Lyra moved silently through the peculiar landscape, her paws making almost no sound on the ancient ground. The stone spikes towered above her, casting shadows that seemed to stretch endlessly across the terrain. She felt a sense of urgency mixed with unease... her family meant everything to her, and if there was any danger lurking here, she needed to understand it first. She had heard the gossip, and whispers of something frightening. The young girl felt the need to confirm.

The air was thick with tension, and Lyra's eyes darted from shadow to shadow as she moved, her ears perked to catch any unfamiliar sounds. The chaotic yet strangely predictable nature of her family had always been a comfort. However here she was alone with the presence of her family which left her feeling strangely vulnerable. Still, she pushed forward, driven by her fierce loyalty and an overwhelming desire for control. If she could just understand this place, then perhaps it wouldn't be so scary?

As she rounded a corner between two of the towering stone spikes, she froze.

A figure stood ahead.

A blackness so complete that it seemed to absorb the light around it.

Lyra narrowed her eyes, her mind quick to assess the situation. She didn't recognize him from this distance.

The wolf was entirely black, from his pelt to his eyes and even his claws. He looked like a living shadow. Lyra held her ground, watching him carefully without making a sound. She had learned early on that silence often revealed more than words, and so she waited, her expression unreadable.




"SPEECH"

CODE BY SIN

Rot Gut Whiskey's Gonna Ease My Mind

Tarnish had never been in an earthquake before and when it rolled through that night it jolted him awake. He clung to the thick trunk that stretched through the center of his treehouse, unsure what he should do. And the shaking didn't stop. After awhile he let go and just accepted that this was how the night was going to go but he didn't really sleep. When the morning dawned red and the shaking stopped he climbed to the top of his tree and could just barely make out something strange on the horizon. Well that was just begging to be explored.

He gathered his things and his companions and headed out to the strangest sight he'd seen in awhile. Huge stone spires stretched up from the ground, higher than any tree he'd ever seen. Something about them made his fur stand on end and he thought back to the bizarre dreams he and Siduri had when they were younger. The tree, the lava, the worms and the very real consequences that didn't make any damn sense. Was he dreaming now?

Tarnish turned and froze when he saw a small shape not far off. It took a moment but then he recognized her as one of Jael's pups. Lyra if he recalled correctly. Tarnish scowled and strode over to her. "Lyra, what the fuck are you doing all the way out here? Mom's gonna have a conniption fit." Ok, he didn't know that she would but it seemed the right thing to say. This was a dangerous place for a season old pup and with no one else around that meant he was the responsible party. Ugh.

It became clear that this was her older brother. Was she in trouble?

Lyra barely blinked as Tarnish scowled and strode over, his dark figure cutting through the eerie landscape like a moving shadow. His voice was sharp, full of irritation, but she didn’t flinch. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, studying him with the same calm, steady gaze she reserved for everything. He was taller than her, older too, though his bark didn’t seem to match the bite she expected from someone like him.

"What i'm doing here?" she repeated, her voice smooth and controlled, "I could ask you the same thing. There’s talk about this place, and I don’t like not knowing what’s close to home." Her gaze flicked briefly to the towering stone spires before returning to Tarnish. "I have to keep our family safe."

There was no need to justify herself beyond that. Lyra wasn’t the type to be scared off by words, and certainly not by someone like Tarnish. She let a brief pause settle between them, feeling the tension in the air, but also testing him in her quiet way. Would he force her to go home or would he understand that she wasn’t some helpless pup who needed to be coddled?

"I didn’t ask for permission."''

She would look at her big brother with a defiant look. A challenge in her steely eyes and small frame. She wasn't leaving. Was it because she was smaller than everyone? Then she would show him, show everybody. With that, she would run over to a spire and take a bite, perhaps a little illogical but she was a child after all. Lyra would have a look of satisfaction on her face as she backed up, her eyes would see a haunting and horrible terrifying monster trapped inside the spire.

Her legs began to tremble and her eyes widened and she would scream. The noise echoed off the spires surrounding.



"SPEECH"

CODE BY SIN

Rot Gut Whiskey's Gonna Ease My Mind

A flutter of dark wings caught Tar's attention but just for a moment as he realized it was Worc flying higher up to have a look at the tip of the nearby spire. Tarnish whipped his gaze back down to Lyra as she spoke. "I'm a yearling. Nobody cares where I go." There were a few stipulations of course but in general he got the impression his parents didn't particularly care where he wandered off to and they probably had no problem with him exploring the spires.

He glared down at the girl, but before he could speak she ran over to the spire and bit it. What the fuck? She backed away and then screamed. "What happened!" He yelled as he bounded over to her, looking her over for injury. Assuming she just hurt her teeth he rolled his eyes to the blood red sky.

"Look, I don't care that you're here, but if you get eaten by a monster or something then I'm going to get blamed for it. So just don't do anything stupid ok. Leave the risk taking to me." As if for emphasis he sized up the nearest spire then took a leap at it, claws paws latching onto one of the crossbeams, his hind paws on another. He bounced himself, testing his weight on the spire to see if it moved in any way.

 

   

     
   

   

     

     
Of course he was underestimating her, it was because she was smaller wasn't it? A look of defiance upon her face, well she would show him then. Gilgamesh had told her of her mother's strengths, of how size would be to her advantage. If she knew how to use it.

If she knew how to use it...

Frustration pent up in Lyra, not at Tarnish but for herself. Her stupid little body is not big enough. Too small. Everyone kept telling her to wait. That she would just grow into her size. Just wait. You will fill in. Just wait you wont be so lanky. Just wait! Experience comes with life.

Was she patient or was the agonizing pace of life forcing her to be?

And why today should she exercise such? Here?

"Im going to do what I want. I'm not so little anymore.",  the moment the very words came out her mouth she felt silly. So so silly. As she stood here looking up at her brother as she did most her siblings.

"Im not stupid. There is no monster we cannot fight."

"SPEECH"
     

   

 

 

CODE BY SIN