ORIGIN - Hunger Pains

It has been cycles since Septiezal had meal. He could go for a while without food, but his long slumber had drew him past his limit. Hunger grew inside him like a tangle of briars. The pangs were intense, and so were his cravings for fresh meat. Septiezal had retreated to Cetus, hoping to find an abundance of prey crawling its marshes, but so far, he had no such luck. He had picked up on deer scent no to long ago, but it was stale. Something had probably gotten to it before him. The giant python slithered on, sliding his heavy body smoothly into murky water. Hidden beneath the black abyss, he surfaced a few times to taste the air with his forked tongue.

Still nothing.

Septiezal was getting impatient. He had to find prey soon, otherwise he might grow to0 weak. The intelligence that usually glinted in eyes had been swallowed up by a ravenous glare. By now, everywhere he looked, the snake judged what was food, and what was not. It did not matter the origin. Instincts were driving him now and he was on the hunt.

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"Listen"
Tag: @Gabriel || OOC: Are we treating this as a fight?

Gabriel had once more found itself slinking through the cold and the muck of Cetus, its tail curled aloft and its feathered pawsd picking up clods of mud. It was light enough not to sink into anything, although brown water occasionally welled in its pawprints.

Occasionally, the little dog scented the air, or cast out its senses into the world beyond. This was one such time, the dog padding to a halt and standing stock-still, with the chilly mist pricking at its bald skin. It already knew that there was an abundance of bacteria festering and crawling in the swampy world around; perhaps more than any other room. To top that, the concoction of disease churning inside its belly and frothing around its jaws was likely to overwhelm any other signals from outside its general vicinity. Searching for that wouldn't reveal anything of use to Gabriel. So instead, Gabriel cast about, searching for a sign of magic in the mist. On the other paw, if it wasn't alone here, then it was important that Gabriel knew.

Soon, Gabriel's crown was glistening, and it felt the soft, telltale pull of something lurking in the mist. Another gembound, perhaps greater, perhaps lesser, perhaps even the fresh remnants of one. But more likely to be alive, given the fact that it was moving. Where it pulsed was just out of Gabriel's sight in the mist, sliding through the mud. Gabriel remained still with ears pricked straight up, red eyes piercing the mist. It knew full well that the emotion-driven could be unpredictable and there lurked dangers in these caves that not even it had discovered.

It would be silent until it was certain that the other one was worth its time.

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

tags: @Septiezal
notes: Gabriel really isn't a fighter, but we can see how it escalates! he'll probably first resort to being as diseased as possible lmfao

The murky water hid the predator as he weaved his way underneath. Every now and then, a disturbance in the shallow swamp gave away his position, should the prey be lucky enough to catch it. The grove's looming trees provided both cover and an obstacle for the serpent, and his scales would vanish behind them, once again lost to the rippling blackness. His snout surfaced, and his forked tongue lapped at the air. The mist carried a scent on it and it smelled delicious.

It was a canine, most likely a Greater Gembound. It did not strike Septiezal as morbid to hunger for this fellow Gembound's flesh, he had done it before, and he would do it again. Normally, he would avoid a situation like this, Greaters were harder to strangle, but he was desperate for a meal, and besides, he did not know this creature. So, he would feel no guilt. Septiezal followed the trail the dog had laid, stalking from the depths. His ember eyes pierced through the fog, craving the hunt.

The dog's heat gave away its location before Septiezal laid eyes on the creature. The serpent must admit, he had never seen a hairless mammal before, devouring it would be interesting. The closer he crept, the more eager he became. Steady...

He slunk into position, hidden from view beneath the water, but his eyes read the dancing shadows above him, and his snout sensed body heat, even through the cold depths. Patiently, he waited, as still as a stone, until he thought the time was right. Then, when a certain shadow caught his eyes.

Then, with out warning, large serpent lunged from the murky waters like a monstrous beast. His mouth gaped wide, he struck out towards his target, sharp teeth ready to snag his prey by the flesh and pull it into his massive coils.

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"Listen"
Tag: @Gabriel Name || OOC: oh shit Gabe watch out!

The feeling of the gem in the mist drew nearer and nearer, until Gabriel was very certain that it was being hunted. its tail twitched mildly as the magic sparking through its crown began to fade, the gem melding back into the mist. Even so, Gabriel watched where the feeling had come from, and it readied itself, knowing that to flee immediately without knowing its foe could amount to suicide. and so, it was still, hide trembling vaguely with the chill that had settled in and the tension that prepared it to dash.

A quiet ripple, a soft splash; its ears twitched, following ever sound in the mist, turning only vaguely to keep as much as possible in its peripheral vision. The world tensed, the dog scarcely breathing, the silence was deafening until... the marsh erupted into glistening coils shedding pearls of water and frothing mud.

Gabriel felt its tail graze the corner of the serpent's mouth as it lunged out of the way at the last moment, using its tiny size and superior mobility to dart out of the way of their fangs and coils. It didn't look back but continued to run until the shape of the serpent was lost in the mist, with only the sound of the water settling to guide its gaze. Only then did Gabriel stop and looked back, curiosity gradually replacing its fear as it became certain it was in the clear. It could see that this creature was a greater gembound, and yet it did not seem to be driven by Emotion, pure instinct alone serving as its guide.

Gabriel wondered if it had the brain needed to speak and feel like itself, or if this was a whole new kind of greater gembound, perhaps trapped in the marsh by the ever-rolling fabrics of time and newness.

Gabriel sniffed the air softly, dropping its head down; watching, listening. It felt its home-made disease churning in its gut, and found safety in the knowledge that even if it were to perish in the jaws of the serpent, they would soon follow suit. Cruel were the laws of nature sometimes, although to whom always depended on who you asked.

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

tags: @Septiezal
notes:

Septiezal's teeth closed around air as he landed clumsily on the soft mud. The large serpent hissed in frustration and drew back his head. The dog came to his sight more clearly now that he was on shore. It was the ugliest thing he had ever seen. This mammal had fur except for a few, gross wispy locks from its head and tail. Its bare skin covered in uncomfortable muck filled wrinkles, and he was pretty sure one of its eyes wanted to bulge out like a frog.

But the revolting stench of an ungodly disease is what made his appetite drain.

If he ate this half-rotten ghoul his stomach would curse him for cycles upon cycles. Septiezal gagged at the putrid Gembound. For once, he was glad he missed.

"Disssgusting." He hissed. Frustrated, the serpent turned back and dragged his mass into back into the murky water.

He was going to have to find a meal else where.

-Exit Septiezal-

"Listen"
Thoughts...

tags: @Gabriel
notes:

Gabriel caught the serpent's parting hiss, and relaxed. The small dog had no pride to be hurt by the comment, but the sound of the snake's voice had at least answered their question. It knew now, that they were safe; and what had saved it but the disdain of an emotion-driven creature?

Gabriel listened for a while longer, until the lapping of disturbed water gradually faded into the regular sounds of the marsh. crickets chirping, the distant cry of a marsh-strider; the steady drip of fluid.... and nothing more.

Gabriel would have liked to have met the seemingly brutish serpent, provided they were still disgusted by the dog's appearance and scent. Gabriel wanted to know what exactly it was that drove them to attack, perhaps even study the greater being. Perhaps they were alike.

Perhaps it would never know.

Without a word, but the steady stride of acceptance, the dog turned and padded away into the mist.

-exit Gabriel-

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

tags:
notes: