marked mature because kera says frick a lot

When Kera decided to go into hibernation many cycles ago, something told her to do so where she had hatched. The throne. The place had been covered top-to-bottom in the remains of other chrysalises-- small, colourful shards that scattered across the cave floor and on the throne itself. The last thing Kera remembered before she fell asleep was fidgetting with them between her paws. She even set some alight in white-gold light before everything went black.

When she opened her eyes again, she thought-- for a moment --that the lights had gone out again. This was quickly broken by the realisation that when she tried to stand up, she hit her head against something smooth and hard. She remembered this-- the warmth of the chrysalis. She remembered that it got uncomfortable, once, but not this time. She wasn't growing this time.

How did she break out last time? If she pushed here, and perhaps put some weight there--

CRACK

Oh, good, she thought as a blast of cold air penetrated the rose quartz chrysalis. And by good, she really meant oh, caves, please no, stop, why. As the chrysalis crumpled around her she felt herself hit the ground with a hollow thump.

She opened her eyes. And there was still light.

The wolf took a very long breath. The air was cold and uncomfortable. It stang her lungs-- Kera thought she had experienced the same when she walked through some nettles in Eridanus, but instead of the pain scratching up her legs, it was scratching up her chest instead.

It took Kera several moments to recover from re-emerging but, eventually, it grew too cold for her to stick around. The wolf pushed herself up, shook her wet fur, and began descending from the platform. Orion looked exactly how she remembered it when she fell asleep. Perhaps she'd only been out for a few hours, but it felt like cycles. Years. What if everything had changed?

... maybe Blackberry was dead.

She fucking hoped Blackberry was dead.

The wolf shook herself out a second time. More as a measure to ground her thoughts than anything else. If the goose were dead, then the caves would be a better place. If she were still alive, then Kera would murder her where she stood. You know. For better places, and what not. For everyone's good. Just not because Kera really sort of felt like it.

Kera started crossing the cave floor away from the throne and into a nearby, half-crumpled building instead. She decided shelter would be better to get out of the cold with, but the roof was caved in and the air leaked in anyway. The wolf quickly decided it didn't matter, however, as she slumped down on the floor and began licking her paws clean.

@Pride

Pride had come to look for Charity, and for Envy. They were often at or around the throne. He found, instead, a fresh trail of liquid--and a short sniff told him it was chrysalis liquid.

...Interesting. But whose? He followed the scent back up, but it stopped at a shattered stone near the base of the throne--one he'd never noticed. Curious, he turned and followed it the other way. It smelled vaguely canine--predatory--and so he paused, sending out his magicka ahead. It took a moment longer than he liked to form up the second form; the spell had almost seemed harder now that he was no longer a fawn. Conjuring up a full white stag with all its armor and details was difficult, but after a moment of struggle with it, he managed.

This second white Pride split from the first, lowering its head to follow the trail. After a moment it found what it sought: a white form huddled in one of the huts. His double shimmered, then faded as he released it. He knew, at least, that it wasn't someone he knew--not an ambush, at least, just a stranger taking shelter. Still, it was a predator and fresh out of a stone, so likely hungry.

He paused some distance away, then--a dozen yards or so from the ruined entrance--and he called out.

"Hello? May I ask who has taken refuge in there? I am Pride, of the Seven," he said (he'd started using that because honestly, it sounded so much better and more mysterious and regal than "Sinful Seven"). "I mean you no harm."

...Unless, of course, it was a Bloodberry. Then he might mean them a little harm.

@Kera

The wolf had been watching the entrance as she licked herself clean-- half-wary of moose or geese or what-have-you strolling up into her new hideout and trying to throw down with her. Not that she was scared she'd lose, of course. Kera could win any fight over a Bloodberry if she wanted to.

What she saw, however, was not a goose. Or a goose-moose hybrid. It might have been a particularly skinny and very pale moose, but it seemed too... delicate. Too pretty. Before Kera could even open her mouth, it vanished.

"Whadafuck?" She said out loud, her pale tongue still hanging out of her mouth. She blinked very slowly at the entrance before she pushed herself up, stalking out the building and peering around the edge.

And there it was. Did it teleport?

For a moment, the wolf just stared. Wide eyes did not blink. Pride, the stag said. Of the Seven.

What the fuck is the Seven? Kera wondered.

Kera, however, had introductions to give. With her fur still clinging wetly to her skin, she drew herself up as high as she could stand. "I'm Kera," she announced. "I bring light to the caves, and I turned the lights back on when they'd gone off. I'm a protector, 'cause there's geese out there killing people for no good reason." She went through as many titles as she could find-- a show of asserting dominance, in her own way, to somebody who referred to himself as being from Seven.

The wolf stared. Gears working in her head. "What are you doing here?" She eventually asked, padding out back into the open. It was cold. She tried to ignore it. "What's the Seven? It sounds stupid."

@Pride

Pride observed; the wolf seemed wet, likely cold. Probably why she'd been huddling in there. "Don't look behind you," he instructed, and for a moment studied the area within the hut behind her. He chose a rock, focused on it, and then turned his head away, letting out his magicka in a destructive burst.

He was quite cautious; he knew how dangerous the spell could be, and really, it was rather reckless to use it merely for warmth. But a moment later the stone did burst into white-hot plasma, boiling warmth into the small space behind the wolf, and he nodded to it. "Heat--do not look directly at it."

Now, as to the rest.

"You speak of Blackberry. Yes; she is our enemy, and an enemy of most of the caves. She gathers children, manipulates and torments them into her soldiers. We have fought her before," Pride continued, half-glancing back over his shoulder. He remembered their battles well. He hoped that Blackberry was dead, wherever she was. "And yes," he added after a moment, looking back to Kera. "The full name of the group is 'the Sinful Seven.' I did not name it," he continued dourly. "In truth, it is a few Gembound who attempt to protect one another, and Orion, to some extent. It is led by Envy, who we call our King. I am here because they remain here." If he'd known Kera well enough, he'd have explained what a foolish joke it was--a few scattered Gembound initially brought together quite half-assedly by Reseda, only to blindly wander off after their own goals. There was nothing "sinful" about them, nor did they number, to his knowledge, precisely seven. They didn't train or the like together, nor did they actually patrol, or... anything useful, really. And he'd been too busy raising children to really rectify that.

Perhaps it is about time that I do.

"Regardless, it is good to hear that you are a protector, and... anti-goose. May I ask how you turned the lights on?" he asked, tilting his head. His voice held curiosity, and though he was distinctly aloof, he was polite and held himself well. He did not seem arrogant in his indifference, nor haughty, merely... apart.

@Kera

It should be noted that, when you tell a creature such as Kera not to do something, it's first instinct will be to do it at all costs. The wolf craned her neck back to peer behind her-- but as soon as the rock exploded into something white and bright, Kera had no choice but to turn her head away.

Her eyes squeezed shut, but for several moments it still felt like they were on fire. What was that? It was brighter than any light she'd managed to create, and it was warm. When she flickered her eyes open again she saw dark shapes dancing across her pupils, but she could still see the vague white shape of Pride.

Don't show weakness, she told herself, sternly. Kera sat herself down, her back remaining straight, and she stared at Pride as though nothing had happened. As if her eyes weren't currently on fire. As if it didn't feel like she was about to start crying.

Tears might ease the burning.

But better not, she decided.

"I fought her first," Kera pointed out-- for a moment forgetting about the black shapes crossing her vision to bristle with pride. "When we'd just hatched. She attacked me, so I beat her up and took her territory. I'd been settling there for cycles when she came back and she'd, uhhhh...."

Memories flashed in Kera's head. She remembered getting ready to see Giggle when Blackberry had appeared, she remembered the goose monologuing, but that she didn't listen. She remembered the taste of blood. The sound of bones cracking, loud in her ears. The taste of flesh.

The dog shuddered.

"I mean, you've noticed, right?" Kera asked, her voice oddly soft. "She doesn't exactly look like a regular goose anymore. The fucker's got teeth in her gut and a crown on her head." She felt an urge to look back to the heat, but instead she picked herself up and paced a small distance away from it. Even at a distance, it felt like it was burning.

"She'd lost it when I saw her again, trying to take my territory. Rambled about prizes, and followers. She told me about everyone she killed. Who she hurt. I tried to kill her for it." Kera frowned, shifting. "I nearly did. Then she retreated into her own rock. When she came out, she-- looked like that. Lost her mind even more."

"I felt bad, at the time," she continued after a pause. "I mean, she was just some misguided lunatic, right? She didn't deserve to be mauled and chewed up, and all that. But now I wish I'd found a way to destroy her stupid rock. Make sure she didn't hurt anyone else."

Another pause, and then a shrug. Kera sank down onto her chest and began cleaning her fur again, her ear twisting absently as she listened to Pride speak.

"I hope you didn't," she snarked. "Aren't sins supposed to be a bad thing? What are they doing being protectors if they're calling themselves after bad things?"

For a moment, Kera only stared at Pride. A little blankly. "Shouldn't you be here for more than just 'cause they're here?" She asked. "There's more than just Orion to protect out there. I wanna take the tunnel leading between here and Polaris back from Blackberry and her murder-cult."

This was more added as an afterthought-- and she had another question to answer. But, for now, she answered it with her own question. "Have you ever been to Polaris, seen the thing under the water?"

@Pride

Pride listened in silence, his ears pricking forward with growing interest. So that was Blackberry's history--and the reason for her madness, perhaps. Though he had a feeling that she'd have always ended up insane, regardless of the "reasons." "She is mad; she values violence, strength. She attacked me when I was a fawn, taunting and the like. I sent her packing with broken bones but I believe she took to manipulating the freshly-hatched. She has many victims of this," he added grimly. "One is a wolf, like you, though black in coat. I would not go back to her tunnel for now. There are a good number of them--though I will add that I fought them, with others, in Eridanus a cycle or two ago. Several of them were put into their chrysalises."

"I do not keep myself to only Orion. I spend much time in Eridanus--and I've spent plenty of time in Polaris, yes. Do not get too close to the Spire--what do you mean by the thing underwater?"

@Kera

Kera shrugged vaguely at Pride's words, turning her head to lick her shoulder. She did consider them, however. Manipulating the freshly-hatched seemed likely. More than likely. "Strength's not all bad," Kera pointed out mildly. "She'd just strong in the wrong ways. I'm sorry she tried to attack you when you were a kid." The condolence was, however, genuine.

No one should have to deal with Blackberry when they're still trying to figure out how the caves work. The wolf licked her muzzle again, then huffed. "Blackberry would call 'em off to fight me on her own," she said, confidently. Blackberry had done so before, after all. "She hates me. She thinks she can kill me, though."

Kera stared at the stag for a moment, prepared to point out, again, how the chrysalises should have been destroyed. But she reckoned Pride was smart. He probably knew to do that already, and didn't need her telling him. So, she shrugged it off.

Though, she did make a mental note to raid the tunnel on her own, now that they were less in number.

"I know you're not supposed to go near the Spire," she said. "The thing nearly attacked me when I was a pup. " The dog huffed, briefly, then set her head down by her legs.

Kera considered for a moment, before the memory came flooding back-- "The generator," she said. "It's in the lake in Polaris, sorta half-underwater. You can see it from the surface, though-- uhh, it's got all these turning parts."

"The turning parts are what power the lighting in the caves," she continued, turning her nose towards a nearby orb of light hanging from the wall. "Somebody's stone-- a dead sombody --got blocked in there so we had to yank it out. The smallest of us went in there and grabbed the stone but they nearly drowned. The inside bits are all flooded with water and stuff. I had to pull them out before they died."

Kera stared off for a moment, wondering where the Black Dog and snake were. They might have gone into hibernation as she did, or maybe they were still milling around the caves somewhere.

Maybe they were dead.

Fuck, she hoped they weren't dead.

@Pride

For a moment, Pride was baffled. Why was Kera (bringer of light) talking about Polaris' generator? Then it clicked--she was talking about the lights, answering his question. He blinked silvery eyes, and nodded, branching tines sweeping the air.

He considered. "I had no idea of the source of the lights. That is good to know, thank you," he added. And it was. Should they go out in future, now he had some knowledge of it.

"And you--are you all right?" He glanced back at the trail of fluid that had led him here, and then to Kera. "You've left a... trail; I thought you were a hatchling. Had someone attacked you--forced you into your stone?" He wasn't familiar with Gembound merely hibernating, no; he only knew of a chrysalis as the result of severe damage. Looking her over, though, she seemed all right.

@Kera

Kera peered suspiciously at Pride for a moment, her head tilting upwards. It was plain on her face, a silent way of saying 'the fuck are you up to, son,' but the wolf was quick to move on.

Was she alright? She felt fine. Why, was she bleeding? Kera took a look around herself, sniffing her fur. She didn't smell any blood, but the fluids from the chrysalis. When she turned back to Pride the suspicion had turned to mild confuision.

"Nah, I'm fine," she said. "I'm not a hatchling and I wasn't hurt or forced into a chrysalis. I wanted to hibernate for a bit, so I came back to where I'd hatched." She nosed upwards at the throne, where she'd come from.

"Just felt right to go back there to go back into a chrysalis with. It isn't all bad either, I feel pretty good." And she did-- her front leg, which had given her some issues ever since Blackberry had broken it --felt almost as good as new. The pain had never bothered her much and she could still walk fine on it, but it'd been a damn long time since it felt normal. Like it had when she'd just hatched. "Pretty awake, too. I felt really tired and, uh," a pause. "Lethargic. Before going in there."

She looked around Orion for a moment, pastel eyes lingering on the glimmering quartz stones above. "It, uhh, seems dangerous, though," she added quietly, almost as if afraid someone were listening. She looked up the throne, then the forum, then back to Pride again. "You lose track of time. I don't think I've been out for that long but a lot can happen in the caves in a span of a cycle. A lot can change while you're taking a rock-nap in some forgotten corner somewhere, you know?"

@Pride

The stag watched, unaware of Kera's suspicions. When she spoke--seeming, for a moment, a little vulnerable--he nodded again. "I will be honest; I did not know that we could do so at will. That, too, is news to me. I do not know if I am young or old, in the grand span of things--nor do I know which you are?--but I think there is much of the caves that is unknown to me, though I try my best to learn."

He nodded to Kera, as if indicating her. "I simply followed the trail because I feared that one newly-hatched--or just out of a chrysalis--would be vulnerable. As we live here, I did wish to ensure that no one is attacked needlessly, or the like. But regardless; welcome back to the caves, Kera. I can tell you what I know of what has happened. Had the snow yet hit, when you retreated into your stone? Had you heard--hrm, of Naskital, or of the fight in Eridanus? Or perhaps, better yet--what events do you last remember?"

The stag was not familiar with everything that happened in the caves, but he was aware enough of the most prominent bits. Perhaps if she had some timeline to go by, he could help her match up various occasions and they could figure out how long she'd been asleep.

It occurred to him that perhaps Gembound couldn't go into their chrysalises whenever they wanted--she'd mentioned being tired? Perhaps, he thought, she had been diseased--sick--and had not realized it. But as the stone seemed to heal those who fell into it, she would show no sign of it now--so there was no way to confirm his suspicion.

Still, it was something to remember--for future thought.

@Kera