let every little fracture in me

shatter out loud

δεξιά . κέντρο . αριστερά

Kerberos slunk off to Tunnel M, his wounds from the fight with Aza'zel still a bit rough on his flesh. It stung, but he knew he would do well to stay far away from Canis for a little while. He had failed everyone and everything, and frankly he didn't want to even show his face in front of anyone. He wanted to escape-- and he knew a place where no one would be able to find him. Perhaps he should have stayed by the Bonebound's side, but he knew that Hasira had been taken care of. No one else would get hurt today... Hopefully.

With a great sigh the massive dog found the thin part of the ice and slammed his paws into the hard, cold surface. He knew the underwater river was right here-- he had come here many times. Yet, for whatever reason, he couldn't break the ice. With a huff, he pressed his noses to the surface and stared into the water bellow, dark and mysterious. Maybe there was another spot he could find?

The dog dragged himself through the mountainous terrain, having to squish through the thinner part of the tunnels now. Tunnel M did open up eventually, however, and he found himself at a spot where the ice was nothing more than slush and he could access the river. With a snort, he settled down at the edge. He took three great big breathes, and then he plunged down into the dark waters, unafraid of what might lurk bellow.

After all, last time he went swimming, he had been little more than a pup. He didn't know, however, how much had changed in the passing cycles.

@Cerulean (if alm's cool w/ it, anyone other water critters can come in <3)

The river between Polaris and Pisces ran narrow and deep, scored into the rock like a jagged scar, and covered in ice. Arrh usually swam Kreool through here, due to how much slower the little blue was at long distances. It was colder here, and that too slowed the little creature. However, as she grew, Kreool grew bolder and more independent of her monochromatic friend. Today, for example, she'd swam away from the orca mid-nap to head towards Pisces on her own. He'd catch up later- there wasn't much room for travel in the waters here, but at least there was plenty of room to swim- and depths to explore for lost treasures.

Today, though, something moved in the tunnel's waters. White shape slipped in through the slush ahead and Kreool froze, backing up and down into the shadowy depths of the river. Gills flared to make use of her breath, already held a while without- she would have barely an hour if this new shape proved dangerous, something to hide from.

It swam clumsily, with too much dragging fur- not unlike Baratheon swam, but this creature was different. As she circled far below slowly, invisible in the dark blue depths, she noted the creature's shape was strange... for it had three heads! For a moment, Kreool thought herself dizzy and she blinked to try and clear her vision. Still three. Those were real. This thing was real. Whoa. Nervous and almost sick from the hard-to-grasp concept, the little blue stilled against the river floor and closed her eyes shut tight...

...and behind sealed lips and lids, her magic shimmered pink. Her voice echoed from all directions, garbled words in the aquatic tongue meaningless but seemingly urgent. The water lit up with sound, bouncing from all directions but Kreool's own spot beneath the deep. For a few seconds, it became louder, and louder- and then as she released her hold, it stopped as suddenly as it had started. Silence took over the river, quieter than it had been before, as if the rush of water itself had been muted in comparison. Stunned by her own spell, her first real use of magic, Kreool blinked in the water, wide-eyed and amazed. Did I do that!?

@Kerberos

let every little fracture in me

shatter out loud

δεξιά . κέντρο . αριστερά

For the first few moments, the massive cerberos just slowly sank into the water. His back legs pressed together, his tail cutting through the water as to adjust his body to the current. He rolled, slowly, until he was almost standing on his hind legs in the water, his huge polar bear paws gently holding him in place for a moment. A grin spread across all three of his faces as he enjoyed the moment of silent stillness...

But it didn't last. A noise rang up around him, eerie and wordless, and for a moment he could mistake it for a familiar call from Eeya... But there was too many noises, whispering all around him. The beast looked around, his six eyes searching the darkness, and he huffed, bubbles of hair spilling out from his center maw.

Kerberos felt a warmth spread to his body. A glow began to emanate through his body, and even though he couldn't see what lurked in the shadows just yet-- soon, the heat in his body would light up the whole water to reveal whatever was hiding. He reached a paw forward and began to swim down, towards the bottom-- he had never reached the bottom before, but now he thought it might be a good idea to seek it out. Despite his awkward, furry form, something about the water was natural to the beast. His lungs did not strain in the slightest as he held his breath, and his paws cut him a path like he was trying to slice through the air.

@Cerulean

Kreool had only a moment to rejoice in her new power. Soon, the river lit up from above and she startled, flinching away from it and into the rock below her. It- They - Can see me! That wasn't good. Her tactics changed quickly and instead of hiding or fleeing, she swam in a circle around the stone riverbed, sleek and quick, then shot like a bolt towards the three-headed dog...

...perhaps a little too quickly. She hadn't meant to actually swim into him, but when Kreool twisted to veer away at the last second, the flow of the river caught her up and she instead spun head-long into the stranger. She squealed as she lost control, barreling into him at a horribly awkward angle- and pathetically rag-dolling afterwards with a startled expression. Oh, shi- What had she done!?

ooc: short because it's to the point, but anyway~

@Kerberos

let every little fracture in me

shatter out loud

δεξιά . κέντρο . αριστερά

The creature dove towards him, so quickly that he barely had time to register what the thing was other than it wasn't quite Eeya shaped and it was very, very blue. The creature went headlong into his chest and then tumbled away, and with alarm he made some bubbly noises, reaching forward to gently touch the strange, sealish thing. The paw with his gem embedded into the palm was glowing a bright, purplish shade in the deep water, and it gave off a warm, pleasant heat. Most land creatures liked the warmth, and this was how he calmed down all sorts of puppies and kittens... Hopefully it was the same for this one.

Though she didn't look much like a child. The creature was easily as long as his tail, and although she was small compared to him, she was rather on the large size for how gembounds could be. That was how it was in the water. Greater Gembounds were really Greater in the water.

Kerberos didn't really speak sea critter language. He knew it existed, but it confused him and his voice didn't really work under water. But caves be damned if the dog didn't try, opening his middle mouth and speak in a cascade of bubbles.

"Eeekikeoo?" By some miracle, the canine managed to get some sort of words. He didn't know what they meant, he had no clue, but somehow he managed to say, seeeacritteryou? Or... Well. Close enough, there was a little e in there, and his accent was a bit garbled, but his tone of voice was nailed. Curious, friendly, concerned. It was almost as if he was asking Sea Friend? He was worried for the thing, considering it had rammed into him so hard, but...

@Cerulean

The beast wasn't after her for blood, it seemed. As she spun away from him, he reached a gentle paw forward, concern written across his many faces, but no malice or threat. Kreool hesitated, then as she felt the warmth of his stone creep over her, she closed her eyes and relaxed into it. Feels nice... Her eyes cracked open just enough to see the purple glow, then she did something Arrh would probably panic over if he'd seen it- she swam up against the dog's paw and looped her front limbs around it, basically hugging it, stone to her chest. In her throat, a happy sound began to play, like drawn-out bird song. Then, the dog was speaking to her, and she grinned back at him knowingly. Landbound can't speak underwater. Nice try, though. Instead of answering him, she gestured up to the surface and flicked her tail, as if to pull him along back to the air above- she needed to breath anyway.

If the dog should let her tow him, she'd come up for air a second later and inhale politely, quietly, through her nose, head bobbing from the water, amongst slush and ice. There, she'd wait for at least one of the three heads to surface, and try to use what she'd learned of land speak...

"No speaks in deeps, but Kreool knows. Friend, right?" She'd move a clawed limb to rest flat against the dog's shoulder. "Is okay. Kreool know land speak some. Talk above, so new Friend can speak." It wasn't perfect, but by far one of her best attempts. She'd come to understand them now, for the most part, since having lived in Pisces with the Maji for so long now. It seemed only fair she offer this three-headed wonder the chance to speak clearly, as they did- and if he wanted, she'd even be fine to head for land.

@Kerberos

let every little fracture in me

shatter out loud

δεξιά . κέντρο . αριστερά

Kerberos followed Cerulean to the top of the water, tail swishing behind him like an awkward rudder. His non-waterbounded paw did most of his own work, and the strange gembound easily was able to guide him to the surface again. He clawed up on to the ice, though frankly he didn't want to leave just yet. Forelimbs across the surface of the ice, he hung in the water, ears focusing on Cerulean's pretty, elegant voice stumble through land speak.

"Eeya tried to teach me," he answered shortly, assuming flatly that all the water critters must know each other. He had no idea how vast the world of water bellow was, mostly because he didn't swim very far or very much. His heads tilted as he tried to make sense of the large creature, made of pinks and deep blues that somehow pulled at some instinct deep inside of him.

"...What are you?" He asked, calmly, quietly. As though he was asking a question of a witness in a murder, as though there was some sort of secret answer he was expecting. And frankly, he was. This one... This one was like he and the Dragon. Younger, he reckoned, though he had no idea why.

The hint of pink was unmistakable, and the parts that formed her body so neatly and perfectly seemed something of an accidental miracle more than following the blueprint of the usual crowd of gems in the cave. A myth, a legend, a guardian and above all else: something meant to hold great power.

"... Oh. I forgot my manners," he stumbled in before she could answer, glancing at his own eyes with shifty, twitchy nerves. "I am Kerberos." A slight pause, but not long enough for Cerulean to speak without him interrupting immediately. "Kuna tou Aidou -- Cerberus -- Three headed hound of..." The name slipped out of his claws and he blinked, letting the words die in his throat.

... And then he waited for her answer.

@Cerulean

sorry tihs took so long ;o;