watching over the twins was exhausting. i didn't know if such an investment really was for me, but i couldn't afford to be selfish now. i was too conscientious to even allow such thoughts of abandoning my post to mull around in my mind. i'd not only be abandoning my post, but i'd be abandoning cancer and his wishes. and worse, probably our father son relationship. such thoughts ran though my mind, and i couldn't help but feel a little saddened by it all. rounded ears swiveled in reverse, as a frown overtook my features. tufted tassel gave a few thoughtful flicks as jaded lenses observed orion below from the tower's top. i sat, posture regal as ever, with a concerned countenance.


i should really go back down the steps, to be closer to the growing gems. but i needed a small break. so why couldn't i sleep next to them? why couldn't i have a break closer to them? i was already beginning to fail, my own moral dropping. i should be better. i need to be better for cancer. i heaved a heavy sigh, rising once again and descending down the steps. my steps were haphazard, as was my train of thought, as i reluctantly began the trek to return to them. the gems that could quite possibly replace me. but they needed protection, it's not like they meant any of this. they hadn't been conceived with plotting minds, no. they were as innocent as the rock next to me. i grumbled, heaving yet another sigh as i then stopped for a moment, kneeling to get a cool, slow drink from a shallow puddle of water. taking my sweet time.

@feral

She'd found it.

She'd fucking found it.

At least, she thought this was it.

It was a mango, anyway, and if it wasn't the same one it was similar. She tossed it in the air, caught it in her teeth, rolled it along the ground with her nose, her tail wagging furiously. She pinned it with her clawed paws and gnawed at it, then carried it along, her lean trot covering ground effortlessly.

She ate part of it, chewing, tearing, biting, woofing happily at the thing. It was her friend, her new best friend--it was also her food, her toy. She carried it down to the water with her, too, tossing it in her jaws some more.

Feral was in the process of rolling it down the hill with her nose and pouncing on it repeatedly when she noticed a sound over the burble of the brook--a quiet lapping noise. She looked up; down the hill, across the stream, there was a puddle.

Drinking from the puddle, there was a lion.

She froze and stared for so long that she forgot her half-eaten, dirt-covered mango until it re-entered her vision, rolling off and away and landing in the brook that separated her from the big cat and his puddle. It made a loud splash and Feral stared at the lion, frozen with fear and feeling her heart racing painfully in her chest.

Don't move oh no it's going to eat me maybe it won't see me don't move don't move DON'T MOVE

((ooc -- @Niru ))

salmon tongue began to lap up a few sips of the small puddle, before the sight of another came into view. i didn't react instantly, the only indication were the swivel of rounded ears and the raise of jaded lenses. i observed the canine creature for some time, before i realized i recognized her. she was the skittish creature when the short meeting of the small black and white bear occurred. slowly, i raised my head, gave a soft grin.
"hello again,"
words were a soft hum, an inviting tone. i didn't want to scare her off, so each syllable was spoken with precision, sincerity. i wondered what had happened to her for her to not even speak. could she? her mannerisms were rather off, even now. and what was that she had in her mouth? i wouldn't ask yet, i didn't want her to think i was going to snatch it from her. instead, i remained crouched where she'd found me, tufted tassel remained as still as possible so she wouldn't think i was planning to pounce. i'd wait for her, either to come or to run away. either or, i just wanted to figure this creature out. she was rather strange - broken, maybe? i waited patiently, with no signs of fraying.

@feral

She kept crouching behind her rocks, which she'd somehow thought were ferns. This realization only hit her now.

Wait. These aren't ferns. This isn't a jungle. WHERE THE HELL AM I?

Alarmed, the dingo dropped her mango, staring down at it in betrayal. She'd been so focused on carrying her prize off that she hadn't noticed the cave turn to tunnel, the jungle vanish, the quartz-shine stars glittering overhead.

Her hackles stood on end, and she stared up and around with startled amber eyes.

Then her attention snapped back to the lion lying ahead of her, and she froze. She remembered him, vaguely, that was true--but he was huge, and she had her m--HER MANGO!

With a snarl the dingo pounced, stumbling on a wounded front right leg, skidding down the hill--on the mango. It had nearly rolled down the little slope and escaped her. NOT AGAIN. Never again!

Mango safely and firmly clenched in her teeth she scrambled back, eyeing the lion suspiciously. She stood for a long moment, watching him, but he didn't seem unfriendly--in fact, his voice came, kind and soft. She decided to tolerate his presence, for now, rather than run away, and plopped down to eat the mango right there and then--before it could once more become lost to her.

((ooc -- @Niru ))

She was ever skittish, and it almost coaxed a laugh from me. But I stifled it, unwilling to run her off with mockery or anything else, really. The piece of whatever it was she kept tossing about was extremely important to her, that much was discernible. And I wondered why, why on earth was that thing what was she was so attached to. I decided to shrug it off, surely it wasn't that important that I knew. I just realized I shouldn't touch or, or try to. Or the critter might never look my way again.

I still remained in my crouched position, comfortable and calm - when I remembered that the twins were still momentarily unattended. My head turned, looking back in their direction and about Orion to make sure that nothing else was about. After my moment of surveying, my attention returned to the rather feral beast.
"Can you speak?"
I asked her, hoping she could at least understand me. Even if she couldn't speak, maybe she could comprehend? If not, I'd have to speak with aura and energy, which wouldn't be entirely impossible but quite difficult.

@feral

She lay quiet, quickly consuming her mango, chewing it to pieces and gulping it down.

She glanced around as she ate, now and again, gaze drifting over and taking in the throne, the strange tower, the arena. Her eyes travelled back to the lion frequently, though, keeping a close and suspicious eye on him.

He spoke again, once more soft and gentle, and she vaguely understood the words--but not well enough. In one ear, out the other and drifting away, and she immediately redoubled her efforts on her mango, snapping it down before he could decide to intervene, since his attention was clearly still on her. Her ears pricked forward toward him, her tail giving a quick and cursory wag.

She was watching him, but now, she finally lifted her muzzle.

Feral licked her lips; the dingo had finally eaten her mango, and--for the time being, at least--her calm attention seemed to remain on the lion. So far, she showed no signs of flight.

((ooc -- @Niru ))

and yet she didn't answer me. this was peculiar to say the least, as i'd never met another gembound who couldn't actually speak in return. even if the speech was broken and imperfect, they could still get across the gist. but this one simply never spoke, and i was beginning to think she'd never actually been taught, and it didn't come naturally. or, she could be incredibly shy, i wasn't certain. either way, patience remained, and i watched as she consumed the item she'd brought with her.

i hummed softly, in low baritones as i wondered what else i could possibly say or do to make her realize i wasn't going to hurt her. she didn't quite understand words, so i'd have to find other means of communication. ah, i know, i'll share food! if i shared food with her, maybe she'd see that i wasn't all that terrible. slowly, i rose from my crouched position - careful to make every movement slow and steady. i then took a look around for any cave rats about, and thought i heard a scuttle or two over in the corner. glacially, i moved toward them, reassuming my crouching position yet allowed my body fluid movement as i meandered slowly toward the corner. a rat came into view, and it spotted me as well. i froze, glaring at it for a moment, before lunging and attempting to snatch it up. i was able to grab it by the tip of it's tail, where it whirled around and tried to snap at me. another paw came slamming down upon the creature, and i grasped it between my jowls. carrying the now dying morsel, i erected my posture, looking back at the feral dog as i then slowly began to approach her with rat in jaws. i wondered if she'd take off, and didn't want to risk it. so when i closed the gap just a little bit, i gave the rat a hard squeeze - ultimately killing it - and tossed it toward the critter. i then sat, watching with a calmed aura and a tentative attitude.

@feral

The dingo pricked her ears as the lion turned, and lifted her head as the lion padded away.

Where is he going?

But her curiosity wasn't enough to overcome her natural wariness of the lion. Away he went, and she satisfied herself with licking at her paws, tasting and cleaning off the mango juice still present.

She flinched when, awhile later, there was a very soft thud some distance away; she'd already been half-asleep and the sound made her spring backwards a foot, sniffing and tensed in preparation to flee. But the lion, though back, was still some distance away, and her delicate nose had caught the scent of blood, of meat. Of food.

She slowly raised herself from her crouch, glancing half-away nervously, her ears rotating as she tried to stay alert to everything around her at once. Once more, her heart was hammering in her chest, but the draw of food, and the nonthreatening presence of the lion, reassured her.

Forward she crept, one paw after the other, lowering herself down until she was almost wriggling--not out of submission, but fear, ready to bound away and bolt into the jung--no, not jungle. Fortresses; she was in a strange place, now. She'd forgotten. She was ready to bolt away, in any case, at a moment's notice.

Closer, and closer, her wide amber eyes, brimming with caution, locked on the placid lion's face. He was sitting, quiet, calm. Finally Feral snatched the rat in her teeth, and the lion may as well have leapt at her with a snarl for the reaction she gave: the moment it was in her mouth she sprang back and to the side, spinning to scramble back up the slope, her ears pinned back to listen for sounds of pursuit.

None came.

She slowed, turned cautiously, eyeing the lion. Finally she lowered her head to sniff over her prize, dropping it to the ground, and began to tear it up to eat it. Delicious. She raised her eyes to the lion, as he ate, and though she watched him, it didn't even occur to her to wonder why he'd brought her food.

((ooc -- @Niru ))

i smiled as the creature came for it, and took it, then continued to eat it. but when she snatched it, and did her little spazztastic reaction, i couldn't help but laugh. i quickly stifled it, as i didn't want to make her feel mocked or made fun of. none the less, i was happy she accepted my offer, but wondered if maybe there was more i could do. she still didn't seem to trust me at all, in any sense. have i given her reason to? if the offering and sharing of food didn't convey my message, something else surely would. i looked around a moment, eyeing our surroundings before shoulders thrust to the side in a fluid motion. i fell to the floor with an intentional roll, laying upon my back as eyes looked upon the creature - her upside down as i showed my belly. paws hung in the air, as i then proceeded to adopt a playful aura. my back slithered about, paws flinging about in the air, before laying still once more, still upon my back with my belly up.

if this wouldn't implore the dog to come closer, or invest some type of trust in me, then i'd be at a total loss. frustrated only due to the fact i couldn't actually help the lone gembound. for i'd never met someone as feral as she, or as distant as she was. it was disheartening and enlightening all at the same time, wanting to help her as well as be her friend - but earning it in such a way i'd never had to before. she was teaching me more then she'd ever know, and i'd forever be grateful to the wild dog.

@feral

She licked her jaws, standing, food consumed. The lion, she realized abruptly, was slithering down onto his back, wiggling on the ground, paws limp in the air.

She instinctively recognized the posture, to be sure, but at the same time, he was a lion. He was huge. The last large animal she'd met who'd at first seemed friendly had then pretty much tried to kill her. She hesitated, torn between approaching with slowly wagging tail, and simply remaining where she was.

In the end she compromised: she kept tense, but came closer--albeit only about halfway. Her neck extended as far as it would go, snout pointed toward the lion; she sniffed at him, gathering his scent. She was much closer, now, but still quite tense, her body a compressed spring. Still, she didn't look afraid, or even overly nervous--merely ready, wary, as any wild creature might be in such a situation.

The drive to play was there, but damn, the lion was big.

((ooc -- @Niru ))