Phantom Hollow The price you're paying for your silence.

Over a week had passed since the birth of @Damien and @Nocturnal's litter, and the first of them to open his eyes was Venamis. At first, he took zero notice to his latest development that morning when he roused for one of the day's many feeds; he drank deep his mother's milk, eager to have his fill before a brother or sister attempted to rob him of his favoured teat to suckle.

The sable infant's jaws parted, breaking the suction with a satisfied pop! before his tongue snaked between his lips as he prepared to deliver a wide yawn. It was when his mouth closed over again that his attention was drawn to the unusual shapes around him: blurry and all in muted monochrome shades, he remained quiet and still as he took a few moments to consider what they might be.

He didn't feel threatened or fearful, simply curious as he blinked his new eyes and looked around the family's dim hollow.

While Venamis took in the splendor of his newfound vision, Zannah remained in the dark—literally. While her brother discerned his new world, she ate as though she hadn't eaten in days. Grunting every so often as she ravenously devoured their mother's milk, she had no regard towards the mess she was making.

He lifted his oversized head, blinking his bleary eyes as he shuffled to better explore his new surroundings. Venamis could see next to nothing but dark shapes, blurry and uninteresting, until something moved just beneath his snout. The cub's nostrils flared, inhaling the warm scents of the sibling closest to him, and he exhaled in a curious "rrooo?"

She would not hear him, of course, but Venamis was not to know. The adults tended to respond with gentle touches or kisses whenever he mewled out loud, so he felt it safe to assume that the other small bodies close to him might do likewise. When Zannah did not come toward him, the obsidian youngster opted to crawl in her direction.

He accidentally pressed his face to her dark cheek, but grasped the opportunity to better explore her features with his nose.

Zan’s feast was interrupted, and was displeased due to the inconvenience that Venamis has caused her.

With her mouth full of milk, she unlatched and protested her brother’s actions with a gurgle. Zan only realized that talking with a mouth full was bad as milk spilled from her mouth and onto her chest.

Everything was suddenly terrible, and Zan began to cry. She wasn’t sure how she could get herself out of her current predicament, but she knew that crying often helped her get what she wanted.

He had not expected the small dark creature to spit out the contents of her mouth in protest. Truthfully, he wasn't entirely aware of what happened - having continued his snuffling at the side of her face as she unlatched from a nipple - until his muzzle touched something warm and moist. It was then that Venamis removed his snout, wrinkling his stubby nose in distaste.

A tiny tongue poked between his lips as he detected the aroma of milk with his next breath, and this was enough to distract and draw him in even though he wasn't hungry. Like a moth to flame, Venamis fixed his blurry sister with a determined stare and attempted to gather whatever part of her was closest between his gaping jaws.

Zannah's cheek was clutched unexpectedly between Venamis' jaws. She grew stiff in response, unsure of what to do. But then, realizing that this was something she decidedly did not want, her crying resumed. Only this time, she was much loud then she had been previously.

Today was not Zannah's day.

He chomped down hard (not really, but it felt like it!) and pretty much gummed Zannah to death as she wailed in horror, but his delight at finding a new chewy was short-lived. One of the adults, likely their mother, intervened by poking him away with their snout.

Venamis forgot about the incident almost immediately, while his sister was very likely traumatised by the whole ordeal in which he nearly ate her face. The boy contented himself among his other litter-mates, booping them with his snout and investigating each new blurry sight before him.

An unknown entity interfered, and Zan was thankful. At last, she was at peace. With her newfound freedom, the young Spiderling turned her attention back to what she had been doing previous: stuffing her face.

In time, the entire ordeal was forgotten. Once her appetite had been sufficiently satiated, Zannah curled up at her mother's side and fell asleep.