Ghanyarah was beginning to feel a little better after rousing from the general anergia of the caves. For so long he had been tormented by his loneliness that he wasn't sure what to make of his emotions. He lacked confidence in how he felt - he was unsure, and he wished for things that he didn't know if he could ever have. He was unhappy, moody even, stricken by bouts of anger that often went unsated. But that was beginning to end.

Since he found the bat, Ghanyarah was distracted from those thoughts of loneliness. Even his maddening quest to find someone to dispel his solitude was set aside because now he was occupied with watching her, helping to keep her safe from the potential dangers of the swamp. He knew that there were monsters that lived in the swamp with him. Aquarian, though he had been silent for many cycles, lingered in the dark waters. There was the strange, skinny white dog that he had seen lurking among the vegetation. The one that initially tried to kill him and Leon. Her power had warded him away, though Ghanyarah often wondered if he would be able to eliminate her once and for all, if he managed to get the jump on her.

He didn't want to call his quest complete or a success quite yet, even if he had the little bat. There was no telling if she would actually stay.

Over time, he found hunger panging in his stomach and the diminutive snacks he managed to find among the undergrowth were no longer keeping him appeased. Mice and squirrels and other lesser Gembounds could only satisfy his hunger for so long. He wanted something bigger, like a cave deer. So off he went searching, tongue flicking in search of heat signatures, for something that could fill his stomach. He thought he had caught a whiff of a cave deer, but following it led him to the entrance of one of the tunnels. Had it gone through the tunnel, into one of the other rooms?

Hesitant to leave, Ghanyarah lingered at the entrance, weighing his options. He'd much rather find a meal and bring it back to the comfort of his tree. But, then again, he was so hungry...

Tag for @Vega and @Lituus if Sam wants Litty to be there, left it vague whether or not she's with Yara :)

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In the times the two hadn't spent conversing, there was a comfortable, understanding silence. There was something endearing about the large, slithering brute with fat, stumpy legs. Perhaps it was the look in his eye when he realized his loneliness had been quelled, at least for a while, with her coming into his fold. She hadn't known that, however. His loneliness. Only that he was kind, gentle, and patient with her and her awkward, fumbling ways.

Her wings did not belong to her, much as she would have liked them do. Countless attempts to get her body off the leafen soil failed terribly, and it would be time yet before she had practiced enough to do so. In light of this, she continues to cling to the dragon's back and now hangs upside down from the web of the spins 'twist his shoulders. She was as a shadow against the thick, reddish membrane- a furry ornament or stray leaflet that looked like it didn't belong there. Her furry, body is still, clinging firm to the structure with the hooks of her feet without much trouble.

Her eyes hungered for new sights. Her thirst begging for things to experience. What other kind of creatures were here? Trees? Caves? She had not left the sanctity of Cetus until this moment, escorted on the back of the marvellous, scaled beast. Pangs of hunger helped dispel them both from the comfort of the cave. She could hear the fluttered of insect wings all around them, but lacked the proficiency to take to the air and catch them just yet. This made her hunger worse as time went on at the base of that tree, carved with faces she did not yet know.

Then there it was. Something he had tasted on his tongue, and it spurred him forth. Eager was she to follow. To see. To learn. How did he hunt? Perhaps she could hunt this way too! At least.. until she could hunt on her own. Could she eat what he did? Would he let her?

Ghanyarah would feel her fluttering against his spines in anticipation, as she was inclined to do. Testing her wings and trying to gift her body with the force of her own downstroke. Some progress had been made, but not much. The failure was not disheartening for her, at least. She knew her wings were well and strong. Flight would simply take time. Just a little more time.

spread your wings earth element - lituus - vesper bat tags @ghanyarah

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it had been some time since vega had had a normal conversation. not since he was a pup, at the very least.

aside from the scuffle in one of the tunnels a few rest-cycles ago, he had been alone, and it had not done him well. sure, he had seen the entirety of the caves--he thought--now, but he was unbearably lonely, and his paranoia had only grown worse over the cycles of isolation. his mind was constantly racing, looking for threats all around him--the scuffle of a lesser gembound's feet was enough to send him into a panic, neck whipping around for the source of the sound and teeth bared in an obvious threat. yes, he had grown into quite an unstable, readily hostile creature.

but...

he was still lonely. deep within him was the drive to form a family, a pack, a safety net and a place to call home. he yearned for contact he felt he couldn't have. he knew, somewhere deep inside of himself, that his heightened feelings weren't rational. he knew he would one day need to learn to trust another gembound if he ever wanted to be happy.

what was the point in living if he was doing it alone?

that impulsive drive brought him out of the shadows of the cave, shaky paws padding lightly across the cold floor and hyper-vigilant eyes scanning the caves for someone he hoped he wouldn't find.

from across the tunnel, he found a large, reptilian creature, waddling around. on its back he spied.. a small bat? it was most surely an infant--had the reptilian creature killed it, and was it now preparing for a meal?

but then the batling wiggled around, and confusion struck. perhaps the large lizard was simply taking care of this infant? perhaps this would be a good candidate for friend-making, if any.

slowly, vega made his approach, paws trembling and tail unconsciously tucked between his legs. he kept his head at mid-height as he approached, hoping to whatever gods were out there he wouldn't intimidate this motherly creature into attacking or make himself vulnerable, either.

"hello," he choked out as the lizard came into plain view, voice still strained from cycles of misuse. it was a quiet greeting, almost meek, and vega instantly regretted his decision. perhaps this wasn't the best idea, after all.

@ghanyarah @lituus sorry for the wait & short post! im off meds for severe adhd right now and it makes it very hard to read and write

"speech" / thoughts
wolf by eawortman / table by wulf

Flicking his tongue, he perpetually sought sources of warmth that might lead him to his next meal. The bat on his back had a tendency to throw him off because he was still getting accustomed to her brand of heat - which was tiny, foreign and nubile. She was the vulnerable sort that Ghanyarah would have easily stolen away with to make a meal of, regardless of a family that cared for her. And he would have made a meal of her had she not moved when he broke her from her chrysalis. But thinking back on that now, he felt almost ashamed to admit it. He liked her too much to consider her anything other than a friend.

There was another source of heat but ahead, but it seemed it had noticed Ghanyarah before he noticed it. Against his spines, he felt a familiar rustling as the bat tested out her wings, and he paused to monitor - making sure she didn't dislodge herself - as a canine came into view, approaching. The reptile's eyes fixed on him, though his attention lingered on his companion for a moment more until the wolf drew near enough to speak. And when he did, Ghanyarah found quickly that his voice faltered, weak, as if he'd been sleeping in a chrysalis for many cycles. The reptile extended his limbs and tilted his head slightly, intrigued. He reminded Ghanyarah of Arkrael.

"Hello, wolf," he tested, just to make sure. Of course this was a wolf. What else would he be? Ghanyarah had seen enough of them to know what was and wasn't a wolf. "Are you in need of something?" Ghanyarah looked him over. Perhaps his throat was dry, or he was hungry, too. The komodo felt he could take a break from his hunt if it meant giving someone else a hand. He'd been trying to make that change, after all.

@Lituus