Ari

Hope is but a waking dream

Aristotle fidgeted as he wandered from one side of the treehouse to the other. He was nervous and upset. Comet had never returned after what had happened between James and himself. Finally he stopped and sat down. He was in the very top platform of the treehouse. He looked out the window and then followed the beam of light to three gemstones that glimmered in the light. One was Abraxas, the large blue topaz that he had found as a cub, A brown and verdigris gemstone that was shaped like a four pointed star, and the final one was just shard of what looked to be a petal of orange gemstone. He had decided these would be the three that he would be the three that he had decided to bring into his family. Sun was down on the bottom floor doing whatever it was he was doing. He knew what Aristotle had planned for the day.

Aristotle sighed looking at the gems before he looked down the ramp distantly. It was just him and Sun now. But that would be different at least now. Soon they would have three new family members. Taking a deep breath Aristotle approached Abraxas’ stone. This was the one that meant the most. She had called to him. Gently the lion placed his head against the stone and pulled at the veil of his magic. As his magic touched the gem it felt as if it was drawing the magic on its own and he barely even need touch his own magic.

(Reviving Blue Topaz Won Earlier This Year in the site raffles.)

Ari

Hope is but a waking dream

Aristotle sat back gasping as he felt part of his magic pulled from his body to give life to the stone he had found so long ago. Aristotle stood for a moment giving his fur a shake. He hadn’t expected it to go so smoothly with Abraxas as it had. But now he could tell that there was life within the gemstone.

Next the lion picked up the mostly brown gemstone and positioned it so that it wouldn’t be too close to Abraxas. He was unsure of how large each Chrysalis would become as he lay it down on the sturdy tree made platform. He was placing each gemstone so that for at least part of the day each gemstone would get some light from the world outside so that they would know the warmth the world around them held. Finding the perfect position so that the three wouldn’t be crowded with each other Aristotle lay down and placed his broad paw on the small three inch around soft brown four pointed star shaped gemstone.

The lion closed his eyes taking a deep breath he focused and slowly let it out as he centered himself. The lion dug deep inside himself tugging at the veil between him and his magic and slowly he felt it trickle out and down into the gemstone under his paw. He slowly moved his paw to feel a gentle warmth from the gemstone he knew he had succeeded on his second one.

Ari

Hope is but a waking dream

Aristotle lay there softly panting as he opened his eyes watching as Abraxas grew small offshoots of gemstone but didn’t grow a large chrysalis around it instead it appeared as if a single layer of gemstone grew over the top of the large egg shaped gemstone. His eyes were drawn to the soft grown star shaped gemstone as it grew and sprouted much larger pieces growing to be the same size as Abraxas with the small star shaped gem in the center. A light smile spread over his face.

Slowly the lion scooted across the soft leafy floor of his home and over to the last gemstone which appeared to just be a scale or petal shape as if it were a piece of something much larger once. The lion lifted his paw flexing it before he lay it over the shard of orange gemstone. Taking a deep breath the lion closed his eyes and slowly let the breath out, as he centered himself. Slowly the the lion once again dug deep inside himself and tugged at the veil between him and his magic. However as his magic touched the stone, a sudden backlash caused a sharp pain to pierce his temple. The lion turned his head to one side squeezing his eyes shut. That could have gone better.

Ari

Hope is but a waking dream

The lion gasped as the headache only got worse making his head pound and his eyes ache. It hurt so bad he had nearly not noticed as he felt the stone beneath his paw crumble. Aristotle’s eyes shot open wide. Oh no… He had done it again! Another one had lost its chance at life because of him. The lion clenched his teeth closed and stood up. He would try again… He had promised Sun a family.

The lion turned to his bed. He kept the rest of his gems under the stack of furs. Using his nose he tossed the top layers aside and stared at the last four gems he had. One he had acquired from his former daughter Comet. It was a crescent shaped matte white and grey gemstone. He would try that one. The lion leaned down picking it up and moved back to the place near the other two chrysalis’. He would try one more of these stones then he was going to make another lion. One like himself.

Ari

Hope is but a waking dream

He wasn’t sure how many chances he had with this gem. He had two tries with the third one he had attempted this with. The first two had gone near flawlessly. The Tinzenite however had proved too weak to revive. The lion took a deep breath and shook his body fluffy out his mane. Taking a moment the lion arranged the gemstone so that its chrysalis would get a good amount of light for part of the day. Stepping back for a moment the lion finally seemed satisfied with the placement the lion lay down and gently placed his paw over the gemstone.

Taking a deep breath the lion closed his eyes centering himself he slowly let the breath out. Digging deep inside himself he tugged at the veil between him and his magic. Slowly a small trickle of magic came to him and he gently threaded it into the gemstone beneath his paw. This one took longer to bring to life as it seemed to require more magic. But soon he could feel the gemstone stir as it began to form a protective chrysalis around it. The lion moved his paw and smile. There would be only one last one. The one for him. Another lion to teach.

The wascoite jasper had once held alien life within its toffee-marbled surface.

This creature was a bit mammal-like. Its pantherlike torso supported four arms and two legs, with a long, horse-like tail that dragged limply on the ground. Each foot had reptilian feet, with long, hooked claws and somewhat dexterous toes. The head was boxy, but flat. It had fairly thin lips and an enormous nose like a bat's. Its mouth had teeth only on the bottom jaw, and a ruminant pad on the top. Six eyes bulged out of their sockets, well-suited to long-distance sight. large, rounded ears dragged along the ground like the tail.

Its robin's egg blue (#6b97c4) skin was thick and covered in long, coarse hairs that were violet (#845bc2). The face and undersides were covered in somewhat less hair, exposing the skin's colors. The alien was about nine feet long from nose to tail, and stood about a foot and a half tall.

---

The magnesite was alien, too. Perhaps, it was even stranger than the other stones.

This creature was quite a bit like a caterpillar, albeit a four foot long one. It walked on six legs like any other insect would, yet peered around on fairly long eyestalks. Each eye was faceted like a fly's, capable of seeing from all directions. Its mouth was on the opposite side of its eyestalks, at the end of its "tail." A small, lamprey-like mouth sat underneath it, full of teeth and musculature suited for sucking blood.

Otherwise, it looked rather ordinary, pudgy and walking on six legs. Brightly bioluminescent stripes of sunflower yellow (#e6c229), sunset orange (#f17105), carmine (#d11149), indigo (#6610f2) and powder blue (#1a8fe3) ran down the length of its body. When agitated or sufficiently spooked, each stripe pulsed like the lights of an airport landing strip.

@Aristotle

Ari

Hope is but a waking dream

Aristotle sniffed tiredly. His energy and magic had been drained to near being gone completely. It was not as it should have. Something inside his mind seemed to have broken. He flicked his left ear, feeling the weight of his own gem. A lion. ANother child would make Sun even happier. Another sibling, and this one would be like him! He could teach them to hunt, to care for plants. He could teach them so many things. A light smile spread over the lion’s muzzle as a giddy feeling welled up inside his chest. Lifting a claw the lion pressed it against his own stone on the back of his ear. In one swift motion he cleaved the gem apart. A part of the brilliant red gem fell to the ground landing in a single spot.

BLOOD AND DEATH WARNING

Ari

Hope is but a waking dream

The lion stumbled a bit feeling his magic begin to waver. Unknown to him a crack had begun to form in the center of his own gemstone. A small trickle of blood began to run from his left ear canal. This made him dizzy and off balance. Aristotle shook his head to clear his mind of the reeling feeling in his head. Everything seemed to swim in and out of focus for a moment.

However the lion just shook it off. He had been drained before and he had recovered. Besides he had two complete backlashes with his magic just a little bit ago, that had to be the reason for him feeling this way. He nodded to himself and smiled. Picking up the small button piece of gemstone in his jaws he purred softly as he lay it close to Abraxas’ chrysalis. Gently he arranged the gem as he saw fit and then gently he placed his paw on the gemstone. Focusing Aristotle pushed his magic into the gemstone. There he felt his magic do it, that spark of life. Stepping back he smiled for a moment as he watched the chrysalis grow around the fourth gemstone.

Suddenly a pain shot through the lion's chest and head causing him to gasp audibly. The wind hitched in his throat and he coughed harshly splattering blood over the ground in front of him. Suddenly a smell of blood filled his nose as he felt something begin to trickle down from his nose. Again his vision was swimming in waves around him. Slowly he stumbled down the ramp to the second floor. By this point the lion was completely blinded by blood now filling his vision. The blinded lion stumbled to the edge of the second platform and tumbled down the last five feet to the ground. His body landed with a solid thump, blood pouring from almost every opening on his face, the light dulled and went out in the lion’s eyes. His gem shattering in his ear the feather wrapped around it fluttering lightly to the ground next to his lifeless body.

Having taxed his body and his magic to its breaking point, the lion would not last much longer—moments, perhaps. But the fourth chrysalis would grow among the others just as healthy. Rhodelite Garnet with a small carpet of tiny flowers growing in a ring at its base. When it hatches, its magic will also be Plant, its figure also that of a lion's. An echo of the late Aristotle.

— Removed Give Stone x1
— Removed Give Life x1