________________

Tunnel H had been the coldest thing he had ever experienced in his short life. The memory of ice still bit at his feet, his belly scales still aching with the cold. The battering wind that shivered over him at the crossroads--he never wanted to experience that again.

But he would, he knew--he had to. He had left Cetus after a day or two of rest and recovery in search of something that would be a worthy offering for the dragon-beast Aquarian. Food, he thought--or something magical. When his pile of rotting carcasses had been swarmed again and again by massive black cave-rats, he'd realized that maybe he needed a plan B.

So now, here the little alligator was, huddled against a wall in Polaris. He'd debated between the tunnel of glowing blue, or that of green, and in the end had decided to check both, unless he found something of vast worth here.

He was half-hidden behind a boulder, and far enough, he hoped, from the glowing blue crystal some ways off to be at least somewhat hidden. This room was bright, though, annoyingly so, and the only water he could hear sounded somewhat far away. It would be dangerous to get to it over the bare ground--he would investigate soon, in a roundabout way.

For now, however, he had to get warm. Huddling down, he concentrated, his warmth bubbling up inside of him. It coursed slowly through his feet, tail and snout like a heartbeat, and he pressed his jaws down against the rock below. Soon it was warm--even hot--and he let the magic slip away before it could damage the stone, instead settling down against it to bask and regain his heat.

Ice is an absolutely terrible filth-licking maw-sucking fish-thing, he decided, hoping he'd have the peace and quiet to lay here awhile.

________________

________________

This one had been the most interesting room. That said, she wasn't fond of it. It was much brighter than the other rooms she had seen and that almost irritated her, to an extent. She prefered the darker places, after all.
Hobbling forward, the black fluff-ball looked around with eyes squinting against the light. She didn't notice the alligator near by, or at least not yet, instead listening to the soft clacking her talons made against the ground. Like most of her 'adventures,' she had no real purpose to be here, but it'd definitely be worth it to explore a little.

Her legs had began to hurt. She was walking more and more every day, and even started walking longer distances - but it was still tiring. She didn't want to sit down for the nagging fears of things that lurked in the shadows - though shadows seemed to be a very scarce thing here.
Though, as she trotted further, she began to wonder what she'd find here. Surely nothing she couldn't already see? It was oddly quiet - she must have been the only one here, currently. Upon the realization of this, she squatted and nestled down with a soft croak, content. Resting for a few minutes would do good.

________________

________________

Dragon froze as he heard a soft clicking sound, and turned his eyes to try and pick it out. He couldn't, though--so he started to drag himself as slowly and quietly toward it as he could, creeping forward with a faint hissss of his tail dragging over rock as he crept to peer around the boulder.

There was a fluff-black, a ball of shadow moving quietly before him. Was it a cave rat? It was far smaller than one, and tailless so far as he could see--a young one, maybe?

He shrank back slightly behind the boulder, watching it and thinking.

Can I eat that? Is it a rat? Is it edible? It doesn't smell like a rat. What is it? Is it dangerous? Would Aquarian want it?

He wasn't sure how to find out if it was an eating-thing--a prey animal--without outright attacking it, so he waited, for now, and watched.

It croaked.

He blinked.

It settled, a tiny ball of black fluff, and he crept ever-so-slightly closer, sniffing the air with his alligator snout, still trying to discern whether this thing was edible, or not.

Should the crow turn around, he would be clearly visible several feet away, the front half of his body curled so he was standing around the boulder he'd been behind--to see her more closely.

________________

________________

I'm not alone.

This horrible thought invaded the crow's mind the moment she heard it; the sound of something heavy dragging along the stone ground. She froze immediately as she sat down, beak clacking quietly, nervously. Whatever was behind her could eat her, probably, but she was momentarily afraid to see what the thing was.

It took her several moments to rise to her feet and turn to face Dragon. It was one of the creatures without beaks or feathers she had seen, but it was also the first alive thing she had seen with nothing soft about it. No fluff, no rounded features. It just looked.. unpleasant. With this thing, she knew she couldn't show weakness, so she puffed up her chest as far as she could and squawked.

Crawwk! Name Eve! What you? Where come from?!


________________

________________

It shuffled up and turned to face him, and he froze, as if part of the rock itself. Then it was puffy and shrieking, and he stared.

Ahh.

It was like the others he'd met in Cetus, and like the vicious black cat--things like him, things that could talk and think. Not eating-things. Or--... probably not, anyway.

Still, he had more important things to think about then food (not that anything was truly more important than spilled blood and a full belly, but for now it had to wait)--like what this place was, and if there was anything useful to it. His own voice was squeaky and high-pitched, even though he thought it rumbling and menacing.

He was a dragon, after all.

"I am DRAGON!" he squawked back, and the volume might make even a carrion bird proud. "I am from black marsh of Aquarian!" And to prove how powerful a monster he was, he leaned back his head, opened his maw and belched a six-foot blast of shimmering, searing heat into the air well over Eve's head. It was a suitable, yet safe, demonstration of his vast power.

Dragon closed his maw, tilting and turning his head to eye the little bird. "...Where are we?" he then added, slightly less loudly.

________________

________________

The crow tensed down somewhat, only briefly imagining how impressed a certain raven would be with this... Dragon. She didn't even know what a dragon was, or an Aquarian, but it didn't sound too important. It wouldn't attack her, so she was fine. Presumably.

She croaked some discomfort and fluffed herself up as the heated air came. This thing was.. rude, sort of, though it seemed to calm down immediately once it wanted an answer from the crow. She clucked somewhat, loudly.

Eve not know! Dragon lurking.

She spat, angling her beak down to pick at her chest-fluff. It only briefly crossed her mind that maybe she shouldn't be so aggressive. There didn't seem to be much stopping the dragon from trying to eat her.


________________

________________

Dragon eyed the fluffy black bird as it spoke and settled, and then looked around the room. The sound of flowing water was promising, as was the tingling sense of power somewhere not-too-far-off. Did it come from that crystal mountain over there? ...He thought so, but he wasn't sure. He'd have to get closer to find out.

He looked back to Eve, and thought about her for a moment.

Will she be useful? I shouldn't eat her, but she might be useful. Maybe she can fight. Or do magic. Maybe she's strong-in-magic like that black-cat was. Maybe black things are good at magic.

"You have magic?" he asked, almost suspiciously, closely followed by "You try to hurt me with magic I hurt you back good. Like stupid tree-stink grass-eating baby-cat!" This last was a spat and rather vehement insult, or so it sounded; whoever this black cat was he had clearly made an impression, and a very negative one, on the young alligator. "He tried to hurt me, I am not for eating! I am DRAGON!"

He stood up taller himself, inhaling so that his sides became broader and he looked somewhat taller and larger--but he still watched Eve with a very wary eye. Why wasn't something so tiny more afraid of him? She must definitely have magic.

...Maybe he could use her.

________________

________________

More of this magic-talk. Eve didn't quite understand it - in fact the warm air was the first actual magic she'd witnessed in her short life. Why something so armoured needed magical protection seemed beyond her, but she was sure this baby-cat must have been an idiot to try eat something so tough and unpleasant-looking.

Little crow not have time to waste tryin' to eat Dragon. Dragon too stringy-looking.

Eve lifted her foot to pick at the dirt on her talons. She could see the 'dragon' puffing himself out in a similiar way she would when trying to intimidate someone. Sort of. A bird would look less ridiculous doing it, however. She only croaked, and continued picking her talons.



________________

________________

Gold-green alligator eyes regarded Eve for a moment, before Dragon's tiny-fanged jaw opened again to speak.

"Good. I am going to that." He turned and stared up toward the tall crystal formation that sparked and sizzled in the air. "Aquarian maybe will want a piece. You--what are you? You want to come? What are you?"

He turned again, as he said this last part, staring curiously at Eve. He couldn't remember having ever seen anything like her before, except-- "Are you a rat? Mouse?"

Little-fluffy-black with naked feet. Definitely a rat.

________________

________________

The crow lifted her head to follow the alligator's gaze with a croak. She wasn't sure how to reach it, or why this Aquarian thing would need it, but dragons are strange like that, she eventually decided. The bird had opened her beak to speak, though all that came out was a harsh shriek of offense.

CRAAWWK! Eve not rat! Eve eat rats! Eve crow, beautiful carrion bird!

The bird stomped on the spot a little, fuming. What nerve this thing had to mistake her for food! She pecked at her own fluffy chest, talons scratching loudly against the cave floor. She spat her words.

And what dragon? Big lizard?


________________

---