ORIGIN - Point of No Return... Maybe

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Some preening in pride at the compliment to the rope, Renasci crinkles their face in a grin and lets their feathers flare out. Teeth stay hidden behind their lips, so it's an odd smile to most of us Western people but still cute, all crinkled nose and smile-lined glee around their eyes. After a moment, they shake themselves out and their expression returns to something a bit more neutral, but glee is clear in their eyes and perked, pointed ears.

"Yes, thank you. It's a pain to make. Blunts my claws, but is satisfying. Balance of good and bad to it." Their tail twitches behind them as they watch V-Onyx-Three consider the rope and think.

As for the deer- "It is hard. You have to catch the deer alive, get it to like you, then trust you, then figure out how to balance on it and convince yourself and the deer you're not gonna get hurt doing it." Said with the tone of someone who has only gotten part-way through the challenges and is dreading the rest. But there's no trace of not wanting to do it, just... some frustration of the understanding. "I'll teach you when I get really good, to make it easier. Maybe we can catch you your own deer."

The question about family makes all of their feathers sort of... droop. "I don't... know anyone else like me. I had my Mormor, a massive dragon-beast the great and horrifying, who lived in Leo, but they... they went to sleep and haven't woken up. I think I might be the only me," they harpy goes from borderline despondent to some forced cheer as they flex their arms and wings. "B-but that's okay! I'm perfect by myself! I can do lots of things!"

"When I speak"
When I think

@V-Onyx-Three

Although Onyx-Three is usually quite bad at reading expressions, it is rather clear to him that Renasci's feeling is one of happiness. This was especially true because they weren't showing any teeth, and it couldn't be mistaken for aggression. It was easy for a wolf hybrid to interpret, mostly because he did many of the same things when he was happy. Just not that intense.

Their nervousness had faded away almost completely at this point, despite their initial caution. They were a stranger, yes, but they were nice and had given him rope! Not to mention he got a lot of information about how to hunt and fight better by using deer. Onyx-Three was very happy to have made what he considered a friend.

Wow, it was really hard work to make rope. It meant all the more then that Renasci had generously given him some like that. Onyx-Three didn't think he would ever be able to make rope. Mostly because now that he was inspecting it closely, he found that it was made of materials that weren't really found around Draco. Nor did he know exactly the technique behind how to do it. Surely it couldn't be as simple as just twisting the things together.

He continued to run his fingers across the rope as he took in this information. There were so many steps to catching a deer! Not to mention he couldn't even catch one to eat. Probably because there weren't any deer in Draco. But even so, he knew they were big and they were fast. Not a good combo for someone like him who was not particularly big at the moment nor very fast. His ears perked up at the mention of his own deer. "I would like a deer. Very much." there seemed to be a shine in his eyes as he imagined what it would be like, "Then I can fight and hunt good. Very good. Great." It would made the Sentinel very proud of him! And that's all he wanted. A deer would make him one of the best hunters and fighters the forge had ever seen!

Onyx-Three tiled his head slightly. He half understood the harpy's situation. His own mother didn't live in Draco, and they could visit her once in a while. But at least he had his dad! Renasci had no one, and it was hard to imagine. "If you are the only bird-but-better. Then you are the best bird-but-better." they stated in a thoughtful tone. He didn't quite pick up on the sadness that Renasci was feeling at the moment, the body language and tone not something he was incredibly familiar with. Onyx-Three just understood the emotion as something that was not happy. "Yes. You can make rope. And catch deer. And fly." he agreed, "I can not do those things." Onyx-Three said in a tone edged with a bit of longing, though he did not understand it himself. Would it make his parents proud if he learned?

"You can come here more. Sentinel will like you. You can do many things." this was mostly meant as an interpretation for Renasci to visit if they ever felt lonely, though it can be interpreted in many ways really. Though would the Voidlight bother them? They would probably get used to it. He saw absolutely nothing wrong with the light. And maybe Renasci would be up to sparring next time! Onyx-Three wished more gembounds around here wanted to spar with him.

@Renasci

"Maybe sometime you can hunt with me. Hunt on foot, and then hunt on deer. Work together, maybe. Might make geting food easier, and I can heat it so we can't get sick from it." A soft, happy rumbling noise that's very much more like a trill from inside their chest, and their tail wags once behind them.

Onyx-Three's logic is sound, but... Ren's too competitive to let that slide. And little does Ren know, technically Onyx-Three is wrong anyway. "I can't be the best with no competition," A shrug, but they seem thankful for the confidence. "Not everyone can do everything, anyway. That would make the caves boring. But... who is Sentinel? Is he the tall scary down the way?" Lifting an oddly gren-yellow scaled hand, thanks to the Voidlight, they point towards Draco.

As for sparring- Ren is always down to spar, but they would want to learn some spells that won't instantly turn their combat partner into Roast Beast.

"When I speak"
When I think

@V-Onyx-Three

"Yes. Someday." Onyx-Three knew it would be a while before he would be allowed to leave the safety of Draco on his own. He would have to have completed his training first, or accomplished another great feat. Though he would keep in mind Renasci's offer. It was not so much motivated by the fun factor of doing so, but rather, through the want to learn how they hunted so he could learn. Not to mention no one else had ever told him about how it was possible to ride deer. That was perhaps something only Renasci knew how to do, and something he desperately wished to learn. There was a sense of respect that he felt towards them, in the sense of them being a master well learned in a craft. Whether Renasci was actually that skilled or not in what they spoke of didn't matter.

"I do not eat heated food. But I have not gotten sick." Onyx-Three wondered if he had just gotten incredibly lucky with eating raw food or if he was just able to eat it without getting sick for some reason. "Have I been eating wrong?" Though he didn't know anyone else who heated their food. But then again, he really hadn't met many gembounds outside of the Forge.

That actually made a lot of sense. He had never quite thought about things in that way. You really did need competition for any achievement to mean anything. Either way, he was starting to feel a bit better about not being able to fly and all. No point trying to be the best at something he would never be able to be. But that just meant there was more pressure to contribute, to be the best at things that he was able to do. Such as fighting. Hunting. Those were things to be improved upon.

Onyx-Three was not sure who exactly Renasci was referring to, as he thought there were quite a lot of tall gembounds but not any scary ones. Though when one has lived among the Chaos Forge their whole lives, you did get used to the variety of gembounds you see around there. "Sentinel is tall." he agreed, hoping to one day be that tall too. And strong! "Not scary. He is like me but... big." Onyx-Three's tail lightly thumped against the ground.

He picked up a stick laying on the ground, of a length long enough that it reached his shoulder. Holding the stick perpendicular to the ground in one hand, he strode from side to side- an imitation of the Sentinel. "He does this." then he grasped the stick in both hands, and slammed it against the ground, breaking it into two. It was not nearly as strong as metal. "And this when fighting."

@Renasci

"No, not wrong. Just makes it less likely for us to get sick, sometimes if you put it in coals and ashes wrapped in certain leaves it even tastes better." They shrug. "I'll bring some sometime so we can try it."

Both ears and their crests of feathers twitch at the thumping from Onyx-Three's tail, and it makes them smile faintly. Watching the other describe Sentinel, and then promptly break the stick when trying to demonstrate what seems to the avide like an intimidation tactic, they cover their mouth and giggle.

"The quiet often hide something on purpose, makes them scary in a way one of the big deer in Pegasus is scary. Only if you mess with them." Their tone is warm, but they do take note of Onyx-Three's affection for the other gembound. "The dragon Dread does not scare me, he is loud and strong, sure, but he is normal to me. Small and quiet is dangerous, I do not know how to fight myself." Renasci is about as quiet as an Echoing Grey in the right company, but the point stands.

A tilt of their head, and they go to their stick and rope pile to pull their chrysalis-shard knife out. "You have hand-feet. Like me. I can hold with my bottom feet, but I walk on them to use my hands." They attempt to twirl the knife, and manage to get it one full revolution between their fingers before fumbling it, and having to grab it with both palms flat against the sides of the blade to hold it on place.

"This knife is mine. Maybe you can have one someday." Polishing the sharp-edged gem blade, Onyx-Three might realize that it's the same stone as what juts from their keelbone.

"When I speak"
When I think

@V-Onyx-Three

Onyx-Three was impressed by how much knowledge Renasci had. But where would he get leaves- or coals? It was not feasible on a daily basis due to the lack of plants in Draco. Perhaps it was something he could try on one of his wanderings outside this cave, though he didn't have fire magic either. Maybe he could find someone who did. "It sounds useful." Onyx-Three was not a herbivore himself, but leaf flavor infused meat was something that could be interesting to try. Did it have medicinal properties? Was it healthier? Those were the only reasons he could think of for doing something like that. Surely taste wasn't the only reason for doing so? "The leaves. They make it healthier also?"

He tried to think of anyone he might know who was rather quiet. But he hadn't really met that many others. What would they have to hide? Perhaps if they were Order? "I do not know Dread." He did know some quiet things though. Small and quiet mice which were easy to hunt, rabbits as well. Though they were not dangerous like Renasci was suggesting. "Mice and rabbits are small. They are not dangerous." he commented. Though whether what they were saying was meant to be a general statement or not he couldn't tell. Onyx-Three was just providing his perspective on it.

They had never thought about their hand-feet really. It was sort of just something that had always been taken for granted. Though now that it was brought up, Onyx-Three realized they did know some gembounds who were stuck with just paws, which couldn't be used to grasp anything. He was lucky to have hands, especially so he could wield a weapon in the future. However his hind legs were quite normal, with just normal paws. "Lucky to have hand-feet. Good for weapons. You are good at knife." Did Renasci use the knife to hunt deer? It really didn't increase range by much unless you threw it. But if you missed you would also lose it.

"Yes. I want weapon like you and Sentinel. But one that is me." his eyes drifted to the blade of the knife. Then to Renasci. Then back at the blade. "Your knife is your gemstone?" Onyx-Three supposed that could work, they were sharp after all. He had never considered doing that. The harpy really was quite creative.

@Renasci

"Sometimes it does, I know a certain tree if I eat it's bark it makes my injuries hurt less. I haven't done much more than that." A blase shrug, and they hum.

"Dread is the large black dragon that lives in Leo - you'll see him someday if you visit often enough."

They think for a moment. "Mice can chew through solid wood, and rabbits can kick hard enough to tear skin with their claws. Sure, not dangerous to us, but notable in their own right. Add intelligence behind it and you need to be wary. Never underestimate an opponent in any way, but do look for weaknesses you can use."

Another hum, and they tuck away their blade again.

"For example- I hunt deer by dropping on them from high up, and using my weight to break their back, but I'm too big and slow to hunt birds or lizards like that. I only manage to snatch them in smaller caves with denser forests, where they, and I, have a disadvantage in the leaves. When you get a weapon, and I'm sure you will, it will change what you can and cannot do. It's always a fun learning experience, at least to me it is." Their tone is pleased and excited.

"My blade is of my chrysalis, yes- it's the one thing I've kept all my Cycles here. At first I simply grabbed it because it was shiny, I... belive. But now I know it's utility, and it's helped me realize more ideas as the days have gone on."

"When I speak"
When I think

@V-Onyx-Three

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