Forgraves smiled, nodding, excited to explore! he held on tight as Azrael moved through Eridanus, looking around as he moved, and-

Forgraves couldn't stop his mouth from partially dropping. it was gorgeous! while overgrown and partially devoured Forgraves would be lying if he said that didn't add to the charm. his eyes were glued to the large tree for what seemed like an eternity, trailing down to look at the roots and the shelter they provided, soon staring at the rest of what remained of the garden, wagging his tail is excitement an curiosity. it was almost overwhelming, the area was so large with so much to offer, what would be next? he hugged Azrael a little tighter, he wanted to explore but the thought of leaving the comfortable perch that was Azrael's shoulder terrified him.

He couldn't see the expression Forgraves gave when they reached the garden, but he could feel his tail thumping against his back. Happiness, then - it was a good idea to take him here. Hoping that he was holding on tight enough, Azrael bent over and picked the first flower her saw - a small dandelion - and carefully cut through the stem with his claws. He straightened up and lifted the flower so Forgraves could take it. "Lots of pretty flowers. You hold onto this one."

He began to step through the garden, keeping to the path as best as he could, though still stepping through the many weeds that had grown, approaching the tree. It made him feel very small (a feeling he wasn't exactly a fan of) and he wondered who on earth used to live here. "Look," he pointed at one of the roots of the tree. "Scratch marks. Others used to live here. The caves are old, older then memory. Perhaps this garden belonged to someone long ago and has been here for ages. Maybe it is only just grown only a few cycles ago. We may never know."

@Forgraves

Forgraves took the flower, smiling. "flower!" he yipped, smiling. he held it in his mouth so he could carry it as they walked.

as Azrael continued walking through the garden, he took in the many different scents of the air, dirt, and plants around him. he observed the scratch marks on the tree and, for one reason or another, was given no comfort with the idea someone used to live here, taking care of it. were they alive? and why did Azrael not know their name? had people forgotten? he wasn't quite sure, but he chose to focus on the beauty of it instead. he resting his head on top of Azrael's, tapping on his shoulder. he'd like to move on, it seems.

He stood by the roots of the tree for a moment more until Forgraves tapped at his shoulder. It was time to move on, then, to something else. He rumbled as he moved away, carefully stepping through the garden, until he thought of the next place they could visit. "I will show you the Monarch," he confirmed, and then went silent as he trundled through the forest, pushing aside ferns and stepping easily over roots that tried to trip him up.

They walked for a while until Azrael stopped at the center of the room, right underneath a mushroom as massive as the tree they'd just visited and looked up, pointing at the top. "This is the Monarch," he rumbled. "I know little of it, but I think some used to worship it, long ago. This is rumor only - I do now know them, nor if any are still alive. If the Monarch ever responded or did anything for them...that I also do not know."

@Forgraves

He stared up at the big mushroom and found this was somehow better than the tree. he stood slightly, wobbly yet determined, to get a closer look. this failed, so he looked down at Azrael. "up?" he asked, tail thumping against his back. "big! monarch very t-tall!" he chirped, proud of his use of new words.

Azrael turned his head the best he could when the fox tried to lean forward. He looked surprised and almost a little proud as the fox began to string more words together. "Yes. I will take you up there." He looked back up before crouching down, opening his wings. He paused and rumbled, "Hold on tight" before leaping as powerfully as he good and using his momentum as leverage to push himself into the air.

He wasn't good at taking off or building altitude swiftly due to his massive weight, but he prevailed, powerful muscles keeping his wings going. The ascent towards the top of the Monarch was rough, slow, and a little strained, but he rose in height bit by bit until they were above the top of the mushroom and Azrael was setting themselves down on top of it.

As soon as he set himself on top of the mushroom, however, spores puffed out of the surface, right into Azrael's face. He reared back, surprised, and let out a loud roaring noise as he accidently breathed in a whole breath and it immediately gripped his head.

He swayed, falling to his knees as dizziness and nauesea set in quickly and the world started shifting and tilting. He forgot about Forgraves in that moment as colors around him started blending together. Suddenly, a booming voice echoed in his mind. MY SON. White fungus began blossoming in his vision as the hallucinations started taking hold, Mother's fungus overtaking the entire head of the mushroom. He thought he saw Forgraves jump off his back into the fungus, only to be consumed with a screech. Azrael roared and reached forward, but the world suddenly went black and he fell unconscious.

@Forgraves

Forgraves cheered as they jumped up, happy to be in the air!

he, however, was startled out of his joy by the loud roar from Azrael as they landed. he tried to hang on, crawling frantically to avoid being squished. he watched Azrael fall over, unconscious. he was confused. what had just happened? was Azrael dead?! he put an ear to his back, sighing in relief realizing his heart was still beating. he sat on his back, confused, looking at the wide expanse of the mushroom. maybe he should stay on Azrael's back.. whatever that cloud was didn't look friendly.

Azrael was out - totally out, his dreams filled white fungus and Mother's influence, dark wishes tearing at the edges of the fabric of his mind, her crooning voice whispering in his ear before his rage filled the world and blazed bright as the fire that engulfed the hive.

But Forgraves sitting on top of him did nothing to rouse him. He only growled in his sleep, muscles tense as his dreams became nightmares.

@Forgraves

Forgraves panicked for a moment as he felt Azrael growl and tense under him. he tried pushing on him, trying to shake him awake, but to no avail. he tried shaking him a little harder, nothing. in the end, he tried his last resort; licking his face until something happened. cmon, dad, wake up!

After a moment of being completely passed out, his dreams shifted because something was happening. Something wet was touching his face. Was the fish creature nearby or something? Was Mother's fungus taking over his face now? Wait...was someone...licking him?!

He suddenly jerked awake with a loud roar, throwing himself to his feet and lashing out at empty air with his claws, as if an enemy was standing there. His headache still persisted and his stomach was tossing but he came back down from his adrenaline high a moment later and looked down. Forgraves was still sitting there and...

He blinked. There was still a cloud of spores, moving away and, without a word, he leaned down to pick the fox up, holding him out in front of him. "Are you okay?" he growled. "Did I hurt you? Did spores get you?"

@Forgraves