For whatever reason, Glory hadn't immediately gone on the mission the Collector had given him. He had just kind of went home and let life go by for a while. He had done a lot of work and everything but his promise to the cloaked figure still hammered at the back of his mind. He couldn't just let this be. Like he had told Giggle after she had warned him, he kept his promises, no matter what.

He was flying low to the ground, searching for the dog that the Collector had shown him. He thought back to the statue he had created of him and searching the biggest room. Of course, there was no guarantee that this dog was even in here, he just simply went to Polaris as it was the central cave. Most people ended up here one way or another. For something that was, apparently, this important, he guessed that it would find its way to the room with the Spire.

As he flew he opened his beak and let out a sharp cry, trying to attract the attention of whatever was nearby. After another moment, he cried again. "Is there a black dog here? I'm looking for a black dog!"

@Black

Black in fact lived in Polaris--and so when the call came out for a black dog, his head lifted and his ears perked. How did the creature know his name? He did not know this voice.

Intrigued, he pushed up, trotting heavily out of the sheltered crevice to peer upward. A deep, bass bark rang out, to punctuate his arrival.

"I am the Black Dog," he called out, looking for the voice. He wondered, in a vague, brief way, if it had something to do with someone he knew. Had Senka sent a messenger? Was White somewhere in need?

"Who is there, and where?" He stood, alone and exposed, in the dim light of the distant Spire--peering around with furrowed brow.

________________

@Glory

Glory heard the voice and immediately changed his course. He turned himself, opening his wings wide to bank in a circle, and flew towards the Black Dog, which he spotted exposed on the ground. When he got close, he beat his wings hard to slow his course and stopped himself on a rock.

Yes, this was certainly the dog that The Collector had told him to find. Big and...black. The same shape, the same ears, the same droopy muzzle. He nodded and stepped forward.

"My name is Glory! I have been sent to retrieve an item you have in your possession. An orange stone of sorts. It is very important that it is returned to it's owner."

@Black

Black watched the bird, curious, as it landed. It was a fire-bird, clearly: the color of flame, and a flame-colored stone atop its head. As it spoke, he tilted his own head, quizzically. Someone knew he had the stone--that automatically made them likely to be trustworthy, at least. Only the Elders would likely know such a thing--Astraea, or Tenzin, or another of their ilk. But-... its owner?

He thought, for a moment, and then spoke, his tone wholly neutral.

"Hrm. The stone is not owned. Who claims ownership? When the dragon fought, the moth fell from the stone; and there it died." He turned, staring off toward the center of Polaris, curious, as if reliving the moment--then looked back to Glory.

"Who has claimed it?" A simple question, and to the point. Black wondered, for a moment, if he might have mistook the stone. He was by no means certain that the topaz was indeed that which had belonged to the moth. It was a guess, at best--conjecture based on what he knew. Could it be another stone altogether? If so...

Then how did it end up in the Generator? He held suspicion, for a moment, before realizing--Nemean. Nemean had stolen the gem from somewhere, and jammed it into the Generator. He'd known she was the culprit. So long as she wasn't the one claiming the stone, he would consider, perhaps, returning it.

________________

@Glory

Glory gave a small nod in acknowledgement of the story. Of course, he was far too young to know about any of that and he had no idea if the Collector was even the stone's actual owner, but it was just a guess. "Perhaps my phrasing was incorrect. I do not know if this one owns it, but he simply says that he requires it and that it is important that he has it. He is called the Collector."

Glory thought back, wondering if there was any other information the strange hooded figure had told them, but it was just that - he was the Collector and he wanted the stone and he said it was important.

@Black

Black tilted his head, again, curiously.

"I do not know of a, Collector. Yet this stone is for more than collection. I have tried to return it to life, however, and nothing has happened. Allow me to retrieve the stone. Then we can journey to your Collector, but I will keep it, for now."

He wanted to meet this stranger for himself--to decide whether or not they could be trusted with the topaz. Though perhaps the stone itself was useless.

________________

@Glory

Glory nodded, understanding. "I know your hesitation - he is a strange fellow with a strange name but there is something about him that is important. It is hard to describe, but I will lead you to him."

He spread his wings and lifted himself into the air. He had no problem leading the dog to Canis instead of just taking the stone himself. If it would convince him to do this without force, it was alright with him.

@Black

Black turned, without further ado, and cantered lopsidedly off into the darkness.

Should Glory follow him, he'd find him trotting into a crevice in the rock, vanishing into its shadows after a moment of wriggling. A long minute later, he emerged, the stone in his teeth. It glinted orange in Polaris' magical glow.

He looked around, then up, spotting Glory and giving him a single wag of his tail--as if to inform him that he was ready to go.

________________

@Glory

Glory followed the dog for just a little ways before he stopped and set himself back on the ground, politely waiting for Black to come back with the stone. He spied the thing clutched in the dog's mouth and nodded back. This time when he opened his wings, he took off strongly and gained some altitude, but not too much that he was too far away from the dog. He turned towards the tunnel to Orion, which would lead them to Canis and took off at a pace that the dog could easily match.

*exit

@Black

Black broke into a gallop, chasing along behind the bird, topaz firmly clutched in his jaws. His tail waved behind him, blue eyes fixed brightly on the path ahead.

This was interesting. This, was something new! Who was this stranger, who knew of this gem? Why could they want it--for what purpose?

He would find out--he was ready.

________________

exit Black