He wasn't one to wander off.
That didn't guarantee he'd never do so, however. Carni had ventured past the gate that guarded his birthplace, his home, not seeking to be rid of its bone-decorated splendor, but to educate himself.
Father hadn't been around to stop him, nor the gate guardian. He left freely.
He ignored a guilty feeling for being deceitful. He'd have time for that later.
For now, he wanted to know what strange lands were beyond his fortified kingdom, what creatures ruled beyond his walls of the departed. On careful paws, he crept out into the first of many new places; Orion cave.
He knew it from the map etched into the walls back home, but the poorly carved stars didn't compare to the glittering ceiling of faux galaxies above. He paused to openly stare in wonder, wings itching to bring him closer but imagination willing him to stay grounded- perhaps getting a closer look might spoil the magic. Instead, almost pointedly, he tucked them to his sides.
"...wow." Barely a whisper, to himself of course, as pale eyes became transfixed upon the scattered canopy of light above.
@Gadanai
It wasn't hard to miss her approaching. Attentive ears flicked to the sound of soft, but heavy, footfalls. He turned and found himself shocked at the sight of her- massive, imposing, with scars and bloodstains, not unlike some of the aged warriors back home, but so, so much bigger than anything he'd seen in Canis so far. She spoke, voice friendly, inviting, and his initial, instinctive fear vanished without a trace.
She called him beautiful, and he felt a flustered sort of pride bubble up in his chest. Humbled, he danced his weight between front paws and feathers ruffled ever so slightly. If cats could blush, he'd be so red...
"Th-thank you, ma'am." He chirped back, concious of how his voice cracked uncomfortably at the end. She commented on the stars- stars, huh?- and he sighed in total agreement. "They're very pretty. I knew Orion was the Cave of Stars, but I didn't realize it had so many, or that they'd be so dazzling!" He spoke with all the innocence of a child, despite being three cycles old already.
Finally, he turned to face his new 'friend' and company.
"My name is Caerwyn." Time for some Introductions.
@Gadanai
Gadanai. Big name for a big animal.
"Oh, no, I live in Canis with my father. He's the Bone King." He stated the information openly, downright matter-of-factly, with all the innocence of a fresh youth. "I guess that kind of makes me a Prince. Heh." He'd never been called such openly before, but it felt good to voice the idea aloud.
His eyes were drawn back to his company, her scars- no, injuries, he noted. He winced. Those looked fresh, painful. They weren't finished healing, an eyesore and likely just sore in general, so when he spoke next, it was with careful consideration.
"Are you okay, Gadanai?" His voice laced with concern, he stood and turned properly to face her, ears pricking forward attentively. "That looks painful... were you in a fight?"
@Gadanai Sorry for the short post, it hurts to type ;-;
She seemed to delight in hearing that he was, in a way, a Prince. His feathers ruffled slightly at the praise. She addressed him as Prince Caerwyn, and he felt the title was quite honorable indeed... at least, until she began her tale. His beaming smile became a tragic expression, wrought with worry. Dramatic little thing, he sat back and upright, clasping his paws across his mouth in empathic horror- how awful!
"Wowie..." He whispered, in awe, as she finished her story with the mention of nightmares. "I'm so sorry, Gadanai. That's awful. I'm very glad you made it out alive, though, and that the dragon didn't eat you in the end." Earnest, he followed up his praise with more. "You're very strong to survive against a dragon. I've heard about dragons before. Father told me about Raheerah. That was before I was born, though."
He shuffled his paws timidly. Now he felt silly, tiny and insignifigant compared to the dragon-fighting elephant before him. Even father, with his huge wings and fierce talons, didn't really compare. Gadanai battled dragons. And lived.
And what did his father do? Laze around and sulk in Canis.
Well, he'd just have to learn from Gadanai and inspire his Father to be more like her as well! Yes, this would surely be an answer.
"How'd you learn to fight off big beasts like that? Are you used to fighting? What's it like, must be easy, you're so big and y'got those horns. My horn doesn't seem like it'd do much in a fight, does it?" He tried to cross his eyes and regard the blue gem between them, but strained too hard, hissing as he blinked away the discomfort it brought. "I'm not very big, either. I'm still growing though, so, maybe I'll be big someday too!"
@Gadanai