or wanted more.

"Cerberus Klein"

Firefly Shoppe- Cerberus

The firefly nodded as the wolf offered a mushroom and a crystal in exchange for the item. "It is so," the figure stated before vanishing and leaving the pass to Cerberus.


You gain:

• Cursed Litter Pass- This looks like it might cause something really weird to happen. The label says, “do not use if you are breastfeeding, pregnant, or plan to become pregnant,” but you can’t read… it’s probably dangerous, or really cool.
  

You lose:

• Currency (x2)- Used in Firefly's Shoppe, and perhaps elsewhere...