Aithaxas was exploring Eridanus in his own time. There was so much to see! And maybe he could even find someone with information on The Eyes. Or knowledge of them, at least. Something to help him along.

He was slow, though, and he constantly had to stop to sniff something, or investigate something else. There was quite a bit to take in! Perhaps he could find something of importance, though that was far from his mind at the moment. For now, it would do to just explore.

He wondered about things, in general. What the other rooms looked like, who the elders were, what everything meant. The history of the caves. Why they were here.

But he also wondered if he was like Dragon, or the bird, Eve, or something else in terms of magic. Did he have any? He did not know how to summon it. But Dragon was able to breathe fire, and Eve mimicked Aquarian's roar exactly, which surely wasn't natural. Was it? Maybe it was. He didn't know.

"Speech."

@Fate

Fate padded tracks that she'd wandered many times before, her ears pricked for something new. And, as fate would have it, today was the day that she finally did. First, the reunion with Talion, and now this? Perhaps the bitter old owl was right after all.

Fate heard them well before she found them, her enormous, radar-like ears tracking the stranger's progress through the undergrowth. When she finally found them, pushing her way through a tangle of ferns, she was even more pleasantly surprised.

"Well, now," she crooned, ears twitching curiously, as she stepped forward and stooped forward to give the young one a curious sniff. Behind her crystalline mask, her eyes glittered with interest, and maybe even a spark of excitement.. "Isn't this a surprise!"

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words:
tagged: @Aithaxas
ooc:
muse:

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

It certainly was a surprise, especially for poor Aithaxas. A creature that looked like him-- but wasn't-- moved and sniffed him.

She did have a mask of dark crystals on her face. So not exactly like him, but close. Same body shape, the same overly long legs. Same coloration, same big ears. But larger, as an adult. Yet she was the same thing he was! Another maned wolf! Not a reptile, or a bird, or a cat, but a maned wolf!

While confused as to who this creature was, and why this was a surprise, he couldn't hide his excitement-- and amazement. "You are like me!" He announced out loud, confirming the seemingly obvious. "Maned wolf?" he asked, wanting confirmation that this was indeed what she was.



"Speech."

@Fate

The little pup seemed shocked by her sudden appearance, and the older wolf, looming tall on long and elegant legs, couldn't resist a chuckle. "And you look like me," she answered, calmer, but still elated. In all her cycles, this was the first time she'd met another of her kind. Other wolves, of course, seemed commonplace- maned wolves, on the other hand, seemed relatively scarce. And the emergence of newborns seemed fated to be forever unpredictable, ever fluctuating. With a twitch of her ears, she answered their question. "Yes, I am. Just like you."

She grinned, baring pristine pointed fangs. She allowed herself to sink, lowering herself on her belly. She folded her paws carefully, elegantly, and tilted her head for a better, closer look at the young one. "You're the first I've met of my kind, specifically," she said, calmly, but contemplatively. "And what a fine young one, too!" It seemed simply too strange to be chance, that after all this time, Fate would finally meet one of her own. Even now, the events marring the passing of cycles remained out of her reach, mysteries just close enough to be tantalizing, decisions that led to unforeseen consequences. She couldn't help but wonder at the events that had lead to this meeting.

"So, what brings you here, young one?" she dropped her nose so that she could peer at him over the smokey quartz covering her eyes, obsidian-black eyes bright.


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words:
tagged: @Aithaxas
ooc:
muse:

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

Aithaxas grinned right back at her, showing off his own teeth. Yes, there was someone like him! Another maned wolf! He had wondered if there were others like him, or if every Gembound was different. But it seems there was one like him!

He gave her crouched form a curious sniff as well. It was incredible! Like him. He wasn't alone! The pup felt calmer around her, even if she couldn't be trusted-- though such a thought hadn't even occurred to him, at least not to the full extent it might have with a regular Gembound. He still knew to be careful when talking about what the Children of Rot did, though.

"I was looking at The Eyes," he responded. Tilting his head, he asked his own question: "Do you know anything about them?"


"Speech."

@Fate

Fate tilted her head at the young one's question. An unusual interest for one so young. But, as a matter of fact, she did know something. She bowed her head, slowly. "As a matter of fact, I do. I've lived in Eridanus for many, many cycles, and I've seen the Eyes many times. But recently- there was a change." Fate murmured, rising up onto her paws and looking out into the undergrowth. "I saw a huge skull of gemstone emerge from the cavern wall. There was a large group; the deer lead them there."

All was true, of course, and it made her pleased to be the one to indulge the youngsters' insatiable curiosity.

"How about we go there? We can see if we can find out more." She thought of her magic, so infrequently used- her interest was not in the past, but in what it meant for the future. Regardless, Fate knew that it could come in useful here. She turned in the direction of the eyes, only a short walk away.


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words:
tagged: @Aithaxas
ooc:
muse:

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

Aithaxas nodded, listening to her. But then stopped, tilting his head. Wait, a giant skull of gemstone? That wasn't... at all what he had been expecting, but it was definitely a lead.

"I would love to go!" he declared, unable to stop his excitement from showing. He followed her gaze. Indeed, that seemed to be the direction of the eyes, though he did not know how close it was. Maybe she could help discover the secrets.

After several moments of silence, he asked her his next question: "What is your name?"


"Speech."

@Fate

"Let us go, then," Fate said immediately, grinning at the young one's enthusiasm.

She began to walk, striding on long legs into the undergrowth to seek out a well-trodden path that she'd used many times. She gestured to the pup with a flick of her tail, and soon paused to make sure the pup could keep up. The way was blocked by several fallen trees, which appeared to have been crushed fairly recently. When she looked, the maned wolf could see that they formed a trail, as though something extremely large had passed through. It must have been whatever had emerged from the skull-gemstone. A massive snake, by the seems of it. Fate had seen its massive form looming over everything, heard its booming voice from many metres away, but had decided in the end not to engage. No, that was not how she wanted to die.

Her ears flicking back, it was then that the maned wolf caught the young one's question, and she realized that she'd failed to introduce herself. She stopped, turning back. "Ah, my apologies," she said with a flick of her ear. "Look at this crazy old furball, leading young ones astray without even telling them her name." She chuckled, low and amused. "I am Fate. Do you have a name, my dear?"

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words:
tagged: @Aithaxas
ooc:
muse:

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

Aithaxas followed her, able to keep up with her strides-- though it did take a bit of effort. He walked behind her, looking around him as he followed. There was so much to see!

Aithaxas slowed down as they continued, getting a better look at the destruction around them. It soon became obvious to the maned wolf that something big had passed through here. Massive would be a better word, actually; trees didn't usually fall over just from something big passing by.

Upon hearing the other maned wolf speak, he paused to listen a moment before responding. "It is nice to meet you, Fate," he responded, bowing his head briefly. "And yes! My name is Aithaxas," he said, though he tripped a bit on his own name. Maybe he needed something shorter, like a nickname. He could think about this later.

The maned wolf carefully walked up next to her. "What did this?" he wondered aloud, looking at the debris surrounding them.


"Speech."

@Fate

Fate paused for a moment to peer at the wreckage before moving on, carrying on along the track she'd chosen... though perhaps with an additional detour or two to move around a fallen log. "The pleasure's all mine," she responded graciously, charmed by the youngster's eagerness. "Aithaxas... a fine name. I'm sure it'll serve you well in the cycles to come."

Her gaze drifted sideways to glance at the pup as he came up alongside her. "It was whatever came out of the skull that rested here. A snake, if I saw correctly. I wasn't about to stick around to see if it was friendly. As you could probably imagine."

Finally, she stepped out of the trees onto the mossy ground surrounding the twin pools, beckoning Aithaxas with a flick of her tail. As predicted, the skull had disappeared. Instead, she could see some remnant shards of what looked to have been a massive chrysalis scattering the nearby vicinity.


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words:
tagged: @Aithaxas
ooc:
muse:

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...