Caves, his paws and back were sore - soft, seemingly manicured pads had most certainly been on the verge of splitting since he ambled through the entrance of Monoceros, and moreso as he clung to the wall and considered how best to summon this - Dredge? Ahhh, no, Pride had said Dread, right?

Needless to say, Mercurius wasn't used to walking on something that wasn't a lush, mossy floor.

Moonset eyes and spiralling horns alternated directions as he looked around. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been here, felt the awesome tug of twisting zephyrs on his mane. His paws already itched to preen at the tousled fur and tug out inevitable knots formed in them. It could have been carved by great wind magic, he pondered, or a battle of titanic proportions.

Or, perhaps, merely by the sheer warmth of the vents above against numerous sources of cool air.

Mercy cleared his throat and finally shed his cargo - a sizeable hunk of apatite and stretched-thin vines - in a clearing. Here, he felt like he could sit down without having a current sweep him off of his feet. It might be difficult to grow plants here - he couldn't imagine a place that soil would stay. Rumbling in his chest, he mustered up his first proper roar in... cripes, how long? Perhaps, ever.

"Dread?" Ah, high-pitched, scratchy, too much from the throat. Mercy inhaled again, and gave it another - more satisfying - shot, "DREAD? I HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU." Its bass bounced off of the walls, and the old lion hoped it was loud enough to be heard over the raging winds. Slowly, he rocked back onto his haunches, and then his stomach - waiting.

@Dread

Dread spent most of his time half-dozing right at the huge pile of 'stuff' at Monoceros' entrance, lifting his head to hopefully try to sell his random stuff (or, more accurately, trade it) to anyone who came in. Which... wasn't many Gembound, really.

Right now, though, he was tending to other needs. Both for himself and as payment to Glory, he had to hunt. Black, leathery wings beat twice at the air before settling into a glide, then tilting sharply, trembling through a swift bank. Behind him, the spade-tipped tail lashed at the air as a counterbalance, in a razor-sharp sweep.

He was just bearing down on a small herd of cave deer, the creatures panicked, scattering, when he heard someone call his name. The sound hit his ears just as flame torrented from open jaws, his sweep taking him low over the rock; surprise jerked him back and up as if on a chain, and he nearly lost his balance mid-air. His jaws snapped shut, cutting off the fire, and from the panicked bleating below he realized he'd burnt but not killed a target.

With a grunt, he swept lower and took his prey in claws and teeth, finishing it with a brief shake, then lifted higher, hovering; his head craned to and fro, trying to find whoever it was who had called him. Was this way, he thought to himself. And anyone who knew how loudly Dread spoke might have been surprised at how quiet his thought was. Though maybe it was easier to shout than to think things over.

He passed over Mercurius twice before at last spotting him: a pale spot below, large and still. Dread banked, circled, and carefully lowered himself into the clearing. Wings beat, and talons opened, letting the dead, half-charred prey fall onto the rock; the dragon then rocked forward, landing on his wings. Ember eyes blinked, his third eyelids lazy in retracting, as he studied the creature before him.

A cat, he thought--and pretty, white. It had a sort of purity to it.

"I am Dread," he answered Mercurius, and his voice was a sort of rumbling screech rather than a deep, bass boom. It was rather closer to Mercurius's first attempt at shouting, really, than his second. Dread peered down at his own kill, seeming to half-mantle over it for a moment (no easy task with his wings settled on the ground) and then peered with tilted head and sharp, hawklike eyes at the lion. "Do you want some deer?" he asked, almost reluctantly offering.

@Mercurius

A great shadow fell through the raging winds, wings so large Mercurius might've exaggerated that they swallowed the ceiling in a later storytelling adventure. Moonset eyes trailed it - pondering if this was the dragon Pride had mentioned. He'd not seen many (if any) such creatures in his time, and most certainly didn't remember them if he had.

The shadow only grew larger - and strangely incandescent, with the markings painted along its sides - as Dread alighted, a charred cave deer smacking down upon the rock first. Mercy's nose wrinkled minutely, and he immediately averted his gaze upwards. "My name is Mercurius," he hummed politely in greeting, with a bow of his head (his eyes didn't leave Dread's, to avoid looking at the deer.) "No, thank you. I... do not eat meat." Which would be odd, given the curvature and sharpness of his teeth, stained lightly green and yellowed with age.

After a pause, the lion's head swung towards the hunk of apatite - "I have this gemstone for you - Pride's told me to bring it. I come from the Kingdom of Eridanus, and we... need a place to lie low for a while. He said you would offer protection? There aren't many of us." As an afterthought, Mercurius twisted and laid a paw on the stone - to hopefully make it light up and become yet more appealing.

But it did not. Disappointing.

@Dread

Dread shifted position, craning his head down to inspect the stone as Mercurius indicated it. Head twisted this way and that, birdlike, as he tried to get a clear view of it. It was gold, or rather, gold-colored; the lion was clear about it not, in fact, being actual gold.

Dread rocked back, relieved that Mercurius didn't want any food. He studied him only briefly, with dim half-interest, the assessment that the lion had looked like a carnivore swimming for a moment through his food-oriented consciousness. A moment later he was tearing the small cave deer into pieces, throwing his head back to swallow them down. It took maybe twenty seconds, all told, for him to dismantle and consume the small creature.

When he'd finished, he reached the talons of his left hind foot forward, tentatively reaching for the apatite--with only a short glance to Mercurius, as if for permission--to draw it toward him for closer inspection. "Yes," he decided. "If you bring me things, I will protect you." The vague knowledge that one rock wasn't enough for indefinite guardianship trickled through his mind. "Four days," he decided, completely arbitrarily. "Bring me--a rock. Or gold, or feathers or meat or--things--every four days!" ...Yeah, that sounded good. "I have stuff at the entrance." And for once, at the mention of the entrance, the spark of tactical wisdom flickered through his mind, like an ember in a dead hearth. "I usually watch it! The tunnel. Is there anyone you don't want to come in?" The dragon seemed to think that he could simply bar Gembound entry. Perhaps he could. And, as an afterthought, "How many are you?"

He paused, not yet taking the stone. He was vaguely getting a handle on the whole "haggling" thing, and was aware--almost hoped, in fact (as he found it a rather fun game)--that Mercurius might try to argue the details of the arrangement.

@Mercurius

Mercurius pushed at his magicka again, pressing the pads of his right paw against the apatite a little harder. Urging it to glow and perhaps tack an extra day onto the agreement. It was for naught, again. He quietly gave up.

The old lion looked away for however many seconds it took the immense dragon to finish with his ministrations, tearing and breaking down the cave deer and forcing it down his gullet. Mercy flashed the whites of moonset eyes as he traced the very interesting edge of a platform high above; they could, perhaps, choose one winding trail and line it with greenery to break the wind, use it as their temporary home. It would have to be fairly high up, or deeper in the cave. Monoceros was barren, and a sudden influx of flora could prove conspicuous.

Once the eating noises died down, he shifted up to his feet so that the dragon could inspect the hunk of apatite. Dread seemed pleased with it, but it seemed for only four days. Mercurius's mouth settled into a hard line, a look of consideration taut across his face. Pride didn't mention the greed, he thought, almost amusedly, but came to a loss as to where they'd acquire precious enough things in such a time span, when they were limited to only Monoceros. "Is there anything we could bring to..." he began, softly, "guarantee at least two cycles of protection and hiding, now? Perhaps more?"

Maybe, they could convince Pride to come along and muster up a gemstone worthy of the spire. Or, maybe not. It could be a group effort, at least.

Mercurius hesitated at describing who the Kingdom were hiding from, if only out of possibly losing out on this deal. "We're hiding from a stag, Astraea - brown, with many antlers and laden in fungi, mushrooms. He's given us a task that we cannot complete, and demanded punishment for our failure. If he comes in here - I wouldn't attack him, but perhaps to prevent him from discovering us."

With a push of his paw, he rolled the apatite onto another one of its facets. "Including myself, there are four - perhaps five, if another joins us."

@Dread

Ember eyes flashed, following the apatite as Mercurius' paw rolled it to and fro. Every flash of its facets reflected in the dragon's greedy eyes.

And yet, he listened: half-attentive, but enough to understand the lion's words, to think them over, too. "Gold," he answered, promptly. "I like gold." Astraea. He didn't know it, but he commited the idea to memory: a stag (Pride he'd met, so he imagined that, but brown, as instructed) with mushrooms. And it was a good thing Mercurius had clarified "mushrooms," because the word "fungi" would have likely given Dread some trouble.

A flicker of cunning ran through the dragon. "Then if I see him I will tell him THIS IS MY CAVE, AND NO ONE COMES IN WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!" He tilted his head back, jaws opening, and flared his wings, belching fire into the air as if to demonstrate what he'd do. He rocked back on his hind legs, wings spreading wide. How impressive-! A gust of wind from the stormy sky then took the flame, blasting it back into his face and into his wings, and the dragon threw himself back, shaking himself, jaws snapping shut and eyes closing as he thrust his head down into the rock. His hide was generally flame-resistant, by necessity, but oops, that had burned--and for a moment, Dread the dragon busied himself rubbing his face and neck rapidly in the dust to put out the smaller embers.

He then looked up, blinking, at Mercurius. Where was I? Oh-

"AND THEN," Dread went on, as if that hadn't just happened, "WHEN HE BECOMES CLEVER AND ASKS IF I SAW YOUR FRIENDS ENTERING, I WILL SAY NO ONE CAME IN LIKE THAT!" Proud of himself, the dragon rocked back, puffing his chest out. He gave no sign of shame that he'd essentially set himself on fire. "You have to tell me what they look like, though," he added, thoughtfully, as he rocked back down against the stone.

@Mercurius

Dread liked gold. How creative. He would go on to inspire myths of titanic beasts watching over glimmering vaults of gold, seas of septims and stolen pocketbooks.

Mercurius hummed simply, nodding, "we can attempt to... find gold. Any - alternatives?" Precious metals were far and few, already minted into beat-up and worn pauldrons. Tunnel J could be a safe venture, if necessity came. They could muster up water and wash whatever they found, shine it up to the best of their ability and bauble them for extra appeal. All in the name of protection, the old lion thought. For a bouncer, really.

The storyteller pursed his lips lightly, frowning as the dragon seemed to set himself on fire. A brutal miscalculation on his part, it seemed, as he rubbed himself across the dusty ground. "Are you alr -" and Dread was booming once more, taking the blow into stride and continuing to mime what, exactly, he would do if Astraea came in. Mercurius found the whole act surprisingly convincing and compelling. Had Dread been in a theater audition, he would've had the lead role off the bat, no broken legs necessary.

"A sound plan," he called instead, gently working at his magic to at least give Dread a pulse of feel-good magics. Subtle, but hopefully effective. "He will have to take you at his word." Moonlit eyes pondered - "they look like a green cat with bark on his face, a winged black dog, and a deer - ahhh, a moose? With wings. I'm unsure of what the black dog's father looks like, if he comes. I presume, either winged or black."

Perhaps both, too.

By-the-by, "are there any others living in this cave, under your protection or not?"

@Dread

Any alternatives? Dread considered, smoke briefly pluming up from his nostrils. This seemed to have no emotional connotation. He just smoked. "Did you see the pile, near the tunnel?" he asked, though it sounded as though he were demanding. Likely just his natural tone, though... "I can trade things. For gold! I will take... things," he concluded, unable to come up with examples on the spot. He had to think about it for a moment before clarifying. "There are shiny stones, and gems, and pieces of old things, and skin and fur and sticks, and meat. Things." This safely reiterated, he moved on.

He repeated, in a mutter, the description of the Eridanus members--seemingly committing them as best he could to memory. "A green cat with wood on it, a black dog with wings, a big moosedeer with wings. That is all? Those are all of them?" Dread's brow knitted, some. He'd expected more. "Then you only have to pay every-" Dread forgot how long he'd given per payment. A week? "ONE AND ONE HALF WEEKS," he decided--loudly, in case he'd accidentally lowered the amount of time. He couldn't quite be sure.

The last question was a good one. "THAT IS A GOOD QUESTION!" -because, how awkward would it have been if the others had gotten into disputes with his already-friends? He had to think, for a moment; he could only remember a few friends, and two of them, he didn't know where they were. "I HAD A SMALL, PURPLE CHILD BUT I DO NOT KNOW WHERE IT WENT. AND WHITE, THE DOG-BIRD! SHE IS MY FRIEND AND SHE TAUGHT ME TO SAY THANK YOU." "Please" had never stuck, though. And of course, Dread had no idea that her brother, Oliver, was one of the ones to be soon sheltering here. "BUT MY BIG FRIEND IS GLORY. He is an eagle, and he makes things! He made these," Dread added, thrusting his head down so that Mercurius could inspect his two golden horn-rings. One was thick, solid: a smooth and shining golden band. The other was slightly thinner, and had been carefully-tooled: markings similar to his own tattoos, in sweeping lines with sharpened points, were engraved along its length. With sudden inspiration and loyalty to his friend, Dread added, "HE MAKES WEAPONS AND ARMOR AND THEY ARE VERY GOOD, AND IF YOU NEED THINGS BUILT YOU WILL--YOU CAN GO TO HIM!" (He'd realized just too late that his words sounded like a command--unintentional.)

Dread then rocked back, when it seemed enough time had passed for the lion to investigate the golden bands. "How long will you stay?" he asked, and now faint but keen intelligence sparked like embers in his eyes. Dread clearly had thoughts. "I can show you the places you will need to know! And the places where it is good to hide," he added. He had just fed, after all, and had little else to do.

@Mercurius

Dread, chainsmoker extraordinaire.

Mercurius craned his neck to peer at the long-abandoned entrance to Tunnel J. Clearly, he had not seen such a pile. "I must have been in quite a hurry, I did not," he rumbled, even as he narrowed his eyes into a fierce squint to even discern such a shape. Sure enough, something he'd dismissed as a boulder was a collection of trinkets - likely less well-loved than more valuable treasures held elsewhere. Strangely (at least with how the old lion interpreted it) the immense dragon was suggesting transactions for gold, and then surrendering the high-value gold so that, in the end, he still ended up with all of the goods.

A rather good business practice the beast couldn't fault him for enacting.

With introducing everyone came a sudden boon of time on the clock. Four days was for one Gembound such as himself, but four - possibly five - refugees allowed for a full week in addition. What a discount, a rebate! Dread could be quite the sales advocate, if he decided to meander down that path. "Yes, I believe that is it - oh, and the winged dog's father, if he comes along," Mercurius hummed, moonset eyes fixating on glimmering, smoldering embers. "I accept your offer, Dread - every week and a half, it is."

Small, purple child is not very descriptive. Mercy mulled over the dog-bird, if only for the color-based name. He wondered she was a relative of Oliver's, or if it was coincidence that they were the same general sort of hybrid. After all, it seemed every gryphon-esque and lammergeier creature to grace the caves was related to the Late Bone King. There seemed to be no need to ever birth forth another bearded vulture. Dread's big - best? - friend was an eagle that somehow created things with such a fine dexterity that they could fit perfectly on the dragon's horns and hold minute details. Mercurius got only a moment's chance to inspect them with a quiet hum of interest. The old man wasn't the materialistic type, but he was most certainly sentimental. Some commissions (or introductions, at least) would be in order.

"I'll have to let him know that I admire his craftsmanship," he nodded with quirked brows, "if we are to be here for a while." They should get to know the neighbors, after all. "I believe we'll be here for two cycles - at least. Likely more. I'm -" and with this, Mercy's shoulders sunk lightly, "I'm not exactly sure. At least two cycles." A work-in-progress final answer. "I would, however, appreciate if you could show us places to hide. Are there any patches of dirt in this cave? We could bring seeds and grow a garden."

Mercurius wasn't sure what purpose it might serve to the dragon, other than aesthetic appeal. Perhaps that was enough.

@Dread

Dread considered, lifting his head and turning it. The spine along his neck erected some as his attention sharpened, Mercurius's question rumbling through his mind. But before he answered, cunning flickered over his face--an expression of knowing--and he looked back at the lion. Dread's body leaned back, his taloned hind foot tentatively reaching for the apatite.

"MINE, NOW, YES?" he huffed, and then craned his head around to point his snout toward the Gorge.

"The deeper places! There is water in some. Plants, dirt. It is... rough," he added, trying and failing to describe it accurately. The thorny, dry brush was, at best, desert-type foliage; but there was certainly dirt down there. The rushing waters in the wind-carved ravines could be treacherous, but at least one was broad enough for him to land in, and to drink from. And around that, he knew, there were scrubby old trees and thick brush, and dried grasses.

"There are little caves and places to hide. It is a maze," he added, and then looked back to Mercurius, trying (with a critical eye) to picture what it might be like to be a lion, or a bird-dog, or a green cat. "...I think your colors will be too bright," he added, thoughtfully. "But everywhere else is open. Down there is the only place to hide. It is where the cave deer hide. And the bats, but some are sick," he added.

Granted, it had been many, many cycles since he'd accidentally plagued himself by eating one of the cave bats here; he didn't know if the sickness still spread through them, or not, but he hadn't touched one since. Lessons learned, and all that.

@Mercurius