ORIGIN

Dragon huffed, and puffed, hauling his heavy, scarred body through the ferns of Eridanus. The right hind leg dragged limply over the moss, but he refused to slow down. Instead he pushed himself, gasping for air by the time he came in sight of the Eyes. He didn't want to appear weak in front of the other Children, his brethren--not for fear of them, but to inspire them, in some sense. And more than that, he did not want to be the slow straggler that everyone had to wait for.

At length he stopped, flopping down with a grunt into the tossed damp leaves, shifting himself a bit away from a particularly pointy rock beneath them. He gazed down at the distant twin pools, their silvery waters drawing the eye where they lay near the distant wall.

"Those," he rumbled quietly, "are the Eyes. I know little of them, bar that the last time I was here, I saw dark things in their depths, and the water grew choking and icy around me. Impossibly dark, too fast. There were words. The faces, I saw faces around me, in the dark--but the faces, the words, they were too... broken, to see, to understand. It was as if... hearing, but from beneath water, too far. Seeing, but through water--blurred. I fled. Aquarian claims that the Eyes will consume the minds of those it dislikes. Yet other say the 'eyes' that consume are something else entirely: silver eyes, a hundred, blinking in a void darkness. A sort of thing summoned by a furless cat. I do not know if there is any relation."

For a moment he paused, to catch his breath further, and then continued. "Yet I had swam in them before, played, even, without trouble. Ghanyarah, brother--it was your idea to come here, and I think a wise one. But do you have any idea how to proceed? We wish the water's secrets, yes... but no one go close. Do not let those Eyes see you--and do not let them catch you."

He turned to Ghanyarah--and to the others, quizzically. "If you have ideas, speak them." He had come all the way out here, but now that he could see the Eyes, he was uncertain how to proceed. Hopefully, his Children of Rot would come up with something.

@Ghanyarah @Aithaxas @Eve @Rift

The komodo kept close to Dragon as they walked, if lingering just a few steps behind to allow him to take the lead. He focused on the cadence of his steps, the rhythm of his movements and the subtle bobbing of his head, trying to keep as still as possible so that the journey wasn't made nauseating for the crow that had hitched a ride atop his crown. The moment they left Cetus, Ghanyarah found himself missing the humid swamp, detecting the change in substrate beneath his feet far too easily. The dryness of the stone, and then the dryness of the soil beneath him as they entered Eridanus. He wondered of the Eyes and their dangers, mentally preparing himself to defend his kin if needbe.

Once Dragon stopped, Ghanyarah cast his eyes out to the ponds of water ahead of them. The Eyes - yes, he remembered now! He thought he had come here once before, many, many cycles ago. Most likely when he had come to visit Gracie. Ah, Gracie... his heart trembled, just slightly. But he snapped himself back into focus, turning his head slightly to listen to Dragon.

So the threat wasn't an obvious one, but more subtle. Most likely, it would strike them if they gave it a chance to. If they made the foolish decision to enter the water. Or if they turned their attention away from it, took it for granted, made assumptions. He didn't know exactly how to approach the Eyes to examine them, especially since Dragon had suggested keeping their distance. His gaze honed in on the water, clouding with thought.

"Perhaps we should conduct a series of tests," the komodo suggested with clinical seriousness. "Such as introducing a range of plant and animal life to the waters, and gauging its effects. None of us, of course - but perhaps vegetation from nearby, or lesser gembounds. If we could catch a fish and keep it alive long enough to deposit it in the ponds, we could monitor its status."

i'm assuming eve is still on yara's head - let me know if you want me to change it!

Dragon listened, and listened intently. They could not simply delve right in, no--they had to be clever.

"Your idea is good, brother, though be wary--by placing something within the Eyes, we may awaken them. This is where the wings may be handy. You are right, too, Eve... the thing may simply die, and it might be best to--..." Dragon paused as a brown shadow swept from the air, landing nearby--seemingly, he thought, summoned by the luckiest of chances. For a moment he did not recognize her, changed as she was--but the hooked dark beak, the same sharp gaze, had him questioning.

"...You. You are the little one who hatched, here? When we spoke to the masters, the elders--and Skahan was awoken?" Surprised, he looked her over further. "You have grown! Perhaps you can be of aid," he added, looking over the others. He eyed the distant--well, Eyes, and spoke further.

"We are the Children of Rot, and we seek the secrets of the caves. The secrets are dangerous--and those waters, there, they are called the Eyes. We have come to seek their secrets. Have you seen anything strange of them?" A gurgling hiss, thoughtful, and he eyed the eagle's talons over. Could she hunt? Could she, perhaps, fish? "The waters see, for themselves; they give visions, and darkness. We seek to learn more without falling victim to them. My brother has suggested dropping a fish within--cruel, perhaps, but you have wings, and talons. Are you capable of catching a fish in one of the streams, here, and dropping it within? Then you may return to us, and watch from safety."

He then turned to Eve. "What of vegetation, then, as Ghanyarah says? The Eyes may be guarding something, and dropping other things into the water may bring something of interest, or it may not. But try it with the living, first: try it with plants. And if she," he added, with a boat-faced nod to Hera, "can catch and drop a fish within before it dies, then we can try that as well, to begin with."

Dragon then turned, lifting his head to peer back at the cat who had apparently been following in the trees. He was, for a moment, suspicious; he didn't want others to simply overhear their tasks, which was why he, at least, had been speaking very quietly. ...Eve was, of course, another story; but who was to say this cat did not answer to Astraea?

With a rumble-hiss, the alligator peered, considering his words before speaking. At length, he decided to merely be blunt, without giving information as to who they were, or their purpose behind gathering information here. "We seek to know more of the waters, these. Do you live here? Have you seen anything strange of them?"

@Ghanyarah

Faelan sat beneath the Monarch, his golden eyes fixed on its silver cap. His paws, which had carried him to this very spot seemingly by a mind of their own, now stood where they had so many cycles ago. He remembered his smaller paws being here, remembered looking up at the mushroom just as he was now.
As a young lion, he had been drawn here by the story of an older Gembound, another lion. She had said that this mushroom was called the All-Mother, by some, and that it was said to grant things to those who left it offerings. He had been wonderstruck then, but now he wondered if it was true. So many other, strange things have happened, he thought,Why not this too?

The tawny brute heaved a high, remembering the time he had wasted. He had stayed here for so long, cycles he realized now, waiting for something to happen and wondering about what the older lion said.

Faelan shook his head with regret, and then finally let his gaze fall to the ground. He had thought that discovering more about his past would make him feel complete, but it only made him uncertain.
For a moment, the lion considered calling forth his magic to help him remember. He was more adept at it now, perhaps it could tell him something that would reassure him. That would fill the hole inside of him.
Then he remembered the last time he used his magic. The cave deer. The shards of glass cutting into it and the earth bucking beneath it. He was stronger now, but he didn't fully understand that power either.

Faelan took one last, long look at the Monarch before finally turning away. He set his paws on one of the well worn paths that lead toward the back of the room. He hadn't known where the Eyes were before, but remembering his previous time spent here had reminded him.

The murmur of voices was the first thing to alert him of the group. The lion slowed his approach upon hearing them, but then quickened his pace again once he heard Dragon's familiar rumble.
Within moments, he could see the motley crew of Gembounds. Most, he had never seen the likes of before. That, coupled with the fact that there were more than he had expected, made Faelan wary of approaching. He had known that there would be others, but had the others known about him, Faelan wondered silently.

Having arrived late, he had not heard the warning speech about not approaching the Eyes. Feeling like the outsider in this apparent group, Faelan thought himself free of whatever was keeping them all together. So, when he was not immediately noticed, the lion turned toward the twin pools and began to slowly walk toward them.

Now, Faelan thought, his eyes fixed on pools, Is the perfect time to try to remember. He stopped a few steps from the edge and focused on the magic inside him.
Dragon had said that remembering was good, that it was useful. More than anything, Faelan wanted a purpose now, wanted to know who he was and why he was here. He had thought that remembering more about himself would give him that, but it hadn't. It had only opened up more questions.

@Faelan @Dragon