Zelk felt mighty today, and she had every reason to. This bear was no longer a cub, but almost fully grown. She was very large for her age, and would be at her full size at four cycles. Though this large size of hers was to be expected, she was a polar bear after all. The large female walked into Monoceros as the cold winds blew into the cave. These winds did not bother her though, polar bears were always used to the cold with their thick fur and blubber. Zelk let out a large yawn which almost sounded like a roar. Boy, she did not know her own strength yet, nor the power of the tone in her voice. As she walked in the cave she called out. "Hey, is anyone out here?! I'm not gonna bite if you come out!" She really wouldn't. Zelk was a calm bear, not a irrational one. Though she knew she had grown, she had no idea how large she really was. Though she would know fully at four cycles.

@Glory

Up on the platforms, within his cave, Glory worked. Elyon's order was taking him longer then expected, having had to try many different combinations for the metallic alloy he'd use for the base of the shield. He'd finally found one, but that still left all the work to do on the shield and the spear. When the polar bear yelled out to the cave, he didn't hear - he was pounding a hammer down onto a flat piece of metal, shaping the pointed pieces at the bottom.

Once it grew too cold to work with, he grabbed a pair of tongs with his talons and moved the shield back to the forge, which was more or less a grill over superheated lava. Within seconds, it was hot enough to work with again. Moving it back over, he picked up his hammer again and continued to work the metal.

If she was close enough, perhaps Zelk could hear the metallic clanging coming from his cave but nobody answered her call.

@Zelk

The polar bear could hear the clanging coming from what looked like a cave, at least from what she could see from down below. Zelk could clearly tell another gembound had to be working in there. So with the loudest roar she could muster, the bear reared up on her hind legs. Then with all her might she slammed down on all fours hard. A small shudder then shook the ground around her, aiming to disorient whoever was working in that cave. The bear sure hoped that would work. She didn't even realize how much louder her roar would get when she reached four cycles. The bear waited to see if anyone would come out now. They had to, she sure made a ton of noise.

@Glory

Glory continued to hammer away, shaping the shield to perfection when a sudden earthquake tore through the cave. It wasn't an earth-shattering event, no cracks appeared in the ground, but it was enough to make Glory slip and one of his hammer strokes, which, before had been perfectly on the mark, missed its target and instead dented the precious metal.

"Shit!" he yelled out as he saw what he had done to his work. Dents could come out but they weren't easy to fix and he was already late on his work. The blacksmith whipped around towards the entrace, hearing the roar from outside. Was Dread fighting someone or stomping around and asserting his dominance or something? He huffed. That dragon could take it somewhere else!

He threw down his hammer and slipped his talons out of his thick working gloves and stormed out of his cave. "Dread, for the last time-" he stopped when he looked down and only saw a polar bear on the floor of Monoceros. Dread wasn't here after all. Suspicion made his eyes narrow. "Who the hell are you?" His wings lifted a bit, holding him in a braced position, ready to fight if that was what she had come for. Why else would she roar like that and cause him to mess up his work?

@Zelk

"I don't know who Dread is, but I'm Zelk. I was calling because I heard you working in there. I called you once, you didn't answer. So the second time I used my magic. I didn't mean to disturb you or cause any trouble, I just decided that since I am nearly grown now I should be more social. What's your name?" Zelk did n't know who Dread was. Was he another polar bear like her? Maybe she should ask. "Is Dread another polar bear like me?" She raised herself on her hind legs as she looked eagerly up at the eagle. She did not know why the eagle was so hyped up for. Did he think all strangers were bad? She hoped not. Gembounds had to stick together for the good of the cave. That's how it should work in her mind at least.

@Glory

Glory stared down at the bear, confused. Was she lying to him? Why did she look like nothing had happened? Like she hadn't done anything wrong? She'd just added hours to his work time! The eagle pulled his wings back in and stood taller, glaring down at her. "My work is very loud, I couldn't hear you. Why didn't you just come up here if you wanted to talk so bad?"

He rolled his eyes. Apparently the kids in the caves were getting less and less smart. He had heard that the family of evil had been completely wiped out - perhaps the new-hatched were thriving a bit too much in this time of peace. "No, Dread is dragon. I though that it was him roaring, he likes to make sure everyone knows who runs this cave." As for himself, he puffed out his feathers, although his expression still showed annoyance. "I am Glory the blacksmith. Do you need something from me?"

@Zelk

A light shone in her eyes when Glory mentioned he was a blacksmith. She sat on her hind legs as she spoke. "Blacksmith huh? Well I just wanted to drop in to say hi. But now that you say that you are a blacksmith..." Zelk thought for a moment, and dropped back onto all fours. "I am a large bear, and I want to be something like a warrior when I hit four cycles. That's one cycle from now. Hey Glory, you think you can make some armor for an aspiring warrior like me? I want it to be like a 'warrior bear' thing. But if you're too busy that's ok. Especially after I accidentally tampered with your work." Zelk was going to be a full fledeged adult soon, and she planned on taking up a rank within the Bonebound. Might as well start with armor.

@Glory

The eagle stared down at the polar bear with narrowed eyes. He was still annoyed about the time added onto his work and he still didn't fully trust this bear. After all, who roared liked that and cause an earthquake just to get some attention? He didn't like it.

"What will you use it for? I mean, battle obviously, but who would you be fighting against? And what will you give me for it?" He added on the last part as almost an after-thought. He had, after all, projects that he was currently working on. When he was in a good mood, or when projects were growing stale, he would happily give his projects for free but now, with such an intricate creation to make, and with the bear asking for a full set of armor, he wasn't feeling so generous.

@Zelk

Zelk thought for a moment, and then suddenly something clicked. "Well my thick fur and thick fat underneath it is good enough, I would use the armor for added defense. I would use the armor so I can defend my group called The Bonebound from threats. I plan on getting a rank when I turn 4 cycles old, to become a dedicated member. As for what I'll give you for it, maybe I could find three valuable gems for you in the caves. If that doesn't suit your fancy, name your price." Zelk added the last part respectfully. She really wanted some armor so she could be considered for a rank in the Bonebound. She hoped Glory would be kind enough to make her some armor. "Look Glory, I know this is sudden, but this armor could help give me my big break on gaining a true rank in my group. I promise to do my best to make it worth your while." The polar bear looked up with hopeful black eyes hoping the eagle could do her this favor. She really wanted to gain prestige in the Bonebound.

@Glory

Glory stared at the bear, but he couldn't help but glance over her body as she spoke. Yes, she was right - thick blubber and fur would keep her safe for the most part, but he could imagine giving her a helmet, perhaps, shoulder plates, maybe something alonger her back, perhaps gauntlets and boots as well, if she wanted...

But her offer didn't please him. Of course, he had no way of knowing that he didn't need gems, but he thought he should take the opportunity to show off anyways. He didn't move a muscle as he summoned up his magic. Only his eyes moved, glancing towards the ground next to him as there was a sudden shift in the rock before a huge spire of perfect yellow diamond shot from the ground. "I have no need of gemstones. I can make them whenever I wish. You'll have to find something else to offer."

Glory paused. An idea came to his head. "Hm, I'll tell you what. If you can find me a gem containing life, I'll trade it for armor. For every stone you find, I'll give you a full piece. So...if you want a full body of armor, they would be a helmet, a guard, pauldrons, and boots. I'll be generous and give you all four boots as one piece. In total, that would be four gems containing life. Or, if you can think of an alternative, I would be willing to hear your other offers."

@Zelk