ORIGIN

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Crawling beneath the cover of moist foliage he froze. Was that her? Is she close? Oh she had to be! Her scent was so strong now! Quick padded feet gliding across the muddy terrain he moved to another bush. Eyes wide, ears erect. Flickering and shifting, the tip of his tail flickering left to right.

Head shot up he heard the soft rustle of leaves, she was closing in now! He just knew it! He couldn't be found! Not yet! Not so soon! Off he ran, bolting from his cover. Running leaps and bound under another bush. Maw open he took in the moist air that surrounded him. Fog gently filling his lungs. He didn't smell her, just the very earth he walked on.

Moments passed and he crawled from beneath his cover. Out into the open, listening. Did he run a little too far? He kept to the boundaries right? Ears flickering frantically he turned around once, twice and finally a third time. He couldn't hear her, maybe he did roam a bit too far.

"Speech"

"Thought"

A rustle of leaves near him broke the tense silence.

Then she darted out from the foliage to grab her Pounce, the motion making them both roll around down a very slight hill as she did so, laughing and giggling all the way. "I've got you!" she said happily.

"You will never win at this, my love," Her voice completely proud and haughty, making her cub roll their eyes at her. "I am simply too good at this."

They both sighed, hugging each other in a silent, momentary truce, short and temporary. "This is my favorite game of all, Pounce. I played it a very long time ago with others of my kind, in a room where the ceiling up above twinkles with many stars. It was impossibly pretty to look at, and one day soon I will show it to you."

With a kiss, she got up and grinned at Pounce, breaking the truce. "Now it's your turn to catch me! Good luck!" With a laugh, she disappeared into the mist.

As she did so, she decided to try out her illusion magics. Maybe she could create copies of herself to run around and lead false trails? It might've been cheating, she thought mischievously, but she wanted to try anyway.

In creating it, she breathed in the magic, and when she breathed out, she broke the connection. She decided not to and save the tactic for later. She was confident that she could manage without it, at least for now! She was the queen of hide and seek!

"This is how I speak."

A rustle of leafs behind him and before he knew it she was on top of him! She grabbed him, both proceeding to roll down a slight hill. She had got him! She won this round! Her voice boasting with pride. 'I am simply too good at this' she gloated! He would show her! He could totally do the same!

She spoke of a ceiling, with these things called stars above them. Were they like her lights? Only farther away? He could only imagine this, and smiled when she spoke about showing him one day. He grew excited, he wish that day was today! Nuzzling into her kiss she bolted off. The truce was broken and she disappeared into the mist with bubbling laughter! Leaving him behind as he closed his eyes. He would find her!

Slinking through the dense fog he laid low beneath the ferns. He could smell her. She was close, she just had to be! White eyes darting from bush to bush. She could have been behind any of these! But he knew she was close!

Readying himself he drew up the courage. He could just feel it! He will win! She was right behind that bush and he knew it! Taking off like a bolt he leaped through the bush. Only to come crashing through the other side. Much to his amazement, he was wrong! She was not behind this bush but rather the one right next to it! Looking up he stared right at her. He was so close! But yet so far!

"Speech"

"Thought"

She smiled sweetly at Pounce, for she knew that her cub would miss her from her secret vantage point.

With another kiss, she danced away lightly, grinning all the time. "I am the queen of hide and seek, my love," She said in a sing-song voice into the swirling mist. "You may be a page if you really try," As her form disappeared, her voice lilted back to Pounce's ears, the direction lost, as if coming from a few sides at the same time. "Or maybe even a squire....."

She knew she was teasing them, but this was so much fun!

Intentionally, she didn't go too far, and instead hid in almost plain sight, staying completely still. Her white coat merged with the white fog so easily, and she could safely watch her cub edge slowly and close to the ground excitingly close up. Slowly, tentatively, she tried to sneak away, stifling her giggles.

But as she started to creep away, she couldn't contain all of her laughter, and one escaped from her! She quickly glanced back at Pounce, who was grinning and staring right at her, and then she burst out laughing and bolted away! "Try to catch me, try to catch me!" She sang, hopping over logs and forest debris.

"This is how I speak."

Before he could scramble after her she was off like a shot! Vanishing into the fog, singing along the way, teasing him. 'Or maybe even a squire' Her voice rang around him, bouncing through the fog.

"I don't want to be a squire!!" He yelled out, giving chase through the fog. Coming to a gear grinding stop as he listened now. His sense of smell lead him here, it wasn't far from where they just were. But the amount of foliage made this an easy place to sit and lay low. Ear flickering, white eyes snapping over to a small lizard that leapt from a nearby leaf. That was not who he was looking for, but boy oh boy did that look fun! Butt wiggling he had to control himself! He was playing hide and seek! He had someone else more important to catch!

Lifting a paw and just barely placing it back on the moist earth below, he heard her. An uproarious laughter that escaped just for a moment. But that was all he needed! Spinning around he met her eye to eye. He could see her in the bushes! How he didn't notice her before, he would never know! Rear feet digging into the soft ground he bolted after her! He was so close to her! Nearly right on her heels until she started pulling away, increasing her speed!

"I don't want to be a squire!!" He dug in deep now, taking in longer strides. Propelling himself with the strength of his back legs. He was quite literally making leaps and bounds. "I wanna be a king!!" Leaping into the air, he managed to not just catch up to her, but to catch her with gusto. Extending his arms, being mindful of his claws he grabbed her haunches! Letting out what could be guessed as a victory roar? His roar was still so small it was more adorable that menacing.

"I got you! I tagged you!" He dropped to the ground, strutting around with pride. He tagged her! Finally!

"Speech"

"Thought"

She felt paws on her rear and and turned around to see Pounce falling near to the ground, grinning like they were king of all the caves.

"Hm! You would've found me if I hadn't given you that hint," She teased, grinning back at her cub. "But congratulations nonetheless! You were like the wind, indeed."

Still in a playful mood, she said in a silly, indulgent voice, "But as you tag the white deer, they transform into a huge menacing dragon! Aaahh!"

She reached for her magic, but pulled too fast, and as the magic started to swirl around her and create a dragon's bright form, it faded away.

"Well, at least the deer would've, really except they really had to try harder!" She laughed. "Just give me a moment, my love, and let me try again,"

"This is how I speak."

She pursed her lips, knowing that Pounce was staring at her with wide, expectant eyes. If her magic was being difficult today, she would do without! Surely she could be a believable dragon without her magic!

She set aside her pouting feelings. They wouldn't help her casting, nor would feeling the pressure to perform; she knew this. She closed her eye and took it slow, breathing in, breathing out the magic, the familiar crash and wave of her magic coursing through her like an old friend moving to see her. Piece by piece she constructed an incredibly bright, shining form that surrounded her, till she was nothing but a huge dragon made of light. the magic swirled around her legs first, turning her hooves into claws, rising to elongate her form and give her a strong tail that coiled around her feet, and make her neck much taller, with a fierce grinning maw.

She wouldn't say that she based this off of the mischievous Baratheon she had met a while ago, that she knew what a real dragon looked like. That was a story for another time.

She took a deep breath and roared as loud as she could, and her delicate, overly dramatic voice came from this suddenly huge bright dragon. "Prepare, little one! The end is nigh! You have dared contest the queen, and they are not pleased! Raaaaaarr!"

As she made her (rather pathetic) sounds of terror, the dragon's mouth opened wide, showing its incredibly large, shining teeth to her little Pounce. She widened her stance, grinning. Would her cub jump at her? She watched them with a keen eye, her dragon's tail whipping like a playful cat's tail.

Round: 1/5
Attempt: Casting a light illusionary spell to scare Pounce
Defense: Prepare to be pounced at
Injuries: None

"This is how I speak."

A smile wide on his face he could only watch her to see what new game was next! Maybe a story? Hide and seek? Simon says? 'But as you tag the white deer, they transform into a huge menacing dragon!' Eyes wide he could only release a sound of amazement! He could see the magic build, but it slowly left just as fast swirling around her and fading all the same. She needed to try again and he braced himself! Ready a nod of 'lets do this' attitude!

"WOAH" Was all he could say! Watching his tall ethereal friend transform before his very eyes! She was so bright, so large! So menacing! She was something he had never seen before! He smiled as the dramatic voice came from the dragon. "She may be a queen! But I am a king!" He roared back, though rather pitifully with his young age.

With a wiggle of his butt he took off like a bolt, running straight towards the dragon! The levels of his self preservation fairly low with all the excitement that ran through him he had no defense strategy. But did he really need one? He was confident his speed was enough!

Round: 1/5
Attempt: Pounce at the large dragon!
Defense: None
Injuries: None

"Speech"

"Thought"

She laughed, seeing through the straight-forward pounce easily. But could she dodge just as quickly?

She hesitated for a second as her cub leapt up from the ground, and in a hilariously uncoordinated movement, she moved her head in and her legs in such a way where she lost her balance entirely! She fell to the ground and her cub pounced on her triumphantly, using her as a launching pad, making her laugh even more with a slight 'oof!' to accentuate it. Pounce weighed next to nothing and was light on their feet, so she paid it no mind.

Perhaps this mock battle was a bad idea, she thought wryly, but she wasn't one to give up so easily. She jumped back up to her feet, facing the grinning cub.

"A king who hasn't slain the dragon is no king at all! You must defeat me in battle to gain such a title, tiny little prince-ling."

She lowered her snorting dragon's head and pawed at the ground, pretending to prepare to charge.

Round: 2/5
Attempt: Dodge out of the way
Defense: None
Injuries: None

"This is how I speak."

He felt victorious! Having apparently startled it so with his 'mighty' roar to the point where it lost it's balance just before his pounce! Down it went and he had pounced on it with ease, only sticking around for a few moments before jumping off! A slight 'oof!' emerged as he rolled on the battlefield, turning to face to dragon once more! But they had gotten back up! Jumping to their feet with just energy, it occurred just now to the young cub it will take more than one pounce to win this battle.

Grin for grin they mirrored each other, the cub's tail thrashing around playfully as he prepared. 'A king who hasn't slain the dragon is no king at all! You must defeat me in battle to gain such a title, tiny little prince-ling.' "Little do you know I've already won!" A smile wide on his face, maybe he could psych his opponent out. After all this dragon was pretty large! It would fall pretty easy again! Would it be considered chiseling? NAH! "I've never eaten dragon before!! Maybe today's the day!" A wide smile on his face as he prepared his next more. He had no plans on eating dragon today, he knew very well this was a game. But maybe those few words would give him an edge.

If the dragon was going to charge then he had to fake right! pretend to dodge their charge! He would run beneath its belly and give it a good swat! No claws of course! This was but a game! But even as a harmless game, he wanted to win!

Round: 2/5
Attempt: Pretend to dodge only to run under the dragon's belly and give it a little swat!
Defense: None
Injuries: None

"Speech"

"Thought"

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Vicktor

Belladonna

Vicktor

Belladonna

Vicktor

Belladonna

Belladonna

Vicktor

Belladonna

Vicktor