Dark are the streets, gloom's creeping out of the walls
There was something off about that night. Perhaps it was the storm on the horizon that sent bar-goers home early, perhaps it was that strange chill and the sense that you didn’t want to be outside. Whatever it was, even the busy port was quiet, winding streets deserted as darkness pooled across the roads and storm clouds threatened overhead. The wind swept a lone flier across one alley, and if it caught your attention you might have been unfortunate enough to spot the flash of silver in the dark.
Demons and fools and a lady of black
She's of the kind nighttime-insomniac
The scream was enough to draw the attention of everyone. No one dared help, no one dared investigate what occurred- except one woman. She walked the night like she owned it, the companion at her side a muscular beast. The dog stopped at the entrance to the alley way, wrinkling her nose in disgust. It was here.... She nudged something with her paw and grimaced. What an end, even for a cat.
Maeko bent down to examine the snowy form, touching it gently before turning her eyes onto a shivering form beside a garbage can. A knife clattered to the ground somewhere nearby. “Nyx.” The doberman shot after receding footsteps just as the rain began to fall. There would be no escape for the criminal tonight.
Dead are the places where this goddess has been....
Flickering lantern light caught the reflective glow of feline eyes. “Morris! Melanie! What are you guys doing?”
We be creepin’!
Stalkins the night!
They can’t stay. A Sun Gryphon declared sternly. It is time to let them go.
But...We needs home! Cannot rest elsewhere! The Ruby exclaimed, eyes wide and a little frightened.
Yeah! Wheres we supos’d be goin’?
The night is blind, the mistress she is calling you...
As much as she regretted it, Maeko sent out the summons for a bonding of Celeste Cats. Out on the ocean the beginnings of a storm could be seen. It would arrive in the jungle around midnight, giving them plenty of time to squeeze in a bonding before then. Looking up through the broken ceiling at a handsome full moon, it was easy to see that they had a few hours to make it safely back home. It wouldn’t be hard to spot the giant lanterns strung through the trees, and the several smaller ones that lead the arrivals through eerie woods, making visible the warning that only alone may you go on past the stone archway.
The church that rose on the horizon was pretty in the moonlight, white walled with silver shingles and a gleaming cross. A graveyard rested silently on the far side of the hill, but it was not this that they had wanted to be in. As one stepped closer to the illuminate hallowed grounds they would discover it to be in a sorry state of disrepair. Shingles were missing, a huge branch had taken out much of the roof; stained glass had been shattered in the violent throes of the hurricane. Candles shone bright within, and silky whispers urged you inside...
Dressed all in black, a familiar vampire perched on an edge of the alter. Thirteen Celeste Cats sat scattered all around the steps leading to it, each one turning bright eyes on the door.
