crickets and creatures will come in the night
keep my back from the reaper
who's hunting or running, you gotta decide

September watched Arsu go, caught up momentarily in this mournful moment that he didn't understand, but he could infer - someone had died, someone close, perhaps someone related. A brother? The gem was so similar to his horn (and September's horn, he noted with a shiver).

He startled when Pride spoke to him again, turning back out of a momentary surprise, but then settling quickly, pulled back to the task at hand. "Y-yeah, yeah lets go!" He got himself back up to the excited energies, thinking about how big and important and how fun this mission was going to be and then jumped ahead of Pride, ready to get this show on the road!

*exit

september

@Pride

Pride dipped his head and turned, striding off ahead. "It's a very long journey," he warned. And belatedly, as he decided upon a route, he realized one would be very awkward... following just behind Arsu, through Canis. No--they'd take the other way. That one he was more familiar with, regardless. "If you become tired, or hungry, please just let me know. We are in no real rush."

In his mind he was running through the route, already, and what to say when they got there--"Oh-..."

Pride paused. His head dipped down, snout gently brushing the rock below.

A very large, shining chunk of golden ore-like gemstone sprouted from the stone, separating and tumbling free. He stared at it for a moment, realizing his mistake. "I should have waited until we were in Leo," he said, wryly. Then, perhaps inexplicably, he lay down. "Just a moment."

He waited. After a moment, a small white hare darted out of the gloom near the throne, and--as if following unspoken instructions--spent a moment rolling the gemstone onto Pride's back. She then took up position there, on the thin diamond sheets of his armor, holding the gemstone in place. "Thank you, Mischief," he said, and pushed up. "My familiar," he added, September's way. "And the stone--it is payment. The dragon in question is a mercenary of sorts. He demands treasure, in particular golden things, for his services."

Which was easy enough, when you could summon such things from thin air.

With a rabbit and a gemstone sitting on his back, he set off again, picking his way through Orion's dusty shadows.

red deer img credit - dan seagrave

exit Pride; @September (for visibility)