ORIGIN - I am the flame you tried to put out

Darkness.

A welcomed companion that even proved its own preferences. One that spoke uncontrolled. Like a mass, an invisible dark matter, it awakens the cat from an apparent slumber with the most gentle blow of air that swivels the fur of his right cheek. Silence is around. The beast that was once a child, now a young man that lay on the icy floors of stones & some. The space around howls to him, a calling that dare him to sprint to life force.

Lucifero's lids retrieve slowly. A newborn he felt. Lungs demanding more air as his muscles retracted with an urge to lift his weight forward. Limbs incredibly thick and bulky, he had grown to size while approaching his fourth cycle- real adulthood on its way but mind so distant from the notion of age itself. As if undying with inertia. Unchanging to the standards of life.

There is no fight to this from the young brute. Take note of this reader, for it spoke a time to come.

He rises, adjusting to his new powerhouse physique. Veins grasp his arms while his muscle pronounce, furry girth lifting from the ground steadily; gravel left from the shaggy corners of his belly. Warmth leaves the area. His coat is more coarse, it's softness limited to areas of his body. The rosen hue more potent than before as if ripening with his age. Wider skull and jowls a new heaviness, he lifts his maw to understand what is around after standing, finally, on all four hung limbs. Tail slowly wagging, his curiosity drives him forward. Rosen body thick and walk like fluid that moves intelligently.

"speak"

He had come here from the ocean, as Oliver had once said. The wide, open ocean, the water forever. Eternal. Such beauty, such majesty. But nothing was like the river in this glowing cave where it flowed on endlessely, the water so clear is was almost crystal. It was here that he was hatched within its depths and here where his connection was strongest.

He flowed now, with the river, limbs barely moving, barely fighting, only pushing him away from obstructions like boulder and such. But it seemed that the river would sweep him safely, more or less, to where he wanted to go.

And for a moment it wavered and he knew, not by any voice or thought, that it was time to leave the comforting confines of the river. He reached out with his paws and propelled himself towards the shore. With a practiced grace, he climbed out of the water, dripping wet but not bothering to shake off a single drop.

He was like a whole different creature now, movements not so beautiful - lumbering instead of graceful, thick fur soaked and pressed against his body, making his huge bulk seem much more thin, as if he were a child once again.

But this did not matter to him. All that mattered was the path he had to take. What that path was, he did not now. It was somewhere here, the reason he had come out of the water. Now that it was gone, though, he felt much more lost. He wandered for a bit, aimless and purposeless, until he caught sight of a large shape not far away. He lumbered forward with renewed vigor, his fur almost dry by this time. With a quick spell, he allowed water to seep from his body just enough to wet his skin and fur. Once he had finally reached the cat, he was once again soaking.

He faintly recognized the creature and tried to remember where they had met. The name would not come to his head so he simply stared at the dark cat. "Aegir has met this one before. Long ago, he thinks." He didn't particularly need to find out when and where they had met, but it was something that interested him. But the answers would come in time if the other did not know.

My voice is speaking...
My thoughts are swirling...

@Lucifero

Lucifero, a beast, to whomever dare to approach so confidently must've been a beast itself. One does approach: a bear of snow. Awkwardly meeting on the solitary feline head first and frankly much larger than the cat. Intimidation is not felt. Lucifero watches with interested eyes, his pupils dilated and stare cold. Instincts play and ignite just as the bear's words did. Familiarization not there.. at least yet. Close enough, Lucifer suggested the bear halt through a guttural song(growl) that was brief but heavy to the ears. Standoffish but only to a fault.

The Jaguar's ears fold, snout puckered only slightly as his features animate. Whiskers peak outside his blackened lips as his gums flash for a second. The signal was clear: what do you want & why are you here. Hellfire eyes beam so strongly at the antlers that then cause a flashed memory to flicker. But what did that mean? Nothing.

A soft purr like growl steadily emits from Lucifero's warm girth, muscular arms flexing as the bear drips water from it's coat. Opposite in colour and the contrast couldn't be greater. "What do you want."

Both the same age, what did a creature so different desire?

"speak"

@aegir

Aegir was not intimidated in the slightest by the soft growl of the dark cat, but he halted anyways, respectfully. Despite his lack of understanding of the aggressive nature of many predators, Aegir knew that anger could come easily to one that felt threatened. And he could see how his huge body threatened the smaller animal. How to let them know that he was a friend?

There was no water nearby to cast a stone or his own splash. Nothing to read or listen. It made him feel alien and alone, far from comfort and safety. But still, there was water in the air. There was water around him and within him. Perhaps it wasn't the same and he could not read it like he did the river and the sea, but it still was to his benefit.

He closed his eyes for a moment and felt the moisture in the air shift. He pulled it together until it formed a small orb about the size of his claw, in a teardrop shape. He let it fall into his paw and reached forward, careful not to invade the jaguar's personal space, setting it down a little bit in front of him. "Aegir offers this gift in good will and friendship. Let there be no strife between us." His voice was deep and soft, smooth as water and bright as ice.

He looked up and his deep blue eyes met the glowing red. For a moment he was silent, a soft, peaceful rumbling in his chest. "Aegir wants little but to follow the water and where it may take him. Here it is that the water has led him, whether by accident or intention. Who are you that Aegir has met before?"

My voice is speaking...
My thoughts are swirling...

@Lucifero

The polar bear is persistent, not leaving but engaging further- at a respectful space. Thankfully. How does one move away from the other when there is no desire to converse? The cat sighs, accepting the company anyway, especially after a gift is made in specialty of Lucifer. Ears return to their relaxed, fickle state as lips release their flex while Lucifer decides to rest his stance.

Even then, growls leave the toothed jowls of the Jaguar. Trust was never a must. The display of magick is beautiful and mysterious. But none of that mattered when the bear speaks aloud it's own name, Aegir. Now, it shines within Lucifer's consciousnesses. Familiar to the bear abruptly like a switch offset. The growls fade.

Internal light flows, magick spiked at the emotional glow of happiness that flares light like a flame would. The pigment of the Jaguar's fur changes in shade, brightening moderately and for a few seconds. Hue is more potent, the vermilion glaze beautiful on the Jaguar. "Aeigir. I am Lucifero."

"speak"

@aegir

As the fur on the jaguar's body shifted colors for a moment, Aegir felt his own thick fur shiver in awe. It was beautiful, even just a small shift in color. It reminded him of the water, its shifting colors, the light glimmering off its smooth surface. His eyes glowed with approval and happiness welled in him. "Aegir sees your fur. Changing colors, dark but bright. Aegir thinks it is...beautiful." The word beautiful rolled off his tongue as if it were warmth, pure light and heat, but smooth as a forest stream. Yes, it was beautiful and Aegir caught himself wishing his fur could change like that as well.

He hummed contently at the name and felt familiarity in its tone, the inflection, even the voice that spoke it. "Lucifero. Aegir has met Lucifero before. Perhaps it does not matter where and when, but this is our meeting, the one that is important." He fell silent for a moment before he trained his deep blue eyes, clashing against the burning red of Lucifero's. "Do you agree?"

My voice is speaking...
My thoughts are swirling...