Cygnus

Cygnus generally kept to himself, wandering in a steady circuit around Pegasus, Cepheus, and Ursa. If he was feeling adventurous he wandered into Polaris, but most of the time he kept to his routine, not wanting to be bothered.

Most of the time. Right about now he kind of wanted to be bothered, to find one of the two friends he'd made in this cave. The snow leopard Cerilaine or the half-elf Anastasia. The later was nowhere to be found at the moment, though, but maybe if Cygnus actually explored for once then he might find her.

No, that would throw him way off balance if he did such a thing. Besides, he wasn't an explorer. A guide, maybe, but not a rough and tough gembound with nothing to lose. He had a lot to lose, thank you very much.

But for now he continued through Pegasus, his white fur incredibly obvious even as the day turned to evening and darkness obscured where he stepped. He summoned a wisp, unaware of how eerie and ethereal he looked in that moment, his fantastic antlers having just grown in like an even larger crown atop his head, framing his gemstone perfectly upon his brow.

”I hope they're doing alright,” he said to himself.

@Cerilaine

Cerilaine had been active in Pegasus for some time now- she didn't particularly like moving from place to place once she got settled in, getting used to this cycle of prolonged exploration. This month, Pegasus was the focus of her attention, and she'd found a nice little rift in the dirt that some other creature must have nested in before. It smelled of indistinguishable lesser, but it was a temporary home, and she liked it.

Now, though, she found herself walking through the cave, ears forward as she was returning from a hunt. Perhaps she'd find somewhere else to sleep tonight. In a tree? She'd slept in them before, but she didn't feel like trying to find the perfect one and making the branch comfortable for a good sleep- no, she'd be perfectly fine in her little dug out warren for now.

A soft glow drew her attention. Someone else was here? But, as she watched, she saw the wisp float about and illuminate the surrounding land. More importantly, it showed a particular white- one that was familiar, but Cerilaine squinted from a distance.

'Cygnus?'

Shaking her head, she turned back to match his direction, trotting fast to catch up to the much larger gembound. 'He looks alright,' and she let out a mental sigh, relaxing her face. Magic pulled at her for a wisp in response- it'd be the perfect greeting, just like when they were kids, but nothing came to Cerilaine's disappointment.

She shook her head, slowing her pace once she caught up to the moose. "Cygnus!" Her voice was warm and she was smiling, eyes half-shut at seeing an old friend. "How've you been?"

She'd continue by his side, two white, snow-land creatures in the dark of the night. Though, perhaps one stood out a bit more-- the other was just a cat with glasses on. What a duo they made.

@Cygnus

Cygnus

Cygnus spooked, startled by the sudden voice, scampering sideways before he dared look behind him, skidding to a halt. He blinked stupidly and turned, snorting, taken aback. Had something out in the universe decided to make his wish a reality? Was this really Cerilaine?

He walked forward, his steps dainty and precise as he lowered his head, so incredibly enormous he dwarfed even the fully grown she-cat. He was very nearly 7 feet tall at the shoulders, his head so massive it was as large as the cat's torso.

”Cerilaine,” he said kindly, eyes crinkling in a smile, ”You're um... you're here! I-I'm okay, I think. What about you? How are you doing?”

Having gone without actually conversing with everyone left his meager social skills even more poor than they were before. His voice was deeper, so deep that he barely sounded like his old, squeaky self. It didn't help that his voice was scratchy from a lack of use, too.

His wisp shot forward, lighting the way as he walked forward again, their shadows stretching tall behind them.

@Cerilaine

Ceri jumped when Cygnus did, eyes wide for a brief moment before she chuffed out in amusement. It had been some time since they met, after all, and she was just as surprised as he was to even see him again.

Chuffing again, louder, Ceri pressed the tip of her muzzle against Cygnus's broad nose, grinning with her eyes at the greeting. She was so happy to know he was okay, and she felt comfortable beside him. And my, how he'd grown! If they weren't nearly the same age, Cerilaine would be proud as a mother, but right now she was more impressed than anything.

"I'm doing great," she spoke, pulling back and watching his wisp. He was so different, and yet so like he used to be, that Cerilaine couldn't help but muse on that. Had he finished growing?

Still- focusing for a brief second, a smaller, flickering blue flame manifested between them, sputtering. Cerilaine frowned, partially- she hadn't used her wisps in a while. Maybe she needed to practice them. But, still, after the moment passed she smiled again, watching as it ascended up to trail Cygnus's, casting less light but offering companionship as Cerilaine fell into pace next to her friend.

"What've you been up to? It's been so long since we talked-- I thought I'd never find you outside of the snow, truth be told!" She chuffed again, glancing up to Cygnus as she trotted beside him.

@Cygnus

Cygnus

Cygnus smiled gently and nodded slowly, ”That's good, I'm glad you're doing okay. It's been so long I was starting to worry about you.”

He slowed down so she didn't have to trot, remembering that his long strides equaled twice hers, going just a bit slower but still comfortable.

”There was a fight some time ago,” he said, frowning, "I don't know what about but I thought it best I leave Ursa for a while. I tend to walk around Pegasus, Cepheus, and Ursa. I've made it a sort of circuit. It's just routine but I like it.”

He smiled gently as he remembered all he'd seen. Rabbits in the fields, deer roaming around. The herds in Cepheus still weren't any kind of friendly towards him but that didn't stop him from trying to make friends anyway.

”I think I'm boring, Cerilaine,” he realized, ”All I really do is graze, walk, and sleep. A rather boring life, I think. But what about you? How have you been spending your days and nights?”

@Cerilaine

"I was worried about you, too." Her head tilted slightly, one ear drooping in thought. "I figure you'd be okay, though- you just seem like you would be." She slowed alongside Cygnus, not realizing how fast she had to go to keep up with him- her attention was more on him, after all, and if she got tired from trotting it would have been a trot well worth it.

Her head cocked the other way as he mentioned the fight. "I've been wandering sort of everywhere, really. Nothing beats Ursa, though- it's cold, it's pretty, and it has lots of life in it." She looked around for a moment, considering their surroundings. "But Pegasus is pretty nice, too."

She watched him as they walked along, ears forward and eyes shining with interest. She was engrossed with curiosity. But, when he said she was boring- she shook her head. "You still make magic," she offered, nudging her nose towards the twin wisps. "And if you're boring, I should be, too. I just kinda... Wander around, try to find things that are neat, and then I move on." Her shoulders rolled in a shrug as best they could, but she still held a smile on her face.

It was a beat, before- "Oh! I heard there was a soothsayer around here- someone who could read your future? I've been thinking about doing something like that- not future seeing or anything, but doing something with a purpose." Her tail flicked higher for a moment and her expression steeled with determination. "There's so many strange things to look at, and I wonder if anybody else knows more than us. Like, did you know there's a giant blue crystal in a room so thick with magic you can practically taste it?" She paused, before shaking her head. "Okay, I don't think you can taste magic. -- And I'm rambling, a bit, but I guess I've just been... Dreaming." She snorted out a laugh at that, grinning. "That sounds real sappy. But, really- I haven't done much, just hunt, walk, look at shiny things, and sleep wherever's comfortable. Kind of a boring life, but it's a comfortable one."

@Cygnus

Cygnus

Cygnus nodded slowly, ”I like Ursa too but that fight... makes me wonder why it happened. There had to be a reason, right? And if I can help it I'd like to avoid such conflict.”

He looked towards their wisps, Cerilaine's blue and small and his slightly more purple, glowing just a bit brighter. The two of them together illuminated more than one alone could, though, and he felt like that was how he and Cerilaine's relationship was.

Apart? They might be boring, but together they became worlds more interesting.

”A soothsayer?”, he asked, listening as the other elaborated. It sounded interesting, he thought, imagining the other telling the fortunes of people.

”I think you'd be good at that,” he said kindly, ”And boring doesn't mean bad. It means safe and comfortable and as long as you're happy and healthy then who cares? Not I.”

Cygnus perked up as they reached a small stream, stopping before it and looking down its length, though it quickly disappeared around a bend into the trees. Pegasus sure was beautiful, as the she-cat said.

”Let's go that way,” he said, gesturing to the left, staring to walk along the bank.

@Cerilaine

"Hmm... Maybe?" Cerilaine shook her head gently, her ears bobbing in place. "I can't imagine a fight that big, though. I can't imagine you fighting, either." She tilted her head toward his, chuffing humorously.

"Maybe. I don't think I know even my own future, though, truth be told," she thought out loud, her tail twitching behind her for a second. "And... I think I do like boring, sometimes, but other times I feel like I shouldn't be boring. But-- boring is safe, and it's nice." She watched their wisps as her's began to lag behind for a second before surging forward, illuminating closer to the ground for a moment. Hm. She still had a long way to work, but Cygnus's confidence became her own, and she smiled to herself at the thought.

Maybe she couldn't soothsay, but she liked the idea of doing something like that. Something with magic. If not the future, could she see the past, help people work through their's as they explored it?

She didn't seem to be personable enough for that yet, though. Flicking her tailtop again, she continued on, pausing beside Cygnus as she looked down the stream. She perked as he suggested to walk a certain way, and she nodded, following along beside before coming back up beside him again.

In the corner of her eye, she could see their reflections partway- even though they were wavy, it was enough to see the massive moose walking beside her without looking at him, and it struck her that they were quite the pair. A small cat, a large moose, both bonded like the wisps hovering before them, gliding along in tandem and illuminating the soft water.

It was a quiet walk before she spoke again, head forward and watching the wisps. "Do you think you'd want to join me? We could find out something to do together," she offered. It was an uneasy question- while she missed him, he seemed happy in his life, and she didn't want to take that away from him. Perhaps they could just meet, instead, and they could coexist in peace without worrying about purposes or not being boring in life or anything.

Cerilaine would like that too, she realized. They were so different, and yet so alike, and they were friends. No matter what they did or didn't do together, that fact would be so, desperately hard to change.

@Cygnus

Cygnus

Cygnus shook his head and whuffed gently, ”No, I could never fight. I don't even think I feel comfortable hurting a frog or a fly, let alone a person. Maybe if they were evil enough?”

He shrugged, his wisp floating forward and gently nudging Cerilaine's, helping it forward a bit before pulling away and continuing to float ahead of the two. It was a peaceful dance to reflect their casters, a partnership between two souls.

”I think you can do whatever you put your mind to,” Cygnus said, ”And even better, I think you'll be good at it.”

He looked down at her question and turned his head forward again, lips pursed in the way they did when he was thinking long and hard. He thought more than he spoke, which he thought everyone should do to avoid sounding dumb, but it also meant there were periods of time where he spoke very little or not at all. It was a few minutes before he replied, starting off with a gentle nod.

”I think I would enjoy that,” he said, ”I have my routines but perhaps its time to change them a little. I think I would like spending time with you, too.”

Cygnus smiled as he looked down at Cerilaine, lowering his massive head to gently nuzzle her shoulder affectionately, ”Thank you for the offer.”

@Cerilaine

Cerilaine shrugged (or, at least half-crouched her front half in a quick attempt at one), making a small noise beside him. Cygnus didn't seem the type to seek out evil people or anything, and the fact that he wouldn't fight didn't seem like a problem at all. That was just Cygnus. Caves, even Cerilaine didn't want to fight all that much- too much danger in that. She was comfortable.

She huffed out with a smile at the sentiment. "I appreciate it," she chuffed, glancing up to him. Even without anything particular she had in mind for herself, it was a bit inspiring to hear the encouragement from a friend, and she folded her ears back and smiled wider for a brief moment.

She was quiet for the time it took for Cygnus to think- she understood he'd take his time with formulating an answer, and she appreciated the moment as she watched their wisps. Her's was getting the feel of keeping up with Cygnus's, it seemed, and was soon hovering alongside it at a steady pace. The creek was nice and steady, a warm noise under the bird calls and Lesser noises from the surrounding woods. A tree rabbit made a loud squeal, and a caroller was singing its heart out, and, for a time, the quiet moment was filled with peaceful ambience.

Cerilaine's ears turned to Cygnus when he spoke again, and she closed her eyes for a second with a contented hum. Her head turned back to touch his muzzle in turn, letting out a loud chuff of warmth. "Of course. What should we do first?"

@Cygnus