Relief washed over her, though Acheron knew at once that this feeling of unease, of guilt, of fear for what she might've done, would never really leave her. It was a lesson learned--one of caution, and she wasn't sure she would find herself ever making fun of her father's overzealous safety standards ever again.

"-Promise?" she asked, and when he nodded, she sighed a little. "Sorry. I didn't mean to." She wasn't proud of it, even if he seemed to be. She didn't think it'd been that strong. She just felt bad--and now, for the first time, she also saw her father's potential frailty. She'd somehow thought of him as a god, as untouchable, as a pillar of her life and existence--but he'd just been thrown like no more than the pebbles they had practiced with.

It made her uneasy.

Pride tried not to show how hard the question hit him. He'd not seen much of Acheron's emotional side, and her worry was touching and he felt, in turn, bad for having frightened her. "I promise," he reassured her, leaning down to offer a brief but affectionate nose-to-nose brush.

"Come; it may be best to test on rocks, instead, hmm? We can... make an attempt to get you a small piece of Spire rock, if you wish, but--not the Spire itself; one of these little crystals on the outer edges, yes?"

Maybe that would distract her; Pride didn't really know. But he led the way a little ways back, glancing at Acheron to see if she was still interested. It was the best thing he could think of, though as an afterthought, he tried to prepare a shield to raise before them--just in case.

It shimmered into being a moment later, and he tested it a little. "Give it a go, but then step behind this," he suggested, "just in case something hits back."

red deer img credit - dan seagrave

Acheron wasn't too sure about this, but she glanced at Pride anyway--faint fear lingering. She exhaled, and turned her attention to the Spire, following him.

She stepped out, tail flicking, and studiously inspected the base of the Spire. Hooves clicked as she came to a halt alongside Pride, dwarfed by his height. She was ready to step behind his barrier; she just needed to use her magic, first.

At length she picked out what looked like a little bit of aqua stone--one of the littler crystals around the edges of the crackling power. "Okay," she said, and prepared herself.

It was one thing to beg for a piece of the Spire--to excitedly demand the danger of trying to steal a bit of it--and something else altogether to actually be the one attempting it. The thrill running through her twinned with that spark of fear, rising up again, and she had to fight to concentrate on the little piece. Already she felt attached to it, pale eyes locked on it, all her focus now on blasting it free of the bedrock.

She saw the little bit knock free, and skitter surprisingly uneventfully across the floor--but it was a little too close to the Spire for comfort. Acheron considered, and looked up at Pride. "Can you... get that?" she asked--meaning his magic, of course, and not his teeth.

Pride gave a little nod, and stepped forward. He was tense--there were no two ways about it; he'd feared something terrible would happen. But as he let his shield drop, he allowed himself the faintest sigh of relief, exhaled through flaring nostrils.

It had just fallen, like any rock. Broken free of the black stone beneath, and tumbled. His shield fell away, and he concentrated on the tiny piece. His mind slipped, then gripped it, magic hoisting it a few inches over the ground and levitating it gently back.

"Here you are," he murmured, pulling the piece back to Acheron, setting it at her hooves. "Be careful, though," he warned. "It may hold some of the Spire's power. It may be painful to touch, or worse." He doubted it'd outright melt anyone, but to be certain, he took the risk himself--a quick tap of one hoof, then a touch of his nose.

It did hurt--a snapping sting like a static shock--and he flinched back. "Ahh--yes. It stings. If you give me a moment, I should be able to fashion you something to carry it in."

red deer img credit - dan seagrave

She stared, eager, as the stone swept toward her--and as it landed before her, as Pride touched it, she felt a strong sense of her own pride.

I did that, she thought. She'd gathered this piece, chosen it and broken it free. By her own power! ...Cool.

But she couldn't touch it yet--so she waited, prancing in place a little before forcing her hooves to settle. Pale eyes lifted, sought her father's face as she struggled to stay patient. But that patience didn't last long--she leaned down abruptly a moment later, determined to test it for herself.

It bit-! It reminded her at once of the magic of the lizard Saul, and she flinched back exactly the same, hooves clattering. But she didn't cry out. Instead, Acheron squinted, snorting a little, and looked up at Pride. "That stings. I met a--friend?" She didn't know what Saul was, not really. "Had magic that did that. Stings, bites." She didn't explain, though, just why she'd gotten shocked--it didn't matter, really. She'd just intruded on Saul's personal space before she'd really understood it--lesson learned.

"You can make something to carry it-?" she pressed, hopeful.

Pride shook his head, amused but also disapproving--she just couldn't control herself. But she took it in stride, at least, and when she asked her question, he gave a hum of assent. "Mhm, if my magic holds. I will try to make something... matching," he suggested, and stepped forward. He placed a hoof beside the Spirestone piece, and his nose to the ground, and concentrated.

Nothing came, at first, and he gave a little sigh, stepping back. "I'll try again in a moment. Meanwhile, what are your plans after this lesson?" He looked to Acheron. He had a thing or two more he could suggest that she learn, training he could advise her to practice, but she didn't look ready to come home just yet. That said--"You ought to come back and rest, first--and put this stone somewhere useful. Using too much magic at a stretch will tire you out and you'll find you've no magic left, not until you have given yourself time. It's... Like exercising a muscle," he suggested, even though that wasn't quite right. A muscle, after all, got stronger over time; and while magical power did, magical stamina really didn't.

red deer img credit - dan seagrave

She watched the magic fail, but she wasn't really in a hurry, now. She sat herself down on her haunches--a dog-like posture that looked a little awkward on a half-deer form--and eyed first the Spire chunk, and then Pride.

"Plans?" Acheron echoed, blankly. The pup-fawn had done a few things now in her short time alive, but "planning" hadn't ever been part of any of that. Still--much as she hated to admit it, "rest" actually sounded good. She could tell that she was growing weary. For a moment she debated it--surely she could just press on, find somewhere else to rest? But then she'd have to carry the stone piece in her mouth everywhere...

"I might rest... a little," she conceded, at length. "But then I want to explore some more! Tell me more about the caves?" she asked, meaning the specific, varied caves. He'd covered them only generally--warned her off Hydra and off specific dangers--but to Acheron, most of the caves were still unexplained and mysterious, an adventure beckoning to be explored.

Pride snorted some, shaking his head in amusement. He tried first, again, to make another little holster of sorts for the Skystone piece: a frame to wrap around it, ornate and almost organic, a pale almost-white, blue-hued diamond. This time, magic sparked up and stone cracked up from underfoot, spreading at his command.

It turned out a little... thin, and he wasn't entirely sure it wouldn't shatter with a hard hit. But it'd keep Acheron from getting zapped, at least, while she carried it. "Here you are. Be careful," he advised.

"As for caves..." He smiled at her, indulgent; she was curious, willful. She'd go far, or at least he hoped she would. She had a strong personality. "You could visit the hyena in Canis. She is... a little erratic, but I think safe; one of the Bonebound, who are the group who live there. Canis is full of bones," he explained. "She tells fortunes, and I think her magic is something unusual. It allows her glimpses into the future." He wondered what she might foresee for his daughter. "If you do--let me know what she says, hm? And when you want, I can take you to Cepheus. And we can go through Pegasus on the way. Both are beautiful caves--Pegasus is a great deal of meadow, river, mountainous forest. And Cepheus--be careful, there. Some of the Masters come and go, there, I think." (Pride didn't know much about the Hands; his assumption was wrong, but he didn't know that.) "There is a palace there--it's all white and purple, very pretty. Monoceros--through the hot, dry tunnel from Orion--well, the tunnel has a lot of old things you could pick through. Ember used to hunt there for materials to work with," he went on. "Monoceros is big, with canyons, and a great storm at its center."

He briefly described Cetus, and then Ursa--warning her to be cautious of fungus there--and lastly, Leo; he advised her to seek out the Blacksmith should she visit there. "And if you see the dragon Dread--black, with reddish wings--give him my greetings. Just don't let him mistake you for a Lesser--he eats deer."

Was that all-? He thought so; he stepped back at last, leaving the stone piece to Acheron.

red deer img credit - dan seagrave

This was... a lot to take in, and Acheron hesitated as she tried to remember it all.

Giggle--a "hyena" (whatever the heck that was) in Canis.
Mountains and water and stuff in Pegasus.
A palace(!) in Cepheus! Cool! And a whole storm in Monoceros!? COOL!
She couldn't figure out which one she wanted to visit first, but she was at once determined to see it all. "Um. Finding out my future first..? I'll do that. And then... we can see the palace?" she asked, hopefully. Talking to a fortune-teller seemed wise, just in case there were warnings like "if you go into the palace, actually, you'll die."

She stood and picked the gemstone up in her teeth, testing it; it seemed fine, not shocking her at all, and she wagged her tiny tail.

Then she turned, taking a few clicking steps toward the tunnel, as if to indicate that she was ready to go.

Just in case it wasn't clear, though, she reached for her magic too. Two bounds later and she was sailing through the air, firing a playful glance back at Pride.

Pride gave yet another little snort of amusement, another shake of his head. She still wasn't worn out-? All right, then.

"I'll tell you a little about another magic you can use, if you like. One that's just as fun as useful. It lets you make a double of yourself," he went on, starting the plodding return toward Orion. "And you can send that double off..."

He focused for a moment, and then stepped to his right. Another "Pride" stepped from the same spot, but left, and both peered at Acheron. Then the doppleganger leapt in a graceful bound, and streaked off down the tunnel up ahead.

"...And I can see through it, control it. It has many potential uses--as do most magics--with an intelligent and resourceful mind."

He carried on with the lesson as he walked, his voice fading off down the tunnel even as his Drift-self, off ahead, faded too. Later on, he'd reflect that he hoped this had been a good lesson for the child. He didn't yet know it--but it had.

red deer img credit - dan seagrave

exit Pride