Mar 27 — [Quest] EMERGENT INFLUENCE (READ MORE) Mar 8 — [Event] Spring Regrowth! (READ MORE) Feb 6 — Domain Migration Complete! (READ MORE)
CAVE STATUS
QUESTS/EVENTS
Torrential downpours cause localized flooding and many upset cats. Along with these frequent rain, from gentle drizzles to heavy rainfall, there seems to be a flux of Magicka drawn in particular to water sources. Occasional jet streams of warm air make narrower tunnels harder to navigate. On occasion, the rain intensifies, becoming howling storms with sleet or large hail. However, the temperatures overall are a little warmer, with snow and ice in temperate caves somewhat receding.
It felt like forever, she was practically crawling across the green floor. Must look strange from an outsider, seeing the giraffe calf struggling to make her way through the brush without having to stand up all the way. If she stood, it meant she would be looking at 6 feet between her face and the floor. No no no, to high for me. It put her stomach in knots really, from the moment she woke from her stone. As the light of the room broke between the ferns, dancing across her pelt; it gave the spots on her body an almost aeneous coloration.
Each step was taken with caution, keeping her neck bent down low so her head was as close to the floor as she could get it. It was unclear where the child was going, but it didn't seem to matter. Maybe it was as simple as wishing to explore this place.
Though, her steps would soon come to a halt as she came up to where the ground dropped down into a dip with many ferns at the very bottom. The child would ease herself down, letting her legs tuck up under her as her head moved closer to gaze down into the trench. Nope. Seeing so far down let loose a flutter to the calf as she quickly pulled her head away. Why did heights scare her so? It's not like she had ever fallen before? For now, Jasmine would stay put, calming herself down by looking around to all the green. Feeling almost drawn to them.
The silent watcher, the guardian of the green. He'd heard these words spoken before by a strange gray cat. That cat was not like him or his mother or his father but she was alright in his book. Calm and collected and always with kind words, he appreciated them. He himself enjoyed calm, the reason why he was on his own at the moment. He patrolled Eridanus just like his mother did, watching for any signs of distress or trouble. If any needed him then he would be there to provide aid but until then he silently slunk through the undergrowth with his ears pricked and nose twitching to catch scents.
It was from his ears that he heard the sound of walking rustling like a larger creature was walking through the green. His head tilted this way and that before he decided to follow the sounds. Body low to the ground he paused once he saw the tall yellow and brown creature go by. Perhaps another pup would have been afraid but not he, Zariel simply stared impassively at the strange phenomena of a tall creature slinking like a cat. Why was she slinking? Was there a purpose? Was she another child of Mama Arkrael that he hadn't heard about?
Confused and slightly curious his blank eyes followed her while his silent paws moved him forward so that she would stay in his sights. Finally the tall creature stopped and seemed to lay down while it stared at the greenery. Zariel stopped as well, blank eyes staring while he waited to see if anything else would happen. It didn't...
Speak, listen, learn.
The words from his father echoed in his head and it was on those words that he decided to speak his own so that he would be able to listen and learn from the stranger. "What is the long-neck doing? Does she need assistance from Zariel?" There, two questions. Quite a feat from him but he was here on a mission while patrolling so he might have been in a different mindset.
Feeling the earth under her calmed the long-necked calf, the ground was smoothing to her and she felt safer being closer to it. Taking in a deep breath, she would gaze into the green around her. Oh how nice it must be to be of the green. To grow slow with time, taking in the warmth of the light and grow slowly to get use to being higher off the floor. Yes, a simple life for sure but she didn't wish to be eaten like the greens. Not only were they pretty, but some of them rather tasty. A voice came from the green! Do the plants speak? Head turned to look around where the vice came from but in her location she could not see if it was another or indeed the plants.
"Are you speaking green things?" Lifting her head slowly, titling it a little to the side as her eyes darted between all the types of plants. Which one would it have been?
The puppy watched as the long-necked thing looked to and fro after he spoke. Perhaps she was trying to locate him, he did that sometimes when a sound confused him or a voice had an unknown origin. Patiently he waited for her to find him but she did not. Instead she spoke about "speaking green things". His head tilted to the left and then to the right as the words echoed in his mind and he tried to make sense of them. Speaking Green Things? He didn't think the green things spoke... Well, not to him anyway. He was aware of some plant oriented creatures that seemed connected with them but they never mentioned the plants speaking out loud. Not even Blackfeather had mentioned them speaking. The boy's mind was terribly confused as he tried to make sense of this but in the end he just straightened his head and stared blankly at the calf.
"Zariel does not understand the concept of Speaking Green Things." Perhaps there were specific types of plants that could speak? He stepped a little closer, golden eyes going from the long-neck to the vegetation before her. He came abreast as his eyes scanned the undergrowth, searching for the Speaking Green Things.
If they spoke, what could that mean? The long neck lifted her head a little higher, but grimaced when she saw just how high. No no no. Trying to quickly look around before lowering her head back to the level of the green things. Listening now, hoping to here them speak once more and maybe get a better look. Again, they spoke but what was said confused the child. Twisting her neck, her eyes connected with two glowing orbs in the ferns. What is that? Shifting her weight, Jasmine leaned in more to soon see they were not glowing orbs at all, but eyes!
"Your not a green thing!" A part of her was disappointed to tell the truth. It might have been fun if they did talk; but maybe they do and she just hadn't heard one yet? "You are Zariel . . ?" Trying to get a better look at the one who spoke now.
The long-neck stared at him just as he stared at her. She leaned in to see him better while he remained impassive simply staring and even once looking at the greenery around him just to be sure none of it was speaking. When she finally exclaimed that he wasn't a Green Thing or even a Speaking Green Thing the pup simply stared. Well, of course he wasn't. He was a dog. Dogs were not green only the birds and plants were... and gems like the ones around her neck.
He blinked at the long-neck now after she came to the realization of what he was not. He said nothing for a almost a full minute as he thought everything over. After everything had been processed and he was sure of his next course of action the dog blinked twice then came out of the undergrowth to stare up at the long-neck. His eyes held no expression simply a blankness that might seem unnerving if one didn't know him.
He stood before her so that she could get a better look if she had never seen one of his kind before. "Zariel is Zariel but Zariel is a dog." He explained in his simple, monotone way. It made sense to him, anyway. He was a dog but he was also Zariel. Just like she... She was a long-neck but also a... "What is the calling of the long-neck?" After all it was a part of listening and learning to know her name.
Slow title of her head, curious when the white one spoke what they were. A dog? After looking harder at the other gemchild, it was obvious that they were very different for sure. Taking a moment, young Jas tried to look into herself and put a word to what she was herself. After all, that was how she found her name. Thinking really hard. What am I? Soft green eyes were lowered, nether one of them moved it seemed until her ears perked. I KNOW"Jasmine, I am Jasmine and I am giraffe." Nodding her head quickly, But I like long neck too!" Moving her head down to get a better look at the white pup.
"You made me think you were a plant; but that would be silly." After all . . they didn't talk. I wish they did, maybe if I listen hard enough? Heart ears twisted a little as she would focus on the fern next to them but there was nothing. Not even a hello. She wished Troy was here to meet the other, but he stayed behind for now. "Do you like green things?" Touching her nose to the arm of the fern.
Zariel stated very patiently as he waited on the long-neck to decide what she was. She had no one to help her as he had so it was alright for her to be initially unsure of her species. Finally though it came to her and she gave her name and what she was. Jasmine the giraffe. He gave a barely perceptible his to show that he understood band that he was storing the info for later. Long-neck was not a correct term so he threw it out of his mind for her species it was a silly thing of no use to him or her.
When she mentioned that she thought he was a plant the dog simply stared. Perhaps it would have been amusing if he had much of a sense of humor. As it was he simply said, "Zariel is sorry for making you think that way." As it was a falsification and he didn't mean to mislead anyone.
He saw her staring at the ferns next to him so he looked as well to see if there was anything to be concerned about. He was satisfied that there was not but confused at her question. Did he like the green things? He stared at the ferns then back at Jasmine and to the ferns again temporarily at a loss. He had never considered this statement before. The ferns were a constant, a thing that wasn't much to think of. To think of them now was... Strange. But hevwoyld attempt to comply.
While these thoughts raced in his mind his brow gave the slightest of furrows as he thought everything over. It was a full minute before he finally answered with his blank golden eyes turning back to Jasmine and his monotone voice ringing out. "Zariel is not sure if he should like the green things. They offer him nothing and they seem to do nothing." It was an honest answer because Zariel was all about honesty. Now his head tilted to the side at a slight angle as he considered the giraffe. "Does Jasmine Giraffe like the green things? Is it a good thing to like them?" That seemed logical as she had been watching them and wanting them to speak.
Did she like the green things? Oh corse she did, at least she assumed so since the young one was drawn to them so. Soft gaze fell back onto the plants around the both of the gem-children. "Yes, I do like them. They were the first thing I saw when I woke from my long sleep." It was true, when the long neck gal first broke form her stone egg the first thing her eyes fell on was all of the green things in the room around her. But was it good to like them?
That caused her to pause, little brows pressed together softly as she took that into consideration. "I would think it is a good thing to like; why would you not like them?" Ears perked a bit as she laid her head down on the earth and gazed up to the white pup focusing on him and the plants around them.
He looked at the plants as well, trying to see it from her view. He supposed if he had seen the plants first then he would have a connection with them. However, he hadn't seen anything first or what he saw hadn't left a lasting impression on him. Instead it was what he'd heard. The sound of melodic birdsong which had left him feeling tranquil and relaxed. Shortly after he'd seen his Mama Arkrael who he loved very dearly. Well... That was two things he liked, right? The feeling of birdsong made him feel calm. He liked it. The smiling face of his sweet Mama Arkrael filled him with love. He liked that too. Now he blinked and the corners of his his mouth twitched upwards slightly and very briefly before going back to an impassive line. "Zariel likes the sound of birds." He said simply to the giraffe.
Now he considered the second thing she said, brows drawing together again as he thought. For a moment he simply thought about the words, tumbling them over in his mind before he finally tumbled over his own thoughts as he attempted to come up with an answer. At last his brows un-knitted and his gaze raised upwards to Jasmine's. "Zariel does not dislike them. He just does not like them. Zariel likes the birdsong and Zariel likes the Mama Arkrael. Jasmine Giraffe woke up with the plants not like Zariel who woke up with the birdsong and the Mama Arkrael. Jasmine Giraffe likes a different thing." Then he fell silent again as he let his words drift into the air around them. His golden eyes closed briefly as he let out a small sigh. Yes. That all made sense to him, it was just exhausting trying to explain. So he took a brief repose while he waited for his companion to mull over his words and answer.
He wondered if his Papa Kerberos would be proud of him.
