ORIGIN

It'd certainly been a while since Eve found herself in this situation. Nearly four years, to be exact-- not that the crow knew what a year was.

The sweltering darkness that surrounded her had, at first, been almost welcoming. Familiar. It'd been a long time since she'd shrouded herself and felt safe, and no matter how much love the crow had in her heart for shinies, she always felt the happiest keeping to the shadows.

The darkness had been less welcoming when Eve realised she couldn't stretch, or fly, or scream. Some might find that terrifying, in fact-- but so far she'd been able to tolerate it for several cycles, drifting blearily in and out of sleep. Eventually, she forgot where she'd been before she went into hibernation, what she'd been doing, and who she'd been talking to. She almost forgot what home looked like.

It was that last one that scared her.

At first, she thrashed in the moonstone chrysalis, and damn near hurt herself doing so. It took a throw of her head-- her beak slamming into the walls of the gemstone --before she heard a splitting crack and a hiss of air. It was cold, and Eve almost immediately realised that she was soaking wet with whatever fluids had been residing in there with her.

She fought to free herself, blue-white stone shimmering and crumbling away and out of sight and out of mind. More focused on trying to get out. Soon, she felt the cold increasing, wind through her feathers, and she realised-- "SHIT!" --that she was falling out of a tree. She tumbled unceremoniously, again and again, pale eyes catching sight of the shinies that fell with her.

If she craned her neck about in the right place, while the little black shape spun in circles in the air, she-- "FUCK!" --could see the ground quickly approaching. The black, marshy ground would likely meet her frail body in a matter of seconds. How did wings work? How the fuck did wings work again?

The little crow began flapping her wings mercilessly, and soon the midnight-black feathers caught wind and sent her sailing through the misty air of Cetus. "For FUCK'S SAKE'S," she shrieked at the ground below, as though it had somehow been the offending party in this situation.

Her wings battered unevenly as she settled herself down on a rock, still damp from her chrysalis, and spent a moment shaking herself dry. "Piece of shit," spat the corvid, adjusting her grip on the boulder below her as she took a moment to survey the bog around her.

The alligator lifted his head.

He listened.

...Now that is a familiar voice. And one--if I'm not mistaken!--that I haven't heard in a long time.

Dragon lifted himself from the swamp muck, looking like some ancient horror rising from the black--until he shook off the mud and leaves with a twist of his neck. Then, for a moment, he simply looked like a lame--if large--alligator, hauling himself toward the sound.

But why should he walk..? An impish urge took him, and he testingly reached for his magicka. Red-black wings spread, billowing with magic, and the alligator (now magically-horned, and seeming to grin) took flight.

A moment later he swept out from the trees to quite near Eve. He was delighted to see her, but his greeting was somewhat playful--and very loud--as he hovered there, draconic. "WHAT," he demanded, "IS A PIECE OF SHIT? I WILL BURN IT FOR YOU," he bellowed.

It was a warm greeting, as far as alligators went... if a noisy one.

Eve resumed glaring at the ground for several long moments as she slowly lifted her foot and began itching at her skin under black downy feathers, letting out a dissatisfied croak. She was about to move on and flutter off back to her nest-- where she'd no doubt fester for a few cycles more --until.... something caught her eye.

Dragon.

Flying.

With horns.

Or-- at least, to Eve, it was a dragon, that was quickly approaching her. Now, the only actual dragon Eve had seen was Raheerah, and that guy could eat her entire asshole. She knew, even just from a glance, that this wasn't Raheerah, but it was still a dragon.

Still, something to be feared. Still, something that, when it flew towards her, startled her. And with a start came Eve instinctively reaching for magicka. A blast of solid yellow-white light came launching out of the crow's tiny body, shooting past the mist and far off into the distance.

Cetus was briefly illuminated under it-- causing a flock of Hallowed Callers to take off into the air with displeased hollers and screeches, but the spell was weak from a groggy mind that'd just woken back up. As the swamp flashed under the light, however, Eve finally came to realise which dragon this one was.

"... DRAGON?" the crow cried. "WHAT THE FUCK?"

Because that's how you typically greet your oldest friend.

"When the piss did you learn how to FLY?" The crow squawked further, black wings fluttering uselessly to accent the fact that Dragon now, apparently, had fucking wings. To his question, however, she pointed her beak up at the tree. "I fell out the tree so the tree's a piece of shit now. But my nest is up there. With all my shit in it. Don't set it on fire."

Eve took a moment to recover, ruffling her feathers out. "Uh, how've you been?" She asked, pretending she didn't just accidentally try to blind Dragon.

The alligator more than flinched at the beam of light that flared through the mist--he swerved, a little, crashing down into the water quite close to Eve. But he was pleased enough merely to see her alive that he let out an uncharacteristic sound: a deep and hearty laugh.

"THEN," he answered her, at first, "I will not burn the tree." He paused for just a moment to settle himself, a little--the wings and horns swiftly fading. Then he continued, all the while peering at the little crow.

"I HAVE BEEN WELL. We have learned many things, in your absence. Such as the great tree that we so disliked: it was once a living, moving thing, trapped there by the Betrayer Nemean!" He knew Eve would like to learn about that. Wouldn't she? "And I have made more children! --They are black, and might eat you, if they do not know what you are," he added in warning.

"And what of you? I had thought perhaps you had died. Have you been asleep?"

The crow fluttered up into the air-- again, instinctively --as Dragon crashed into the water next to her. She hovered briefly, checking to see if he died, but the alligator was laughing. Good. Eve started laughing, too. She was happy to see him again, at least.

The crow landed on the alligator's head once he settled. "Nice magic wings," she squawked, getting herself comfortable on her new perch and fluffing out her feathers, doubling up her pathetic size.

Dragon's news of the Divine was troubling, however. "A living thing?" She asked in vague disbelief, her head turning towards the general direction of the ancient tree. No wonder it was so fucking angry all the time. "Nemean's an asshole," the crow loudly concluded.

"Can we talk to it or something? Is there a way to get it out? Is it already out or what-- the fuck did Nemean trap it into a tree for?" A set of reasonable questions for the damn thing. She'd need to apologize to it sometime, too, for decorating it in deer guts from the Pile.

"Congrats on the kids," she squabbled. "You should introduce me sometime before they mistake me for a dumbass one-eyed and chomp the absolute shit outta me. Oliver's black too," she added, because he was, in fact, black.

And how was she? Not dead, no-- at least she didn't think so. She felt pretty alive. The crow turned her head to stare up the tree she'd just fallen out of, squinting at it. "Asleep, I guess," she croaked quietly, thoughtful. "I think I went into the chrysalis-- y'know when you're injured? Except I don't remember being injured, I was just asleep in there."

"I dunno how long it's been, either. Generally the last thing I remember was talkin' to some dumbass kid who kept calling himself a 'berry' and said his mom was the best or some shit like that," Eve shrugged, unbothered. "Crazy cunt," she added. "He's probably dead now."

She sort of gestured vaguely upwards. "Otherwise? I literally just woke up and fell outta a tree. So, uh, bold start, and stuff."

Dragon considered, briefly rumbling to himself in thought.

"I do not know. I know that she had children--they are all, now, the trees. Trapped, dead. She rages, but is trapped within bark! Perhaps you may ask her. She spoke into our minds. Pick the beetles from her;" he went on, because it seemed logical to him that a bird would eat bugs, and Eve's beak was small and pointed, "she does not like those, and perhaps will be grateful for it. As for my children--I will try. I can call for them now, if you wish, and see if they come. Do you know of Nox? Large and black, and slick; it has oiled skin, and a red eye in her throat. I gave her a stone, and she made children, but I am certain they are all mine."

They were not.

"I have heard of these Berries, but I know nothing of them. I have long wished to meet with the others in the caves--those who call themselves leaders. They must be warned to distrust the Elders; and we must learn what they know. These wings--they were given by a new Elder. A creature called Three Kings of Orion. It is three birds, but it is one bird; it holds great power. It was trapped here, within the caves. The stag Astraea--he claims they offered to free it, but lied. This pleased him," he added. "The more I learn, the more I believe Aquarian is right: we will learn should we live long enough. I do not like what I am learning so far."

He thought, for a moment. "Perhaps, now that I have wings, it is time to go and find them all myself. These leaders. Regardless--I am glad that you were not dead within your stone. I do not know why you slept, but I welcome you back. I know that Oliver still lives--it comes here, from time to time. BUT! What will you do now?"

Eve resumed staring off in the direction of the Divine for a moment, blinking slowly. So she was making her nest in one of it's dead babies-- no wonder it was so mad. The crow grumbled thoughtfully for a moment, though fearfully, before looking back down to Dragon's boat-face.

"I'll see what I can do for her," the crow squawked. "I try and ask her how she got stuck in there and who did it to her, or whatever, and then see if there's a way to get her back out. Do you think she's an Elder?"

She glanced down at Dragon and then offered another shrug. "Sure, yeah, go for it-- how young are they? Do I have to stop saying fuck?" She asked.

Eve listened, thinking. "So, is Astraea evil?" She asked-- blatantly. "What does that mean for shit like Raheerah? What if he was the good guy? Should we be focused on killing Astraea or something, and what about the other ancients? And-- what do you mean by trapped here, in the caves? Is there anything other than the caves? How can we get them back out-- and would we be allowed to follow them?"

"I don't know why I slept either," she continued, unbothered. "But I'm awake now. If there's more shit going on than I thought then I'd like to help find out what the fuck is happening. Maybe I can talk to the Divine, or keep acting as a messenger for you between other leaders. If there's anything outside the caves I can try to fly to investigate openings or crevices or some shit like that."

She shook her feathers out, thoughtful. "I don't know if I could fight but if Astraea is evil then maybe we could kill him and revive the stone, or get someone to see into the stone's past to learn the truth about what the stag's done, or something along those lines. Uhhh." There was a thoughtful pause. "If we kill him though, do you think the other ancients would be mad? What if they're all fuckin' evil and we're all just fucked and have to live with it?"

Dragon listened, offering a thoughtful rumble now and then.

"I do not know the answers to many of your questions. Perhaps we can seek those answers. The children grew quickly. They are not young," he added.

For a moment, he was silent. Eve had many questions and--as he'd said--he had no answers for any of them. ...They should seek them, but how?

"We could seek answers to those questions--but how? Which ones are most urgent--least risky... Perhaps we can speak first to the Divine. Perhaps she has more knowledge she can offer us. Do you know of any magic to speak to trees?" he added doubtfully. The tree had spoken to the Children, but it had been unprompted, and directly into their minds. He knew that some Gembound could see the past; was that something that perhaps Eve could do?

Eve let out a long croak, that sounded something along the lines of 'nyeeehhhhhhh.'

She knew how fast children could grow up. Hell, it only felt like a few sleeps since Oliver was a bird-puppy, and she was teaching him how to make shinies and hoard them from prying eyes. Now he was doing who-knows-what in who-knows where.

She tried not to think about it. It hurt. "Well," she squawked. "If Astraea is evil then he might be planning something bad to do to us, but that's too risky to find out without knowing more. The Divine needs help, and we should at least find out how we can help her."

A pause. "And!" She essentially leapt a few inches in the air before landing back on Dragon's head, hobbling down his snout and onto his nose to actually look at his face. "If we help the Divine, and the Divine turns out to be an Elder, then we'll have an ancient in our debt, right?"

Did she know any magic? She knew of the right magics, of telepathy and mind-reading and the like, but Eve's magic was limited to lights and noise. "I could yell at her really loud until she answers," Eve said. "But that's not really anything I can do myself. Where's the rest of the Rot-Children, can any of them do it?"

Dragon peered at the bird perched upon his head, considering her words. As she asked of the other Children, he had a realization--she'd been gone so long that nearly all their ranks were fresh.

"The Children-... You have been gone long. Nox is one of us--the black and oily thing I mentioned!--and Septiezal; he is as a great snake, with fire and legs. Perhaps a dragon," he decided of the mutated serpent. "Ghanyarah yet lives, and there is one from Canis who has come to live among us--he is tall and red, with hooves and horns, and his name is Serek. There are others," Dragon went on, "ones you haven't met. Perhaps some know this magic. I think that Serek does--he seemed closer to the tree than the rest. If you can find him, perhaps we can try to speak further to the tree--but I warn you, she seemed to fall into a deep sleep once her beetles were gone."

For a moment, Dragon wondered about Astraea, and about Eve's words. He'd never known much about the stag, but he didn't think Astraea likely to be evil. "You are right that the stag has aided against the dragon. And I do not know if the dragon was evil! I know that we fought it. And I do not know how to find out. Perhaps our father knows more," the alligator went on, thoughtful, "but rarely does he speak! I would say perhaps to send a spy--someone to try to learn from the stag, to be his ally, to find out what he knows. But if he found out, in turn, what they were up to--it would be our demise."