"Speech" Thoughts

Arkrael stared up at the creature in awe as he began to speak. It was a strange sound. One that made small chills race along her spine. Though she stood unafraid as it showed it's fangs in the process of talking. She nearly purred(or gave a pleasant growl like noise) when Tamelyn moved closer to her and she gave a friendly adoring side nudge to the deer. She could never imagine losing Tamelyn like this creature seemed to have lost his dear friend. The lions words had rung clear in Arkrael's ears, but she paid them no mind for the time being as Tamelyn introduced both of them to the large creature. She gave a curt nod as if to affirm Tamelyn's words and even more as her tail began to sway back and forth.

"Yeah. Is it possible? We could search for you?" Arkrael tilted her head as she carried on when Tamelyn had offered her words of assistance. It would be a fun adventure. One where she could put her tracking skills to the test. She was not even close to being perfect in her tracking skills, but she definitely had confidence in them as, no matter how long it took, she still eventually found her way back to Tamelyn. Of course, this all still relied on if that was even possible. There was no telling what had truly happened to the creature's friend. Or how it even became nothing more than a helm that was clutched within the strange hands of this foreign creature.

Arkrael's brows furrowed together as she looked upon the helm that was tightly clutched within the things hand and her heart seemed to sink. Her heterochromia eyes danced back up to the creatures face and a soft frown marred the edges of her muzzle. She was curious to know how long he had roamed these caves. How long it was that he sat alone with only but a helm as a companion. There were times Arkrael would feel the need to be on her own, but for the most part she had that inner craving for a companion. Which was always about the time she always found herself around Tamelyn once more. She seemed to be her only true friend. Albeit she had met several other gembounds, she just never really clicked with any of them. It didn't appear the same for Tam. Which made Arkreal happy all the same. She made plenty of friends and was always busy. And for that Arkreal was grateful of the other gembounds, even if it made her slightly jealous.

Arkrael soon shook her thoughts away and refocused on the creature, completely ignoring the new creature that had came up beside Tamelyn. She smelled funny, not like anything Arkrael had yet to meet so out of the corner of her eyes she cast a look over in the direction. Her tail flicked as she studied Adira, before she ultimately ignored her and looked to the creature again; eager to hear the words he may soon speak.

Azazel watched the shadowy creature carefully, taking note of the monotone of his voice. The spindly-limbed creature lifted a spidery arm, showing the Gembound the helm he once so carefully inspected, yet gazed at softly. Surely this 'friend' was someone close to this being... Someone beloved. If the helm was only the heart of the creature, there was much more left of their body all around in the tunnel. It was metal, and the Gembound was shadow.

Wait a moment...

The vision that Makyna had when she used her hindsight magicka on the stone near Canis. It had featured a shadowy creature and a being made of metal. The stone had been important at the time, but it seemed to fall silent for so long. Maybe now... It meant something. It had to be connected to the shadow creature. He waddled quickly to Makyna, whispering in her ear. "I'm going to go get the stone. I feel it has something to do with this... I'm sure of it." Quickly, he turned and flapped his wings, taking to the air for what would be a very tiring quick trip to Pisces. He'd find his best bet to continue through Orion and take Tunnel K through to Pisces, then return. Hopefully his magicka would serve him well and allow him to fly quickly so he did not miss out on much, or that he wasn't too late.

Barely any magical energy left his wings, and he didn't move as quick as he'd hoped to. He'd just have to make do... wobbling a little in the sky as a headache thrummed through his head. He would have to try again in Orion. He needed to get that stone.

{ exit Azazel for One Round of Posts }

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The fledgling Great Horned Owl that shuffled toward the voices seemed blind. His eyes, at least, were closed, and he didn't even try to fly, though perhaps that pale down that still coated his wings indicated he was still too young regardless.

More voices. More like Bev-y.

This was the only thought in his mind--possible company, strangers, new friends--as he stumbled over loose rock and bits of bone. There were several of these voices, and to him they sounded friendly, and warm. He shuffled, unseeing and awkward, over the rock floor.

One voice drew closer to another. Were they friends? They all seemed to be facing away, or cross-ways to him, and he came up carefully to listen. For a moment he did just that, still crouched in a small crack of darkness between several rocks, not realizing in his blindness that he was in a place where others could not easily see him. A whoosh came overhead, and he flattened down and peered up, green gem eyes briefly splitting open instinctively, his ear tufts pressed to his skull. Something had flown past; he knew this. He didn't know if it was friend, or enemy, though.

The blind owl then turned, shuffling his way toward the center of the cave. There was something odd; something hushed, something thrumming with magic in here. It was likely just the other Gembounds, but Dark didn't know that; all he knew was that there were friendly voices and a warm pulse to the room that felt familiar. He might have bumbled right into the strange creature had he not first knocked into one of the many piles of bone and armor fragments nearby. He paused, head tilting slightly, closing all four talons delicately around one of the small, cool-to-the-touch and smooth objects. What was it?

He extended his magical senses tentatively, instinctively, trying to sense its nature.

But nothing happened, and the blind owl was left sitting exposed and quiet among the piles of refuse, silently clutching a piece in one foot as he fruitlessly pondered it--unaware of the bizarre creature only a couple of meters away.

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As he looked between the gathered Gembounds, he would notice that several others had come to observe. Some of them silently keeping to themselves, others speaking hushedly among one another. He noticed a bird had approached the group, but he was blind; it was quite the assortment of creatures indeed. The beast's attention wandered back to the lioness as she spoke, burning peridot eyes lingering with interest. Rohan. Yes... the same sounded familiar. But reaching back into his memories, he found everything drowned out, as though the voice spoke from under water. His brow furrowed slightly in thought. It must have been the white wolf. "Yeeess..." His old voice creaked as he thought of the white wolf. The one he had sent on his quest.

Next the deer spoke, discussing the "pieces". These Gembounds were quick to catch on it seemed. She then explained what she was, speaking of the large stag that had visited him earlier. Yes, the Big Deer. He remembered. She introduced the black wolf, and the beast's eyes slowly wandered to the canine. Finally, a question that had been asked before. Who was he? What was his name? He stared beyond them, dredging up memories from a time long lost. "Iii haave... no name. They only spoke of me... as Beast." He answered deeply and looked back at Tamelyn. Before long, the lot of them were chattering about the pieces, more than eager to commit themselves to the task of finding them. The first bird spoke of a stone, instantly capturing the attention of the shadowy creature. The beast rumbled slowly. They would have to move fast.

He looked back at the helm in his hands. It was all he had been able to find. But that... that would change soon. "Yeesssssss." He rumbled again. "There are more pieces. Fiiind them." The beast looked back at them. He had the helm. The white wolf was rumored to have another piece. He didn't know how many others would be interspersed through the cave. "Bring them... to meee." The creature's voice reverberated throughout the room, wistful, seething with intent. He had been bound to this room, to protect his most precious find - the helm. With the help of these Gembounds, perhaps he could once and for all complete his quest.

The Beast's Best Friend: Part One has been completed!

Your characters are free to exit this thread. This thread will end once all characters have exited. Your characters can then search the caves for the remaining pieces. Upon finding a piece, characters should make a brand new thread in Tunnel J to return a piece to the Beast.

Tamelyn We'll reel away til the break of day
and dance together til morning!

Tamelyn wrinkled up her nose as the creature confessed that he had no name, only a title. "Well, then you should pick a name for yourself, like we did." Maybe he wanted to be called Beast, but the young deer couldn't see how. Another Gembound joined them, drifting over to Tamelyn's side and allowing the fawn to get a better look at her. She had never seen an equine before, and so the only thing she could equate this stripey creature to was a very big deer with a very long face and very long tail. Tamelyn shushed her as she spoke, her tone almost sounding a bit rude. "I don't know, bu' he needs help." Arkrael agreed with her, that they could help search, which gladdened Tamelyn. The wolf's sense of smell seemed leaps and bounds beyond her own. Metal-scent was all over this tunnel, but she knew it would be fainter outside.

The big not-Pheonix bird apparently had an idea, and flew off after whispering something to the lion. She turned her head to watch him go, catching sight of another new bird as she did so. He moved slowly across the ground, rather than flying, and his eyes, while luminescently green, seemed to have no focus at all. She watched him curiously, only looking away when the creature spoke again, accepting their offer to help. She nodded firmly, chest puffing out. "We'll bring them back, jus' you wait and see."

She turned to look at Arkrael and the stripey creature, eyes alight with determination and excitement. "Wanna search together, Ark?" she asked, then looked over at the the zebra. "An' you too! We can all look together." No matter their answers, she would soon be racing off in search of the first piece.

-exit Tamelyn, potentially with Arkrael and Adira if they agree-

"Listen to me."

table by lisa

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The blind owl wasn't sure quite what was going on, nor even who was here in this room with him or if he was in any danger.

What he did know was that the things on the ground were not speaking to him, not as some distant part of him thought they were meant to. They weren't giving up their secrets, and he was growing weary with his attempts.

He could hear many of the creatures shuffling out, but paid them no mind; their gaits didn't sound rushed or frantic, and their voices, though somewhat enthusiastic, seemed relatively calm. And nobody had bothered with Dark, yet. He had no reason to fear.

The creature that had spoken from somewhere up ahead was still there, so he would linger here, awhile, picking up that armor bit and this bone and that rock, touching them, pondering them, feeling for their hidden truths, before wandering off down the tunnel.

There.

One of the cold metal pieces near the strange beast touched his mind as his talons grasped it, and he held quite still for awhile, pondering the barely-seen flash of vision--almost so weak as to be meaningless, yet, it was there. He stayed for awhile, green gem eyes wide and unblinking, before weakly shuffling off, oblivious to his surroundings.

He had a mind only for the secrets of the stones, but perhaps that might come in handy, for the others, at some point. For now, Dark kept to himself, and to his own crooked, unseen path.

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(( -- Exit Dark -- ))

A shard of shattered armor had come into the owl's grasp. It was eager to share its own story, but what magic remained in the armor had mostly leeched into the surrounding rocks and debris. Still, there were flashes of a time long, long ago - images from events that had stuck by the armor even after all these years. The clashing of steel, the most prominent sound that would ring through the owl's brain. A fight. But there was no panic nor desperation in the air. These fighters were training. Testing themselves. For what? The vision would seep away into the nothingness, leaving the owl with no more than a vague memory.

The spell had not gone unnoticed by the beast. The shuffling of the owl near the armor had finally attracted his attention. He turned his large, heavy head, gaze lingering upon the blind bird. A question lingered on the very tip of his tongue, but the bird had turned and left, leaving the beast wondering just what exactly he had seen.

Arkrael listened without a word as the beast spoke. His request to go and find the other pieces sent an excitement through Arkrael. It was exciting enough to exore every nook and cranny of the cave. It was all the more exciting to be on a wild goose chase to find something hidden away with the depths of the cave. Her gaze drew over to Tam as she began to speak and she gave a quick grin and agreeing nod. She would definitely go with Tamelyn to partner up and search for more pieces that this creature wanted. She tossed a glance towards the new hooved creature to have joined them, curious to see if she would tag along as well. Shaking it off, Arkrael rose to her paws and quickly padded after Tamelyn, eager to start their hunt for the missing pieces.

-exit Arkrael-

So, this was the one that Rohan had gotten the metal thing for. Well, that meant that she had to help out to and send Rohan this way! He'd be so happy that should be able to help him! The lioness was ready to dash off then but when the word from Aza'zel came she nodded her head. Yes. Perhaps the rock did have something to do with this fellow. Couldn't hurt to see anyway, right?

After the other's obvious dismissal she nodded her head to him took a glance at everyone else in farewell then took her own leave. The hunt was on!

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words: 104
tagged: Quest
ooc: Didn't read any other post XD Just kinda went on the beast's post and what I knew Aza to say. Sorry if I skipped anyone.
muse: 4/10

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