ORIGIN

ooc: Cancer headboops her like a cat cause cats.

Her song woke the beast above.

Golden eyes fluttered open against the misty spray of the falls. He could hear the whispering voice, sort of, as it fluxed around the room. Cancer sat up in surprise, though he didn't feel as if he should be afraid or worried. In fact, it was soothing, almost. He could see Makyna's form below, across from him, on the other end of the falls and lagoon. There, he could see, just barely, the soft glow of her jewel. She was using magic? Whatever for?

He slipped down to approach her, noting that he hadn't seen her since the meeting of Council last week. As he rounded the lagoon, though, he noted the red marks on her chest, and felt a heat rush up his spine, into his cheeks. His expression changed from gentle, just-woken curiosity to wakeful concern and anger. Who had done this? Those marks were not from any accidental fall or tumble. Those were the marks of attack.

"Makyna?" He approached her with his tail swinging high, and as he came to stand before her, he'd even offer to bump heads- that almost instinctive feline welcome they could share with no one else, since no one else could understand those tail flicks and the physical language of the feline race. "I haven't seen you in days. What's happened? Are you alright?" He tried to feign a calm demeanor but the quiver at the edge of his voice gave away his concerns.

Despite that, he made an honest effort to appear calm and collected, friendly even. He'd settle down a foot from her, letting his back legs stretch out beside him as he eased himself onto his elbows and chest. He wondered for a moment if the injury was the result of a run-in with the golems in Polaris, but then doubted she'd have gone that far without someone with her. Pisces had only seen two or three creatures there at any one time- Cancer being one, Midas another, and Bevy the third. Leon and Makyna seemed more interested in exploring, which for Leon's sake, suited Cancer just fine. This, however, was what he'd been afraid of in regards to Makyna- injuries. Danger. He only had one other cat to share his life with, and it was her. He'd not let that go without a fight. Not for any reason.

As he laid there waiting for her response, he easily sent out an echo of his own sort- using Red Sense to check for anyone who might be listening in. He didn't feel too keen on Leon or Azazel jumping in to steal away Makyna's attention this time. He was after answers, and was reeling at the chance to finally interact with her one-on-one for a change. When his little 'echo' showed him a dark and quiet cave, besides the fish in the waters around them, the leopard visibly relaxed. A soft glow from his horns and eyes was the only tell of this magic use, otherwise.

ooc: here we see cancer trying very, very hard to be nice. |D

Makyna explained what happened, and at first, Cancer grew tense. He glanced over to where the bear normally slept and those eyes narrowed. He's supposed to protect, not harm. Damn bear... Makyna jumped to Leon's defense and for a moment, Cancer looked at her crossly. She couldn't possibly take the blame- she hadn't been the one using their claws, after all. But, she seemed anxious about discussing it, so back-peddling, Cancer sighed and released the tension built up in his shouders. With a flicking tail, he submitted. She'd win.

"Accidents do happen, I guess. So long as you're alright." He'd offer her a smile, then turn to glance around the cave. "Wish he'd be careful, though. Not all of us are made of fur like he is." The sly grin that followed was a result of the image of a shaven, scrawny thing under all that fur, popping into his head. He shook the thought away. "So have you been anywhere interesting? Since Polaris?" It had been nice having Makyna around for that one. He hadn't been the only big-pawed feline on that trip, trying to keep up with flat-footed bears and flying birds.

He glanced back at her, and that gaze settled there. She was pretty, her little sapphire perfectly placed between like-colored eyes. Very pretty, the way they shone when she used her magic, or whenever she got excited, how they'd light up in another sort of bright wonder. His eyes fell on the stripe on her cheek, and he didn't catch himself before he smiled, almost stupidly. It was cute, like a birthmark, and if he tilted his head ever so slightly, he could imagine it shaped like a heart. Despite the contrasting gray color, it suited her. Of course, the boy didn't even notice himself staring.

ooc: ABORT ABORT ABORT

Cancer didn't notice her looking about at first, but then realized his mistake the moment they made eye contact. He didn't know what to do, or say, but felt the rush of blood in his ears and cheeks, under dark fur. When she called him out on it, he sat upright in a bolt of movement and looked away, fur ruffled and ears pinned back.

"Staring? I wasn't staring. I just just, uhm," He immediately defended, stammering to find the right words to fix this. She probably thinks I'm weird now. He grieved, looking for something behind her to act like he'd been staring at. Nothing but rocks. He grimaced. "I mean, I was, but I didn't mean to, I just..." He pointed suddenly to his cheek, where her stripe would've been. "Your stripe! It's, uh, gray! I was just, uhm," More stammering. "I mean, it's pretty," Then, gasping, he startled. "COOL! Pretty cool, I mean! Not pretty like pretty. Not that your stripe isn't pretty! I just, I uh, I mean," Then came the horrible, awkward laughter as he inched backwards, subconsciously wrapping his tail around his hind legs as he went...

...and with a tangle of tail around limbs, the boy yelped and went down. His paws flailed in the air as he slipped off the edge of the lagoon and backwards into it. With a splash, the boy disappeared beneath the water and it took him a good minute to turn himself around again and race for the surface. Before breaking to breath, he hesitated- did he really want to surface and face her again? His lungs made up his mind for him, and he broke near the center of the lagoon, gasping in air dramatically and flailing to get himself turned about quickly. Then, facing her, sodden wet, he treaded water- too scared to try returning to shore just yet.

ooc: dorky cubs. xD

Cancer was so sure she'd be mad at him for his antics and rudeness, that when she started wading out after him, seemingly purposeful smile across her face, he debated swimming away. He backed up as she got closer, looking very, very scared, until she stopped and called him out, yet again, on what he'd said in his baffled babble. Pretty. He went wide-eyed and red in the face, opened his mouth to deny her claims, then found himself being shoved under the water rather suddenly. His yell of protest came out in the form of muffled voice and bubbles.

A moment later, he sputtered to the surface again, looked her way with a cross expression, then yet again, she threw him for a loop- a third time- calling him pretty too. Pretty!? Boys weren't supposed to be pretty! Did she think he was girly!? Oh gods beneath, she thought he was girly! He opened his mouth a moment, then closed it, spitting some water out, then again, gaping like a fish, at a loss for words.

"Really?" Came his idiotic response, voice cracking as if to add to his boyish effect. "Wait, what?" He shook his head to try and clear his fluttering confusion, the as he calmed a bit, he grinned challengingly. "I'm not pretty! I'm a boy!" He swung a front paw to splash her, pushing himself away in the process but clearly in play. Ah, young love.

ooc: short x:

Cancer found himself flustered as she kept throwing that compliment his way. At first he thought it weird, to be called pretty like a girl, but as she grabbed his tail and started tussling, he found himself laughing along with her, pawing the water to get away and out of her reach in play. He dipped under the water and spun around beneath, the better swimmer for his species, and came up behind her a moment later with a gasp and laugh.

"Even prettier than Leon?" He teased back, whilst swimming for land again. He laughed as he pulled himself out of the water, dripping wet and soggy. Then, after a moment, he shook off and looked back, fur sticking out all over, ruffled but now wet, showing off dark spots that coated him despite his black pelt. They only ever showed under light, on wet fur, but they were there. He swung his tail to beckon her out of the water. "C'mon, let's go dry off by the moss beds. You can tell me all about how pretty you think my fur is over there, okay?" He'd laugh, waiting for her before turning to trot his way over to the moss.