Zutar stomped into Eridanus angry. Her friend Zavenlora told her that Atinneas had died due to her attacking Astraea, and suffered the consequences for it. At least that is what Zavenlora believed. But Zutar believed her. Astraea had taken two creatures who she cared for. Now was payback time. First, she would search for the den that Zavenlora thought Atinneas's stone was being held. It wasn't hard to find. The area around it was trampled and she marched right into the den. She spoke, not caring who was in there. "Excuse me! I'm here because I heard that my friend Atinneas's stone was being held here! I would like to have it back! MY name is Zutar!" After she spoke she swore once she got Atinneas's stone, she would spread the truth of Astraea's previous form to every gembound she met. Astraea may have held power in these caves, but she wouldn't let him murder gembounds who were innocent. She waited for anyone to answer.

@Game Master CJ

It was a lucky day for the gembound, as Venari happened to be home—however, she did not like being roused from slumber by someone marching straight into her den and yelling...

Her massive length coiled and turned over itself as she snaked her way through, peeking through the folds of her body and many legs to see what damned thing dare disturb her in such a way.

Hm. She did not know it, but it knew Atinneas. It claimed its name was Zutar.

Fiery eyes narrowed from her position, coiled like a dangerous shadow in the back of her lair.

"Zutar," rumbled her voice, laced with a hissing that accompanied her tone. "It interests me that you would like to have this stone back," rolled her words as she unfurled more of her body, freeing her upper-half to rise and loom over her visitor.

"I do not believe it was ever yours to begin with. Please, enlighten me: why do you deserve it? Do you have anything to trade?" Venari was not particularly interested in the stone, but it was her first target; it was a nice prize by itself.

@Zutar

Zutar sighed before speaking. "I don't have anything to give you in return for my friend. But I can tell you why I deserve it. Atinneas was a close friend of mine. She may have been blind, but she had love in her heart. Nobody was closer to her than I was. I want her stone so I can give her stone a second chance at life, instead of having it sit here and not be put to use. Attineas was my best friend, who knew my mother. If you give me that stone, I only intend to give it life so it may live. Please. I don't have anything to trade you, but you must understand, I must have it." Zutar looked up at the large female creature, hoping that she could find kindness in her heart to give her her friend's stone.

@Game Master CJ

Venari clicked several of her pointed feet together as she listened and considered Zutar's words. The gembound might be myopic in its want to bring its friend's stone back to life, but Venari could not deny the nest new hounds to serve on their gentle, yet taut, lead.

"Hmm," she sang, her body ticking against the stone as she curled and moved around the den. She rose to the shelf she had hidden the stone on and gently took it between several feet, twisting her body all the way around to look down upon Zutar.

"The creature you raise from this stone will not be Atinneas; you do not this at least, yes?" Venari asked, her body raised high enough to keep the stone just out of reach. Just because this creature wanted the stone, though, did not mean that Venari wanted to give it up so freely. She would need some sort of replacement to fill the lonely shelf. Her mind whirled with what she might demand of Zutar.

@Zutar

Zutar nodded. "I know that. I know the creature I will raise will not be Atinneas. But nonetheless, I will love that child anyways." Zutar knew the child would not be her friend. She did not expect it to be her. But she wanted a piece of her friend anyways. She wanted to raise this child and let it know how much she loved it. She wanted it to know who its mother was. That gentle white lion who was blind but noble and caring. As she looked at Venari, she waited for her to speak. That stone was the most important thing to her, and having it would heal her heart of the loss of her friend. "That child I'll raise will have a loving home with me. Please." Zutar waited as anxiety flowed through her.

@Game Master CJ

Love.

Venari narrowed her eyes. She did not know this word. It seemed superfluous. None of the creatures needed to know love; there was a tingling at the back of her mind, a knowing, and understanding of the concept. But it was there in such a way that she knew it did not need to be there. It was a thing that could be discarded. Irrelevant. Harmful to her tasks, even.

There were mutual agreements, allies, maybe even friends—her mind danced carefully around the image of Oliver—but love? She'd tolerate nothing of the sort. It disgusted her in some way, to hear Zutar plead with this as her only weapon. Love.

Her voice rumbled as she hummed, thinking.

"Ah, but you see, my predicament is this: if I give you this stone, whatever shall I replace it with?" she asked tauntingly, her voice rising in tone. "Do you perhaps have some other prize I might display here in my loving home?"

@Zutar

Zutar understood what this creature was saying. But it was greedy, very greedy. She sighed then spoke. "Ok, I see what you're saying. So how about this. Give me the stone and I will search for a new life filled stone in the caves and give it to you. If I don't return in three cycles at the most, you can find me and punish me as you see fit for breaking our deal. I have magic that can detect life filled stones in the caves. What do you say to that?" Zutar looked at Venari with a neutral expression. She waited for the large creature to speak on what she had offered.

@Game Master CJ

Venari frowned. She didn't care about life-filled stones or punishing some random creature. Her mind was far less intricate, she felt; she took orders and she obeyed them. Clicking her pointed feet in thought, Venari thought for a moment before shaking her head.

"No," she said finally. "You go and find me a worthy prize. It does not need to be a stone—use your best judgement." Her body shifted, curling upside-down so that she glided along the ceiling of the den, replacing the moonstone on the shelf. From here, her fiery eyes locked onto Zutar. "The stone will be here for you when you return."

She receded back into the far reaches of her lair, her eyes steady on the creature all the while—waiting, to see if she'd leave or if she'd have more to demand of Venari.

@Zutar