Irritation pooled off of the large beast in waves, mingling with the electric air. He had found himself here after being separated from reptilian kin for far to long. It had not been intentional, his curious wanderings having taken him farther than advised from caring leadership of the one he had met. He had taken well enough care of himself, having been fed well enough and exploring to his hearts content. Of course he was always on the lookout for his reptilian caretaker, but he had a feeling all he had done was wander further and further away. He didn't care at the moment, his teeth and claws craving blood and bone. Once he had gotten a taste for hunting it was all downhill for him. It was first a mouse, a tiny little creature that his kitten paws crushed so easily. It was a delightful meal when he was a cub, but now larger prey was easier to gain, his adolescent body making him sturdier and stronger than ever before. Even now he was large, his paws showing just how much he would grow in size. Now he hunted rabbits and other prey similar in size, but never turned down the chance to crush a small mouse. It was pleasing, how easily bones were crushed and flesh was torn, even he was all to aware of his own mortality and how easy it would be for he himself to become injured. This wasn't what he wanted however, the thrill of the hunt. No, what he wanted was the thrill of destruction to hurt and maim a creature. To tear a limb from a body and consume something while it still cried out for whatever savior to come to its aid. It churned within his mind, giving him the sense of control he always wanted. It made him grin with anticipation, wanting nothing more than to satisfy the craving whirling around inside of his head. Of course these thoughts were not lessened by the magic heavy within the air. The blue crystals off within the distance pulsating with his heartbeat. It amplified his energy, stealing away whatever sane thoughts could bring him down from the blood craving high he had worked himself into. It crackled within the air, putting his hackles on end and claws unsheathed with glee. His cerulean eyes were on the prowl, searching for anything that could sate the energy he felt within. @Styx "speech." | Magic | Link/Familiar

The pup perked his ears, looking around. He could hear something around him, but didn't quite know what it was yet.

What he found, when he followed the sound, was a cat. It was large, larger than him, and looked like it would grow even larger, if its paws were any sign.

But he didn't yet know the dangers of the world. There was a trickle of warning, of hesitance, but he approached the tiger. Hesitantly, albeit, but he still approached. Finally he called out, "Hello."

@Symphr

Speech. Thought.

A low grin came upon the tigers face when he spotted his target. A strange canine creature, the long tail and floppy ears far to tempting to the large feline. How loud would it whine? How much would it cry? These thoughts swirled within his head in tempo to the ancient blue crystals crackling with energy within the distance. He offered the child a smile when it greeted him, wondering if it would be easy to corrupt such innocence? Now that was a thought he thoroughly enjoyed. "Hello young one." Low british vocals gave hint to how much more they would drop within the coming cycles. His eyes offering an outer warmth when poison dripped like lethe within his thoughts. He was offering the appearance of warmth and comfort towards the hesitant child, like the oh so sweet gingerbread house of safety. Only to have him fall prey to the witch inside. "Is your caretaker with you young one?" His head tilted to the side, slight concern flashing across his features. Allowing just the moments hesitation before more low vocals reached out across the magic laid plain. "Or are you without one?" A small flick of the tail would be all the movement he allowed. His cerulean eyes trained upon the pup in a comfortable way, all to give off the appearance of a proper caretaker rather than a sinful soul. @Styx "speech." | Magic | Link/Familiar

The pup looked at the tiger warily. It was young - not fully grown, he could tell. But it would be massive once it was fully-grown, not that it wasn't already.

"I am Styx, and you are?" he responded to its greeting. There was an odd inflection to the cat's voice, but one he had yet to hear. So he twitched his floppy ears, tilting his head.

He frowned, tilting his head the other way, saying, "I have never met a Gembound with a caretaker. So why would I have one?"

@Symphr

Speech. Thought.

So this one didn't have a soul in the world who would care if it were injured or not? Oh that was just delightful. This poor youth had no idea just how much his new caretaker was going to claim him, mark him as a member of his own breed. The algid heart within his chest not caring if he was about to destroy something most would deem precious, something that was to be protected. To him it was something to be used, something to claim, something to control. He offered a sad smile, showing apparent empathy to the young child. He took a step closer, keeping a comfortable distance to the pup. His jeweled fangs gleaming underneath the blue light, turning an almost violet color. "A gembound without a caretaker? You more than likely were with older gembounds, not ones at your young age. Poor thing, having to survive on your own is always a struggle." He offered a warmer smile, offering an oasis to the boy, something akin to warm and fatherly. He spoke as if he had the knowledge of the world, something someone could look up too and speak with if any issues arose. "Of course, you look like your doing well enough on your own." He gave the pup a once over, showing his appreciation to the youths health. "Although, it's always better to have someone to rely on is it not?" He let the question hang in the air, offering the young boy a chance to think and mull over what had been said. After all he was trying to gain this creatures trust, to convince him that this was the way the world worked. That he would be claimed into this world by Symphr, that he would be marked. Sacrifice was needed in order to gain security, to gain the freedom of liability, Symphr would be the one to show him that. This warm facade being the first step in teaching the youth that soon enough he would be apart of the sweet corruption that was this tigers mind. @Styx "speech." | Magic | Link/Familiar

Styx twitched his ears, taking in the tiger's sad smile. Why did the tiger care? Something about the older Gembound made him uneasy, discomfort racing down his spine. But he didn't show it on his face, and he didn't turn and flee like he desperately wanted to. The tiger hadn't yet given him a reason to flee, and he highly believed in innocent until proven otherwise.

However, he couldn't help but to step backwards when the other stepped towards him, ears twitching. Something wasn't right about this, something wasn't right at all. "All Gembounds I have met have been my age, or younger. And I have done fine on my own, so why do I need a care taker? I can take care of myself?"

And, just because he had met only one Gembound, who was only a few seconds younger well, the tiger didn't need to know.

@Symphr

Speech. Thought.

Symphr blinked at the rudeness this creature showed, especially for someone so young. He smiled with eyes narrowed, deciding that breaking this young pup was going to be quite fun. His ears pinned downwards, lips curling up in a snarl and his tail flaring out for the balance he knew he was going to need. Dagger like teeth shone in light of the blue spire in the distance. He had an empirical mind after all, and this was just going to be a new experiment for him to play with. "You should really watch your tongue, being so rude to someone who has been polite is absolutely abhorred behavior." His stance widened and his head lowered, protecting his throat. Without warning he attempted to lunge towards the smaller creature, his forepaws wanting to land upon the canines shoulders, his backpaws trying to land upon the ground to keep his balance. His claws were unsheathed and wanting to sink within the canines flesh to keep a grip on his prey as well as dig into the earth to keep him grounded while his balance was compromised. He was hoping to bring the pup down to the ground while dealing damage with his claws. Not wanting to allow the creature to get away from him easily. It was something he desperately wanted to keep for himself. A new plaything easily there for his entertainment. @Styx Round: 1/5 Battle Type (his end goal for this fight): Maim w/ Kidnapping of Styx Attempt: To lunge forward, trying to bring his paws upon Styx's shoulders with claws unsheathed. The aim here is to use his weight to force Styx to the ground while using his claws to gain a grip on his body. Defense: Standard defenses for his species, pinned ears, narrowed eyes, tail out for balance, and head lowered to protect his throat. Injuries: N/A "speech." | Magic | Link/Familiar

Styx had met no rudeness - he had only spoken the truth, after all. So he did not understand when Symphr went from, at least, somewhat politeness, to snarling and bristling.

But he returned the display, flashing his own needle-like milk teeth and dropping down into a fighting position, head low to protect his throat. He had never fought before, but that didn't mean he didn't have the instincts.

He didn't know what the tiger was trying to do, but he leaped to meet him. The pups sharp teeth met the tiger's nose, and he clenched his jaws, attempting to cling.

Round: 1/?
Attempt: Bite da nose and cling
Defense: none
Injuries: none

Speech. Thought.

@Symphr