ORIGIN

He’d left the pile of bones where they were – the pile that made up his previous meal that is, and had exited the spire. Polaris was still a gem to be discovered and Rafael was not done with it yet. With gentle click-clacking of hoof and talon sounds, the peryton moved forward with a gently suggestive aura, curved brown haunches rolling forward in a smooth display of slender muscle, sinew and innocence coalesced into a single entity. Occasionally, the calf flicked his tufty, white ears and snuffled through his moist black nose, grey eyes lighting upon his surroundings with innocence. He came to a stop in the main area then and looked at the lights dancing above him. How bright and…merry. Perhaps someone else was here enjoying the sights? Rafael tapped the ground with his hoof, and bleated to no one in particular, throwing his vocals as loud as a fawn could.

His bleats rang out clear in Polaris and resonated with an almost melodic tune. Rafael then switched to a nicker, tossed his head a little and pawed the ground with his hoof. From the corner of his vision, a creature extracted herself from the water’s edge and padded over to him with a low chuff of greeting. Rafael snorted and pawed the ground in reply, then affixed his grey eyes onto her calmly as the bright and perky cat spoke. Immediately, he ruled this gembound out as food but perhaps, she could grab him some?

She smiled and her bright tone couldn’t help but infect his mood as well. Rafael bleated happily in reply and shook his head left and right while tapping his front hooves like in a little dance – or a young stag getting ready for its first battle without the fierce snorting and gleaming eyes. She introduced herself then as Makyna, so he felt he’d do the same. "Rafael,” he replied in a coarse, young elk voice with a grating screeching undertone. He nodded solemnly and grinned as she mentioned how wonderful this place was. Of course, he nodded in agreement. He’d tortured the cave deer here much to his delight and it’d proven his favourite meal thus far. How else could any other cave compare to Polaris at this point in time?

The peryton snorted and, shifted forward, sniffing at the lioness to catch her scent, wondering whether she might have a trail of blood lingering off her pelt. "Food,” he spoke the universally acclaimed word, then stepped back and regarded her with gentle dove grey eyes.

The lioness leaned in to sniff at him and seemed keen on his suggestion! Rafael snorted and pawed the ground, then gave yet another happy shake of his antlers. He remembered to wag his tail too. Actions of a perfectly normal gembound in indicating happiness, nothing out of the ordinary, yet that which was, a carefully orchestrated move for the boy. The peryton nickered to her gently. Picking up his heels almost in a prancing motion, Rafael followed after the lioness’ long, feline tail. He kept close to her, mimicking amiable actions of a recent newborn which he was – only that such mannerisms came at greater cost to his dignity for his intellect was twisted and mentally, not fully developed. He only knew that to mimic was to survive.

She led him to a bush then, and the deer snorted and snuffed at it. A refreshing tinge of chlorophyll and faint florals assuaged his senses. In the mood for salad, Rafael did not hesitate to tuck in. He tugged at the leaves and munched on it, happy to fill his stomach. Although grass was his diet rather than leaves or bushes, the grazer was not very fussy so long as it tasted good and it did. Rafael chuffed and snorted, vocalizing his elk expressions of eager munching and after some time, was done. He stepped back then and regarded the lioness with curious grey eyes, wondering what she would do next.

“Where are you from, young one?” the lioness’ melodic voice rang forth even as she held herself sturdily, compact muscles showing beneath her tawny pelt. Young one? The peryton snorted and huffed, fixing his blank gaze upon her. He blinked slowly from behind long lashes and then tossed his muzzle and nickered like a foal in blind agreement. Where was he from. He thought hard and vaguely remembered hatching among some cliffs and then wandering around the room with stars. Licking his teeth and smacking his lips together awkwardly like a cow or horse, the fawn readied his voice to reply. "High cliffs. Yes, Rafael was born above the rest…” his voice trailed off raspily. He shook his head and pawed the ground as she continued, ears laid back in mock sadness. "No, no home. Wander. Eat.” Then he attempted to step closer and looked forlornly at the other, elk eyes expanding its large pools of grey, watery and empathy inducing. "Lost,” he spoke, dragging out the syllables in a single bleat, then hung his head down low, desolate and forlorn.

The lioness returned his broken, pathetic dramatic play with a gush of concern. He knew it – deep inside his heart, the peryton smirked. He knew that his childlike appeal tended to work on most creatures especially if they were female. Now he pricked his ears and swept his furry tail gently behind his rump as she gave him another proposition. “You can be part of my family.” Family, what was that? Cold, twinkling stars beneath the large sky of Orion? Creatures whom he had met but regarded him as a freak of nature, just because he was built like an elk and hawk with firebird rolled into one? Agitated, Rafael swung his head low and moaned, then pawed the ground with his foot and snorted. Family! FAMILY! How DARE she suggest such a thing to him and say it was hard. Nothing was too hard for him, no hardship too pain for him to bear! Rafael screeched and reared up, flailing his elk limbs while balancing on his hindquarters, moving backwards and throwing out his hooves, warning the lioness to stay away from him even as he shifted back. He snorted and his flank trembled, shiny in sweat even as the whites in his eyes emerged. "Fami..famiillyyy?!” He screeched and guffawed, screech like sounds with hoarse elk vocalizations mixed together. "No, you stay. Here.” He screeched and then landed his hooves onto a ground with a clatter and looked at the lioness. She was going to stay here, and she was going to take care of him!