The Forgotten Sibling

Chapter 6

Riley thought that turning into a Skelri would eliminate her dreams. She was sad to see that she turned out to be wrong.

She was in a dark place, far darker than the Void. Kneeling in the darkness was a Khrillin. Its horns were far bigger than its brethren, spreading out like a deer's antlers. Its mossy cloak was clean for something that was dragged around all the time. "I've come."

For a second, Riley thought the Khrillin was talking to her. Then she realized that it was talking to something in front of it, something that loomed in the darkness.

"I realize that," the thing said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. It sounded like a male unless it was a female whose voice was distorted.

"All the Khrillin escaped the Underreality," the Khrillin reported. "They're currently swarming the desert."

The creature perked up. "So you are taking your revenge?"

The Khrillin growled. "Of course we are. It's time that the Skelri and humans see who is the more superior race."

"Interesting." The creature stepped forward enough for Riley to see that it was a Catwing, his black pelt studded with stars and... skeletons.

Riley frowned. Why would a Catwing have skeletons on their pelt? Only Lhrioun did, but that was because he was the Underreality himself. Unless...

She also noticed that the Catwing had pure white eyes. No pupil was visible in each of them, making him look even scarier.

The Khrillin scrambled back. "I take it that you're planning revenge on your descendants?"

The Catwing snorted. "My descendants have done nothing to me. Jhaufyther and his siblings are Catwings I respect; they have saved my existence plenty of times. Even if they fight against me, I won't harm them."

"Because you fear them?"

Riley expected the Catwing to lash out, but to her surprise he sat down and sighed. "Yes. Yes, I do. Even though I have the power of the stars, Jhaufyther and his siblings are primordial. They are the sky, the harsh depths of the earth, and the earth itself respectively. Combined together, they outweigh even my power." The Catwing frowned. "My father and mother know how to scare me." He spat out father and mother as if the words tasted bad in his mouth.

"So what will you do, Star Tail?"

Riley now knew why he looked familiar. The youngest khit of the ancient Ones, he disappeared millions of years ago. No one knew where he went, but it seemed to Riley that he was here, plotting something.

"I've already done some things." Jhaufyther clearly inherited his laziness from Star Tail. "You haven't done anything. You either are too scared to, or you're waiting for the right 'time'."

The Khrillin scuttled backwards, flustered. "I... I've been waiting. The Skelri have a new queen, and I hear that she used to be human. I would usually be bothered by this, but she got killed."

Star Tail sighed. "Another beautiful human lost. Jhaufyther was devastated."

The Khrillin narrowed his eyes at Star Tail. "Why do you care what Jhaufyther feels?"

"He's been through a lot," Star Tail said. "And I can relate to him. He got bullied in his youth like me."

"I see."

Star Tail glared at the Khrillin. "At least I care about my descendants," he said coldly.

"I do care about my brethren!" the Khrillin said defensively. "I-"

"Skrill, you've done nothing to help them," Star Tail shot back. "The only thing you have done is send them back to the underneath in hopes that they heal in time."