The news had spread to Bonebound, and while Ashtoreth usually kept to herself, she wasn't about to miss out on a grand adventure. She trotted out with the others, squinting at the blinding light. Why was there such a bright light in this cave? She padded away from the others gathered, down the hillside, huffing to herself. It did seem to stretch on like one of the larger caverns-- were they in the center of it? She couldn't see any walls...

And once her eyes had adjusted enough to look up toward the atmosphere, she felt her stomach drop. A tiny gasp from her throat as she dug her claws into the soft soil, staring upward at an infinite blue.

Where was the roof? Where was the stone? Was it an illusion, somehow? Well, no, this was... the "sky", as they had been told. Did it end? Her whiskers twitched. There was that enormous bright light, just a small circle that hurt to look at, and... another faint orb, that seemed impossible to behold. How was it held aloft in the sky like that?

Her tail swished, and she looked behind herself to make sure she had made enough distance from the others. Then she jumped into the air, and pulled on the gentle breeze. A giant windstorm came rushing from all sides, ruffling those that were at a safe distance away, but for Ashtoreth, it all came crashing underneath her wings and sent her blasting up into the clouds.

She fell, fell, fell into the endless above, the land vanishing away from her. Clouds tickled at her whiskers like they did in the taller caves, but there was no ceiling to stop her from going further, and further, and further--

her ears popped. Her vision swam, and she coughed on the pressure change, forcing the winds to slow and simply hold her aloft. She hung there for a moment, looking above, glancing down at the ants of her family and others gathered below on the hillside.

It was.

It was...

There was simply nothing like it.

(note: other characters with wings can use the updraft to come up if they like! ash can sustain it for a little while)

δεξιά . κέντρο . αριστερά

It wasn't every day that the Bonebound all got together to go on a whole adventure. There were little adventures here and there, but the fact that Wilder-- Aure's friend(?) had invited them all meant that they all had to go, right? Right?! Kerberos trotted behind Giggle the entire way. Her quiet shift hadn't seemed to be picked up on by the three-headed dog, who didn't really seem to notice anything amiss with his adopted-mom. Given the current everything going on, it was hard to pay attention to the finer details. The Hive had been driven back, and now they were going to see ... the SKY!

Which would have been exciting in and of itself, but Kerberos had slipped away to find an important guest to invite on the trip: the Lorekeeper! She had been tucked away in the Bonebound for so long, and since this was a perfectly safe, totally fun adventure, it would be alright to bring her along. Maybe she even knew some stories about this mystical "sky" that she could tell them about?

Kerberos hadn't expected the other being to be hiding out with the Lorekeeper... apparently, that was a secret. They had to hide the weird-dog-girl under a sheet of cloth for the travel through the caves for some reason, but it had been worth the look on Two's face when Kerberos had insisted that he would take them both. It was going to make them both so, so, so happy! And that made Kerberos so happy that he thought he might burst before they got there.

Pegasus had been so pretty. He hadn't ever had a reason to travel so far since the new caves opened, but it made him a little sad that he lived so far away. Lyn's grove had been nice too, and the cathedral had a particular vibe to it that reminded him of his very-special-doorway that he guarded. (Lyn was kind of like a guardian to this place, which Kerberos thought he should see to talking to Lyn another day--) But all of that was nothing compared to the breath of fresh air that hit them as they exited the building into an open field.

The sky yawned before them.

"Giggle," he woofed, "Giggs, that's the sky, isn't it?!" His left most head swiveled around to try and look at the two he carried on his wide back, serpentine tail thrashing back and forth at a dangerous velocity. "Do you see that? Do you? Look-- Look! It's! It's BLUE!"

"Like a big water," his other head grunted, "but brighter... prettier."

@Giggle and @Two mention :3

Ravage followed along in excited, eager silence. His head spun to and fro as he looked around him, in awe at--everything, really. He stuck close to his mother, as always--and close to Kerberos, too.

He didn't know who the dog-girl was, nor why she was with them and Kerberos's demeanor had suggested he shouldn't ask--not yet, anyway. But he already felt protective, like she was a little sister (even though she wasn't exactly little--but then, Ravage was pretty big). So he stuck close to them, too--to her and to Lorekeeper--and kept a watchful eye around them.

It was hard to be wary. Hard, when everything was so... new! Astonishing! Light and color he'd never seen; leaves and sky that stretched up seemingly forever. The hyena-beast's jaw dropped as he stared upward and around, awed. "Whoa." At this point he realized--Ashtoreth was up there, circling in the sky. Ravage's eyes widened and he damn near barked in alarm for her to come down, but... she had wings, didn't she? And she wouldn't even hear him, not from here!

His gaze slid downward again, taking in the terrain, and he spoke more quietly: "What is this place?"

She welcomed them all as they began to arrive, soft purrs and quick words before allowing them their own time to step away and take in the surface in their own time. A few she gave special attention to - the first, Zephiran.

She looked into the cathedral and waved him over with a paw, beaming with joy at seeing a new friend once again. "Hey, you look well! Welcome to Noctua. Come, see the surface! It's safe - I will make sure of it." She gestured to the portal, where the light spilled through from the outside world, distant birdsong welcoming those entering through it.

The next, Heathen, a face she recognized from the opening of Centaurus, purring with amusement at his question. "No, no this is real. This is the surface - Let. Our caves are within the rock of this moon. We cannot survive long without the cave's magic, but this seems to be a safe place. Just be careful not to wander too far." She glanced out at the Vaa before them, wondering how far it would be before the lack of the cave's magic took their toll. She would watch out to make sure nobody strayed too far, but that would be all. Nodding to Heathen, she turned to the last - Giggle.

She padded towards the hyena, her tail high, stopping beside her and looking up at the sky as well as the purr continued to rumble in her chest. Blue, cloud-streaked, bright, and eternal. She wondered how far it went, if one could start flying and never stop? She turned to Giggle, quiet for a bit, and then began, "You were right. Hume came to me in a dream and brought me here - this is Noctua." She gestured back to the portal and then back to the stretched out Vaa before them. "And this is Let - I was here, once, a long time ago. Did you...see it in your visions?"

@Zephiran @Heathen @Giggle

Daphne Harmon

She had mostly been looking up, watching the sky and not really paying attention to the others joining in around them. She hadn't been around long but something about this... it wasn't a nostalgic feeling, as this wasn't anything she had ever seen before, but it was just... something she now felt like she couldn't live without.

For a moment, she took the time to look around, taking in everything and everyone around them when her eyes landed on one in particular, a creature that looked like they were wearing a pumpkin over their head. She wasn't one to judge, but found herself calling out to them. Have you ever seen anything like this before? She finally asked, wondering if it was just her that felt this way.

• Queens don't stay unless their king treats her right •

@Relic

It was finally noticed by him, a portal that opened to warmth. No longer did he feel the cold stones under his paws. Since Wilder gave him the okay, he moved forward. Individual grass stuck between his paws. Poking up at his toes, hackles risen at his back. It was very uncertainty. Bright eyes turned up to the vast blue sky. The sun peered at his silver fur. Warmth coated him like a blanket.

But it was nearly too open for him. That didn't scare him or at least... he tried to hide it by finding a little creature. A small blue creature with curved wings. Not like feathers. Something else. Little sticks popped out of its head. So of course, when it flew around him. He chomped, swallowing this creature whole. In one bite.

---

"Speaking"

( @Wilder (for viewing) )

She wasn't alone here, but Relic was trapped staring at the abyss, as if waiting for it fold in on her and consume what little she had. It wasn't terror she felt, just an odd calm overtaking her nervous system. This was beyond her.

Of all the Gembound Daphne could've picked, Relic wasn't sure why she was the person of interest to the pup. Her face, however, didn't allow for much expression, so her surprise was internal.

"Oh. uh, No." She said, turning away from the sky to face her. Kind of a disappointing answer. "But they might've." She gestured with her pumpkin head towards Wilder and Giggle.

Relic didn't really know them - Maybe she'd been in the same area as Wilder once, and she hadn't talked to Giggle since she herself was a puppy. But considering the cat was here first, and was addressing the hyena directly, it was a safe assumption to make.

She assumed Daphne was looking for more information, rather than just someone to talk to.

@Daphne

Daphne

• Queens don't stay unless their king treats her right •
Her curiosity was left unanswered, and that was fine, but that just made her want to know more. She offered a smile at the woman, nodding her head in thanks. Thank you. Sorry to bother you about it. I'll talk to them later about it. She then turned her attention to the two that the woman had pointed out, hesitating for a moment.

There was a lot going on and the feline seemed to be in the middle of it all, spearheading the whole situation. So, she would wait for now, figuring that she could meet up with them later, maybe after everything had died down, in order to learn more of what all was happening.

For now though, she stood up and stretched out her body, shaking out her fur before turning to head further towards the cathedral, curling up and laying down off to the side. She wanted to rest under the sky, relax even as other talked and moved around her, this was nice and she wanted to enjoy it.

-exit via nappy nap-
≻───── ⋆✩⋆ ─────≺

Yume sat before that portal for a long, long time. She saw many gembound enter. She saw few return. She knew her mom was out there, she'd heard as much from Arcturus. Yume found that she feared what was on the other side. A shudder ran through her. Would she ever be able to return? But Yume was alone in here. Everyone was going through. She heard distantly their cries of joy. Yume had to be brave. Everyone else was. Yume sighed. She steeled herself. She closed her eyes, and finally slithered through the portal. The first thing she noticed was the air. It was...clean. Cool in her lungs. Free of the animal stink of the caves. It wasn't the staleness she'd become accustomed to within the caves. She breathed it in, and it felt cool and foreign in her lungs. She exhaled. And laughed. Yume could feel her mother nearby--she recognized her comforting scent. She wanted to see her again.

Yume opened her eyes. There was the cathedral, and then extending beyond, a blue expanse. She found herself plodding towards the sky without even realizing it. It was clear. It was endless. It was beautiful. She closed her wings, somehow afraid that this sky would never let her go were she to fly here. A breeze passed her by, ruffling her fur. Something from above warmed her. A cave light was the first thought, but instead she found herself looking towards a sun for the first time. Her retinas burned, and she blinked. Sunspots danced in her vision. She shook her head out, and looked away from the sun, blinking rapidly.

Ah, there was mom. Right! She'd wanted to see her. Yume waddled up to her mom, too overwhelmed to even think of flashing a smile, (that was something she'd agonize over later). She opened her mouth, realizing she didn't know what to say.
"....Mom? What is this? What..what should I be doing?" Then, almost embarassed, she said. "You shouldn't look at the star."

@Wilder

She didn't notice Yume, at first, too busy greeting, watching, and soaking in the joy of the gembound that had now discovered the surface, but when she did, she purred with joy and leaned forward to rub a cheek against her daughter. "Oh, hello Yume! This is Let - I told you about Let before." And she had, although she'd left out some of the more...traumatizing details of her experience on the surface when recounting it to her children. But she'd left them the memory of the sky, of the sun, and the vastness of the Vaa. And she'd allowed them to glimpse memories from her precious collection of stones from the surface that she carried around.

"You don't have to do anything. This is a gift to us, to see the surface. You can stay here, or go back, or wander between." She looked out into the vast landscape before them. "If you wander, don't wander too far - our magic will falter eventually. But what is it you want to do?"

She chuckled softly, glancing up to the edge of where the sun burned. "Yes, its a little too bright to look at. Did you hurt your eyes?"

@Yume