Action. Thought. "Speech."

The cave of pegasus would, as time went on, be filled with the wondrous giggles of an ever curious, ever learning fox. Forgraves had recently figured out how to use the various extensions on his new goggles and, spectacles resting above them on his head, he was carefully examining the various lesser wildlife, and most importantly, the plants. oooh the plants. Forgraves had always found plants exciting, in the many ways they grew, looked and effected life around them, but to finally see how they WORKED? oohohohoho that was heaven.

he was currently sat carefully examining some species of predatory plant as it fed, mentally jotting down notes and such about it. a windhopper had fallen right into its mouth with a loud SPLASH as it hit its acid middle, the light perfectly illuminating the way it dissolved through its translucent outer skin.. he didn't consider himself sadistic, no, he thought himself a man of knowledge. it just so happened he was also a mighty fan of various bones. that was all it was.

"Fascinating.."

@James

James spent his days gathering supplies, practicing, and exploring Pegasus. He wanted to know the cave like the back of his hoof, and he was doing good so far. He'd worn a trail into the forest already, where he'd branch off to search the place for anything interesting.

And today, he came upon a fox. A very familiar fox, someone he hadn't seen in a very long time.

"... Forgraves?", he asked, hoping he got the name right, "H-hello!"

James cantered forward and skid to a gentle halt, his feathers ruffling, "I'm James, I was the colt way back at the Edenfolk meeting so long ago... so much has happened, how are you?"

@Forgraves

Action. Thought. "Speech."

Forgraves, with a yelp, nearly jumped a whole 3 feet in the air, scurrying behind the tree the plant had tied itself to, practically clinging to it in cartoony, comedic fashion.

he peeked his head out, lifting the lenses with a quick turn of the knobs, and he sighed in relief, climbing back down. "oh, heheh, j-james! it's just you, thank the caves!" he said, chuckling nervously.

"i've been...! fine! fine, really! not uh.. not anything particularly exciting, actually, which is weird. i've been advancing in my studies, however! very interesting... heh... h-how about you? its been so long since ive.. talked to you at all!... you got feathers!" he added.

@james

"Oh-", he gasped, spooking backwards, fluttering his wings, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you!!"

James looked away, sheepish, and looked back at Forgraves, huffing softly, "A very long time... I have children, now. Some in Eridanus, some here. Pegasus and Comet live here, while Adonia, Abraxas, Amaryllis, Sprig, and Sun live in Eridanus."

Those were a lot of names...

"But I've been keeping very busy," he said, "But yes!! I do have feathers!"

He spread his wings to show them off a bit, the colorful undersides his favorite part of his new appearance. Though he still liked his rather cute white socks.

@Forgraves

Action. Thought. "Speech."

"nahh its fine! people do it all the time, nothing new!" he assured, smiling, switching his goggles for his glasses to see him better.

he let out a stunned laugh at the amount of names, "big family! m-mines not AS big, but.. yknow, we're a family. banshy and my dad azrael have been chilling in canis, as far as im aware! i should.. really go see them again.. heh.." he said, frowning slightly, worried. they were okay, right? he hadn't been gone too long?

he brushed it off.

"thats good though! theyre... very pretty, wow, heh. how'd you get them? last i saw you didnt have ANY feathers, and now you do! haven't seen that happen before!" he said, padding closer to look a bit further. "such big wings, they must be to support your weight, i'd assume, horse bones arent really as hollow as a birds, i imagine the extra feathers.. help for that too, surely." he rambled on and on, fascinated, eyes full of curiosity.

@james

"Yeah," he said, looking away, before glancing back as Forgraves described his own family, "They sound very nice, and I think you should visit. I'm certain they'd appreciate it."

James offered a gentle smile before folding his wings in again, "Oh thank you! Um... well, I was tricked to fall off a cliff and... and I got these when I woke up again. Brutal, but... yeah."

And at least his leg wasn't broken either.

"I think my bones are hollow," he said, "But I've got new ones, like this bone in my chest and my ribcage is a lot deeper, probably to support muscles and organs and such."

He offered the other a smile and offered a wing for Forgraves to inspect, "Take a look, they're a lot more thick and rigid than bird feathers."

@Forgraves

Action. Thought. "Speech."

he tilted his head. "that sounds... rather painful.... sorry that happened! i imagine it wasn't pleasant!" he said, a bit awkwardly.

he nodded along, "mutation then! new wings, new feathers, new bones. interesting! i didn't know that could happen, actually. i kinda just assumed when you die you... died. guess sometimes the gem has a last resort, eh?" he chirped. "which is good! don't wanna die, personally."

he perked up at the offer, switching his glasses out for his goggles again, which he should really just keep on forever at this point. flicking down the 2 examinatory lenses he looked closely at the feathers construction. larger, definitely, and carried more weight. the muscle around the wings on his back looked good too, possibly from frequent flying, which meant they worked. the feathers, the wings, in short, were perfect for james. how nice!

"utterly and truly fascinating... i wonder why specifically wings? was it randomized with magic or do all gembound just have some weird hidden genes that develop while asleep? how peculiar..." he muttered, loud enough for james to hear.

"who tricked you, by the way? you know? dont wanna get myself pushed off a cliff either." he said, smiling as he looked back to him.

@james

"Nemean," he said softly, eyes darkening, "She's a cat creature with blonde hair on her head and a pink bow. She has wings and can fly, insect looking ones, and has tan fur and a light belly. Ironically, she's a master."

Of course one of the worst people he'd ever met was a master. What a horrid creature.

"But I mean... maybe it was because I fell?", he said, "Maybe I mutated so that I wouldn't ever fall again. I have wings to catch me."

James shrugged and kept his wings out, a bit curious himself. He watched Forgraves inspect him, a little amused. What a curious little fox.

@Forgraves

Action. Thought. "Speech."

the fox nodded along with the explanation. he'd never heard of nemean before but he should definitely avoid her, in that case. what was a master, anywho?

he continued to inspect the wing, pawing experimentally at the muscle and bones holding the wings themselves. strong, and definitely lighter after mutation.

his wide eyed curiosity seemed to end at that when, embarrassingly, he realized he was getting a bit too handsy. "truly incredible, really! magic does seem to have a mind of its own, so it could very well be that!" he chuckled. "thank you for letting me look, i'm... very interested in science like this these days aswell. how plants work is one thing, gembound? whole other bucket of bones."

he hummed. "flying alot, i presume? i imagine its only logical, i would too if i suddenly sprouted wings" he chuckled, backing up once again.

@james

"Plenty!", James said, folding his wings back up, not minding the paws at all, as long as they were gentle, "I fly or run everywhere. It gives me something to do and I enjoy both a lot, so..."

He flicked his tail and looked down at the other, ears perked forward, "What kind of things have you learned?"

He bent his head down to sniff at the grass beneath them, taking a bite as he walked along. He grabbed a mouse out of a bush and set it in front of Forgraves, pinning it by the tail ever so gently.

"Do you eat these?", he asked politely, "There are mice all over, and frequent the fields. I've started calling them meadow mice for that reason."

@Forgraves