Broken Family
Darkness laid heavily over the cavern that the monster slept silently in. Its breaths were slow and deep and was the only thing that reverberated through the decorated den it called home. Severed tail blades scattered the ground paired with skulls to match, each one displayed as a trophy to the slaughter she and her mate had done to all those that stood against them. Gently rolling onto her side the bones of her tail scratched against the hard floor, emitting a sound similar to that of nails on a chalkboard. Though the noise didn’t faze her as it was apparent that something was off within her mind that day, the distraught look from her hollow orange eyes seemed… different. Her usually stern gaze seemed much softer than it had ever before and it was almost as though a new found empathy was displayed within them.
“MOM!” the sudden startled cry of a cub cut through the air like the talons of a wraith penetrating an amani’s hide, immediately bringing the skeletal monster to her feet as her head whipped around to seek out the cry.
“Grim?” Kiora’s voice sounded concerned as she raced over to her young son, the tears rolling down his face twisting her gut into a feeling of distress. Gently she pulled him close to her trying to find out what was wrong, but as she made contact with him the warm sticky feeling she felt on her paw was one she knew without having it look. He was bleeding, and bad at that. Quickly as she could she drew tar from within herself out and toward her son. The dark liquid squirmed as though eager to please its master with the slaughter it so regularly preformed, though rather than killing this time it helped seal up the deep cuts that scattered her son’s side.
As she worked tentatively to stop his heavy bleeding the protective and motherly feelings she felt within herself turned to rage, “Grim who did this to you?” Her voice came out smooth as ice and was deceptively kind, though Grim knew better and though he knew his mother wouldn’t harm him he couldn’t stop himself from cowered. He knew full well that the beast within was about to slaughter whoever had inflicted the wound.
“It’s fine mom really, I just should have fought back… He was just trying to train me to be strong like Adrik and Hella-” He stuttered the words out though immediately shut up as a snarl grew upon his mother’s face.
“Aeros…” As though her words were a summoning for him, the large white male walked into the den, a disappointed and stern look plastered on his face. As he entered a deep growl erupted from Kiora’s throat as she stood over her injured offspring in a protective posture, “What have you done to my son?” She spat the words out at her mate, her muscles tense as the anger consumed her.
Aeros took a moment to reply, his cold white gaze seeming to be lifeless until he spoke, “The boy is too coddled - weak. He needs a stern hand if he wants to mount to greatness.” A curled snarl of his own grew upon his face as he spoke. It was clear he was annoyed with the aggressive response of his mate, “You can’t fucking protecting him from the cruelty of life! He needs to learn it young, his siblings know this.” He spoke coolly and rather contained with each word uttered but his frustration was evident, “You should move - Grim and I still have work to do.”
A deep hiss escaped her lips as scolding tar began to boil from her feet, “You’ll have to get through me if you are planning on raising another paw to him.” Her posture shifted into a more offensive stance with Grim still cowering underneath her.
An annoyed huff escaped Aeros, “Fine…” those were the only words he spoke as he launched himself at his mate, claws unsheathed and ready to kill.
Everything turned to a blur as the two furiously fought one another, the intent to kill within both of them evident. The air became stained with the stench of blood as both parents bled, each fighting for what they believed best for their child. Both torn at one another, their fighting so equally matched it was hard to say who would win at first glance though as Kiora called upon her tar to enter Aeros’s mouth and suck the life from him he called upon his own dark spirits to take her by surprise. They ripped at her unprotected sides and as she cried out in pain Aeros sang his teeth deep into her throat, cutting off her scream.
As Aeros stood over Kiora’s seemingly lifeless body her orange pupils fixated on his eyes as though daring him to finish her off. Though as the two stared at one another Aeros seemed to completely shut down and proceeded to free her from his grip. Looking to Grim he gestured for him to leave, “You’re mother needs a salve, go fetch one.” And with that Grim scurried off away from his dying mother, in hopes of saving her from the death Aeros almost brought her to.