Upgrades, People!

What had begun as a dreamless sleep had evolved into something far more unsettling the moment he saw an all-too-familiar robed entity behind a rickety wooden shop stall. He couldn't remember much of the dream, but what he did remember was seeing those delicious treats on the countertop once more and reaching for them. Then Artorias woke up. Amber eyes flew open to greet morning sunlight spilling into his bedroom, birds chirping somewhere in the gardens outside. A dream... it had all been a dream. With a stretch of his sleep-locked muscles, Artorias nudged something with his paw in the bed and glanced down to spot the small wrapped bundle of treats he remembered from before. The young brute's heart leapt up into his throat while he recoiled in shock. It hadn't been a dream!

Glancing frantically around to make sure everything else was still the same and that the nightmare hadn't begun to creep back into the world, Artorias took a moment to take stock of everything. He was still whole, with no more voices in his head. The sun had risen and there were no crystals studding the walls. Despite his night terror that had manifested into corporeality, everything was still normal. Breathing a sigh of relief, he turned his attention down to the bundle of biscuits once more. Just eyeing them made his mouth water when he remembered the delicious cookies within. His stomach growled. His self-control was tested. Artorias lost.

Snatching up the package in large blue paws, Artorias pulled it open and scarfed down a biscuit with a quiet groan of delight. They melted in his mouth, flooding his palate with a rush of flavor sensations. Gods, these were still so good! He should have gotten the firefly entity's recipe... One after another Artorias ate the biscuits until only one remained. He held it up, about to devour the final cookie when another thought hit him. He glanced across the bed to his fox, Argent, who had been mutated by the treats during the Long Night. He'd grown stronger when he ate them. So what would happen if...? Artorias' eyes turned upwards to Corbin, spotting the raven perched high in the rafters.

"Hey, Corbin."

The raven peered down at his awake owner. "Ah, good morning, Master Artorias!"

"Good morning. Uh, hey, come down here for a minute. I want you to taste this."

With a curious tilt to his head, Corbin descended in a graceful flutter of wings until he landed on the bed beside Artorias. The Carpathian passed the last biscuit to his companion, who immediately began to peck at it, breaking the cookie into smaller chunks before swallowing a piece. Cooing with delight at the flavor, Corbin began to smash it further, devouring piece after piece after piece of the treat until he'd scarfed it all down. All the while, Artorias just keep watching with keen interest, eager to see if Corbin would change the same way Argent had.

OOC: Artorias feeds the Tantalizing Treat to Corbin.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Corbin"