All seems to be silent in Polaris... but not for long. The stillness is occupied only by the slow drip drip of water and the occasional grainy sound of dust falling from the ceiling. It seems that after the great battle with Raheerah, the core is beginning to return to normal, but normalcy never persists in Origin Cave.

There is at first a slow tremble in the earth below. One can feel it, like a misstep they are suddenly and inexplicably off balance, and then the trembling evolves into violent shaking. The ground shifts beneath the feet of curious Gembounds, but not just in Polaris - no, the shaking reaches all the way through the caves from Pisces to Canis and everywhere in between. Some rocks are dislodged from the ceiling, shattering to the ground while chunks of ice and snow shatter in the colder tunnels. Trees rustle and sway beneath the shaking, and the lights strung along the walls and roof begin to flicker in and out, dimming with the unexpected quakes.

The earthquake lasts for several seconds, finally culminating in a horrific, screech-like sound that emanates from the core. Then, everything falls still - everything except for that screech. It could have sounded like just rocks grinding against one another, and that's probably what it was - yet, you can't shake the feeling that it might have been something more.

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The injured alligator was laying quietly beneath the Spire, still recovering, still plotting his next attempt at ascending. He was half-drowsing, lost in that odd empty state that he slipped into when resting or lurking in ambush, while hunting. His ribs ached, but not as badly as they had. It didn't hurt to breath so much, now. His right hind leg, though, still felt broken--almost shattered. He couldn't put weight on it, so he was still lying there in the blue glow when the cave began to tremble. He looked around, blinking his gold-glittered dark eyes, and then the deafening screech tore through the room and his mind.

He cringed down, tail lashing over the stone, and at first he thought it must be Eve. Looking around, though, he saw no sign of her; then he wondered if Nemean were returning.

The whole cave still trembled, and then he found himself fearing the return of Raheerah--and an instant later, he was hissing toward the ceiling, just daring the dragon to come down. He was out, alone, vulnerable, wounded; if the dragon would come, let him come. He'd die fighting. Never mind the fact that the giant moth wings laid out to either side of him--seemingly for no reason--would leave him dying while looking like an idiot.

But nothing came; the trembling ceased, and the screeching, and he found himself alone in silence once more.

So... what the hell was that? he wondered, heart racing (by alligator standards, anyway) and eyes flicking warily from point to point.

But he saw nothing out of the ordinary, and that, perhaps, was even more disturbing.

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The black dog still lay in Polaris, still curled around the developing moonstone chrysalis. It glowed and shimmered, and he often found himself simply lying still, watching the way the light played over its iridescent surface. Now and again, his tail would thump, his tongue poking out to lick his lips, a strange contentment passing over him at the idea that life was developing right before his eyes.

Then, all hell broke loose.

The cave shook, and a scream filled his ears--a screech--so intense that he was up and running (tail between his legs) for the tunnel exit before his brain could catch up. When it did he turned and ran right back, bolting back to the chrysalis with wide and horrified eyes, his long ears pinned back.

He let out a yelp of pain, stumbling back to the chrysalis and crouching over it, stones falling from high above to clatter and slam all around him. He barked furiously at everything and nothing, looking around wild-eyed.

A moment later it had stopped, and there was still no sign of its source. With a growl, the black dog stood, hackles on end, over his chrysalis--guarding it with his life.

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Something quite literally shook Eve awake, but it wasn't Tal'at. In fact, she had no idea what it was. Her first instinct was to get out of her nest and fly down to the base of the tree to check on the onyx chrysalis. She let out a brief, loud squawk to announce her departure before she began flying off.

Dragon was still in Polaris and, as the crow had suspected, near the spire. As she entered Polaris she was quick to land next to the alligator with her talons clacking softly against the ground which, moments ago, had been shaking or trembling, as if the cave itself were alive.

"Did you fall again?" the crow squawked, briefly checking over Dragon for injury. Her feathers were flat and she was trembling ever so slightly.

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What was... that? The ground shook under ghosts feet as he walked the halls, trying to get back to baratheon and pisces. Rocks fell and he scrambled, turning his tail and running back to where he came. The ground still shook as he ran, but the piercing scream brought him to a stop about the same time the shaking did. His ears flattened and eyes squeezed shut at the horrid sound. He was standing in the opening of the room when he stopped, his ears still pinned and a grimmace across his face. what is that awful sound? he was talking to himself, though he hadnt realized others were in the room yet. speech table code © rasta 2015

The beast had spent a long time in the dark of that tunnel, only stumbling through the other entryway when he thought it was safe. But even then, the earth seemed to rebel. Teyouma emerged - entering Polaris - just as the quake began. He was groggy to begin with, his mind filled with the trauma of his recreation and his body matted with long-dried blood, and the shaking of the world only made him more discombobulated. When a high-pitched screaming sound filled the air, he did what came naturally - calling out with his own many voices, shrill and afraid. The sound as well as the shaking came to an end, but Teyouma's own multifaceted tones carried through the air, at least until he realized there was silence and calm.

The air feels as though it has been given new life, but it doesn't feel good. No, in fact it feels like the air is supercharged and hot with static, like it is so thick with magic that it's even difficult to move. Something definitely feels off not only in this room, but in the entirety of the cave.

The alligator snorted softly, turning and peering quizzically up at the Spire. The air felt... charged, electric, as if filled with magic, and Dragon felt... innervated. Energized. With an inhale and sparkling dark eyes, he growled, feeling the tingling air filling his lungs, feeling his fire respond rather erratically. It felt in one instant like a tiny spark, the next like a billowing flame ready to purge the cave--and when he opened his jaws toward the Spire and let the magic flow into the air, he was sure it would be a torrent of fire to rival even Raheerah's work.

But what came out was small and sputtering, and Dragon looked on in surprise, quickly clamping his jaws back shut.

What the hell?

The alligator slowly turned his heavy, wounded body, the giant moth wings still framing him, and cocked his head to watch the crystal of the Spire above. Maybe it was beckoning him to climb it, again? Eve had landed beside him, he realized abruptly; she was speaking. He eyed her sourly.

"I'm not so heavy that if I fall, the entire cave shakes. No, I did not fall," he grumbled, snorting. "I don't know what this is. Does... magic feel strange, to you?"

{ art by dark } ~ { table by aura . edited by banshee and dark }

@Eve

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Eve was quiet, for a moment, before she began defensively squawking. "I didn't mean it like that?! I wanted to make sure you were okay?!" With feathers abruptly fluffed up the crow turned her attention towards the spire, briefly.

"It's always been weird here. I don't know," grumbled the bird as her wings unfolded, flapping them twice to assume hat-position on top of Dragon's head. She looked left and right before she made herself comfortable on the alligator - it had been a while. "Something's wrong, I think."

Yet, the crow couldn't explain what was wrong. The air was heavy; almost humid. Something inside her - perhaps instinct - was telling her to fly away back to Cetus. She looked at Dragon's maw with a croak before she looked back up at the spire, and then twisting her head towards the dam. "Aren't there... things over there? Did they do it?"

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Yo, so Fisher was totally in Polaris when this happened. But like, Black wasn't by his side. That was pretty damn terrifying, in all honesty. He was feeling better, though not by a lot, so he simply let out a tiny whine followed by a very sharp bark for his friend. "Black? Hey, buddy?" He got to his paws carefully and stumbled around, his braincase a bit dizzy from the shake up. Polaris didn't feel safe anymore, if it ever had, but that young curiosity was building up in him again.

If there was one thing Fisher knew, it was to not go being curious without a buddy. So first thing was first, find Black. Then they could explore everything and see what was up with the whole shaking business. As it was, the noodle was kinda scared so he was just gonna go run off and find his friend, if that was cool with the whole Organ-Origin-Cave-Heart-Thingy. Thanks.