Tyler had wandered away from the place he had hatched and met the dog Kailia, possibly more confused than he had been before. What was this bright gem on his chest? What did it do? Was he the only one with a gem like this? What was this place he was in? Questions flooded his mind, and new ones continued to appear in his mind.

Before he had realized where he was going, he had walked into a dark, forest-like area with tall trees towering above him. Tyler stared down at his paws, which looked like they had disappeared beneath the water. The mist surrounding him messed with his sense of direction, so he decided the only thing he could do was keep trekking forward. He let his paws do the work as he continued to lose himself in thought.

The Groves were a good place to hunt. Here, it was possible for a reptile to lurk unseen in the black and murky waters, drifting along between the tangled roots of the tall trees. The cave deer that came to drink, or the blind fish that picked their way along the channels--or the wading birds that hunted them--all made good prey.

Now, however, Dragon saw something else.

At first it seemed to be just a dark shadow--something dull brown and striped, blending well with the darkness of the swamp. In fact, if Dragon hadn't been quite close to begin with, and rather by chance, he'd never have spotted it through the mist. As it was, the thing was passing along, at an angle, very near to him.

As it drew closer, he could see that it was a cat--a small feline, not even the size of his own head--picking its way delicately through the swamp. A gem at its chest shimmered in the dim light, much brighter than the rest. Dragon found his curiosity piqued. Cats did not like water, in his experience--but this one was trudging on, dark paws vanishing into the swamp. Perhaps it was a Swamp Cat of some sort? Did those exist? He had never seen one, but if they were all so well-camouflaged, perhaps that was to be expected. Still... It bore looking into.

He could hunt it--but he wasn't hungry; and anyway he had the vaguest idea that perhaps it was sentient. Something to speak to, to gather information from. Surely it would be easier to ask things of it, than to try and guess?

For a time he followed in silence, drifting along beneath the water's surface, slow enough to leave hardly a ripple. When the cat at last crossed more or less in front of him, he bobbed up, like a log breaking free from the bottom--large armored body slowly breaking past the surface, his scales slicked black with wet.

"Tell me," the alligator rumbled, voice deep and rough, yet curious--"what you are?"

The cat could probably just run away--he had made no attempt to corner it, which was virtually impossible in the vast swamps anyway. But would it?

Dragon found himself curious, again, as to not only what the cat was--but what it would do.

Perhaps it is a Mindless, after all. Perhaps it will simply flee into the darkness. And all the better, for it.

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@Tyler

The sound of a deep, hoarse voice behind Tyler startled him, forcing him to quickly turn around. A large reptile appeared to have been following him through the water. The gator scared the young cat enough for him to instinctively back away from it. His ears flicked at the question. "What are you?" The small feline wasn't even sure he knew himself. "I.. I don't know," he mewed quietly, still struck by fear.

Tyler looked back down at the gem on his chest. What was he? He blinked back up at the alligator again, examining it carefully. No stone was visible to him, which only confused him more. What if he was the only one with this anomaly stuck to his body?

This alligator hadn't tried to trap him, it appeared, nor did it appear as if it was planning on attacking. The brown tabby kitten sighed, letting himself exhale and relax. However, he still remained aware - it could attack at any moment. For now, he would remain calm.

Dragon watched, just sort of hanging in the dark water, as the cat spoke. As it went from fear to hesitant relaxation. It didn't bolt, which was perhaps foolish but it did not matter as Dragon didn't mean to attack him anyway. Not yet, at least.

"Hrm. Young, then? Some do not know what they are, upon birth. Upon hatching."

He considered, briefly submerging his snout to blow a few thoughtful streams of bubbles toward the surface. When he bobbed back up again, he spoke, slowly, as if pondering.

"Then tell me--why you are here. I am... hmmm... curious," he rumbled.

If it was newly-born, perhaps it was merely wandering. Hunting? Or did it not even yet know to hunt, or how? The alligator bubbled in thought again, eyes locked on the cat in an idle manner.

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@Tyler

Tyler exhaled softly, relieved to hear that it was common to be confused at first. He watched the scaly animal engulf itself in the water, a few bubbles appearing quickly at the surface. However, the next question shot at him made him ponder for a moment. Why had he wanted to come to this dark place? He thought back to his first meeting with Kailia. He had lost sight of the dog, and had wandered in a completely different direction.

"I suppose I just ended up here," he said, expressing a bit more confidence with his voice. He stood a little straighter, trying to make himself look as tall as he could. The kitten wanted to appear a bit stronger than he really was, but it didn't have much of an effect.

The alligator snorted, and bubbled again, watching the cat. It was pretty, in a way, in its muddy colors and soft coat. Dragon lifted himself up higher to speak, wondering if perhaps the creature were very young indeed.

"And where did you come from? Have you yet eaten, in this life?" he asked, head tilting with a slight splash.

He could feed the creature. He was, after all, hunting regardless, and surely such a tiny beast would not consume too much?

Dragon turned with a rather large spray of water from his ridged tail, angling himself up the water channel. He delved briefly below the surface, peering ahead--but no fish seemed to be nearby, not so close. Then he bobbed up again, waiting for the cat's response.

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@Tyler

Tyler slowly shook his head, gesturing that he had no clue as to where he had come from, nor had he eaten. A few drops of water had landed on him when the gator turned, and he quickly shook them off. He felt his stomach grumble as he responded, reminded of his hunger. The cat mewed a quiet, "I don't know how to hunt." He stared down at his black and white paws. Tiny, sharp claws stuck out from his toes. Maybe I have to use those? he thought for a moment.

Dragon gave a soft, slow chuckle.

"Perhaps not yet, but we all come with instincts. You already know that you must hunt, without being told. You must use your stealth, cat. You must use your claws and your teeth and kill swiftly, or what you leap on will turn on you and end you. There are fish, here--and birds, and rats. Mice. Come, and I will show you what to look for."

The alligator slowly swished his tail to and fro, making his way up the channel of black water--it was narrow, and Tyler would be able to follow along at the bank, he knew. There was a broader, even shallower pan of water some distance ahead where the albino cave fish generally schooled--perhaps the cat would be able to catch something there, once he showed them to him?

"Some also use their magic to hunt--and to fight. Do you yet know what yours is?" he asked. For some, he knew, it took them awhile to learn, to discover--particularly without someone to guide them. Some did not even know they had magic, not until they accidentally accessed it days or even weeks after birth.

But some, like he himself, used it instinctively. He wondered which the cat would be.

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@Tyler

Tyler's ears perked up, listening carefully to what the older creature was saying. Dragon seemed to be a wise animal, and the cat wondered about just how much he had gone through. He followed with caution, attempting to avoid the water as much as he could, which proved to be difficult. Eventually, he simply let his paws sink back into the water, as they were already wet.

At the word "magic", his eyes widened in surprise. He peered down at his gem - was that what it was for? The cat looked back at Dragon, asking that exact question. His tail waved back and forth in anticipation and excitement. Magic was certainly something he never imagined would be a part of this world.

Dragon let out a short, deep chuckle as he led the way forward.

"I believe so. Perhaps if you focus on it. Put your energy into it. Tap into its power. I do not know; it came naturally to me, as if it lives within me. Others focus on the gems quite closely."

Dragon led the way further onward, reaching the shallow pool. Within could be seen a small school of albino cave fish--blind, slimy things, delicious when cooked--but could the cat use flames?

The alligator turned his boatlike head to peer up at Tyler.

"There are fish, here. The slime is difficult to chew through, but if you can roast them with flames, or claw through the skin, they taste delicious. Provided, that is, you can catch one."

Then he drifted, floating silent in the water, waiting to see how the cat would fare.

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@Tyler