Zaire Alesius

The darkness was welcoming, it always had been, and it had always been the only thing he had known. He was not complaining though, how could he. He felt as if he belonged when there was nothing but the sticky liquid that stayed around him and had always been there and the darkness that had always been a welcoming blanket. He didn't want to leave, he never wanted to leave, but something was telling him it was time, some voice running through his head and crashing against the sides of his mind. He did not recognise the voice, whoever it was, but some nagging feeling was telling him that it was familiar, that he knew who was telling him to get out, to leave. Why would he? Why should he?

His head was tucked against his chest, growing fur pressed firmly against his closed chin, hind legs placed against the edge of what had been his room, his home for what could have been forever, at least it had felt like that to the shadow pup. He knew how to brake free, it was flowing through his mind somewhere, he just had to find out where. Locate it, track it down, bring it to the front so that he could the knowledge he knew was hidden somewhere. All these new things, knowing his mind, hearing a voice inside it, hearing his own heartbeat in the silence, it was not weird, not deafening, it was extraordinary. He felt alive, that was the word for it was it not?

Hind legs kicked, moved around and pushed against the edge, trying to escape. If only the shadow pup knew how much darkness lay beyond his home as well as inside it, maybe then he would be less reluctant to let go. He had started now though, he couldn't stop until it was done, it was over. One last push with the legs that would be his strongest, after all, hind limbs were built to push you further and he wasn't one to hold back.

There was a crack, he heard it loud and clear, before his body started moving, yet it was not on it's own accord. He could feel it, the slimy liquid carrying him out into the world that he could just know he would grow to loathe. If only he stopped growing, if only he could stay well within his home for eternity, but that's not how life worked, he had figured that out the moment his mind started telling him to leave. Oh how much he hated that, why couldn't it stay quiet?

Black turned lighter, it was still dark and for that he was grateful, but it wasn't the same darkness he was used to, wasn't the same darkness he wanted. He could keep it dark for now though, as long as he didn't open his eyes, that's how it worked correct? He wanted the darkness to never leave him, and so the only way he knew how to keep to that was by keeping his eyes sealed shut, but he couldn't stay like this forever, someday soon he would have to open them and see the world caves. He wasn't one to wait. Going back on what he had said, the shadow pup pried open his eyes, and god was he slightly happy, the feeling wasn't strong though, maybe that was normal. His real home, the shadows, the darkness, still surrounded his small yet large body, and as far as he could see there was no light, was it like this everywhere? If so, he was one surprised pup, that voice had told him that things were going to be different, that everything was going to change when he left his safety but he had to do it anyway. Oh how things were confusing, and it hadn't even been...wait how long? A minute, and hour, a day, a week, what did they even mean? How long did they exactly last?

This felt right though, the cold, moist air hitting against his fur, ruffling it up even more than what it already was, the darkness enveloping him and wouldn't let him go yet. It was silent to, and that was obviously welcomed into his life. If things stayed like this, if everything was like this, he would be one slightly happy pup. He should start finding out if that was true, a boy could hope right? Wrong, hope was a lie and would only hurt you more then you needed There's that voice again, but oh he couldn't help but feel that it was telling the truth.

Glancing down, at least he angled his head down through some weird thing of just thinking about and it felt natural, to look upon pure black paws splayed out across the dark grey floors. Maybe the darkness had gifted him and be with him wherever he would go? The shadow pup drew in a long breath, pushing something, energy into those dark legs of his, willing himself to stand because he would not go for anything less.

Attempt: Stand

It felt...strange, there was pressure being placed on what looked like large paws as he body slowly started raising, he was getting higher and the ground was getting further away. He was wobbling though, his legs vibrating with the weight of his body on top. Oh god, what's happening, he didn't feel stable, but he wouldn't fall down, that would be failure. He stood there, standing on shaking legs for the first time.

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Uncomfortably, Bones shifted. A part of him wanted to leave Canis, but upon staring down the dark tunnel he felt that perhaps it wasn't such a good idea. He took one step forward - then another, and eventually his tail left Canis completely. Being here was just wrong, it made Bones want to kick off the ground and start running down the barren tunnel.

But, his legs forbade him. Today, his legs ached and he limped slowly down the tunnel. It was dark - too dark, he couldn't quite see, or perhaps it was the dull grey rock laying around that went on for what sometimes felt like miles.

The dog shook himself and concentrated quietly. The soft humming in his chest was unfamiliar to him, but regardless he knew the sensation. Pain briefly shot through his body, he could opened his mouth to pant quietly, in an attempt to cool down but to not much success. Blinding hot light leaked out from his skin, through his fur.

It hurt, but he could see through the dark. Bones began to pick up the pace - with a heavy chest and legs beginning to hurt worse, he trotted down the tunnel quickly. His ears rotated, eyes wide and staring forward. There was a crack somewhere behind him and it caused the dog to stop dead in his tracks.

He had heard of the things hatching here and how they never seemed to be wholly normal - a horse who had never been healthy, a snake with two heads. What kind of creature would hatch this time? The literal fire in Bones' belly died down as he turned around. There was the scent of burning flesh and fur; but also the scent of a new born.

He licked his muzzle - the saliva was hot and burnt the black fur around his muzzle. "Hello?" the dog offered, voice hoarse with the pain but it still held the friendly tone Bones often carried. "Are you alright?"

He stepped forward, light fading from his eyes, mouth, belly and paws now. He could very faintly see the outline of the gembound - it was like himself and Giggle - canine in form. His ears flickered quietly as he shifted to sit on his backside to relieve his backlegs of weight. "I'm Bones," he offered kindly.

@Zaire

Zaire Alesius

Everything was weird this high up, okay it wasn't that high but the young thing hadn't even seen the caves before and so everything was different and new. The feeling of cold air hitting against his fur, the darkness being more than just black but grey and brown and all the dark colours in-between. There was so much more to see though, and, if he was stable, the pup would have been bouncing on his newly used paws. He was guessing that it would have been the most emotion he would ever show, but the boy has yet to grow and learn about himself and others first.

The uneasy feeling of being on his paws for the first time hadn't gone away, nor had the feelings that this place was perfect, it was alone and coated in shadows, eerily quiet with no one else around, it was just right. The place was to his liking and the pup didn't care that he couldn't see well, couldn't see what was around him or where exactly he was. Those thoughts were at the far back of his mind, he had just come from darkness itself anyway, so the inability to see much shouldn't worry him, and it didn't. What did worry him however was the distant sound of a rhythmic patter, he didn't know what it was coming from, but he knew it was getting louder, closer. As was the scent, something hit his nose gently, not in a literal sense but the odour was to far away for him to tell what it was, and hell, he wouldn't of been able to anyway. Things like that came from experience, and he obviously had none.

And then there was light. It hadn't reached him yet, not fully, hadn't grasped the pup's body in it's scorching claws. Yet it was still being illuminated off the walls, lighting the grey rock faintly so that he could see the curves and dents that had been worn into the tunnel. He could see how even when light was present so was the darkness, moving to the sides to take up their name as shadows and hiding themselves where the dents had been engraved. Their movement intrigued the shadow pup, fur covered head moving around to look at everything and not leaving out one crack, one line one anything. He was building a map in his mind.

Fire eyes moved instantly to where the light was originating from, it was the same place the sounds and scent were coming from. They all mixed with each other, the light grew brighter, the sounds became louder and scents became stronger. What was it. The shadow pup stayed alert, ears perked naturally with out any thought and young nose lifted slightly as if he could catch the air, but he couldn't tell what it was.

Blinking once twice, hoping to get his eyes to adjust to the bright light as the thing came into sight, masked with all light where he was covered in all shadows. Old and young, light and dark, they were opposites. Ears flinched at the sound of a new voice, the first one he had ever heard, apart from the one inside his head his own thoughts. The light being cast into his eyes had created the illusion that their was a real a fire in his orbs, dancing on the surface.

As the light faded away, he drew his body up higher, stronger, his frame darker than the shadows behind him, bright fire eyes blazing against the darkness, staring at the stranger that wasn't too different to him. Words were coming out of it's mouth, ones he did not know what they meant. Strange new ones.

Shadow pup took a step back, instincts telling him to pull his lips up and show his teeth, snarl at the new thing. Ears pinned back against his head, tail raised high and hackles raised. He wasn't afraid, it wasn't out of fear, if nothing showed in his eyes, no anger no fear no nothing. It was just instincts, and he didn't know why. "What does Bones mean?", His young voice was a snarl, unafraid of this thing not knowing how to tell if he was a threat or an ally, or even what those meant. He had ignored his other words, that voice in his head telling him he could answer whatever he wanted.

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@Bones

Bones watched the newborn for a moment as the fire faded, leaving only an ache in his chest and belly. "Bones are wonderful things," he said with a lopsided grin. "Bones are what keep you standing, and they can tell fortunes, but Bones is what I am."

He flicked his ears. It's what his mother had said; bones were an important thing and therefore he was Bones. "You've probably never seen them before, though. They're in Canis if you want to see them," he added. The ever-present friendly tone never left the dog, but he could hear the faint snarl that left the other canine and the shuffling of paws scrambling back.

"But you'll be hungry," he then mentioned, looking around. There weren't often rats in this tunnel; Bones had assumed that the feeling of unease affected them just as much as it did them. "I can help you catch some food if you'd like."

Realistically, Bones just wanted to get out of this place - he had forgotten why he would ever have wanted to leave the bone-room - the trek from here to Orion just simply wasn't worth it. He felt that, perhaps, the pup in the shadows would much rather being among the bones splayed among Canis anyway.

"What's your name?" he asked as the wounded dog once more got to his paws, waiting for the new gembound to follow him. "I'm sure we could find you one if you don't know yet."

@Zaire

Zaire Alesius

His pitch black ears would turn to point almost towards the similar thing as he stood with his larger frame in front of the pups smaller one. Yet, he wouldn't move from his defensive position, only look the taller thing up and down now that the blinding light had gone. He had said his name, whatever that was, was Bones, something that was keeping him standing, could tell him fortunes, so many new words. What the hell was he on about? What was he doing? His lips had gone up creating an almost snarl, a work the shadow pup just knew, but it wasn't that. This was kinder, crazier. He didn't like it.

Canis? Did this thing even speak properly, speak real words? Ones that the pup knew, or was that too hard, too impossible for something so light and kind. He was still correct though, he had never seen these so called bones, he had never seen anything but darkness and now the grey stone walls around him. It was a comforting sight really but he couldn't stay in this spot forever, one day he would have to move, and that was soon apparently. Due to the rumble of his stomach, an almost growl ordering for food and it would not take no for an answer. Impatient thing inside of him, already starting to munch on his belly because he had not fed it yet. Just wait damn thing.

Oh yes, he was definitely hungry if that's what his stomach was telling him, commanding him. But he was taking orders from no one, his hunger could wait, hopefully. "Maybe" He might of been hungry for all that Bones character knew, the darkness could have fed him, it could have done that right? "Can cwatch by meself" He had tried so hard to keep his voice sounding like the others, yes his was more hostile while the others was friendlier, but never mind about that. He had tried to keep his voice strong, rid of the young speech, but he guessed that it didn't work for long and for that he was scolding himself inside, angry at not being strong enough. Although he couldn't catch by himself, not yet, he needed a mentor, a teacher, he knew that but wouldn't admit it. He had been unsteady enough on his feet whilst standing, he did not need someone standing over him and watching him fail.

The shadow pup was curious though, screw curiosity, as to what these bones looked like. They sounded different, but there was probably nothing cool about them if they are what helped keep things alive, standing. Little did he know that they came from corpses, dead bodies from those who weren't strong enough to survive. How could he know that they were the leftovers from weak bodies?

"Name?" His mouth moved before his brain caught up and could tell him to shut up and stop being so curious, don't like this animal, don't like anyone. He kept his gaze centred on Bones, watching him. What was name, was it Bones? Was Bones everyone's name? Why do they have name's, couldn't they have something else or nothing at all? So many questions, but he had already asked too many. He didn't want the other animal thinking that he was growing to like him.

"Before go," Wait, when did he make up his mind that he would go? Too late now. "How do light thing? Why light?" Light was horrible, why such a horrid thing when you could have something so beautiful. The darkness was better. The fire he did not know he possessed he would think was better, it destroyed, killed and was uncontrollable, much like what he would grow up to be.
"Speech"

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@Bones

Bones watched the pup, or at least where he percieved to be the pup in the dark. He was highly doubtful that he could hunt for himself - Bones had to be taught by Giggle how to hunt, after all - but regardless he didn't want to stay here any longer and the new gembound was, frankly, beginning to creep him out.

"Your name," he said. "It's who you are." His ears flickered somewhat, watching still. His back legs shook under his own weight, weak and tired.

"To see," he answered patiently. "You need light to see, or you'll bump into things." He tilted his head - this dog surely couldn't see any better than he could.

"Fire is dangerous though, you should be careful if you use it," he then added. "Where will you go?" Frankly, Bones didn't much care - at this point he would much rather crawl into Kerberos' fur and sleep for a few cycles.

Regardless, he stayed until he received an answer.

@Zaire

Zaire Alesius

He had begun to walk now, steady at first, the uneasy feeling of his legs below him only growing more but would seen decrease as his steps became more and he started to grow confident in his steps. He was sticking to the shadows, and there were many of them in this darkness, he could not see, not well anyway, but he did not need to, he wasn't running, he would not harm himself if he happened to come in contact with the cold stone walls. He had taken to circling the canine, getting a look at it from all corners, looking for anything that would show he was dangerous as the shadow pup didn't exactly know what he was looking for. His red eyes blazing in the darkness, red against black, moving orbs in a circle. The persistent rumbling sound from his throat was following him, a growl going wherever he placed his feet. It came naturally, the noise, and he would not tell it to leave. He liked the sound. The pup stayed at a distance though as he walked around, eyes locked onto Bones' body, he would not touch the animal, not even slightly, even the thought of it made his growl louder. Oh, he had so much to learn about himself. Like his own fire, his phobia of touching others, how to fight, how he had a gem hidden with in him. So much.

Zaire, Zaire Alesius. That voice in his mind started to repeat when the character had explained what a name was. It was a whisper in his brain. "Zaire" He copied, though this time out loud, a hiss from his ebony lips, following him much like the growl. He had been near the back of the animal, watching as his legs looked as if they were straining against his weight, like he had when he first stood, but this guy looked much older, he shouldn't have trouble standing. "Something wrong legs" It was a statement, no need for questions when he could simply observe and say what was out of place. He may be a gembound, but he wasn't completely stupid, right?

To see, but why did you need to see? Surely the things you bumped into couldn't hurt you much, right? They couldn't kill you and so they weren't dangerous? "Bumping things not kill, not bad." Correct? Or was he far off? He hadn't stopped walking, no point, if he wanted to get used to his legs he shouldn't stop, and he didn't want to.

Danger. That word brought a small, almost sadistic smile onto his face, he could not guess why but the word was a pleasure to his ears. "Fire dangerous, want fire." He wanted fire a lot now, let him have it, let him destroy things he had not even seen yet, let him burn objects, burn others. There could be nothing wrong with that, could there? His thoughts were cut short by a new question, he wasn't the only curious one then. "Shadows, darkness is home." It was his answer, and it was true, even if he couldn't stay where he was, he could follow in the shadows to where ever Bones was going, maybe see some of those things that he was named after, try and catch food. Sounded like a plan, and with that his eyes grew aflame with his new idea, seemingly brighter than before. A true fire in the darkness.
"Speech"

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@Bones

Bones dipped his head into a vague nod - if Zaire could even see it in the dark. He continued to limp up the tunnel, but upon bumping his nose into a curving wall he paused to concentrate into his chest again, ears flickering. As the hot white fire boiled once more in his body the dog noticed that it wasn't quite as painful this time, but it wasn't quite as bright either.

Regardless, it was enough for him to at least see.

"Zaire," he repeated, perhaps thoughtfully. The hot breath that left his mouth could have seared the hairs of another gembound's fur if they got too close - his paws were heating the rock under them. "That's a good name. It's more original than Bones."

He turned his head, ears flickering. Flaring eyes were wide for a moment as the memories came flooding back; the white dragon tossing him like he weighed nothing against the cave wall, the blood, the fire that left scars on his back that - with the spell - could be seen illuminated an uncomfortable white, Booker, and how he thought it was his fault.

The dog visibly winced, though he wasn't entirely sure if it was from the lingering fire burning as he walked or if it was at the memory. "They're broken," he said hoarsely, but gently. "They don't work right anymore."

"Bumping into things won't kill you, no, but it'll hurt," Canis wasn't far now, he could see the light of the dusty room. "Fire will kill you, easily." He said this without hesitation. Bones knew fine well what it did and how careful he had to be using it.

"It's so destructive, Zaire," a frown crossed the dog's mouth - a rare sight for anybody who knew him. "It'll kill your prey fine but it will easily spiral out of control and kill you in a matter of seconds."

This kid was damn creepy. "Fair enough," he grumbled, and stepped out into Canis.

-exit bones-
@Zaire

Zaire Alesius

The only indication that Bones had started moving again was the sound of his paw steps getting further away, and then, as if the other canine couldn't stop himself or hold back the light any longer, the tunnel was submerged in the white glow again. Fainter this time.

Moving back to the side of the tunnel, feeling the cold stone scrape against his side, not enough pressure to cause blood or a wound but enough to send a message of pain. Zaire kept it this way though as he started to use his paws and wander his was towards Bones, following behind the creature to wherever he was going. A new journey for the shadow pup.

Zaire's eyes caught onto the figure of the moving animal that he had met when he first hatched, hearing him speak about his name, the one his mind's voice had thought of. "Bones hold body, Zaire water, river" He knew the definition for bones after the older animal had told him but the definition for his own name was being spoken by his mind's voice just like when it had named him. Yet, he had already known what it meant, weirdly being able to translate the word as soon as the name came into his young brain. It wasn't the language they were speaking though.

Don't work right, broken What had happened? What had broken his legs? The other thing that popped into his thoughts though was that body parts could get broken and it hurt, he could cause pain.

Fire. Fire kill. Fire dangerous. Oh Bones, you were just making the shadow pup want to possess it even more, he didn't care if he couldn't control it. It was destructive and now the dark pup wanted to see it in action, see it destroy.

Zaire, stopping to catch his breath every once in a while, he was pup after all and his legs couldn't carry him as far as the longer legs of the elder creature could, had been continuously following him. Not knowing where they were going, but he wanted the adventure.

Exit Zaire
"Speech"

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@Bones