ORIGIN

Pride was grazing his way through Eridanus, quiet.

The birds sank, the nearby stream babbled. Ants streamed past, bringing back the sweet nectar that they'd turn to ant-honey.

All seemed, for once, to be peaceful. The Seven had a few new members; no wars were ongoing, no death scattering the silence. He had a new granddaughter to keep an eye on, here. Life, in general, was good.

With a sigh he stepped forward, lowering his white-furred neck to nibble at the vegetation. The diamonds at his throat glittered briefly as he moved.

As the stag picked his way through an open clearing he paused, glancing about. Despite the peace, it never did to be complacent; his diamond armor was back in Orion and, though he didn't expect an attack, he doubted that one would come specifically when he did.

Magicka shimmered around him, and then faded, settling into potential energy shrugged against his body. That was good--he was protected, now, to some extent.

Pride moved on, browsing as he went.

@James

James was waking up from a nap, trying to decide whether or not to fall back asleep or not. He yawned and sat up, before laying back down and curling up, warm and comfy in the leaf hut he'd made with Titanite.

After a while he finally stood up, legs stiff, and shook himself out, yawning widely again before picking his way over some roots and taking off at a jog to his favorite grazing spot. He pushed through the leaves and struggled against some vines, kicking out a few times to shake some off before stumbling out into the clearing... only to find it occupied.

He stiffened and raised his head up, muscles tense and legs straight, ready to run. He stared at the deer, ears pinned, a recent encounter with a lion still in his head... even though it ended up alright.

"... Who are you?", he asked, and stamped a foot down nervously, clearly unnerved by the newcomer.

James was too trusting, and sooner or later, it would get him killed. He should have run by now if he were smart, but as it were, everyone he'd met was peaceful, if not downright friendly. But as it were, he stayed put, though he was ready to bolt at a moment's notice.

@Pride

Pride turned, blinking, starting a little at the sudden crashing-through-undergrowth, the appearance of the dark foal and the blurted question that followed. He pulled himself together quickly, drawing himself up and offering a politely respectful incline of his head, gray antlers sweeping the air.

"My name is Pride. I am one of the Seven, of Orion; I will not harm you. Have I disturbed..?" he added, perking a brow, a little; the child's surprise at seeing him here was notable, as was its--fear? Caution? He may not have met so many strangers, as yet--or perhaps one too many, were it hostile, the white stag decided.

"I can certainly move on, if I am disturbing you..?"

@James

"N-no!", he said quickly, stepping forward, before looking down, "I-I... It's just that this was my spot, I wasn't expecting anyone else to be here... "

James looked up, studying the deer curiously, noting that it looked a lot like him, with hooves, a distinctly horse-like face... but with huge branches stretching up from his head.

"... The Seven?", he asked, "Who are they? Are they like the Children of Rot?"

James remembered Dragon, his open offer to return... he remembered it. And maybe he'd like to see Khloros again, since he was so kind, despite his oddity. Hm. The foal shuffled his feet, aware that he didn't look the best. He was losing his soft, downy babyfur, though oddly enough, only in a patch around the base of his neck, though still, it made him look patchy. At least he'd taken a dip in the river recently, so his white markings weren't brown like the rest of him, standing out against the rest of his fur.

@Pride

Pride had seen a few horses in his day--not a lot, but enough to notice the species similarity.

"You are a horse, yes-? A new hatch?" Pride suggested politely, his tone the fluting melody it always was. As he spoke he turned sidelong to James and stepped forward, all stately grace, and moved away to browse briefly at the vegetation. Once he'd swallowed his mouthful, he spoke again. "The Seven are a handful of Gembound in Orion--do you know where that is? It is one cave over; full of ruins, and sparkling with quartz crystal. We set ourselves to protecting those who need it--I do not wish to frighten you, but there is a good deal of violence in these caves," the stag added, with a brief and mournful glance to James. As for the Children of Rot-... Pride considered, looking out into the trees, again foraging for a moment.

"We know the Children, yes; we are allied with them, to some extent, and to the Bonebound. We have no enemies--at least, none surviving." He paused, thinking that over for a moment, and then shook his head and continued. "As for the Children; they seek only to survive. Our goals are a little more..." The white stag glanced to James, as if searching for a word. "Ambitious, I suppose, than that. But I will not hurt you. May I ask your name?" It was a curious question, and his eyes sought out the gemstone atop James' head. He'd seen it only once before, in the creature Azrael.

Azrael, last he'd seen, had been in Cetus after the battle. Was James one of his? He didn't look like him, but it was such an unusual stone; spawned with a horse, perhaps? "Do you have parents in these caves?" he asked, at last, phrasing it mildly as he again turned away; "Family?"

@James

"I'm... sort of new. I hatched a few days ago, I think,", he said.

Telling time wasn't his forte.

He watched the other graze and approached a bit more, head lowering as he nibbled at a patch of grass, eyes lingering on Pride. Untrustworthy, until proven otherwise,

"I don't know Orion,", he said, "Just here and Cetus-- where I was hatched. I met a person named Dragon and... someone else. They lead me here where I'd be safe..."

James didn't like the mournful look the other gave him, head raising as he stamped a foot off, jaw clenching for a moment. He knew there was danger- everyone kept telling him after all, but where was this danger, huh? Was it just something everyone said to keep him away or something? He didn't like it, all these grown-ups assuming he couldn't take care of himself... though... it sounded awfully scary to have to defend himself against something, something unknown, or monstrous.

Maybe he ought to listen...

"You say that right after saying there are dangerous things,", James pointed out, giving the other a rather flat look, "... It's what everyone says. Like this place's motto. 'There are dangerous things out there, James.' But... yes, that's my name. James."

He wondered in what way the Seven were ambitious. It was a broad term and could mean they were adventurous, but then again, it could mean they just wanted control. He'd have to see, and he could always run away.

He snapped out of his thoughts and blinked, before shaking his head, "Um... no, I don't. Not that I'm aware of. I just... hatched. And why does everyone look at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

If only he knew...

@Pride

"You say that right after saying there are dangerous things." Which part-? Pride wondered. Perhaps the child meant his assurance that he would not cause harm-?

He reached out his mind, wry humor and an impish amusement briefly taking him. His magic aimed to lift James straight off the ground, a couple of feet--hold him there briefly--and then set him back down again.

"There. Proof I could harm you, if I wanted to--I could fling you toward the ceiling, little one, and let you fall. But I have no intention of doing so." He turned back, grazing his way along. "As for your head--yes, as a matter of fact. Your gemstone is on your forehead, and it's a particularly... noticeable one. I've only seen a stone like that on one other Gembound and he looked very unlike you."

The stag paused, glancing back to eye the opal. "In any case, it is good to meet you, James. It is lucky that you met some of the Children, first; to my knowledge Dragon is relatively... benevolent. But I do not mention violence here lightly," he added, with a warning tone. "There are those who call themselves the 'Masters' who see themselves as our owners, to do with us as they please. That includes torment if they wish it. I haven't come into conflict with them recently, not directly; for which I'm grateful, as I hear they are very powerful. But there are others who have, in the past, turned to violence and torment merely because there was no one there to stop them."

The white stag paused, eyeing James. "I needn't give you details, I think. Not to one so young. Just be warned; not everyone is trustworthy."

@James

James felt his legs leave the ground, breath hitching, and his legs flailing before he was set down again. He threw his head down and kicked out a leg, startling when he hit a tree branch and bolting away a few feet, a startled whinny breaking free before he whirled around to face Pride.

"Hey! Next time warn a guy when you're about to threaten them!!", he cried out, ears pinned as he stamped a foot in anger, "... There are better ways to demonstrate you're not going to hurt someone, y'know. Like just telling me was fine..."

He noticed the other staring at him again and huffed, "... So who's this guy, anyway? Who has the same gem as I do? I'm guessing he's not too nice."

James felt his fur raise as the other mentioned the Masters, and his face softened as his anger faded, "... Look, I'm young and stupid, but... okay yeah I just completely contradicted what I was going to say- but I'm smart! I can learn, and I want to learn about magic and about how this place works! I want to learn and I don't want to be scared! But if I'm going to be, I should know why. Why everyone keeps looking at my gem so weirdly, who these Masters are, and... yeah."

He trailed off awkwardly, his little rant making him feel big for a moment, before feeling smaller compared to the large deer, clearly powerful, standing in front of him.

@Pride

Pride eyed James, with some amusement. "My apologies, James; but I did tell you, and you doubted my intentions. I supposed a more... practical example would reinforce my honesty. It was the opposite of a threat. I repeat, you needn't fear me--I apologize if I frightened you." He eyed the tree branch, briefly. "You are not harmed, are you?" It wasn't a demand, an argument--it was concern; perhaps the foal had struck his leg on the branch a little too hard-?

But he was asking questions, then, and Pride did his best, pausing entirely in his grazing, to think about them and to answer. "Your gem-?" Pride asked, and looked genuinely puzzled, for a moment. "Ahh-... No, I don't think anyone is looking strangely at it because of any mysterious implications. It's merely striking to look at. The rest of you is brown; the gem is a bright fiery-pink," he explained. "You could likely see it reflected in the water, if you wish-? Or, ahh... Let me try-" He thought, for a moment, of projecting the image of James directly into the foal's own mind, but given James' fearful reactions he doubted that this would be wise even with forewarning. He aimed instead to create a shimmering image of James, standing a safe distance away, motionless--light wasn't Pride's strong point, however.

The resultant image wasn't perfect, by any means, but it was a decent representation of the foal. "There--if you haven't seen yourself, before. That is what you look like. If you have, well--I apologize for assuming." A pause, then, as he held it there, and then he went on, as it faded: "And no, the fellow who I've met, who shares your stone--his name is Azrael. I do not know him well. He seems... intense, but I met him mid-battle," the stag explained. Azrael hadn't turned on them, at least, as brutal as he'd been to the other Hive member he'd caught up to.

At James' outburst, Pride peered at him, thoughtfully. "I do not think you are stupid, James. Young, yes; but we are all young, at some point. And your mind seems keen enough. Regardless, I am always happy to teach the young what I know. You are welcome to ask what you wish, about magic, or the Masters, or anything else; and you are welcome to return with me to Orion afterward, if you like. I hope you will not begrudge my finishing my meal, as we speak-?" he added, delicately, as he turned to browse along a nearby berry bush.

@James

James was admittedly confused. Frazzled, was possibly a better word. He stared at himself, ears perking up, and stared at the gem in his forehead. He watched the illusion fade away and shook his head, staring at Pride.

"... I'm sorry,", he said, "Um... I think I've been kind of rude. Er... What's your name?"

Had the deer told him already? If so, he truly couldn't remember. But he wasn't hurt, so he shook his head at that question, and settled down a bit, flopping down into the grass so he could eat without looking stupid, his neck still too short to reach the ground.

"... I have magic,", he said, and stood up quickly, inhaling and focusing on summoning a wisp, his favored and most cast spell, "It's... It's just hard to do. I want to learn how to cast more spells!"

He perked up as the wisp was summoned, tail flicking happily as he smiled, watching it bob in the air, lighting up the area a light purple.

"See? But... who are the Masters? What are their goals?", he asked, "Where are they located- so I can avoid them until I'm stronger, of course... but yeah."

@Pride