Well. Since the lights in the cave were back on, Tuck looked around Eridanus in awe, feeling a bit taken aback by its beauty. He’d forgotten why he’d chosen this jungly area for his home. He hopped amongst the roots, and then, feeling irritated by constantly having to jump over grasses and ferns bigger than him, he scrambled up a tree and traveled the rest of the way like that. Leaping from trunk to trunk, he eventually made it back to his own Tree, the Home Tree he’d found long, long ago. Feeling apprehensive, he quickly scrambled back down to the ground, wondering if his stash of herbs and seeds were still there… and whether the purple gemstone was still there, as well…

He breathed a sigh of relief as he hopped into the shade of the large protruding roots of his Tree into the little hollow area that was plenty of space for him, but would not allow anything much bigger than a domestic cat inside. The purple gemstone was dusty, but he wiped the grime off and polished it a bit with the fur of his arm, gazing at its beauty for a moment, and suddenly feeling quite old.

He hopped outside again and sat down, gazing upwards into the green-gold light flowing down from the canopy above, lost in thought.

@Rift

As usual, Rift was patrolling around Eridanus, leaving trails of growth and life in his wake. Every so often he stopped to press his nose on a leaf, letting the plant flourish and flower or cure it of a sickness is carried. He dug up the dead plants and planted new ones in their place, laying the dried remains for the scavengers and the natural processes to take over.

He eventually found his way around where the monkey was sitting and the scent caught his nose. He looked up from his work and blinked. He had never smelled a creature like this before and a defensive instinct clicked on in his brain. He needed to investigate this. They could be a threat to Eridanus, as so many seemed to be.

But he didn't want to be aggressive. There was much about the forest he still did not know. It could be a resident that he hadn't met yet. Or someone that was kind to the plants like he was.

Carefully, he made his way through the undergrowth to where the monkey was resting. He stepped out from the bushes and was surprised by the little creature. Perhaps he wasn't a threat. But he was still a bit defensive and cautious as he approached.

"Hello there," he called in a friendly, but reserved voice. "What brings you to Eridanus?"


___________________________________________________________

"And if it ever starts to feel sad little fang"
Remember that your gifts are your gain.

tags: @Tukluk
notes: here

Tuck tried to pretend like the cougar hadn’t just scared the crap out of him, but only halfway managed not to jump ten feet up into the air. Instead, he sort of accidentally leaped backwards, all of his hair on end, making him look even poofier than normal. “O-oh!” he said, loudly, and then gave a nervous laugh when he realized that the big cat was not moving toward him. This nervous laughter became genuine laughter after a moment, laughing at himself for being so over-reactive. “Sorry, I thought I was alone.” He sat up, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. “What did you ask me? Uh… why am I in Eridanus, right? Actually, I live here, up in this tree.” He motioned up at the gigantic tree he’d been sitting beneath. “What are you doing here?” His voice was light and not accusatory, showing genuine interest.

@Rift -- hi sorry I forgot this thread existed cos I forgot to subscribe to it omg I'm sorry. <3

Rift relaxed when the monkey gestured to the tree behind him. If they lived in Eridanus, then there was no way they would bring harm. He didn't have to worry about defending his home. Instead, he realized that he was meeting a neighbor, as his own tree wasn't too far away. How had he not met anyone that lived here before? Were there really so few that cared about this place?

"I live here too. There's a large tree back that way," at this, he gestured with his tail towards where he had come from, "which is where I live. I also protect this cave." He now puffed out his chest with pride. He was proud of being the protector of the life in Eridanus, and the life of the caves. No one would get past him and destroy his beautiful home! "I don't want anymore ruin to come to this place."


___________________________________________________________

"And if it ever starts to feel sad little fang"
Remember that your gifts are your gain.

tags: @Tukluk
notes: here

“Anymore ruin…” Tuck repeated, glancing around himself as if he could see signs of this ruin right here. “I remember coming back here after some time away,” he began, halfway talking to himself. “And there had been a fire here. I tried to replant some things, but I think I drained all of my Magicka and ended up passing out. I just hope I never have to do that again.” He sighed, and then perked up a bit and glanced at Rift. “I’m Tuck, by the way. What’s your name? And what kinda Magic can you do?” This was a question that was becoming standard for him to ask. It was always fascinating to learn what others could do with their Magic.

@Rift

Rift perked up at the mention of growing things. Was this monkey a grower of life as well? Then that was settled! There was no way he was a threat to Eridanus. In fact, he could probably be a good friend! Rift had never met another experienced plant user before and he wondered if Tuck loved the plants just as much as he did.

A few yellow flowers sprouted on his skin with delight and his tail twitched happily. "Oh, its nice to meet you, Tuck!" His voice had turned warm and welcoming. "My name's Rift and I grow plants too!"


___________________________________________________________

"And if it ever starts to feel sad little fang"
Remember that your gifts are your gain.

tags: @Tukluk
notes: here

Tuck blinked without speaking for a moment, trying to remember if he’d ever met anyone who could grow plants like him. “That’s awesome!” he said after a bit, coming back to his senses. “How advanced are you? Can you grow trees?” He puffed out his chest. “I can grow trees! What’s your favorite plant to grow? Do you know all of their medicinal values?” Questions burst from him like nobody’s business, but he was so excited he didn’t seem to notice that he was speaking so quickly. Hopefully, Rift was able to keep up with him… He stared at him expectantly, wanting answers.

A sudden barrage of questions hit Rift with surprise, but he couldn't forget each one. This was so exciting, meeting another gembound that grew plants! "I love growing everything, but I love caring for them the best. There's also this glowing moss that I grow when it gets dark or the lights go out. And I can grow trees too!"

He turned touched his paw to the ground and willed an acorn lying in the grass to grow into a tree. It did, slowly rising until it was a young, thriving tree. Rift turned back his eyes sparkling. "What about you? What do you like to grow? Do you care for the plants you grow, too?"


___________________________________________________________

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

tags: @Tukluk
notes:

Tuck’s mouth accidentally fell open Rift actually grew a tree from an acorn. He stared back and forth between the tree and the acorn, feeling extremely put out all of a sudden. He hadn’t expected the cougar to actually do that, and now he was feeling inadequate. “Pfft, well,” he began, in a dismissive tone. “Well… like I said… I can grow trees, too, so it’s not a very special thing, you know.” He looked around, trying to think of what to say to the cougar. “I… I mostly grow flowers.” (flowers weren’t hard to grow, so telling Rift this just made him feel worse about himself). “And no I don’t really take care of them afterwards. They take care of themselves, mostly. I just grow new stuff where it’s needed.” He cleared his throat and continued to look around, refusing to make eye contact with the cougar.

@Rift -- sorry Tuck's being a butt.

Rift blinked with surprise at Tuck's sudden change of tone. Had he done something wrong? Did he not like trees as much as he had originally thought? Or maybe he was jealous. His tail fell to the ground and his left ear pulled back. "I mean, I think trees are special. I-I like to grow trees because they're important. Flowers are important too! I love flowers!"

It sounded kind of lame, but he did like flowers and he didn't want Tuk to feel bad. "Yes, I like to grow things where its needed too, but sometimes it gets boring and helping plants grow is a lot of fun."

He perked up a little bit as he thought of his garden. He had spent a lot of time tending and caring for the plants and flowers he had nurtured. "I have a garden at my home tree and I keep good care of the plants there."


___________________________________________________________

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

tags: @Tukluk
notes: