Ravana prowled through the dense underbrush, her movements light. They were supposed to be on a hunt, sent out as their growing independence commanded—as well as their parents. Ravana was pleased at the thought, delighted at the idea that she might be able to witness the world as it truly was; cruel and merciless. Though, that was before that very world suddenly dulled to a haze. One moment she was flanked by Abyss and Sericea, their voices familiar noise in the silence, and the next—a shroud of fog rolled over them, thick as smoke, devouring everything in its path. Ravana froze as it snaked through them, hackles prickling as the fog wrapped around her, cold and unnervingly silent. Strange. She could barely see her paws, much less her siblings.

"Abyss? Sericea?" Her voice, usually haughty, now lilted carefully, swallowed by the fog as though the very air had teeth. The sounds she did hear were…muffled. A chill slithered down her spine, and for a fleeting moment, Ravana felt something she rarely allowed herself to feel—vulnerability. She was lost, cut off from the sounds and sights that usually painted her world in shades of familiar danger and thrill she enjoyed so much. By this point she was actually getting angry, frustration sending her tail lashing out behind her as she huffed. Where did her siblings go?

She stepped forward, intent on finding them, her ears flicking at a faint rustle somewhere to her left. She quickened her pace, paws muffled against the earth. The fog was unnatural, swallowing every scent and sound, leaving her floating in silence and blindness. Her heart thrummed in her chest, a pulsing beat in her ears. The deprivation of her senses left her reeling, and that meant her mood was rotten.

Then, as she turned to catch a new sound, her nose met something solid—solid and warm. A yelp of pain burst from her mouth as she jerked back, the sudden sting radiating from her snout to her cheeks. "Agh!" she hissed, anger flaring as quickly as the pain had entered her nervous system. Her fangs bared, she lashed out without thought, instinctively swatting at whatever had dared to get in her way.


"Ravana Seraphim Saxe"

Sericea blinked, her acidic green eyes straining to pierce the impenetrable veil of fog that had so suddenly and inexplicably enveloped them. The once familiar landscape had been transformed into an alien realm, the dense underbrush and towering trees reduced to mere phantoms, their forms distorted and rendered nearly unrecognizable by the swirling, all-consuming mist. An eerie silence prevailed, broken only by the muffled sound of her own breathing and the frantic pounding of her heart, which seemed to reverberate through her slender frame with an intensity that felt almost primal. She felt the tug of panic at the edges of her mind, but it was swiftly tempered by the fierce determination bubbling within her. Was this what they meant by the world’s cruelty? The obscured vision, the uncertainty of their surroundings? She chided herself for such thoughts; there was nothing decisive in fear.

Sericea felt her world shrinking, the stifling fog consuming the vibrant life and colors she had so eagerly anticipated exploring. Each breath she took seemed laden with an inexplicable weight, heavy with uncertainty and a sense of unfamiliarity that crept under her skin like an unwelcome chill. It was suffocating in a way she had never encountered before, this thick blanket of mist that curled around her like the tendrils of some invisible beast, poised to snatch away everything familiar to her.

"Abyss… Ravana!" she called, her voice trembling slightly as though it were a fragile thread stretching through the haze—a lifeline into the unknown. The names of her siblings echoed in the fog, swallowed and transformed into ethereal whispers. Each utterance felt like a desperate plea, a search for connection in a world that was rapidly becoming estranged from her. She could feel the tight knot of anxiety coiling tighter in her belly, fueled by the absence of Ravana’s steady presence and Abyss’ gentle, reassuring spirit.

Sericea’s heart raced as she instinctively swatted at the presence before her, her short temper igniting into a blaze of indignation. She could feel the heat of whatever was there, the warmth contrasting sharply with the chilling embrace of the fog that enveloped them. But from there, all Sericea could register was the pain from the sudden contact. It was a collision of chaos, her limbs thrashing in wild protest as her instincts took over, the fog swirling like an angry tempest around them. Each movement felt exaggerated, like she was caught in a slow dance of entangled confusion and fury. The frustration of being lost, of feeling so utterly and painfully alone in this shroud of eerie mist, twisted deep within her.

436 Words.
"Sericea Praetor-Inferos"