Darkness opening unto hell: another day in the labyrinth. Waves of heat distorted the stone walls, making shadows dance and twist like the imagined denizens of the fiery pit he sought. He stirred after a moment, body aching slightly from the days (surely it had been days, though within the caves there was no sure way to know) without food and water. By now he knew what to do, and before even rising he turned to lick at his fur, where steam had condensed into tiny drops of water. Nothing like a real drink, but it wet his tongue enough to make it bearable. Any little bit would help, would keep him strong. And he would need that strength—today he’d surely find the gates to Hell, and with them his name. That was all that remained.
From where do you hail?…That thought had plagued him first, though it had seemed easy enough for the first moments at least. ‘Am I not from the northeast? I am of the Firekin, I hail from the desert.’ Of course the thought, once dismissed, became more troublesome. What if that was not what they’d meant him to answer? Anyone could repeat their homeland’s name; surely it was something more they sought.
What then? From where do you hail…Where did he hail from now? He was a member of the Aikanaro’hini. He was born of the Firekin. He’d seen nearly every pride known between. Something tugged at his heart. These answers weren’t good enough. At first the silence had been comforting, but now the pure silence of the inner volcano was louder than if someone had stood beside him and screamed into his ear. Even the stones and steam were silent, their usual rhythm dulled in respect for the rite itself or scorn for the one who claimed to know them well enough to hear it.
The second ‘day’ had found him bellowing as he explored, if only to force sound into the area. His demon fed on sound and song; within the silent walls he was deprived. It was assumed he could speak with his demon on the matters of this test…after all, his demon was him, and he was his demon. Wasn’t the point of this to prove just that?
((UNFINISHED. Will get back to this ASAP.))
