________________

Slowly, awkwardly, Eve began to climb out of Dragon's mouth and up onto his snout. She looked somewhat bleary-eyed, a talon moving to hold onto her beak. Luckily though, it didn't look cracked or broken. The plan for food was off, it seemed.

"Let's go to Eridanus," said the crow, wincing when she moved her beak to talk. Slowly, she lowered her talon and walked the walk of shame back up to Dragon's head, settling down and placing her talon back onto her beak.

She'd stick to leftovers.


________________

@Talat

Hearing the concern in his companion's voice, he quickly pulled on his ability to sense heartbeats. He did so quickly, and in his fluster, for a moment groped for nothing-- but then, eventually, he felt the distant beat of Eve. It grew closer as Dragon moved (his heart was so strong, it was a wonder) and then his sense faded. "She is alive," he reassured, although his words were sort of a moot point when the bird climbed up out of the overgrown lizard's mouth to join him as Winged Hats.

"Should be careful," he suggested to her, scuttling closer to the sound of her movement, until his orbyface hit feathers. He snuggled up to her, wrapping a wing around her if she would let him, and attempted to sort of comfort her. She was smaller than the other birds he had met, he realized suddenly, and for this he felt odd. She was much more his size.

How bizarre.

Yet, he had to agree. Eridanus sounded like the right place to go. That was the place with all the green, wasn't it? He sniffed at the air, hoping to find the familiar taste of fruit on the breeze. He didn't eat much, but he would certainly be happy to chow down on his favorite snack any time.

!!! ...
@Dragon

It's in the eyes!
I can tell, you will always be danger!
We had it tonight! Why do we always seek absolution?

He was relieved that she was alive, and the two made perfect sense in the "going-to-Eridanus" thing.

"Okay," he agreed.
"Let's check the tunnel, make sure we don't walk right past it. Then go there and find... er. 'Fruit?'"

I wonder if fruit is good to eat.

Dragon turned, sniffing and blinking blearily along the walls of the tunnel. He began to poke his snout into the cracks and crevices in the walls, near the stairs, by the gaps in the worn rock. There were strange rounded stones that sounded hollow when he bumped them, and overhanging ledges that looked like they could hide things.

Somehow Dragon doubted that the collar was here, but it'd be silly not to check before leaving, since it's why they were out there to begin with. Despite bumping right into the jars, though, it didn't even occur to him to try and look into them from the top. And despite leaning upward against the cave walls, he couldn't get high enough to look up over the ledges.

With a hissing grunt, he fell back, and dragged himself further toward Eridanus, still searching, but hoping the others could be of more help.

@Eve

________________

The crow was suprised when she felt a leathery wing wrap around her. It wasn't a thing she'd ever felt before, but she turned her head to affectionately preen the fur on the back of Tal'at's neck a little before carefully wriggling herself free.

She looked around the caves, doing her best to squint at the more darker places in search of something, anything that could hide creatures or collars in. She spotted a few things, in fact. She flew over to a few cracks in the walls, though found nothing - not even the pesky rat.

Though, when she flew up to a strange, crusty old pot. It was strange, but honestly not out-of-place for tunnel I. She could see the faintest glimmer inside as she lifted her head, sharply squawking for Dragon to come over.

"I'm too small to go in there," she said.

________________

@Talat

Tal'at found that he was quite font of the weird sensation of being preened by the crow, but when she wriggled away he wasn't about to stop her. He just dropped down to relax on the Dragon's snout, considering his magic. He had learned how to sense the green with Dark... Perhaps he could learn how to find what they were looking for. He did his best to look, clicking and trying to summon his magic in a way that didn't show him heartbeats or plant life...

For a moment, he felt tingly, and then...

He paused, head aching, as Eve chirped for help. She had found something! Eager to find out just what, he took to his wings and swooped over, landing beside her with a light plop.

"What is it?" He asked, running his wings over the crusty thing. He couldn't see it, or sense anything, but he clicked into the shimmering thing... Trying so hard to see it. Maybe he could wiggle in? His orb face might not fit, but... Maybe he could go in feet first? He wasn't sure what was even in there.

"... Should I try?"

!!! ...
@Dragon

It's in the eyes!
I can tell, you will always be danger!
We had it tonight! Why do we always seek absolution?

Dragon lifted his head, peering at the two flighted tiny-things where they fretted about a --something... up on a ledge. He snorted softly, breath rumbling.

He couldn't get up there--no way. For a split second, a twinge of... not jealousy, but longing, almost loss.

I wish I could fly.

More coherent and useful things pushed that wistful yearning away, though. Maybe he couldn't get up there, but he could surely give them a bit of light? Or Eve, at least?

"I'll try to give you some light, but it will only last a minute. Be ready and don't block it," he warned.

The alligator opened his jaws and inhaled, the sparkle of glowing embers flaring up deep within his maw as the air flowed in and over it. Then he exhaled, the flames lurching forth and guttering up near the ceiling--not close enough to singe the two, but enough to give them some brief, if harsh, light to see by.

Dragon kept it up for two or three seconds and then, as abruptly as it'd begun, the searing fire ceased. He coughed lightly, panting and regaining his breath for a moment before speaking, a smoldering hiss still crackling over his aching maw. He'd cast this spell many times, and it hardly even hurt anymore--but the sting was still there.

At length he managed to ask, "Did you see anything?"

@Eve

________________

Eve lifted a talon to scratch the side of her head thoughtfully. "The crown's heavy and once you get in you might not be able to fly out," warned the crow, before Dragon shouted. She gave a squawk downwards, shifting away a little.

She didn't mind the light despite it's harshness, but she did wince a little before she looked down, catching the sight of familiar crimson cloth. Carefully, the crow hopped down and approached the edge. "I think it's in there!" called down Eve.

She turned back to the pot and Tal'at, tilting her head. "We could throw the thing down for Dragon to get it? He could pull it out without getting stuck, I think."

________________

@Talat

Tal'at considered what the avian had to say and grew still, pondering a better way to go about things-- when Dragon called up. He shuffled out of the way, just in time to feel the blast of hot air swarm him. Alarmed, he grew stiff, clutching the cavern wall tightly. What was that? Fire? He could hear it crackle, and his heart raced, loud in his ears.

Eve spoke again as the Dragon's breath faded, unaware of the darkness that it brought on in it's absence. "Let's push it," was his simple reply, hopping back over to the pot. He did his best to shove it off with his teeny bat body...

He didn't seem to be able to do it just yet, however. He tried and tried, but his strength alone just wouldn't do it. "Eve help please," he clicked, ears laying back as he heaved once more.


!!! ...
@Dragon

It's in the eyes!
I can tell, you will always be danger!
We had it tonight! Why do we always seek absolution?

Dragon blinked, slowly slithering backward along the rock. He was getting out of the way, ready for the others to push whatever they'd found down, still whole and in the jar.

What if it lands upside-down and doesn't break?

He eyed it as he backed up, but by his judgement, it'd be breakable easily enough, even if he couldn't flip it back over--and he was pretty sure that he could. Fire would probably do it, if not. Fire could do anything.

No, the alligator was more concerned with being hit and pierced by flying jar-shrapnel. Who knew how old these things were, anyway? They might be shards of pointy rock, or ancient weapons or--or it was anyone's guess, really, but the point was, he had to get out of the way, and so he did.

Once he was a safe distance back, he called up again--still keeping one eye on the far end of the tunnel in case of golems.

"Okay! I'm out of the way!"

...They had been waiting for him to move, right?

@Eve

________________

Eve glanced over the ledge before actually helping Tal'at, nodding once Dragon moved away. She flew up next to Tal'at, observing the pot for a moment at a distance.

"Move outta the way. I got an idea."

Eve's plan seemed to involve a running start, and once Tal'at moved out the way there was a clack-clack-clack of running talons, followed by a loud, hollow clang and an increasingly familiar screech of agony. Needless to say, the crow's obviously flawless plan ended in the crow lying on her back with her talons in the air.

________________

@Talat