Was his body really made to fly easily? No, not really. He could go upwards, sure, but his lower half hung so low when he flew that going forward quickly was difficult. Thankfully though, he didn't need to really go anywhere quickly. Even now, as he hunted and searched for some birds to snag, he really only used his wings to fly upwards the mountain before landing on the ground and dragging his large body across the snow.

Finally he saw what he was looking for, the brightly colored bastards flying up in the sky, seemingly oblivious to his presence. Either that or they just didn't see him as a thread. Big fucking mistake.

He moved until he was directly under them before lunging upwards, using his wings to propel him into the sky as he clamped his jaws around one of the birds, quickly dragging it down to the ground. Perfect!

Shida groaned as consciousness slowly slipped back into place. Her shoulder throbbed with pain, but she was much more clear-headed then she'd been when she'd fallen asleep. Still, fuck, she was sore all over. Her head lifted from where it had been resting against her paws and she took stock of her surroundings.

First of all, the diamond was still under her body. Ok that was good, the damn dog hadn't tried to steal it from her again. Second of all, said dog was sitting against the wall opposite to her, and he looked like he was snoozing, with what looked like a black fedora (where had he gotten that from?) resting over his face. And third, behind him was a mural of a giant white worm with spikes and spines. It wasn't....really the ice worm. It looked more like just a sandworm painted white, but she was impressed by the artistry of it.

"Huh," she rasped, voice cracking from dryness. "That's kind of cool."

She had to admit, there was a newfound appreciation for the canine - yeah he'd bitten the fuck out of her and shit, but he didn't need to stick around. It would have been all too easy to just snatch up the diamond and leave. She didn't know why the fuck he was interested in having a piece of her stone, but. Eh. It wasn't a huge deal to her. He did beat her in a fight and she had to respect him for the effort at least. And for the nice painting. She she had no problem reaching back and nipping off a piece of her peridot, a surge of magic cracking off a small shard.

Oh, right, she was supposed to be mad at him. She looked his way and spat the shard, getting that disapproving glare once again. "Alright, there's your rock. Now get out."

Scion was hardly one to go running and sprinting through the caves to get somewhere, but today was different - one of the biggest and most important jobs Master Vargas had given to it was at last completed. And not without effort on its part! Significant effort, one might even say. Having to get all those gembound was a pain. If only others in the forge actually listened to it but nooo they were busy "stabilizing" and "killing each other for no reason" (looking at YOU V-Ruby-One) or just sitting around to actually help out. Whatever, not like Scion could complain about that last one.

But. BUT. Not this time. This time it had gotten the work in, this time it had done exactly as it had been asked and done the caves a great service. Master Vargas should be pleased.

As it arrived in Draco, nodding to the cave guards, it skidded to a halt, looking for its valkhound Master to at last report its success. "Master Vargas!" it called. "Master, it is done! Canis is cleansed!"

The sound of stone cleaving and crashing still echoes in Tourmaline's ears. A stranger was hurt because of her carelessness. If it had been her, imprisoned in her chrysalis under that rubble, perhaps she'd wouldn't feel so guilty. But she didn't even know who that poor soul was. She could not call his name to apologize, when he'd reawaken. Or to thank him for saving her.

That whispering voice that had started mocking her didn't help either. It cackled, reveling in her fear and shame. It's your fault. You destroyed him. Such is the fate of chaos... She hated every moment of it.

So steeling herself, Tourmaline padded across Polaris, to a place she'd her through word of mouth. The doorway to Emuh's domain yawned open before her, and she'd stand at the threshold, looking into the dark. Then she'd raise her voice, "Is this the place of Trials? I wish to prove myself!"

As much as she tried to hide her quivering, she couldn't help worrying. She told herself that she'd get stronger, learn to control her magic, prevent any more. But would that really help at all?

For all the hatred he leveled at Nemean, regardless of whether she was present to be hurled abuse at or not, Fahl had to admit to at least one positive result of her repulsive existence: her infuriating attitude provided perfect fuel for the fires of his ambition. Just the sight of her drove him to feverish pursuit of power, returned him swiftly to his quest for improvement which seemingly had no end. Masters, Valkhounds, Valkhands—every time he thought the hierarchy of the caves fully understood, the addition of another rank rattled the iguana to the core, and childhood aspirations of mastership grew vaster and more nebulous. He needed to be more than another skull for the strong to grind into dust underfoot. The Children of Rot's survival, too, would be better ensured if more formidable mages could form protective barriers against threats and hide their fellows from prying eyes.

Living in the caves and not choosing to live a totally reclusive existence meant rumors inevitably would be overheard. The one which guided him over to this section of Polaris possessed a particularly appealing flavor at his current moment of emotional weakness. Unlike fantastical tales that metamorphosed into entirely different settings and subjects involved to the point where they were scarcely related, the stories mentioned of the place he stomped toward possessed a common figure and a goal. Only the methods to achieve it varied, enough of a distinction for him to entertain the hearsay as truth. Rage overruling apprehension, he put this information to the test.

Fahl filled his lungs to capacity before letting breath explode from his throat. "Emuh," he bellowed. "I've come for your trial."