( Set before she meets Vicktor and Ambrus )

She walked through her place of birth, wandering back here on an empty stomach. She loved moving between Cetus and Eridanus, enjoying the peace and tranquility of both rooms, but when she wanted to eat, the leaves of her home had no equal. It was comforting to be here, remembering all she had met when she was young, remembering when she had awoken in the dark with Saudade there to ease away the fears of a newborn. The fear of the dark still clung to her, reminding her of the regal king of the night, and the twisted story she told not too long ago...

But she wouldn't let that get to her here.

This was where most of her being was forged, and she always loved this place. Defying the memory, she called her light to her, and companions crafted from her mind sprang from nothing, well-defined deer that shone so brightly, ones that tossed their heads proudly and pranced with her, making her laugh. She picked up her pace and they followed her, her good eye roaming for a good place to eat.

"This is how I speak."

His feet are huge, but he's beginning to understand them. Through the underbrush, something stirs, something rustles and from the concealment of the great ferns that have become his home, two malachite eyes peer excitedly out at the ancient world of Erandus. Though he does now know it's name, a great hum of life fills his ears, which swivel atop his skull like a sonar receiver, catching every whisper of the trees, every shift of the ferns around him and, he fancied, the song that was being sung to him. He absorbs it like an amoeba, hungry in his desire to understand - to know the Earth intimately, even at such a young age - he cannot help it, and in his young body he has roamed far. The trees tower above him, their ancient limbs creaking hymns to one another and he listens, caught in his desire to understand them, for theirs was a different language then the doe he had encountered earlier. A great spill of laughter leaves his lips in a childish trill (perhaps the most innocent sound in the world) as he springs over the root of another tree, landing clumsily, but uncaring of this factor. He cares more for the earth around him than the functions of his own body.

Clearing another root, he bursts into a small clearing, unaware of the doe for the time being, too absorbed by his love of the world around him, until a brilliant flash of light startles him out of his play. His face stills as he sees her, his small brows quirking in surprise at this latest phonomena and his gangly legs set to spring away, though she doesn't appear to wish him harm. A moment passes, then two and his turqouise gaze politely washes her in wonder before his small voice finds strength enough to ebb forth. "How is it you're doing that?" He ponders aloud before realizing that might be frightfully rude "If it's not too much to ask..."

@Clover

"Clover Speech" "Vicktor Speech"

She had stepped into a clearing, her eye swiveling around for a good fern or bush, when she discovered in her search a young creature that looked very much like her that stood staring at her, wide eyed. This young thing was adorable! She thought, walking towards them, with its too long legs and its pretty blue eyes. A flood of endearment washed over her, taking to the young gem immediately and their soft-spoken ways.

They asked her how she was doing 'that', and she smiled sweetly, the light deer around her surrounding the lovely little elk, sniffing at them and wordlessly communicating their curiosity. "Everyone has magic, my friend. All kinds of magic. You may have found yours already - it always calls to you, does it not? It is a part of you. You just....bring it out into life."

She wondered if she was being too mysterious and vague, then remembered something important. "Oh! But excuse me, where are my manners?" She bowed low, one foreleg out, one bent in. "I am a wandering, nameless storyteller, and it is a pleasure to meet you."

He feasts his eyes upon her, blinking in the light that bathed her. Light was a concept he was familiar with already but he hadn't seen a brilliance that had ever matched this before. A touch nervously, his teal gaze flicker between the figure of the doe and the orbs that were strung along the far wall, twinkling like fireflies in the distance. Caution roots his small hooves to the mossy earth as her voice, gently and kindly makes it's way to his great ears, which pitch forward with interest. A sheepish smile tugs at his soft lip, the tension in his young face melting away at it's sound, comforted by its easy tone and lull. He is naturally not the wary type, but a being of curiosity, belonging more to the world than to himself. He finds himself bound by this law, his small body drawn towards in inexplicable almost beyond his control - he cannot help the gasp that leaves him as the light drifts over to him and surrounds him. "O!" He quips with delight, a boyish giggle leaving him at the magic prods at him, sending the creamy whisps at his throat asunder and for a moment, he loses himself.

A keen snort of excitement leaves the fawn's nostrils as he springs away from their touch, landing a few feet to the left of the glowing mass and rearing up so his front hooves might slash at their brilliance. He laughs - a joyous sound as he finds they hold no mass what so ever. They dark and flash around his limbs with impossible speed, wearing him out until his little flanks are heaving and his breath comes in great puffs. He stands there, the russet-creams of his dappled coat tossed asunder and glances happily up at the doe, quite content to approach with his recent burst of energy leaving no room for what little qualities of wariness he posessed. His great ears swivel, catching her words of magic and stops momentarily, so his teal eyes might find hers, far above him. "I do." He whispers, thinking of a few days prior, when he'd been hatched and the Earth had been there, solid beneath his trembling limbs to steady him. He hardly dares to believe his own ears, but there too on his face lay the dreams childhood had a special way of rendering more believable. Excitement hummed throughout his bones, the hammering of his heart ceasing to slow even though he'd ceased his play as he glanced up at the doe, quietly imploring her to continue. His name? "Judas." He answers at once, not even needing to think about it. "Judas Eyre, miss... story teller?" He finishes awkwardly, a sheepish waver of his white tail betraying just how young he really was.

@Clover

She saw the way the little elk's eyes went big with amazement, how breathless they whispered, their beautifully shy awkwardness, and she fell in love with them. She loved the way they played with her deer-kin, loved their youth-filled wonder with the world, that adorable giggle. It was like seeing herself again back when she had just hatched, hesitant and lovely. She sat down comfortably so that she wouldn't range to tall above the little Judas, so that she could look them in the eye.

"There are all kinds of magic, little Judas," She said, smiling as if sharing a wonderful secret. "Mine can make pretty light illusions, make my imagination come to life. There's water magic, that allows one to breathe underwater and freeze lakes beneath you to walk on it. There's wind magic, that allows one to fly and be very very fast." She said, excitement creeping into her voice, her smile widening. "There's earth magic that can shake the very ground beneath your feet and shape the stones, magic to control the flames and the warmth that we all have inside us."

She was grinning wide now, and she wanted to elaborate and use more of her magic, but juggling both the life-like spell and making a new one up proved difficult in and of itself for her, and the deer she had created faded away as a result with a flare of the gem in her eye, like a mischievous wink. She laughed at herself and said, "Magic is finicky, however. It's difficult to master, and can reap wonderful treasures and adventures....or get yourself into a lot of trouble."

@Judas

She smiled to herself and tried to bring her magic up again to try once more. She didn't have a whole lot of hope that it would, but she could always try. As an afterthought, an adscript, she wondered how the child would react to the spell she wanted to cast.

She took a deep breath in and out, calling to her magic softly and with respect, and as she breathed, slowly, with a pulse, the image in her mind came to life as vividly as she could want.

A fully dimensional, living creature came from nothing, starting with small hooves, light swirling around the creation as it came to life, multicolored and vivid. It continued with very long, thin legs, to a chest, to a long neck, to a face that looked just like Judas, smiling at the child with the same curious gentility like a reflected mirror. It copied Judas to the same bit of fur sticking up at odd places, but had this wonderfully soft glow around them to mark the magic they came from.

"And when you do master it....the possibilities are endless." She said, tired at the deep expenditure of imagination and power, but pleased with herself. All it took was a second try.

@Judas

She continued to play with little Judas for a good while, showing them all sorts of magic tricks, showing them around the jungle she loved to visit, showing them secrets and sharing stories she knew. She enjoyed the youthful exuberance of the child, the purity and love of the world that she used to feel but had long since grown out of.

It wasn't that she didn't have that same happiness towards the caves, she did. But she was older and had seen that not everything was happy and cheerful and carefree. She'd had a metamorphoses that she hoped little Judas would take their time to come to. She missed the time in her life when she thought everything was good, and she was glad she could find gems that still thought so.

Sooner than either of them liked, it was time for them to say goodbye. They said so with heartfelt appreciation for the other and with promises to see each other again soon, and went their separate ways, both fond of meeting each other.

[exit Clover]