The walk through the tunnels was rather relaxing, enjoying getting to see everything all over again and taking note of how things have changed. As the twins guided her, they told her all about their papa and how he was a great person. Tall, strong and kind; all great qualities in someone and she was looking forward to meeting such a person. "I think I remember this room . . ." whispering under her breath, but the memory was fuzzy. Her steps were slow and wide, hips swaying a bit. The rodent lifted her head as she gazed around the room that they entered, turning only to follow the twins as they continued to lead the way. "Do you think he's here?" Ears perked up as she scanned the large area, hoping to speak to someone older, and maybe get some answers about the time that she is missing in her head. --------- "Speechy speechy speech." OOC: words words

@feverfew @hasira

The stag was seated behind the throne. Legs folded beneath him as he was effectively hidden from view. For once he didn't want to be bothered with anyone. The only person he needed right now was Wynry... but he wasn't here. All he had was the moonstone which was lying in front of him now. Hasira stared down at the gem, a great sadness in his heart. Even after all this time the great hole that Wynry had left when he'd died was still there. Not even his Pure One could heal it, even though she did provide a nice distraction.

The stag sighed, his nose dipping down to nuzzle the stone. He could almost hear his brother's voice if he listened hard enough. Could feel his soft fur against his cheek but no... It was all an illusion. When his eyes opened Wynry wasn't there. He was all alone and his killer was still at large. It sent waves of fury and then crushing sadness over his entire body. If it wasn't for his hatred he would not be able to go on... But he did. He did for Wynry's sake and when he had his revenge... Maybe he would just stop living but until that day...

A new noise reached the stag's ears. He could hear the sound of his children in the distance along with someone new. Time to welcome a newcomer to the family. With a great sigh he rose to his hooves and walked over to meet them. To the outside world his face held a calm smile and a welcoming glint in his eyes but inwardly he was burned with a neverending hole of sadness.

The stag stopped in front of his children and the newcomer. "Welcome, my children, I see you have brought someone new to the family." He smiled down at the capybara with infinite kindness. "Hello there, I am Lord Hasira." He dipped his great antlers down politely in greeting before once again turning his steel-gray eyes on the capybara. "Who might you be, my dear?" His voice was gentlemanly, polite, you'd never knew the internal torment that went on in him day after day.

---

364
@Fever @Deadnettle @Carrie
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6/10

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

"Papa, Papa!" She called, running the distance between their traveling troupe and her Papa, bumping into his legs happily. "Papa look who we foun'! We were es'plorin' an' it was cold an' I was all raaaahh I'mma dragon, an' I was meltin' all the ice an' then Auntie showed up all sleepy like outta the ice an' she said she was hungry so Nettle said she should see Papa because he has the best food! Papa doesn't Auntie look like us? Look, look!"

She ran back towards the slow going Auntie and her brother and stood next to Auntie, beaming at her Papa, her rear wiggling, her tail swishing. "See, she little like us! Auntie!" She kissed her Auntie on the cheek then ran back to Papa and sat down at his feet. "Papa, we hungry too," She added somewhat in a softer tone. "Could we ha' somethin' to eat too, please?"

Papa was always saying that being polite and humble to family members was how everyone got along, especially to Papa because he was a Lord somethin' or other. She didn't exactly know why, but he was her Papa, so she listened to him.

Deadnettle watched all of this with a quiet happiness in him, happy that his sister was enjoying this so much. Outwardly he showed no sign of it, but inside he was beaming.

The entire trip his hips had hurt more and more, begging him to stop and rest, and he'd rather just not mention his broken tail. Auntie had called for one break for them to sit down when she had seen his forehead break out in sweat for some reason unbeknownst to her, and he'd taken it gratefully, his hips screaming for it. Fever had been content enough, exploring this branch in the tunnels that led to multiple rooms, one that smelled like dust and death and water, one that constantly howled in the distance. It made him nervous when she went out of his view to see further down each tunnel, going further and further each time, so he decided to end his break early and just keep going. He'd called to her, his soft voice easily going down the quiet tunnels, and she had come bounding towards him, bumping into him clumsily and making him stumble.

Of course his hips didn't like that at all, but he didn't blame her. How could he? She was his happiness.

So slowly he walked, and after kissing Auntie on the other cheek, he sat down next to his sister as gently as he could and gave out a small sigh of content at being able to sit down again.

@Carrie

As they fell deeper into the room, the figure of another rose up to greet them. This must be their papa. The connection was made in her mind, at it seemed to be true for the little young female bounded over to the stag and bumped into his legs before letting forth how the two had found Carrie in the caves. "It's nice to meet you Lord Hasira, My name is Carrie but it seems your little ones wish to call me Auntie." The large rodent only chuckled softly, but seeing as she was short like them, but rounder bodies the confusion could be made. The only made difference was color and their lack of a fur covered body. The kisses were a surprise, but they only made her grin a little before glancing over to Nettle whose slow pace had caught her eye. Hmmmm. A few more steps and she was standing before the other, "Other then being hungry, I was hoping you could answer a question for me . . . if it is possible. I do not recall falling asleep in the place I awoke . . . nor do I recall not being a child any longer." Hoping her little rant wouldn't be confusing. "Would you know what happened? The last thing I remember was getting lost in the tunnels . . ." Glancing back to her leg, lifting it a bit off the floor. ". . . and I am sure I only have 3 then, not four?" Setting her leg back to the ground, she turned to look at the twins with a smile before meeting the stag's gave. She wasn't sure he would have the answers, she wasn't expecting him to but it would be nice to understand this situation a little bit better. A low grumble did come from her belly. That's right. And the idea of food was still up for grabs, she kept forgetting how hungry she was til her belly reminded her. --------- "Speechy speechy speech." OOC: it begins

@hasira

The indulgent "father" watched with a smile on his face as the rhino twins ran up to him with their new companion. Feverfew explained rather rapidly what happened and while she did so the great stag nodded but his gaze never broke from the capybara. "I see. Seems like you have had quite the adventure but I am glad you are safe and that you have found a new member for our family. Your papa loves it when our family is able to grow." He praised them. Good behavior deserved to be rewarded, it would encourage them going out to search for new members of the family.

Now with a flick of his ears he addressed the capybara. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Carrie. I have taught my children that all herbivores like us are family which is true because we must all stick together to keep ourselves secure and protected." Now, he folded his great legs and lowered himself down to lay on the ground so that he was closer to the twins' and Carrie's level. "Food can easily be taken care of. Feverfew, my dear, would you mind going to fetch some berries for us? There are some iceberry bushes over that way," He pointed with his nose towards the east where a cluster of bushes grew thanks to Beast's efforts. "Thank-you, dear. Now, Carrie, your situation sounds like a particularly strange one but I will help if I can. After all, the Lord of the Herbivores helps all of his kind to the best of his abilities." He smiled kindly at her, eyes twinkling warmly. "Now, you had three legs and remember being asleep... Is there anything else you can tell me? Anything at all that you remember?"

---

293
@Fever @Deadnettle @Carrie
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6/10

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

From over at her Papa's feet, she listened to Auntie talk about her confusion, and she frowned. She had been missing a leg and had grown older? Obviously Auntie was just sleeping for a long time. When Fever got hurt from falling down, she slept, and she felt better afterwards. She peered at Auntie's fourth leg, the pale one, and she pondered. She must've slept so long she just got her leg back!

Then Papa was speaking, and she grinned as wide as she could, giggling at his compliments. She'd done good! And he liked hearing of their adventures! Aaahh! She was so happy!

He asked her to go and grab some berries for her to go and get, and she nodded up and down, with her whole head and her neck and some of her shoulders in an exaggerated motion, and she got up quick, walking over to Nettle, nudging his shoulder, asking him to come with her. She knew where the berries were, and she wanted to get a lot, so her brother should help.

She watched his sister think at what Auntie and Papa were saying, her one ear sticking straight up like she was paying strict attention. To him though, it was endearingly silly, because that ear was always sticking straight up. Papa asked her to go and get berries, and Nettle frowned just a tad, just a little bit. She wasn't going to go get them by herself, was she? Knowing her, she would get herself into trouble walking from one half of the room to the next.

But she wasn't; she came over and nudged his shoulder, asking for help with a loot, and he nodded slightly, getting up with a low whoof, his hips screaming quietly as him. He ignored it, though, his head hanging low from exhaustion and weary determination. They both bowed low towards their Papa and their Auntie out of respect, and both left, heading towards the berry bushes just a little past where they could see, around the bend.

"Auntie sleeping," Fever said to him, and he looked at her, seeing her knowing expression like that was the answer that solved everything. Well, yeah, she had slept, she'd said as much.

"Sleep....?" He said quietly, looking at her, waiting for her to elaborate.
"Sleep long time." She replied,, nodding.
"Ah." Well, that was it, then. That was why Auntie couldn't remember anything. But why had she fallen asleep in the first place?"
"Hurt bad," Fever said, as if she'd read his mind.
He murmured assent. Maybe Auntie would tell them how she got hurt when they got back.

They reached the berry bush safely, any possible disaster averted or avoided, and both of them took a few branches with their gentle lips, as much as they could hold in their mouths, and they walked slowly back.

@Hasira @Carrie

The large rodent leaned back and let her rump rest on the cave floor while looked into the stag. The stag seemed so kind and the twins seem to respond to him rather well. It was nice to see that gems grew to help nurture the young. When she was a child there where no older gembounds since her generation were the first. Catching his claim to protecting herbivores but her train of thought was distracted once he asked her to explain more. If she could. What else was there? Carrie thought deeply on the matter, which felt like a good couple minutes had passed before something came to mind. "I do remember . . there was another with me and we were trying to use magic." The other was someone so kind, she was kind and she knew how to use magic of the mind. But what was her name . . . oh thats right. "Her name was Ky and she was the one to find me when I first woke. Tho, my spell didn't go well and . . ." And that caused her to pause again. Eyes glanced over to the twins when they went off to gather the berries as asked. They were such a sweet pair, making her glad to have been found by them. Something cold and then hot. She remembered something else but it was so fuzzy. "Besides that, I . . . I'm not really sure. All I know is that Ky was scared and so was I." Soon she fell silent once more, in thought. --------- "Speechy speechy speech." OOC: words words

@Hasira

The stag watched as the children wandered away to search for the berries. Good. He appreciated their obedience, they were the perfect little calves. Now his eyes turned back to the capybara as he waited on her to elaborate. Like a patient father he watched her patiently, neither pushing nor prodding her with words or gaze. Finally she spoke again and explained about a... a Ky. Ky... Where had he heard that name before? There was an itch in the back of his mind as he thought. It should have been familiar... But why was it familiar? Ky...

Then it clicked. The truth or dare game. She was the lioness who'd dared him to kiss Arkrael. She was dastardly and sneaky then just as she'd been with Carrie. It all made sense. She'd lost her leg because of her. He was brought back to the present when the children wandered back in with the berries. "Thank-you, my dears." He said to them kindly. "Take what you want please, you deserve it. Especially after what you have just explained." After thinking a moment and gathering his thoughts he said,

"What you have told me troubles me greatly. Ky. I know of her, she is a lioness which makes her a carnivore... an enemy. Here, let me explain." The stag cleared his throat and began to elaborate. "Carnivores, I do not know if you know this or not since you must have trusted them and you have been away for a while, are the enemy of herbivores. They try to befriend us but it is only a ploy to lure us into a false sense of security so they can stab us in the back later. Ky or as her full name is, Makyna, was probably the cause of you losing your leg and then you falling into sleep.... Obviously she must not have cared to much about you if she did not even search for you after you disappeared. If she had then she would have tried to wake you up... but she did not... Just like a dirty carnivore." He spoke reasonable as if this was all just something that was conversational and true. How could a stag be mad if his words sounded so reasonable, calm, and true?

______________________________________

"This is how I talk!"
This is how I think!

379
@Feverfew Deadnettle @Carrie
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6/10