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By the time Dragon awoke from this, his second nap, the rock was cool again. With a little yawn and a hiss, he stood, and made his way back down to the swamps far below.

He was a little hungry, again--and he again felt the drive for power. He had to add to his Offering Pile!

The little alligator began to scramble through the marsh, filled with energized focus. He'd not gone very far, splashing down into the dark water between the clumps of long grass, when he suddenly smelled something rank. He stopped, lifting his head to sniff intently.

It smelled like carrion. Like rotted, bloody flesh.

It smells DELICIOUS.

He lowered his head, bobbing it slowly to and fro over the water's surface, like a snake might when flicking out its tongue. He was trying to figure out where the smell was coming from. He crept forward, following it; there were a few false starts, in which he managed to go entirely the wrong way, the smell fading. He had to backtrack, and circle, but finally he found it: a massive lump of dead fur and flesh before him, something with long legs and sharp hooves. It was brown and gray and rotting, and perched on top, back hunched and black fur bristling, stood a giant rat. It was bigger than him, and he froze at once.

The two creatures stared at one another. A giant rat could probably kill him, he knew at once, eyeing the enormous, sharp teeth, the long whip-like tail, and the bristling whiskers. He had taken it by surprise, at least, and that was a good thing. Maybe he could steal its prize from it?

"Mine now," he growl-hissed, crawling closer through the water, eyes locked on the fuzzy black rodent.

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The rat only bristled further, baring its broad teeth at him, but otherwise it was motionless and made no sound. He kept crawling closer, then locked small jaws around the closer hind leg of the dead gembound deer (for that's what the half-rotted carcass was).

This will be a feast for Aquarian! ALL MINE!

Then, abruptly, with a speed and agility that Dragon could never have guessed even existed, the black rat was on him. It had leapt and scurried and run the distance from the top of the bloated carcass to his back in the blink of an eye, and sunk deep, pointed fangs into the thick scales of the back of his neck.

OUCH OUCH OUCH!

The little alligator immediately released his grip on the carcass to let out a pained hiss. He thrashed, tail whipping back and forth and frothing the water, jaws agape but able to land on nothing. The rat was chewing through the skin of his neck, intent on killing him. What could he do!? Instinctively he rolled on his back, pale belly and glinting gem exposed to the faint light of the cave. The rat only stayed beneath for a moment before realizing it would drown, and it--an unintelligent thing, but fierce and cunning nonetheless--quickly leapt clear of him. Now soaked and dripping, it lunged forward again, crooked yellow fangs coming for him.

He rolled upright from the water just in time to see the rat's fangs close over his snout. He could smell rot and swamp and carcass and blood, and he was now both frightened and angry, trembling with adrenaline. Then the rat bit down. Hard.

"OOOW!"

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Dragon narrowed his eyes and then closed them against fiercely scratching claws, and thrashed frantically against the rat's ferocious bite. What could he do? OW! Fighting was just tearing the rat's fangs further through his snout's tender flesh, and he squeaked furiously.

Oh! He knew! He went still only briefly, his magic welling up from within him, heat sparking up and smoldering. He would just burn the rat to death! ...With air, but still! He focused, hissing with angry concentration, feeling the boiling heat that burned within him pour up through his throat and into his little open jaws--and outward in a blast.

The rat was caught entirely by surprise, its body firmly in front of the alligator's tiny maw. It had gauged its distance safe enough--front paws were braced around its eyes to keep the monster blind, and in this way it couldn't possibly bite the rat. But suddenly there was brutally hot air boiling around him, even the water below quickly heating. The rat let go only an instant later, but already its torso was seared, its body feeling as if it were boiling. It squealed in pain, and hissed and chattered and tried to pull away, to scamper back off into the swamp.

Dragon lunged after it, quickly giving chase.

"MINE! MINE-MINE-MINE!"

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Dragon didn't have to scramble far. Like with the rabbit, the rat was wounded, now, by his fire. It only took a couple of scrambling leaps and he was on it, jaws clamping around fur and meat, his eyes squeezing shut as he dragged it back and under the black water. This was an instinct, and he understood: the rat would hurt him if it could, biting and clawing, and if he let go to get a better grip it might just run away.

Once he had it under the water, he thrashed, rolling about and twisting his grip. There was soon blood in the water, and squealing, and bubbles, and claws raking over his face-scales. It was a good thing he'd closed his eyes, too; it bit around his face, frantically curling over its own wounded body to try and bite him.

Soon it was over, the fighting slowing, and then stopping, so that the triumphant but wounded alligator was submerged with the limp body of the rat drifting to and fro with the marsh's very faint water currents. At length he began to eat, tearing pieces off and consuming them. He ate most of the rat--most of the huge rat.

He didn't know it, but he was already growing. He'd been eating well and resting well, basking in the orbs' light, and he had put on a few inches and a bit of weight since hatching. Now he gripped the rat's remains in his maw, and dragged it off to the offering pile.

Some time later he returned for the rest. He was tired, and still bleeding very slightly from his neck and his snout, but he ignored the pain, all of it eclipsed by the feeling of victory that carried him buoyantly onward.

Dragging the dear, it turned out, was much, much harder. In fact, it took several hours, and he had to dismantle it by seizing limbs and rolling with them in his jaw until they twisted off. Then he brought the pieces one by one in determined toil to Aquarius's hidden offering pile. The rotted torso came in one large piece, and this took the most time of all; Dragon had to stop often, sometimes even perching atop the bloated abdomen to bask and pant, regaining his strength. The thing was several times larger than him, after all.

Finally, FINALLY, he had it on the pile. Only then did he curl up over the entire pyre of death, closing his eyes and settling down to rest.

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Usui walked through the grove, careful to pick and put his paws down in safe places. The air was still and a foggy mist covered the land, hiding many of its secrets. Dark, tall trees loomed overhead and made the cub feel that this was a very eerie place. He was dauntless though and a tough traveller. Using his whip-like tail as a rudder behind him, the lion kept his balance as he now navigated over several fallen logs and came to a stop in front of black water. The obsidian water barely stirred and it was the stillness that made Usui, the "land critter" as Eeya the dolphin put it, hesitant to enter its depths. The boy decided to be smart about it and concentrated his magic to sense if anyone else was around.

He sensed a throbbing then, although it was faint. It was green to Usui. The boy followed his mental map further inward, large paws steering clear from sloshing in the water. Who knew when another being like Aquarian would choose to pop out of the dark abyss? Soon, it would not be his gem sense, but the tantalising smell of prey that led Usui to the one he had sensed. Pale green eyes would gaze upon a small reptilian crocodile curled up snugly with the pile of fragrant meat - which Usui guessed - was his catch of the day. The cub wandered closer and clambered up a small rock beside the pile to be at eye level with the crocodile. "Hello there, nice catch," he offered, then waited to see what the baby crocodile would say.

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There was something here.

Dragon was roused from sleep by a quiet voice, and when he opened his eyes and blinked, he found another face staring at his. He jerked back and hissed, all his teeth shining in his gaping maw, the rough bite wound plainly visible on the end of his snout. Immediately possessive, like a true dragon over its hoard of treasure, Dragon curled over the rotting corpses and began to spit words. Whatever this thing was, it didn't look like prey. It looked like another Gembound--like the things that had fought Aquarian with him--and so he spoke instead of fighting or fleeing.

"MINE. My stuff. Why are you here? This is MINE."

Then he tilted his reptilian head, jaws still open in warning, to eye the cub a little more clearly. It was tawny, with faint spots and green eyes, and IT WAS STILL WAY TOO CLOSE TO HIS STUFF.

"What do you want?" he hissed, claws digging into the bloated abdomen of the half-decomposed, fully-dismembered Gembound deer below. His magic bubbled up, heat filling him, and he tilted his head up to try and fire a blast of superheated air up and out--over the head of this stranger--as a warning... But nothing happened. Instead the air coiled back down, choking him a little, and the alligator found himself coughing rather than roaring out fire-air.

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The little crocodile heard his voice and roused from its slumber. Large eyes opened to stare at Usui in displeasure, then it curled back and hissed defensively at him, it's little body curling around its loots every more protectively. Usui coiled back his head as the thing started speaking, such a spitfire it was! It even attempted to attack him, although its attempt failed and it ended up spluttering. The lion's pale eyes rounded in concern and he responded defensively in turn. "Woah there fellow, I ain't gonna touch y'er loots. Sure, it smells good but I catch my own grub." Usui kept his gaze fixed on the reptilian thing and not on the food pile. Even after explaining his side, the lion was not taking chances of this tiny thing ravaging his face so easily. He continued on warmly, boyish tones ringing out. "Twas just sayin' ye' got a good catch."

The boy then looked around the black swamp. It was dull and boring, and rather spooky."You live 'ere?" he asked the little thing, and turned his head to face the thing once more, this time making sure to lean backward a little so that the crocodile could not chew out his eyeball.

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His warning spell--not meant as a possible attack, but as a warning shot of sorts--had sizzled entirely. But the stranger didn't seize the opportunity, didn't spring forward and attack; instead he simply spoke.

Dragon curled back down, settling somewhat, a bit calmer, though he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at this stranger. What did he want? In fact--it was a good question! He was so smart to think of it!

"What do you want?"

His tone was cold, flat and unfriendly. He didn't want company and he didn't know what this stranger was after. Was it his food? Was it HIM? He'd cautiously give it a chance, for now, but he was quite expecting to be attacked any moment now, or to have the creature try and snag his food and run away with it.

"...Mine," he added again, muttering almost reluctantly, just in case the young lion had not quite grasped it yet. He wasn't afraid, exactly, but nonetheless Dragon's little heart was racing.

If he attacks, I will be ready. If he comes for the offering, I will be ready. He won't beat me. He won't win. What does he want?!

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The crocodile let his words fall entirely on deaf ears and spoke once again about how the food was his. Usui, the typically calm and easygoing boy, got irritated. "Aren't you selfish," he retorted, scrunching his face in disdain. Was gathering food and curling around his food pile all that he could think of? The boy had half a mind to cast his magic on this crocodile but it was so tiny, he might have just split that thing into two. Instead, he looked at the crocodile and spoke with pale green eyes. "Be careful, lest that greed consume thee in fire. When that fire burns high, nothing will be left. Not even...you." with that, the boy crouched and hopped off the food pile, then wandered away, not bothering to send a goodbye except for a flick of his tail.

-Exit Usui-

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Dragon listened, but didn't really care what was being said. It sounded vaguely like a threat--something about fire, though, which was good, right?

This pile was for the big-dragon. He would have its power! Not this strange brown fur-thing. He chattered his fangs, hissing.

"Stupid-stupid, stupid thing," he growled, and it was--for now--the best insult he could come up with. But the cat was already hopping down and stalking off, its tail flicking back at him. For an instant Dragon's instincts were to lunge after him and bite the tail, then he remembered that it wasn't food, just the tail of another Gembound. With a grumbling, growling hiss, he turned and curled back over his prizes, guarding them proudly.

It was probably a fair warning, coming from the cub, and at the very least insightful for one so young, but Dragon didn't hear a word of it, in the end. He forgot the cub and what he'd said as soon as he was out of sight. Maybe later, he'd remember it--and if it truly came to pass, maybe he'd remember it too late. But for now, he cared about nothing other than getting some more rest.

He kept one eye open, nonetheless, just in case any other visitors--welcome or unwelcome, and surely they'd all be unwelcome--came his way.

When I think.

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