The Generator was a strange machine. Although it didn't hum, it did vibrate, making a strange noise as the turning parts rolled in the water. It wasn't something that the young fisher had ever noticed, even though he traveled through Polaris often, but he knew better now than to go to the Blue Thing-- the Spire. With the yeti and all, and the storms... Indeed, now that the lights were on, it was clear to see a much better place to go.

So that was where Fisher went.

He moved slowly and carefully to the generator, the buzz of the machine drawing his attention. He walked with a limb, and often stumbled, his muscles still jittery from the damage he had inflicted on them. His mouth was sore, his throat raw, but his eyes were bright with determination. Despite the mess he had gone through, the torched fur, bitten tail, jammed paw, Fisher was still himself. Calm, collected, and reckless.

Despite that, he definitely looked like a wreck. He was exhausted from his lost fight, from his never-ending journey. A sensible gembound might have found a place to curl up and rest, but now that he had escaped the Azazel, Fisher was restless. All he wanted to do was... was... Get. Get better. As long as he never stopped, as long as he kept going, he could become the best. Yes, maybe he was pretty battered, but he was still moving! That proved he was better than all the others. Who else kept going after all he had been through? No one had been through all of this!

And because of that, Fisher would become unstoppable! Determined to prove this, he approached the generator and tried to leap up on to it.

;; post roll

Of course, the baby mustelid was in no condition to climb up on anything. As he went to jump, his legs gave out and he flopped uselessly to the floor with a squeal of pain. Everything hurt so badly! It was all that stupid, selfish bird's fault! He rolled around on the shore by the generator, crying and trying to get his paws under control, but they hurt no matter how he lay on the floor. Everything hurt. He just wanted to curl up and give up, but NO!

No! He couldn't give up. Just keep going. Never stop. Why was it so hard? What had he done in his life that made him deserve such a miserable, beaten down life? He always did the best he could and it was just never enough...

Tamelyn We'll reel away til the break of day
and dance together til morning!

It didn't take much to put Tamelyn in a good mood. One could say that her default was 'good mood'. Revisiting the Generator served to put her in an even better mood, as it was thanks to her (and a few others) that the caves now enjoyed light. True, there were now a few more golems to dodge, but that easy for her. She had been born clumsy, but had quickly learned how to control her long legs, and could now leap from boulder to boulder effortlessly or sprint down one of the Cave's endless tunnels.

She had been running just now, darting down Tunnel N for the sheer fun of going fast. She came to a halt as she entered Polaris proper, throwing up a shower of gravel and laughing as her heart fluttered in her chest from the exertion. Something deep in her mind told her that she belonged in the open, where she could outrun any potential dangers. She resumed moving, this time at an easy amble as she approached the machine. Even before she drew close, she could hear it's rusty rumble, accompanied by the rushing of the water that powered it. Lights glowed warmly overhead, and Tam was content.

As she neared the generator, she noticed a small, dark shape huddled by it's non-submerged half. A Gembound? She tilted her head curiously, then trotted forward, finally identifying the creature. A broad grin appeared on her face. "Fisher!" she called, approaching him. However, she did so, she realized something was wrong, and her heart dropped into her stomach.

Fisher was hurt, badly.

"Fisher!" Now her tone was hoarse and frightened as she broke into a run, covering the last few yards between them in seconds. She dropped her head, sniffing him nervously and taking stock of his injuries. "What happened?" she asked him worriedly. "Who did this to you?" Whoever it was, they were going to get such a kicking.

"Listen to me."

table by lisa

A voice was crying his name and the fisher grew very still, his paws going cold. Who was that? Why did it seem so familiar? His copper eyes flashed around the bright room, searching for the source of the voice-- and then he found it, trotting up to him. A big, huge face was sniffing at him in moment, fright in her gentle, energetic voice. He knew the face, but the name, the name took a moment.

"Tamelyn?" Fisher barked in alarm, his fur puffing up as he rolled on to his back, pawing at her nose in a friendly way. It hurt to move, but that didn't seem able to stop the brown noodle even then. It had been such a long time since he had seen his long legged, hoofed friend! He would have been more delighted-- he had so many stories to share with her-- but things were complicated.

This was the worst time to see the electric friend. He had just electrocuted himself, perhaps only an hour ago, and the absolute dread of explaining that to her was too much. He was completely humiliated, and while he had found his own way of coping it involved running away from every and anything.

And he couldn't run away from Tam! He had missed her so much, the first beast he had ever met, one who he always wanted to tell he had become so alike to. Now he could cast static as well, even stronger magic, too! She would be so impressed, he was sure of it.

If only he hadn't hurt himself. He just couldn't bare to tell her the truth. "It wasn't nobody," he huffed, avoiding her eyes in that moment. He couldn't even mention Azazel, last thing he wanted was to find out she knew the bird too. Perhaps even was friends with him. He certainly couldn't suggest he had lost a fight-- that was too much for his pride.

"It was that stupid blue thing!" He barked, bristling with anger, shooting a glare off towards the spire. That thing had shocked him before, not as bad as he had shocked himself of course, but it had injured his paw horribly... Still couldn't walk right with it. The spire was just the beginning of his problems, though. "It shocked me, real bad! It's a big bully. Sent nasty monsters after me too..."

Tamelyn We'll reel away til the break of day
and dance together til morning!

He seemed surprised to see her, but happy as well. She folded her forelegs in a sort of kneel to be on his level, giggling as his paw booped her nose. She was always glad to meet up with old friends, no matter the circumstances. It was difficult to keep track of others in the shadowy labyrinth they called home, particularly ones like Fisher, who had bounded off after a mouse shortly after hatching. He insisted that nobody had harmed him, prompting her to raise a brow. If he hadn't been attacked, then how did he explain the injuries?

"Blue thing?" Oh, he meant the big crystal thingy on the other side of the cavern. She hadn't been there yet. But if it shocked anyone who came close, perhaps she was better off staying away. She followed his gaze, glaring at the distant blue glow as well. "Dumb rock. I bet it's dumb as a golem, in fact. An' they're really dumb." She wasn't sure what to think about his claim of monsters, though. The only danger she knew were the golems, and even they could be avoided with relative ease. Aside from them, and maybe a few poisonous insects, the caves seemed like a rather safe place. "What'd these monsters look like?" she asked, settling down beside him. "Like rocks? Plants? Or...or like Gembound?" She was both curious and apprehensive about this revelation, and worried for the other Gembound out there.

Even as she talked, she couldn't help but look over his injuries again and again, mentally kicking herself for not being able to help him. She didn't know anything about medicinal plants (or even that there were medicinal plants) and she had a feeling her electric magic wouldn't be much use in this situation. All she could offer at the moment was a warm side for him to lay against. It had worked with Imogen, who kinda looked like Fisher, though she certainly hadn't acted like him.

"Listen to me."

table by lisa

The large deer settled down beside him, and already Fisher was feeling a lot better. He hardly ever got to be close to another gembound except for fleeting moments. It was always brief touches, tromping around others like the playful weasel-character he was. It was nice to relax, to calm down for a moment. To talk. The mustelid wriggled up to the larger animal, putting his soft paw pads all over the big muzzle of the deer.

"Well, the rock monsters came later," he commented offhandedly, trying not to think of the disaster that had happened at the spire too hard. It was pretty traumatic, but it seemed like nothing really got to the Fisher as long as he didn't ponder the situation too hard. "But the Spire Monsters are huge, see... They're big, shaped like monkeys but five times as big, with nasty frozen breath and huge arms. The one I saw had white fur, and it was so angry, it chased me and the others away... So I came over here, cause, I dunno..."

Fisher sniffed, his tail twitching. It was hard to half-lie. He had no practice with lying yet, but it seemed useful. He couldn't let everyone know what a baby he was! A giant tower wrecking him was one thing, getting beat by a birdbrain was another. He nuzzled into Tam, and then his ears pricked.

"Oh!! By the way! I totally am an electric thingy, Tam! I can do the static thing? Wanna see?" His eyes lit up as he very carefully tried to build up a bit of static on his gem so it would spark just so she could see how awesome he was.

;; post roll:

Unfortunately, Fisher's energy was absolutely spent. Instead of sparking, he just felt a drain on his energy. He made a tiny squeaking noise as he yawned, and relaxed into his friend, "really... I can... see?"

Tamelyn We'll reel away til the break of day
and dance together til morning!

Fisher accepted the silent offer and snuggled up, continuing to bat her nose with his large paws. Tamelyn was an active fawn, and could often be found running for the sheer fun of it. There were times when the walls of the cave almost felt constricting, rather than safe. But she enjoyed sitting and chatting with friends as much as anyone, particularly if she hadn't seen that friend in a while.

Fisher described the beast as best as he could. A giant angry white monkey? Didn't sound like anything she'd want to run into. All the same, she was also curious. Perhaps later, she'd go to the Spire and see it for herself. She was probably faster than any stupid ape, so even if it tried to attack her, she could leave it in the dust. She looked down at him again as he spoke excitedly, claiming his powers had grown. Now this was good news! She was glad to see that, as roughed-up as Fisher looked, he had had some good luck too.

But, try as he might, he couldn't conjure up anything more than a few tiny flickers of light inside his gemstone. Aw... He insisted he could do it, and Tamelyn believed him. "I know you can," she assured him. He looked exhausted, and it was no wonder he couldn't find the energy to display his new talents. She sighed, ears drooping. "I've tried, but I can't do anything other than sparking," she sulked. Maybe her magic was too weak. Would it always be like that? She liked her sparky powers, but she wanted to learn to do other stuff, too.

As Fisher dozed, she found herself looking back at the distant glow of the Spire, and her mind strayed back to this supposed beast. "Do...do you think the ape thing will leave the Spire?" she asked Fisher nervously. The golems were bad enough, but this seemed like something else entirely.

"Listen to me."

table by lisa

Fisher's attention drifted in the moment, glad to have the warmth of the doe's breath stirring his fur. It had been so long since the poor mustelid had properly relaxed in any sort of way. He was always going at two hundred miles an hour, never slowing for anything, not even himself. It was about time it caught up to him.

His ears twitched as Tamelyn asked if the ape would leave the Spire. He had no clue, but he knew it wouldn't be good if it did. The monster was absolutely the most dangerous thing he had ever seen. "Maybe... It has legs, so it can," he reasoned, sounding thoughtful. He had to suppress another little yawn as he tried not to get worried.

Being around another electric gembound was always a good reason to stay brave. Just like being around his fellow noodles. Tam and him shared something special, and she had been the first gembound he had ever met, so. If anything, the pair of them knew each other fairly well and would be reliable in a fight. They could count on one another, so there was nothing to be scared of.

"It's kinda slow though. I think if you ran into it you wouldn't have to worry at all. It'd never keep up. 'Sides, it came from the blue thingy so maybe it's like... a guaaardian or sum'fin..." Fisher's teeny black eyes slowly closed, a few bleary, drowsy blinks, and his breathing softened. A nap was just what this little guy needed.

Tamelyn We'll reel away til the break of day
and dance together til morning!

Fisher seemed to think it wouldn't go far from the Spire, but she felt worried all the same. Lots of Gembound passed through Polaris. How many would be able to fight off or evade it, and how many would fall victim? As Fisher drifted off to sleep, she laid her own head down, curling about him protectively. As long as she was still kicking, nobody would ever hurt her friends.

Despite her dark thoughts, however, she was still a child. Fisher's sleepiness was infectious, and before long, her eyelids were flickering too. She continued to stare stubbornly ahead at the distant glow of the Spire, but eventually, a yawn escaped her, and her eyes shut for a nap. Her dreams were filled with glowing blue apes and bursts of electricity. In her dream, she was big and strong, lightning crackling about her hooves and dancing about her head in an antler-like corona, but all around her were enormous golems and hulking white beasts. Between her legs sheltered many Gembound, newly-hatched and mewling in terror. Tamelyn laughed in the face of danger. She would protect them, never fear! But as she charged her enemies, she felt herself growing smaller, the lightning around her flickering and going out, until she was no bigger than the infants she had sworn to guard.

As the monsters closed in on them, back in the real world, Tamelyn's brow furrowed and a tiny whimper of fear worked it's way out of her mouth.

"Listen to me."

table by lisa

(Want to timeskip to the end of their nap, or just make this a short thread and wrap it up here?)

[[ ooc;; up to you! we can pretty much wrap this thread up whenever, for now I'll do a time skip~ ]]

The world became dark, and Fisher's mind drifted him off to sleep, to where nightmares lurk in waiting for someone to play with. In the comforting warmth of his friend, however, the monsters seemed shy to approach.

Fisher awoke in a world of mist. The white clouds clung to his fur, sparks rippling from his skin, to his fur, out into the fog like he was the center of a thunderstorm. The world rumbled around him with a consistent hum that seemed to shake the earth, as if the yeti beast was pounding the earth over and over.

His paws trembled as he crept through the mist, looking for the ferns and the trees he knew from his home, but all he found was more of the same dull grey earth. Small noises cracked and chinked in the distance, but he couldn't tell if it was his lightning or monsters lurking. He pressed on wards, frightened but determined to continue.

He stumbled into a solid clump of white and fell over his own paws. With a sharp yip, the Fisher stumbled away from the thing of white, only to see the soft, cold fur of a barkfriend that he had known for only a few precious moments. The world roared around him as the mist turned faintly blue, like food coloring dropped into milk... And it grew bluer and bluer, until everything was blue except for the white fur before him, and a deep dark shadow of blue soon consumed that as well.

Fisher hissed at the deep, dark blue like the depths of the river and let loose a bolt of energy at it, and everything went distinctly yellow.

Blindingly yellow.

A sharp snap, a crack that made his ears ache, bolted Fisher awake and his paw shoved against Tam's nose as he scrambled to find his paws and get up. Fur bristling, he slowly came to realize where he was and what was going on... Just a dream.

Just a dream.

He looked around, searching for what had made that noise, but he couldn't see anything around the generator, or really anything by the Spire except for its usual storm. His pelt crawled as he wondered just what he had heard. It had felt-- it had sounded-- so real!

"Tam, did... did you hear that?"

(Alrighty, and sorry my posts are so short >_< )

Tamelyn We'll reel away til the break of day
and dance together til morning!

Had her nightmare continued, Tamelyn likely would have awoken in a cold sweat. As it was, it was ended prematurely by a paw striking her squarely on the nose. She jolted awake with a yelp as Fisher thrashed to his feet, his raised hackles making him look like a bottle brush with legs. Tam had flailed away in the opposite direction, her sticklike legs sprawled out before her. She blinked, her widened eyes going back to a less-manic appearance, though she still looked annoyed "What'd you do that for?" she demanded, twitching her sore nose a few times. Fisher looked terrified of something, and she felt a bit bad for yelling at him. Still, that had hurt.

Tamelyn shook her head as he asked if he had heard anything. "I don't hear anything but the river," she said, nodding her head at the water rushing past the generator. But her nightmare had left her jumpy, and on instinct, she looked about for any golems that might be approaching. She could easily outrun them, but she wasn't sure about Fisher, and she certainly couldn't leave him behind.

She rolled back onto her belly, folding her legs beneath her and laying her ears back. She was spooked, both by her dream and by Fisher's infectious nervousness. "Did...did you have a bad dream too?" she asked him worriedly. "I dreamed that there were golems an' monsters everywhere, and I was supposed to protect these baby animals, but I couldn't, I was too small..." she trailed off, trying to block out the memory from her head. "What'd you dream about?"

"Listen to me."

table by lisa