Talion ignored the indignant screech of the hybrid, and the resounding splash that followed it.
No doubt it's some hoax or trap to distract me, he thought as he climbed higher and higher with each beat of his wings. Nothing mattered to the owl now but getting away to somewhere safe and quiet, so he could observe the dark, shiny gemstone of the giant fish.
However, those plans were foiled by the presumptuous dragon. The thing chased him down and then had the gall to suggest that he
return the gem so they
all could observe it.
Where were these stupid fucking demands when the bird-dog took the other stone for itself, Talion wondered silently as he hovered in the air before the dragon. The fact that the hybrid hadn't tried to escape, like he had, never even occurred to him. He was, as usual, trying to deflect attention and blame away from himself.
For a moment, it seemed as if he wasn't going to listen. The owl stared the dragon down with narrowed eyes, his talons clenched tightly around the hematite.
Then he caught sight of the other hybrid, the one that had tried to touch the fish, upon the ceiling. It held the blue stone in its oblong jaws, seemingly as possessively as he clung to his own prize.
"What about them?" He asked as he nodded toward the hybrid.
"Are they gonna bring their 'piece of the puzzle' too?"
@Vinea @Skeena
Talion twisted his head around to look down at the hybrid on the cavern floor whenever they called out to their 'brother', Vinea. His heart-shaped face turned back up to the creature clinging to the ceiling whenever they shouted back at the first, whom they referred to as Skeena. Vinea outright denied their kin's attempt to persuade them, remaining as cautious as the owl.
That was probably for the best since the bird-dog finally seemed to realize that they no longer possessed the gem. Their shouts up at Vinea drew Talion's gaze down, and then back up again. It took all of his effort to remain as focused as he was on the chaotic situation, and to hover in mid-air. He didn't notice the dragon until the force of their voice sent him careening off to one side.
Talion turned the sudden dive into a wide, spiraling loop. He kept his talon firmly gripped around the stone as he slowly corkscrewed downward. His peppered wings flared whenever he got close to the cavern floor, catching him so that he landed without a hitch. In his mind, the whole thing felt extravagantly graceful, as if he had planned and executed a maneuver he'd been practicing forever.
The reality was that he had turned the unexpected into a nice show, but now he was at the mercy of the others. The realization of his vulnerability made the owl grip the dark stone even tighter. However, he made no move to fly away or escape. He didn't admit, even to himself, that it was because he didn't feel like he could without being chased down. For now, he silently accepted his fate, and decided to wait and see if the others would cooperate too.
They will if they know what's good for them, he thought with a glance at the dragon.
@Skeena @Vinea
The bright blue stone in Vinea's grip suddenly--vanished.
One moment it was there; the next it was floating, midair, not far off from Asimona's location. It lowered itself to the ground, or perhaps simply fell gently, and then lay rocking to and fro.
First one glyph lit brightly, in flaring white--then another, and another.
They seemed to depict skulls and bones, and something resembling chains.
@Vinea @Skeena @Talion @Asimona @White
Talion huffed at the sight of the bird-dog booping Vinea in the face, but otherwise kept silent. It was a childish and ineffective move, he thought, but he dare wouldn't help the other Gembound out by pointing that out. He'd helped them already, and received no gratitude. Until that was rectified, and apologies for taking so long in doing so were said, he wouldn't be doing anything for them again.
The owl's icy glare instantly transformed into a dubious, wide-eyed look whenever the pale blue gem suddenly vanished from Vinea's grip. One second it was there, and then the next, it was floating in the air near the dragon.
Talion watched it slowly lower to the cavern floor with his beak agape, too stunned to do anything else. His large, dark orbs reflected the glyphs whenever they suddenly began to light up, one by one.
After another, seemingly long, moment of silence passed, one of the glyphs finally caught Talion's attention. It looked like a...bone? An ominous feeling settled into the owl's stomach as the gem began to glow brighter and brighter with each new glyph.
"I don't think it's safe! Get back!" Talion suddenly screeched, hoping to save any of the other Gembounds from getting close.
@Skeena @Asimona