ORIGIN - DESPERATE MEASURES

when i was a child i heard voices

some would sing and some would scream

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Kerberos still burned as he carried the tiny bundle of fur down into the deep, cold tunnel that ran under perhaps all of Origin Cave. Not that he knew this-- to him, this place was just where cold, clean water was... And where he had learned to swim. The way to the thin ice was quite a ways down, past climbs and drops plenty, but the cerberos seemed well adjusted to the work.

As he went, he did his best to keep the air warm in his presence, his way lit by his pink glowing paw where the lights of the cave flickered. "Almost there," he woofed reassuringly to the little jaguar as he carried her in his middle mouth. "Promise."

Sure enough, as he slipped down one of the declines, he came to the ice that cracked under his weight. Inching towards the wall where the ice was thicker, he carefully set the cub down and wrapped his paw around her while he tried to break open the ice. The warmth that rose up around his fur, keeping the air from being bitingly cold, didn't do much to thin the ice, but with a bit of scratching and a hard smack, the ice broke away and let the underwater stream underneath churn to the surface.

"Good water. Drink up, feel better?" He offered, nosing her gently, keeping close just in case she slipped.

@Artemïs !

she swung beneath him as he held her by her scruff. most of the way, she was lost in nothingness—it would seem she did not dream, and she was stuck only in her minds darkness. but upon being placed down, she stirred. sleep clung to her lids, and they were difficult to part. when they did, however, she was greeted with a familiar face, the first face she had ever seen. the cub rose and chuffed weakly, feeling incredibly warm... but still, so incredibly tired; she pondered for a brief moment her saxicoline existence... had that ended? the cubs impossibly regal mien remained with her throughout whilst her eyes darted around to gain some semblance of proprioception: ( where am i? ) but the frigidity beneath her enabled the cub to know she was very much alive—she could still feel. the tenderfoot was quite confounded as to where she stood in each and every sense. while intrigued in comprehending her own ontology, the space in her mind was limited. too much had happened in the span of minutes that had drawn themselves out to feel like hours! she felt desolate, for she hearkened to her hearts desire of ubiety—to stay upon her throne, where she had been born. she was unwise to wish to return, but then, she was freshly born and had much to learn... but she was who she was, and shes did know many things for one fresh out of its chrysalis. a mere pupa who knew too much. of course the cub did not know it all... but that was what she truly thirsted for.

she recalled the three-headed beasts show of power, and also, that of the beast who had lived within the cave she was taken from. the young one heeded his words, going for a drink... her state of dehydration would depart from her, so long as she continued to drink the tepid liquid.

displaced from my own home, she mourned, looking to the beast and seeking to crawl between his forelegs and curl herself there. ...what is your name? you... protected me... the selfless act had been true, one truer than her own intent that had seemed selfless but her motive had been one that was misplaced. at least, towards him, who recklessly put his life on the line for her... saved me. i will repay you, when i can. she was breathless again, tired... and she peered up to him adoringly, her worship apparent. what was it, that you did? what sort of magic?

when i was a child i heard voices

some would sing and some would scream

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The overgrown puppy's tail started wagging as soon as the kitten seemed to come back to life properly, even started speaking! This was a very good sign and he knew it, grins spreading across his three doofy dog faces. Of course, what she had to say was a very tragic thing. Kerberos had never felt connected to where he had been born; honestly, he had no idea how to even get back to that place of wild green.

"Kerberos," The three heads answered all at once, happy to give up his name to the teeny cub. He had indeed protected her, though he wasn't sure he did a good job. His tail kept wagging despite this minor point-- they were still alive. No use worrying about it too much. "That cat had no right to kick you out," he commented softly, standing up and carefully stepping around her. His body still stung with the burning sores, and he knew just the solution... Once she had her fill of water, of course.

"Just a thing I can do. I push stuff. Sometimes I push things really strongly," he commented lightly. "It all comes from within, from my paw," he went on, stepping on to the thin surface, breaking up the ice a bit more, until his body plunged into the water. With a fit of splashing, the dog found the surface and gulped up the air, grinning wildly as he kept afloat with one massive wide paw and held up the other for her to see.

On the underside of Kerberos' forepaw lay a gem of red and yellow, flat and pattern swirling like a strangely bright marble cake, embedded into the main part of his paw pad. "From this, see?" He had to, of course, set his paw down after a while to keep afloat. He seemed absolutely at ease in the water, like a small part of him was born to swim.

"At first I could only do a little-- tiny pushes. Now I can push so hard I make fake-mes, and can push air or water to be hot or cold. Practice, see... You have to listen--" "And learn!" His other heads interrupted, "and speak." "To become the strongest here. In magic or teeth or anything. Grow wise and then you can beat anything! At least, that's what Giggle says."

@Artemïs !

he departed from her, and she let out a yowl of protest, but it was vanquished by his voice; a voice that sought to teach the cub who knew nothing. she looked to the glimmering stone-jewel-shard within him, and cocked her head. i will do those things, she promised in earnest, eyes a-glow; the impassioned woman drew closer to him, but did not lurk too near to the water. giggle? a twang of jealousy bullied its way into her, and the woman-cub blinked. ...we could become very strong, together, i imagine. the strongest. i am not sure what i can do, but i know... i know it will be... something, she wonders if strength, power, is a thing of interest to him. the cub would find out, she was certain, what mattered most to him. what way could she repay him?

as for the cat, she returned back to the subject, tiredly thinking of a response. perhaps... perhaps not. it was his home, even before i lived and breathed, she did not know if the cerberus had lived there himself, but he must to have, to have been there then... right? he was... older, that much she knew. so perhaps he belonged there.

when i was a child i heard voices

some would sing and some would scream

αριστερά . κέντρο . δεξιά

Kerberos nodded at her words, oblivious to any jealousy the cub might have. Giggle was only a mother figure to him, and fairly, she wanted as little to do with the giant hellhound as possible. "Teeth. We will become each other's teeth, and become very powerful. The more friends, family, the more teeth. The better." He understood this down to his deepest core, a value of others that he respected and longed for.

"He was," Kerberos commented, putting his paws up on the solid ice and staying there, half in the water, half out. "But you were born there! He shouldn't have kicked you out," he grumbled, clearly still upset by the whole thing. He wanted to eat Cancer for having disturbed the waters, for threatening the cub's very life. Once again, his inability to see that he threatened to kill just as others threatened to present danger showed. It was as if he couldn't understand his actions held consequences... Or, perhaps, he simply believed his actions were valid and others were not.

"Bully. I was there before him... Scents weren't there the first time I came, even if he is older." He didn't see the sense in marking territory, either. Surely they could share. He had just waltzed into Bonebound territory, and no one had said anything at all. How was he to know what trespassing was?

@Artemïs !

he found his use for her, and she offered the three-headed beast a grin. she blearily blinked her crusty eyes to get the remaining sands of sleep out of them before moving to paw absently at his own pale mitt. yes, she purrs pleasantly in response. he had a great amount of teeth, rows and rows of them in each mouth of his; she had but one set that was presently useless against most opponents, though the way they pinched was painful. her capabilities would have her become a powerful predator, but as a young cub she could offer him nothing but her growing magic abilities which could thus far only effect her, to her knowledge. he spoke of family, too—she blinked at him. family. could this one be family...? he had the strength to be named such a thing, and already he looked after her as though she were one. family. another thing to live for—but also, die for. internally, she winced at the thought. she was primarily a selfish being, only keen to look out for herself and her own survival. if it were not for the fact that he had aided her in her own, she would be more wary; but her affections toward him were oddly real, and she chuffed to him. μεγάλος αδελφός, comes words from the grecian babe, her rounded ears twitching as she gave him her own name.

as for his belief, she nodded. there was no denying she agreed with him; the place was her birthright. her stone had brewed her within those walls. still... there was a reason he acted such a way... all beings acted with motive. this she wholeheartedly believed. they acted based on what drove him. i do not think so, either. i will return there, i think. i will see why. perhaps he feared you, she surveyed kerberos, and squinted at him. he would be easy to fear, had he not saved her and she not adore him so as it was. if it is not marked... there is nothing to protect. strange, she was thoughtful. perhaps it is his intention. the cub could not be sure.

when i was a child i heard voices

some would sing and some would scream

αριστερά . κέντρο . δεξιά

The hellhound ear's perked as Artemïs gave him a name, a name that he understood inherently. It made his tail sway in a slow wag, and his heads tilt to one side. He didn't know how to translate it, but he felt it in his heart-- family. They were family now. Stronger than any other gembound he had ever met-- she understood him, he thought.

She suggested going back, and from her tone: on her own. This made him whine softly, but he crawled out of the water and settled down beside her. Kerberos took that moment to consider what she had to say. The black cat must have had a reason to do what he had done... Such a thing was hard for him to work through, to understand, but he nodded. Gembounds other than him had their own intentions, even if they could be wrong and misled. Did that make them... Bad? Or just turned down the wrong path?

"Stay safe." In the end, he decided the best thing to do was listen to his little sister of a cub. "I can show you where is safe-- there is another tunnel. If something bad happens when you talk to him, you can flee to it. Friends are there, they have good teeth. Will protect you."

@Artemïs !