Zyros was looking for that small canine whose stone she was holding for the time being. She wanted to ask the canine why there was a gathering and why she was here. Though the kangaroo didn't have a problem with the canine staying here, she was concerned. Was the small canine alright? Unknowingly, she was very near Pallas's den, where the canine was being held. She had no clue that the canine was nearby though. Zyros decided to call out though, to get the canine's attention. Though, she wished she knew the canine's name. "Little canine! Little canine! It's me, Zyros, the kangaroo from the Children of Rot! I have to talk to you!" If she was lucky, maybe the small creature would come out from the den. But until then, Zyros unknowingly kept calling.

@Game Master Dark

an AW tag has been edited into this post by GM Dark. Members of CoR, KoE, and Hive may join.

Reji was now resting beneath the tree roots of Pallas' den. The other Children of Rot had come and gone, and the brothers and sisters in the Hive were watching over her, and over Mother. This was good.

But some fool out there was wandering around and yelling, drawing attention, and the mud-slicked, fox-like creature poked her head out into Cetus' mist.

"Who the crap is that..?" she asked gruffly, glancing to her guardians. "They're gonna draw half the caves in." She paused. She didn't think she was whatever a 'canine' was, and she definitely didn't consider herself 'little' (hmph!) but they had to shut this one up before it caused any more trouble. It sounded, she realized, like the weird long-legged thing that had tried to randomly hand her a gemstone.

"Pssst! Whoever that is. Be quiet. And come here!"

Zyros had heard a voice telling her to be quiet. She turned, happy to find who she was looking for. She hopped over to the canine, and wanted to start up a conversation. "Hi. Sorry, I didn't mean to be loud, but I didn't get your name. By the way, what is your name?" Zyros hopped a little closer, not wanting to be loud again. "Also, there was a meeting going on between you and my group, but I came in late, and nobody told me what was going on. It seemed important. What is happening? Could you explain to me? It kinda seems like something isn't right, especially since you are covered in mud. Is everything ok?" Zyros asked these questions out of concern. She hoped the canine could explain everything that she had missed at that meeting. It would help so she could be on the same page with everyone else.

@Game Master Dark

Reji squinted. There it was, bouncing through the mud. She had no idea what this thing was, but damn if it didn't look somehow both goofy, and fuzzy, all at once.

Strange.

"Name's Reji," she answered bluntly, and again glanced to her guardians. They wouldn't let this one close if it were dangerous, at least. "Oh, you're one of the--" shit, what had they called themselves? "-Children of Rot? Yeah long story short, my brother's an evil bastard and if I get found out, the Masters will kill me. 'Course, that ain't the whole story," she added, rocking back on her haunches and scratching behind her ear with one mud-covered hind leg. "How far back d'you wanna go? And what's your name?"

@Zyros

The great bear merely lifted his head at the stranger's approach, blinking small, dark, beady eyes with a sort of dullness. He was chewing a stick, one that tasted vaguely of fish (and Sergei was always eating, or trying to). And his task was to guard Reji, and Mother; but Reji did not seem to think of this one as a threat, and so Sergei simply went back to chewing.

He adjusted his huge bulk in the mud, his skull seeming to shift and move as massive jaw muscles worked at gnawing on the branch. Vast paws shifted over it, keeping it in place, and always, he kept his gaze--out of the corner of his eyes--on Zyros. The quiet crack of the branch under thick teeth, and the scrape of oversized claws across its bark, were the only real sounds he made.

He left the speaking to Reji, but his dull mind held sharp attention, and that stayed fixed razor-sharp on the visitor, for now.

Zyros realized that she had forgotten her manners. She quickly gave her name. "My name is Zyros. I am what they call a red kangaroo." Zyros thought for a moment, thinking on how far back she wanted Reji to go. After a moment, she had her answer. "Well how about we go back to when your brother became an evil bastard. Don't skip any details. I want to understand everything so I can help you just like everyone else is doing, and so I am aware." With that the kangaroo sat down to show Reji she was listening and had her complete attention. Zyros was kind, but she did not approve if the masters, and Reji's brother, were being evil to others. That was wrong in her book, and she would not stand for it.

@Game Master Dark

Reji gave a soft snort. "Have to start from his creation, then. He was a selfish little snob even when we were both fresh-made." The fox rocked back, again scratching behind one ear. This mud was itchy. She was sour about that, but safety first, as they say. Then she settled in, watching Zyros, ready to tell the tale.

"So, things around here seem... a little different than they used to be. Used to be, you didn't set a foot wrong if you wanted to stay alive. And it wasn't just the Masters, it was the Overseers, it was the servants, everybody. We were like... an army, you know? Everyone obeys, everyone in their place. Now everything seems... I don't know, abandoned," and here, the fox-beast looked around. "There was some of us--there were a lot of us--who didn't like how things were. And all the time there were a few who gathered up, and disappeared. Hid. Fought back. Whatever. And sometimes then they really disappeared, you know?" She eyed Zyros closely, her gaze meaningful. "Maybe the Overseers would find them. Maybe they starved 'cause they couldn't snatch enough food. It was dangerous, to be a rebel."

"My brother-..." Reji's gaze grew distant, as though she were staring back through the ages. "He was arrogant. He always said our best bet for survival was just to do whatever they said. To serve, and be slaves. Better a living slave than a dead rebel, he said. And all of us--our group--we listened to him. But things got worse, and worse--and then N'chard came."

A faint smile twisted the corners of Reji's lips upward. "He was..." she sighed, softly. "He was an... idealist. He said everything could be better. He said if we had courage, and determination, we could win in the end. That we had to stand up for what we believed in. And he started to convince us. He was so... so brave. That fire, that hope, that belief, it burned in his eyes. And he cared for all of us. He was worried about us, all the time. He and I, we were-... close." Reji's gaze came back to the here-and-now, her wistful smile changing into a sharp look. "Very close. And everyone listened to him. He became our leader--leader of our little... group; and others started to listen to him over Rezik. But there were always those who argued, and nothing was ever certain. So-... One day Rezik and N'chard left, together, to talk things over."

"My brother came back alone. We never found out what happened to N'chard. Aside from his story--that an Overseer had overheard them talking, and killed N'chard for a traitor. He said it was proof that to survive, we'd have to obey. And with N'chard gone, that... bastard... everyone fell back in line. They were subdued. N'chard wasn't there anymore to give them hope, to give them strength, and they listened to Rezik. And one by one, we kept getting killed. Picked off. That was our reward for loyalty," she spat. "Being culled."

Reji curled her thick tail around her haunches, and stared at Zyros. Time and hatred had lent an icy edge to her, like sharp and frozen flint, and she continued. "So I left. I couldn't stay with him gone, anyway. Not anymore. And I found another Master to follow. And we fought back. But that," she added, in a low, distant growl, "is a story for another day. For now, we hide here. And Rezik, the bastard traitor--I don't know where he is. But he's alive, and he's dangerous. Watch yourself, kid," she advised. "And don't tell anyone you know we're here. Or that you even saw us. Yeah?" This one was, she knew, one of the Children of Rot. They were--for now--allies, and in time they ought, Reji thought, to be assimilated into the Hive. But for now they'd be useful as they were, and she wasn't about to kill this one for knowing. No; let the Children know of Rezik. Let the word of him spread.

Let someone, she thought, grimly hopeful, kill him.

@Zyros

Zyros shook her head in dismay. How could someone be so cruel, so evil? She spoke with determination in her voice, taking Reji's side. "Well your brother was dead wrong. No creature should be forced into slavery. We all deserve freedom. You want to know what I think Reji? I don't think the overseer killed N'chard. I think Rezik did. But I wouldn't know anything about that. From what I am hearing, your bother was a horrible creature at heart, and definitely still is. Things are definitely different now Reji. The creatures of this cave don't serve, we are free to do as we please. I am terribly sorry of your past Reji. But I promise that I will protect you, until you are compltely safe. I long for the day where you can be free like the rest of us, and live peacefully. You have my word. Is there anything else you need of me before I go?" With that the kangaroo would wait to see if Reji requested anything of her. If Zyros had the power, she would kill Rezik herself. But she knew she didn't have that power. So she would have to settle for protecting Reji.

@Game Master Dark