Precious. Precious life. He'd not expected it. He'd hidden away, cowered from the repercussions of his accidental cast- expecting damages, blood, torn friends. He was so certain that sudden flux of magic would have been another horrible power, another horrible mistake. Instead, he'd found himself stuck to the floor as the magic faded. Aided by his beloveds, bird and cat alike, the trio had been surprised to find their individual shards stuck to the stone floor, as if sealed amongst the quartz there. They parted ways unknowing. Now, days later, he knew what had happened. The stones grew, and in just a short time, he could already see the tiny lifeforms growing inside. He wasn't sure what had happened to cause it... but he was sure of something. He'd soon be fathering two, true, children. He'd have to be watchful. He'd have to be gentle, caring. He'd have to be protective. He'd have to let go of the past, and give these two new little lives an easy way. He'd protect them with his dying breath if he had to.

Since their conception, since his realization, Cancer had become even more reclusive and hard to find than usual. He spent his days building, in fact. A black quartz castle of sorts, with walls to surround his growing children, to protect them. He'd spent a long time so far casting, taking breaks only to hunt, sleep, recover, before inch by inch, continuing his build. He spent every moment wearing that stealthy, defensive armor, in case anyone dared to attack while he worked... in case Raheerah moved from Polaris, to find the cat that woke him, that stole a scale from him- that planned to kill him, once and for all.

Even now, he toiled away at his task...

...even as his exhaustion pulled him away from work, towards sleep, the gem-encrusted cat worked tirelessly on. His paws shone with the dazzling proof of his effort- and his lack of natural talent regarding such magic. Tiny slivers of gemstone broke the skin. He bled as he worked, paws riddled with misplaced, poorly casted and thus, oddly grown gems from his arms- adding more scars where his prior mistake had left many ugly gouges before. That day was special though. Those scars were special. He held to that as he worked, adding more layers by hoisting stone into place where magic wouldn't grow crystal instead.

Paranoid mind heard only the approach of larger paws behind him, so when Cancer turned to face the approaching male, he wore a severe expression. Upon recognizing Niru, however, he calmed- then visibly tensed yet again at the sight of his boy's new scars. The leopard stepped towards his son, bringing a paw to his face quickly, roughly, with a scornful glare at the wounds.

"Who did this?" Savage temper was held back by an eerily calm voice, quick and sharp, demanding. "You left Orion. Things have changed. We've a new purpose here." He spoke quickly, pointedly, then turned away from his adoptive ward to return his gaze to that of his biological offspring, forming inside their crystal wombs nearby, tucked behind stone walls for safety- by chance. The family would suffer no fatality with this secure location- so long as the able defended the young.

"You'll not be the youngest for long. Recover quickly, because in some days time, you'll be in charge of protecting these two. I won't be here to do so myself, but I'll set you up well. I'll be back." He glanced over his shoulder, morbid. "Maybe." The plan to take on Raheerah was a foolish one, but one he felt was his to undergo. He had to make up for it. He had to defeat the beast, return the cave to the prior peace he'd shattered in waking the dragon in the first place. "Tell me everything, and I'll return the favor, yeah?"

Niru spoke of a beast, a female. Cancer went over the possible foes in his head- Kerberos was male, and obviously so. Then, Niru went on to explain why the fight had occurred, and the leopard found his chest tightening. It was time the cub knew the full truth. Steadying himself for the horrible conversation to follow, Cancer turned to look his boy in the eye, expression sullen and worn.

"I've a story for you, Niru. Sit, and listen." He instructed, tone softer now. He took a seat beside the half-built wall, resting against it, so his growing children were still within view as he gazed upon his adopted heir.

"I was born in Pisces Cave. Bevy found me, and became my closest friend immediately. We sparked the idea to recruit others to live with us, to protect the cave we called home. Our first recruits were a bear and lioness- Leon and Makyna." He paused, tension flaring before he regained control and continued onward.

"At first... At first, I couldn't have been happier. Makyna and I became close, and soon, more joined our group. We decided on a name, Maji Walezi... and I became their first leader." He again paused, but this time, to collect his thoughts.

"I did my best, had the best intentions... but I was a cub. I was young, and stupid... and in love." Makyna. "What we had was nothing more than silly romance. Makyna had always loved Leon... right from the start. I thought... I was jealous. I acted out on that jealousy, and took it out on Leon, though he'd never done me wrong before. I took everything he said or did personally, passed it off as attempts against my authority as Leader. Really, I just felt as if he were getting in the way of mine and Makyna's happiness."

"So when Makyna and I one day fought, and nasty things were said, and Leon charged at me..." He cringed at the image, that savage snarl across the larger bear's face as he appeared through the tunnels towards him. "Leon attacked me first, but I led him away from our home. I had him chase me all the way to Monoceros. There, we fought... we almost killed each-other, over a stupid girl." Then, eyes that had fallen to the floor now returned to meet Niru's gaze, cold and hard.

"I would've killed Leon in cold blood that night, if it weren't for the ground cracking apart just as I hoisted the blade to his stone. I fell, and the earth swallowed me into a pit, deep in Monoceros. There, I met the Lamb... and Raheerah."

He went on to tell the story of how Amaria came upon them, having chased after the fighting pair not long after.

"As she came to lay beside me, the lamb stepped forward... and she touched me, and took my hurt away. She healed me completely, in a way I've never seen before, nor since. That... hurt her, though. She took my injuries as her own... and that woke Raheerah." He explained that the dragon had attacked, but he and Amaria had escaped. He told the youthful lion about the Trial in Pisces afterwards, leaving out the more personal moments of panic and disdain, but filling the boy in on everything he needed to know- and in a way that left him looking quite guilty indeed. "I know what I did was wrong... and my actions led to Raheerah's escape. That dragon attacked Monoceros, and when I heard the battle here, I tried to take him out then. I gained my first scale from that fight... but Raheerah broke free of me and fled to Polaris. Now, he's lighting the caves ablaze... and the mutant woman was right- it's my fault."

His gaze turned to the sleeping children.

"...I won't let them wake into a world of fire by my paws. I won't let them burn. I've done a lot of wrong... but no more. I'm repenting. It might kill me... it might change me, cripple me... lead me down an even darker path." He turned back to Niru, determined and savage. "I won't let that dragon burn our home to the ground. I owe Origin Cave some redemption. I brought this chaos into our world... I'll be the one to extinguish it, once and for all." He narrowed his gaze. "With or without my son beside me." Now, it was time for Niru to judge him for the truth he now knew.

The first words Niru spoke were that of a brave young man, but Cancer shook his head. No, he needed Niru here, protecting the twins. If anything were to happen to them...

The cub's next words stung and warmed him all at once. Cancer considered his son with wet eyes, then without a word, stepped forward and with one tattered forelimb, rested a paw against his son's chest with a broad smile forming across his face- wartorn and brittle.

"You're a brave cat, Niru. I couldn't be more proud of you." He patted that spot, then lowered his leg to turn back towards the sleeping gems. "You'll stay put in Orion from now on. There are dangers. There's been others here. They come and go, they never see me, but they're here... and they're unwelcome guests. Intruders." He looked to Niru now with utmost seriousness. "Protect the twins with everything you've got, alright?" He stepped lightly into the small castle walls and sat to rest both front paws on each growing gemstone. "They need to be guarded when I leave. I'll not leave them alone." And then, he turned to Niru and his smile was sadder, a little more sober. "Keep that brave heart, Niru. You'll need it in the cycles to come. I have a feeling that Origin Cave is about to get a lot more... lively, sooner than we think."