All welcome!

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After having visited with Dragon and finding some grub to fill his stomach, Ghanyarah was happy to sit out on his tree branch and just watch the jungle. Some part of him hoped that Dragon would come waddling by, while the rest of him was just happy to be alone. The lights in the cave would flicker dimly, tiny and dull lights shuddering against the darkness. The lights had been out for a few hours now, and Ghanyarah's eyes had since adjusted to the dark, spying tiny movements among the shadows. Flicking his tongue, he could taste the body heat of small mammals on the air, but having satiated his hunger the reptile was content just to lay on the tree branch.

He lowered his head upon the branch, limbs lazily hanging off the sides. The branch was a good few meters off the ground, providing him safety against ground predators. He'd marked the tree with his claws, declaring it his territory in the event somebody else came wandering up. Several small, crude drawings were also carved into the bark of the tree near the base of the trunk. Drawings of him, one of Temoria, and a fresh drawing of Dragon, and one of what he thought Aquarian would look like. He'd become quite the artist, frankly enjoying drawing out the images he had in his head. It made it easier to visualize things.

The beast slowly began to close his eyes, but as he did so, he was met with a sudden brightness behind his eyelids. Ghanyarah frowned and slowly opened his eyes to see that the lights had come back to life, illuminating the cave and agitating his head. Great; he had gotten used to the darkness. Now how was he supposed to sleep?

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It was easier to fly through Cetus than to walk through it, especially when you're a tiny bird. However, the eternal fog had caused her to crash into a few trees, unable to change direction at the last second. This wasn't too bad though - although it made her face hurt she could land on a branch to recover.

She didn't mind Cetus, really. Even if it was scary to go through when it was dark. It looked more like a void sucking everything in than a place people lingered in, and slept and ate and whatever else they liked to do. It was a slight shock once the orbs were abruptly alight once more, even if it did suddenly spring much needed sight into the room.

She flew down onto a branch and ruffled her feathers. The light was near-blinding, bits of black spots had dotted her vision. She croaked her discomfort, squeezing her eyes briefly shut to watch the shapes dance across her eyelids. Upon opening her eyes, she found herself staring down at another branch. She could barely see it, but it looked like a giant lizard lying on the branch.

She squawked downwards, though said nothing, simply trying to grab the beast's attention. It looked familiar, at least, but if it was who she thought it was he surely would be elsewhere by now, if not looking for shining treasure and not lazing around.

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Ghanyarah was left wincing against the sudden light. It wasn't so bad as, say, being out in the open. He still had the cover of the leafy canopy above, and the diffused light was just a warm glow. Blinking a few times, the reptile eventually did grow accustomed to the light. He huffed and raised his head, shifting his clawed hands so that they folded on the branch. He placed his head back down, swinging his tail idly while he closed his eyes and tried one more time to sleep.

Kraw!

The sound causes Ghanyarah to sharply raise his head again, sunset eyes peeling open and darting around the surrounding thickets. But wait - the sound had come from above him! The lizard raised his body off the branch slightly, turning and tilting his head so he could see the noisy culprit. Perched atop a tree branch above him was a black bird. He was definitely not going to get some sleep with this thing around. Ghanyarah scowled, whipping his tail against the tree. "This is Ghanyarah's tree! Get lost!" He shouted and stood, orienting his body so he could look at the bird better. Was this just some mindless critter, or another cognizant Gembound? He didn't really know which would be better, if at all.

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Whatever that thing was it wasn't friendly, nor was it who she thought it was. It hit the tree, causing the crow to jerk slightly, peering at the trunk before looking back down. She opened her beak to crow back down, but stopped and shut it once more.

She had just remembered that most creatures don't appreciate loud noises. Bah. She dived down to land on the branch nearby Ghanyarah, talking much more quietly. Or at least as quietly as a bird can. "Who you? Why claim tree?"

She waited for an answer - though was clearly ready to bolt off the tree should Ghanyarah lunge. She did attempt to keep a polite tone, though her kindness was relatively limited.

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The komodo dragon stared at her, ready to shoot a stream of water at her if she didn't cooperate. He just wanted his peace and quiet without some bird squawking about on the branch above him, was that so much to ask? There were plenty of trees around here. Why couldn't she go sit on a different one? He saw the bird part her beak and tensed his muscles, agitation instantly mounting - but she didn't make a sound. Instead, she fluttered down to perch on his branch. Ghanyarah quickly turned, orienting his body so that he faced her again. The dragon's head rose, narrowing his eyes. "Ghanyarah." He answered sharply. She should know that, considering he already said his name. "And this tree is Ghanyarah's because I like it. I sleep on it, and I drew on it, and I can see everybody on the ground below." He explained with a huff.

Ghanyarah remained where he was, unmoving as he examined her. He still didn't quite know what to think of the bird - she wasn't actively making an effort to annoy him or anything, but he'd reserve judgment for a few minutes still. As he did, he prepared, just in case he'd need to fend her off for whatever reason. He summoned his magic and tugged at the water molecules in the humid air, trying to draw them in. The atmosphere felt as though it swirled around him, and tiny droplets of water would land on his hide, dissipating past his scales and into his body. With his body properly hydrated, he could spit water and form ice if he had to.

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Probably a good reason as any to claim a tree, the crow thought to herself with a faint chirp, more to herself. She fluffed herself up a little, keeping a vague distance from the dragon.

"Eve won't attack or steal tree," she squawked quietly. ""Ghanyarah could eat Eve in one bite. Declaring war over tree bad move for little crow."" She adds a tone of humor to this last part, still attempting to appear friendly. That in mind, she was cursed with the horrendous voice only natural to her specices, which could be more equivilent to nails on a chalkboard than a normal voice.

The crow was silent, for a moment, before she spoke again; "Ghanyarah draw on tree?"

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Like a lizard staring down a potential predator, Ghanyarah remained still, his eyes locked on the bird. He was most certainly bigger than her, but she had wings, and if he could recall, flying creatures could use those wings to gain a definite upperhand against landbound beasts like him. He'd have to act fast if she decided to attack him. However, when she chirped to herself and ruffled her features, the reptile found his muscles easing. It didn't seem like she was going to make any rash decisions... so his body relaxed, and while his head was still raised, he wasn't so on edge. She soon resigned to accepting that the tree was his - as it should be - and that he could probably eat her in one bite. Ghanyarah tilted his head and eyed her now, this time as a hungry dragon stared down their prey. But something so covered in feathers would hardly be worth the effort to eat. He dismissed the idea.

When she asked about him drawing on the tree, thats when the lizard brightened up. His lips produced a reptilian smile as he glanced down towards the tree trunk. There, his crude drawings were carved into the tough bark. "Yes. Ghanyarah is an artist." He boasted. "Would you like to see?" Ghanyarah offered and gestured with one of his clawed hands downward. He wouldn't move from the branch until she did.

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Eve dipped her head and fluttered down to the bottom of the trunk, landing on a convient root sticking out of the water. She twisted her head around, warily, before she looked back up to see if Ghanyarah was coming down from the branch.

She then looked to the drawings. She got close to some, though clearly didn't dare 'tamper with diamonds,' as it were. She didn't speak or ask anything yet, though once content with inspecting the drawings she turned her head back to Ghanyarah.

She fluffed herself up again, though very clearly remained wary of being so close to the ground now, but waited for him to speak first, obviously expecting him to boast on about his artwork and how he was inspired and such.

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As soon as the crow moved to leave the branch, Ghanyarah followed. Granted, it took him a little longer to move off of the branch; he had to return to the trunk, gripping the tough bark with his claws and clambering down until he had made his way onto the twisting roots that elevated above the muddy, wet ground. Balancing himself on the roots, the komodo dragon lumbered up to where he had carved those drawings in the tree and looked over to Eve. "These are things Ghanyarah sees. So I can remember." He began to explain and looked back at his 'canvas' of sorts. The lizard prodded at the drawing of himself, a loose scribble of a lizard-like creature with two spikes on its head. "This is me. See," He tipped his head down, showing her the morganite points upon his skull. Then he pointed to Temoria. "This is Little Hairy Big Teeth. She is mine. She doesn't live here in Cetus, but she comes back sometimes, because she is mine." He nodded, then pointed to Arkrael. "This is Big Hairy. She is not mine. Also comes to visit sometimes. I don't really like it." Ghanyarah huffed.

It was difficult explaining what they all meant, actually. They made sense in his head, but putting them into words was a whole new field of expertise that he seemed to lack. Ghanyarah wasn't very eloquent with his words, either, so that probably didn't help. Ghanyarah then gestured to the fresher drawings, the first one being Dragon. "This is Dragon. He says we are brothers. He is not mine, but I like him." He admitted. His attention shifted to Aquarian. "Dragon said that Aquarian is his father. That makes him my father too. But Ghanyarah never met him. This is just what I think he looks like." The reptile then laid flat against the root, craning his head back to look at all the drawings. It was quite a collection he had, but he wanted to add more. He just didn't know who or what to add.

"Can you draw?" Ghanyarah suddenly asked, looking over to the bird. He wouldn't let her draw on his tree, of course. It was his tree. But maybe she could draw on a nearby tree, or a rock, or maybe they could go to a different tree and draw something. Oh! Maybe they could go to the big tree, the Divine, and draw on it! With all these ideas flooding into his brain, the reptile suddenly raised himself up and twitched his tail. "Ghanyarah can show you how to draw!" He offered, regardless of her answer. Maybe this would be fun!

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"... Eve saw Dragon's food pile for Aquarian-- draw? Eve not sure if can draw," the crow peered at her scrawny little talons. She'd frown, if birds had lips. "How bird draw?"

Eve had never been particularly creative, or artistic. She assumed that Ghanyarah had been using his claws - which admittedly looked far stronger than her own. Maybe he had an idea? She leaned in a little to the dragon, as if waiting for him to tell her all his secrets. About ART.

He looked excited, maybe. Did he try teach every new stranger how to draw?

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