Dragon eyed Ambrus as he spoke, and let out a low and rolling chuckle. But it was only after Muirine had had her say that he continued, that he explained.

"He has not been destroyed, if that's what you're asking. And Dragon! It is a thing of scales and fire and a very long tail, and an affinity for fire, so quite naturally I am a dragon. But it is also, an idea."

Dragon eyed the two dramatically, hunger flickering in his dark eyes. He had never told a tale before, never been able to elaborate, to weave emotions into words. He decided to involve the two, as best he could. To give them something to chew on. Something to remember.

"A dragon is destruction. Dragon is chaos! Dragon is all-consuming FIRE!" He reared back his head, jaws swinging wide, inhaling air to feed the banked fire smoldering deep in his gut. A moment later he exhaled, tail thrashing in the water, a plume of flame torrenting into the air--safely well over the head of the fox, and nowhere near Ambrus. The fire reflected in his eyes, dancing, and then sputtered out as he spoke again. "I am DRAGON!" he bellowed--and just as quickly, he was again quiet, eyeing the two younger Gembound intently.

"Now the question is... what are you? I do not think you are dragon. Chaos. Destruction."

He settled, a little, rumbling a soft growl of contentment, looking back and forth between tiny fox and perched eagle. "A stag led the charge. He was calm, and methodical. He spoke of peace," the alligator hissed. "Raheerah had claimed this cave, you see. He was perched on the spire, just there."

Dragon nodded to the Spire, and then eyed Muirine. "And when the others came to fight him, the stag led the charge. Perhaps you are peace, and order. Law. Would you gather allies, and stand in solidarity?" There was a rasp to his voice, an edge of pain after the flames. He looked to Ambrus. "There was a phoenix--he would fight for what he believes in, but I think he cared little for us. A martyr. A soldier. There was an insect that fell from the ceiling. It was vast, and it fought bravely, and then it fell. Dead, before any knew his name. No one cared. Would that be you? The nameless, faceless hero?"

Dragon let out a dark chuckle, rather unpleasant, as if he thought the idea foolish--though he didn't. It was dramatic effect; he actually wondered where the hell the moth's gem had gone. He sure didn't sound like he cared, though. "I was there, and my brother, who is dragon; and another dragon I have not met, white and fierce. There was a bear, with the dragons' chaos fire, but I think him to be a guardian. A wall. There was a black beast in metal scales that slipped along the edges, and dropped onto Raheerah from above, only to limp away. MY SON, Bog! The wild boar, fierce and mindless in his blood rage!"

Dragon swelled with pride, looking between the two. "Would you have been like him? Charging into battle, caring not for your own injuries, your own deaths? Living only for battle...? There were healers, in the tunnel; one bold, one shy, there to tend the wounded, there to lend themselves not to death but to life, and health. There was a black horse, too. She could not fight, and I only saw her fall, yet she came with us nonetheless. There were others. All fought. All fell."

The alligator settled even further into the water, briefly tasting the cold river water, erasing some of his burning pain, soothing his throat to speak. When he began again, it was with flourish, eyes bright and voice loud.

"He thrashed! When this dragon struck a wall, the cave trembled! When his tail slammed down--" and here, the alligator lifted his powerful, thick tail from the river and smacked it down with a deep and powerful splash--"THE CEILING FELL! When he breathed flame, it engulfed the entire room. Why, he picked up gembound the size of me in his teeth and FLUNG them! He could have swallowed me whole! ...No one was safe. No one." He grew hushed, once more quite dramatic, eyes wide.

"We fell, one by one. Raheerah--he fell on us, some of us. In the end he was tricked out by Nemean. The betrayer. The sprite of dancing light and loathsome, too-loud words," he growled. "We were left to pick our pieces, and leave."

Dragon paused for effect, leaning in to peer at each of the two in turn. He settled his eyes intently on Muirine, and he spoke. "That is why I tell you that this cave is not safe. And that is what makes me wonder what sort you will grow to be. A dragon, or a soldier; a martyr, an unnamed hero? A bold but helpless fighter, or a healer in the wings? Or," and now he stared pointedly up at Ambrus, "A crafty thing, waiting in the shadows, to win his victories by sabotage and tricks?"

The alligator let forth a rumbling laugh, and looked at Muirine again--wondering what they'd made of his story. He hoped he'd prompted some thought in them, too--some consideration for their future. For what they might aim to become.

{ art by dark } ~ { table by aura . edited by banshee and dark }

@Ambrus ; @Muirine ((sorry it's so long, hope this is okay :X))

a rapid flapping of wings, feathers flying as the baby floofs were still coming undone, as a reaction to his display. a leap back, and yet still upon the eagle's chosen perch. but all in good jest, all in faulty mockery, as dragon's words fell upon deaf ears - or rather, uncaring ears? either way, ambrus didn't need a life lesson. and he would make it clear - but my, what magic. fire, magic, he assumed, the same as aleera. and if she were to become something of the like - magically inclined wise - he would need to know all the tricks. he flashed a sinister grin.
"my, that was quite a story. i'm surprised you survived. and, what lovely magic. fire, is it? what else can you do with it?"
he then turned his attention to the little fox who may now be a little frightened - or maybe not. perhaps, her innards were of steel.
"and you, little kit. i wonder what magic you have."
the sinister grin never wavered.
"go on, show us."
i instructed, gesturing with my wing, as it extended outward then flicked upward, only to return to furl against my side comfortably.


@Dragon

@muirine

A belief was not merely an idea the mind possessed. It was for too many in the world, an idea that possessed the mind. For the creature before little Mui, it was the idea that he was - is, a dragon. He described it as a creature with an affinity for fire, with scales, and a long tale. Muirine could not contend that this definition of a dragon was wrong, as she had no prior knowledge of it…But the way he went on about it. How he spoke of himself. It was borderline fanatic. Perhaps he merely thought very highly of himself, but still, it was to early to make such assumptions. Eyes of fire flickered like the flame between the new born and the bird, a hunger he could not quite hide and one that should have sent them both running…Yet both remained. For Mui it was curiosity, for Ambrus…Well, she couldn’t say what exactly was going through the birds mind. Then, as if to nail his point home, Dragon - both the name and thing, reared back in his watery seat. He screamed with a powerful might that Dragons were a number of hostile things and displayed this with a mighty use of his power over fire. From those great jaws shot the heat and light of a brilliant source right over the foxes head. Though she flinched, she knew also he had not intended to harm her and merely turned brown eyes upward to witness this wonder in awe. He was powerful. That, she could not deny. With his final roar of his self decree of being a dragon, Mui found herself nodding in understanding. ”That you are.” She spoke softly, a stark contrast to the alligators bellowing.

Then he asked a question of both herself and Ambrus. What were they? She had not the answer, but it gave her something to ponder before he quickly began his tale of what had happened here. A first hand account, passed on to those not alive to see it, yet it would be carried with her for as long as it had to be. Much like the scars that now littered the once beautiful room. First he began with a stag who wanted peace, and a one named Raheerah who had claimed the cave and made his perch upon a the gem spire, the one Mui could see standing above all else in the room and emitting a brilliant glow. The water dwelling creature went on to explain the stag as peace, law, and order, and wondered if either of them would be such. Curious was he to their character and the female could not begin to elude as to why that might be. All throughout his story, right up until the very end he asked of their natures, of they wanted to be when panic and destruction occurred. Was this to find his enemies and kill them before they became a threat? Peace, law, order. These things appealed to Muirine but were in direct confrontation with everything Dragon claimed to be. Would he kill her if she told him the truth? For one so young, she had an uncommon clarity of thinking through the observation of things and people around her. She had little to suggest the alligator intended her harm, but self preservation was ingrained to all…even if they did not wish to admit it. Ambrus did not seem so perplexed by this constant theme of Dragon’s gnawing at their personality types and intentions. Instead, the eagle seemed all to pleased with the story and the older gembounds display over fire. Little did she know, his interest stemmed from a much darker place.

Before the vixen could say anything to either of them, Ambrus was addressing her, coaxing her into displaying her magic for them. Brown eyes blinked, the green garnet upon her chest glittering in the dim lighting of the cavern. Though she looked upon him she did not answer right away, and instead turned her gaze back on Dragon. A type of intense glean to her look that suggested she was attempting to see something deeper in the both of them that even she wasn’t quite sure how to maneuver around. ”I do not know what I will be.” She began, watching the alligator and giving no sufficient information just yet. ”The future is uncertain and we are molded by our experiences. Perhaps I will be what you claim, perhaps I will not, perhaps I will be dead. No one can know, all we have is the here and now. The gift. The present.” Her gaze drifted from the two of them to the ground by her paws. Silence over took her. A peaceful calm as she attempted to search inside herself for the source that would allow her to know what it was she could do. Several moments passed but nothing happened and the kit rose her gaze back up to Ambrus. ”It appears, ergghm, that I can not do magic just yet. Maybe later.” She reassured herself.

table by Sara

@Ambrus @Dragon

Dragon watched the two, dropping low in the water so that only his nostrils and eyes showed, listening, paying attention to their reactions. The little one was quiet, delicate, her gaze sharply intelligent but all else was hidden. The eagle, well, he was clammed up and mischievous, if not outright sinister.

He addressed the eagle first, chuckling quietly and rather ominously. "It is fire. What can I do with it? Fire burns." It was an obvious answer to an obvious question, and bore little more consideration. He turned to the fox, next.

"Hmmm, a very wise answer," he rumbled. At least, it seemed wise? He wasn't sure. He wasn't all that wise, himself--just giving off a dramatic air, as best he could. After all, as a youngster, he'd already been a Dragon--Dragon since day one. He'd hardly been molded outside of his frustration and injuries, or rather, not that he was aware of; if he'd thought about it, if he'd wondered if things would have been different if he'd hatched in a rocky cave instead of at the cusp of Aquarian's emergence, he might have thought differently.

The idea of not being able to call on magic straightaway was strange to him, as well--not fully foreign, but his magic had been a part of him, had come to him, the moment he'd been hatched. He couldn't relate to these young Gembound, to either of them--not really. But he did know that magic didn't always come straightaway, not on the first try, even if his own had.

"But for some, it takes practice. Perhaps you can try again." He sank and bobbed in the river, opening his jaws to idly toss water about on his tongue as he waited.

{ art by dark } ~ { table by aura . edited by banshee and dark }

@Ambrus