ORIGIN

The dragon had not snapped out of the Bloodlust yet. Not after attacking the feline, not after still eating as much as he could. He was all but lost now, his personality smothered by the feral disease that rampaged his mind. He stalked the tunnels of the cave, following his nose and the instincts that drove him to eat and to kill. Even if he was fatigued he probably wouldn't be able to save himself, probably wouldn't be able to take back control of his body. Perhaps he didn't want to for even though he was suppressed within his own mind he remembered the deeds that he had committed. The guilt would be there if he took back control and a part of him didn't want that.

Deep within Eridanus the dragon tread. His long tail dragged along the ground kicking up dust and staining his white coat. He had old blood staining his usually clean coat. He was heading towards the pools where he could drink and replenish his energy. This he did with gusto, taking in great gulps with a the liquid with tosses of his head. After he finished he turned and lifted his nose into the air, sniffing, scenting. He could smell nothing at first. That irritated him and he let out a savage snarl as he walked away from the water. He was continuously on the prowl for something to ease that savage craving within his gut but it would never be filled. Not as long as the savage beast was left in control.

As he trekked, passing closely by the monarch he stopped. Head lifting with ears pricked. The overlarge appendages twisted this way and that, picking up on different minuscule sounds. He turned his head to the side, was that prey he heard? He sniffed loudly and turned his body to a thicket of grass, body dropping into a crouch. His jaws began to slaver as he waited to see what would come out.

---

Isolation. The notion of it was as foreign to the young child as the unexplored parts of this new world in which she'd been born. After all, from first sight, she'd been surrounded by a warmth and compassion that followed her, its gentle smile and laughter ghosting her in its wake. Yet now, she woke to nothingness. There was no one to bid her hello and no one to celebrate her accomplishments. Though young was she, Delphine understood immediately that she was not a solitary creature.

Wordlessly, the babe wandered the tunnels, leaving behind Polaris without thought or direction. The weight of loneliness too soon wore upon her heart but she suppressed some such sentiments, veiling her discomfort beneath a hesitance to confront the unknown. Perhaps had she woken to no one, she would have been born without the expectation for companionship but such would not be the case. Instead she was left with unfulfilled desires and a hope to rediscover what'd been too soon taken away.

Then came a savage snarl unlike anything she'd ever heard before. The right reaction should have been to escape while she still had the chance, to simply leave be what lay in the darkness. Yet still, in spite of her fear, Delphine ambled forward until she came upon a thicket of grass -- her final chance to turn around and walk away.

She crossed the point of no return.

Peeking her head past the curtain of foliage, the filly's emerald gaze sought the source of the cruel scream and when her eyes locked with those of the frost-born beast, dread seared across her very soul, rendering the child paralyzed from where she stood.

His jaws lifted from his fangs as he stared at the grass, waiting. He was barely able to keep the hiss from coming from his mouth as he waited. Then, rustling and a dark head poked out. Even from the red haze of the Bloodlust he could tell that this was a dark horse. The scent of her, that sweet aroma of a beast of prey, was mesmerizing. It drove his feral heart wild with excitement. He could hold it in no more. He rose to his full height, lifted his head and let out a savage roar that echoed across the room. It spoke of his desire to hunt, his desire to attack, his desire to kill.

After he roared his eyes locked onto her again while his nostrils flared to take in every part of his scent before he shuddered and sprinted towards her. His legs, healed from his fight with the black dragon, powered him forwards. If the horse hadn't taken it upon herself to flee before then she surely should have taken the cue now. Baratheon's mouth was open in a savage snarl, his ears pinned back so far that it looked like they didn't exist while his wings were spread to give him an even larger appearance.

Those red eyes, the eyes that promised death, were narrowed into slits as he ran forward. The muscles in his rear legs tensed as he powered forward in a leap, one that he hoped would bring him down on top of her fragile body so he could sink his claws and fangs into her back. A creature as large as her he wanted to inflict all the damage that he could.

---

How cruel it was to know the taste of joy only then to realize its darker counterparts. Fear. Despair. Absolute terror. In one instant of a decision too poorly made, the child would come to know death and malice as the creature drew to its full height and left her without a doubt that the Fate's were malicious creatures, devious in their coy machinations. She trembled and though her mind shrieked for her to run, her legs would not obey.

Instinct and instinct alone pushed the child to action as the very fear that coursed through her system became her saving grace. She reared, hooves flying in the air before she landed and pivoted to make an escape but it was too late, the creature swallowed the distance between them instantly and white, hot pain lanced along her back. For a moment, Delphine saw and felt nothing. Adrenaline had numbed the pain to a static hum, so much so that the very cry that tore from her lips was but nothingness to her own ears. What she hadn't known was that in the very last moment, she'd tripped along her own legs, forcing her into a premature tumble that though resulted in a fatalistic wound, had all but kept her from the reaper's behest.

Blood. She could smell her own blood drenched along her coat and the cavern floors but none of it registered. How could she outrun so large a creature? What had been an initial rush of natural anesthetics lent itself to a pain that was near debilitating and as she lay sprawled within Eridanus, she thought herself lucky to have met the few precious souls that she had for they were wonderful, well and true. There, Delphine contented herself with thoughts of her companions and forced herself to a calm unbelonging to a mere child.

Blood. Thick on the air that seemed to grow ever silent. Audits were erect with attention, hackles bristled ever so slightly as the very ground seemed to shudder ever so softly. Something was amiss. She could feel the danger practically vibrating from all parts of Eridanus. Her heart drummed in her chest and Arkrael knew she had to find the source of this feeling. Lips peeled back and exposed the sharp incisors and canines. It was only a second after a loud snarl reached her ears did her. What ever this danger was it had to be removed. This was her home. Her territory. She would not allow such vile creatures to roam and threaten any gembound that chose to live within the walls of Eridanus.

Paws tore across the ground, moss and dirt flying up in her mad dash to get towards her destination. Her shoulder was, thankfully, close to being completely healed by now. It still was a bit sore, but it no longer bled or caused her too much trouble outside of the here and there spikes of numbed pain. It took only a matter of moments before she burst through several large fern bushes and it was then that a new scent of blood stung her nose. She watched the scene play out before her, her paws never stopping as this large white and pink beast pounced upon the hapless young filly.

Fur bristled entirely and a ground shaking roar was released from her throat. With one step closer to the large beast that was just a bit taller than her, Arkrael lunged. She collided into the beast, sharp and dangerous jaws snapping and reaching for something to latch onto. This creature had intent on killing another gembound, a fresh newborn by the looks of things at that. Her mind was in a flurry of emotions and thoughts and her instincts to protect those much younger than she drove her to attack without a moments thought about it. All that mattered in that instance was to save the young filly and get this creatures attention onto her.



"Speech"
'Thoughts'

---

Tags: @Baratheon @Delphine magdalena
OoC: GO GO RAE

There was the scent of blood. Something the painted dog had smelled regularly, but it was somewhat unusual this time. When he lifted his ears, he heard a roar and the screeching whinny of a horse.

He crept forward, following the sounds. He could barely make out the figure of a long lizard-thing with wings clinging to a black equinine. Slowly, Bones' lip pulled back into a low growl. The horse was young, perhaps not even a week old yet.

Or so he assumed.

Seconds later, the lanky dog found himself lunging for the dragon's back, claws reaching to dog into Baratheon's back, moving to harshly bite his shoulder with sharp, needle-like teeth, though he soon found himself simply falling off, left on the ground growling at the much-bigger dragon.



________________

He felt his body land on hers, his teeth sinking into flesh and claws opening wounds in her hide. He would grab and hold, letting the sensation wash over him before the young animal tripped underneath him. With a hiss of rage he felt himself tumbling across the ground with her but he refused to release his hold. He simply pressed his fangs down harder, clenching tighter with his claws as he attempted to squeeze the life out of her and break her spine with his grip. He hoped this would guarantee him an easy meal.... but he was interrupted.

He felt a something rush into his side, hard, and pain laced up through his right wing arm as teeth locked into it and pushed him away from his prey. He could feel blood rush from the wound and another bout of rage took him. He released his hold on the horse and turned instead to the wolf. Through his red haze he saw nothing but her for now. The smell of the horse, now bloody, still tantalized him but since this wolf had challenged him --in his mind for rights to the prey-- so she would fall first. He would kill her and eat her, then go back to the horse.

He felt something else on his back, trying to attack but with a quick shake of his body and a flap of his wings he knocked it off. That one was ignorable, it hadn't done any damage.

His teeth, bared to their full length, turned on the wolf as he let loose his own roar and attempted to lunge for her. He aimed to put his fangs into her throat, and end her for daring to interrupt his kill.

---

Magdalena had crawled away from the group after her bout of sickness; thankfully with nothing in her stomach, she had failed to throw up anything before and after her brief unconsciousness. She had assured others that she would be fine, and not to follow her; in truth, the frail dog wasn't certain if she could handle the presence of others especially since they knew how weak she could be. How weak she was. Unable to handle her own magic. How foolish of her; the beast was depraved for strength and admiration, she craved it, she hungered for it, she was so selfish and parismonious she almost couldn't swallow it, and instead it had swallowed her. She was left with her insides to rot as a result of it and she felt so ashamed, she feared she couldn't show her face even in Monoceros; somehow they would know, they would smell the stick of sickness on her.

After resting in Orion, she had decided to deviate from her original path. There were tunnels that would take her to away from that quadrant of the caves, to places new and undiscovered. Mostly, she was curious to know the fate of the filly. She wondered if any of the others had taken her away, or if she found freedom in her own legs. She could nearly guarantee that any of the other gathered Gembounds would leap at the chance to take her under their wing, and much as Magdalena had desired to do so herself, she failed miserably. But her curious mind was ever at work, and she wanted to know; she always wanted to know.

Her paws had taken her through unfamiliar tunnels, feeling the stiff of rock beneath her paws, and the jagged steps of Tunnel I; a sojourn that warranted more than her fair share of stumbling. And then it had taken her to a new place, where the rock became loamy and soft and she could smell the green of youthful and ancient vegetation alike. An experience so strange to her - she had never known plants until now. Her wide eyes stared unblinking at this new room, taking in the feeling of the soil beneath her - it sunk in with each step, like the snow, only it didn't bite at her skin. And it smelled, oh did it smell, so strong of dirt and decaying leaf litter - a smell that felt almost natural in her nose. At the same time, it was foreign. She was used to the dusty smell of rocks and the powerful wind that tossed it all about. She was used to the burnt grass smell of her rhino, not this... freshness. It was almost too overwhelming.

For a moment, she was enraptured in the slough of new experiences coming to her. Everything but sight - but that was no issue for her, especially after a sudden sound rose up through the trees. Her ears perked, tuning into the sound. A sound of screaming, snarling, roaring - fury. But the voice was familiar, she knew it; the voice that stuttered over her name so recently, so sweetly and naive, Delphine. Her heart lurched in her chest.

Before she realized it, she was moving. Her paws churned beneath her, pushing her forward in pursuit of the sound. More often than not she tripped over a root or crashed into a tree, but her pride fell to the wayside in favor of protecting the young horse she'd been so eager to adopt. The sounds of panic and thrashing grew consistently nearer until she had burst through the foliage and there she felt it, the changes in the air. Magic. Breathing, crying, angry howling; she didn't have time to use her magic to assess the situation. Magdalena fumbled over her paws as she skirted the area, keeping low through the undergrowth and using her nose to track down Delphine. It was the scent of blood she found most appealing, a scent that clung to the fur of the horse - Magdalena blindly pushed outward, her head low. She hesitated before approaching Delphine and listened - it seemed the battle had moved, and yet two others had ganged up on... was that Baratheon? She didn't know what was happening. Baratheon was her friend, but she could hear him, and Delphine was bleeding, and she needed to protect her.

It was all she ever wanted. To protect. She was afraid, so afraid of the bloodshed and the pain, but she had to be strong. Be strong, the way Nemesis believes you can be. Magdalena huffed and scurried out from the vegetation until her paws nearly stumbled over Delphine, and her long body hoisted itself just above the fallen filly, staring blindly in the direction of the fight. With all the strength she could muster, she tried to reach out to Baratheon, to understand why, to do anything she could to stop him.

Post-Roll Edit:
She reached out with all her strength, and... he wasn't slowing down... she could feel it working, the magic vibrating through the air. Magdalena's face twisted into a snarl, frustration, confusion, pain - but the magic was feeding life into her. The dog blinked and swiveled her head, trying to determine the source of this energy. She quickly realized that it wasn't Baratheon who was victim to her spell - it was one of the strangers that had ran in trying to fight him. Magdalena gasped and shuddered, shaking her head in an attempt to sever the connection between herself and Bones, and tears welled up in her eyes - she didn't mean to do that. It was foolish. She was foolish. Tear-laden eyes stared sadly down at Delphine, unseeing, worried - she hadn't even checked to make sure the child was alright. "It- it's okay," She stuttered, shaking. "I-I'm here. Magda's here." The dog whispered, straining. Her ears lay flat against her head as she cowered above the horse; it took all of her strength to hold herself there as a target, a shield, like Nemesis believed she could be.

Weariness and rapid blood loss dulled her senses; nothing was as it should be. Sounds came and went in a water-logged thrum of bass vibratos, a series of roars and snarls that sounded strangely foreign and entirely unthreatening to her ears. Even as the pressure alleviated from her backside, she did not deign to remove herself from the situation. She couldn't. So it was there, laid upon the soft bedding of foliage, did she realize what she'd missed upon her initial arrival into Euridanus.

This place. This realm. It was breathtaking. Where there should have been glowing, blue gems along grey floors and walls, there was so much green. In a most minuscule but pained movement, Delphine shifted her head to better see and smell these strange anomalies -- the dragon and her two saviors all but forgotten beneath a delusional haze of curiosity and wanderlust. She inhaled shakily and winced against the sharp pang that tore through her body. Then it hit her, an epiphany that all but stole her breath away and left her with just one thought. This smell that permeated the room, buried beneath the violence and bloodshed, was one that she knew she would come to love. It was the smell of rain against the earth, a subtle and all-consuming caress that made her feel anew with each heady intake. It was the smell of petrichor to salve her waning hopes and dreams.

In that moment, she thought she might cry.

The soft bump along her body went amiss, unable to break the reverie that'd befallen the child as she toiled in the depths of her mind for peace. She did not want to come back. Not to the anger. Or the pain. But there, there past the iron walls she'd constructed was a voice and oh, how soft and sweet it was. Yet still she fought. She fought against the familiarity and its gentle croon, afraid that it was all but a figment of her imagination. Not when she knew she'd awaken as she did before, abandoned and left to her own devices. It was a child's fear but it perpetuated her denial until a singular word shattered all her defenses.

'Magda...'

Clarity bled along emerald irises and her gaze met with those of the blind Gembound. Before understanding could break through the surface of her every thoughts and actions, her tears fell and Delphine cried. A small whicker trembled along the space between them and her body shook with unfounded relief. "M-Mm-magda." She whispered, her voice strained with the weight of that one word. There was so much to be said but all she could do was smile a small, sad smile. An action, she knew, would be left unseen.

Then her thoughts flew a million a second and her gaze wavered to take in the sight of of the white dog, looking for signs of ailment and soon after to her pristine coat, dirtied by her blood. "Magda," She paused, at once fighting the effort and pain it took to so much as speak and an inability to express what she wished. "Feel... Better...?" Then, Delphine shifted and squirmed as if to escape the woman's guard. "M-Me. Dirty." Her eyes shuddered shut from the searing burn. "M-Magda. Clean." She did not wish to see the white of her protector's coat marred by something so base as this.

(@Arkrael)

Adrenaline rushed through her. Not like when it had during her encountered with the three-headed beast, but something far more enthralling. This time it was not she being attacked, it was she attacking a predator. A large beast that she had once again never set her eyes upon. Her heart drummed quickly in her chest and the sensation that seemed to overwhelm the she-wolf was rather intoxicating. It had never occurred to her how thrillling it would be to fight something such as this beast. An opponent worth fighting against.

The beast turned his focus to her and Arkrael jumped back as he did so. Hackles bristled as her tail lifted high behind her. She placed herself between this beast and the injured filly that was now being stood over by another canine. However, she could pay them no mind right now. She had to focus entirely on this creature before her. What was he? His furred body the size of a lioness just barely meeting her in height. She was a large wolf, though she had no other wolf to compare herself to and determine if her height was par with the others. She just assumed all wolves would grow to be as large as she.

Heterchromia eyes never left the beast as her upper lip quivered and peeled back to expose her blood stained fangs. "You are not welcome here, beast," Her voice was a low, violent snarls as she shifted her stance, ready to defend herself should he react as she thought he would, "I suggest you turn around and go back to where you came before I fill your hide with fangs." Arkrael would have felt a brief sense of shock by the sound of her own voice. Having never truly spoken hostilities before it left a strange note in her thoughts.

It wasn't long before her warnings had been ignored and Arkrael watched as the dragon made to lunge at her. Another ground rumbling snarl slipped from her throat and she jumped from her spot, avoiding his snapping fangs. He had seeled his fate. She would fight him and she would drive him out of Eridanus. She would never be able to kill him, not unless her very life was on the line, but she did not want that on her heart. With a roar Arkrael lunged in the moment she found her gathering on the moss covered ground. With jaws open wide she made to grab at him, to sink her fangs in and attempt pulling him even further away from the injured filly and the white canine that had shown up to assist the young gembound.

"Speech"
'Thoughts'

---

Tags: @Bones
OoC: boop