ORIGIN

________________

The alligator blinked in utter awe, then scuttled forward to sniff all over the rock. Gem. Rock-glowing... thing. He then looked up at the little black fluffball, who despite her weak appearance, apparently knew all the secrets of Origin's magic.

"...Where magic come from?" he chattered excitedly, too enthusiastic to form a proper sentence--and as a result, it wasn't immediately clear whether he meant this magic, or all magic.

He then looked down at the glowing rock. Then the crow. Then the rock.

"How do you turn it off? Can you do it again? How can you tell what's magic?!"

________________

________________

Dragon will learn everything about magic one day!

Eve herself still didn't know what she did. Was the rock actually magic? Was she magic? Dragon was magic - the hyena mentioned magic at some point, too. Dragon certainly did raise some good questions too; would the rock turn off?

She leaned in to study the rock a little closer with a nervous croak.
Now what? What even is this rock? What do I do?


________________

________________

Dragon squinted at the blackfluff.

"Yes, I will learn some day, but that is why I ask it now!" He peered down at the glowing stone, then back to Eve. "I will take this to Aquarian. Unless you want to come with me. You can see my pile!" he added, suddenly excited.

Then he glanced over at the river, with its steep sides. It'd be hard to get back out of, but he was confident he could scramble his way back up. Hopefully.

"I will be right back. Looking for more things, fast, under the river. I will only be a minute!"

And then, with a slithering dive and a loud splash, Dragon had plummeted down into the Crystal River. He swam down, fighting the current, his eyes searching the bottom in the dim light that filtered down through the river.

There must be more magic-things in here! Maybe some bigger. Some things that only Aquarian and his sons can find. A test? I'll bring him a gift from the bottom of the river!

________________

As the alligator dove down into the glistening, crystal river, he would indeed find something of value embedded in the riverbed. Revealed as a product of erosion, a gleaming golden surface can be seen poking out from the rocks and debris. Buried in the mud was a decorative collar, embedded with red jewels. Attached to the collar along the back of it is a tattered cape, approximately three feet long, comprised of silky crimson fabric and gold detailing. The cape is trapped beneath the mud, and excessive force on the collar may tear the cape off. Shiny though the collar is, the it is the cape that makes this treasure a valuable one. It will have to be dug out by hand in order to prevent damaging it.

________________

The alligator swept down with powerful thrusts of his little, yet muscular, tail. He looked around, nosing briefly behind various rocks and through the silt, blinking gold-green eyes through the dark water and the muck.

Those eyes widened as he spotted the shiny-thing-with-red-thing-attached at the bottom of the river. He wasn't sure -what- it was, but it was shiny, and pretty, and he wanted it. Well, wanted it for Aquarian. Probably.

He dove, nudging carefully with his jaw, and clawing around the outer edges. It took some time but soon enough he had loosened it--but it was half-buried in rock, and before it would be fully free, he'd need to go up for breath.

Dragon reluctantly surfaced, gasping briefly at the river's edge, holding onto the rock shore with his front webbed feet as he peered at Eve.

"I found something!" he declared excitedly.

He just needed a brief rest, and he'd finish excavating the new shiny treasure!

________________

________________

What Dragon find?

Eve bumbled over to the water's edge to peer at the wet 'dragon.' She bobbed her head up and down to peer into the murky river, clacking her beak quietly.
Issit magic?

Eve snorted at the water upon the realising that she wouldn't be able to see into it and turned to face Dragon again, sitting herself down and fluffing herself up, waiting for an answer.
________________

________________

Dragon squinted, and if his lips were more mobile he'd have grimaced in deep thought.

Is it magic? I'll have to go down and see.

But aloud, in a slightly mocking voice, he said:

"Of course it's magic! Obviously?! "Or it's just really shiny, but really-really shiny like a treasure! ...I gotta go get it though," he added.

Then he glanced down, eyeing the dark water. With another look at Eve he turned and dove, tail pumping against the current to drive him down toward the strange golden collar and cape once more. It took him a moment to find it, in the dark and the muck, but there it was: shining and beautiful. And his! All his. Well. Aquarian's. He began to again delicately nose around it, clawing at the mud and rock around its base. With a final, shuddering twitch, the collar pulled safely free of the riverbed.

There! IT'S MINE!

Dragon seized the goods triumphantly in his jaws, and thrust toward the surface like a scaly little missile, the cape flowing about above him. He had to turn it a bit so it stopped covering his eyes, so that he could see, but after a moment Dragon found himself clawing at the river's edge, then hauling himself up and over the lip onto dry ground. He lay there panting for a moment, eyeing Eve with triumph, showing off his new prize.

Awesome.

________________

________________

What issat? It's shiny-- Some of it is? What's... this?
Eve seemed excited - evident by the loud squawking. She bumbled past the shiny collar and towards the scarlet cloth, tapping it with her tiny beak several times. She croaked at it before going to lift it up, perhaps thoughtfully.

She went to speak, though the cloth muffled her words. She didn't even seem to notice as she tossed the cloth up and allowed it to land over her fluffy head, where she stood still in thought for a while, before scrambling back out.
It's coloured like blood. Is it soft blood? Is it magic?


________________

________________

Dragon watched warily as the crow-baby fiddled with his new prize, but she didn't damage it--though it looked all rather silly when she simply stood draped in cloth.

If only alligators could laugh.

He tilted his head at her question, then eyed the cloth rather critically.

"...Don't know," he answered at last, somewhat reluctant to admit it. "I will bring it back to Cetus. You--"

He was starting to ask if she wanted to come, and then his eyes passed over the glowing magic-rock. They then widened.

He had a dilemma.

How am I gonna get both the Treasure and the Magic Rock back home?!

He looked between the two, then at Eve again.

If only alligators could frown.

"...You wanna come back with me? If you carry the Magic Rock I can show you my pile for Aquarian! My offerings? ...It's mostly dead eating-animals," he added, in a the modest tone of one who knows he has something of amazingly high value. After all, meat was food, and hard to catch, and everyone ate food. Therefore, everyone ate meat, so this pile must be worth loads! "You could even eat some, if you like." He said this last bit reluctantly--he didn't want to take away from Aquarian's pile, but the magic rock was worth more than one dead rat. Probably.

________________

________________

Eve seemed to shrug, if a bird could ever do such a thing, hobbling over to pick up the rock in her beak with a nod. There came a glimmer of regret once she settled with the rock in her mouth because she could no longer speak properly, and therefore was unable to reply.

She was unsure if she'd even want to eat from the dragon's food-pile anyway. Especially if a bigger dragon was supposed to be eating it. That was the purpose of offering food, right? Either way, the crow toddled up towards the 'gator and waited for him to start walking.

It didn't help that questions began to pull her tongue. Where was Cetus? Was it far? Would Aquarian show up? Would he eat her? Was he magic?

The crow sighed. She'd have to wait, clearly.

________________