Totum

Amassed in a single, swirling shadow, the twin beasts are seated comfortably in a familiar alcove. Silver armor gleams in the dim light, shifting slightly - it's hard to tell what part of the shadow belongs to one beast or the other, but each piece seems to have settled within the relative vicinity of the body part it belongs on. Two pairs of eyes flicker, watchful for the approach Gembounds. Before them are laid an array of shiny stones and trinkets, but their hunched form suggests that it would be unwise to try and nab one without permission.

This thread is part of the Trick-or-Treating event! Characters will have until November 1st to visit this NPC and receive either a trick or a treat!

(Madison note: Because I haven't actually added this yet, Totum is the name of the Beast and his bff, just to clarify)

He had left his precious behind for a shot time. He needed to get out and spread his wings. Flying around, Prince Charmbirb Gertrude noticed something. Was that light? That flicker. The prince dove down, slowly seeing the two forms. He slowed, flapping to stay in place as he regarded them, head tilting, "Oh, why hello there to you... two?" his head tilted the other way, his wings at work, "You have some sort of collection of objects, do you? What are these things and why have you amassed such a pile of them?" he asked with another few tilts of his gemmed head. Slowly, the bird landed, ready to take off if the creatures weren't friendly.

It seemed like it had been forever since she had stepped paw into this part of the caves. The familiar scents that wafted through her nostril's brought the subtle memories that had not been thought of for quite awhile. This had been the last place she had seen her Hatchmate, Tamelyn. Where that doe had gone afterwards this wolfess could honestly not tell you. It wasn't to say that Arkrael did not search for her hatchmate, but no matter how long she searched in as many places as she could Arkrael could just not find a single trail that would even vaguely lead her to the Doe. It left a weariness in her heart, unsure if something serious had happened to the deer, or if she had found something that led her away and far from the caves she had come to know.

It seemed the saying 'when it rained, it poured' was proving to be true. The betrayal of the one who held her heart in a vice, and now she couldn't find the one that had never truly left her side even if their adventures had taken them separate ways. Perhaps it was in this way that Arkrael found herself wandering the Tunnel that Beast surely still resided in.

Heterochromia eyes lifted, gazed upon the dark shadows that was only disturbed by gleaming silver. A small smile crept across her features and a slow wag began to sway her tail back and forth. The scent was familiar to her, letting her know clearing who these creatures were. They too, were some thing she had not seen since the last she had been in this tunnel. A voice drew her attention away from Totum and her gaze followed it to a strange looking bird. She did not say a thing to the bird, not wishing to interrupt what he was saying to Totum; or rather inquiring from them.

She shook her head and slowly rested back against her haunches and turned her gaze to the shadows once again. "It's good to see you again," She hummed softly. Regardless if they felt the same way, Arkrael wouldn't find any offense in it. They weren't friends, she had simply helped Beast acquire his best friend again. It was in that, that Arkrael felt at ease sitting before them. She was indeed curious about the things they seemed to have accumulated, but she also knew if they did not wish to speak of them, they wouldn't. At least... that was what she assumed from her previous encounters with Beast.
"Speech"
'Thoughts'

---

Tags:
OoC:

Winter Snow hadnt been to the South-west quadrant Tunnel J since she hatched. The young gembound had found a place to rest and enjoy the company of her small group. Wanting to see what was in the tunnel the little girl started walking threw it slowly sniffing the air every once and a while. Her nose sniffed the ground as she walked picking up a scent she had not smelled before. Coming to where the twin beast was, Winnie had heard two other voices which made her look up. There in the same area as the twin beasts was another wolf and a weird bird. Both she had not met since he hatching. "Excuse me?" she said quietly but just enough for the wolf gembound to hear her. Winnie's head was low and her tail was slightly tucked between her hind legs. The little was scared and nervous. She didnt know what to do or if anyone was friendly.
@Arkrael

Bartos had never come down this way before. He had seen the cave tunnel and he'd seen others come and go, but he hadn't the courage to go through that tunnel. Not until now. He had seen a few Gembounds go through the tunnel via Orion, and in a surge of confidence he decided to sneak along behind them. His usual satchel hung at his side, but it was empty - his footfalls were quiet as he could manage, slinking in after them. He reasoned that if anything happened, the one he was following would encounter it first and then Bartos could flee if it proved dangerous. Or he could hide and observe. It was kind of cowardly, maybe a little unlawful of him, and he felt some remorse after remembering how Clover thought him brave. But this wasn't really cowardice, was it? More like... Self preservation.

The one he was following suddenly stopped, and Bartos realized that they weren't alone. He first thought the thing was a shadow, but no - it had armor. And eyes. A chill ran along his spine, but other Gembounds were gathered before it, and there were - oh, what were those? Rocks? His eyes widened curiously, and the cat inched closer, eager to get a closer look.

Kerberos was afraid. Kerberos was angry. Kerberos was curious, protective, loyal. The massive dog never felt more conflicted in his entire hell hound life, but now he was overwhelming sensations that kept him going forward. Arkrael was here, was ahead. The small kitten who he hadn't seen since it had hatched. The bird who called him a murderer-- a sense of vengence ran cold ice water through his legs. Worst of all, the Beast.

Kerberos had not forgotten the Beast. His pink eyes locked on the twinned monster, a sickness in his throat like acid. The dog approached the group but did not get too close, instead stopping his paws behind Arkrael the Alpha and Bartos the kitten. As his white form stilled, he realized he was trembling, shaking.

His crimson nosed face snarled, though at what or rather who it was uncertain. The bird, the beast, or other hidden danger. His other heads for the first time seemed to have other personalities entirely-- his middle head sniffing curiously, ears perked-- and the floppy ears, those pale eyes stared down at his massive shaking paws. Regardless of two of his three heads, his tail was between his legs, coiled like a boa around his hind foot, and his massive body shook with the stench of fear.

No heads spoke.

Kerberos waited and watched, a guardian filled with uncertainity.

Macawi was being her usual adventurous self, wandering all over the Origin Cave and not caring where the winding tunnels took her. Everywhere she went, she met different Gembounds, and that was always a good thing, even if some of them weren’t friendly. It was always good to meet new people. It was just as important to have enemies as it was to have friends – at least in her opinion. How was one supposed to stay on one’s toes when there was no one to watch out for? Complacency was not a word that Macawi liked. It suggested a lack of all the qualities she possessed: courage, curiosity, and a little bit of sass and humorousness.

The coyote had never been in a place with so many other Gembounds before! She’d followed the growing scent trail to this particular tunnel on a whim, curiosity dragging her paws forward towards adventure. But Macawi could be a true coyote at times, and so instead of boisterously charging into the room, she slunk in behind everyone else, and stayed against the back wall. She was not necessarily afraid – in fact her tail wagged and her eyes were bright – but today she decided she would stick to the shadows, and watch. Watching was always fascinating…

Hen didn't wander very often, and when she did, usually not very far. Her Ra'Ma didn't like it. However, today was an exception. Ra'Ma was hungry. Ra'Hen was hungry. It was time to hunt, and today, Ra'Hen was hoping to find something big enough that both could eat their fill. So, tiny tunnel rats wouldn't work. She'd have to go deeper into the caves than ever before- at least, that she remembered. It quickly became glaringly apparent, however, that all of these tunnels and caves she passed through... seemed familiar. As she passed into yet another strangely familiar tunnel, she felt a new stirred in her chest- a sense of unease. Why couldn't she remember coming here, if it all looked so familiar?

Come to think of it, and though the tiny raptor-bird did little thinking of her own these days, how come she didn't remember hatching from her reshell? Troubled, Hen almost didn't notice the twin dark beasts in the shadows, or the hoard of gembounds ahead that had gathered to see them. She paused at the edge of the gathering. Before her sat a strange combination of creatures. Another bird, with a green head and feathers, smaller than her. A furry four-legger. She'd seen those before, like her Ra'Skin, but furrier and bigger. Another like it, but white and fatter. Inching in from the sidelines was another Skin Thing, but covered in fur- was that what Ra'Skin was supposed to look like? A bigger creature took her attention as she scanned the scene. A big, white and yellow thing with many heads. Another like it stood nearby, but with only one head, smaller than the white and gray ones, and more tawny colored.

Hen decided this group of unlikely gatherers were simply not likely to be interested in a tiny raptor-bird. So, she picked up where she'd left off and headed towards the shadowy pair, curious as she approached. They had many things littered about them and though she was tempted to snag a shiny to bring home to Ra'Ma, Ra'Hen instead stopped, again uncertain. The tall black dark things were scary looking, with metal skin and black murky hide. She stepped back, away from the crowd, but cocked her head to the side curiously- brave like her Ra'Ma. Fearless. Not even giant crawlers could kill her, after all.

The great shadowy creature had been patient, and over time, it paid off. The first to arrive was a pigeon on spread wings, its head a gleaming green helm. It swooped in with an array of questions, apparently quite eager to know why it had accrued such a collection of trinkets and shiny things before it. The shadow rumbled, two pairs of eyes honed in on the bird. Their attention drifted away with more began to arrive; the black and grey wolf with different coloured eyes that had helped them reunite before, to which the shadowy mass responded with a warm rumble. A smaller wolf came in after her, and then a timid little cat creeped in behind the group, saying nothing, only eyeing the prizes with hungry eyes. The three headed dog they had seen before when they were truly reunited, when Jupiter had made the mistake of allowing them to fuse, had showed up as well. But it wasn't so pleased to see the beast. Totum gave no response to it.

A little coyote soon joined the group, and lastly some strange, contrived bird - or at least, it once had been a bird before something got its jaws around it. It looked now more like the raptor and her children that was stalking the caves. Totum's eyes lingered on the raptorial hen for a second more before deciding that this must have been it for visitors. With a ethereal sounding grunt, the shadow suddenly leaned forward and rose, as though it was standing up straight. The pieces of armor wavered inside its inky mass, glinting as they caught the light and reflecting the movements of the creature.

"Hello." They spoke after a moment's thought. One voice was awkward and estranged, slightly masculine, as if not used to communication though he had interacted with these creatures before. The second voice, feminine, was smooth and even, if a little aggressive sounding. "We have gathered a collection of our favored treasures. Each has a memory and a story. Each is important to us in some way. But they are of no use to us now." Totum explained, extending a shadowy limb to sweep across the mound of treasures. "Perhaps they will serve you well."

With this, several more shadowy limbs extended from the dark mass. They each grabbed a trinket and settled it before a Gembound, distributing the treasures among the group.

@Gertrude has received a BLUE CRYSTAL SHARD IMBIBED WITH MAGIC
@Arkrael has received a POISONOUS STIBNITE CLUSTER
@Winter Snow has received a MALFORMED DEER SKULL
Bartos has received a WIDE GLASS LENS
@Kerberos has received a STONE TABLET WITH FADED INSCRIPTIONS
@Macawi has received an ANCIENT HEADDRESS
@Hen has received a LARGE CHUNK OF GRAPHITE

Totum settled back again, looking over the gathering and their new prizes. Their gaze lingered on Arkrael for a moment - the cluster that they had settled before her had some interesting properties to it, namely that it was poisonous if held in contact for too long. It had come from a rather important beast, and thus Totum felt it would need to emphasize the importance of the gift. It said nothing more, but its firm stare lingered on the wolf.

Characters may feel free to leave, with exception to Arkrael who Totum wishes to speak to privately.

A few other Gembounds had all filed into the space in the tunnel, and Bartos shrunk down in their shadows. He felt like the smallest one though, although... not long after, a pretty small coyote had appeared, and a raptorial hen creature. Oh, and Kerby was there. The cat straightened up a little, relieved to see the large dog - his dog, his carer, until he detected the stench of fear rolling off of him. It caused Bartos to pin his ears back and shrink down to the ground again. Would Kerby remember him? What was Kerby afraid of? The shadowy mass had started to move, attracting Bartos' attention - oh, that must have been it. Yeah. Bartos was pretty scared of it too.

But then it spoke a strange combination of voices, and delivered several of its gifts to those gathered. Before him, they had placed a large glass dish - no, it was slightly convex. A lens. Wide-eyed, he tentatively reached forward and sniffed at it, then gazed back up at the beast. It said nothing, only staring at the black wolf. Right... well, it was certainly giving the cat the willies. He inched towards his gift, grabbed it in his teeth and tried to jam it into his satchel. It was tough, and it barely fit, but he made it work. Then, he glanced back at the beast and offered a sheepish smile. "Th-thank you!" With that, the cat ducked his head and turned, anxiously jogging away, hugging the wall tightly and watching his shoulder. He had no idea what he was going to do with this lens, but it must be important... right?

exit Bartos!