ORIGIN

Dragon was not far off, dipping in and out of the water channels of the swamp. He was not searching for stones, but for food--fish--and his movement was languid and unhurried. Truth be told, as an ambush predator with no real metabolism to speak of, he generally just lurked in wait near the shorelines until a fish swam by or something came to drink at the water's edge. But today?

Well, today he'd gotten bored.

His travel through the muddy waters wasn't particularly urgent, then, but rather the slow and occasional sweep of a ridged tail to keep him moving at least a little.

As he slid back out from a narrow passage back into the Heart's waters, he noticed a distant figure--one that seemed familiar. He drew closer, and the scent of Oil and shape of Sniffles soon became clear. Dragon drew closer, lifting his head a little from the surface of the water to call out. "Hello, Sniffles." They'd barely spoken, the two of them; this was a Child of Rot but one that, like so many of the Children, simply went about their own business in the swamp. And Dragon, bored and curious, wondered what that business might now be. Probably just hunting, he mused, but he felt like chatting, just then. "Might I ask what you're up to? -Out of curiosity," he hastily added, in case his idle question were misread as a demand.

Dragon laughed, quiet but good-natured. "Merely 'hunting,' myself," he answered easily. Dark eyes flicked to the gemstone that Sniffles carried. "Do you plan to return it to life-?" he asked, curious.

More importantly--did this mean more children for the-... well, Children (of Rot)? He did not want to outright ask, in case it put pressure on the child. Well-... not that Sniffles was a child, exactly; she was old, by now. He just had a way of thinking of them that way; Sniffles seemed so innocent and chipper, to him. "It seems you've had more luck than me in your hunt, in any case," he added. He'd come up alongside Sniffles now, not so close as to be intruding on their personal space; but enough that a conversation wasn't being half-shouted. He floated there, casually calm, content simply to make small talk.

The mention of "younglings for the Rot" brought a spark of enthusiasm into the old alligator; and Sniffles' declaration that it was "too quiet here" left him breaking into laughter. "It is quiet, here," he agreed good-naturedly. It was. That was part of the good of Cetus, Dragon believed; it was out of the way, and swampy and stinky enough that it was mostly left alone.

Mostly. Well... after they'd chased Order out, at least.

"No, thank you. But--I would like to help you. I would always like more Children for Cetus. I can bring a piece of your stone to life--or offer a piece of mine?" He favored the first, and it showed--if only faintly--in his tone. He wasn't sure on Sniffles' parenting techniques, and he enjoyed raising children. But if they wanted kids, and if they wanted a piece of his stone, he'd still oblige.

Hell, maybe he ought to find some stones for himself to raise, too. It had been awhile--and why not? Cetus was maybe a little too quiet, these days.

Dragon blinked in surprise as Sniffles simply--did it. There was forewarning, but about half a second's worth. He'd expected... discussion, maybe, or questions. But suddenly, abruptly, fatherhood was coming at him again full-steam ahead.

Their cheerful nature was warming, but replaced by a sudden lurch of horror as he realized they were just... shearing off a stone piece right there, while happily drifting there in front of him. He dove without hesitation, catching the shard in his jaws before it could plummet into the Heart's depths.

Then he surfaced in a spray of water, blinking. He tucked the shard of Onyx away on one side of his jaw to speak, maneuvering it carefully with a light toss of his jaws. "I will grant it life on the shoreline," he told them, a little baffled but delighted, too. "Feel free to join me with your stones, if and when you wish. I will build a nest!" he decided. One he could defend, and protect, until the child hatched. "We can both raise the child," he added, though it was almost more of a question; he wasn't sure if Sniffles actually wanted to do that, or really knew how, but he was hardly going to take their stone piece and just leave with it entirely.

He then turned, making for the nearby shore, hauling himself up and into the mud. It took him a few minutes to nudge reeds and muck into a nest; he did so beneath the protective, gnarled roots of one of the mangrove-like trees. Then, gently, he set the black stone into them, and rested his chin atop it.

Let me grant you life, he thought, his imagination wondering just what a mixture of alligator and Oil-snake might wind up looking like.

A moment later the onyx was infused with new fire. Dragon huffed a rumble of approval, then nudged mud over it with his snout--hiding it from sight, and keeping it insulated from the elements.