Pride blinked.

Right, that put a time-frame on things, sort of. "Ahh, yes! The Kings. Yes, they are still here--I have met them," he explained. "They told me much of what they knew; that they came from the outside, that there are other worlds. That they taught the skies to dance, and that they cannot escape this place. I offered to aid them but they cannot find a way." This was given in melancholy tone. The memory of the birds' combined acceptance of their apparent fate had been saddening to him.

"That means--are you all right?" he asked, glancing with concern over the stranger. She had apparently hurt herself, somehow--and he wasn't certain as to how. Perhaps her legs, after such long disuse..?

Hesitating, he then continued. "Our King--King Envy--was part of that, I believe. That was... Well, Envy is not that old. Ten cycles or so, perhaps? Fifteen? They are around my age. So I would imagine you have not been asleep for more than five or ten cycles. I know that Envy's wings can truly be used for flight, so I presume they were a part of the entire scenario, from start to finish." So, five to ten cycles, at a very rough estimate. That was something, at least.

"Who, may I ask, are Astraea and Tenzin?" For all Pride's wide experience in the cave, he had never encountered the other stag--nor did he know anything about him. And he had never heard, either, of the stag's (now ex-) partner.

Pride tilted his head, listening intently and committing everything that Kera said to memory. Silvery eyes trailed after the glowing fungus that crept up the walls--(Fascinating)--but his mind was mostly on her words.

It was good that she was well--but she did not trust birds? Strange. Fifty cycles--countless cycles. This knowledge, too, he tucked away for future use. He then listened further, intently eager for more.

Astraea--was a stag? With fungus, apparently. Smelly fungus. And he was smug, or arrogant. Pride grimaced internally. He detested dealing with those who thought themselves above others; there was no point to it. It invariably spoke of deep character flaws with which he'd rather not deal. Tenzin, though, was apparently more reasonable--and he took note of the location, Pisces, and the fact that the bird was likely hibernating.

The name Dragon, too, he tucked away. That was one he'd heard before, in passing, and it was someone he thought that he could find again if he tried.

Good. This was all excellent.

"You know much of the caves, it seems, Kera." He bowed his head, briefly. "Knowledge is, I think, incredibly important, so I thank you for passing it on. I think since you have slept..." And here Pride paused, thinking over all that had occurred in the last seven to twelve cycles, or so. Though he thought he wasn't even that old--it was quite possible that this wolf had been sleeping since before he had hatched.

"A time of darkness came to the caves. Monsters appeared--the lights dimmed, though they were not out completely. Great beasts of shadow who could touch the mind, or summon ghostly lights. Those of us who fought them--defeated them, ran them off, killed them--were granted, by some unknown power, versions of those spells--like this." He tilted his head to one side, looking left, indicating a space ahead and at eye-level to himself. There he attempted to summon up one of the phosphorescent wisps: the bob of magical light that matched in hue Kera's fungus now coating the wall and floor. It manifested, crackling quietly like a near-silent flame, hovering there beside him. The light it cast was eerie, but he turned his gaze back to Kera, going on with his updates as the wisp lingered.

"A being calling itself the Masked Merchant summoned those of us who had learned the wisps, to a "trial" of sorts. It was--dark," he added, in a way that was both grim and dismissive, as if to clarify that he did not wish to speak further of it. "I know that a being in Canis appeared, offering trinkets and powerful magics to those who perform tasks for it. I have not met it, myself. And in Pisces, part of the ceiling collapsed, though that hole was filled with debris. A creature fell into the caves with a crystal-powered sled, and with it, much snow--the caves were far colder, and have been warming back up ever since. It called itself Naskital. It asked our aid in gathering its lost creatures--hares, white birds, and caribou--and crystals, and food for the animals. In return he offered gifts--food, baubles, trinkets and the like. Eridanus was attacked by the Bloodberries--that's Blackberry's idiotically-named gathering of brainwashed murderers--and there was much bloodshed, though it is now safe there. I think that is it," he added, thinking, for a moment. But he could remember nothing more to add to this, and so he fell silent, for now.

Pride leaned down, nudging the banana with his lips. He knew these--he'd seen them summoned, though he was incapable of doing so himself. He wasn't even sure how the spell had come about.

Quietly, he broke open the peel, nibbling on the fruit within. He took precisely half, leaving the other half to Kera, looking up to listen as she spoke. "I could, perhaps, join you to meet this Collector for myself. I am interested in doing so," he added thoughtfully. At the mention of Rift, he winced a little. "Yes, I know Rift. He was there--he will recover, given time. He is a friend of mine and, I think, the reason that Blackberry and her precious little murder-dumplings attacked Eridanus as a whole. It was not a pretty fight," he added darkly. "But apparently she held a grudge against Rift--imagined, most likely, from her own madness."

...Caves, he hated that bird.

Pride inclined his head. If stags were able to smile, he'd have been doing so, quite amused; as it was his voice held a sort of wry warmth, thick with dark humor. "Please, allow me to help," he offered. Murdering Blackberry was, really, quite high on his list of priorities.

Ahh, but back to the present. "If you wish, you can return to the throne. Some of us gather there, now and again, so it is a safe place to sleep. Just be wary--the little green one is our King, not prey. And the white rabbit is my familiar, should it venture here." A quick mental check showed him that Mischief was, in fact, still sleeping deeply in the grove in Eridanus--and snoring, no less, deeply asleep with her legs randomly splayed out. ...She was not graceful.

"Otherwise, I can either remain around if you wish a sentry, or you can contact me near the Throne when you wish to travel, and I will accompany you?"

The offers were politely-given. Pride did not wish to intrude, but if the stranger was tired, she ought to rest. He was unsure how sleepy one might be after hatching anew--were they freshly-rested, or was it exhausting?

Oh, and thirst. She might be thirsty. Idly he turned, bringing his magicka together. His intent was to summon forth a thick mist, and then to alter that mist to water form with a second burst of magicka--but nothing happened, and he shook himself a little.

Oh, how fickle magic could be.

"I do not know how familiar you are with Orion, but there are small waterways not far off, as well, if you are thirsty." That would have to do.

At the mention of eating plants, Pride's face lit up. Ahh! So here was a way he could aid! Almost excited, he at once broke in. "When you have time, go to Eridanus. There is a small grove there, along one wall--wreathed in vines and thorns, but call out for Mercurius. He knows the magic to do just that, and it is all he does for food, I believe. I am certain that he could teach you, and he is very kind." Rift, he reflected, might also know it--but Rift was very protective of his plants, to the point that Pride could almost imagine him taking live prey over harming a fern.

"I can accompany you, if you are going directly there," Pride responded. After hunting, that is." At the mention of a wounded leg, he glanced to it. He wondered what happened; he'd spent time caring for another canine, Aster, who'd damaged her leg. Was this something similar--a magical accident?

"Your leg? Does it still bother you? May I ask what happend, and is there a way I can aid, if it is troublesome?"