ORIGIN

Warrior shook himself, blinking, his hide twitching. Light threads of sand cascaded from his coat. He looked down at Vee, worriedly; she was coiling against the wall, speaking, and he glanced out as she did so.

She didn't sense anything, then. He snorted, out of nervousness rather than mockery, a loud blow through flared nostrils; and then pranced back a few steps. Ears flattened and rose, tail swishing, at the howl of the wind. A moment's silence, stillness, from the horse as he focused his own magic; no, she was right. There was nothing.

"I don't sense anything either," he offered quietly, after a moment. "I think we're safe." He watched warily, though; he was surprised no Spire Spiders or scorpions were rushing in to take shelter. Perhaps they'd felt it coming sooner; at least they were alone here, though.

Warrior looked to Vee. "Are you all right?" he asked, and as he did so he was reminded abruptly of how alien she was. Those unblinking eyes, the scales, the flicking tongue. They were strange to him, but--he knew her; he'd spoken to her, after all, so long ago. She'd been kind, if a predator (and he tried not to think about her killing the baby Quillmouse). So he swallowed back that strange unease, the memories of revulsion. "Did you get hurt? I hope I didn't bite too hard-..."

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Warrior tilted his head, eyeing Vee over worriedly. She... seemed okay, and she was assuring him that she was, and so after a moment, he turned his gaze back to the alcove's entrance. The sand was sweeping past, scouring the rock with a constant, seething hissing, and it set his nerves on edge. Instincts that he didnt wholly understand, but that were strong enough to rock him on his feet, pressed past: the fear of a prey animal, the anger of a threatened stallion. But he couldn't flee, from here; he couldn't fight a storm, and he just pranced back, shaking his head and trying to clear his mind from these alien thoughts.

He looked to Vee, again. "I wish I knew how to help if you were hurt. I don't know anything about that, or even if there's something I could do." Memories of death briefly assailed him, and he shook them away with a quiet flaring of nostrils. "Anyway--yeah, the snow. So, when it came," he began, and looked out to uneasily watch the sandstorm, as he spoke--having to raise his voice, some to be heard. "A bunch of strangers showed up, from outside this cave. I thought there was only a place with bones outside it, but they say there's other caves out there. And they..."

Warrior squinted. How was he to explain this-? "They said they think Hydra's dangerous, but--Vee, they were crazy. They were--hurting themselves, pulling off feathers and antlers and... eyes, as part of this 'test.' Two of them died-! There was a giant sand-worm, except it was all white, and I think it ate one of them," he added, grimly. As far as storytelling went, it wasn't the most coherent narrative, but in fairness it was one hell of a story to try and tell clearly from start to finish. Ripping out their own eyes-? A giant ice worm? Other caves? Even he was still baffled by it.

He looked to Vee, peering. "Some of them knew the desert. Some of them didn't. I tried to guide them and protect some--Oleander was there, but... she acted like she hardly knew me," he added, a little quiet, a little sad. Granted, he hadn't told Vee much about Oleander but he was pretty sure he'd offered the bare bones of it--if a long, long time ago. "The ones that didn't die, and me, we all got put into our stones again afterward. I woke up white," he added, with a furrow of his brow; "I'm not sure why."

After a moment, he dipped his head; and when the little banana appeared, he pulled its peel off with his teeth. This he carried to Vee, and set it down hesitantly. "I know you like--um, mice--but I think anyone can eat these. I'm glad you're okay," he added, for what might've been the third time.

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He'd only moved back once, but as he glanced to Vee and her obvious unease, he realized that he must have been fidgeting. Do with your legs? he thought, and hesitated, then curled himself down to lie on the rock.

"You mean--here?" he asked, and some instinct sparked, some unease at lying this close to a rattlesnake. He looked out at the sandstorm, and shook his head, turning his mind back to the conversation. "Yeah, it was... bad. Sad. I saved her life, and she didn't even talk to me," he added, softly. "Whatever happens outside the desert, I think it makes them... dangerous. Or weird," he added, unaware that something was fundamentally wrong with his childhood friend. Unaware that he had likely, in fact, dodged one hell of a bullet--or, in-universe, one hell of a clawing Eyehook foot, maybe.

"Anyway-... Who was it who left you here? That's a lot worse than just not talking to someone. They knew you were cold-? Sleeping in the snow, and just left you? You don't even have fur; you could've frozen," he pointed out, worried now. How cruel, how thoughtless, did someone have to be-? To him, it didn't matter that they'd had to find food--why hadn't they gotten Vee to shelter, first?

Ahh--banana time.

He had not expected to nearly choke Vee to death, and he blinked as he saw her struggle with the banana. "Oh, I didn't mean to--sorry," he offered, a little bit alarmed.

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Warrior exhaled, thinking. Who did he know who had a long face, like him? And what did 'but rounder' look like-? Bumpy-? Could it have been Cryogen-? he wondered, and he hoped not--no, it couldn't have been. The snow had come long before the child, of course.

Hm.

Vee's question caught him by surprise, and he glanced at her. "No, I don't think so. I don't--plan to, anyway? I think it's important we keep an eye out for anyone else that is born in the desert. So we can help them, protect them--teach them how to live here, you know? Not to run over the sand, or out without cover under the vultures, things like that."

His gaze lifted, and regarded the sandstorm outside steadily, for a moment. "I think I'm still learning, though--every time I think I know Hydra--that's what they call this place--something else pops up." And then, out of conversational politeness, he looked to the snake. "What about you; are you planning to leave? I know a couple friends here who left to explore the caves; I haven't seen them since, but I guess it'd be interesting to know if anything really does lie beyond the bones."

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Warrior nodded cheerfully in recognition. "That's where I live, too! -I mean, not in their den, but close by. It's good--sheltered, with water close."

He curled against the wall, a bit, leaning against it, fighting a yawn. But he glanced to Vee, listening to her words, and nodded his firm agreement. He didn't seem to mind her slithering a little closer, at least. "I don't wanna go out there, either. One of the Champions came back, you know--looking for me, to talk. They said there's 'masters' that make them all do that stuff, as... games? I didn't really understand, but they also said there's lots of caves outside of this one--outside Hydra. That there's cities, and forests, and, um. 'Lakes.'"

Warrior wasn't too sure of this one. Hydra did not have 'lakes.'

"It sounds like... something I'd like to see, but I'm afraid of what might be out there. Or-... I just don't think it's smart to go in, you know? Into those places, where they can make you hurt yourself, or something."Warrior shuddered, then, and looked to Vee. "Anyway, I think Quentin went to explore. Maybe Mira, too--I'm not sure. I haven't seen them in a long time... I hope they're okay."

Long pause.

"So... do you still eat mice?"

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