A few cycles had passed since Aaliyah left Imperia, and she was...not faring well. Now that she was free, she had no idea what to do. Cycles had passed, and she was just as lost when she first left them as she is now. Her paws dragged across the ground as she walked, trying to find something to do. Or someone to talk to. The lights were off when she fought Imperia, and they still were now. She hadn't come across anyone else. She also hadn't eaten, and she clearly looked that way. She'd come across a mouse here and there that she'd catch to at least keep herself alive, but she didn't hunt outside of that.

Her ribs were clearly visible, and her fur was all over the place. She hadn't groomed herself recently either. Her fur wasn't looking very well. She continued walking, her paws moving as though they had their own mind. Her side was constantly brushing against something, perhaps the wall, though she paid it no attention. While walking, something seemed to change. She blinked a couple of times, looking around.

She realized with a jolt that she could see. It had been so long since she'd last been able to see this well. Her eyes hurt now, since they had become so accustomed to the darkness. She sat down and closed them, wincing. Slowly, she opened them again until they were adjusted. She looked around. Orion looked the same as she remembered. She couldn't see anyone around, and wondered if maybe everyone had retreated into their chrysalis. She had thought about it, but simply didn't have the energy. Even now, she didn't. Now that she had stopped walking, she felt exhausted.

She took a few steps forward, wanting to get away from the edge of Orion in hopes she'd find someone better that way. She swayed on her paws, but dug her claws in, attempting to keep herself upright. A few more paws steps, and she collapsed in a heap of messy fur. She was starving and exhausted, and didn't know whether she would make it. All of this. Going against Imperia, only for her to die. She kept her eyes open as best she could, refusing to give in. She would make it! She just had to hope someone, anyone, would come.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: here
notes: dont worry i wont let her die

Amras Much time had passed since his hatching in the room of howling winds, and in that time he'd barely witnessed a single soul. His existence had been solitary, working in the dark to create a place of comfort. Every day using his magic to chip away into the solid rock, digging farther and farther in until he had made a sizable sanctuary. The work was hard at times, but with little else to do it was a way to occupy his time. He always looked forward to the rare moments when his work would unveil some new type of rock, from the solid shiny metalloids to the dark material that broke easily and filled the air with dust. He'd learned to try to go around those veins, it wasn't pleasant breathe in. Today, however, Amras was taking a trip away from the room of winds to the room of strange structures. His artificial cave was substantial in size but lacking in any kind of furnishings, and it was in this room that he could often find greenery that could form a soft bedding for the living section of his tunnels. It was also a prime location to hunt, as many animals tended to avoid the inhospitable environment he resided in. On this particular trip the weariness of his stomach was slightly higher of a concern than the ache of his bones from lying on hard ground. The sounds permeated the air from all directions as the blue gryphon sat upon one of the odd structures, listening for a hapless creature to wander close enough for him to strike. As he waited, however the world around him exploded with signs of magic. Where there had been only darkness before he could now see with brilliant detail. The creature roared out a loud screech, from birth knowing light only as a side effect of capturing magic to create a destructive force. There was no pain though, no calamitous change, and the light did not fade away. Suddenly he was no longer resting in a room of unknown shapes and structures but upon a building in a ruined city under a starry sky. Any prey that had been nearby had scampered away from the sound, but hunger was the last thing on his mind now. He had to explore, had to know more. Holding himself low to the ground the gryphon hopped down the side of the building, having never been in a situation where flight was safe since the day he hatched. This would take some time to get used to! Thus he began to wander until he came upon another being, one he had never encountered before in his hunts. Unlike most creatures though it did not flee upon his arrival, perhaps it hadn't noticed him? If it was sick then it wouldn't be safe to eat, and no healthy creature would wait so patiently for death. Amras was close enough where he could strike out with magic, but he still hadn’t been noticed. Only one way to tell for sure if this thing was suitable or not. It had been weeks since he had last created a vocalization, but this would be a proper time to use one. Still low to the ground, right paw at the ready to strike, the gryphon breathed in and let out an audible chirp. Take hold of the power within "And shape the fabric of reality around you" Tags: @Aaliyah

Aaliyah lay there, struggling to keep her eyes open. She began to focus on the light. It had been so, so long since she last saw light. She had been almost tempted to use one of her spells, since fire produced light. But the thought of the smell and the feel of fire always made her quick to change her mind. She wasn't sure she'd ever be able to handle fire again. She needed a spell that wasn't fire. Anything but fire.

She lay there for a moment longer, vaguely hearing the sound of someone approaching. Her mind didn't register it, however, so she ignored it, continuing to focus on the light. She looked up at the ceiling and the pretty lights. She vaguely remembered sneaking away from Imperia for a moment to look at them in her first cycle. That had been...so long ago, and the memory was so hazy she wasn't even sure if it had been real. But they were real. They were back, and she wasn't bathed in darkness anymore.

After a moment, a noise alerted her. Had she not been in this condition, she might have jumped in surprise. Or flailed around. Or maybe even attacked whoever had made the noise. Imperia had always made sure her reflexes were sharp, constantly startling her in an attempt to get her to attack them. Sometimes it would work. Other times, she'd just squeak, not having expected it. With a grunt, and with way more effort than she would have liked to use, she rolled over and came face to face with a large creature.

Aaliyah's first thought was "What is that thing?" It was blue, and a rather bright blue at that. It's front paws - could they even be called that? - looked weird, although the back paws looked normal. It had wings, as well, and a beak. Was it some form of bird? And a lion? A hybrid, maybe, like her? She couldn't tell. One paw was raised, prepared to strike. The position of the other caused warning signs to go off in her head, though it took her a moment to register them.

When she did, she gave another grunt. She eyed them for a moment before figuring she probably had to speak. It had been so long since then, she wasn't even sure if she could. But it was worth a try, and she opened her mouth. "w-" she hadn't been able to get any farther and quickly coughed to clear her throat. "Who are you and what do you want?" she tried to sound threatening, but considering her voice was wavering and she was clearly starving and exhausted, she didn't think it turned out too well.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: @Amras
notes: here

Amras His mark was still not moving away, yet something told him this was more than just a case of a sick creature waiting for death. There was something about it that was strange, felt different. Perhaps it was that he could actually see its almost conscious eyes now that magic light permeated the area, but a nagging thought in the back of his mind told him that it had to be something else. The creature vocalized in return, but the effects of said vocalization sent a visible shock through the gryphon's mind. Talon lowered as Amras tried to gain control again of the ruffled feathers on his wings. When it spoke it had created some kind of strange response in his mind, placed thoughts there that had not been there before. He was almost fully grown now, and this phenomina had fallen almost completely out of his mind, for it had never been needed. A special skill held only by those who were set apart from the common prey, non magical in nature but as powerful as magic in effect: language. The concept that had been planted by the creature's voice was one of questioning, of probing for information. Could he utilize the skill as well? He knew he intrinsically had the capability but would he get it right? No matter, there no use playing the part of a mute simply out of fear of failure. After another breath Amras attempted to reply, at first only succeeding in letting out only a series of chirps, skrawws, and soft screeches. Eyes narrowed in frustration. Even if he knew how to his vocal chords were stiff, inflexible, he'd have to go a lot slower if he was to actually succeed in planting concepts in the other creature's mind as it had done with him. "Food" he finally managed to utter, soft and low pitched, still sounding halfway like a simple caw. "Not hurt." The wording was so simple, so imprecise, but such was the harsh truth about new skills. When he'd first learned to use the magic of using force he'd only been able to make big thuddy shockwaves. It had taken him dozens of sleep cycles of practice before he'd figured out how to make it sharp enough to chip away at rock so he could really make headway on creating a new home. It had also indicated a curiosity of his identity. Instinct told him he knew that one too but it was so far back in his mind that he'd have to give it some serious thought first. "Self. Greater one." he continued as clearly as he could at the moment. Progress was being made, the words were mostly understandable, but time was still needed. Take hold of the power within "And shape the fabric of reality around you" Tags: @Aaliyah

Aaliyah watched the creature as its feathers ruffled. It seemed as though what she said shocked it, however she couldn't figure out why. Then again, she couldn't figure many things out, not in this state. It felt like she was watching everything from a distance, processing what happened later than when it actually happened. The creature lowered its talons, and she felt herself visibly relax, if only slightly. She had managed to escape from Imperia, and it would be such a shame if she were killed so easily. She really should have taken better care of herself, but she just never had the energy to. Scars and burns she had gotten from the battle still hurt, since she never did anything about them.

The sounds of chirping and soft screeches dragged her attention back to the creature in front of her. She watched, a slightly puzzled look on her face. Had it never spoken before? She looked over it, noting that it appeared as though it may not be full grown. Maybe it had never seen someone before, never talked to someone. Never had someone talk to it, until now. Aaliyah had always had someone to talk to. Imperia didn't like talking, but would entertain her, even if for just a moment. Even when she was away from Imperia for a moment, she had someone to talk to. Now that she was alone, she had no one. No one to keep her company. Maybe Imperia was right. What if she really wasn't ready to be on her own?

An actual word snapped her out of her thoughts. She stared at the creature for a moment, trying to make sense of what it said. Was it talking about her? If she hadn't been in this state, she might have been able to understand. But as it was, she could barely focus on anything, constantly dipping into her own thoughts. She stared blankly up at it, trying to process its words. It spoke again, and she began to grasp slightly what it was saying. She wasn't sure what to say back, and so just stared up at it, flicking an ear in what she hoped the other would recognize as an indication that she had heard them. At the moment, that was all she could do.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: @Amras
notes: here

Amras His words appeared to have gotten through, at least somewhat. The gryphon's visage shifted to an expression of soft satisfaction as he witnessed definite signs of intelligence and understanding behind the creature's eyes. She had not responded, however, and in fact by the looks of things it was a wonder she had spoken before as she had. Limbs weak, body deteriorating, when was the last time she had eaten? Perhaps it was none of his business, but this was the first greater gembound he had encountered. Beyond that an emotion he was unfamiliar with began to rise within his mind. Seeing her there reminded him of his earliest days of life, battered and hurting just after hatching, spending days trying to recover and thankful to the infinite darkness for bringing him salvation when a small scurrying creature crossed his path. In this suffering entity he saw a portion of himself, and thus even now could almost feel a portion of the pain they were going through. Empathy. "This one... sees pain." He spoke again, his words becoming clearer and clearer by the syllable as tight vocal chords loosened and strange sounds became more natural. "Does the creature... no... Do you need help?" A thought of desire to end pain, translated from thought to sound to thought again in a foreign mind. To give of his time to satisfy the emotion of empathy. It felt strange, but natural at the same time. He would not starve any time soon, and the other could likely provide information and fresh insight in return. Would it accept his offer though? Take hold of the power within "And shape the fabric of reality around you" Tags:

Aaliyah watched as the creature seemed to think something over. She continued to slip in and out of focus, only half aware of what was going on around her. Her tail tip was flicking slightly, the only sign of her living, other than her slight and ragged breathing. Her chest rose and fell slightly with each breath, and she felt the urge to cough again. She did so, and cringed at the feeling. Her throat was dry. She couldn't remember the last time she drank something.

Hearing more words caused her to prick her ears, and she turned her attention back to the creature. At his words, she paused. Pain? With a jolt, she realized what she must look like right now. Her fur was messy. She hadn't groomed it in cycles, and her scars must be no help either. Some were probably covered in dried blood. Her eyes had an almost glazed over look, as she dipped in and out of focus.

She flicked an ear and tried to speak again. "Y-Yes." Normally, she might have tried to say something witty, but alas, she was in no position to. She knew she needed help, and wasn't going to refuse it. That would be idiotic of her. She could imagine Imperia refusing help, though. And if they had both been together, in this situation...Imperia's pride could be their downfall. But she had been alone, and that was the reason she was like this.

She began to realize how uncomfortable she was in this position. She wanted to get into a more comfortable position, albeit still laying down. But she wasn't sure she had the strength. She took a deep breath and began to try. Slowly, she pushed herself up. It was difficult, but within some time she was able to lay down on her stomach rather than her side, and curled her paws around herself. Her breathing was even more ragged than before, and she began to work on calming it. Her movement had caused some fresh scars to open, and some blood dripped down from her cheek.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: @Amras
notes: here

Amras An idle chitter escaped Amras' throat as he waited patiently for the strange cat's reply, a single ear twitching as he began to note just how labored her breathing had been. Finally after what seemed to be an unusual delay he received the confirmation that not only had he been understood but that his help was needed, and desperately by the sound of things. She was thin, and probably starving, but finding food would take a bit of time. Possibly more important than that though she was losing life fluid. Under ideal circumstances the body would heal (though as Amras remembered first hand it wouldn't be pleasant), so the greatest priority would be to give the body what it needed to restore what was lost. She needed to get to a place with water. That said she didn't appear to be any condition to be moved. He would have to find a way to bring water back to her. "Don’t worry. I will return." He assured her, a single syllable at a time. Hopefully the cat would survive long enough for him to find a solution. The dire nature of the situation was just enough to remind Amras of his winged nature; he would have to move quickly if he was to find not only a water source but an item with which to transport it. The gryphon tuned around, flicking his lion-like tail as he quickly calculated the straight shot distance behind him and its suitability for taking off. He'd never tried flying with the aid of sight but there was a first time for everything and surely his large wings weren't just for gliding, right. After a deep breath he took off running, unfurling his wings and taking to the air with astoundingly little effort. His heart raced, a small bit of panic threatening the back of his mind as this immediately reminded him of his terrifying hatching experience, but fear quickly gave way to excitement as the world below him opened up and the beauty of this room of stars made itself fully seen. Ruined buildings were absolutely everywhere, with plant life taking over in places and a single tall tower watching it all. It would take little time to find a stream glistening under the soft lights, but the real issue would be transporting it. Wings folded downwards as he descended toward the nearest stream with a mostly intact building near it. Surely there would be something inside the ruins, right? Amras landed on his back paws and balanced there, his wings folded back rather than to his sides. He had a bit more of a height advantage standing this way, and if he was going to carry something he'd need full use of his talons. After confirming he had his wings adjusted to be both comfortable and functional for standing the gryphon walked forward and through the building's doorway. Inside was a complete mess, old furniture toppled over, plant life growing between cracks in the walls and the floor, and dusty leather items scattered about. The leather pouches would probably work, especially if he took time to try to use the leather cords to attach them around his waist or something, but after looking like they'd be trampled upon by herbivores who knew how well they'd be able to transport water? His attention shifted over toward a rubble filled corner where most of the pouches and such were strewn about, and a single corner of a small wooden box caught his eye. Not wanting to possibly destroy anything dislodging the pile in one fell swoop Amras trotted over and began to dig through, eventually succeeding in unearthing a solid wooden box filled with odd tools. Hammers and punches would be completely useless in the situation, but the box itself could work. The gryphon unceremoniously dumped the contents of the tool box into the rubble pile, rushed outside, and filled the container with fresh clean water from the stream. Taking to the air with both talons occupied holding the lid closed on the box was difficult, but somehow he managed to pull it off. A worry tugged at Amras that the ten minutes or so he had been gone might have been too much for the dying cat, but he would have to just hope they were still alright. Dust kicked up as the gryphon landed again right in front of the stranger, standing stably on his back two paws as he bent down and set the water box in front of her, opening the lid so she could drink. "Is this good?" he asked, his vocal chords very nearly loosened to normal levels now. Take hold of the power within "And shape the fabric of reality around you" Tags: @Aaliyah

Aaliyah didn't say anything more, instead watching the creature. She saw as he flew, and idly wished she could do that. Maybe Imperia would have liked her better if she had had an advantage such as that. Maybe then she could have made them proud. Maybe hold off better against them, not have so many scars. She sighed and watched the creature until it flew out of sight.

She looked down, and rested her head. Blood continued to drip down her cheek, but she ignored it. Her fur was already crusted with dried blood, what was a little more? As time passed, she began to wonder if he really would come back. Maybe he just didn't want to help her. She wouldn't be surprised. She'd never met many others, and Imperia always told her that they were mostly cruel beings. In fact, she was surprised the creature hadn't killed her then and there. He was young, and looked strong. She was weak, and near death.

Her thoughts stopped short as she saw something moving. A tiny, little thing. A dot, moving along next to her. She lifted her head and stared at it. It looked smaller now, not much bigger than a speck of dust. She lowered her head to stare at it. It was black, though she couldn't see much more than that. She continued to stare at it, watching as it climbed up on a small rock and down the other side. She barely managed to nose the rock out of the way and continued watching it with great interest. Her ears had perked up, and she crawled forward a little so it wouldn't go out of sight.

Her eyes were starting to close from exhaustion, and her wounds and the pain were really starting to get to her. She wanted nothing more to lay back down and close her eyes, perhaps take a little nap. But she continued to watch the bug, determined to keep her eyes open. From the corner of her mind, she knew that if she closed her eyes, she might not have the energy to open them again.

Aaliyah was still watching the bug when she heard wings flapping. She didn't pay any attention to it, instead still staring intently at the bug. Or, she did, until the creature stepped on it, crushing it. She blinked, mouth slightly open, feeling like something large had hit her. "You killed it..," she murmured, voice barely above a whisper. She looked up at the creature, and then at the container filled with water. She felt numb, though she wasn't sure why. It was just a bug! A stupid little bug, walking along. And now it's gone.

She slowly remembered who the creature was and why it was here, and reached over to get to the water. She lapped some up, was overcome with her thirst, and crawled a little closer and began to drink quickly, desperate to get it all. When she was finished, she licked around her mouth to get any water that was still there, also licking a bit of blood as well.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: @Amras
notes: here

Amras As the dying gembound drank Amras folded his wings once more, changing his center of balance toward the front so he could be more at eye level with her. She was definitely in worse condition than when he'd left, and he was no expert but she had seemed upset at his arrival. Had she been so far gone that she'd started wishing for death to take her quickly? The idea of being in such a state dug deep into the gryphon's newly discovered sense of empathy. "There is more water nearby if you need, and a number of places to hunt once you are able to." he offered, seeing her finish off the water he brought with fervor. His silvery eyes were fixated on her and his ears were perked, taking in every detail. Whether this was done out of curiosity or the sudden acute awareness of her sharp claws and large fangs through... well even the gryphon was uncertain. Of course she was likely not a threat. The fact that the cat was in such a condition though was concerning. "What happened to you? Is there a danger here that I have not yet encountered?" Take hold of the power within "And shape the fabric of reality around you" Tags: @Aaliyah