"Well..." One of Ace's hooks settled underneath his chin and rubbed against it. Unless a member of Chaos's crew decided now was the perfect opportunity to show their ugly mug—"You're all out of luck around here. I've flown over these beaches plenty, and all I've ever been able to find are pipsqueaks barely bigger than that morsel you snapped up."

A note to make: this observation wasn't entirely accurate. Many Lessers native to Leo handily dwarfed red mice. None, however, were capable of rivaling the combat Drone in size. Although he was likely the lankiest of his siblings, Ace nevertheless qualified as a behemoth in terms of sheer length, and this colored his view of everyone surrounding him. He wasn't the giant around these parts; no, a significant portion of the caves' residents that weren't oil-soaked just happened to be freakishly tiny, present company an uncommon exception. When so many appeared brittle-boned insects to his eyes, how could it be expected for him to distinguish between creatures little and those slightly less?

And so his thoughts turned to better options for the challenge Izote was considering. Recollection of certain hardy beasts brought forth a savage, anticipatory grin. Its edges faltered momentarily, though, as he wondered whether Mother would necessarily approve of using her thralls to give a Gembound the hunt of a lifetime. Maybe the network could be exploited to track down and target a somewhat weaker one not fallen under Order's sway.

"Nah, what you need is a cave away," he declared with a jerk of his head in the vague direction of Ursa. "The sort of guys that thrive in the cold are built to last. You want to lay out a beating? They're able to take one and keep biting back. You just have to be good at finding them first."

@Izote

He'd hum in acknowledgement as Ace thinks aloud. Clearly thinking very hard, in fact. "I dunno, some of those snakes seem pretty intimidating-" he'd counter, but also in the grand scheme Izote himself was likely in the 'pipsqueak' class when next to Ace.

Not that I am a pipsqueak-

But the Inostrancevia sighs and decides to humor Ace, closing his mouth when the other continues. Cold isn't his exact idea of a fun time, especially compared to the comfortable heat produced by the forge below and cavelight above in Leo. "It'll be out of my comfort zone, for sure. Hmmm. Maybe I still should give it a shot."

Is this a horrible idea? Izote has no idea, honestly.

@Ace

Hooked forelimbs clacked together in front of him, a single clap of approval. "That's the spirit," Ace cheered, gleeful in his selling of questionable decisions. "Test your mettle against an actual threat, and your skill should soar once you've beaten 'em into the ground."

Rearing upward, hind legs made to thrust against the sand and launch the Drone into the air. Wings, however, continued to remain stubbornly useless. Though they spread at his sides, new feathers fluttering in the breeze they caught, weakened muscles mustered little more than a pathetic twitch compared to the mighty flap that should've driven him aloft. Looking more the part of a bucking bronco than a terror of the skies, he fell back onto all fours. A sharp hiss was repressed at the hard impact sending painful vibrations up to his shoulders. Regret wrote itself in the grimace his fangs locked into.

"I'd point you in the right direction to find them myself, but it seems I'm going to have to figure out how to make these"—snarling disdain was leveled at the offending appendages—"better than glorified back decorations. Do a couple of laps around a cave or two and see if I can get them to remember what freedom feels like." Ace's self-directed annoyance softened. "How about I give you the guide to Ursa's most hated later. Or I could give a couple tips now and you can brave that uncomfort zone yourself?"

Risky business sending a Gembound into the jaws of dangers. At least if he was supervising from above, the worst outcome could be mitigated. Nevertheless, he wasn't the sort to stand in the way of anyone desiring to tackle a real challenge; if anything, he'd be impressed if Izote weathered the storm and emerged as victor against any of the more brutish Lesser residents of his home cave.

@Izote

Challenge issued and accepted, it seems. Guess I'm not backing down now, he realizes, but in truth Izote's not too bothered by it. Ace has proved himself entertaining company, something Izote has missed in his solitude. Definitely takes getting used to the louder voices, but... he likes it.

He glances up from his thoughts as the Drone leaps and lands back down. Those regal-looking wings are starting to seem awfully flimsy now - and Izote can feel the frustration from here. "Too long asleep, huh?" he'd try to joke, but it falls somewhat flat.

Though, he supposes it makes sense. Ace is all lanky limbs, and would've been curled up pretty tight in the chrysalis. And Izote gets sore sometimes just from a nap, if he sits wrong. "That is quite alright with me. If you're the expert, it would be better for my 'lessons' if you were in top shape as well, right? So you can properly show me how it's done." He'd grin a bit more as he continues, "And it sounds like you'd be a bit upset if you missed out on all the fun."

@Ace

Fangs bared in a vicious mirror of the grin he'd been presented with, and hearty laughter shook through Ace's newly reinforced frame. "Damn straight," he declared. "I've got a lot of action to catch up on now that I've broken out of the old stone prison."

Far too agile to have succumbed to chrysalis during the initial battles of Mother's war, this slumber had been the first time he'd experienced its confines for himself past his hatching. Never fond of anything that restricted his movement, especially his glorious wings', returning to that claustrophobic embrace hopefully wouldn't happen again any cycle soon. A hostile side-eye was cast to the scattered pieces of Clearstone littering the beach, but the irritation receded as the thought of friendly combat against wildlife seized his attention again. Back to business, or rather play—but as a Drone soldier, weren't those one and the same?

"Well, tell you what," proposed Ace. He stroked a forelimb through his mane, trying in vain to smooth some of its unruly strands out of sight and mind. "Whenever you feel up to knocking some skulls together, head up to Ursa and call for me. I'm usually not too far away and can meet you there. Of course"—a chuckle spilled from jaws—"that's if something big and ugly doesn't greet you first. So keep on guard, huh?"

@Izote