Disgusting.

Detritus. Filth. Mounds of putrescent waste, pushed into a corner, out-of-sight, out-of-mind, until the rains wash it away. It doesn't matter where you come from. Where you go. There's always a drain. A ditch. An alleyway. Somewhere people prefer not to look, where refuse comes to gather.

Bland.

Like anywhere else, a city must have a slum. The bigger the city, the more there were. Fortunate, too. The guards wouldn't let her in.

… No good.

A small figure sits hunched over in the darkness, fidgeting occasionally over a pile of garbage. The distinct sound of a wet crunch fills the air, then a spitting noise and a grunt of frustration.

So … hungry.

She kept thinking to herself, tossing the discarded nutrients to the side. A lump of some indescribable, rotten matter that was probably food at one point, but couldn't even be considered as much now. She digs through the pile some more, looking for something, anything, when a piece falls of its own accord. Her eyes dart.

A rat.

Leaping, she pounces on it before it can get far. A distressed squeak. A snap. The squelch as sharp fangs tear into still-warm flesh, the muted spatter of hot blood as it falls onto cold, frosted mud. A puff of warm vapor drifting up between bites.

Not enough.[//b]

Home was not an option. She betrayed him. All for her love of Kieran. Why else would she send Taryn and Arziros to him, away from Elwin? They were his, now under the net cast by his brother. Mother attacked him, dragged him halfway across the continent as his conscience was trapped within. Then she left him with them. Her secret past of cultists who worshiped dragons. Krizira was no longer to be trusted and Aerik would back his wife. Zerrifa was too absorbed in her books to be of any use to him.

Elwin strode through the slums of Adeluna, the black tunic with silver thread too pristine, the fur-lined cloak too rich for the area. Only his once polished boots were now caked with mud. He knew full well he stood out as he confidently took each step. How many trainers had he broken, sparring partners he's nearly killed? Street dwellers held no threat to the noble. Instead, he was actually looking for someone to attempt something, anything. There were things he wanted to experiment with.

His steps faltered, suddenly pinching the bridge of his nose as a surge of voices assaulted his mind. Memories that were not his, knowledge he must push back into the back of his mind. Elwin ducked into an alleyway with a scowl, pausing to lean against the wall with frustration. He previously thought he had that under control. Farther down, something moved in the shadows, quick as a cat pouncing prey. However, this creature was larger than some house cat. Elwin watched as the pitiful child-sized thing feast upon a rat with a growing grin. "Hungry little thing, aren't ya?" He reached into his pocket and produced a shiny apple, offering it to the creature, curious to its origins and how it came to be.

The sound of footsteps. She pauses, a bestial ear rotating, seeking would be threats. A voice - Genesis instinctively flinches against the wall as her eyes snap to the source. Her eyes, shining with a dull yellowish gleam in the twilight of the moons, dart between her kill and the man.

The meaning of his words as he extended the fruit were familiar to her. For another moment, she hesitated. Was it that man? No. She hadn't seen him for many moons. Genesis sniffs the air. Different smell. 

Food. He was holding food. A trap? Like a cornered animal, she took measured, staggered steps to approach the offering, ready to flee at a moment's notice. Suspicious eyes flicked from apple to face, face to environment, choosing the best escape route if need be. The man seemed fit enough. Good for a chase. Dexterity suspect. Her strange hand, fingers split at the joints like an insect's shell, tentatively reach for the apple. Provided he doesn't withdraw suddenly, she attempts to snatch and devour it.

Icy orbs watched each movement of hesitance. It was clear this creature had spent most of its life fending for oneself, having learned distrust. People lie. They cheat. They con others and are cruel. Feline eyes were full of suspicion, examining and planning his motives, modes of escape. It weighed her options against the ache of the belly, an ache Elwin did not yet know.

A single brow rose as he noticed the strangeness of its hand, careful to keep his movements to a minimum. He allowed the creature to take the apple, his hand retreating to the warmth of the cloak as he watched it devour the food. "What are you?" he breathed the question to himself. The next few minutes passed in silence as he pondered the next step. Voices in the memories spoke of a variety of creatures, yet none of them seemed to match this curious oddity.

Elwin had much to learn about this creature before anything can be planned. "It's time to leave the shadows, little one. I can protect you." Once more, his hand was offered, a rare sincere smile adorned his face. "I will provide for you. Food, shelter, clothing. Never shall you want for anything." He took his cloak off, holding it open as he offered to drape it over its shoulders. Thanks to the memories, Elwin gained a plethora of knowledge including spells and incantations. He could always summon himself another cloak should the creature accept the offered one.

Genesis's mouth splits at the seams as she snaps into the apple. Fresh. Enough. Not her first choice of meals, but still satisfactory. The entire thing is gone, core included, in a matter of moments. Her entire body freezes as her eyes flit between invisible points in space, whispering out loud. "Fiber. Sugar. Sweet. Acid. Corrosive. Useful." She sniffs her fingers, tapping the sticky stains together. "Residue becomes adhesive when dried … useful."

Genesis licks her hands clean, expelling a small burp as she remembers the situation. Eye contact. The man has spoken. The lack of comprehension is written all over her still face. She had not listened to a word he said, not at first. In the full illumination of the moons, an almost alien intelligence seemed to radiate from the girl, as if processing every single instant in excruciating detail. The offer for shelter and food, that was not missed. 

"Who …" The words seem slow, forced, shaped by a mouth not meant to speak them. "Who are you? Why not afraid?" She sniffs the air again, a sharp punctuation in the stillness of night. No scent lingered that would rouse suspicion. 

She looks to the cloak. Another offering. Not food. Protection. Minimal. She attempts to take it and inspect it, clearly misunderstanding the gesture. 

Well, that was different. Whatever the creature was, it seemed to dissect the different attributes of the consumed nutrition. It was testing it, determining what was useful about the discoveries. Elwin was genuinely interested the longer he stood there observing this sentient being so much more pure and innocent than his two-year-old son despite the older appearance. He waited patiently for the creature to make a decision on his offer.

There was something very intelligent about her, at least he was assuming it was a she as words slowly formed on her lips. Something intelligent and very primal. Arziros would be tainted by Kieran's loving nature but with this discarded and ignored creature, Elwin saw a beautiful future of possibilities. "My name is Elwin. Should I be afraid?" He watched as she took the cloak and inspected it, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. "Put it on your shoulders, like this." Slowly, he reached out to assist should she let him. "To keep you warm."

Due to her hesitance about his sincerity, Elwin knew that he had to win her trust, earn her loyalty. Sadly, it required a ton of time, which meant Elwin would have to borrow a page from their father's book. To get something that is desired may often take time, he supposed. "Shall we? I'll take you out of the garbage, now. Get you cleaned up, yes?" He took a step back, gesturing towards the entrance of the alley where he had come with a smile. They would go at her pace, slowly build that confidence in him.

Genesis takes the cloak warily, still suspicious. Should he be afraid? "Unsure. Most react … poorly." She shifts slightly, and the dark gleam of a shallow cut leaking black fluid, a memento from her earlier encounter with the city guard. Holding the cloak, Genesis seems at first to take it as Elwin instructs. The fibrous material scrapes against her skin, and while it does grant an added level of warmth … "Uncomfortable."  She removes the cloak and in a single swift movement, devours it. " Will save for later." A breeze comes through, and she shivers. "Adapt." A heavy wolven pelt forms over skin, and the shivering ceases. Her stomach growls from the sudden expense of energy, and her hand holds cups her abdomen. "… Hungry."She looks up to Elwin. Then to the end of the alleyway. Open road. Not safe. But maybe safe with him. She takes a step closer to the man, as if hiding herself against him, and attempts to take his hand. "Food?"

Most reacted out of fear of that which they did not know. The strange, malformed, or misunderstood were often the most abused. Elwin could understand the poor reactions this poor creature was forced to endure. It was almost enough to move Elwin to a state of pity… Almost. "Well, I won't react poorly." After he assisted her with the cloak, she shifted beneath it before taking it off and ate it. The nobleman stood there, wide-eyed for a moment. "Okay… Not what I expected," Elwin stated simply.

Her next action, however, adapting to the chilly breeze, made him hum with curiosity. By sheer will, a pelt of fur grows over her skin. She was simply a wonder, something to be respected. With the right tutelage, she could have anything. He laughed at her innocent one-word sentences. "Yes, the apple wasn't much, was it? Adapting took energy, right?" Elwin accepted her hand and began to guide her from the alleyway.

"I don't have any more on me right now," he explained. "But I will take you to food." As they were completely exposing themselves to the openness of the road, Elwin glanced the opposite direction, where he spied a few guards yanking the hoods off cloaked citizens before pushing them away. They were on a manhunt. Confident that he was not their target, he held his head high as he gently led the creature further down the road. Yet his eyes never stopped observing their environment, searching for the possible threats lurking in the shadows.

"Halt!" A deep voice commanded from behind. He glanced over his shoulder to see the guards had abandoned their search and now pointed spears at them. His gaze narrowed. "On what charges?"

Genesis nods in response to his inquiries, the growing abscess within her gut tugging at her consciousness as if the hand she tugged Elwin's. Shyly, cautiously, she walked beside him and out into the road. The flicker of firelight caught the corner of her eyes. A torch.  {i]The guards.

She tucked herself closer to him and pulls a little in the opposite direction of the guard's path. She did not wish to encounter them again, though more than anything, the flickering of that torch filled her with dread. Abstract memories, instincts calling upon echoes of a distant past, told her to fear the fire. And fear it she did. Far more than the sharp bite of their metal blades. Genesis lowers her head and shutters her vision, limiting it so she can only see both Elwin's and her own feet to avoid tripping. She could ignore the light easier that way. 

Unfortunately, it seemed to work too well. She was so focused on ignoring the fire, Genesis failed to pay any attention to the sound of guards moving again - approaching. The deep voice, the command. Genesis's head snapped up and in a panic looked behind herself. They were coming. She jumped to Elwin's other side, shielding herself from the guards. The small creature leans around so only part of her face is visible, hissing aggressively at the torches. One of the guards calls out. "There it is! He has the monster! Get it before it escapes!"

The fact that the creature pressed closer to him had not escaped his notice, which meant that she had a fear of them. Chances were rising that the manhunt was actually for the creature at his side. As the creature jumped behind him in panic, where she peeked around him as a child in fear would, except she hissed similarly to a feline giving a warning. While his hand was warning her to stay behind him, Elwin took a deep breath to fill his entire diaphragm. When he released it, his breath was dense and billowed as it expanded and covered the area immediately around them in a thick fog.

His voice was deep and powerful as he said a single word. "Bel." In his hand, his sword appeared as Elwin darted forward, his sword moving in perfect form. Before the guards knew what had happened, blood was spurting from the shoulders where a head used to sit on the man who had given the orders. While his body began to loosen all control over his muscles and gravity drag it to the earth, another guard collapsed far quicker and just as dead. The third, and final guard found himself kicked in the back of the knees, his helmet discarded somewhere with a sharp blade at his throat.

The fog dispersed, allowing him to see the creature before them, Elwin holding a fistful of his hair and tilting his head back. "Here's what we're going to do. You're going to apologize to her. Tell her you'll never bother her again." While he spoke dangerously low to the guard, his lips almost brushing against the man's ear, Elwin grinned at the creature. "Dinner?"