She'd travelled through here to trace Rodd's steps. The star had gone through Orion, she knew that much- perhaps he'd gone through other passageways to get to Ursa, but it was clear he'd be around that area.

Pollen hadn't come down this far before. It was a longer trek than Pegasus, but it felt worth it, the magical tension rolling across her in waves. Aethril had come down this way, hadn't she? There was the strange hole she'd managed to pick up in conversation, something about transcending, but she hadn't been told anything in depth about it at all. So, she had to know magic, huh?

She knew magic. She knew it very well. But that wasn't why she was here. Taking a breath in, she cast her gaze out over Polaris, looking for the right tunnel to Orion. Getting lost wasn't a hard feat out here, so she'd have to take it slow, try to remember the sketchy map she'd seen Aethril working on in the library and what she knew from the theater.

This tunnel. No, this one..? No- the one that she was looking for was leafy, and it should take her straight there. Stretching out her magic, Pollen felt for the walls, her mind's eye catching up on every bit of moss and- most importantly- the thin tunnel that lead to Orion.

She was taken aback by the strength of the feedback. The magic here felt strong, and she blinked, holding her paws up in front of her.

Well. As her ears airplaned, she thought for a long moment. She could practice, maybe. Aethril could be impressed, and if she saw a rebel, she could be ready. Yes- while plants couldn't do much, she could do something, and she needed to practice her whipping.

If only she brought some seeds. Ah, wait-! She saw a lot of seeds down in the ground; she could use those to practice, if she managed to make something big enough to practice on. Kneeling down on her knees, she felt around for the nearest seed, pushing her magic into it.

Slowly, a small sprout curled up- but it was not the sprout of anything big. Some sort of flower, perhaps- but it wouldn't be enough to attack. Still, she could practice growing on this one.

Pollen cupped her hands around the little flower and coalesced magic around it. It wasn't a lot- it felt weak, and she frowned as it grew slowly, its bulb barely blossoming in its reluctance.

"How do you expect me to practice magic on ya if you're gonna be this small?" she chided, poking it with a finger. "C'mon." It grew just a little more, fully blossoming, but that was it.

Disappointment rolled through her (and she felt a flash of alien anger- strange), and she bristled her fur. "Please?" Another poke, and nothing. Alright. She sighed, rocking back and sitting properly on her calves. If it was going to be stubborn, let it be stubborn.

Well, fine, she could focus on other plants. Something in the moss, maybe- it could feed off of it, and she could channel the moss to help. There was something down there, she knew. Pressing her paw down, she forced her magicka out into it, reaching for a seed to pull forth.

There. This was better. Pulling it forth, it grew more like a proper young shrub would- it must have been something dropped by a passing lesser. "There," she sighed out, feeling it worm through her fingers.

She shuffled over to face it, petting a leaf that grew. It wasn't easy to keep moving. The magic was beginning to drain her- but, luckily, she had so much in the air that she figured she could at least keep trying. This was a good start. Something to wrap her whip around soon.

Yes. This would do nicely.

Squinting down, Pollen put her paws down on either side of the plant, willing more magic forward. She could feel herself straining in focus, her eyes hurting with how much she was staring at it.

But, as she tried, nothing came, only the constant refreshing air flowing around her. She groaned, continued, before slamming her fist down on the ground.

Ah, well. Breathing in, she shook her head, pushing the frustration down. She should just try again, then, and she resolved to do just that as she sat up.

Right. Try again. Maybe she was straining too much on the last one. Still, she focused, trying ever so hard to make this one grow, to make something proper.

Still, nothing. Growling, Pollen bared her teeth down to it, feeling the anger boiling in her. Why was she so mad? She'd never been this mad before. It was just a stupid plant! Hissing, Pollen tore at the glowing moss and slammed it down, her hackles raised in utter anger.

Why wasn't it working? It was just working before- what was going on? She should- try again. Yes, again. And again and again, until this stupid thing grew.

Pollen sighed out, struggling to center herself as she pushed magicka down again, feeling her fingers tingle with the energy. Finally, something- a drain, and she could see the shrub grow up, twisting and arching into a full-grown plant.

There. Dropping her shoulders, she let herself be exhausted, thankful that it was finally over. It had grown, and it worked. Practice then, was certainly needed. If this took everything out of her, what would happen if she got into a fight?

She wouldn't be able to handle herself, she imagined. This was good- this place of magic, it was a good place to train herself, to collect herself and focus.

A little more, then. She just had a little more to go, a little bit left in her.

One last thing, then she'd take a break. She had to get ready for her own attacks against this plant- (this poor plant- she'd heal it up when she was done). Sitting back with one hand on the ground behind her, she brought magic to the plant once more, reaching into the plant's capillaries and forcing it higher.

Essentially, shaping the shrubbery.

Slowly, the shrub towered up, groaning with effort. Taller, and it reached up to her shoulder height, though it was thin enough to almost topple over. A good enough target, she supposed, but it would be better if it was a little more solid.

Sighing, she sat back, slowly dropping to her back and laying down. Good enough. She did good enough, and she shut her eyes for a moment, letting herself relax for a long moment.

She rested. Goodness, she rested. Sucking in a deep breath through her nose, she basked in the magic of the area, feeling it in her fur. It ran down her spine and filled her lungs, excited her, and she simply took it in, letting herself be content.

She was doing good with her magic. Aethril would be proud- maybe, except for how angry she got. She had to work on that, then. Raising her paw, Pollen opened her eyes and watched the vine trail down her arm languidly, falling and pooling over her chest. Her whip. This was the thing to protect her, her weapon, and yet it didn't feel like enough. Just a simple plant. Someone could rip it from her and she'd bleed. She needed something real.

But, with leather, she couldn't control it. She needed this to disarm people with her magic.

Yes, she supposed- she would keep these vines. It would be harder to disarm her, anyways.

Sighing, she dropped her arm across her chest, staring to the glowing ceiling of Polaris. A little more, and she could try spells again, maybe.

She stayed that way for a little while, simply staring up in contentedness. Her tail thumped on the ground sometimes- once, twice, and she hummed. Nothing with a tune, really, just basic notes, but it was something.

Eventually, she sat up. Her whip- while it had its thorns, she needed to braid it again, and she stared down at it as she ran a hand over it.

Right. She could spend some time on this. Taking a break from magic was pretty nice, anyways. It took effort to finangle it into a state where she could work with both hands, but soon enough she was twisting it around itself, braiding three parts into one. A curl here, a turn there, and slowly she was weaving something more useful than before. The creation would hold up, she figured, and she tugged gently. Instead of pulling at her own flesh, it pulled at where it tied around her wrist. Good.

Someone could still cut it, she supposed. But, it would do for now.