Ankyra Sound that it has returned to dust

scarab pokes his head in a small cavern, inspecting it with a critical eye not yet at the point where he considers his ability to fit into it as he grows. for now, he can and it appears to be secluded enough that he doesn't think anyone will bother his menagerie; especially after reyes' partial destruction of his lesser items — thankfully at the time he had yet to find the crown jewel of his collection. finding a new and secluded place to store his belongings had become top priority. replacing the feathers and crushed bird skulls would come after.

it's as scarab shuffles back out of the small cavern mouth that he hears the sound of footfalls. in the grotto where sound echoes and carries effortlessly he is not able to accurately discern how close the other was but he takes a small comfort in the realization that they sounded much too heavy to belong to any of his siblings. an adult is scarab's safe assumption ...and yet it doesn't exactly bring any sort of comfort to him. scarab, still very young, doesn't yet understand that the burning swell of fire in his chest: that hard push of emotions is a combination of dominance and possession.

hello? he calls out into the velveteen darkness of the grotto, eyes scanning the writhing shadows, hoping to garner the attention of the other.