ORIGIN

Her head turned left and right as she walked out of a tunnel and into a clearing. Her body moved as if it sang of grace, her hooves clipping on the stone floor but her head was raised high and staring at the waterfall in front of her. It was a beautiful sight, almost as if she had dreamed it. The water crashing down into a lake that was clear and dark as if reflected the ceiling. The mist that hung in the air began to cling to her fur as she moved toward the water, making her fur weigh twice as much as it already did. The hardest thing for her so far had been her massive bulk of fur, but it was also her greatest blessing for she never had to worry about being too cold to move. As she reached the lagoon Glacia leaned down and sniffed the water. She hoped beyond all hope that the water was clean even though she knew tons of bacteria lived in it. With a heavy sigh she pressed her soft lips to the water's surface and gulped down some water. The fur on her neck seemed to sink into the water's surface as well, making it so when she lifted her head from the water it dribbled down her chest like a mini-waterfall.

A noise caught her attention and her head jerked to the left to see what it was. All she could see was a pebble falling off a higher cliff edge and shadows everywhere. She listened a bit harder, twisting her ears from side to side wondering were it had come from but alas the roaring of the water fall muffled any sound their might have been. So against she dipped her muzzle back into the lagoon, took a few more gulps and set about looking for things to explore in this wonderful place.

The owl was up on his ledge, as he often sat when in Pisces. Everything was peaceful, quiet beneath the roar of the falls, and he was drowsing half-asleep.

Then came the clicking: a soft tap-tap on the stone below, barely audible even to his sharp ears (or perhaps because of them) over the rush of water. His ear tufts perked, gem eyes opening, and he sidled to the ledge's edge to listen down.

Something was down there; he could hear hooves, he thought, something walking to the water's edge. He called out, voice soft and melodic, tone hesitant but curious.

"...Hello? Is someone there?"

He would be plainly visible, should the stranger look his way, perched at the edge of a stone ledge some distance in the air, and against the tunnel wall. His feathers were somewhat tattered, and a little dirty, his eyes a dark, solid green, formed of stone. He, of course, could see nothing of Glacia in return.

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@Glacia

A soft humming came from her lips but she moved closer to the side of the cave, sniffing at the driplets on the wall when ears perked backwards, a voice echoed into them. She listened for anything else but nothing came and when she turned her huge Caribou head she saw at last what scared her, An owl. "Well hello my feathered friend. You certainly look drowsy.. Did i wake you?" She mused half sorry, half happy to have someone to talk to. When trying to look a bit closer to the owl she started to take a couple of steps toward him, her nose pointing straight up into the air like she was trying to reach a high branch for nibbles.

When she noticed his right eye looked a little off she tried to peer closer but couldn't get any better a look yet. /Oy there must be something wrong with me./ She thought./I always want to fix things./ She nipped at the air and shook her full head of antlers. They had just shred their velvet layer and stood upon her head hard as stone.

@Dark

Dark peered unseeing down at the stranger, ruffling his feathers a bit; the air was cold, the snow of the last few weeks chilling him, along with the spray from the falls.

"Yes, but that's okay," he answered softly. "What are you doing? Do you live here? Are you Maji Walezi?"

He asked all of this politely, quietly, his own voice barely audible over the water's roar. He didn't seem to intend to come down, though, instead calling it all down toward the stranger he couldn't see--wondering just who this was. A new hatchling? A visitor from some other cave? Or one of Maji Walezi he simply hadn't met, yet?

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@Glacia

She listened to his questions, tilting her head to the side and not quite understanding what the owl was saying. He seemed to know more about this place then she, coming from the way he was speaking. "I am just here to have a look around and learn more about this place. Im just searching for a place that suits me. I do not live here its a bit too moist here.. Mold would grow on me when I slept." She paused and just looked at the owl. Her voice was becoming hoarse from having to yell over the waterfall. "I don't know what maji.. Wall.. Walei.. Walezi Is.. But if you would be so kind to have a little chat with me, We could go somewhere a bit more quiet so that our voices wont be hoarse in the morning." She quirked and wiggled her nose to get a bit of a sniff.

She looked around and perked her ears expecting to see this Maji come out of no where and question her for being here. Was she on claimed lands? Could other's claim land? She had no idea. She then looked back up at the Owl curiously. "My name is Glacia, Sorry for my impolite behavior." She did a slow bow of her head before bringing it back up to look at the owl.

@Dark

"I didn't know you were impolite," the owl chirped brightly. Really what he meant was he hadn't taken anything as impolite, but his phrasing was a little off. Nonetheless, he swept down a moment later on broad wings, his flight utterly silent, and flitted some distance off from the falls, landing with a slight tumble on the rock.

He looked back to Glacia, calling out to her.

"Here? I think you can hear, here! Just don't eat me. ...Maji Walezi are some of us who live here; we guard the water. I'm Dark. I'm an owl," he explained, perhaps unnecessarily. "Mold doesn't grow on us," he added with a few clicks of his beak, after a moment of thought.

It was rather clear from his mannerisms that no, he couldn't see; and beyond that, that perhaps he wasn't quite as "all there" as he could, or should, be. Regardless, he seemed perfectly friendly, if a little naive, as he stared blindly and cheerfully in the vague direction of the caribou.

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@Glacia

She snipped as he said she wasn't impolite but just waited. His wings were huge compared to the size of his body and lovely colored. She knew nothing of what kind of creature he was. When he landed a bit unsteady she realised she was talking to a blind bird. She listened as he talked from the ground and slowly made her way toward him. When he made the comment about eating him she made a sound of disgust. "Eating you? That sounds horrible. No offense, but i only eat the plants around here. They are much more yummy." Her voice was almost like a doctor talking to a patient. "I see you are blind. Is there anything you can see?" She mused and put her face very close to the owl's. She looked over him with a curious expression, not that he could see it, not knowing what would cause such a disfigurement to the poor bird.

Slowly as she could she collasped next to the bird and perked her ears wondering why people would guard these waters. "Whats so special about the water that it needs guarding?" She asked, "Oh.. And whats your name bird?"

@Dark

He hooted, tilting his head; it hadn't occurred to him that she might not have realized that "dark" was a name.

"Dark! I said!" he replied. He hopped quickly away as she drew too close for comfort, but upon hearing her lie down, he hopped closer again, peering. He made a quick, nervous brush past her, trying to touch without lingering, the briefest brush in an attempt to see her in her past.

What he saw made him pause after hopping back away, tilting his head.

"Well--I can see with my magic, sometimes. I saw you. You're pretty. You look warm," he added, hopping quite a bit closer again, seemingly no longer worried about being eaten. "You have pretty fur." And then, almost in the same breath, he abruptly switched topic--repeatedly.

"I eat mice. And rats. They guard the water 'cause they think all the water comes from here but really it doesn't. I just stay because of Bevy. She's like... My mother? Motherbird. I guess. She's a healer," he added, finally settling to fluff his feathers, peering at the stranger.

"With my magic I can see things in the past, and I can show other people stuff in their minds, too. What's your magic? Do you know yet?" he asked brightly.

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@Glacia

She tilted her head once more. "Dark?" She mused. when he hopped away she poked her nose closer but when he hopped back she tossed her head back so as not to hit him with her new horns. She watched him dance around like a spring chicken with amusement and then when he brushed her with his wings, the skin where he had touch quivered but otherwise she made no movements.

She thought it was cute the why he moved. Hobbling around like newborn, but when he openned his beak again she got confused even more. Magic? He had magic? She bumped him with her nose though when he called her pretty, slightly blushing under her fur. He started to ramble and she almost couldn't keep up but when he was done, he looked at her as if she knew what he was talking about.

"Other then being made. No I dont believe i have any other magic." She mumbled and let her head shift to the floor, snorting out a breath. This bird had magic. Would she have magic? She huffed at the thought and rolled her head closer the owl, nipping at his fluffed fur. "You have pretty feathers too. All fluffy and soft." She giggled pulling her soft white nose away from the tickling of the feathers.

@Dark

The owl fluffed himself, seeming pleased with the repaid compliment.

"Thank you. Soft feathers is good, right? --I think? Anyway I think everyone has magic, maybe. Bevy can heal things and I can see things and show things, and Makyna can do that too. Leon makes fire. Um."

He paused, seeming to have to think, for a moment.

"...Even the rats and mice, sometimes they have magic. I caught a rough-thing once that zapped me. With magic!" he hooted. He still seemed very energetic, but just as abruptly, he swapped topic again. "So if I'm an owl, what're you?"

He leaned back to preen one wing absently, asking a follow-up question as he did so. "And what do you do?"

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@Glacia