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The day technically started like any other ordinary day.
Albrety awoke to rain outside his hut, not his favorite kind of weather, but he minded it less than some of the other cat followers. And thanks to the regularly warm summer air, it at least wasn’t cold.
A warm, humid, late summer day, overcast with a day-long rain shower. Nothing extraordinary. Those days happened every now and then. Yet still….something was in the air. A tension. Like the calm before a storm.
Maybe it was his, still pretty new, statues as a disciple that allowed him to pick up on it. He heard from the others that The Lambs divine blessing could grant those closest under him heightened instincts, and in case of the demon born, even abilities. Then again…maybe Leshys mood was just rubbing off on him.
Albrety sighed quietly, whipping sweat and rain from his brow as he sat up, looking at the seedlings he had just planted. The white cloak, with it’s big hood, that he had gotten from The Lamb, was pretty helpful at protecting him from the rain. Still, there was only so much protection the garment could grant him from the wet element, and the hemline had already started to die itself green with grass stains. Something that keept happening to all his clothes lately.
Speaking of green…Albretys eyes trailed from the little plant in front of him, to the side and up, locking onto a specific forest demon. Leshy had his head turned towards the cloud covered sky, seemingly unbothered by the rain, and also unbothered by the idea that he normally had a job to do. Usually, the demon would help Albrety with the field work. That had become a constant, like waking up in the morning. Or like breathing. But the worm had been distracted the entire day…quiet, tense. Like he was with his mind somewhere else, or anticipating something… And he wasn’t the only one that acted weird today.
Heket too, seemed more agitated and easy to anger than normally. And that was saying something, considering she always seemed to be on the moody side. Meanwhile Kallamar was infecting the entire medical bay staff with his skittish, anxious energy. Surprising, considering the head doctor normally displayed an almost cocky calm, after finding his place in the cult. As for Narinder? No one had even seen a trace of the black cat the entire day.
Something was going on with the weird set of siblings. Albrety just didn’t know what, or how to even start figuring it out. But he’d be lying if he claimed that it wasn’t making him nervous.
If The Lamb was here, he would consider asking him for advice. But The Lamb left on a mission to Silkcradel days ago, and hadn’t returned yet. Still, if Albrety didn’t do something, the tense atmosphere might just actually suffocate him!
“Leshy?” The cat called out, trying to get the others' attention. But for all the good hearing that the worm possessed, he didn’t react one bit. The last three attempts at striking up a conversation earlier had gone similarly. Albrety pressed his lips together in a thin line, worry creasing his brows as his paws balled to fists on top of his lap. Normally he wasn’t one to push. Normally he’d just let it slide, wait till the worm opened up on his own, or returned to his usual self. But normally Leshy also didn’t silently stare holes into the air for hours on end! Something was clearly wrong, and Albrety was getting really worried.
The air felt tenser than before.
So, he tried again. Calling the worms name louder this time, almost shouting. That finally got him a reaction. Like being startled from a dream, the worms head snapped in the cats direction. Teeth bared, till he realized who was sitting in the mud in front of him. The reaction did nothing to soothe the felines worry.
“You’ve been acting off all day…” Slowly, as to not slip in the rain, Albrety stood up, his tail swishing anxiously behind him. “Is something going on?” His voice was both serious and worried as he stepped closer to the worm. “You can talk to me, you know that. Right?” Now the worried tone was taking over. One of his paws placed itself on the others shoulder, and for a moment it looked like Leshy was actually about to answer.
But then something shifted in the air. Something that made a shiver run down Albretys back, and caused Leshys leaves to bristle.
Leshys head snapped in the general direction of the temple. No…not the temple. Something more east? The summoning stone perhaps, or the graveyard?
"They're back…” before Albrety could question what Leshy meant by that, the worm grabbed the cats wrist, and in a speed truly astonishing for someone blind, dragged them across the cult grounds towards his destination of choice. The rain was getting stronger, and Albrety had to place a paw atop of his hood to keep it from blowing off as he tried to keep pace with the worm. Because it was either keep up, or land face first in the mud. And chance was that he would still be dragged along even then.
Mud and grass turned to stone under their feet as they crossed the plaza, and from the corner of his eye, Albrety was sure he was a black tail disappear through the Temples entrance as they passed by, before the doors closed shut again. His attention was quickly drawn to something else though as Leshy suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. With a small “umpf” he ran directly into the demon's back. Leshy changed his grip on him and steadied Albrety before the impact could send the cat to the ground. The worms non existent gaze wasn’t even pointed in his direction though. Leshys entire attention lay on something ahead of them.
Albretys eyes followed where Leshy was facing, and landed on the summoning stone just a few meters away. His breath hitched for a moment at the purple glow emitting from it. From the energy in the air that made the rain sizzle like a thunderstorm.
Behind the summoning stone, Albrety could spot Kallamar, standing in front of the medical bays entrance, but not stepping closer. From what the cat knew, The Lamb had placed the medical bay close to the summoning circle because new followers they found on crusades were sometimes hurt or ill. It was the most practical spot for it, guaranteeing quick care for those new to the cult. The placement seemed to have never bothered Kallamar. But even from this distance, Albrety could make out the concerned, yet determined look on the squids face. Like he was expecting to have to defend his territory, his patients, from whatever would show up on the summoning stone.
A quick look around told the cat that Heket wasn’t here yet. Though if whatever was laying in wait in the stones magic drew both Leshy and Kallamar here, it would probably just be a question of time till their sister showed up as well.
Movement caught the cats attention and he looked back to Leshy as the worm started approaching the summoning stone further. His step cautious, his shoulders tense. Albrety reached a hand out on instinct, to stop him, his fur under his coat bristling slightly from nervousness. Though the sound of a bell approaching interrupted his intentions, and in the next moment a shout rang across the plaza, loud enough to win over the rain.
“Leshy, stop !” The demon froze in his step as the voice of The Lamb called out to him. A moment later, their leader came to a sliding halt in front of the summoning stone. The Lamb held up one hand in a stop-gesture towards Leshy, useless, considering the worm couldn’t see it, while quickly catching his breath from the sprint all the way here from the cult entrance. They straightened up a moment later, fully back to being a leader.
“I don’t know how they will react to being here. You and the others were already unhappy with waking up here, I assume it might be worse with them. Let me talk to them first!”
An agitated chitter escaped Leshy at their leaders words, leaves bristling, and Albrety looked worriedly to him. The demon only made those sounds when he was distressed…
“You really think they would want to talk to YOU , false prophet!” the worm growled, and Albrety saw The Lamb tense up.
“Who are you two talking about?” The cat decided to step in, nervously, worried, before things could escalate. His hand grabbed for Leshys sleeve on instinct, and the other seemed to relax the slightest bit under the contact.
“The last of us, the first of us in power and time.” The demon answered, voice still tense, but not growling anymore. “That’s a weird way of saying ‘our oldest sibling’...” The Lamb muttered, turning halfway away from the cat and worm.
“Oh, you mean Shamura?” Albrety piped up, looking at his companion fully now. “I heard your siblings talk about them before.” He elaborated with a slightly apologetic smile after he saw Leshy tense up at the mentioned name, his face scrunching up slightly in an unreadable expression. Did they get separated on bad terms? Was that why all of them had acted weird today? He wondered if the demon siblings had somehow been able to feel the return of their oldest. Maybe some kind of family-sixth-sense?
Before he could say anything else though, The Lamb cut into the conversation.
“I mean it, Leshy. Let me talk to them first!” He sternly reminded, before fully turning to the summoning stone. This time, the forest demon didn’t object, just bared his fangs quietly.
The moment The Lamb reached a hand out to the summoning stone, it erupted in a flash of light. Albrety had to shield his eyes from the sudden brightness. When he opened them again, the summoning stone was no longer empty. Instead, a demon sat upon it. Purple in color, their form hunched over and drawn in on itself, and dressed in torn apart clothes that bore a similarity to those that Heket and Kalamar had been wearing when arriving. He wondered briefly if Leshy had worn the same when he arrived.
There was a small sound that mixed itself under the rain, making Albretys ear flick. He shortly laid them flat against his head when thunder roared through the storm, following in the footsteps of lightning that had brightened the sky moments prior, before he tried to concentrate on the noise he heard before. Was it…muttering? Yeah. Yeah, he was pretty sure the demon was muttering something. He only managed to make out some of the words when their voice became a bit louder though.
“Five become four-…become three-…two-…one become none-…” The demon keept repeating their muttering like a mantra. Maybe they were confused? Albretys eyes landed on the bandage atop their head as the Lamb went to crouch before the new follower. Or maybe they were hurt…?
What happened next, happened so quickly that Albrety couldn’t even react.
He noticed Leshy beside him stiffen as the purple demon, Shamura, raised their head the moment The Lamb called their name and extended a hand out to them. And in a blink of a moment, Leshy lurched forward, grabbed The Lamb by his fleece, and yanked him backwards. The ground split, and a sound like thunder sounded as a sharp claw connected with a bundle of thorned vines.
There were shocked gasps, one gruffer than the others, and in the back of his mind Albrety noted that Heket must have arrived. The Lamb looked at the vines from his new position on the floor, and blinked with an expression so empty, Albrety wasn’t quite sure if they were thinking at all right now. Nex to the cat, Leshy let go of The Lambs fleece as if he had burned himself on the fabric. When amber eyes turned to the worm, Albrety was only slightly surprised to find Leshy just as shocked as everyone else. Body tense, like he had just been struck by lightning, while his hands hovered in the air.
There was a hissing sound, mixed with a chattering noise that made the cats ears turn back in discomfort. He couldn’t see the heretic from here, the vines blocking his view, but he was pretty sure that the spider was no longer in a seated position.
“What…is the meaning of this…?” Their voice was low, a hissing sound behind each word. Out of the corner of his eyes, Albrety could see Leshy grimace and the vines started to retreat back into the ground. The spider cut the last of them down with one swift move, the claw adorning one of their many back legs glinting as lightning split the sky.
Their posture was straight, elegant despite the tattered robes…intimidating. Four eyes glowed an eerie red as they bore into Leshy with a look of furious anger. It made Albrety take a step back, despite the look not being directed at him, his tail twitching nervously, before coiling around his own leg. He flinched slightly as Leshy raised his arm and extended it in front of him. Almost in a protective manner, as if to shield the cat from the spider.
He didn’t have time to think too much about it, as the heretic raised their voice again. And he almost wished he hadn’t listened to the next words spoken.
“Leshy of Darkwood… Worm of Chaos! Beast of destruction and everything unorderly. My brother!… WHAT is the meaning of this!” Shamura hissed, furious anger dripping from their voice as their eyes lowered in an expression of betrayed disappointment.
Their words soaked into Albretys mind like poison, and the world around him turned to quiet static. Maybe the rain had gotten stronger, and that was why he could hear nothing but the spiders words?
But he knew those titles… He knew them from his childhood. From his past before The Lamb rescued him from the hunter. From the whispers of other previous darkwood residents…
“Why did you shield this lamb? Are you intending to stand in the way of our crusade?! Of ME?!” The spider took a step forward, The Lamb rose to his feet. Shriveling and dried up vines crunched under Shamuras feet. “Blasphemy! I can’t believe another sibling of mine would turn to betrayal! Have you forgotten why we are conducting this holly genocide?!” They spat.
Rain water. Albrety could feel rain water run down his back, making him shiver.
Crazy…this heretic had to be crazy! Surely the head injury was at fault! The genocide they spoke of could be no other than the one that eliminated the lambs. A genocide that had took place multiple live times ago! And yet the spider spoke of it as if they were the one who had orchestrated it. They had to be delusional! Otherwise their words would make no-
“The killing of the lambs is long in the past, Shamura!”
Leshy shouldn’t have been able to summon vines… The only demons able to use magic in the cult were The Lambs disciples. Leshy was no disciple.
“We failed! This here is the last lamb, and this vile beast has long taken victory as his own!”
Albretys slowly turned his eyes back to Leshy. It took a moment and felt like time passed in slow motion before he managed to focus his gaze on the green worm.
“There is no crusade anymore! Narinder roams free, and The Lamb brat wealds his powers!”
The demon had his teeth bared to the spider.
Albrety shivered again. Surely more rain water…
The one that stood beside him was no longer Leshy. His eyes where playing tricks on him, overlaying the figure with the shadowy image of something he only knew from statues.
Biger antlers, like dead tree branches reaching down to catch unsuspecting prey, godly robes laced with golden embroidery. There were cross-like stakes atop it’s head, a crown hovering between them…. The figure of a god towered over the cat, and Albrety smelled fire and blood…
The image was gone as quickly as it came, the rest of what was spoken was turned out by rain and thunder, a ringing in the cat's ears.
He remembered a worm that loved red camelia, that had nightmares some nights, and spent days watching over him when he was sick. Who straight up ignored those he deemed uninteresting and had the bravery to growl at their leader, yet walked away scot free. A worm that knew plants better than anyone else he met, whos claws were so much gentler than they looked when carting through yellow fur or inspecting delicate flower petals. He remembered the one that had gotten him out of the mines…
And for the first time, Albrety wondered…
Who was Leshy really..?