the   thorn produces delicate roses
sharp

There was nothing quite like Orion. Sharp had come here time and time again just to be blown away by how much of everything there was. So many crystals! So many ruins! If her den and stuff wasn't all in Monoceros, she'd spend all her time here.

So, of course, when she had enough free time she came trundling back to here. She was still sore from the Olympics a few days ago, but from her peppy walk and high head no-one could tell. She dragged her rickety cart behind her, the tiny wheels occasionally catching on pebbles as she scampered past. But today, she wasn't going to the forum, or even the city in general-- the cliffs were where she's at.

Why? If nothing else than to enjoy the view! When you're a tiny lizard barely 8 inches in length, it's hard to really get a look at anything. Oh, and of course, she hoped to snatch one of those crystals on the ceiling for her own use. Sharp could always do with some more shinies.

Several minutes later, the little sungazer was tediously scaling the ancient slabs. She had to leave her little cart at the floor-- wheels were not good for going up 90 degree inclines. It was borderline terrifying to get off the ground, but the lizard just held her breath and started climbing. One trembling foot past the other, ever so slowly, until she was far enough Sharp swore she had to be at the top. A light breeze whistled past her scales as she looked down to gauge... and she climbed exactly four feet.

Ah, oh well. Sharp did a little reptilian shrug and continued waddling along the base of the wall. Four feet wasn't that much of a angle change, but to her it was massive. She could see so many things! The tops of bushes! Stones!

So entranced was she, that she missed the monstrous feline coming around.

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@Ruby-Beta

Damn, Beta was hungry. The obstacle course had really taken its energy out and it could feel the telltale rumblings in its stomach that it was time to find something to eat. But the question was what. Orion wasn't always exactly teeming with prey. Besides rats and such, of course, but Beta didn't think it could stomach another rat right now. Maybe it would go look for a bird or something in Eridanus...but that was just so far away...

But it spotted, then, the lizard that was climbing around the rocks. It didn't recognize her - it hadn't exactly taken notice of the smallest creatures in the Olympics - and immediately categorized her as prey. She was just the right size - maybe not for a fulfilling meal, but for enough to get it to Eridanus.

It crouched low to the ground and began to creep into the shadows, hiding itself from view as it began to hunt the supposed lesser. This was good practice, then, too, since Master Vargas had commanded it to hunt the less intelligent creatures as well. Food and work, at the same time!

@Sharp

the   thorn produces delicate roses
sharp

There didn't seem to be much up here.

How odd. Usually Orion was one of the busier caves, always teeming with strange creatures ambling about. Sharp didn't really expect to find many people along the walls, but even then it was... quiet. Odd. Even the funny lessers were silent.

Ah, whatever. The little lizard just shrugged it off and continued crawling along the rock edge. Her tiny feet left little plumes of dirt with each step. A couple times Sharp swore she heard something rustling in the shadows, and her little head would lift in overpowering instinct, but she saw nothing nearby. Nothing but stone.

Okay, maybe that was a little creepy. She swallowed nervously, her spiky tail shifting quietly in the dust. Maybe she shouldn't be here. Maybe she should run far, far away from any from any weird cliffs in poorly-lit caves. The fact she couldn't sense anything nearby, not even the regular wildlife, made it even more alarming. Her prey instinct was going off, and she did not like it.

Carefully, slowly, Sharp turned away from the cliffs she was about to scale and back the other way. She wasn't sure how she was going to get back down-- she was rather back-heavy, which wasn't good for going down vertical inclines. But maybe she could find a nice slope down and safely leave this creepy place... right?

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@Ruby-Beta