S E R E K
you kneel before my throne
unaware it was born of lies

Serek hated the feeling of wanderlust that had taken over him recently. Not too long after he had interacted with that wolf, he’d found himself near obsessed with the clusters she carried. They infested his mind and every thought that came across it. However, he was fine- not even the odd phantom limbs were cause for alarm. Wings shuffling across his back or the feel of hard stone under his feet muddled his clouded brain further.

He hadn't realized how close he wandered to the linsang's den until he managed to stumble over a discarded contraption of his. Spikes nearly missed digging into his thick paw pads. An inkling of thought told him he should be furious for the litter, and yet he couldn't will up any emotion other than vague confusion. He didn't care for the crafty creature's creations but they did seem to come in handy, as evidenced by the woven patio above. Serek, with curiosity gnawing at the edges of his mind, craned his head up and took in the scent of the dead leaves.

The smell of rot and sweets greeted him. Invigorated, he stood for a shaky moment on his hind legs before propping himself up on the tree. "Little friend?" He called, a voice unlike his own commanding him. Friend? The linsang wasn't a friend- yet, if he had the clusters, he must be, wouldn't he?

P A L L A S
the man who sleeps with a knife
is a fool every night but one

Pallas had spent most of his time in his tree house with his clusters gathered about him. Moments of clarity had brought with them guilt at his inaction, and yet as time passed he mellowed into a drowsy and content Gembound. How could anything hurt his gifts? When he wasn't attempting and failing to fashion ropes of vine about his body to carry the clusters, he was asleep curled about them, his frame thinned by his lack of hunting.

Many alien memories came to him in his dreams.

All was fantastic, though. He wasn't alone- he was never alone. The clusters made certain of that. He had them close, staring at them in a silent solidarity before the call rang up through his tree.

Someone close? Someone… familiar. Some part in the back of his mind displayed a sight of sand and dust, only to be pulled away in the briefest moment.

Pallas bent his head to his clusters before he turned to the hybrid, dark eyes sparkling with attentiveness for once. He could feel a connection. Had he come for his clusters? With nostrils flaring, Pallas met noses with the visitor's in a warm greeting. "Welcome, I don't think I ever got your name," he uttered, laying down at eye-height with the hybrid. His mind altered into a different place as he cleaned a forelimbs with his tongue. It was a brief moment before his head shot back up. He'd forgotten to give his own name! "Pallas!" He yelped. "I'm Pallas. Sorry, I should have said that."

S E R E K
you kneel before my throne
unaware it was born of lies

The clusters came into view as the linsang moved away from them, drawing Serek's eye. So he did have some of his own! The litter of vines about the creature's den would have caused a spark of curiosity, but Serek could only give mind to the linsang touching noses with him. It was reciprocated with a stretch of his neck and a nod when he retreated. "Serek," he supplied, eyeing his companion licking himself. His eyebrows shot up ever so slightly at the outburst. "You're fine," was all he could say.

He couldn't remain surprised with the clusters about, though. Another nod came Pallas's way in the form of a gesture to the clustered clusters. "May I see them?" He muttered with hesitation.

P A L L A S
the man who sleeps with a knife
is a fool every night but one

Serek. He would have to remember that name. Pallas opened his mouth to ask another question before being interrupted with one to himself. "Uh, sure," he huffed, tail twitching ever so slightly. He remembered Serek being rude before, yet he couldn't stand to be mad at companions. It took him a moment to push the small pile to the patio where Serek could press his nose to. "Here." The linsang glanced over them, a paw protectively atop one. Part of him urged himself to offer his favorite, and yet he couldn't place one upon that position. Besides, he'd have already parted with enough for that shifting creature, hadn't he?

Gingerly, he picked up the strongest in his jaws and brought it to Serek to look over. It wouldn't fall apart, despite each individuals' waning healths. Probably.

S E R E K
you kneel before my throne
unaware it was born of lies

The hybrid found his stance slipping on the root of the tree, slick hooves sliding off as he stood up straighter to get a look. He could just get his chin flat on the surface of the woven stand to investigate the clusters. He rolled his eyes to their hidden location, staring as Pallas turned about and retrieved one to him.

Presented with another cluster, Serek too in a deep breath and inhaled its scent. It was nearly disgustingly sweet, and yet something about him liked it. It nearly reminded him of home if it weren’t for the lack of a dusty, boney smell that hung about in Canis.

Canis. He could go back soon. But, what reason did he have to move? Perhaps he could share the cluster with his mother and the Bonebound, but.. Serek’s teeth ground together and his head retreated as his eyebrows came together. No. he couldn’t go back. What of those chrysalises in front of the desert? Had they hatched yet, had they witnessed the clusters’ glory? Running his thick tongue over his fangs in thought, Serek relaxed his tightened muscles and dropped back to the swampy forest floor.

He felt like he should say something, yet nothing came to mind. Instead, he only looked to the muddy alcove under the tree’s raised roots in mindless thoughts. He’d need a cluster of his own to share, perhaps, but… Pallas, could he come with him and share his? Silently, he glanced up in thought to the patio.

P A L L A S
the man who sleeps with a knife
is a fool every night but one

Pallas shuffled in place as Serek didn’t respond. Was his cluster not up to standards? He didn’t find inferior ones; these ones were perfect the way they were. Was Serek okay? With a tilted head, Pallas took a step forward and twitched his nose in the air where Serek’s head was moments before.

Uneasily, he hung the front half of his body off the supporting branch of his den. The hybrid looked upset. Was he upset by the clusters? The linsang’s ears perked when attention was brought back to him. Why wasn’t Serek saying anything? Agitated, Pallas felt his tail swish from side to side as he made eye contact with the previous intruder turned companion. “Uh-” He started. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, but the silence hung in the air thickly and Pallas felt it wrong to leave it hanging.

S E R E K
you kneel before my throne
unaware it was born of lies

Serek blinked. He hadn’t realized he’d blanked out, staring Pallas straight in the face. Swallowing nervously, he dipped his head and glanced to his paws, uttering a soft “sorry”. He hung his head there for a brief moment before raising it again, deer-like ears pricked forward. “I was just wondering- how far do you think you could travel?” The linsang looked… Small. Yet, Serek had no place to judge. He wasn’t sure how much stamina the various creatures of the caves had. Some could walk forever, it seemed, yet were slow. Pallas didn’t seem like the type to walk the distance with his small legs.

Thoughtlessly, Serek reached his nose back up to one of Pallas’s thick paws and nosed at it. “I’m thinking of travelling to the sand cave. There were chrysalises outside of it- perhaps the people inside would’ve come out by now. We could track them down and share our gifts.” Serek’s horned head tilted in the opposite direction of Pallas’s, mimicking the creature looking down on him.

P A L L A S
the man who sleeps with a knife
is a fool every night but one

Crossed paws mirrored Pallas’s lax mood. Everything was fine. His flicking tail paused and went limp at the question, though- what kind of question was that? His response was a curl of his lip and he jerked his paw back at the touch, not expecting the wetness of Serek’s nose. It fell back into place as he explained where he was going.

Pallas turned his head side to side in thought, his long neck flexing. He hadn’t been eating- would his body be able to handle the journey? Curiously, he looked over his form, a prodding paw running over his spine. His ribs were visible. How curious. Yet, he didn’t feel bad.

With a sigh, Pallas turned his head back to Serek. “I don’t know,” he admitted softly. The clusters could keep him surviving, but would he starve expending his energy? A vague apathy came over him as he thought for his future, mind pulled in a different direction. A twinge in his jaw reflected in his muscles from whoever was watching him. ”I wanted to, but I don’t think I can now.” He shook his head dejectedly to add to his point.

S E R E K
you kneel before my throne
unaware it was born of lies

Serek seemed to deflate at the uncertainty offered. Was Pallas not as nimble as the hybrid thought he was? Flexing his toes in the muck, he ground up wet earth as the two were lost in thought.

Could he carry Pallas on his back? No- he was nearly too tired to carry himself about the caves as of late. Perhaps- “I could… Take one of your clusters instead of you?” He didn’t look forward to his jaw aching carrying around something once more, and these looked a bit bigger than the last thing he’d taken from this place. But, if it meant having one for himself… It set Serek to lick his lips in anticipation. The Gembound in the desert needed to see this, at least.

P A L L A S
the man who sleeps with a knife
is a fool every night but one

Quiet took over both of them once more as they both though, Pallas turning his mind to a blank regard of the hybrid. How odd that he wasn’t upset this time for the littlest reason. Instead, he looked almost pleading. How interesting.

Pallas took to scratching at his chin with the blunter side of a claw when the question was proposed. Take another of his clusters? Lazily, Pallas turned his head to the pile he’d accumulated- he’d done several trips back to Pisces just to collect more and more. He could let Serek borrow some, he supposed.

He had to be sure they’d be safe, though. “Wait,” he instructed his guest before returning to the inside portion of his den, relocating clusters in a search for a specific construct he’d been lazily working on until the clusters drove him to exhaustion at the end of the day.

It wasn’t long until he backed out once more, a thick dull brown sheet of wood in his mouth. It was sizable, enough to carry a couple of clusters if it was tied up. However, it looked all too heavy for the linsang- if he wanted to use it, he’d have to drag it.

Proudly, he hung it over the side of the patio. “Saplings and young branches,” he explained, running a nail along the pieces that had been swirled about like a tight chain link fence. Residue lay between each piece. “With a bit of sap to hold it together. I was working on this but it’s just been… So tiring, lately.” He sighed once more, tail curling about his hindquarters.