Taika let out a low chuff that might have been laughter. The tiger stepped closer, lowering his broad head to sniff at the kitten. The shadow-baby mewed again and batted weakly at Taika's nose with one tiny paw. The Shadow Lord's pale eyes softened visibly.
[I need a name,] the kitten said, voice sleepy now that the dramatic entrance was complete. [Something that fits both what I was and what I have chosen to become.]
Alex sighed, exhaustion settling into his bones, but a reluctant smile tugging at his lips. He looked down at the small bundle of living darkness nestled against him. The threshold continued to shimmer behind them, a grand, multiversal gateway that had just witnessed one of the strangest adoptions in any pocket reality.
"Shadow seems a bit on the nose," Alex muttered. "How about… Eclipse? Or Nyx?"
The kitten purred louder, the sound vibrating pleasantly through Alex's chest.
[Nyx,] it agreed. [I like that. It means night… but also the beginning of new light.]
