His travels took him to a room closer to Monoceros today, a plesant trip to Orion would be exactly whatbhe needed. Having visited Orion before in his youth, he remembered enjoying the room for the starry feel it had. He spent hours star gazing and would easily live here if not for the Merry Men. Even without Odyssey and Iliad, Othello remained. Loyal to the Merry Men for life, Othello was happy in Monoceros. He really liked Orion though.

Structures filled the room around him, like buildings. Othello wondered what they were for - maybe there was life here before the gembounds. The dilapidated buildings were abandoned long before he was born, but Louie was the oldest gembound he knew, so there was a gap between whatever used those buildings and the arrival of the gembounds.

Despite the lingering creepiness about Orion and it's buildings, he wished someone would kidnap him and force him to live in Orion. With that came complications however, but the thought was nice. It even brought a small smile to the stilted foxs face.

He walked towards the closest wall, seeing some cliffs and wanting a vetter, birds eye view of the room. The wall certainly looked somewhat easy to climb, with chunks jutting out like atairs almost. Othello used these to help aid him in scaling the wall to get a better view, but he felt one crumble beneath his paw and finally shatter, forcing the maned wolf to fall too.

The wind was knocked out of him when he landed, his thin body landing awkwardly on the wrist of his left forepaw before crumbling and falling onto his side. He winced and tears welled in his ruby eyes, his wrist throbbing with pain.

Xin was walking through Orion, his paws dragging behind him and his head low. His eyes were narrowed and he stared at the ground. His long, fluffy tail dragged on the ground behind him. He was perfectly content to just walk like this, not really caring if he came across someone. It wasn't until he heard a crash that he looked up.

He soon realized he had come across one of the many buildings scattered throughout the place. He looked around and realized someone must have tried to crawl up it, but had fallen. He saw a large gembound crumpled against the ground, seemingly in pain. He watched for a moment longer, unsure of what to do. It's not like he could help the other. He was just a tiny, mute marten. He couldn't even talk to him! So why was he walking closer?

Xin watched the wolf for a moment before hesitatingly reaching out and poking him lightly on the shoulder with his paw. He wished he could say something, ask if he was alright, if he needed help, something. But of course, he couldn't. And from his standpoint, that was the worst possible thing. He couldn't say anything. He couldn't have an actual conversation with someone. He hadn't really mastered body language yet, simply because he tried to avoid as many as possible.

And if the other could talk-and they most likely could-what would they say? Would they comment on his inability to speak? Would they not release it right away? Would they try to attack him, like the boar did all of those cycles ago? He shuddered at the thought. That was a time he would much rather forget. He could only hope that this wolf wouldn't comment too much on his muteness.

And maybe, just maybe, they were mute too.

@Othello

His body quivered and shuddered in pain as his wrist swelled. It was certainly broken - he had heard the snap, or rather felt it, when he landed on the ground. It had caused him to immediately collapse onto his side where he now lays in agony. Never had the man felt so much pain. It throbbed with every beat of his heart which seemed to be moving in double-time. The silence that filled the room was ominous and unsettled him. He wanted to cry out, but it'd solve nothing. No one was here.

With jagged breaths, Othello listened, being as quiet as possible. If someone came in, maybe he could signal them! You'd think now would be a good time to speak, or even scream, but the natural instinct to do so never came. He knew he should, but it was no use. Squeezing his eyes closed and the tears from his sockets, he prayed for someone to rescue him. It'd be real great if the love of his life, wait what did he just say? His heart ached at the thought of Odyssey and more tears slipped from his ruby red eyes. He wanted the borzoi fox to appear magically and wisk him away somewhere safe, heal his paw, and they could live happily ever after... but Odyssey was gone, ad was Iliad and Louie. Their mother, Magdalena, was even gone. He felt abandoned, lost, and without purpose.

There was a touch to his shoulder then and if it wasn't for the indescribable amount of pain the stilted fox felt, he'd quickly turn to be met with the fact his dreams hadn't come true. A silent sob wretched itself from his being before he looked at the small marten through glassy eyes. He begged the smaller gembound to do something, call for help, run and get help, or even just help him themselves... but what had he done to deserve being saved? He tried to kill Penelope for heaven's sake, twice. Because he was jealous of the secret bond between her and the fox. What a stupid reason it felt like now, being jealous of a stupid gembound because the one he tried so hard to befriend, to love, after Odyssey and Iliad disappeared obviously didnt care about him just like the others. What had he done? He suddenly didn't blame the marten then if they didnt want to help and turned away from the pathetic maned wolf. From his standpoint, he didn't deserve to be saved.

@xin jesus this is why i kept othello around. My muse for him just randomly appears in threads

Xin blinked as he was met with the other's eyes. He was clearly in a lot of pain, and the marten couldn't do anything. Why had he come here in the first place? It's not like he could call for help or anything. He couldn't run and find someone to help. Did they even need help? How badly had they been hurt? Judging by the sob that had racked their body, they had to have been in a lot of pain. He hadn't ever met someone in this much pain before. He didn't know what to do.

So he did was he could. He sat and watched, staring into the maned wolf's eyes. He sat there for a long time, not moving, until he slowly began to tilt his head. He didn't know why, but it just seemed...right. So he sat there, his head tilted, beady eyes staring into the other's without blinking.

@Othello

The smaller gembound had yet to speak and Othello audibly sighed. Could this marten help him at all? His ribs ached from the fall, but not nearly as much as his paw. He'd have to at least try and stand, but the idea of it alone made his sore spots cry out in pain before he could even move. Regardless, he couldn't lay here forever. If this marten was just going to sit here and stare, Othello couldn't take it. Although the silent company was nice and refreshing for the gembound being used to others blabbering on, it made him uneasy. He was far too intelligent for words, but what was this guys excuse?

With a big breath of air that expanded his ribs and nearly made him wimper, Othello rolled himself upright, laying now like a sphynx. Ruby red eyes glanced at the marten for a moment before he held his breath to stand. Holding his broken paw near his chest, he used his other three legs to stand. They ached as well, but much less than his side, ribs, and forepaw.

It took a moment, but finally he lifted himself up. His legs were shaky, but soon they straightened and bared his weight with slight ease. He wondered if his paw would heal or if it'd need to be sheared off. He cringed at the thought, but looked at the marten again. What was he even doing here?

@xin

Xin watched as the wolf slowly tried to lift himself, clearly wincing the whole way. He wished he could help, but he didn't know what to do. And was this wolf ever going to speak? The silence was starting to become slightly unnverving. He was used to silence when he was alone, but not with another gembound around... Did they just choose not to speak or were they mute?

By that point, the other had succeeded, and now stood on three legs, with one paw near his chest. He then looked at Xin almost expectantly, as if waiting for him to speak. He shifted his paws. How could he tell him that he couldnt speak? Could he try to speak and then let the failure to do so tell him? He didn't really have any choice.

Slowly, the marten opened his mouth and tried to speak. As he expected, nothing came out. He tried again. Nothing. Would that show the other that he couldnt speak? He hoped so.

@Othello

Tilting his head at the marten when they tried to speak and failed, Othello knew then that the gembound was mute, or at least selectively so like himself. It wasn't really that he was selective himself, more so chose not too because words were unimportant. He found little need to speak, so he's gone this entire time without knowing what he own voice sounded like. He wondered if the marten spoke once, then shook his head, doubting it.

Slowly he sat, limbs still uncertain of the weight after his fall. His near death experience left the maned wold rattled and confused, his body tingling with pain and minor adrenaline. In order to alleviate some of it, he tried to grow a mushroom, to remind himself he was still okay. Of one didn't spawn, was he broken in more ways than one?

It took a lot of concentration when before, it hardly took any. Accepting this as a sign of being exhausted, he accepted the effort it took. He could still in fact grow a mushroom, so he wasn't broken. Good. Looking at the marten again, he quickly glanced back towards the mushroom before nudging it free from its place and to the smaller gembound. It'd offer nothing but a filled space in the stomach, but itbwas a gift nonetheless.

@xin