The Serpent's Spine

*Find more information about each House/Role in the OOC!

1. House of the Serpent (Envy) - @theromanticchemist
2. House of the Rat (Greed) - @syzygy
3. House of the Swan (Pride) - @avimoon
4. House of the Lion (Wrath) - @RangerofIthilien
5. House of the Moth (Lust) - @Glitch0Ghost2024
6. House of the Spider (Sloth) - @RavenAkuma
7. House of the Leopard (Gluttony) - @Leya

Kitana loved the jungle. The trees loomed overhead, made of muscle and bark, and the roots ran like tendons beneath the damp soil. The sun barely pierced through the canopy, filtering down thick golden light over the mossy steps of the Great Gate. And just outside its reach, where the palace ended, stood Kitana Thavek.

She hadn't eaten in three days.

The fast was considered a tradition in the Thavek House. A symbolic emptying of the self, preparing to be filled by whatever the journey would offer. Whatever it was, Kitana tried so hard to believe in it.

Her frame was tall and lithe. A little deceptive thing, she was. From a distance, Kitana could've been mistaken for a dancer, draped in black--until you got close enough to see the shimmer of her jewelry and the leopard spots that crawled up her throat. In the back of her mind, she wondered if the other's would counter the knife strapped to her thigh-- small enough to conceal, but sharp enough to kill.

The outfit she chose for the expedition was utilitarian but elegant. She wore black, skin-tight leather reinforced with flexible armor beneath, designed to keep her limbs free and her neck barely covered. Her black curls had been tied back loosely, save for a few ignorant spirals that fell beside her ears.

Kitana's slitted gold eyes scanned the treeline without urgency. Predators never needed to rush. She would wait, until the time felt right. In all honesty, she hadn't spoken a word since she'd left the palace. There wasn't much to say.

Not after her father -- the ruler of the Canopy District himself -- had tried to coax her into staying. Not when the High Priest had smeared serpent's blood mixed with wine across her forehead. And definitely not when the heavy gates closed behind her. Nobody showed her off. She didn't expect more from her family than to avoid looking her in the eyes as she went off on a journey that could, potentially, kill her. Her three brothers just watched from their balcony, smirking because they were convinced she wouldn't last five days with strangers.

Assholes.

After finally making a move, she made it to the Jungle's Edge. She'd walked for hours, but didn't mind the quiet. Somewhere ahead, in the Lumin District -- House of the Swan's jurisdiction -- the others would be waiting. Kitana wasn't even sure what they were looking for-- an Eighth Sin -- but what does that mean? A whole new, undiscovered, civilization? A relic? A landmark?

She didn't trust the other Houses. At least, not fully. How was she supposed to trust people she'd never met before? Especially on a mission like this, where the stakes were high. House Swan, when suggesting each House participate in the expedition, made it clear that no singular person would have more power-- regardless of who found it. But, Swans are known to be prideful. Kitana knew, deep in her bones, that whoever found the Eighth Sin would have more power than the seven Houses combined.

So, the end goal was clear: Find the Eighth Sin, and use it to change her House's traditions. Simple as that. In the meantime, she just needed to stay clear-minded. That was the hardest thing to learn.

Kitana already felt immense weight being lifted off her shoulders as she approached the beach. She'd been to the Lumin District plenty of times when she was younger, around the time when she'd really been interested in diplomacy and politics. She'd come with her father to every single meeting, and most of them were held in the throne room of the Swan House-- which Kitana didn't mind. She liked being able to explore and see the other districts and she'd always been especially jealous of House Swan and their marble dominion. After looking at the towering structures of gold, beige, and white marble ahead-- she realized that House Swan looked exactly the same as she remembered it.

Kitana had so many questions to ask. If the Serpent's Hide was found in the Venom District, and it was a literal Serpent's Hide-- with 'Serpent' in the name -- why would the other Houses not investigate House of the Serpent? Kitana was a strong believer that whoever the Serpents sent as their representative on the expedition knew exactly where the Eigth Sin was. It've been smart to befriend them and watch them closely.

She continued her walk towards the biggest, brightest palace in sight. Something was different. She smelled panic-- fear. The Houses were... afraid. She paused at the base of a split palm tree and traced her deadly, sharp index nail along it's cracked outer layer. The sap smelled wrong; too sweet, not enough bite. Everything beyond this point felt sterile. Even the sand lost it's normal warmth. House Swan was desperate.

But, so was her House. And so was every other House. This was life in the Wilds -- constant desperation and envy for power and control. At least, that's what Kitana was taught by her elders.



Kitana had walked for another hour before reaching the Palace of the Swan. The path turned from sand to marble, vines replaced with archways carved from ivory and thorned crystals. The air started to smell like rosewater, eucalyptus, and fresh rain. Ultimately, it reeked of luxury. It was beautiful, sure, but in an unsettling kind of way. Trees were pruned. The fountains were symmetrical. Everything was dipped in white and smoothed to perfection.

At the massive gates of the palace, Kitana didn't wait for an invitation. A servant opened the doors, bowed way too deeply, and scurried off as if her presence alone would leave claw marks on the polished walls. Inside of the palace was just as beautiful as the outside-- but more suffocating. Marble pillars twisted down from the ceiling, and golden light crept in from the stained-glass windows onto the quartz floors.

Just as her eyes settled on the massive table in the middle, she noticed a girl. Definitely of the house, with white hair and purple eyes. She was sitting alone, just staring at Kitana as she took the place in. She looked familiar. It wouldn't have been surprising if this was some sort of heir to the Lumin DIstrict-- and those eyes. Did the whole family have purple eyes? She couldn't remember. But still, there was something familiar about this girl.

"Do I know you?" Kitana asked, studying her.

The girl smiled. It was a vague, prettily distracted thing. "I believe so."

Kitana hesitated before moving towards her and took the chair at the far left of the table. The chair creaked as she put all her weight on it, "I've seen you before. Are you... you're the daughter, right?"

The girl nodded. "Yes. Leda Hyacinth. I believe I've seen you around, but I don't know..." she murmured, the words trailing off as she cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes slightly. A bit of something sharp underneath her clouded surface. It was rather telling.

It clicked.

"The Canopy District," Kitana reminded her, "I used to come here all the time when I was younger. We're about the same age, if I remember correctly," she smirked and tapped her finger on the marble tabletop, "You would sit in the back in that... white chair during meetings. And you'd always have a bird by your side. My father always told me not to speak to you."

Leda huffed a small, unoffended laugh (surprising for a Swan-born). "Ouch. My brothers have said that politics between us were tense, but I didn't think they were that bad. Well, whatever the case, I'm flattered you remember me."

"I remember a lot about this place," Kitana glanced around again, "Kitana Thavek is the name. It's crazy to see this room empty now that I'm... older."

Leda raised a brow, eyes twinkling with amusement. "There never was that much wingspace," she mused, agreeing with her. "But now..." she flexed her long white wings a bit, smiling softly at the beatiful way they moved.

"Too much wingspace?" Kitana joked, playing with her long claws, "Let me guess. You want to get the hell out of here?"

Leda snorted, somehow making it sound graceful. "That obvious, is it?" she asked dryly.

Kitana shrugged, "Why else would the heir of a House opt to join in on an expedition like this? I know the feeling. You feel like you have everything but nothing at all."

Something previously invisible and tense in the Swan-born's eyes softened. She stayed silent for a while before speaking in a voice so soft that her breath barely carried it, "I don't want to lead."

Kitana raised an eyebrow, "You don't want to lead, or you don't want to lead in the way your House expects you to?" It was rare to hear of a Swan-born that didn't care about leadership. To Kitana, everyone wants to lead, but in their own way. That was Kitana's goal. To eventually be head of her House, over her ignorant brothers, and do things her way. No hunger. No Fasts. No forced feasts.

The Swan-born's eyes widened, like she hadn't realized not leading the way her House wanted was an option. "I..." she swallowed, and Kitana could see her way of thinking pivot. "I think it would be nice to lead, but in a more subtle way. Not entirely through the messy cruelty of politics and traditions. Creating new traditions, becoming better than our forefathers, learning from our ancestors mistakes. That's what it's all about, isn't it? And everyone seems to have either forgotten it or been very willfully ignoring it."

Kitana didn't expect to hear that come from Leda. They have the same end-goal. Atleast, she thought they did. This would be the chance, before any other House arrives, to make a lowkey alliance.

Kitana hesitated for a moment and leaned closer, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Listen. I'm finding that Eigth Sin. And when I do, we can share it. I don't know how it works, or... the mechanics of it. But I'm not turning it in. I'm not going to give it to your father, like I promised. I want to make that clear, before I decide to trust you..." Kitana continued, lowering her voice even more, "I think the Serpents know where it is, we just need to figure out a way to get them to tell us."

Leda's eyes narrowed, but not out of suspicion. "What are you going to use it for?" She paused, raised her delicate pale hand, and shook her head softly, white tresses tossing a bit. "Wait, don't tell me yet. Listen, I'm fine with it and will help you as long as A: we don't get caught, and B: we aren't doing anything cruel with it and it's for a good cause, and C: we find a way to get all of these pompous bastards (myself included, I suppose) to share it and not use it for sin or preferably at all." Her purple eyes were clear and focused, her determination holding a regal edge of authority that could make one's spine straighten instinctually as she listed her conditions while counting them on her long pale fingers.

Kitana gave a slow blink then a low, amused smile curled across her mouth. She leaned back in her chair, arms folding lazily as if Leda has just presented the terms of a game she'd already won.

"Well," she said, "we're definitely going to get caught at some point, we're probably going to do something a little cruel. You'd be lying to your father. You'd be disloyal to your family. And as for sharing..." Kitana trailed off, eyes flickering over to Leda with feline curiosity, "I like your terms. They're cute. Might just get us somewhere."

A slow grin spread over Leda's face, a bit more feral than the Swan-born probably would have liked. "Wonderful," she purred, softly and languidly sipping from her water glass. "I have no real relationship with my father, so lying to him is fine. As for being disloyal to my family... well, technically, I'm doing this for them, too. And I have faith that my brothers will see it. Tarique will get his throne and we'll all get positions of power and everything will be as it should be." She tilted her head to the side and turned her grin into a small, strategically happy little smile as she raised her glass slightly to Kitana. "Congratulations, Kitty. You've won yourself an ally."

Kitana raised an imaginary glass in return, "An ally with courtly influences, familial detachment, and a taste for rebellion. I like it..." her tone dropped a bit, "Tarique can have his throne. I don't care who wears the crown, as long as they're not dragging the rest of the Districts down with them. Just be sure your brothers are ready to share power when the time comes, otherwise... well, us leopards get hungry, y'know. Don't want any more disagreements between houses than we already have."

Leda let out a soft, throaty laugh, the edges of her purple kohl-lined amethyst eyes crinkling slightly as she smiled. "I couldn't agree more. And I can assure you my brothers' compliance."

"Good," KItana smiled wider, "When the Serpent gets here, we ask. Remember to cover your eyes when they walk in. Serpents are dangerous and I'd be damned if I turn to stone before this expedition even starts," she joked.

Leda grinned and giggled melodically. "You make a fair point. I'll keep my eyes down," she said in a voice laced with amusement.

Kitana glanced at her new ally and allowed her mind to wander. Her father would throw her in her room for twenty days if he knew she was communicating with a Swan. But, something about this alliance was beneficial to both Houses. Even with the malice behind it, if House Swan and House Leopard found the Eighth Sin, everything would turn out how they wanted it to. They just needed to interrogate the Serpent.

"Now, we wait..." she purred. Her eyes never left the door to the Meeting Room.

Let the game begin.

In Thisslegate village, heart of the Venom district, Airia Kirstonen could only see people. Heads, specifically. The tops of them. It was crowded. She should've been used to it, she really should've, but it was all too overwhelming. She shoved through the sea of blond hair, trying to get where she truly needed to be--she could see it in the distance, the tallest building on the horizon. The palace.

Everyone was filled with envy as a Serpent, and this was what they were all envious of. Stretching far into the cloudy sky, a brick-and-stone structure that shone with rain.

Some said it was tears.

When finally she arrived at the doors, no guard was there to meet her. There was no need for one, no mere Serpent would dare to darken those palace doors. She carefully took out a silver key from her satchel, and used it to open the servants' door.

The servants' chamber was dark with soot, staining the wooden floor. Airia crept through the hallway, trying not to wake the butlers and maids who got precious few hours to sleep. It was sunny outside, but the servants rarely got chances to sleep at night. Midnight was when they were called to work.

She walked up the stairs that led to the main part of the palace, wood creaking below her feet. Light slowly started to creep into her vision again once she reached the top of the winding steps, where she could hear the princess Heidi, arguing once more with her father. She crouched down to where she could catch a glimpse of the argument.

"Father, you can't send her! What if she dies?" Heidi gasped. Her hair was undone--odd, for Heidi. Airia could tell she'd been caught off guard.

The Head of House Serpent was a beastly man--trained to fight from birth. Airia knew he wouln't back down for anything, not even his own daughter.

He huffed. "The choice has been made. She knows she must live up to her family name, I'm sure she wouldn't be pleased at you blocking this opportunity."

Heidi wiped a tear from her eye, and walked out of Airia's line of sight."Who will guard me when she leaves?"

Her father scoffed, shaking his head. "Heidi, you know full well that there are plenty of men to do her job better than she ever could. I'll never understand why you are so set on a magic-wielder for your guard. What you need is a man with muscle. Like Akseli."

Airia's cheeks burned with anger at the mention of her younger brother--two years younger, and all the more popular in the Head's circles. She knew that Akseli would take her job, and eventually become Heidi's betrothed by order of her father. And it infuriated her. Heidi was no mere woman, to fall desperately into the arms of a strong man like Airia's brother--no, she would never choose that man. His muscled arms and Adam's apple were of no appeal to the princess, and Airia knew that best.

The Head turned and walked out of the room, signifying the end of the short time he would give to his daughter. It was this, Airia knew, that was the problem with the family Zyrr. With all the power they wielded, they never gave enough time to the family. And while Airia pitied them--especially the younger children, who never truly had parents--she knew that it would never be her place to change it. Her family gave importance to their blood, and she had to uphold their legacy.

Slowly, she crept up the remaining stairs and entered the doorway of the drawing room, where Heidi sat on a plush couch, head in her hands. The princess looked up at Airia, stood from the couch, and burst into tears.

Airia's face went red as she tried not to shed a tear. When Heidi cried, she cried so emotionally, so deeply--choking out gut-wrenching sobs through her tears. The two met in the middle of the drawing room, Heidi burying her face into Airia's neck and twining her arms around her waist.

"I can't lose you," Heidi whispered between sobs.

When the princess couldn't see her, Airia finally let the tears fall, leaving trails on her cheek and dropping onto Heidi's hair. She pressed a kiss to the crown of Heidi's head, letting her eyelashes brush the princess's hair as she breathed in her scent.

"I will come back," she said quietly.

Heidi looked up, light-green eyes wide. "Airia, you can't promise that. The world is dangerous."

Airia sighed. This was one thing she couldn't soothe her love's mind on, because Heidi was right. They'd both grown up in luxury, studying to their hearts' content, albeit in different subjects. But Airia hadn't just been taught, she'd been trained. She'd heard rumors of the other Houses' adventurers, and some were commoners, and others ruling family members raised by maids and pampered. So she had a chance, even if it was a small one.

Airia put her hands on the princess's shoulders. "Heidi, I love you. I always will. But you know how much this could mean for my family."

Heidi scoffed, and Airia thought in that moment just how much she sounded like her father when she did so.

"Forgive me for saying this, but would it kill you to not worry about your family for once?" As soon as the words came out of her mouth, her lips pressed together in regret.

Airia lowered her head in shame. At times, it felt like a weight upon her shoulders, constantly worrying about the Kirstonen reputation. But then again, it had been there for so long that it's not as if she knew any world without it.

Since she was a little child, it was a song on repeat in the back of her mind. Painting fear over everything she did. The way she played, the way she danced. The way she gave up those "silly" hobbies in pursuit of her studies. The reminder was ingrained into the tilt of her voice and the way she loved Heidi.

"Heidi, please. Don't let this goodbye be sour," she said, tears still running down her face.

Heidi's gaze softened, and she cupped her hands around Airia's face. "I love you. And you will survive this, not just for your family, but for me." She looked out the window, towards the villages that stretched as far as the eye could see. "And for them. Once you bring the kingdom its due honor, there will be no reason my father won't let us wed. I will wait for you, Airia."

Airia looked out the window as well, watching the kingdom unfold beneath them. Though she wasn't a member of the ruling house, she felt a fondness for her district, for House Serpent as a whole. And besides, she was confident in herself, her training. She'd get the eighth sin, restore Serpent glory, and love Heidi for the rest of her life.

She looked down at the princess one last time. "Anything. Anything for you, Heidi," she said. "I'd cross the Wilds a hundred times over if it meant I got to love you."



The Venom district had over 100 miles of coastline, and Airia had seen none of it until today.

To her, the ocean seemed a grey expanse, and from the harbor it almost looked like stone. Like the roads of Thisslegate, like home. She knelt down on the wood to touch the water, her mother and father looking on disdainfully.

Her mother scoffed. "I didn't know water was that interesting to you, my dear." From beside her, Airia's younger brother Akseli chuckled and knelt down as well.

"It is quite interesting down here. The water feels smooth and grainy at the same time," he whispered. Airia smiled. They had always been close--never friends, never truly family, just siblings who sometimes met in the halls of the manor. Although it was quite easy to not see each other for days at a time, they always found each other eventually, whether to play a game of chess or read silently in the same room.

Airia's father coughed pointedly, and she stood up. Awkward hugs were shared (the Kirstonens had never been too interested in physical affection) and Airia's father placed his hands on her shoulders.

"You know what you have to do, Airia," he said, looking seriously into her eyes. "This could place the family in the history books. You've been trained, you can do this. You have to do this."

He stared into her eyes for a few more agonizing moments, and then pulled his gaze down to her bag. "Do you have everything?" he asked. Airia nodded. He coughed again, this time looking down at his feet. "Well then," he said gruffly, "This is goodbye. I will see you in a couple months, or years, or however long this godforsaken trip takes."

Airia looked back one last time at her family, at what she would work for, and boarded the boat. As it disembarked from the harbor, tears filled her eyes at the giant demand she'd been given. For the first time, she doubted if she'd make it home a hero after all.




The palace of House Swan was bright. It seemed as if it reflected light in every single direction. The Venom district never had any building shinier than dull stone--even the windows were always glazed. To see such an ostentatious building, so sure in its right to be the only thing worth looking at, it was nearly insane to think about.

These swans are...interesting. Airia thought.

She walked inside, and while it was difficult not to get lost among the marble walls that were filled with fine art, she finally made it to the room she was meant to be in. Right before she opened the door, she breathed and reminded herself that no matter how nice or mean these people might be, she needed to stay strong and not let anything slip.

As she walked in, she saw two girls--one with hair as white as the palace walls, and another with dark hair and eyes. They seemed almost opposite, but talked like they'd known each other their entire lives.

The one with the darker features -- she was definitely of the Leopard House-- just stared at Airia with wide eyes, her long claws slowly tracing the wooden table they sat beside.

Airia's face went flush at the attention, and she froze in place. "Uh. Hello?"

The white-haired one with the feathery wings didn't look up from her tea as she said in a melodic voice to her Leopard-born friend, "Kitty. Remember, it's rude to stare."

Airia felt even more warm, and she knew that her cheeks must have been incredibly red.

The leopard-born's nostrils flared slighty and her neck quickly cocked to the side to look at her friend, "She smells like copper and wind," she sneered before letting out a slow growl-like sound.

The white-haired one looked up, finally looking at Airia. She gave her a welcoming yet vague smile. "I, for one, can appreciate the wind. I am Leda Hyacinth. I presume you are the Serpent-born, yes? Do tell us your name, we are very keen on learning more about you," she purred sweetly before sipping her tea, her odd purple eyes trained on Airia.

Airia slowly walked towards the pair, careful not to slip on the slick floor. "Uh, hello, yes I'm the Serpent-born, it's very windy in the Venom district and also really foggy, I do quite enjoy it but the Lumin district does have a nice breeze. Nice to meet you. I'm Airia. Kirstonen. Airia Kirstonen."

"Fog and wind," the Leopard-born repeated, refusing to make eye contact, "Funny. That's exactly what my grandfather-oracle says it's like near the Spine."

The Swan-born -- Leda -- coughed slightly, swallowing her tea.

"Oh, wow. I mean, maybe it could be in the Venom district?" Airia swallowed, knowing a normal person wouldn't have dreamt of giving them any sort of information. "I don't really know...nobody really told me what the Spine is."

One of Leda's pale eyebrows twitched up, and she turned to give her friend a slightly amused and slightly surprised look.

"Maybe," The Leopard-born shrugged, "Serpents are trained liars. I think you know. I think you're playing dumb because that's what your House told you to do."

Airia's mouth dropped open, without any control of her own. "Uh--I mean--I was trained in deception, but I promise I'm not lying. The Head of House did not tell me much about this mission at all."

Was I supposed to know anything? she thought, questioning her own judgement.

The girl's claws lightly dug into the table, and her stomach grumbled loud enough to peirce the odd silence. She chuckled, "Okay, 'Eel.'. We'll see. I'll be watching you. And don't even try to lead us away from it because I'm onto you."

Airia's hands clenched into fists at her sides. Eel? She burst out. "Who are you to make all these assumptions? Seriously? Who are you?"

Leda smiled. It looked a tad strained. "On that pleasant note, I suppose proper introductions are in order. This is Kitana Thavek. She is the Leopard-born who volunteered to go on this mission with us. Now, let us please put all previous unpleasantries aside for the moment as we eat? It would be lovely if you both told me your favorite dishes-- I'll see what our cook can provide on such short notice."

"Snake." Kitana murmered, tapping her fingers on the table.

Thavek... Airia connected the dots. "Oh my god. You're a Thavek. You're a member of House Leopard. I am so sorry." She blushed again, wondering how the hell she hadn't realized before after all those history lessons.

She looked towards Leda, who was sipping her tea and watching the exchange like she wasn't sure if she should interrupt or not. "Anything's fine, thank you."

Kitana seemed... surprised by Airia's apology and studied her, still refusing to make direct eye contact. She hesitated, "Who are you? Beyond what you told us. Why should we trust you?"

Leda threw her friend a look, but said nothing, continuing to sip her tea and watch the exchange.

Airia looked up, surprised at the Leopard-born's foreign softness. "I'm not a member of House Serpent, but my family has been intertwined with them for centuries. Although I am looking for the Spine on the House's orders, there's a lot more in it for me..." she said, words trailing off as she thought of what else to say.

Kitana's stern expression softened slightly and she raised an eyebrow, sharing a quick glance with Leda before focusing back on Airia, "Could you elaborate?"

Airia finally relaxed her shoulders, which she hadn't realized had been extremely tight. Talking. She could do that. She was good at talking. "Well, firstly, it's a matter of family honor. But the most important part, for me at least, is Heidi," she looked down again, smiling as she thought of her love. "Heidi. The princess. We're in love, and she's certain that if I found the Spine, her father would let us marry."

A quick smirk flashed across Kitana's face as if she'd stored something Airia said in her memory, "I see. So you think this will end up like those romance novels the Swans like to read? Girl..." she leaned forward, "you do realize some of us could die out there, right?"

(As Airia spoke, a slow smile spread across Leda's face. A slightly giddy one. When Kitana mentioned the Swan romance novels, that smile widened.)

Airia's face again went flush with embarrassment. She'd messed up. That promise she'd made to not let anything slip, it was gone now, and all for one moment of girlish gossip. Oh god, what have I done, she thought, hands wringing in front of her.

Leda sipped her tea loudly, smacking her lips when she was done. "Well, I, for one, am utterly fixed with interest for you and your paramour. I've had the blessing to meet your princess a few times, and I must say, she is quite a joy."

Kitana let out a light laugh, shaking her head, "Okay, so, besides all that. Lets say you do make it out of this alive... which, honestly, is a tough call. Because all the romance novels I've read end in one person dying. If you do make it, what's the plan? What if we have other plans?"

Airia stood in silence, contemplating what she could say next that wouldn't let anything out. "Well, if you've read any of the Swans' romance novels, you know that they are all full of a ridiculous amount of optimism. I choose to keep that optimism for as long as it will let me."

(Leda's wing feathers ruffled a bit at her first words regarding Swan romance novels, then settled at her final sentence.)

"Optimism can be a luxury, not a strategy. I've seen girls lose more than just their illusions out in The Wilds. It will drain you. Suck every part of life of you that's left and leave you in the Spider's Marshes to die. The Wilds don't believe in optimism," Kitana countered, "But goodluck. We'll all need it."

Leda cleared her thoat. "So, Kitty, is your preferred meal still snake?"

Airia scoffed at Kitana's condescension. "Bold of you to assume I've never been in the wilds, anyways. Didn't you grow up in luxury yourself? I wonder what you'll be drained of, once we start living on one meal a day."

Leda's teacup paused a mere breath away from her mouth as she watched the scene unfolding before her with bated breath.

Kitana went dead still. The patches of fur on her arms stood up, and her ears folded back slightly as if threatened, "Do not speak of things you know nothing about. I haven't eaten in three days and I know you don't want me to end yours and Heidi's story early. We don't need to talk, but we do need to work together."

Airia sighed, knowing that if she wanted to make it back to Heidi in one piece, the Leopard-born was right. They'd have to cooperate.

Leda smiled, and it was a brilliant thing. Brilliant meaning bright; glaringly so. "Wonderful. Now, I sent word a while back about the food, so the servants should be bringing it all in momentarily." She looked at Airia with a politeness that had a commanding edge. "Please take a seat. Stay a while." After this, she chuckled throatily like she knew Airia would be staying for more than a while and svored the irony of it. A Swan-born, indeed.

Airia took a seat at the table, and got comfortable. She knew if Leda had her way, it'd be a very long meal.

The crowded streets of Lunar city were familiar as ever to Elandros. The sounds of bartering stall keepers and hushed whispers of words that he dare not listen to. Secrecy was the house of the moths pride and joy. Its burned into your brain that boasting about information is a fools errand, but gathering intel quietly, being a... moth on the wall if you will, reaps far better rewards.

Because of this, there was a certain air about the Moth people. It wasn't pride, and it wasn't necessarily vain, it was a threatening silence. Secrets were traded like precious jewels and weaknesses held equal value to gold, for forbidden knowledge was the Glow districts dark currency.

A currency Elandros supposed he was quite wealthy in.

When you're in the business of closing loose lips, you learn a few things. For example, the woman with the jewel red lips who had just attempted to steal Elandros's sack of coins was in a relationship with a younger man. One who happened to have a vendetta with Elandoros's mother.

She's wearing black for a reason I presume. She should find someone her own age anyways.

His eyes scanned the crowd for Allen, the above average looking Moth born who ran a weapons cart. His wife and children, who were away, had no idea what he'd done to the thief who had tried to steal from him. Something he was sure they would never know of, if Elandros had done his job correctly that is.

When Elandros finally found Allen from across the crowd their eyes locked, a slow smile gracing the assassins face as he raised a hand in acknowledgement. He made his way over to the elder Moth, a charming and effortless smile spread across his lips. "Hello, my stunning friend." Elandros greeted, leaning on his elbow, which he rested on the stalls counter.

"You look dashing today, Elandros. How's work been?" Allens tone was friendly and cordial, but the words had a hidden meaning that was ugly and grotesque. Much like all insides of the Moth people. Ugly interiors always had attractive exteriors.

"Ah, smooth as ever. Nothing bad to report." Elandros's smile turned icy, still friendly, but frosted over with a hidden motive. "How is the missus?"

"Ah, blissfully happy as ever. I sent her and the kids off on a little trip with my mother, they're having a good time up at the weather observatory." Allen explained, his eyes glancing around before straying from his conversation partner to look at one of the blades. "They're all having a good time."

"Perfect! Now, about that blade you promised-"

"Just take one." Allen said gruffly, a front he was putting forwards. Elandros could see the memories swimming behind his eyes, the regret of what he had done.

Elandors used to feel remorse as well, but that was long ago snuffed out by his mother. Nonetheless, he happily examined all the blades, knowing they would come in handy if this quest went sour. One dagger even advertised it could cut under scales. Perfect.

He grabbed it from the shelf, examining it thoroughly before ripping the tag off of the intricately embroidered handle. "I'll take this one." Allen gave him a stiff nod, avoiding eye contact, writing it down on a piece of paper. "Nice...nice doing business with you," He mumbled, handing Elandros the receipt.

"You as well!" Elandros chirped, giving him a small wave as he hurried off, tucking the dagger into his bag. I'll need a sheath soon, but this will do. There's just one place I have left to go.





The gravel shifted and crunched under his feet, and the familiar smell of cinnamon and salt filled the air. The glimmering river of the Glow district cast a pink-ish, purple-ish, light over Elandros's face as he stared down at tempting waters. It was beautiful but dangerous, like everything else in his home.

This had been the spot of his first sin. It was accidental, of course. He was merely a stupid child who couldn't swim when it happened. He and his best friend, Kiri, had been swimming beneath the colorful waters. But the farther downstream they went, the deeper it got, and the more treacherous the currents became.

Kiri had died saving him. His mother knew Elandros was corrupted, she saw it happen. She helped him hide the accident. She knew since he was already tainted, he had to be the one to help others keep from being tarnished. He had to do the dirty work. If it was only more blood on his hands, it wouldn't stain someone clean. Someone worth saving. Once again, the dirty boy is the one who has to complete this mission.

His feet found themselves walking along the water downstream, the familiar path beckoning him as it always did. He couldn't swim. It was his own ode to Kiri's sacrifice. If he were put in that situation again, he should be the one to die, the one to join Kiri in the better place. Well...he wouldn't be in the better place, but maybe she would visit him now and again.

Elandros stopped at the place, the secret place that only he and mother knew about. These rocks, this ground was special. But it was a secret special, one that he could never tell another soul about. He bent down, his hands tracing one of the smooth stones that covered the patch of ground.

It was horrible what he'd done, but he couldn't take it back. He hated what he did, and he had tried to repent once before, but the only person he spread the secret to disappeared. Kiri's mother. He didn't know where she was though, he only knew where this secret spot was.

He had used the magical rocks for this spot.

Some of the rocks were light enough to be colored by the glowing water of the river. He had found the pink-est, smoothest rocks, Kiri's favorite. He had given her a whole collection. They were hard to find, but it was the least he could do.

Elandros let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. I'm wasting time here. I need to start heading to the meeting place. His feet turned towards the river, one foot hovering over the thrashing, appealing river. I could sink down and join her.

"Don't let other people get dirty for your selfishness, Andro."

His eyes scanned the bank of the river, the old yet familar words of his mother echoing through his head. Well, I don't feel like having an accident today. Besides, there are other ways to remember Kiri. His knees bent towards the ground, and his hand brushed against a new pink stained stone. It wasn't on the special spot, but it was close. Close enough for Elandros.

Rising once more, he lightly bounced into the air, his ethereal wings catching the chilly breeze. His eyes were locked on the alluring danger which was the river below him, only growing farther and farther away as he rose in the ai. His thumb traced a rough edge of the rock he held, his mind musing as he soared over the bank of water, ascending closer and closer to his next challenge.





He'd done it. He'd made it to the Lumin district meeting place. Elandros stilled his wings, practically barreling towards the ground, opening his wings at the last possible second. The bright sun was new, as were the stares of people below. He had gotten so used to all Moth people being attractive, that he had forgotten other species were...less...appealing. This was a new sort of beautiful. Blinding and bright. Very bright.

The ground was softer and everything seemed very clear. The walls and surrounding greenery seemed to glare at you in a sharp perfection, as if you weren't worthy to step on its grounds. A cold beauty that demanded recognition and compliments, unlike the cruelties of the Glow district hidden by pretty smiles and expensive clothes.

Elandros's eyes drew to the towering doors in front of him. White. Like everything. He wondered what it looked like here in the winter. It's not time to wonder, it's time to act. You're here for a reason.

And who knows, maybe you'll be seeing Kiri again soon.

Or maybe someone else will be joining her.

What a pleasure that would be.

Footsteps echoed down the vast cold stone hall, disturbed only by the crackling of tall flames contained in iron braziers and the wind that blew past the columns through the hall. The fortress was mainly empty, almost abandoned and tensions were high. No one wanted to get in the way of the chosen for such a quest if they valued their lives.

There was a scent on the wind, Aryosta could smell it. It smelled of anticipation, ambition, and a little fear. Cowards. She expected better from her people, just as she herself had been raised. They weren't even the ones going after this relic of the past. They were only going to watch and prepare for the war that was bound to happen if any other house got their hands on the artifact.

Her tail twitched in annoyance and she could feel her canines showing slightly in her equally annoyed expression. It was no wonder any of the servants that had the misfortune of crossing her path had scurried away like mere dogs but Aryosta had every right to be annoyed. For the past hour she had spent her time kneeling before the head of the house, Leonidas Khaldren, with her head bowed as she witnessed every manner of consequence that would happen if she were to betray him and take the Serpent's Spine for herself. Every word he had snarled her direction though had fallen on deaf ears. In the matter of confrontation she would have blamed it on being to close to training seige explosions in the past however it was really just her skill of selective hearing that she had developed whenever Leonidas wasin one of his more ranting moods. To listen and show fear to his threats and occassional verbal lashes was to be weak. That's why she was the best. She never showed him weakness.

After gathering everything she would need, weapons and armor from the armory, provisions from the storehouse, and a few meager personal belongings from her quarters, she walked alone down the wind swept halls of the cold stone forstress alone. There was one last place she had to go and she would not leave before she went there.

Upon her arrival at a set of heavy wooden doors with golden emblems of lions, she knocked, the metal of her clawed gauntlets clanking slightly.

There was a period of silence and waiting before one of the doors opened to reveal a lion-born boy of barely fifteen. He wore crimson robes, much unlike the warrioristic tunic and pants that most lion-borne wore. His hair had an auburn tint to the blond that Aryosta knew would only darken with age to become a fiery golden red just like his father's.

Aryosta's expression changed from one of annoyance to gentle compassion as she bowed but not too deeply. Such a bow was customary and required but she knew the boy was not fond of it.

"Rajan," she addressed him gently, "how is your brother?"

The more studious and younger of the two princes, Rajan, looked up at her with eyes that shone the color of bronze but conveyed worry. "He's recovering, but slowly. I'm not sure when he'll be awake next. He's been sleeping ever since he came up here after the fight."

Aryosta nodded and entered the room. It was one suited for luxury, a sitting room with a huge fireplace opposite the door she had just entered, numerous bookshelves and treasures, weapons adorning the walls as pieces of artwork alongside tapestries of crimson and gold, and comfortable chairs and sofas that looked mildly overstuffed but perfect to lounge in after battle. There were two sets of double doors, one on either side of the fireplace however one set, the one to the right, was slightly ajar.

Aryosta pushed open the right set of doors and entered the personal chambers of the older prince. Inside, this room was just as richly furnished but looked more like an armory with the amount of weapons and armor it contained then a bedroom. The only thing that truly defined it as a bedroom was the large four poster bed that resided with the back against one wall, the curtains of which were open to reveal the sleeping form of the older lion-born prince. He had hair the same color as his brother but his was a bit more wild and his body was covered in bruises and quite a few scars.

Aryosta glaced to a table beside the bed where a bowl of ice water and a cloth sat which Rajan used on his brother's injuries and snatched a handful of ice from it then set it on the sleeping prince's chest and waited.

A second later the lion-born woke up with a jolt, angrily smakcing the ice off of his chest with a snarl before laying back down again with a pained groan. He looked up at Aryosta first with anger in his flashing copper eyes and then recognition. "Ry? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you both before I left." Aryosta explained. "I wasn't going to leave before then Malik."

Malik frowned up at her, clearly still frustrated from losing their earlier fight. "Why?"

She sighed and pulled up a chair to sit on, clearing the spare armor and weapons off of it first as Rajan took a seat on the edge of his brother's bed. "Look, Malik, I'm sorry but I couldn't let you go. This could end in our representative dying. It would likely mean war but it's possible. I couldn't stand back and watch either of you die. I've raised and trained you since you were just cubs. I couldn't let you win this time. You know that."

She paused to let Malik speak if he wanted which he didn't, just frowning at the blankets of the bed.

She sighed. "I'm doing this for both of you. You know that right? So you can be good King, Malik and if the kingdom is split and you want it then you too Rajan. I would be a coward and an even worse parent if I let either of you go into this and I'm not going to let that happen."

Aryosta took a pause and frowned. She never used the word parent but this was the one time when she wanted to make a point that she cared about the two princes and she didn't want any misunderstanding. "I love you both, equally. I want you to know that before I go."

Malik frowned and nodded slowly but he seemed less angry now.

Rajan looked at her with worried eyes, he always was the softer of the two although that was partially Aryosta's fault. She hoped he wouldn't be treated too harshly and that his brother would stand up for him while she was gone. "Will you come back? Please, even if you can't get the Serpent's Spine, please come back."

Aryosta sighed and looked down. "If I don't come back with the Serpent's Spine your father will just send me out to war again to get it. You know that. But..." She glanced back up with a very slight smile, "I'll do everything I can to come back to you."

Rajan still looked worried and a little distressed but Malik managed to force himself up to a sitting position again and place one of his hands on his brother's shoulder, the other holding his ribs. "Relax Raj, Ry will be just fine. You saw what she did to me, she could beat anyone. She'll come back."

Aryosta gave the two a reassuring smile and a nod which felt like a lie. "I'll do everything I can to come back. Don't you worry about me. Now come here." She got up and held out her arms.

Rajan quickly got up and took the offer of a hug, hugging her back tightly. "I'm going to miss you..."

Aryosta held him close, she was going to miss him too, more then he knew. "I'll be back before you know it. Who knows, maybe I'll find you a couple books from some other districts."

Rajan semed to perk up at that, glancing up at her with a gleam to his bronze eyes. "Would you?"

Aryosta chuckled. "I'll definitely look and send something back to you if I can."

She gave him one last squeeze before letting him go and going over to Malik as she leaned over and gave him a very light hug as not to hurt him further. Surprisingly enough he hugged her back and her heart ached a bit as she knew he had only fought her so she wouldn't have to go.

"I'll be okay." Aryosta whispered to the older prince, quiet enough that Rajan wouldn't hear her. "Take care of your brother while I'm gone. Okay?"

Malik nodded slightly, tucking his head down to meet her shoulder whch was much more care then he usually showed. "I will."

Aryosta nodded a bit and gently held him in the hug until he decided to let go a moment later. She picked up her backpack again and slung it over her shoulder before looking at them both with a little smile. "Oh, I've got something for you two."

From her pocket she pulled two necklaces. One was gold with a lions face and mane that made up the rather large pendant. The other had a pendant that was double sided with a scale made out of a sword on either side. She carefully held the one with the lion out to Malik and the one with the scales out to Rajan.

As the boys carefully took them and put them on, Aryosta spoke. "These belonged to my mother and her best friend. They're to remind you that you are stronger together then you are apart and to think before you act. You have to be smart," She tapped the scales necklace, "and strong," She tapped the lion necklace. "These two are useless apart so I want you to keep them together and no matter what, remain brothers and loyal to each other until the end."

Malik looked at the necklace then his brother before nodding to Aryosta. "We will, I promise."

Aryosta smiled and nodded. "I know you will."

She gave them both each one last hug before heading to the door. However, before she left, she glanced back at them. "Don't worry about me. We're apex predators, remember?" She said with a slightly savage grin that showed her canines but was meant to be a little goofy and lighten the mood.

With a smile from both boys and a laugh from Rajan, Aryosta listened to their hushed roars in response to the familiar childhood saying she had spoken and left the princes' quarters for all she knew as the very last time.



The princes' roars echoed faintly in Aryosta's mind as she marched. She wasn't sure when she'd see them again so she wanted to cling to very last memory as long as she could.

Even though it hadn't felt like she had been traveling long, already before her was the pristine district that the swan-borns kept picture perfect. Much unlike the Claw district, particularly the rooms of a couple princes, one more then the other, not a thing was out of place. It was oddly beautiful and not in a good way. There were things here meant for beauty that weren't even in the least bit practical.

As Aryosta marched towards the palace, head held high, she began to notice some of the swans staring and even scurrying away once they saw her. They were scared, as if she were some sort of ticking bomb. But they weren't wrong. It was good for them to be scared of her, haughty prideful remarks against someone twice your size were not good to utter, especially if that person were a lion-born like herself, clad in armor and looking ready for war.

Upon reaching the palace, the gates were opened for Aryosta without hesitation, in fact the swan guards almot seemed hasty to get them open so she could walk through them unobstructed.

Good, they expected her arrival.

She walked into the palace and upon finding no one to guide her decided to find her own way to the meeting room instead of asking for help. It wasn't long before she did as there was little looking around at the palace involved, the beauty and splendor of it wasted on her decisive and mission oriented mind.

One thing she did notice however was the fact that all of the doorways were very tall and grandeous, something she was grateful for so that she wouldn't make a fool of herself by hitting her helmet on a low doorframe. Pushing open both doors and confidently striding into the room she surveyed all who was there. It seemed the representatives from a few districts were already there but she wasn't too late to the party. Across the table, reactions seemed to vary, some of respect, others of what seemed nearly like the the reaction from intimidation.

Without a word, allowing her presence to weigh heavy and intimidating, Aryosta pulled out a seat and sat down, not bothering to take off her helmet until after she was seated for full effect. It was time to see what this was all about.

Though the Web District was known for its dark, marshy woodland, things seemed to lighten up the closer one got to its edge. The canopies that normally blocked out the sun grew speckled and much less dense, allowing more auric light to rain onto the moist earth below. Decaying leaves, toadstools, and an abundunce of gnarled roots twisted throughout the ground, all combining to create a fragrance reminiscent of compost.and brackish water.

Tawny Sicarii was already unamused by this change. Sure, she had traveled widely across the Web District in her days, but rarely to its edges. Much less into other territories entirely.

Resting in a low-hanging branch, as the ground was too wet and leech-ridden to stand in, the woman sighed deeply. She held a portion of the rations she had brought—bread made from a dark grain, then smothered in chokeberry jam to tame the musty flavor. It had been a long while since she ate a real meal, even before this mission started—she knew she had to get something into her stomach. Yet the very thought made her queasy.

After another moment of fighting with herself, she gave up and bitterly hucked the piece of bread out into the marshland. Some beast would enjoy it more than she would.

Tawny hopped to the ground, the mud sloshing over her boots. They were slick, black knee-highs meant to contend with this environment. Likewise, under her hooded cloak (which was cropped so it ended just below her hips), she wore a purple-toned, long-sleeved, form-fitting black jumpsuit. Some belts and a moderately-sized black pack held her gear. It felt strange to be back in this getup—she thought she had put it away for good, many years ago (accordingly, it fit tighter than she remembered and took some adjustments, which she hoped would go unnoticed).

As she set out once more, further away from the dark core of her homeland, her mind threatened to drift. She could practically hear the words of that wretch, the now-head of the House of the Spider.

"Find the Serpent's Spine, do not let anyone else take it. Destroy it immediately, or at the very least, return it to me. Likewise, as the House of Spider's official representation, I expect you to put up a more respectable front—lie all you like, just don't make it obvious that a criminal is acting in my stead. If you fail, or if you try to weasel out of this, I will ensure you never taste freedom again. And I can't help but wonder how that will impact anyone close to you..."

Tawny still sneered at the memory. It was the most unsubtle, pathetic threat she had ever heard, and she had heard plenty in the span of her career.

However, pathetic as it might've been, it was real. Were it only herself, she would be willing to take it as a challenge, a chance to settle the score. Unfortunately, just as the threat entailed, it wasn't just her anymore. And when she heard it, the faces of her dear children immediately consumed her mind.

Even now, she could remember their reactions to her sudden announcement—that she would have to disappear for a while.

Her eldest, a fourteen-year-old son, practically interrogated her—his tone spelled anger, but his face screamed with worry. "Mother, this doesn't make any sense! You were practically hiding in this house for so long, now you want to leave it for gods-know how long? What brought this on?!"

Her middle-child, a ten-year-old daughter, tried pleading with a voice of pure sorrow. "Mother, if this is about the bounty posters we saw, you know we don't believe them. O-Or if it's..." She had hesitated for so long. "If it's something to do with father, can't we help somehow? Please..."

Her youngest, only six, didn't even know what was happening. "Mama, where are you going?"

Even now, Tawny felt the desire to turn back and go to them. However, securing their safety would be worth this cost. Of course she didn't fully trust that wretch of a leader, Seyer Nyxen, to keep to herself while she was absent. But Tawny had taught all three of them to brace for the worst, and if push came to shove, she knew her eldest could handle things.

As she walked, Tawny murmured to herself, "They've already lost Vagus. It's bad enough that I'm leaving them like this, so soon after..."

Her grip tensed around the strap of her pack, hands shaking with a mixture of grief and rage.

I cannot fail...

With that, Tawny tapped further into the skills she left behind. Assuming a straight face with no trace of emotion, she proceeded as if nothing had happened.



It took days to reach the Lumin District, much less the House of the Swan. Days.

Her strained appetite wasn't helping, nor was the Web District's proximity (or lack thereof) to the Lumin District. More than anything, however, Tawny felt more sluggish and dazed than usual in the new environment.

Everything was bright—too bright. Light colors, especially white marble, were everywhere. She had hoped the lakes and island shores would be more reminiscent of her marshy home, but far from it. The water was much too clear and blue, and the unfiltered sunlight turned them into giant, obnoxious mirrors.

The people weren't helping. Flashing their white wings and pale robes, they themselves acted as reflectors. Likewise, Tawny couldn't help but sneer and roll her eyes at each gaudy gemstone and silver detailing. In the life she knew, all these flashy things may as well be a bright, flashing bullseye on an easy target. So much that her old habits began to itch, drawing her curiosity as to what they had in their pockets. Alas, she restrained herself.

Instead, she brought herself to approach the nearest market, selecting whoever looked the most open to talking. She settled on the woman running a flower stand, whose white wings and dress stood out among the spread of colors before her.

By habit, Tawny pulled her hood lower over her face. She approached the vendor headstrong, and her brow immediately furrowed in confusion. Tawny didn't blame her; it was easy to assume that Spiderfolk weren't common in the area.

"Oi," Tawny spoke. Her tone was straightforward, but still polite. "Would you happen to know the route to the Palace of the Swan?"

"Obviously..." The vendor looked her up and down. "And what brings you there?"

"Business," Tawny responded.

When a moment passed and Tawny still refused to elaborate, the woman reluctantly broke, likely just wanting to get this over with.

"It's on a separate island. Take the road west until you reach the marble port. There's usually someone around there willing to ferry visitors like yourself between islands. For a price, naturally."

"I would assume so," Tawny murmured. "Thank you..."

Tawny spared one more glance at the spread of flowers, before her eye landed on one in particular. A smaller bundle of delicate pink blooms.

"And, before I leave..." She retireved her wallet, hidden on the back of her belt, and slipped a couple of coins to the woman. "I'll take a cluster of these."

The woman arched one brow. "Those small things? Those are practically weeds. If you're heading to the palace, I'd recommend taking something more regal. Perhaps this rose, or a lily?"

"It has nothing to do with the palace," Tawny murmured.

The woman shrugged her shoulders, handing her the small cluster of flowers. "Whatever you say..."

Tawny walked away, admiring the flowers in hand. They reminded her of her youngest, Cleome. These flowers were her favorite, a naturally-growing sort in the marshes that she would spend hours picking. The happy memory was a very welcome change of pace, and she pinned them to the inside of her cloak for protection.

Once again, it took longer than she liked, but the disoriented spider-woman made it to the port in question. It consisted of a few buildings and a long marble dock. Thankfully, just as she hoped, there was a man in a boat who was clearly waiting for business. His boat itself was little more than a dinghy, but it had been decorated with silver trim and designs. Overall, it read as a sad attempt to appear rich, rather than flagrantly flaunting it like so many others. Regardless, a boat was a boat, and the less Tawny had to walk, the better. She paid the man and climbed aboard.

Though she enjoyed the lack of wasted energy, relying on a boat instead of swimming, it didn't take long for Tawny to grow annoyed by the man's rambling. It was like he was trying to act as a tour guide, bragging about every other thing in sight. The Palace was one of those things that had come into view, a grand silhouette on the horizon.

One lengthy cruise later, and she could finally see the foot of the Palace come into view. It was annoyingly pristine, so much that it felt uncanny. She was itching to scruff it up a bit, just to reassure herself that it was real and not some elaborate painting.

However, as if the place came with a sudden realization, Tawny quickly repostured herself. Though it went against all her past habits, she dropped her hood, exposing her head of near-black curls. She was supposed to be a noble right now—not just because Seyer Nyxen had commanded her to put up an act, but because it would be foolish to present herself as a shady figure in a place like this.

To a minor extent, buried deep in her core, she was enjoying that idea. The idea of a fresh start, a blank canvas free of her past and open to recreating herself on. Even if it was just a temporary act, she hoped that it could be one bright side to take from this experience.

Meanwhile, as the man stopped his boat, he asked the same question as the florist; "What is your business here anyway?"

Tawny gave the same flat answer; "Business."

This time, she didn't even bother waiting. She left the man stammering for an explanation, approaching the front gates.

Ascending along the marble path, Tawny struggled not to cover her nose from the overwhelming blend of perfumey fragrances. As she neared the looming gates, she took a moment to lean against one of the arches, resting her body and mind. After a moment, she tried to recite and settle on what her strategy would be.

Alright...My story is easy enough, I don't have to go in-depth there. Whoever asks for more can get lost—our goal is to find the Serpent's Spine, not get to know each other. I don't want to put up the front that I am uninformed, that will be exploited in a heartbeat, but I'll see if I can reap any further information on this thing while I'm here. Seyer refused to elaborate on its purpose, which was no doubt intentional. Probably her thinking I'll exploit it or something...

Tawny took a deep breath, nearly slumping to the floor.

Alright, shape up and get to it, old girl...Come on...Aaaand, now.

Finally, practically dragging herself along, Tawny approached the gates. The two servents standing by didn't even notice her until now. As one got the door for her, Tawny barely restrained herself from doing anything herself, deeply unfamiliar with these noble habits.

Tawny crossed the threshold slowly, taking in the views. By sheer habit, she noted every possible escape route, alternative entrance, and whatever would be exploited or weaponized. Not due to any sort of mischief, simply because it was her nature to flee before resorting to a full-fledged fight.

However, following the pillar-lined path to a meeting room, her train of thought was immediately shattered.

Before her, she saw six other people, all from different territories. And half of them already seemed on-edge and ruffled from some sort of altercation. The other thing she noticed right off the bat, however, was that everyone was in the realm of being half her age. Some (or at least one) being young enough to have a "-teen" in the number.

Oh, you've GOT to be kidding me...





Despite that stray thought, as more of their eyes fell on her, Tawny managed a meek grin.

"Hey, don't stop anything on my account." Tawny stepped forward, slinking into one of the chairs. "But for context, what'd I miss?"

The Leopard -- who seemed the most on edge, if not more than the Serpent sitting across from her, looked at Tawny with an irritable expression, "World domination,' she huffed, obviously joking.

The Serpent, wringing her hands in front of her waist, shot a glare at the Leopard. "No, we've just been having a nice little chat," she said. "You haven't missed much."

"I'm just happy someone arrived that looks... remotely competent and trustworthy," she nodded her head at Tawny, "Spider, huh? How are the swamps over there?"

Tawny stretched her arms, already tired of this encounter. "They're as brilliant as they always are. Cold, dark, moist, and you can't stand for too long without getting a leech or two. Yet ironically, still more tolerable than this gaudy—ehrm, I mean elegant place."

The Leopard nodded, a slight silence filling the air between them. She glanced around the table awkardly, tapping her nail on the top of it before finally speaking again, "So, like... is anyone gonna start this stupid meeting or what? I didn't wear out my toenails on the trip here just to sit in this overly-cushioned chair and look pretty."

Tawny couldn't help but roll her eyes, mumbling almost inaudibly. "I wouldn't say you're succeeding even in that much, princess."

The Leopard's eyes snapped to Tawny, almost shocked, before she sat back in her chair. She looked at the girl sitting next to her -- obviously of House Swan -- and smiled wider, "I like her. She's fiesty."

Tawny yawned widely. "Alright, someone start talking before I fall asleep. Who're the rest of these kids, and what are we doing?"

"Well, as you probably already know, my name is Kitana Thavek," the Leopard did a fake, effortless curtsy, "The Eel over there is Airia. Keep an eye on her. And then this is Leda, I'm sure you can tell where she's from. I almost threw up roses and confetti when I met her, that's how bright her personality is..." Kitana's eyes scanned the rest of the group, "then there's Aryosta over there. She walked in before you, and we couldn't stop staring because we had no clue House Lion told her this was a jousting match. And then, of course, the pretty boy with the glittery rainbow wings-- Elandros..." Kitana's voice trailed off with a hum.

Aryosta didn't glare but her eyes snapped to Kitana with a predatory look. "You can call me Ry or Ryo. As for jousting, this is not a weapon for such a sport. You might want to look closer before making assumtions if you were staring so much."

Airia rolled her eyes conspicuously at Kitana's remark, letting out a sigh that was riddled with disdain. "To be clear," she said, clearly tired, "I have nothing to hide."

"Aaaand I didn't think so..." Tawny chuckled, "I think I can work with this. I must admit, I didn't expect the other houses to send their literal children on such a mission. Hopefully you're not as novice as you look though."

"Well, I surely didn't expect noble House Spider to send the grandmother, but surprises come every day." Airia said, suddenly becoming very interested in the wooden table.

Kitana scoffed loudly, raising an eyebrow, "Okay, listen, I'm kinda scared of Spiders, so I won't dare challenge the fact you're trained and... more than capable of going on this mission, Mommy dearest... but we-- I mean, I am very much capable of finding a little spine thingy. Can't be too hard."

"I would hope so, the less work the better," Tawny muttered. "So, any details on this 'spine' thing that I need to know? Do we even know where to look for it yet?"

"Nope," Kitana looked at Airia, "Unless the little sea serpent wants to confess finally."

"You know, I'd think the daughter of House Leopard would know more than a lowly bodyguard such as myself," Airia said boldly, eyes widening in false innocence.

"The bodyguard is also in love with the... what's her name again? Heidi?" Kitana purred, leaning back in her chair.

Airia's eyes darted over to meet Kitana's. "I can't see how that's of any importance, isn't it? I'm sure Grandma Spider doesn't want to know about silly teenage drama."

Tawny snickered, "Oh please, believe it or not, I was young too once...By the way, in hopes of dispelling that unfortunate nickname, you can call me 'Tawny.' And that's all you need to know about me."

"Oh crazy, because for a second I thought you were born at the age of fifty," Kitana joked, "Tawny. Is that like a special nickname? Sounds familiar."

"It's a name," Tawny said flatly. "That is all."

"No, because like, I could've sworn I've heard that name somewhere--"

"It was either unrelated or through some typical Nyxen-fueled gossip," Tawny spoke more firmly. "I am an associate of the family, after all."

From one side of the table a slight low growl could be heard as the Claw district's representative became impatient with the bantering. "We're here for a meeting, not a roast session. Let's get to business and stop bantering like school children."

Tawny shrugged her shoulders. "Sounds good to me."

Kitana groaned, obviously bored, "Should we just start here? I mean, if none of us know where this thing is... nonetheless what it is, how do we decide? I'd be pissed if we decided to start in Lunar City and then got word it's back here in the west region of the Wilds."

Tawny huffed with irritation. "Well, somebody has to have a lead. Speak up now then, don't keep up in suspense."

Kitana thought for a moment, "My grandfather -- who is a seer -- hinted to me that it was in the Venom District. But, he also said something about this guy he knew growing up... he lives here, in the Lumin District. I don't know if he's friendly or if he'd be willing to help, but he's also a seer and might know more than my grandfather does."

"Kitana, if your grandfather is as good of a seer as you say he is, wouldn't he have some straightforward information?" Airia sighed.

Tawny sneered, "Lumin District—obviously—is a lot less travel time than the alternative she mentioned, so I would advocate for investigating that first."

"Anyone heard of the Sanctum of the Hollow Wing or have a map of the Wilds to find it? That's where we can find him," Kitana asked.

Ryo stood up, having fetched what appeared to be a map of just that from the backpack she had brought in with her, and unrolled it across the table. While it wasn't the largest, it was a decent size for being one to bring with her during travel.

"The Sanctum of the Hollow Wing should be here." She said firmly, leaving a clear impression that she was taking no debate on the subject as she pointed to one place in the Lumin district.

Kitana leaned over the table to take a peek at it, pushing a strand of curly hair behind her fluffy ears in the process, "Hm. So we'd have to cross Pearl Shore and walk along the coast, or we can find a vessel and sail there," she studied the map more, "The Velvet Deep? Why are there little icons next to that? Is it dangerous to sail there?"

Ryo gave her an unimpressed look. "Is it? You tell me."

Kitana didn't get the sarcasm and pursed her lips, "How would I know?"

"By being worthy of being sent on this mission." Ryo responded flatly.

Tawny chuckled, "Oh come on, if even half of you were worth sending, we could handle whatever this region throws at us. It's certainly worth saving the walk time. And besides, it's the district of the Swans. I doubt these are the kind to let too many unsightly dangers remain in their territory."

Kitana nodded and looked down at her feet, stretching them, "It woooullddd be nice to take a nice lil' nap. We could rest on the ride there..."

"Now you're speaking my language, kitty," Tawny remarked.

Ryo rolled her eyes as she sat back down, moving her helmet to keep one edge of the map in place.

"It's settled then. We find a vessel, sail through the Velvet Deep, and find this Sanctum. Are we ready to head out?" Kitana asked, barely finishing her question before she let out a big yawn.

"More then." Ryo responded with a hint of impatient eagerness to her voice.

Tawny nodded. "May as well get this troupe moving."

As the others gathered their things, and charted their course with the help of Ryo's map, Tawny lingered back. By habit, she kept her head down and simply listened. Most of it was idle talk and silly bickering. Nothing more about this 'Serpent's Spine.' Nothing more than the vague hints Seyer had given her already.

All this trouble...This thing better be worth it.

The Pearl Shore Passage, Lumin District

Kitana leaned against the railing of The Ambrosia, a sleek, cream colored vessel made of sandalwood and the finest silver, courtesy of the Hyacinth Family. Moonlight was starting to pour across the polished main deck, a hint that they probably should've waited to venture until morning rose. They were all exhausted from the journey to the Lumin District, and as they prepared to meet the Velvet Deep, most of them could barely keep their eyes open.

The wind tangled Kitana's black curls, but she didn't bother to tame them. Her eyes scanned the deck and its passengers like her father's nobles surveyed a feast they weren't quite ready to eat.

She hated ships.

Ships made for a poor place to kill things without drawing attention. She preferred jungles, palaces, the dark and quiet rooms where her brothers would nearly train her to death before tucking her in for dinner. Here, she was exposed. But for now, she was polishing up her plan. The calm before the Velvet Deep would probably be the only time she'd get a moment to reflect.

Leda was sitting nearest to the mass and sipped her tea with perfectly staged serenity. Kitana trusted her, kind of. Leda was the type of person who seemed like she kept her word, which Kitana admired. Though, she'd been warned by her father about the Swans: "Anyone who keeps their hands that clean has someone else doing the dirty work." She'd keep an eye out for any suspicious behavior.

Airia, the Serpent-born, was pacing the bow, fidgeting with something in her pockets. She was awkward and full of secrets. Kitana could smell it. Not literally, not always-- but sometimes. The scent of copper and wind followed her, and the girl knew something. She might not even realize it, but still, Kitana's instincts told her to watch her back...

For now.

Elandros, the Moth-born, leaned back against a crate, not far from Airia. His wings fluttered gently in the wind, and it took a moment for Kitana to realize that everything about him was meant to be disarming. Inviting, almost. Kitana wasn't very familiar with Moth-people. She wanted to pick his brain more. He didn't speak during the meeting -- and Kitana could tell he had some type of history. Or else, he wouldn't have been sent on the expedition.

None of them loomed quite like Ryo, though. Kitana watched her walk across the deck, as if she had somewhere to be. She was seven feet of golden war brutality. That was the best way to describe Lions-people. She was resourceful, had what Kitana needed to figure out next steps. She needed to befriend her, somehow. Lions-people were hard to crack. Kitana felt the same way about Tawny, who's name still felt so familiar. Spiders are great resources in combat, and Kitana knew she had to befriend her. There was something she was hiding, and Kitana was headstrong to figure out what it was. After all, in her case, curiosity never killed the cat. It helped it.

She was seated alone near the edge of the deck, twirling a knife between her fingers like she was trying to soothe herself or bore herself -- Kitana couldn't tell which.

Perfect.

Kitana approached with deliberate nonchalance, leaning on the railing a few feet away. She didn't speak right away, only produced a small silver plum from her coat and began to peel it with Insatia.

"Nice trick," she said at last, nodding to the blade spinning in Tawny's hand, "I once saw a man try that with a bottle. Cut off two fingers. Very dramatic. I can see you've got steady hands, though."

Tawny smirked, spinning the blade faster. "That's a combination of careful training and a lot of experience." She sheathed the blade. "And may I ask why you're here? I took our initial meeting as you not being fond of 'Grandma Spider.'"

Kitana gave her a soft snort, the corner of her mouth curling with small amusement.

"Fond's a strong word," she said. "I've met many people I don't like that I respect. You're sharp. Slippery. Hard to read. You've got that... predator's patience. Makes the loud ones nervous, which is probably why I'm intrigued in you."

"Force of habit," Tawny said nonchalantly. "Spiders don't like to be aggressive, we lay low and wait for our prey to come to us. Although, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that sometimes what people would perceive as 'cowardice' is just being smart."

Kitana hummed in agreement, her arms folding as she leaned backwards against the railing again, "Cowardice gets mistaken for a lot of things. Cowardice. Cruelty. Even weakness. But I've seen people die proving they were brave. And I've seen cowards live long enough to become legends."

Tawny's eyes narrowed. "True. And I must admit, I wouldn't expect such words from someone of any ruling family. As a matter of fact, you hardly strike me as a Thavek, from what I know about those..." She hesitated, opting for another word. "Those people."

Kitana swallowed hard at the mention of her family. She shifted her weight awkwardly and gestured to the spot next to Tawny, "May I?"

Tawny nodded. "Go on, I don't care."

Kitana didn't hesitate, taking the empty place next to the Spider-born. She sighed, stretching her long legs out, "My family is... something's wrong with them. I don't blame you for believing the rumors. Hell, they're probably true. I don't want to be around those people. Eating until you... puke, starving yourself until you're barely surviving. That's no way to live. That's why I'm finding the Spine, or whatever it is."

Tawny's eyes (though hard to notice from their odd hue) shifted downward, as if that forced her to think for a moment. However, just as quickly, she sneered. After another moment, she spoke, "I think the same could be said for all the ruling families, at least if the stories I heard were any good. And definitely the Nyxen house. I admit, I didn't get many details on this Spine, but I wouldn't mind using it to kill the wretch in charge over there..." She lightened her tone. "Theoretically speaking."

"My brothers, too," Kitana nodded, "We steal the power from the Nyx family, and kill my brothers. Then, I will get the throne. My father will have no choice," she glanced back at Leda, who was still sipping her tea, "Leda is on the same page, as well."

Tawny snickered, "This conversation got dark real fast. But I don't see that as inherently bad..."

"All I'm saying is that if we follow tradition, we'll all end up miserable," Kitana shrugged, "tradition keeps corpses dressed in diamonds and calls them kings. The real kings are the people that stand up and do something about it."

"Yeah...." Tawny's gaze trailed over the others aboard the ship. "I would just hope this lot has a similar outlook, or at least has enough nerve to get out of the way."

"The Serpent doesn't-- Airia," Kitana's eyes moved to the Serpent-born, "She mentioned that she has this... romantic fling with the ruler's daughter. She's gonna do what she was asked to. And I'm sure she'll find a way, unless we convince her that love is temporary and freedom is forever."

"Hm..." At that, Tawny didn't seem so sure. Nevertheless, she cleared her throat and spoke with a lower tone. "Okay, let's get one thing established. I still don't trust you in full. But you have your head on straight, and your heart in the right place, as far as I can tell anyway. So I propose a small, temporary alliance. We keep the others, or at least the serpent-born from getting it, and if either of us secures the Spine first, we use it for both our goals. You secure your house, I get rid of the wretch controlling mine."

Kitana gave her a long, appraising look. The ship creaked around them, a faint gust brushing through them.

"I can agree to that," she said, "For now, we don't cross each other. Not until the Spine is in hand, and maybe not even then-- if things line up right."

"Exactly," Tawny said slyly. "You don't have to think of us as friends, acquaintances, or anything of the like—and I'll be frank, I don't. Just, not enemies, with a common enough goal."

Leda stiffened from where she stood by the mast, wings rustling and spreading slightly. She turned, meeting Kitana's gaze and giving her a slow, barely perceptible nod before her eyes glazed over with that unassuming look and flicked to Tawny. She smiled vaguely and prettily before turning to the navigator and saying something that the wind carried away.

This would all work out. All they had to do was make it through the Velvet Deep. Kitana hadn't heard of it before, so she imagined it couldn't be too bad. In the time she'd been talking to Tawny, the sun finally set-- casting a blanket of darkness over the sea. The stars in the moonlit sky shown brightly on the waves beneath them, causing Kitana to smile.

"Well," she stood, dusting herself off, "It seems like we have an agreement. Let's keep it under wraps for now. I'll fill Leda in later. Stay dry, Tawny. I know you're used to the marshlands, but I have a feeling the seas won't be as forgiving."

Wanting to move on already, Tawny stretched and slumped back in her seat. It was hard to tell if she was already dozing off. She mumbled, "Sure thing...You should stay dry, too, I seem to remember that cats don't like water."

Kitana didn't answer, instead acknowledging Tawny's joke with a smirk and a nod of her head. Tanwy was right. Kitana hated the water.

The only thing she hated more than water was the fact she was stuck on a boat with five strangers who had the same objective as her.

May the best man win.

Warning: Violence, light gore, and swearing

The Velvet Deep, The Lumin District

Leda's body jolted, her wings flaring as she woke up. She'd been sleeping on her feet for a while, keeping her image intact by crafting an illusion held in place by her dreamless sleep. She'd been sleeping and glamouring herself when most of the other Representatives had come, and once she'd gotten onto the Ambrosia, she had been hit with the full force of her lack of a sleep schedule.

She had missed the sea breeze and the way the salt of it hit her face and dried her tongue, but she missed closing her eyes more. So she had slept. But now she was awake, courtesy of the splash of sea water that had flopped into her face. She blinked, flicked away the water, and let her illusion flicker to recharge her power before she put her illusion barriers up again so she could shake off the water like a wet dog.

Once she was sure that she was presentably dry, she peeled off the heaviest of her illusions (leaving only the ones necessary to make it look like there really were diamonds at the tips of her eyelashes) and turned to meet Kitana's gaze. She saw that her friend (ally, friend, whatever) had made at least a bit of an allyship with the Not-So Itsy Bitsy Spider, and she gave the Leopard-born a slow nod. Sensing the Sloth-born's attention, Leda made herself unassuming and dreamy-eyed again, looking at the older lady with a vaguely pretty smile.

"Excuse me, sir. How far are we into our travels?" Leda asked the pretty-looking navigator in a sweet voice.

He didn't even glance at her with his pretty brown eyes. "Around forty minutes, milady."

Leda's eye twitched. Forty minutes? Kitana better have gotten a good talk in with that old Spider. She felt a yawn coming on, and she strutted sleepily (stumbled, really) over to the Leopard-born. "It's getting dark and I'd like to sleep," Leda said airily in a voice of privilege. She didn't mention that she'd practically been sleeping the whole time (not that anybody really needed to know that). "If you would also like to retire to the cabins, feel free to choose the hammock beside mine. If you're wide awake, do keep watch. I'd rather not be eaten by a shark while I sleep or devoured by sirens who would likely bed us and then eat us." Leda said it all without much of a care, more intent on sleeping.

Kitana, who was now chewing on her fingernails with her sharp front teeth, snorted, "Cats are nocturnal. I'll be fine out here. Plus, I've never seen a Siren. It'd be nice to see one, don't you think? I heard we can harvest their scales to make reinforced armor."

Leda huffed a laugh. "Yeah, well good luck living long enough to get those scales. Their songs are even more enchanting than our illusions, and they can see straight into your souls."

"Not as enchanting as Insatia," Kitana smirked, nodding her head towards the cabin, "Get some sleep, Princess. You'll need it."

Leda smiled. "I appreciate that remark, Kitty. I hope you know I'll still be sleeping with cotton in my ears."

"I wouldn't expect less from a Swan-born," Kitana shooed her away with her hand playfully, "are you trying to make sure I'm not tired? Is that why you're hovering? Because like I said, I'm fine. Look at my eyes," Kitana pointed to her gold eyes, which, in the moonlight, looked kind of crimson, "See? No tears. No droopy-ness. All good here."

Leda laughed, the corners of her eyes crinkling. "Wonderful. I feel so safe knowing you're above deck to watch over me," she said, voice filled with amusement. She patted her friend on the shoulder. "Still, take care, Kitty."

"Will do," Kitana purred, turning back towards the sea.

Leda descended the stairs and (after jamming cotton balls into her ears so far that she thought they'd stick into her ear canals) made herself comfy in the most lavish-looking hammock. (Indeed, making oneself comfy in a hammock on a rocking boat was a feat in its own, so she paused to appreciate that.) It was only a few minutes before she tumbled into sleep, her legs twisting into the canvas-like fabric of her bedding so she wouldn't tumble face-first into the ground, as well.



Leda did not awake to screaming, as would be expected in a time such as this. No, the cotton balls did their job. She was jostled awake by the snapping of wood and the ship jostling hard enough that she tumbled out of her hammock. She huffed her hair out of her face. So much for that position. Her gaze fell to the floor, which was shaking. Her eyebrows furrowed, and then her eyes widened, her mouth falling open in shock. Oh no. She snatched Korvala and Yalitaya from the crate by her hammock, grateful she hadn't put on her silk nightgown when she went to bed. She leapt up the stairs three at a time, using her wings for momentum, and she gaped at what she saw above deck.

Parts of the deck had been reduced to splinters, and people's mouths were open in screams and roars of orders. Leda saw something arc through the water, and she ran to the navigator.

"What is attacking us?" she screamed at him. The cotton was so thick that she couldn't even hear her voice, just the crashing of waves and the piercing hum of silence.

His mouth moved, and she couldn't hear him. Damn these cotton balls. But she wouldn't dare to take them out if they actually were being attacked by sirens.

"Make the motions of the beast," she snarled the order at him, and he scrambled to comply, slapping his hands together above his head in a triangular arc that looked a bit like... a fin.

"A shark," she breathed, and just then, something slammed out of the water and onto the deck, embedding its razor sharp, blindingly white teeth into the wood. Leda shrieked and stabbed it with Korvala, slicing at its gills with Yalitaya.

Just as Leda attacked the threat, she could hear Kitana shout from the bow, "What the hell happened?! What in the Wilds is that... thing?!"

Hmph. Guess the cotton balls didn't work as well as she thought. (Either that, or they were nothing compared to Kitana's pipes.) "A shark," Leda yelled. She squinted at its wounds, noting the green goo that leaked from them. "An undead shark," she amended, horror in her eyes that hardened into determination as she snarled at the beast, hacking at it with both of her daggers.

Kitana stood frozen, grabbing onto the railing of the ship to steady herself as it rocked uncontrollably, "Where is everyone else? You're not gonna take that thing on alone, are you? It looks like it's sick! Don't touch it!" she yelled over the wind.

Leda yelled back, "It's undead! It's- it's-"

Just as Leda went to finish her sentence, the shark jerked backwards and thrashed back into the sea. The shark had a mission: to kill them. They were in its territory, now.

And just when things couldn't get any worse, it began to rain.

The most audible response to that was an enraged curse from Tawny, who was clearly trying to avoid the fight and hide among the darker remains of the boat.

Kitana ran for cover, leaving Leda alone in the middle of the broken deck. She shook her head out in agitation, also probably an attempt to try and get the wetness off of her. She screamed, "Everyone, brace yourselves! When the waves pick up, he's going to strike again!"

Tawny looked around, but with literally nowhere to run and the threat intensifying, she reluctantly stepped out from her barely-hiding spot and gripped onto the railing, watching for the beast. One hand was slowly reaching for her larger dagger.

Leda narrowed her eyes at the beast and felt her grip on her image start to slip away. "For fuck's sake," she muttered before unfurling her wings and launching herself into the sky. It felt good to use her wings again, even if the experience was turned sour by the torrential rain pelting her beautiful feathers. She peered down at what would have been disgraceful to call a battle, watching as the undead shark flopped around and tried to impale people on its sharp teeth. Leda smirked. In its eagerness to get a bite out of the boat, it had flopped onto the deck and been promptly unable to flop off. Now, it was just flopping around menacingly and snapping its teeth threateningly. Leda dove, ignoring the pelting rain, and sliced the beast's eyes out, twisting out of the way when it screeched from the pain and thrashed, snapping its teeth at her. She gritted her teeth and raised a brow at the rest of the Reps. "Why aren't you guys attacking it?" she asked, yelling to be heard over the rain.

"Why are you attacking it?" Kitana yelled louder, "I can't see anything!"

Just as Kitana stepped out from under the cover, a beam of orange light formed at her palms. She held her right arm out and, within an instant, the shark froze-- it's flopping subdued. It screamed in pain and thrashed once more, eventually making it's way back into the water. Kitana's facial expression changed and she quickly moved next to Leda, "Magic! The shark is enchanted! Someone's controlling it!"

Leda's eyebrows furrowed, and she landed beside her friend. "That can mean only one thing," she murmured. Dang it. She'd really hoped there wouldn't be too much trouble while they were on the water.

"Sirens," Kitana finished Leda's thought and ran to what remained of the railings, pouring half her body over it as if she wasn't afraid to fall in (Leda's stomach lurched at her friend's riskiness), "There!" she yelled, pointing down at the waves, "I saw a fin! And it isn't the shark!"

"By the Wilds, get back in the boat, Kitty!" Leda said, launching herself into the air again to watch the area Kitana had pointed out.

Kitana pulled back and looked over her shoulder at Tawny, "Wake the others up! There's a hoard of them! We need help!"

Tawny huffed, muttering, "Whoever's not awake at this point is insane..."

"Where's the Eel?" Leda asked Kitana, hoping that only the Leopard-born heard her use the insulting name.

"Probably in on it," Kitana grumbled, hoping Leda didn't hear her, before shaking her head, "Who knows."

Leda grumbled something nonsensical even to herself. "Does this boat have harpoons?" she asked the navigator, who was trembling.

"Y-yes," he answered.

Leda glared at him, no longer caring about his pretty eyes. "Then go and get them, you moron!" The navigator scrambled to do as she said.

As the navigator ran, Airia burst out of the cabin door. "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON??" she screamed, frantically searching her clothes for her knife.

"Undead sharks and sirens," Leda answered, not caring about the Serpent-born's sudden appearance unless she actually started doing something.

"Where the HELL have you been!?" Kitana scrambled to stop a massive leak with an old cloth. Needless to say, it wasn't working.

"Where have YOU been? I thought cats were nocturnal?!" Airia shouted over the roar of the waves. She quickly ran to another leak and tried to plug it with a loose piece of wood.

"Survive now, chew each other out later," Leda commanded. "Also, get some cotton balls in your ears or else we're all going to die."

"I was awake, actually, until the tide picked up and the ship rocked me to sleep like a baby," Kitana scoffed, "We've been out here for thirty minutes trying to kill a massive... thing. At least, Leda has. Princess has been getting her hands dirty," she joked, giving up on the leak.

Despite being in the middle of a battle, Leda laughed. "Dirty weapons, clean hands," she joked back, showing the green gunk on her weapons.

The navigator scrambled back above deck with the harpoons. "I've got the harpoons!"

Airia ran across the slick deck to snatch a harpoon from the navigator, who looked like he was about to throw up.

Leda nodded in approval at Airia's urgency, linking her daggers to her belt and swooping down to snatch several harpoons from the navigator. She arced back up into the air and squinted at where Kitana had seen a fin. There was a flash of movement, a baring of scales, and Leda threw the harpoon. A deranged yet somehow melodic shriek of pain pierced through the cotton in Leda's ears, and she was reminded of the importance of that defense mechanism. "Everybody remember to stuff your ears!" she yelled.

Catching back up, Tawny tore a piece of her cloak to turn into makeshift earplugs. Leda murmured a prayer of thanks to the Wilds for that bit of competence.

Airia stopped dead in her tracks and snapped her eyes towards Leda. "With WHAT?" she shouted over the roar of the waves.

"You have fingers, don't you?" Kitana growled, diving behind a piece of large, broken wood.

"There are cotton balls by my hammock if you wish to use them so your hands are free," Leda yelled over the wind almost tearing the cotton out of her ears.

Airia hastily nodded in the vague direction of Leda's voice and ran into the cabin, eyes wide.

While she figured out what to do for earplugs, Tawny reported, "Well I don't know what the hell the moth is doing, so it looks like we're on our own for this fight."

"We're taking on too much water to make it to the Sanctum," Kitana panicked, "I can't swim. I can't swim."

Leda saw her friend panicking and felt something tug low in her gut. Sympathy? Whatever it was, it made her fly down to her friend and take her by the shoulders. "Hey. I can. If we sink, I'll help you. Don't worry about the water, okay? Worry about the sirens."

Kitana met her eyes. "I've spent three years licking my hair to perfection, and I will not ruin it in the middle of the Velvet Deep to an undead shark and some hungry sirens. The ship will not sink, and we need to figure out how to make it happen."

Tawny struggled not to facepalm. "Worst case scenario, there's plenty of driftwood to form a raft out of..." She looked around, eyes narrowed. "Does anyone have eyes on the shark? I can barely see through this damn rain..."

"It's not the shark we need to worry about..." Leda murmured. There was a flash of silver fins, and Leda snapped her head around to keep her eyes on it. "Sirens. Starboard side, closer to the hull." she reported.

"Be careful, and whatever you do, don't let them trick you! Let's separate and take hold of each angle of the boat. Do. Not. Crack!" Kitana ran for the hull.

Leda nodded and shot back into the sky, harpoons in hand. She kept her eyes trained on the movements of one of the sirens, and the moment its upper body got just a bit further out of the water, Leda threw the harpoon. It sliced through the siren's skin, embedding in its upper torso. An unearthly scream split the air, and Leda shuddered. Thank the Wilds for the ear protection.

Leda watched the waves, how several sirens broke formation to try and help their fallen sister. "Airia, I know you have a harpoon. Look left and fire now!"

Airia, still wide-eyed from the beast and now intensely staring at the sirens, suddenly woke up from her trance as she heard her name. With what looked like all the power and courage she could possible muster, she threw the harpoon straight at the nearest siren to her. It landed on the siren's upper leg and got lodged into its muscle.

Leda smirked at the hit. "Nice hit, Kirstonen," she called to the Serpent-born as she flew down, grabbing both of the sirens from out of the water and hauling them onto the deck. By the Wilds. The sirens were gorgeous, terrifyingly so. Their eyes had slitted pupils, and they had silvery blue gills on their necks and by their temples. Where their torsos and hips met, there were silver-scaled tails. When Leda met their eyes, they were glaring at her, their fury unmatched and brutal. Leda gave them a steely look. "You wanted to kill and eat us. Should I kill you two just to profit and ensure my crew and I don't die? Or should I try to reason with you and your kind?"

In the background, Leda could hear Kitana... arguing, with the Sirens on the other side of the boat, "Okay and? And what does that mean? I'm not stupid enough to let you on, that's for sure!" Leda almost facepalmed. Had the Leopard-born not put in earplugs?

Tawny groaned with frustration, "Are you kidding me? This is exactly the type of nonsense I feared when we set out..."

Spotting more sirens in the water, Tawny whipped out her longer dagger and hurled it into the water. It sank into the side of a siren, causing another wail that made her cringe. It rattled her core even through the earplugs. Before the siren's body could be lost, Tawny took out her shorter dagger, a silver threat trailing behind it as she threw it, hooking the other dagger and yanking it back into her grip.

"Can you guys stop singing for two damn seconds? In all the Wilds, nothing has sounded worse! And if you can't climb, then what the hell do you all expect to happen? Huh? Huh?!" The Leopard-born yelled louder over the rain. Leda shot her friend an incredulous look. She glanced back at the sirens, tossed a weighted net over them, and ran over to Kitana.

"Kitty, stop picking a verbal fight with the sirens," Leda told her exasperatedly.

"I'm speaking facts," Kitana shrugged, bringing her fingers back to her ears, "They can't climb. They can only watch and hope that we're stupid enough to listen to them. And honestly, I think my tactic might be working. They seem annoyed, which is just what we need. Think of it less of a verbal fight and more of a distraction," she winked gingerly.

Leda gave her an impressed look before smirking. "Not bad, Kitty," she muttered. "Keep at it." Leda flew back to the sirens on the deck and met their gazes, her expression turning cold and unforgiving. "Since it appears you will not be of any use to us alive, I will be killing you now. Goodbye." Leda slit their throats and took the harpoons out of their bodies. She glanced over her shoulder to where Kitana was still taunting the sirens and huffed a laugh. Then, her gaze fell to the waves below, and she felt the blood drain from her face, the sight slapping her smile away.

About eight sirens (that Leda could count at first glance) were crowding around the area, their mouths open in what Leda could only guess were their songs. "Shit," she breathed. Her gaze was caught by a slice of movement in the water. Other sirens were circling the ship, their eyes searching the deck for people without earplugs. There were a few sirens stabbing at the ship with their long, clawed fingers, and Leda prayed she wouldn't hear it snap.

Leda narrowed her eyes at the sirens trying to destroy the ship, and she snarled, leaping into the air for momentum and throwing a harpoon (dirty with one of the other siren's blood) into its torso. She pulled the siren out of the water with a yank on the harpoon and sliced Korvala across its jugular. She repeated the process with several other sirens, letting their bodies litter the deck. It appeared that Tawny was getting to the sirens with her longer dagger, letting them fall to the sea floor, wounded and unable to swim back up. Another sweep of her gaze around the deck told her that Airia had commanded the navigator to go below deck to try and fix the leaks, and that the Serpent-born was throwing harpoons at a few nasty-looking sirens lurking around the stern. Soon, the sirens on the port side and by the stern were taken care of. That left the sirens on the starboard side. The ones Kitana was nagging. Leda let the wind catch her wings and flew to the starboard side, slashing Korvala and Yalitaya at them. Once she reached the bow of the ship, she turned and watched their blood pool in the water.

The Siren Massacre would be a fun tale to tell her brothers when she got home.