Hollow bristled. The ever persistent hunger in his belly gnawed at him. It didn't seem to matter that he'd eaten a couple of rats since he'd been herded into this place. They didn't have the same substance the other delicious meat had had. But he'd made a promise. No more eating the tasty ones. For now at least. The second the broke their portion of the agreement he was sure he knew exactly what meat would be back on the menu. For now though, he'd content himself with eating the rats. They had, after all, broken their word with his kind, and cost him the pack. The tastier ones with the horns had split them up, scattered them. Hollow had no idea where they'd all ended up. That also didn't feel right to him. He was supposed to have a pack. He growled, low in his throat. He might not be able to eat those noulicorns, but they hadn't outright forbidden a pack. They'd just made it hard. He'd just need to find them again. But in order to have a pack, they'd need a safe place. A den. There was no sense in trying to find the others only to end up scattered again, as soon as the noulicorns caught on. So that was his first goal. Well, that and keeping his belly full. But the noulicorns had been right - there were lots of rats out here.
He stalked through a breeze way between tumble down ruins. Metal, cement, plastic, unidentifiable bits all had tumbled to the ground. It made him mad. Vykeli shouldn't be in ruins. He growled again, and heard a skittering somewhere back in the debris. He put his nose to the ground, trying to follow the scent. It took him up an over a heaped pile of refuse. He sniffed harder, but whatever had scrambled away seemed gone. For now. He growled. He wouldn't have minded a snack. From atop the trash heap, he noticed a building he hadn't investigated before. While it was streaked with rust and beaten up by the weather, it looked pretty intact compared to much of what was in this sector.
Hollow trotted towards it, curious. Huge other built doors covered the entrance. One hung at a haphazard angle. Hollow eyed it, and decided it was no match for him. He backed up a few step and then ran, slamming his full force into the door. His shoulder connected and the door crashed inward. There was hardly any resistance. He grinned. He inhaled deeply, but didn't smell anything living. Looking around, everything was covered in thick dust, but looked like it had fared quite well. Whatever had been in here last looked to have left in a hurry, but real damage was minimal. The floor was cool. Dirty, but intact. It may have been white once. Chairs and counters were scattered around. He trotted past them, uninterested.
He approached another door, and shouldered it open. It swung in easily. It was a small room, a strange raised bed on one side, lots of cupboards. All sorts of other made instruments were out on a counter. It smelled cold, sterile, even beneath the dust. Hollow back out of the room. It wouldn't do him any good. No room for a pack there. He pushed into door after door in the strange place, and they all seemed to be mostly the same. Little rooms with tall beds, lots of other made junk. After he'd investigated at least twenty of such little rooms, he came upon a different type of door.
It was heavier, and didn't just swing in. He reared onto his hind feet, and came down on the handle. That let him push the door inwards. Like the foyer and all the little rooms, this area seemed undisturbed. It was a stairwell. He glanced at the stairs heading up, but dismissed them. Another time. His instincts told him to go down, so he set off downwards, into the belly of the building. Hollow grinned, liking the way that sounded. The belly of the building.
At the bottom of the stairs there was another door. He easily managed to open it, like the one at the top. It was cool down here. And everything smelled like metal. He made his way through the door, and looked around. It was dark, but he didn't mind it. Dens were supposed to be dark. The area off of the stair well was open, and decidedly not very den like. He padded onward, sure there would be something down here for him. Something for a pack.
Far from the stairwell, in a back corner was another door. This one pushed open easily. Hollow walked through and gasped. He'd found his den. The room was cavernous, all down the center there was a double row of high metal tables. But the real prize were the dens. The walls on two sides of the room were covered in them. Some were pulled out, revealing perfect little metal dens. He approached one, pulling on it with his teeth. Sure enough it slid in and out with only minor strain. Hollow climbed up onto it, and surveyed the room. So many Bone Crushers could call this their den. A large pack. A powerful pack. Now all Hollow had to do was find them. He grinned. This was just the beginning.
