Faelan entered Polaris with swift, purposeful strides.

He didn't spare a glance over the blue-washed scenery, as he might have any other time. Instead, his gaze remained fixed in the direction of the gem that had sprouted up during the Magicka Competition.

Ever since the faint singing of the crystals had begun, the lion had thought about the strange gem. It had once made sounds, words even. He, and many others, hadn't been able to understand them at the time, but he had been certain that they were words of some kind.
The crystals that were 'singing' now did not seem to be making any legible words either. They didn't look like the strange gem, at least not the ones he found, but he didn't think that mattered. The fact that both had made noises was enough for Faelan.

Whenever the deep green gem finally came into sight, Faelan slowed down and then finally stopped a few tail-lengths from it. His bright gold eyes regarded the still, silent pillar cautiously while his tufted tail flicked back and forth. After a moment of thought, the lion sat down. He wanted to approach it, but it would be better to study it before he jumped in.

He had tried that before, more than once, and he had ended up in some precarious situations.

@Elderberry

"speak"

Despite the fact that the lion's ears were hidden underneath a mass of hair, they had little trouble picking up the soft patter of hooves on stone. At first, Faelan didn't recognize the sound. He merely noted that something, or rather someone, was approaching.

Whenever the sound stopped, Faelan finally turned his massive crown toward the other Gembound.

The first thing he saw was the long, serpentine neck that ended in beady black eyes and the sharp beak. That alone made his spine go rigid with fear, and shock. It can't be, he thought as his heart began to pound. Then his golden gaze traveled farther down the creature, and came upon the sight of four, willowy legs.

None of it made sense to the lion, except for the polite bow that the hybrid executed. It was obviously sentient, he thought with some surprise, and it wanted to approach him. Faelan could think of a million things that could go wrong with that scenario, but he could also think of just as many that could go right. There was so much he could learn, especially the most important thing.

Was this...thing at all related to the pair that had attacked him before?

"Hello," Faelan said, voice raised enough that the other could hear him clearly. With a flick of his tail, he continued,"You can come closer if you wish. I am...studying, this gem."

@Elderberry


"speak"

Even though Faelan had invited the stranger closer, he remained wary of them. He watched their careful steps closely and was grateful whenever they stopped a short distance away. The space in between them was just enough for him to prepare for an attack, should one come.

Instead of violence though, he was greeted with a question. The lion slowly turned his head back to the gem, slightly wary of taking his eyes off of the stranger. However, as soon as his golden gaze fell upon the gem, his mind went back to his previous task.

"It is a gem, seemingly ordinary in every aspect except..." Faelan paused and briefly considered what harm it would do to tell the stranger about the strange events that had occurred around the gem. He ultimately decided it couldn't hurt anymore than them already being here, so he continued.

"Some time ago, there were competitions held here. During one of the competitions, the magic one, a Gembound summoned this gem. Whenever they did, a voice spoke in the minds of all those present. No one could understand what it said though."

Faelan paused to take a breath, and glance at the strange Gembound once more. The information didn't shake their cool demeanor, nor did it seem to excite them. In fact, he wondered if it moved them at all, since he could barely get a read on them. He wasn't sure if it was the small, sleek face, or the definite lack of features on said face, but it seemed impossible for the hybrid to express anything at all.

Whenever they made note of how strong he looked, Faelan tensed up. Once again, he wasn't sure what to take from the stranger, so he wasn't sure how to react. After a moment of silence, he finally offered up the only answer he could think of.

"I suppose that I am. Do you wish to be big, and strong, like me?"

@Elderberry

"speak"

The other Gembound didn't give Faelan any new insight into the gem situation. He hadn't expected them to though, so he wasn't disappointed. Just continually stumped.
This close to the gem, he could see that it held no resemblance to the strange gem that he had found in the tunnel near Cetus. Also, the chiming sound that had emitted from the other gem did not seem to be emitting from this one. It stood as still and silent as it had since the magic competition.

Faelan wasn't surprised by the stranger's answer to his question. It was easy to guess their line of thinking by their comment. However, he was wary of their intentions with their desire. Did they wish to become large and strong so that they could bully others, or did they want it so that they could protect those they cared about? The lion's stomach twisted whenever he realized that sometimes, those were the same thing.

The other Gembound's next question erased all other thoughts from Faelan's mind. He jerked his head around and stared at the stranger for a moment, his mind reeling. Part of him felt honored that they would ask, since it was possible that they truly did see him as something to aspire to. Another part of him balked at the very idea though. This creature, whatever and whomever it was, could very well be using this as a trick to fight him. Training could quickly turn into a real battle, probably when he was at the disadvantage.

Faelan opened his maw to tell the stranger no, and then paused whenever he thought of Sebastian.
The younger feline had helped him train with his magic, even though he was a big, scary stranger. Granted, Sebastian hadn't seemed to fear him whenever they met, which was naive, but that earned him a friend. Perhaps, if Faelan helped this stranger now, he could earn a friend.

"I suppose," Faelan began warily. "I haven't...trained anyone before, and have only trained with someone else once. Do you, uh, know what kind of magic you have?"

@Elderberry

"speak"

Faelan would not have admitted it if asked, but he was genuinely relieved whenever the other Gembound shook their head in reply. He already felt threatened by them enough, so it was good to know that he would have the advantage in at least one thing.
The lion was no expert with his magic, but he had learned a lot over the past few cycles. His involvement with the Children of Rot was by far his biggest source of improvement, mainly because it had pushed him out of his comfort zone. If he hadn't met Dragon after the magic competition, and traveled to the Eridanus and Cetus because of him, then Faelan wouldn't have experienced everything he had since then.

Just as Faelan began to think back over the past few cycles, a crackle of electricity caught his attention. He jerked his gaze up from where it had fallen to the floor, and stared in shock at the sparks that danced across the other Gembound's feathers.

The sight was so familiar that it ripped the lion straight back to the moment he had last seen it.

He was staring at a pair of young Gembounds, which he had approached in kindness. They shouted at them though, swearing violence and pain. Then the smaller of the two, a goose, flared their wings, which had sparks jumping across the feathers.

That had been the beginning of the pain and fear, Faelan thought with a shudder just before he shook his head. It was a feeble attempt to rid himself of the memory, but it worked. The vivid images faded along with the sparks, allowing him to relax a little bit. His spine was still rigid, but the lion's bright gold orbs had narrowed back to normal and he at least appeared calm.

After Faelan cleared his throat, he said,"That was, uh, well done. Now that you know what kind of magic you have, you will know what you need to improve on. For example," he paused to swivel his head about slowly, obviously looking for something. Whenever he spied what he wanted, a rock about the size of his paw, he nodded toward it as he continued,"I have earth-based magic. So, I can manipulate the rock and gems that we come from and stand upon. Like this."

As Faelan spoke, he mentally reached for the magic inside of him. It was surprisingly weak, considering he was in Polaris, but there was enough for him to gather and direct toward the rock. Just as the lion said his final words, the rock suddenly cracked. It wasn't a clean, even split down the middle like he had intended, but the crack sufficed to demonstrate his point.

@Elderberry

"speak"