No winds, no stars, no spire nor fog. Nearly a full cycle had passed since that fateful day where he became the magical champion of the caves. It had been a sound victory, but the events leading up to its crescendo had been anything but pleasant. The nightmares were now gone, the hallucinations had not assailed him since the wall had let him go. Surely by now the pattern painter had faded so that the runes were only visible in the pattern of the epidote wall. Was the wall even still standing?

Truth be told he had no idea, and wasn't sure he wanted to know. At that time he had fled to Eridanus and planted himself atop one of the multitude of trees. For the first time in his life he took time off, not practicing magic, not theorizing about magic, doing nothing more than letting his mind recover from the shock of having some alien influence push against his will during that display.

At least he had thought at first that he wasn't practicing magic. The dark green hue of the formerly pale blue feathers on his wings told a different story. Here in this room of plantlife he had surrendered himself to the trees, wanting nothing more than to fade into the background and leave the trauma behind. Here in his perch in the treetops, his light weight supported by giant wings spread across the foliage, he could feel the trees themselves respond to his appeals. The magic came and went as all magic was want to do, but as his own will was shaped by the environment around him he could feel his body changing, adapting to take on aspects of his leafy neighbors. Not once in the last cycle had he needed to abandon his rest to hunt food, and the streams nearby ensured he always had enough water.

He was content here, but could feel restlessness begin to creep back into his mind. This was a vacation, but as much as he had wanted to get away this was no who he was. He could not hide here forever, nor would he want to. It was still too soon to delve into mysteries such as the wall that he had summoned, but he could feel the sirens call of magic study sing to him again. Energy, Light, Fire, Electricity, Arcane, Water, Wind, Primal, Earth, and now Plant; these elements he held command over, with only Fungi and Disease to go. Would anything happen if he managed to access them all? Was this a power that could protect them from whatever had assailed him?

He was thirsty, and the day was still young. His retreat had certainly lasted long enough and a sharp pain in his wing feathers confirmed it; he’d had more than enough light for the moment and it was time to move on. Barely rustling the branches Amras lowered himself onto more stable footing and retracted his wings, hopping softly to the ground level of the room before beginning to make his way toward the stream.

---

Pouch 1: Baubled talc rods x12	Pouch 2: Charcoal dust (50 in3)	Pouch 3: Dried Mothers Tear mushrooms (25 in3)	Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium)
Back bag: Empty

Take hold of the power within
"And shape the fabric of reality around you"
tags:
notes: None

Rift was doing his normal rounds of the forest upkeeping, but this time it was even more exhausting because he had to account for every single plant that had touched the diseased horse's hide. Every. Single. One. And that was a lot. He also had to track whatever creature had picked it up on accident and hunt it down, kill it, cleanse it, and bring it back to Sebastian to burn it. It hurt, every time he killed an innocent mouse that would never be used for sustenance, never be used for anything. And all because some weird horse touched a bush.

There were a lot of plants in Eridanus. That, of course, was the sole reason he had settled here. This room was wonderful. But sometimes it really wore him down when he had to walk through the entirety. And he was extra annoyed now that he had to sniff out every tiny trace of plague left on every stick, stone, and leaf. It was exhausting and he was really ready for a rest.

He quickly cast the spell that would allow him to eat anything and began to graze happily on some dandelions. They were some of his favorite snacks and he sent a quick thank you into the ground before taking his first few bites. After a moment, he had eaten a good number and decided that he would move onto another food.

There were some nice berry bushes a little further on and he grabbed some of those as well as some roses, although he was careful to only take a few. After stopping a few more times to bite a few mouthfuls from each plant, he was finally full and he released the spell, letting it finish working as his body digested the plants. But not that his tongue had swiped over plant after plant, flower after flower, he was ready to wash it down. Plants were delicious, but they were just not the same as eating meat.

He made his way to a nearby stream and bent his head to take a few laps. But before so much as a drop of water hit his tongue, he heard the rustling of leaves nearby. He took a step back into the bushes so that he would see who approached the stream, who was intruding on his territory. A creature, larger then him, covered with blue feathers and green tinted wings, stepped out of the shadows. He blinked and narrowed his eyes. Who were they and what were they doing here?

But...then he recognized them! They had been at the Olympics. They were Amras, the one who had created the stone wall and had received the winning title.

He didn't know Amras at all and wondered if he could trust him. But he didn't want to be aggressive in his approach. He had no idea how long he had been there, after all, he hadn't been to this area for a while. So he carefully stepped from behind the bushes to greet the gryphon. "Hello there," he called. "What brings you to Eridanus?"


___________________________________________________________

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

tags: @Amras
notes:

The gryphon's thoughts wandered as the traversed the forest floor. Was today a good day to return? Should he even return to his home below the winds? That was his safe haven when the lights were out, but with the lights shining bright above was it even appropriate to reside there? Perhaps he could wander more, get out of this room but not settle down quite yet. What would he even do when he settled down? If he wanted to discover the usage of the last two elements this would be the perfect place to do so; between the abundance of life and the trench where he had helped clear a mushroom infestation and gotten a vision of disease.

With Amras's internal mumbling he didn't even notice the other until they came into full view, prompting the gryphon's chloroplast stained feathers to fluff out in surprise.

"Oh! Umm..." he started out weakly, clearing his throat. It occurred to him that it had been several days since he had last spoken aloud, at least as long as the last time he had retreated underground. "Hello as well!"

His feathers began to settle as recognition dawned on him. This was the cat from the competition- the one that had shown a mastery of plant and fungi magic! He'd been hoping to meet them one day to trade notes!

The visible feelings of excitement quickly shifted to worry though as he realized that the fact that they had been at the competition meant that they also knew about him. About what he had summoned. About the cursed wall he had left behind.

"I mean no harm to your home." he spoke again, more hesitantly than before. "I just… needed to get away for a while."

Even if the cat was smaller than him Amras visibly kept himself lowered. There was no sign of either the confidence or the scholarly curiosity he usually carried. He was better now than he had been, but all that could be seen in his eyes was a deep sense of embarrassment and fear that he had forever labeled himself as a force of darkness.

---

Pouch 1: Baubled talc rods x12	Pouch 2: Charcoal dust (50 in3)	Pouch 3: Dried Mothers Tear mushrooms (25 in3)	Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium)
Back bag: Empty

Take hold of the power within
"And shape the fabric of reality around you"
tags: @Rift
notes: None

Rift dipped his head, understanding. He did not think of Amras as dark, but only as powerful and troubled. He had not understood the wall nor the voice and had thought it only a part of the gryphon's show. If they had come to Eridanus to cool off, get away, then Rift understood. The forest could be peaceful at the best of time. The beauty was thoughtless, gentle, not judging or prejudice. It simply was, as long as those that reveled in its wonder did not harm or disturb. That was where Rift stepped in and Amras did not seem to be doing anything harm.

In typical Rift fashion, not knowing how else to console the gryhpon or cheer him up, he simply cast his magic into the earth and set it towards Amras. Where his magic touched, a number of different colored daisies pooped open, in a ring around both of them. "I hope you can find solace here," he murmured.

It was his opinion, at least, that Eridanus would be best for this. He had no reason to challenge the gryphon further, but instead found himself curious as to what had brought him here. He also did not wish for this creature to be troubled - he had been impressed and inspired by his performance and wanted to return the favor. "...Do you wish to talk about it?"


___________________________________________________________

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

tags: @Amras
notes:

Through his lowered gaze the gryphon caught sight of the beginnings of plant life springing up from the ground. These were not trees to block them in nor thorns to ward him away, however, but flowers. A simple spell, harmless, but more than that a spell offered in peace.

The gryphon's shoulders relaxed and gaze returned to a neutral expression. He stayed where he was in a four-legged stance, not needing his talons at the moment and recognizing himself to certainly be large enough already compared to the one he was speaking to.

"Thank you for your kindness." he spoke with sincerity, "Perhaps at some point I will, but for now I hope it is sufficient to say that things didn't go quite how I had planned."

Seeing that the tension in the air had dissipated, or perhaps wasn't there to begin with, Amras gently tread over toward the water's edge and took a drink. Just as almost all water in this room it tasted clear, refreshing, perhaps even vaguely sweet. That was one small downside of taking attributes of the tress; the need for a bit more water than he otherwise might.

Having drank his fill Amras turned back toward the feline and raised a single talon upon which rested a spectral blue hummingbird that hadn't been there before. A simple magic learned long ago from one of the ancients, a gesture of returned friendliness as the bird flittered out of his hand-like appendage and started to fly throughout the ring of flowers. "I do not believe that we have formally met each other before. I am Amras, a researcher on the various types of magic and apparently currently considered leader in the field. May I inquire your name as well, cat of fungi and forest?"

---

Pouch 1: Baubled talc rods x12	Pouch 2: Charcoal dust (50 in3)	Pouch 3: Dried Mothers Tear mushrooms (25 in3)	Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium)
Back bag: Empty

Take hold of the power within
"And shape the fabric of reality around you"
tags: @Rift
notes: None

Rift gave Amras a nod in understanding. There had been things that he had not wanted to talk about, things he had been ashamed of. He had no idea the extent of Amras's but decided not to push further, despite his aching curiosity. That would be rude. However, he was distracted by the magic the gryphon conjured.

Rift widened his eyes at the small hummingbird that floated off of Amras's claw. He crouched down to watch it carefully, enthralled. How did he do that? Rift had no idea, of course, that it was not real, only a thing of magic, so it was extremely exciting to see. "It's lovely," he breathed.

However, he realized that he was probably being rude having not addressed Amras and forced himself to look away from the small glowing bird. He stood back to his feet a few moments after the gryphon had said his name and dipped his head respectfully. "It's good to meet you Amras. I am Rift, the guardian of Eridanus and protector of all forests. I keep watch over this cave and bring life to the rest. Many forget the importance of the plants and flowers. But we would be dead without them."

He narrowed his eyes, almost as if to challenge Amras to deny him. He'd had enough of people thinking the plants as unimportant, trambling and destroying them and he had grown used to those that were not open minded. However, he reminded himself that Amras had said he was a researcher of magic. Perhaps he knew the magic of the forest as well. The bits of defensiveness on his face melted away. "You say you are a researcher of magic...have you learned of plant yet?"

Amras nodded sagely in response to Rift's proclamation on the importance of plants. As much as he loved his home below the winds it was a much more inhospitable room than this one. With so little water and such harsh conditions there were few plants about and fewer creatures in turn to provide sustenance. In his youth this had been advantageous; with no worries of creatures larger than him causing him trouble he could get away with sneaking through the dark to Orion every day or two and spending his time constructing his tunnel in safety.

"Plant magic was among the last few elements aside from fungus and disease that had eluded my grasp. Rather than discovering it though it appears to have discovered me." he responded with a hint of amusement, spreading his massive wings and casting a shadow for a second before folding them back into place.

"I imagine for you interacting with plant life comes as easily as breathing, but for me it requires external shaping. As I resting high above in the treetops I seem to have accidentally been allowing my native energy magic to flow through the leaves. When it returned to me it manifested in a very unusual way as you can see."

While it was undeniably plant magic that had caused the change it was certainly not the end of his study. As time would pass he would definitely want to study deeper in the ways of plant magic. Who knew, between light, water, and plant he might be able to bring a bit more life to the room of howling winds.

---

Pouch 1: Baubled talc rods x12	Pouch 2: Charcoal dust (50 in3)	Pouch 3: Dried Mothers Tear mushrooms (25 in3)	Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium)
Back bag: Empty

Take hold of the power within
"And shape the fabric of reality around you"
tags: @Rift
notes: None

Rift listened carefully, his ear perking up with interest. Did Amras know magic from all the elements? That was incredible! But, then he remembered the diseased-horse and the devastation he had caused and he became wary again. If Amras had the power to carry disease, then that was not good. But he had seen no evidence that he had any intention to do so, and that thought gave him enough comfort to let it go.

But there was still potential here. He said that there was little plant magic that he knew and Rift guessed that it was the photosynthesis that was turning his wings green, just as it was turning his own skin a green tone. There were still more things to learn. "I don't think its unusual. The tress know, they can understand and think, even if it is different from the way we know and understand and think. Perhaps they've given this magic to you for a reason. I do not know. But, if you'd like, I can teach you more. There are so many mysteries and wonders to explore within the forest, especially in its magic. I've lived here long enough to discover many of them. For example..."

Rift leaned down and touched his nose to the ground, releasing his magic from his ear into the earth. It quivered for a moment, but then did not move further. He blinked and looked up, slightly embarrassed. "Well, that was supposed to grow into a tree. But I guess it didn't work this time. Nonetheless, it can happen and I can do it."

@Amras

"I have certainly come to appreciate the trees in their own way." Amras agreed, sitting down and gazing up at the canopy around them. "It certainly wouldn't be the first time their presence provided the gift of discovery. Back when I was still learning the basic linear elements their discarded branches, buried in clay, helped me improve my fire magic enough that I was able to transmute it to electricity."

The gryphon paused for a moment, realizing for one that he was about to go into a unnecessarily long-winded recap of the methods used and for another that Rift might not enjoy hearing too much how useful dead branches could be. Just looking at them Amras could hazard a guess at just how close of a connection they felt to the plant life. Even if the branches had been fallen and dry dwelling on the subject too long could possibly come off the same as a carnivore talking about how much they enjoyed the taste of cave deer while talking to a deer gembound.

"I remember well your impressive display back at the competition." he remarked, partially to change topics and partially to try to retrace some of the conversational missteps he felt that he might have taken. "Magic is funny in that way. I always say it is like a wild beast that you can learn to work around but never can fully tame. Sometimes it just goes off and does its own thing." and sometimes it decides to set you on fire despite being a completely different element. "While that is certainly a usage of plant magic that I'd love to investigate sometime I was hoping you might be able to help me unlock one of the last two elements."

The gryphon lifted a taloned hand and reached into the middle-right drawstring pouch of the belt he had been wearing for most of his life now. From within he pulled out a couple of dried mushrooms, vaguely tear shaped. "I found these in Cetus and feel their unique properties would be helpful if I could only duplicate them."

---

Pouch 1: Baubled talc rods x12	Pouch 2: Charcoal dust (50 in3)	Pouch 3: Dried Mothers Tear mushrooms (23 in3)	Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium)
Back bag: Empty

Take hold of the power within
"And shape the fabric of reality around you"
tags: @Rift
notes: None

Rift's tail twitched as Amras began to speak of their setting fire to dead branches. Perhaps they were no longer parts of living trees, but the gryphon was right to think that it would make him uncomfortable. He shifted his paws, not wanting to be rude and cut Amras off and was relieved when he changed the subject. He puffed out his fur with pride, remembering his display. Although his last spell had failed, he had still created a very large tree with some beautiful glowing mushrooms. He had brought such a beautiful token of the forest to the rest of the caves. And he was happy that Amras didn't mention his failure to actually move the tree anywhere.

As for what Amras requested of him, he thought for a moment, before his fur began to bristle as he realized what he was asking. "I can help you understand plant and fungus, but the element of disease is not welcome in this forest, unless you intend to only use it to cure. There was a creature in here spreading his plague and I'm still cleaning up his mess." He forced his fur to lie flat as he continued. "Plant and fungus magic are tied together. It is easy to learn the other once one is learned. I do know a spell of disease, but one that rids the world of it. I can help you learn either of these, if you wish."

When Amras pulled out the mushrooms, Rift couldn't help himself. He bunched his hind legs and leaped across the stream, landing at Amras's side. He leaned down and gave the mushrooms a small sniff. They were unfamiliar to him, having never grown them or seen them in the forest of Eridanus. However, after a few moments of inspection, in which he poked and sniffed and gave a small lick (which he spat out immediately), he thought that he had enough to go on. He tapped his paw on the ground and a small bunch of mushrooms sprouted where he touched. They looked similar to the ones Amras had but, upon inspection, Rift found them to be a little different. "Hm, no that wasn't right..." he muttered.

@Amras