ORIGIN

The alligator lay quiet at the edge of the Heart of Cetus. No summons had been given out; no fanfare; no Aquarian surging to the surface, or rather, not yet. Dragon wasn't even sure if he'd come. He'd bellowed, a few times, and launched some flame into the air--certainly enough to draw the attention of the cave's denizens--but gotten nothing. He'd come back and forth to check, and left the collar carefully concealed each time.

He was back again, nudging the collar free from the mud and the branches, turning it so that the dark water rinsed it clean. His mind was drifting to other thoughts, as he did so. Thoughts of survival. Of... friendship. Or at least, comradeship. He was wondering if Ghanyarah would remain. If Tal'at, and Eve, would stay behind. The flyers could find prey, and he and Ghanyarah could certainly take it down. They could make a life for themselves, doing that. Feeding Aquarian. Feeding him, so that he would guard them. So that they would live forever, and learn all that the cave had to offer.

But maybe they would leave, move on, travel to the distant reaches of Origin Cave and never return. No matter; Dragon could gather food each day on his own. He didn't need the others for that, necessarily. It'd benefit them, yes, but he didn't need them for it. He just... wanted them here.

Maybe it was a tiny touch of residual sentimentality in the increasingly-cold alligator, who seemed more aloof and lost in thought by the day. Or maybe it was simply the knowledge that where one is weak, many are strong.

Well, whether they stay or not, whether I'm alone or not, it doesn't amount to much if Aquarian's too angry to ever come out again. Maybe he just doesn't hear me.

Dragon lifted his head and began to bellow again, a rumbling, hissing bass that echoed out over the black waters. It was intended to draw Aquarian's ear, but it might always draw in other Gembound, as well.

To top it off, he opened his jaws wide and inhaled, feeling the cool air coursing down his throat to feed into the heat that brimmed within. He didn't exhale quite quick enough, however, and found himself coughing on the searing heat that scorched not the air, in some fabulous display, but instead his own throat. With an even louder, pained bellow, the alligator lurched forward--splashing down into the marsh--to quench his burns in the lake below.

If they hadn't heard him before, they definitely would have now.

The alligator sulked, waiting.

True to his (unsaid) word, Czernobog had not traveled far from Dragon's care, currently darting about the cave rat's tunnel, more for fun than for food. The rats were strong and infinitely more sly than he, and made for very good practice, especially considering how the boar generally barelled into every dangerous situation head-first. Fighting the rodents had begun to level the beast out, made him a touch more cautious - granted, it was still quite like a bull in the proverbial china shop, but the improvement was needed, considering the bite wounds and silvery scars that littered his hocks.

The miniature monster, lapping away at the blood oozing from a more recent wound, startled as a roar ripped through the air, ears standing up at attention, flicking this way and that. The noise had sent the rest of the rats fleeing deeper into the dark of the tunnel, and Czernobog huffed, annoyed, giving up on its impromptu training session to turn and trot back up to the surface. A moment of thought, and the black ball of fluff headed towards the source of the outburst. It had sounded quite a bit like his singer, but either way, it sounded powerful - and hurt. An intoxicating combination, for something like the growing piglet.

Hooves tapped out a lazy rhythmic beat on the flattened ground, tiny tail wagging, Czernobog made his way closer to the noise, relaxing as the scenery began to change - it had to be Dragon, then, for the alligator was frequently found here, where the reeds were so flat they became a sort of platform above the muck of Cetus. Sure enough, as the boar rounded a corner further into the marsh, he spotted the boat - although just his eyes and nostrils were visible. With a snort of greeting, the piglet sat back on its haunches, watching Dragon happily. "Siiiinger," he huffed, something of a grin on its bristly face - though it was slightly marred by the bits of rat hide and gore still stuck in his teeth and tusks.

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Eve was awoken by the heat in the air as flames licked at the cave ceiling. Begrudingly, she lifted her head and shot a brief glare at the sleeping sloth clinging to her branch. With a sigh she clambered out of her nest and stretched her wings and legs before she dived off the branch, crowing rythmically and wordlessly.

Approaching the group, her target was Dragon's head to assign herself as the alligator's hat. Upon landing the crow turned and nudged the top of Dragon's head in a silent greeting and upon noticing the blind bat she cave a not-so-silent squawk.

Only briefly did the bird peer at the piglet as she nestled down tiredly on Dragon's head, tail feathers touching the water. She croaked tiredly, as if she were planning on sleeping right god damn there.

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At long last, the komodo had returned from his adventures outside of Cetus. He'd undergone quite a bit in his quest for turmoil and upheaval, and he wondered briefly if anybody would be interested in hearing him spin the tales of his victories. Well, semi-victories. First thing first, though, Ghanyarah had been eager to rest - he'd made his way back to his tree, where he had climbed upon his low lying branch and splayed himself along its length, nestling his head atop the bark and closing his eyes. A nap would do him good.

...Only, it didn't really last long before something rose up out of the silence. One eye slowly opened, sunset hues flickering about and searching through the trees before landed on the direction of the swamp. The steady hum reverberated through the air, slowly growing louder and more agitated until it mounted into frustrated bellow, and the lizard squeezed his eyes shut, agitated by the noise. Before long, the sound faded away into nothingness, leaving him with pleasant silence once more. However, the reptile couldn't deny his curiosity. Whatever it was that had caused the sound was likely awaiting some kind of response, or had been ended; either way, the noise had elicited a desire to investigate in the komodo dragon. Despite his exhaustion, he rolled off of the limb and toddled away.

Ghanyarah parted the undergrowth, quick to find the gathered Gembounds who waited at the edge of the swamp. Two of them he recognized; the tiny bat that had helped them find the collar, and Eve, sitting upon - oh, there was Dragon. There was also an owl and a tusked child, whom Ghanyarah had never met, but presumably were familiar with Dragon considering they had gathered here as well. Ghanyarah snorted and made his way towards the gathering before settling in the mud, gaze lingering upon his alligator brother. "Oh? Are we having a party?" He questioned, idly glancing at the others before situating his attention on Dragon. He must have been the one causing the noise.

He still wasn't here. Dragon pulled himself from the water, planning to simply return later, but as his gaze swept to the shoreline he found something surprising: a small forest of faces, peering back at him.

There was his brother, Ghanyarah, so like himself. Eve, loud and--... and now she was on his head. Tal'at, the bat, and Czernobog, sitting bristling on the edge. The pale owl, too, eyeing him as if she'd been waiting patiently for years.

I told them Aquarian would protect us, but I haven't even seen him.

Dragon hauled himself from the water, crawling out into the reeds and looking over the rest.

"Eve. Tal'at. Ghanyarah--brother. Bog. Willow." He greeted them slowly, each in turn, in the broodingly thoughtful way he was adopting as his own as he aged. The larger he got, the more slowly he seemed to move and speak, his voice rumbling.

He was introducing them, as much as simply naming names, nodding slightly to each as he spoke; then he paused, before continuing his thoughts.

"He hasn't come out yet. I have the collar, and I want to give it back, so that I know he'll protect us. I think we should agree to protect one another, too. Aquarian told me that this cave watches us, and is very old, and has secrets; and that we can't ever learn the secrets unless we live for a very long time."

He paused again, hauling himself over to give Bog a brief nudge of greeting with his broad snout, and then turned to crouch over the collar, looking back out over the marsh.

"Others die all the time. The puddle I am standing in is the liquid made of rotting flesh, just from the things we have killed to eat, and to feed Aquarian. Ghanyarah and I... we could protect the rest of you, and Bog can, too, when he is older. If you agree? And in return, the birds and Tal'at, you can help find prey, or keep an eye on the marsh and warn us if danger comes. If we agree to help one another--if we make a pact like that--our chances are much better. What do you think?"

It wasn't much of a speech, but it wasn't meant to be. It was informal, Dragon's idle thoughts spoken aloud, though he thought it a good idea. He couldn't see any downside to it, aside from maybe having to share their food. Well--that and the fact that not everyone would want to live in a damp swamp, despite how perfect the alligator found it.

"The swamp may not be the best way for everyone to live, but it might be the best way for us to survive."

He added this last and fell silent, settling down to peer out over the black water--watching, and waiting, just in case the surface rippled, and a hint of Aquarian's presence were shown.

The piglet, fascinated, watched as more and more creatures gathered, all seemingly called forth by his singer. A flying thing, tiny and unsteady, had landed in a tree nearby, and that seemed to start the flood, as two more things-with-wings soon approached, one landing directly on top of Dragon's head with a screech. Czernobog huffed back, tilting his head this way and that, trying to catch the sounds all of the beasts were making. The boar jumped a bit when the reeds nearby rustled, revealing a gigantic creature, resembling the alligator himself. Brother, the black ball of fluff recalled, grunting out a short greeting before returning his attention to the half-submerged boat.

The thought was proven correct when Dragon emerged from the murky water, crawling up to greet the gathered rabble. Czernobog tried to pay attention, but, as it always did, the speech mostly evaded its grasp. Collar. Protect. Aquarian. Secrets. Live for a very long time. The piglet snorted, practically beaming when the singer gave it a nudge of greeting, tiny tail wagging away, flinging bits of mud about. The boar tuned back in when his name - or, well, half of it - was mentioned, trying to straighten up and look serious, nodding. Protect. Can do.

Another nod, and the tiny beast bellowed out an agreement. "Chuuuuurn!" His voice had grown deeper the longer he lived outside of the rock that had rested on the shores of the Heart of Cetus, and, satisfied that his point had been made, the piglet sat back, absently peering about the swamp, taking in all of the new creatures that had gathered together to listen.