In the dark, Gabriel hadn't seen much for many cycles. It had kept an eye on the surroundings by extending its senses out towards the millions of tiny organisms coating the world and creatures all around. using this, it had been able to seek prey and navigate through the dark.

It had become safe to assume that the lights would never return, so when they did, Gabriel's eyes certainly weren't prepared. The sudden blaze caused the pup... now a full-grown dog, to halt in its tracks, limbs stiff with the sudden brightness. A soft growl stirred in the little one's throat as it blinked away the pain and gradually came to focus on the world around. It was its birthplace; a foreboding kind of place to the emotion-driven, and one that Gabriel had not left. Not since the task it had been given.

The emotion-driven comrades of the dog had long-gone, it assumed, but clear as day, the motive was still there. All the glistening gems clinging to the piles of bones sparked a slight roll of Gabriel's eyes. The Emotion-driven had decided to go off on a mission of their own folly, when all the while their target right under their noses. Of course, it was Gabriel's fault too, for trusting their judgement. It would have to learn from this mistake.

With one last blink of its bright red eyes, Gabriel approached the nearest pile of bones, looking for one with a visible gem that was small enough for the tiny canid to carry.




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

tags: @Astaroth
notes: here

Astaroth had been stalking the dog for quite some time now, trying to see what he was doing and just in general practicing stealth, he would eventually make himself known but for now, he was perfectly content with remaining hidden. However, contrary to stealth- when the lights came on he yelled into the sudden brightness, burying his face into a nearby pile of bones in an attempt to block some of it out. "Ah dammit!" He pulled himself out of the bones slowly with his eyes clamped shut, he had been training his eyes for pure darkness for so long that the sudden brightness blinded him temporarily, as he opened his eyes slowly everything seemed dimmed. "What is this!? I heard the lights were broken and nobody could fix them, I hate the light!" He growled and threw a bone at the nearest one, not even getting close to hitting it. He started focusing then, trying to channel his energy into a force strong enough to shatter it. He grinned as he heard the pop and shatter of the light, relishing the sound. He then turned to look at the smaller canine. "Well, seeming as I just completely revealed myself, I shall introduce myself; My name is Astaroth, resident 'demon' of these caves. At least I have been labeled such by a seemingly insane otter with the literal thickest skull you'll see."
"Speaking."
Thoughts.
tags: @Gabriel
notes:

the pup's ears quirked slightly, the side of its lip barely twitching as a yell resonated through the air. Of course, navigating with magic had its advantages. Gabriel had known that it was not alone for quite some time; and had allowed it. If the other had wanted to kill, they would have done so in the dark when it was vulnerable. Gabriel backed away from the bone pile.

"I'm afraid your heartbeat precedes you, my friend." When the dog spoke, It did not turn to look at the stranger. Although Gabriel had aged, and now possessed the body of an adult, it's voice was still that of a very small child. Sex, age and most importantly the powerful brain that lurked behind that voice were indistinguishable. Although it was common courtesy to look when one spoke, it was also courteous not to stalk someone in the dark. Blood-red eyes glinted in the bright as Gabriel finally turned its bald head. Pointed snout was regally held, and its thorny crown glittered meanly in the new brightness.

"It's wise to prepare for the worst. Where the cave is concerned, very little is predictable." Gabriel's body followed the turn of its head, and soon it was facing the wolf who was many times its size. Its perpetually happy voice echoed throughout the room of bones.

The pup's lips twitched again at their words, as though forcing a smile. "It sounds to me as though you're looking to cover a wound, rather than taking the chance to learn from it. It's quite illogical. Will you allow me to study that?" Gabriel bared its sharp little teeth. Although its words might have stung, there was no malice there. Only curiosity.

Quite a temper they had. Gabriel's plumed tail curled slightly at the end, eyes flitting towards the lantern that had burst. A new magic type, it had to be. How remarkable!

Its ears twitched, contemplating giving them its own title. That might not be wise for now. They had been stalking it in the dark, after all. "For now, just call me baldy. You will find that amusing, yes?" The dog's eyes watched the wolf closely for their response. This was the perfect opportunity to study an emotion-driven, something that Gabriel had wanted to do for a long, long time.


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

tags: @Astaroth
notes: here

"You're one to speak, your white fur preceded you, though I suppose now that these lights are on you will blend into these surroundings better than I, that is the reason I enjoy the dark. I stand out in the light, especially in a room of bones such as this where most of the area is white. Though I suppose I will find all the darker areas soon. Hunting will be more difficult from now on." Astaroth grimaced as he looked around, looking for every ledge and overhang he could hide under to stalk fellow creatures and for hunting. He looked at the smaller canine and circled them, studying them. "As for the wound, the only wounds I have are physical, I do not know what you mean by hiding any since you can see each and every one of them. I assume you mean social or mental scars then, which I do not believe I have any. I feel I have always been a bit of an outcast if that could be counted as a scar. but besides that there is nothing I believe. I also believe that that really isn't relevant since I prefer to be alone and study my magic on my own. Though I agree that this cave is indeed unpredictable. You can trust nobody and nothing in this place. Though tell me, even though I could kill you almost certainly, should I be able to trust you? Some are more than they seem in this place. And as for the name, it seems slightly childish, I prefer to use either ones' real name or a shortened version of such. I would prefer to call you as such or just not refer to you by a name." Astaroth shifted his weight from paw to paw, looking slightly uncomfortable at this questioning, he couldn't place exactly why but he didn't like the littler canine asking him questions about himself, it slightly irritated him in a way he couldn't completely explain, like he just didn't want him to know anything about himself.
"Speaking."
Thoughts.
tags: @Gabriel
notes:

"Hm. How interesting." Gabriel, for one, didn't think the darkness was picky about whom it decided to hide. So long as the hunter used it wisely, even Gabriel had an easy time hunting in the dark. Although, that may also have been to do with the sensory spells the dog had been honing, feeling its way through the dark. Though the large creature before it, black as the night, would most likely cast a rather ominous shadow on their unlucky victim. That alone might be enough to ruin the hunt in some cases.

The tiny canid's ears twitched slightly in response to their words, taking them in and digesting them slowly. Of course Gabriel could see those wounds. Did they think it was stupid? Of course it wasn't. They seemed to go off on a bit of a tangent at that. An outcast, apparently, from the other emotion-driven. How they seemed to love to grieve, making up so many new words for solitude. Gabriel itself had been alone for several cycles, but it had taken the chance to adapt, learning how to move in the dark, studying anything it could lay its paws on.

Speaking of which... There was a certain rock that Gabriel needed to return to. A certain thing that it had been watching, returning to every so often. As of yet, nothing had changed. Had the creature within really perished?

All the while its thoughts ticked like a metronome, blood-red eyes followed the circling 'demon' closely, unblinkingly.

"I feel that 'outcast' is a relative term. For myself as well, solitude provides the perfect space for one to venture into one's own mind, or study the world around them. It seems quite different for the Emotion-driven..." Gabriel sniffed, as of yet unclear on whether to count this strange beast amongst their ranks. In response to their question on whether or not they could trust it, Gabriel smiled a little.

"As you say. You could kill me in a heartbeat. So, what do you have to lose? I should be the one asking you." The tone of the pup's voice presented this statement as a playful joke. The pup raised its head and looked down its nose at the larger canine. "But if you'd wanted to kill me, you'd have done that already, wouldn't you?" As the beast stood, the tips of Gabriel's ears just barely reached past their knees. How easy it would have been for them to step on it like they would a bug, pinning it to the ground. But the dog showed no sign of fear. Not a tremor even in the cold that caressed it's bald skin. Its tail remained curled towards its back.

They did not, unfortunately, seem amused by the dog's 'joke'. How sad, but still an interesting result nontheless. In fact, it seemed to irritate them sightly. Gabriel weighed its options. Would it be wiser to give them its name, or remain anonymous for the time being?

Either way seemed to have its own benefits, but could Gabriel really afford to get on the wrong side of a creature like this? It had a lot of things it wanted to do, and starting again at this point could be... problematic.

"Alright. You may call me Gabriel."



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

tags: Astaroth
notes: here

"I do enjoy time to myself, especially when meditating or working with my magic. Though something keeps telling me to find a group, others to be with, some instinctual urge that I can't necessarily explain. I want to be part of a group, an organized pack. Instead of constantly being by myself. Being alone is good sometimes, but sometimes it gets to be too much." Astaroth said, his voice wistful and slightly sorrowful. He shook his head and growled slightly, irritated at himself for having said so much, he would have to be more careful next time, he couldn't afford telling others so much about himself. He exhaled slowly and looked down at Gabriel when he posed the question of killing him. "I have no reason to kill you as of yet, if I did I would have long ago, you intrigue me, you aren't afraid of being hurt, of dying. You seem to laugh at the idea. I believe if you die with reason then it was worth it but if I wrung your neck right now your death would be pitiful and pointless, yet you aren't afraid. " Astaroth turned again so he was facing the dog fully "Why? How are you able to just ignore it? And also, Gabriel, I like that name, very fitting."
"Speaking."
Thoughts.
tags: @Gabriel
notes:

Gabriel bowed its head in response to their words. "Safety in numbers, I presume. for all beasts, that would be a logical conclusion to come to... of course, it may also hinge on deeper feelings. Tell me, Astaroth, do you feel yourself as being emotionally, or logically driven?" The hint of sadness that came into the wolf's voice had already partially answered that question, but it would still be beneficial to Gabriel to study their answer closely.

"The two can be closely intertwined or even exist side by side. But an Emotion-driven would never give the life of a brother for the good of a tribe they do not know... on the other hand, a logic-driven would look at the wider picture and realize that the tribe's downfall may, in time, kill them both. So in the end, both would perish anyway. So, they would make the smaller sacrifice for the greater good." Gabriel perked an ear as it considered the implications deeply. "Of course, this is all hypothetical, and depends rather heavily on circumstance..."

The pup's tail swished slightly from side to side. once again those blood-red eyes calculating, studying, unblinking and unmoving. "As would any logical creature," Gabriel agreed, bowing its head. "The way I see, death is not an ending, but an opportunity. A doorway to greater things. In this body, brute force is not my forte... but should I lose it, I might just inch one step closer to perfection." Gabriel looked at the hordes of bones that surrounded them. Each and every one of them had its own potential locked away somewhere, deep inside.

"To say that I ignore such a thing would be lying. Death is something to be studied, to be experimented with. It has its downfalls, of course... I don't want all my knowledge, my discoveries, to fade away into the void. But at the same time it has it's benefits, its opportunities... So, I'd say, I embrace the idea of death and toy with it. I plan to use it to my advantage, someday. But it isn't my time yet. Not for a long time."

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

tags: Astaroth
notes: here

Astaroth looked at the smaller canine curiously, he wasn't quite sure he should be telling him so much but as had already been stated he could kill him in an instant. "If I was one or the other I would be emotion driven most likely, but I believe that I am a combination of both where say- in the situation you stated, if I had to sacrifice a brother or myself for one of us to live then I could, I believe if you die with purpose then there is no regret in killing them or dying myself. " He said calmly, holding a straight face in an attempt to keep the dog from seeing hits emotions. "I have emotion, but it rarely rules over logic." Astaroth listened to the dogs explanation of what he thinks death is with interest, "Interesting, I have never thought of death as such. Though I have thought of death as an escape before, as an opportunity it never crossed my mind, could you tell me more of this philosophy? " He said this curiously, watching the dog as he waited for a response.
"Speaking."
Thoughts.
tags: @Gabriel
notes:on mobile

Gabriel's ears perked up, and it cocked its head just slightly to listen. Patiently it waited, considering, calculating, until the last word had passed over their tongue. "How curious... that makes a lot of sense." The dog seemed to make a mental note, another little seed embedding itself in the small dog's brain.

Gabriel was already beginning to consider that this creature might be more useful than it had previously suspected... but at the same time, the Emotion-driven tended to be unpredictable and wild. what one said could be easily changed in the moment by fear and uncertainty. To them, death was a terrifying prospect. "Please, tell me more," Gabriel said, and its words were spoken as a request rather than a question.

A small smirk snuck into the corner of the dog's hairless face. Its tail curled, clearly displaying its eagerness to delve deeper into the topic. Whether that was the closest the dog could come to true emotion was hard to tell; as its voice seemed perpetually happy and calm despite the grim topic. "You see," Gabriel began. "Our living, breathing bodies seem to simply be vessels, hosts for the gems we carry. Like my crown. your flower."Gabrriel gestured with its muzzle to the golden flower adorning the wolf's face. "Beat a creature to within an inch of its life but fail to score the killing blow and it will retreat back into that gem... perhaps to reform." Gabriel licked its lips, thinking of the blue-green chrysalis still settled, waiting, back in Tunnel M. "On the other hand, kill a beast and you're free to take the gem. From there, it can be milked for its magic, or... combined with someone else's. To make something new. Something... stronger. The fallen gem will be reborn." Its eyes flickered back to Astaroth.

"One of my discoveries whilst travelling has been that it is, in fact, fallen gems which power the cave's lights." Gabriel's gaze flickered again to the bones of fallen Gembounds all around them. So much potential here... if only it could get closer to learning how to reap the benefits.


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

tags: @Astaroth
notes: here

Astaroth looked away for a second "Fear of death in most is natural, it is instinct to fear your own mortality. I don't care if I die today, tomorrow, or in a thousand cycles, so long as I make a mark, I want people to remember my name for generations to come, for parents to teach their young about the small crippled pup who became something great, even if that greatness came at the cot of his life. I don't care if I'm known for good, bad, or just for influencing something greater than myself, I refuse to fade into history like so many before me. I want them to speak my name in joy or fear." He then tried to whisper from the back of the cave, not being able to find his voice once he felt the magic coursing through him his eyes flashed dully and he continued, unperturbed. "Life is meaningless." He said swinging his head toward the smaller canine. "Unless, you make your mark, then you become truly immortal." He said fervently, showing his lust for this goal. "Once I know that I will be remembered, or if my name lives on in the life of another I care for, even if I just die for a purpose, being remembered is not even important as it is to die with a purpose, to die a pointless, pathetic death, I am afraid of, to die with a purpose, a reason I could die for that gladly. Then, I will be ready to die whenever death decides to claim me."

He preached this like gospel, he had learned the true worth of life and death as one of the results of his meditation, he knew what he wanted from his life, and how he wanted to die. He listened to Gabriel's description of the gems curiously. "That does make sense, we were all born from the gems, and we return to them after near death stronger and better than we were before. It makes sense that you could revive and combine gems to make even stronger gembounds. I will aid you in this if you wish, this actually sounds like one of those things that could aid me in being remembered, and in the process, you certainly will be if it is successful."
"Speaking."
Thoughts.
tags: @Gabriel
notes: