@Sia

His mind was beginning to wander to what could possibly lie beyond the room he had become accustomed to. This was his home, and by now, the cat was nearly familiar with every corner of the room of stars. He had seen this room's inhabitants, though barely spoken to them; the black leopard and his lion son (who Bartos often mistook for Faelon), and Kerby, and whoever else decided to live here. Even those mushroom cats from the jungle he had met, and heard stories from about the expansive, sprawling green flora. But Bartos wasn't all that interested in greenery - what he wanted to see more of was the rock structures. Despite his asking, it seemed this room was mostly where they were found, although he'd heard rumors of carvings and ancient artifacts elsewhere.

Today, the cat found himself lingering near one of the entrances, waffling over whether or not he wanted to chance it. What if he left and somebody raided his hoard and took his treasures? What if he found something pretty and couldn't take it back home with him? The chances of a mishap occuring were high, and yet... He wanted to know.

The decision to leave Eridanus was one that was at once difficult and undeniable. She'd grown fond of the verdant sentries, the perpetual smell of petrichor and most of all, the lupine guardian, Arkrael. It was she who had tended to her wounds and taught her, when she could, earth magic. So it was to her did Delphine feel some amount of regret for choosing to leave; her only consolation being that it would not be in permanence. Her first steps through Tunnel I were burdened with fear of the unknown though she tried desperately to veil some such sentiments in the presence of the brave child, Athena. How could she know that the dragon would not rise from the shadows? That it would not seek to finish what it'd started? Questions bombarded her, wringing anxiety to each and every step along the cavern floors until the filly could bear no more and halted mid-step. Her eyes shuddered closed and she exhaled, long and slow. Unknowingly she'd been holding her breath and when she inhaled again, the tension eddied and uncoiled. A slow and languid unfurling of a terror that had no place in a child's mind. It was only then did she dare to open her eyes and when she did, she resumed her journey through the tunnel. Only time could heal the unseen wounds, perhaps even, ease the fear that'd lodged in her since her encounter with the dragon. She glanced down and smiled at her companion, "Come on, Athena. Let's go." Delphine lingered every now and then, stopping to study the elaborate scenes etched within the walls until the yawning entrance to a new room peeked from beyond the stairs. Yet what caught her immediate attention was not the kaleidoscope of crystals above but a bespectacled cat hovering near the very tunnel from which she sought to emerge. The filly halted again mid-step and after a moments silence, found the courage to speak. "Hello-" Her voice trembled and she hated it so. "I am Delphine." Would the creature hurt her? He didn't seem of a violent nature but doubt tormented her every thoughts and she found herself unable to fight it. Even so, she stepped just so in front of the newborn Gembound, the gesture protective though her mind was riddled with unrest. "We wish to pass... If you would permit it." She whispered softly. ( @Athena )

Athena Ignis
The hottest fire makes the hardest steel.

Athena liked traveling with Delphine. The older Gembound was always watching out for her and paying attention to her. Not that she couldn't watch out for herself, she'd escaped the fiery pit of her birthplace unscathed after all, but she liked the feeling of being protected by someone.

It wasn't hard to notice Delphine's unease though. Something about the Tunnel seemed to unsettle her but Athena really couldn't say what it was. She just silently waddled along with the other Gembound, watching out for any threats that she would need to fend off for Delphine.

When they came to the entrance of Orion, Athena was struck with the beauty of its ceiling. Of course her eyes flew to the cat first and she felt what she would later categorize as distaste at the sight of the feline, but she easily discarded these thoughts for now to marvel at the wonderous twinkle of the crystals above.
Athena's companion spoke to the cat, which once again drew the canine's attention to the stranger. "I am Athena." The pup threw in, grinning and tail wagging. She didn't understand why Delphine was asking for permission to pass, though. Did this place belong to the cat or something? Couldn't they just continue to wherever they were headed?


"Listen to me."

Bartos could have been content to just sit there at the mouth of the tunnel and debate whether or not to leave without actually going anywhere. He was happy to entertain the idea in his mind, but it seemed he would very soon no longer be alone. Two figures manifested out of the distance, alarming the cat into a rigid posture, tail puffed out behind him. He stared at them in their approach, unsure of whether or not he should flee. They seemed nice enough, but he wasn't really prepared for a conversation - his mind still hung on the idea of exploration and the uncertainty that came with it.

Before long, they stopped before him. The horse introduce herself, and then the dog spoke her name. Then they asked him if they could pass.

Wait. What? Bartos wasn't in charge of this tunnel! He wasn't even in charge of the starry room, he only lived here! What could he say to them? Yeah? That would give the wrong idea! But if he said no, he'd be lying! The cat blinked his wide, saucer eyes at them before stuttering, "Y-you're big!" True enough, the horse towered over him. The pup not so much, but she was still quite a but bigger. There really wasn't anything else he could think to say so he merely crouched before them, confused.

@Delphine

Hearing the puppies voice boom from beside her brought a smile to her lips as was often the case when she was in Athena's presence. There was a certain light-hearted exuberance that came from being with the newborn Gembound and in some ways, it was not dissimilar to the innocence she associated with children. Though that assumed that Delphine herself was not one, which she was and acknowledged well and true, but she was also sullied by her experiences where her companion was still pure. Ashen from her encounter with the black dragon but otherwise unscarred. She was thankful for at least that much. What she hadn't foreseen was the statement that hurtled their way. It was entirely irrelevant and along the way, her own request had been pushed to the wayside. Delphine's brows furrowed and her lips pursed, clearly perplexed by the situation though amused no less. "Not really..." She returned with a slight roll of her shoulders. "There are others much larger than I." The truth slipped between them easily enough but it did nothing in the way of giving answer to her own questions. "May I assume then that you do not own this space? If so, we will pass through." It was not like Delphine to put her foot down on certain matters but she also did not wish for Athena to perceive her as someone easily felled so she ambled forward to further delve into the unexplored ruins of a broken city. The filly was entirely captivated by what lay beyond and it was nearly impossible to feign disinterest when her jaw threatened to open from the sheer awe of Orion. "This place is beautiful..." She whispered. "What do you think, Athena?" ( @Athena )