ORIGIN - how we survive

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It was quiet in Monoceros today, but it didn't bother Othello as usual. He enjoyed the silence having never said a word, not even to Iliad or even Odyssey. Occasionally he felt like he might have something to say, but his lips would purse and he would stay silent. He spoke to himself in his mind, but words could not and would not form on his lips to speak. Othello didn't think much of it - Odyssey did enough talking for the three of them.

It was interesting having Iliad speak to him in his mind. It felt... comforting. If only he could do something like that, then maybe he could speak with the two of them. It didn't matter now, but maybe he could somehow get Iliad to teach him.. maybe.

Days without the brothers were kind of lonely and Othello found himself with nothing to do. Nothing unusual as of late; he was probably becoming an eyesore wandering the cave alone and silent. He spied on others often, peering at them and running away before getting caught. Whether he had or not, he was usually too busy getting away to notice if he'd been seen.

Today, he was after a particular suspect. Iliad's father. Looking at Magdalena and Odyssey, it was clear that Iliad was not of the same species as them, or even him for that matter. Although they did share similar fox like features, it was obvious not even Othello and Iliad had many similar features, especially with the pets monochrome fur and Iliad's long, strange claws.

He wondered what to expect of the mysterious man - was he just like Iliad? Othello had never seen another thing like him, so he was terribly curious. He wondered if he would find him in the gorge; having no idea who he was, it was impossible to track him down so he had to resort to wandering.

@louie

This was as far as the fox had come in his journey back to Monoceros. Not so much a journey anymore anyway as he just kept looping back around. Fear wasn't keeping him away, he just hadn't thought of the best strategy yet. As far as he was concerned, Hasira was still a problem in Orion and it took all his strength to be able to slip through the starry walled cavern. Laughter often echoed out of the tunnel where the Bonebound lay. Nothing came from the tunnel he had just emerged from. Sound was trapped in the vortex, it was almost like the Merry Men didn't even exist.

It was perfect for what it needed to be. A strong hold. Did anyone really know who lay here? If they did they probably didn't care. Merry Men had no name. They were nameless. Unheard of. Merely a band of children and their parents. Weak. Tensing, the muscles rippled from his shoulders down to the base of his paws. Louie was no wolf, but for the sleek vulpes he was he was powerful. Quietly, he stepped into the gorge, maybe he wouldn't go all the way back. Maybe he would. There were so many plans, so many ideas. It was hard sorting them all through.

As he walked, he cast out his white sense to pick up if the fragile princess was stalking nearby. So many times he had ditched her in the cave. Had she even known that he had been regenerating for so long? There were clicks, pops and the crawling world was shown to him. There was a thicker patch, it was obviously a living organism and he stopped short. Othello loomed into view as he came in from the other side and the man narrowed his eyes. He had yet to meet the kids pet. "A Merry Man member I presume?" Easily. He stank more of the joint than he did.

@Othello

He hadn't expected to come up on anyone so fast, and it was like they knew he was approaching before he even know he was coming up on someone. And he really didn't expect it to be who he was looking for, or at least who he thought he was looking for anyway. He looked the most like Iliad after he'd seen a lot of the members at the statue dispute the other day. Since, he'd been staying away from that giant trino in case she tried to trample him again. He didn't like Odyssey or Iliad associating with her, but he understood why. She was family.

Othello didn't know what 'pet' was, but it sounded like family, right? Othello blinked and frowned. It didn't sound nice, really, but they didn't treat him bad. He decided to ignore it and focus on this... thing before him.

He stopped dead in his tracks when the older gembound spoke to him and answered with a curt nod. He was born here in this cave, so he cared little as to whether that made him official or not. To him, he had every right being born here. For good measure though, Odyssey dragged him along to meet their mother and he was accepted from there. He didn't quite know how she felt about her children's new friend, but Othello didn't care. He loved Odyssey and Iliad, though Odyssey more, and nothing would make him stay away from this place, his birthplace, his home.

@louie

Tail swaying gently behind him, he watched the younger gembound with mild curiosity. So they had been able to coerce a new member in joining, always a good thing to see it grow and swell in numbers. Made him question his previous thoughts over how unknown they were, but the youth in his face made him assume he was hatched here. About as young as his own kids, possibly younger. It was hard to tell as he'd never seen a species like this yet. It was always such a curious thing to meet new eyesores.

"Magdalena or Diamondfang must have accepted you. It's not like there is a proper leadership anymore anyway. They - we - are nothing but a broken band. No goals no future. Iliad and Odyssey will be raised as disappointments." It was hard for him to admit that, but he no longer saw his children as his saviours. So what if they had power, Iliad refused to train and Odyssey was more a son after his mother's heart. Just annoyed him further to think that the unbroken child didn't want him in his life. Iliad was useless.

"Not even sure why I'm telling you this. Quite easily you could dob on me. Diamondfang is shitty enough as it is. Magdalena hasn't seen me in weeks. No clue what she has to say to me now." Content to not go any further after this, he dropped onto his back side and looked over his shoulder behind him. This would be fine.

@Othello

The fox before him spoke more, mentioning names he was familiar with. Magdalena , the borzoi, had accepted him and he heard of a Diamonfang back at the dilapidated statue. He spoke ill of the children and his head tilted with sadness and curiousity.

He felt bad for the fox though - he seemed depressed. He frowned still and looked at his paws. How could he cheer the guy up? His brows forrrowed and he looked down, wondering if he could will it. Soon, a white mushroom sprouted from the ground and Othello smiled and plucked it.

Carrying it in his mouth, he made it to where the fox sat and dropped the mushroom, then nudging it with his nose to move it closer.

@louie

Still the maned wolf made no effort to talk, and he shook his head. A mute. It was amazing how many members of the Merry Men carried some sort of disability. They weren't inhibited by it, except perhaps Iliad as he had no means of functioning properly apart from his occasional telepathic string. Anyway, this child, who he actually had no idea of the name was just sitting there. Eventually, he just stared at his paws and Lou's eyes followed, a few seconds passed, and then with a sort of pop a white mushroom appeared.

It looked so much like something Booker would create. It reminded him of the smashed and scattered fungi where he had re-hatched. Othello brought it to him, dropped it, and nosed it forwards. Louie felt his guard go up, but he felt his inside crack slightly. It was weird, he'd never received a gift from someone before. Such an odd gesture, but he reached out with a paw to bring it closer, studying it. Warmth spread through his paws, "Th-thank you." It was odd to say, had he ever said it before?

Those times in Polaris hadn't counted, but he tried to keep a conversation going with someone who couldn't speak, "Do you have a name?" Maybe if he was mute he could just answer that? Well, he wasn't entirely sure what a mute child could do. In response, he grinned, "OK. Now you watch this," he tried to will forth his fresh magic, probably only the second time he had bothered to use this spell.

It was small, not nearly the size it could have been and Louie was slightly disappointed. Still attached to its stem, he leaned forwards to tear it off so that the pumpkin was sitting on its own. About the size of a futsal ball, it was still impressive. Or that's what he thought. "Here. I'm not sure what you eat. You have sharp teeth but your body shape is strange. Maybe you're an omnivore. If not. You could always carve it or something I don't know." Pumpkins were cool gifts right? Sighing, he settled back down, "You're the first person to give me a gift you know."

@Othello

Othello's head tilted as he thanked him for his gift. He eyed the fox, listening to him as he asked if he had a name. He nodded once, a 'yes' to his question but giving no more for an answer. Of course he had a name, Odyssey named him! Even though he was usually called 'pet' by the brothers, it didn't bother him. Just a nickname since there wasn't one for his name, right?

Louie drew in Othello's attention once more when he was told to look and watched in amazement as the fox sprouted a round orange thing just like he had grown his mushroom! How awesome was that?! Did that mean he could spawn things other than mushrooms?

Although Othello was an omnivore, he felt no need to eat the gourd. Instead, he reached out to it with his nose and sniffed it before trying at it with his teeth to grab at it. It slipped from his grasp enough times for him to give up and reach at it with a foot, pulling it near finally. It was an odd thing, but he'd keep it forever with the other special things he had collected! Odyssey would probably get annoyed with his stash sooner or later, but he only had a few treasures now.

When the fox spoke again, Othello was shocked to hear that no one had given this gembound a gift before! He had been given one just a few days after being given life, and this man - clearly an adult - hadn't been given one? Othello felt sorry for him and frowned, almost wanting to give the pumpkin back as another gift, but he stopped himself from giving it up. He didn't know how to answer that, not that he really would, so he sighed and looked at the fox forlornly. He felt bad for this guy having never been given a gift before...

But, wait. What about Iliad? The brother looked an awful lot like this fox, so Othello got an idea. What if he took this man to Iliad? He had mentioned the name, after all. Maybe he knew he friend! Othello felt determined now and rose with more energy than the boy had had all day. His tail wagged rapidly behind him and he stared at Louie, willing him to follow if he could, but he probably just looked like some kind of manic standing and staring at him with his tail wagging for seemingly no reason. What a weird kid...

@louie

Gently, he brought the mushroom closer to himself, careful not to smash or damage the delicate fungus. Despite the possibility of it being toxic, he ran the thickened skin of his paw pads over the enlarged bulb. Powder gathered slightly in the cracks, there was the urge to lick it up and force himself to be sick lingered. Possibly a side effect of harbouring so many toxins and bacteria in his body already. It was such a nice mushroom though. Eyes following the boys movements as he went to turn away, he wasn't sure how to keep the conversation going when the boy refused, or was unable to speak. "If we're moving on, I'll need to come back for the mushroom, don't really have a means of carrying it do I?"

Stepping over it, he came up beside Othello but moved no further. He continued to tug ever so gently on the line connecting his mind to Penelope's. The flimsiness had firmed up as she had embraced her fate as being part of a collective mind. Accessing her thoughts had become extremely easy, but she had nothing to say, nor anything interesting for him to hear. So a temporary wall had been forged in order to clear his mind for other things. Louie could tear it down instantly should he choose.

"Kid... Hold still OK?" Instead of forcing himself onto the child, he wanted him to be prepared for it. Willing to accept him as another occupant in his mind. Merry Men members had the right to know what was going on in their own heads without being pushed into it. But it fizzled and crackled, firing back at him and spitting. Too soon it was saying, but he wouldn't accept no as an answer.

@Othello

Not wanting him to be freaked out by the process, he hastily tried to forge it again. If he could do it quickly, then it wouldn't be urge for panic. Othello couldn't express himself and Louie wondered how hard that was for him when he couldn't even let his attackers know his own feelings. Just like Iliad. Not wanting negative emotions to be the first thing to overwhelm him, Louie reined in these feelings and steadied himself. A deep breath in through his nose, and out through his mouth. He couldn't let it get out of control or he also risked snapping the one he had already maintained...

Again, he was met with nothing. Instead there was a wall. This time, the spitting and crackling didn't occur though which he took as a good sign. Already feeling slightly drained, he sighed and gave the boy a pained look. He wondered if he knew what was going on right now. Whether he actually could feel something invaded his mental space. "Just give it one more time, then call it quits... Let him get comfortable again so that he doesn't think you're doing sneaky shit." This was being done out of concern for the Merry Men and concern for his children. They were roughly the same age, he didn't quite know the extent of the friendship between the fox boys and the maned wolf, but he would come to learn as he assumed his proper responsibilities around here.

Again, it blew up in his face. This was the most painful time and a headache hit him hard in the temples of his skull. A violent jerk on his connection with Penelope made him stumble slightly forwards, he looked like an idiot as he did so. That had been wasted effort and he offered a weak smile at Othello, his cheeks, chest and gem burning with the residual magic. Easily, it could just be that because in his silence, the boy had managed to perfect the art of keeping out unwanted visitors in his thoughts. Iliad had the ability to speak in minds, the ability to keep people out was probably tied into that.

"Where were you wanting to go anyway?" Louie's voice was weak, his head was throbbing and he just wanted to get to the destination so he could spend all the time in the world just constantly striking and trying to break down the barrier of his mind. No longer was he concerned over the other's well being, he just wanted to crack the code and unlock whatever secrets were being harboured behind the mouth and eyes of the mute.

@Othello

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