ORIGIN - do not disturb

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The Groves of Cetus have been her home since the day she was broken from her labradorite chrysalis. The long, four-legged fish had freed her from her shell and brought her back to this place. Ageless trees could be found here, taller than any other. Wherever you stepped, layers of foliage and the moistened earth scrunch beneath your feet. Sure, it wasn't the most warm or inviting place- one could barely even see in front of their nose- but it was home.

Gaunt roots cradle a small collection of gemstone shards and the bat rests among the shimmering splinters of labradorite, obsidian, and morganite: waiting. The reptile that makes his home here- Ghanyarah- had gone off to do whatever is it big lizards do. Perhaps to hunt or collect more gemstone shards. She wondered how much larger would the pile grow... Of course she couldn't know, but she still tried to imagine it. Useless wings hug at her sides as her belly grows hungrier. Would that she could fly and hunt on her own. But she couldn't Not yet.

Though she was on the ground, choked up against the base of the tree's roots, the bat still felt safe. Soon this place would become the Grove's honeypot- a place where a like-minded few would gather to share in good company and empirical wisdoms. How exciting, she thought.

The area surrounding Ghenyarah's tree seems to have been cleared of unwanted debris, however, and small craters in the earth had formed where the reptile had been resting the stout length of his body. Lituus eyes them longingly, wishing that the shell of a beetle would stumble over its edge or something. No? She was a slave to he hunger in that moment and weary eyes blink open to inspect the subtle shifting of earth nearby. A slimy body glistens as it loosened the earth, ribbed and long and brown. A worm, she thought. Gentle, high-pitched whispers pulse into the air in front of her, and bounce back just as quick. Echolocation. The bat shifts away from the gemshards keeping her company and quickly crawls over to the squirming mound to make a quick meal of the unsuspecting bug.

It was hilarious, really. Her awkward, crawling movements with tightly folded, membranous arms and backwards-facing feet. Even the bug itself seemed far too big for her diminutive snout, but she chewed relentlessly. And down her gullet it went.

The ultrasonic clicks would go unnoticed to most ears, but some creatures were bred with a more accute sense of hearing; such as canines felines, and even rodents. Though she had been practicing this sophisticated skill, innate to her being, she didn't know others could be capable of hearing it. That it could possibly draw the attention of wandering passersby and even- just maybe- put her in danger.

The urge to drag her prize to safety is strong, and the fuzzy, ball of a bat with two gigantic ears almost as big as her body was long, withdraws to the relative safety of the tree's roots. A hooked thumb reaches high for the grooves of the bark above, and she climbs. She climbs and climbs and eventually decides to let herself hang from the low branch nearby. Lituus munches away at her meal. Large ears remain alert for to any signs of movement beyond the thickly packed treeline around her. So far, she's relied on the presence of Ghanyarah's predatorial stench to keep lesser beasts away, but she probably shouldn't be so careless when he wasn't around.

OOC: Tagging Yara but don't feel obligated to join! ♥

spread your wings

earth element - lituus - vesper bat
tags @Gabriel @Ghanyarah

Gabriel's quest to explore and learn the caves off by heart was going well... Each tunnel it'd entered brought it to a new room at the end, and it'd lost count of the steps it'd tracked. Contrary to its aim though, it didn't know if it'd be able to find its way back to its birthplace if it tried. Gabriel was frustrated, but reminded itself that it was only its first few days in this world. There was still time for that. it had an entire lifetime ahead of it.

This room in particular had piqued its interest; the mist that hung heavy to the ground, concealing its secrets from sight. Thick trees that loomed around it, towering over the small dog. Gabriel tried to suppress the shivers that were birthed from the chill as the mist clung as though it was sentient. It was as it wandered aimlessly, that Gabriel began to hear a distant sound. Its pointed ears with wispy hairs perked up from its scruffy head. Large red eyes staring off into the distance, Gabriel slowed to a halt as it tried to pinpoint the source of the sound- a tiny, echoing squeak that was distorted and amplified by the creeping mists.

Finally deciding on a way to go, it continued on- the sounds grew louder for a moment only to stop soon after. But that didn't matter; Gabriel had begun to catch sight of a huge and gnarled tree, looming out of the mist. That was where it was headed, the dog was sure. Approaching, as it got closer Gabriel was able to make out patterns carved by ferocious claws into the bark of the tree. Curiosity grew in its breast, and it couldn't help taking a closer look, wondering if the markings had any sort of meaning. However hard itl ooked, however, the pup was unable to decipher any sort of meaning, at least not to it. Mainly faces and memories, it seemed. Recollections of whoever... or whatever... lived here. Gabriel tucked the information away in the back of its mind, in case it was to one day meet them.

Gabriel continued its trek by doing a sweep of the area, moving in a tight circle around the tree. As it came around one side, the dog came upon a small pile of gem shards nestled amongst several roots. The dog's face lit up for a moment at the sight, a shiver running down its spine. Gems, he knew, were what powered every single one of the caves' inhabitants, and this pile of shards were their remnants. Why did this being keep such a collection here? Was it beings that they had killed, or lost loved ones? whatever they were, it seemed like a waste to simply leave them here, gathering dust. That being said, the last thing Gabriel wanted was to anger whoever lived here, so it'd have to leave the shard pile alone for now.

This place, as intriguing as it was, was not the reason Gabriel had come here. The puppy sat back on its haunches for a good look around, trying to pinpoint the source of the tiny cries it had heard some time ago. Eventually, its crimson gaze came upon a tiny shape, hanging from a low branch of the great tree. That something was alive, and moving.

Gabriel tipped its head, calculating steadily. This couldn't be the one that had carved the figures into the bark. It was far too small to have gouged such deep ruts, and Gabriel could assume that their claws were simply not the right kind. However, it knew better than to underestimate the inhabitants of these caves. At this moment in its life, it was dangerous to assume.

After all, it too was born quite lacking in brawn.

It wasn't foolish enough to think it was capable of great things as of yet, but it felt that one day... well, time would tell. There was no need to give up logic for the sake of fantasy.

"Hello there. Would you happen to be the... decorator... of this tree?"

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: @Lituus
notes: here

Idle chomping of her wormy prize didn't detracted from her sense of hearing. Furry paws sift over moistened earth with a dainty weight as it roamed around the rather compact area. Oh, no! She had to get higher! Higher! Not knowing what it was, the little bat thought to move, but it was too late. She had been spotted!

The centimeter or so that remains of the worm- still protruding from her mouth- dropped from her lip, soundlessly landing on the ground meters below. She went stiff- ears erect and wings tightly hugging her sides. "N-No! That wasn't me." The slightly feminine- but childish- voice calls out softly. Soft in relation to her size, not in effort. The diminutive creature scurries up the hefty branch so she can rest her belly on top of it. Hugging the bark with each folded wing, the bat peers over the side and looks down at the mostly hairless animal.

"Aren't you cold?"

Surely it must have been. Why, even she found Cetus to be a bit nippy at times. It was obvious she was nervous in the way she shifted away from the other animal, but her voice tries to stay as gentle and unassuming as she could manage. Not that you could blame her. If anyone so much as had the intent to have her as their next meal, she would be a goner! Some innate part of her knew that, though she didn't want to admit it.

But all those thoughts cease the moment the giant glass orbs suspended high above the canopy decide to flicker. Flicker and flicker, slower, then faster, and all at once; darkness. The lichens growing on the haggard tree roots around them were the only things kind enough to offer the slightest semblance of light. Lituus had experienced the random flickering before, and though it was difficult for her to see in the dark as well, she at least had an ace up her sleeve. "Are... are you still there?" she calls out, softer than before. "The light will come back. It always does."

Edit: I did an edit to include effects of the BLACKOUT since I almost forgot the cave is in TOTAL DARKNESS. Wuh-oh!
@Gabriel

Gabriel's ears perked, drawing the information he needed not just from their words but the tone of their voice as well. Clearly, they were young like it was, and similarly unsure of their place in the world. The pup watched them scurry up the bark of the tree nimbly, although it wondered if that's really what those odd limbs were meant for. The little one answered its question and the pup nodded in turn- as suspected, there was someone else around here, although not present at this very moment. Given what he'd seen, Gabriel would prefer to admire them from afar anyway before coming into direct contact with the presumably powerful and elusive inhabitant of this tree.

Gabriel's red gaze focused once more on the little creature speaking to him as they questioned. A small grin toyed with the corners of his cheeks. "Cold? My paws are numbing in the wet," Gabriel replied bluntly, although it was hard to tell whether the dog was joking or not. To some, this could have come across as weakness, but Gabriel saw no point in hiding what was plainly visible. As it was, its hide was softly trembling. Surely the wispy-haired pup was a sorry sight indeed with bedraggled-looking hairs sprouting in ugly tufts and much of it stained with mud...

But beauty wasn't something it cared about. To worry about that of all things would be a foolish endeavor when there were far greater forces at play in this world.

All of a sudden, the world went totally dark.

Gabriel flinched at the suddenness, but made no verbal response. As much as it glanced around, there was nothing that it could do or see that would change that. A soft huff of warm air escaped its nostrils. "I'm here," it called out to the small bat it had been speaking to. "I'm not going to assume that. It will be safer to adapt to this darkness than to try to wait it out."

Gabriel knew that if the darkness continued, waiting would only put them in more danger. Of course, the dog had seen the flickering of the cavern lights before, but this time was different. This was complete darkness. And it wanted to know why.

Using its magic, Gabriel tried to use the thousand tiny souls of organisms everywhere to put together a rough layout of the world around them.

Within the close vicininity, the dog began to sense the bacteria coating all things, around the shapes of the roots and the gems, and especially the little bat. There was so many of them here that Gabriel found it difficult to remain focused... for the first time in its life, the dog's head was spinning with information. Perhaps it was the moisture here turning it into a hotspot of prokaryotic activity...

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: @Lituus
notes: omg so did I ;;

"Your paws are numbingly wet? That can't be good." the words of her voice bore a slight concern, and were accented by a curious, whispering sound that clicked low into the air. Then faded. The extra clicks put images in her head in a miraculous way she couldn't describe. Even though it was dark, she knew where everything was- built around her like a painting made from the wavelengths of sound. The dog would find it to be the sound that led it here.

"Adapt?" she inquires briskly, still looming her little head over the branch to direct her harmonious clicks at them. The noise would gently buzz around the dog's fuzzy, pointed ears. Was clicking at someone in order to see them rude? It felt natural. But she watches. Waits. "Well.. even if you don't wait, you can hang around here if you like? I don't think Ghanyarah would mind." She didn't know if he'd mind, but this animal was all alone out here like she was. Could talk like she does. Its company would be nice if only for a while. "Do you have a name? I bet it's pretty like you!" The soft voice holds the kind of sincerity only younglings like them could have.

@Gabriel

Gabriel let out a slight laugh; they were right, of course, in a way. But so long as it didn't push itself too far past its limits, the dog knew that it could only grow stronger from the exposure. That, and it wanted to learn the layout of this strange place... not that that really mattered, with the lights out. Navigating in pure darkness, whilst an inconvenience in the now, might bring it experience it could only dream of learning in the light. "In theory, no."

Gabriel's ears perked up to the sound of clicking- the same sound that had drawn it here in the first place. The dog considered for a moment what it was for but didn't feel like the answer would be enough to warrant asking. Besides, it didn't want to end up owing too many favours. If then knowledge turned out to be beneficial, then it would go out of its way looking for answers... but now was not the time. "Adapt. For example, if we wait long enough, we may well starve and be unable to find any food. If we move now, we will learn our surroundings and soon learn how to find our way in the dark," Gabriel explained, voice confident and unwavering. There was not a trace of fear in his voice despite being such a small and bald pup.

"Ghanyarah?" Gabriel wondered if that was the beast that had produced the intricate carvings in the bark of this tree, now hidden under a cloak of darkness. "I may take you up on that. You are quite an intriguing little creature." The phrase felt like a compliment to Gabriel. It was the truth, after all. They seemed intelligent, remaining close to this mysterious 'Ghanyarah' for protection, and remaining just out of reach until creatures proved themselves to be trustworthy.

Their comment on being 'pretty' of all the things, did not phase the pup. It saw beings for their knowledge, their intelligence, and... their worth.

"I am Gabriel. Do you have a name, yourself?"

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: @Lituus
notes: here

Gabriel's small laugh inspires a smile to settle across her muzzle. What a nice pup it seemed like. "Starve? Oh, we won't starve!" That would be virtually impossible. Not with such a diligent caretaker. "I can't go far yet. My wings aren't strong enough." How she wishes they were. Alas.. growth would come with time. Always time.

But then her name was asked. Would that she knew. "No.. Not yet. We're working on it though." We as in, her, Ghanyarah, and the Divine by association. A small squeak hints at a sniffle-- was it getting colder? The lack of light always brought on strange feelings. Shadows moving in the dark. "But I can call you Gabriel." The tiny bat chirps mirthfully. "Gabriel, who visits Ghanyarah's tree looking for... looking for.." she pauses in thought. "What did bring you this way? You don't look like the type that would scurry around this sort of place! No fins. No scales."

@Gabriel

"Assuming you feed on insects, I imagine there'd be plenty of food here for you. But I require a little more... substantial sustenance," Gabriel left it at that; perhaps this little one would be frightened by the idea of it feeding on the slightly larger, but still small creatures that roamed the caves. Of course, eating the little bat would be simply out of the question. Not only did they have a rather powerful caretaker by the seems of it, but the pup felt eating this creature which had a voice and wit of its own, would come with a rather unfortunate taboo. Of course, Gabriel wouldn't be voicing that anytime soon. It would... complicate things.

"That's quite unfortunate... At least you have this... Ghanyarah, to look out for you, until they can support you." Gabriel would have liked to have been born with wings, but that was... out of the question, at least for now. if there was a way, then 'Gabriel might end up finding it out someday. But not yet. So long as one was alive, there was always time. Always. Even mere nanoseconds could be used for an impulsive spell.

Gabriel gave a small grunt as the bat told it that they possessed no name, as of yet. Understandable, of course; it seemed like many of the caves' other inhabitants showed hesitation when it came to choosing a name. "There's no rush, it's merely a formality, after all. Perhaps I am misunderstanding the uses." The dog tilted its head in the dark, wondering if its eyes would adjust. The little bat then began to question its purpose here. Understandable. "I'm simply finding my way. The most important thing in life right now is to know where I'm going and how to get there," Gabriel's intent was simple, laid bare for all to see.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: @Lituus
notes: here

The small creature lets out a soft, squeaking laughter. Substantial! "You haven't tried eating a whole squirm of worms then. Why, they fill you up so quick, I could only eat like... like... a few!" Considering how small she was, and how the worms are wider than her snout, that was kind of impressive. For her anyway.

"I hope you find your way... I think I will too, and maybe my name will be waiting for me when I get there." She clicks hopefully in the dog's direction. How sweet and small it seemed. Much smaller than Ghanyarah. Was it young like she was? To have not found its way just yet? "What do you think your purpose will be?"

The stink of the marsh continues to permeate the air around them. Here, and deeper still, pockets of bacteria and algae float within the shallow pools of water keeping the soil slippery and moist. But there is a disturbance in them. A long, thin leg breaks the surface of a nearby pool. And then another. Four featherlight steps guide a tall and leathery body through the darkened air. Its slender head lifts from its knobby knees so dark eyes could observe the single, beckoning source of eerie green light. The lichens littering the bastion of roots serving as the tree's base had caught it's attention.

It's own pelt glows in a similar scheme of colors, though accented by yellows and even white. A pale ring glows bright around the seat of its eyes, and a glowing, green-tipped ear pivots forward. It sees them. Stopping. Staring. Another, much smaller creature with legs of its own fumbles forth from the tall sweetgrasses, though the larger creature is keen to nudge it back into the brush with its snout. Whatever it was, it didn't seem afraid of whatever it smelled, for it was much larger than the both of them. But it doesn't move. Not yet. An innate purpose guided it here, and that is why it remained.

"..Did you hear something?" the bat whispers loudly. The breath preceding her inquiry get stuck in her throat and clings more tightly to the branch because of it. Sure, she was used to the tree being oddly quiet and filled with the occasional flutter of moth wings, but the lingering darkness was making even her a bit paranoid.

@Gabriel

"I imagine that worms would be... an acquired taste," Gabriel mused, though it doubted it would find them tasty itself. Still, it was an idea if there ended up being nothing else. "...That seems like quite the achievement! Congratulations!"

Gabriel bowed its head in acknowledgement of their well-wishings, although realized after that the cave was dark, and instead opted for a small grunt. "Thank you. I wish you the best in finding your name, as well." The pup listened to their question, pausing for a moment, consideration extending into the long silence that fell between them.

"I don't believe in destiny, but I believe that one day, I'll bring the caves to new heights." Earthly attachments, emotion, and mortal bodies were such fragile things. Gabriel felt sad in a way, knowing that such things could become the ringbearers for destruction. Yet, these things were what their kind was built on. In almost every way Gabriel looked at it, they'd be better off without them. "...no matter what it takes."

Gabriel perked up its ears, and it too, heard something moving in the dark. not far away, but... it didn't seem to be an aggressor. Not yet, anyhow. It was hard to tell without sight to guide it; the logical approach would be to keep a low profile and try not to get eaten. The pup was aware of its pitiable size, after all. Closing its eyes against the blackness, Gabriel felt for its presence in the dark. All that responded its efforts was the rushing of blood in its ears, though.

with a short huff of air, the pup moved away from the other creature passing by in the dark, until it sat down again, a little way from the tree.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: @Lituus
notes: here

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