Wine's gaze traveled to where Luna was pointing. She glanced back at Luna and saw her paws swimming in blood. Turning back, she half-ran to the outcropping, wanting to begin quickly. She wasn't sure now if it would be worth it - or rather, if Luna had told her the truth. She didn't want to just be a tool, a lioness Luna used to drag herself to the top. But she had her instructions, and for now hers was only to obey. For now. She positioned herself at the top of the outcropping and lifted her head, tilting and adjusting it until the shard caught the light just right.

You have liked this post!

Luna's eyes followed Wine's movements intently. Once she was at her place, the older Healer turned towards the spring. She jumped through the circle of stalagmites and came incredibly close to the body of water. She stared at it for a few seconds, ignoring the oppressive feeling which tried to bury her right where she stood. The lack of her own reflection on the water's surface sent a shiver down her spine. Instead of her own face staring back at her, she saw millions of glowing eyes. Hissing and whispers audible only to her greeted her ears, begging to be released.

She gathered herself, before holding her paw above the water, letting a few drops of Stella's blood fall into the crystal-clear lake. Once the first of the droplets touched the surface of the spring, she quickly drew her paw back.

"Now!" She yelled at Wine, before quickly taking a few steps back.

You have liked this post!

Wine watched Luna out of the corner of her eyes, shivering involuntarily as the lioness jumped closer to the body of water. She couldn't see exactly what was going on from here, but she could tell that this was no normal lake. Something reddish seemed to glint from the depths, though exactly what she couldn't say. She watched in memorization as the droplets of blood hit the water. She snapped out of this, though, as Luna shouted at her. Already in position, she just had to stretch her neck forward to catch the light just the right way, shedding blueish light over Luna.

You have liked this post!

The water in the lake began bubbling once the moonlight hit its surface. It wasn't long before a sudden screech broke the silence inside the cavern, as a flash of bright light blinded Wine for a split second. The sound of breaking glass could've been heard as every crystal in the cave shattered, except the one Wine had still in her mouth. A chill was present in the air and the temperature of the cavern dropped incredibly low. An eerie mist appeared out of nowhere, enabling the two lionesses to see anything further than the length of the paw.

Luna was unimpressed by all of it. She had seen it before. She only stared ahead, knowing full well what was about to come next.

You have liked this post!

Wine flinched at the sudden light and burst of noise but managed to hold her position, blinking rapidly to get rid of the dancing lights in her eyes. She froze in place, her jaw aching as she held onto the shard too hard. She stood stock still as the fog enveloped her, straining her eyes to see anything of what was happening down below. She braced herself for something more, a glimpse of the spirits or something similar.

You have liked this post!

Then, a sudden shriek could've been heard again, this time it was coming straight towards Wine. From the mist, a white silhouette of a lion appeared, flying through the air, it's jaws and claws extended and ready to strike Wine down. Before it could reach her, however, a sudden burst of flames erupted from somewhere below where Wine was standing, stiking the white lion and making it evaporate right before the young lioness's eyes. A deep, malicious chuckle echoed from under the outcropping of stone she was standing on, a figure of pure black vaguely visible through the dense fog.

You have liked this post!

Wine's fur puffed out as she heard a sudden shriek, too close for comfort. She unsheathed her claws and moved back, diminishing the amount of light the shard was reflecting. She felt an uncomfortable almost-crack feeling in her teeth and loosened her grip on the shard slightly. She stared the spirit down, and puffed up further as there was a burst of flames. She steeled herself, taking a breath and lifting her head again. She focused entirely on the shard, clearing her head of any emotions or thoughts. She watched the figure with a blank face.

You have liked this post!

Meanwhile, the fog has cleared slightly where Luna stood. She watched with a calm expression, as a black slime like mass crawled out of what was once a lake, forming into a shape of a lion with a mirthless cackle. She didn't even flinch as a ball of flame erupted from it, hitting something above her.

"Quite the entrance as usual Morpheus" She said nonechalantly.

You have liked this post!

Wine strained to see what was happening, hearing a cackle from the direction where Luna was standing. She heard the white lioness's voice saying dryly, "Quite the entrance as usual, Morpheus." Though she had never heard the name, she assumed it must be the spirit who had just appeared. Hearing how unconcerned Luna sounded, Wine relaxed even more. It didn't seem they were in any imminent danger.

You have liked this post!

"Wasn't it?" A voice emitted from the black mass, which started taking the shape of a lion as it approached Luna. First, the general features were visible, then the front and back legs separated from his torso before his head was formed. The remaining black slime ran down his body like water, returning to the lake. The fog has cleared more now, although it still remained in the corners of the cavern. Loud screeches and moans of pain were echoing all around the place, although the spirits kept away from where the lions were standing.

The lion who now stood in front of Luna was almost entirely black, with patches of even darker black covering some of his body. His stature was at least a head taller than Luna and definitely larger than Wine. His golden eyes stared down at the older lioness, a smirk making its way across his face.

(I'm a little curious, what is Black Adder's part to play in the apocalypse you had planned for your pride some time ago?)

You have liked this post!

The fog seemed to thin only slightly, enough for Wine to see part of what was going on below. She kept her head in the same position, though she had a bit of a cramp in her neck. Looking down as best she could, she saw a black demonic-looking lion who seemed to have come from the lake. She could hear what they were saying, though the screeches and moans drowned out some of their words. She wondered what it was Luna intended to do with this lion.

(To be honest, I'm having some trouble with timelines at this point. I've been hashing it out, but I sill haven't been able to place exactly where Black Adder and her experience with Monarch are in the timeline.)

You have liked this post!

"I wasn't sure you would be able to do this. Considering what you had to sacrifice to get here" The black lion chuckled, his words slithering like a snake about to strike. His form was now complete, and at some point a cape, as black as his pelt appeared around his neck, covering his torso and a part of his unusually bushy and long tail.

Luna's expression could've been made from stone.
"I did what was expected of me. I fufilled my part of the deal. Now, I'm free." She said coldly.

The male lion smirked, before approaching Luna a little closer.
"There is still one part of the pact that I was promised." He said, staring right into her eyes.

The achromia lioness resisted the urge to flinch at his stare. Her own eyes moved to where Wine was.
"She is all yours" Luna said, not taking her eyes away from Wine.

Morpheus snapped her head where Luna was looking, his grin only grew as he saw Wine standing on the outcropping of rock. His golden eyes seemed to stare deeply into her soul, his pupils small like pinpricks.

(Let me know once you are sure, I would love to find out if my concept for her story and personality was of any help to anyone )

You have liked this post!

Wine listened with breath so quiet she wasn't sure she was still breathing. She listened while every fur on her quivered with unease, and every thought tried to cluster into her forcibly empty mind. All of this, the deal, the ritual, everything that had led up to this felt distant, like she was only a lioness replaceable by any other. This was Luna's moment.

She could feel Luna's eyes bore into her, even though she couldn't see them well, and felt a chill just a moment before Luna spoke and confirmed what Wine had suspected all along. It was strange, though. Wine felt like she had known all along, and maybe it was just the unrealness of it all, but she felt unnaturally calm. Like she didn't have feelings at all.

Wine let go of the shard and it bounced down the side of the outcropping, pinging ever so quietly every time it hit rock. She was looking at the demon, and he was looking at her, but what she did didn't matter now. It was her against them, against the impossible power.

(After much thinking, I have it all worked out, and Black Adder plays a huge part. I won't go into detail - must PM you with a bit more, but essentially she's trying to help Monarch as he gets essentially possessed, and eventually figures out who Prairie Charm is and takes her on a journey to free the soul from her body. Her snake will end up killing Wine.
As for what's happening right now, I had a bit of an idea for my pride's interaction for Morpheus: perhaps around now, Morpheus can either kind of take over Wine, or make a deal with her. She wants Monarch dead, and she'll give him anything. When the time comes that she brings Monarch to him, though, Monarch will offer him whatever he wants for immortality, including the entire pride's consciences/souls. You change/add whatever you want.)

You have liked this post!

Something unexpected happened. The demon's smile turned warm suddenly, as if seeing a small cub that was priceless to him.

"Don't be scared young one. Come down so we can talk." His voice was overly sweet and soothing, not immediatly threatening. It installed a sense of trust and comfort that felt as right as it felt wrong.

Luna didn't move an inch, only her tail swayed gently from side to side. She looked older than she did before, her eyes staring blankly at the situation which was now unfolding.

(I love that concept! Although I thought Oju would kill Color Crackle first before anybody else XD Feel free to pm me but on discord if you could. I'm running out of space on Lioden.
As for what is happening right now I think it's a great idea! Although there will be conscequences for the immortality when it comes to Monarch, something more than the souls of his pride belonging to the dream demon. Right now I thought about Morpheus making Wine his "partner in crime" if you know what I mean. I also think he might make her have this slime effect she has with her decor in the game)

You have liked this post!

Wine's expression didn't change as the demon's did, and she didn't exactly feel relieved, but she did feel some slight tension dissipate. She couldn't tell just what it was he intended, but for now her only choice was to play along and see whose side what he would do. She felt both comforted and uneased by his voice, but she slowly made her way down, eyes trained on him the whole way. She didn't look at Luna. She didn't say anything, waiting for Morpheus to say whatever he wanted to say.

(Color Crackle's definitely going down :) I'll PM you on discord as soon as I can. I figured immortality would have a pretty big price, but I leave that up to you. I like the idea of hem partnering up, and definitely of her getting the slime decor! Just so you know, I'm currently travelling, so I may not be able to respond again until 3-4 days from now.)

You have liked this post!