Ahh-... So when Labradorite had said newly hatch, it had meant newly hatched. He understood now, given the child's limited vocabulary, that it was likely merely hours old. Although, he reflected, it did seem to be gaining knowledge quickly.

That was good.

He settled in to answer the child's questions first, as simply as he could; while speaking, he rocked down to sit on his haunches. It was an indication that he was in no hurry. "The 'Masters' command these caves. We are-" 'authorities' will be too complex for it- "-the bosses here. You--you are a Hiddenite. It is your gemstone." The ability to sense the stone was simply a Master's power, but he wasn't about to overcomplicate the poor kid's mind. Nor would he make things overly complex by differentiating the authoritarian Masters from "masters" of magic. Not now. "I lead the Chaos Forge," he explained, leading to his answer to the puppy's second question. "We serve these caves. For that purpose we serve many roles. Guardians and scouts, fighters and hunters, trainers and gatherers."

He paused, then--giving the Hiddenite time to mull this over--fired Labradorite a curious glance. "It could, yes. Tell me--what made you think 'scout' with this one?" It wasn't a challenge, exactly; he was just wondering if there was something he'd missed--which he doubted very much--or if the Labradorite's train of thought had taken a rather different route than his own.

Vargas laughed, loudly--heartily--at both the pup's polite keenness and Labradorite's matter-of-fact response. His laugh was one of approval, and he nodded to Labradorite-One before turning to the fresh hatch.

"A good enough reason. We will see. Your role, child, will be that of trainee to begin with. Hmm? You will join us--if you wish it." The choice was just that, a choice, though one so young might not (he admitted even to himself) understand all the implications. He buckled down to the task of attempting to explain those implications as best he could to someone merely a few hours old.

"If you join us, it means you will follow our rules. We will teach you many things; train you to fight, to scout, to use your magic. You will help us to serve this nest and purge the cruelty of Order from these caves. And then we will see, in a few cycles' time, which role suits you. Labradorite-?" he asked, glancing to it. "If it agrees--begin training it now. I will stay awhile. You can teach it our rules, and the basics of what you know." He paused, thoughtful, and then--with a slightly more mischievous demeanor--added, "It can be a test for you, too."

He wasn't being all that serious, though--as he always said--everything was a test.

He looked to the child again. "So, what do you think? Do you wish to join us?"