"Where are we?"
Well, it was a simple question. Nahual knew that much, but she could not remember exactly where she had ended up. She had traveled to the city of Pittsburgh, 'the Pitts' as she liked to call it. The journey down from the mountains had been long, but worthwhile. She had fed along the way, of course, lest she devolve into madness and lose all control over her form. The biomass had to be maintained, but-
Grr, it occurred to her that she had not fed herself. At least, not how she should have. Beef jerky and squirrels simply were not enough caloric intake, she was no longer a small thing. Nahual smacked herself on the head gently, her hand was oddly warm and wet. Squinting in the darkness, she looked at her fingers and wondered if they were always red. No, she decided quickly, they were not. Her clothes- a nice white blouse, a soft white shawl, and a lovely black skirt, were stained blood red and caked in biological debris. Hair, bone chips, sinew strands, and so much coagulated blood. She couldn't see it in the darkness, but she could smell and feel it.
Ah, of course. She had fed. Even if she did not recall, the evidence was clear. How to clean the evidence was the new question. Looking around, Nahual realized she wasn't exactly sure where she had hidden herself. Feeling out, she came in contact with the walls around her fairly quickly. Ceramics and mortar- brickwork? She was in a pitch-black tube of circular bricks, how peculiar. Below her- oh that was feces, disgusting. Had she eaten in a feces hole? That was embarrassing! She was better than that! Groaning, she picked a direction and started walking.
Blegh, it stunk. Nahual worried that her initial lack of notice of the smells was evidence of her nose adjusting to it naturally, without her input. That was disappointing. Slowly, she began to adjust her eyes. She had eaten enough creatures of the night to know how to change her eyes to see in the dark, but if it was still light outside then she'd be blind the moment she exited this tunnel. Cringing internally at the pain of blinding light, Nahual decided that was a risk she'd need to take. The last thing she wanted was to accidentally trip on something in here and fall.
Oh, oh the horror. If she fell now- the mere thought made Nahual want to retch. But retching lost precious biomass, and she could spare no more than that which she consumed now for her eyes. Outside, freedom, that's what was needed now. Giving herself a few reassuring pats, the creature of biological nature reassured herself by speaking aloud, "Focus, Nahual, focus. We are getting free." and she wondered if such outward assurances were an acquired trait of a creature she ate, or from something far more primal.
No, focus. Freedom.
Well, it was a simple question. Nahual knew that much, but she could not remember exactly where she had ended up. She had traveled to the city of Pittsburgh, 'the Pitts' as she liked to call it. The journey down from the mountains had been long, but worthwhile. She had fed along the way, of course, lest she devolve into madness and lose all control over her form. The biomass had to be maintained, but-
Grr, it occurred to her that she had not fed herself. At least, not how she should have. Beef jerky and squirrels simply were not enough caloric intake, she was no longer a small thing. Nahual smacked herself on the head gently, her hand was oddly warm and wet. Squinting in the darkness, she looked at her fingers and wondered if they were always red. No, she decided quickly, they were not. Her clothes- a nice white blouse, a soft white shawl, and a lovely black skirt, were stained blood red and caked in biological debris. Hair, bone chips, sinew strands, and so much coagulated blood. She couldn't see it in the darkness, but she could smell and feel it.
Ah, of course. She had fed. Even if she did not recall, the evidence was clear. How to clean the evidence was the new question. Looking around, Nahual realized she wasn't exactly sure where she had hidden herself. Feeling out, she came in contact with the walls around her fairly quickly. Ceramics and mortar- brickwork? She was in a pitch-black tube of circular bricks, how peculiar. Below her- oh that was feces, disgusting. Had she eaten in a feces hole? That was embarrassing! She was better than that! Groaning, she picked a direction and started walking.
Blegh, it stunk. Nahual worried that her initial lack of notice of the smells was evidence of her nose adjusting to it naturally, without her input. That was disappointing. Slowly, she began to adjust her eyes. She had eaten enough creatures of the night to know how to change her eyes to see in the dark, but if it was still light outside then she'd be blind the moment she exited this tunnel. Cringing internally at the pain of blinding light, Nahual decided that was a risk she'd need to take. The last thing she wanted was to accidentally trip on something in here and fall.
Oh, oh the horror. If she fell now- the mere thought made Nahual want to retch. But retching lost precious biomass, and she could spare no more than that which she consumed now for her eyes. Outside, freedom, that's what was needed now. Giving herself a few reassuring pats, the creature of biological nature reassured herself by speaking aloud, "Focus, Nahual, focus. We are getting free." and she wondered if such outward assurances were an acquired trait of a creature she ate, or from something far more primal.
No, focus. Freedom.
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