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Darkness. Cold. Harshness.
These aspects had long been a part of her life, firmly fused with her. Perhaps her heart had once been filled with warmth — like those of the new arrivals who were led past her cave under threat of violence as usual.
She listened to their protests, their pleas, knowing at the same time that they were only wasting breath unnecessarily. Once they had been dragged into the darkness, there was no escape.
Soon the pawsteps and voices had fallen silent. She never knew where they were going. No one spoke to her. If she was lucky, someone she could never recognise would throw her a pathetic piece of prey every few days.
In the early days, she had also tried to defend herself. She had bitten, scratched and used every opportunity to escape. But they were stronger.
There was no point in resisting them. They would only punish with death.
She didn't know how much time had passed since she had arrived here. Neither the sun nor the moon showed itself to her here in this cursed place. Perhaps that was also the reason why her initial despair gradually turned into apathy.
Darkness. Cold. Harshness. The things she had been so afraid of all this time were now intertwined with her like thorny, impenetrable tendrils.
Once again, the soft tapping of paws over rock could be heard. The echo bounced off the walls and reverberated back to her cave.
Whoever was coming would certainly not be interested in her. Like every time. So she simply laid her head on her paws and closed her eyes.
But this time something was different. This time the pawsteps ended right in front of her cave. For the first time in ages, she felt something she thought she had lost long ago.
Fear.
When she saw the shadowy figure just a few tail-lengths away from her, her heart seemed to go crazy. It pounded wildly in her narrow chest, as if it was screaming to her. Run! Escape!
The stranger stood there motionless. Although they didn't say a word, she still knew what she had to do now.
Obediently, she stood up and, as if she was being moved by a strange force, she followed the unknown being down the path. Her joints soon began to ache. She was no longer used to walking for so long.
There was no light here in this cursed place, nothing to orientate oneself by. Therefore, she didn't know how long they had been travelling until they finally reached the abyss.
Blinking, she raised her head. There, far above, out of her reach, was a tiny, bright spot.
The next moment, her body seemed to be on fire.
Something warm and pungent-smelling ran down her body. She stood there frozen, unable to fathom what this feeling was.
But it told her something. It wanted — no, it demanded — that she plunged into the blackness. Because that was what she had been brought here for. This was what had happened to all the other beings with the warm hearts.
And she was ready to accept her new future. Feeling numerous gazes on her, suddenly speckling her surroundings, she slid towards the abyss.
Slowly, she slid a paw over the precipice.
She hesitated. Sensed a pulling feeling that fought against her will to throw herself into the abyss.
What was this feeling that felt disturbing and yet so familiar?
Why was she here? She had once been free, able to lead her own life. But here she was being held captive by the shadows themselves.
There was no point in dwelling on the nature of this feeling. They wanted her to join them in the darkness.
