Thoughts Abound [Open]

[Sera]

A Dark male entered the Chaos Hills, standing now before a small lake near a copse of trees. He's not really indicative of his kind; he stands shorter than most of the leggier Gryvern and, oddly, has no hair at all, though his brindle fur is still smooth over his skin. But the lack of a tail tuft is odd, very odd. Bright blue eyes regard the quiet waters thoughtfully, his ears tilted back and seeming to almost set his small horns forward in emphasis.

Really, though, his mind is ever elsewhere and he doesn't even bother to look for any others in the area; there could be one or several and he wouldn't know. Famous-- or infamous, depending on which camp you stand with-- enough now that many Gryvern know him on sight, there is still one last thing missing from his body: the sign of his Caste.

One might not know anymore, but at least once upon a time it was well-known that he was a Scholar, but there is no evidence of tassle in view and certainly no where for him to hide such a thing. One might infer he is a Caretaker or a Hunter, but there is something about his air that denies such Castes.

Still, it might not mean anything at all, and it's unlikely that his reasoning for such things are what so deeply occupy his mind now.

[koala]

Fiery eyes darted this way and that, taking in the scenery. A third eye scanned the wilderness behind, possibly keeping vigilance against flanking attackers. Or maybe the night-dark form lurking in the trees wasn't concerned with attack at all. Maybe he wasn't entirely in control of his aft eye, in fact.

In any case, he crouched, transfixed. A fellow gryvern gazed out across the nearby lake, seemingly oblivious. It was one he recognized.

"What was your name...?" Grisha muttered softly to himself. He was certain he remembered meeting the other in passing, but couldn't quite pinpoint the incident. Flashes of memory came to him, but nothing he could use. Not having a clear idea of who he was dealing with, the Air remained where he was.

[Sera]

The cream-membraned ears twitch backwards at the sound of a voice behind him, and Mozer returned to the here and now with an almost unnoticeable start. He turned to look behind him and tilted his head slightly to one side. The Gryvern hovering at the edge of the woods looked almost familiar, like a word spoken in a strange dialect. He couldn't remember any Gryvern that particular shade with the faintest hint of cloud markings hidden in the darkness of his hide.

The Scholar surmised that he must be some type of Air, but he'd never seen on so dark before. And certainly no full-Gryvern had those eyes. But. . . there was no hint in the body frame of mixed heritage. The Gryvern-- or mix-- before him was a a mystery. And this Scholar greatly enjoyed a good mystery.

The brindle Dark turned fully around to greet the other male affably and lightly. "Hello, I'm Mozer. Have we met before?"

Once upon a time, Mozer had known every Gryvern to leave their Home Reality, but there were enough coming through now that he no longer had the ability to do so. He was fairly certain he would remember this one, though.

[koala]

Grisha jolted noticeably at the other's greeting. He hadn't realized he'd spoken aloud.

"I don't recall..." the Air answered coolly, inching backwards. His posture was rude, he knew; but better to offend a friend than get cozy with an enemy...

"Where would we have met?" he asked, curiosity piqued. It occurred to him that this stranger (?) was odd-looking- unlike any gryvern he had seen before. Why can't I remember? he wondered. With such an unusual physique, he should remember this gryvern clearly. But he only had a vague sense of recognition.

When he had put a comfortable distance between himself and this Mozer, he sat back on his haunches and curled his tail around him, carefully concealing his abnormal eye.

[Sera]

"If anywhere at Hawkings Crest," Mozer replied easily. He stopped himself from moving towards the other-- with such an obviously off-putting stance, it would have only encouraged trouble. Mozer knew better than to pick fights; he could hunt, but he was no Warriour, like Casimir was.

When the Air sat-- he was an Air, right?-- Mozer did the same, obviously willing to keep the other at ease. "Everyone comes through Crest in order to reach the other Realities; it's our entry point." He paused and hazarded a question. "Unless you aren't a full-blooded Gryvern?"

It seemed terribly unlikely, but those eyes and colours. . .

[koala]

"I see..." Grisha responded thoughtfully. Which meant he really didn't. "And what is your role in that place?" He turned his head slightly to either direction, as if he couldn't decide which eye had better vision.

The Air was suspicious of the other, but he relaxed when the strange gryvern sat as well.

"As far as I know, I'm no less Gryvern than you," he snorted, offended. "Is my appearance evidence to the contrary? Then perhaps I should ask what mix you are, friend..." Again, Grisha knew he was being rude, but something ate at him; something in him wanted to hurt the other. He didn't know where this animosity was coming from, and it scared him.

[Sera]

Mozer watched the head turns curiously, though he could see no reason for them. "I am no more than one dedicated to the betterment of our species," he answered smoothly. "I act like a Diplomat to open doors to Realities as more of us find ourselves unable to survive in our Home Reality."

Mozer's ears twitched at the harsh reply, though he couldn't be offended, even when his own heritage was questioned. "Please pardon my mistake," he said with a dip of his head. "Your colouring is unusual for your Type, and I have never seen one with eyes like yours." None full-blooded, anyway.

Mozer curled his tail forward so that it was in view of the other Gryvern. "I must admit, curiousity can be quite dangerous for our kind. I lost part of my Gryvern heritage, if you will, in a rather unfortunate accident." And that seemed to be all he wanted to say on the subject. "Forgive my further intrusion, but which Caste might you be?" With the reassurance that this stranger who looked familiar was a full Gryvern, Mozer had no doubt that he had a Caste.

[koala]

Grisha shrugged at the other's response. Boring job he though to himself. He was slightly annoyed that the stranger didn't seem ruffled by his obvious lack of propriety, but decided not to let it show.

"This isn't my original coloring," he answered sulkily. "I looked like any Air would, until..." ...what? he wondered. Something. He shrugged again, dismissing the thought.

He started to pry into Mozer's cryptic allusion, but the Dark's next question momentarily distracted him from his antagonism.

"Caste?" he repeated, sitting up straighter. He puffed his chest out and arched his neck, ears pricked. "Why, I am an Explorer," he preened. "Isn't it obvious?" He shifted to show the other Gryvern his seal, inadvertently revealing his mutation as well. He realized his mistake too late, suddenly shy. Ears back, he made to slink off into the trees.

[Sera]

The 'until' caught Mozer's attention as well, and he so wanted to ask about that! It was interesting to hear that the other Gryvern had somehow been morphed. . or perhaps mutated would be a better word. Where had he gone or what had he done to be so changed? Oh, how he wanted to ask!

The Dark's ears came up fully when he saw the Explorer marking and. . . WOW. There was another eye and it appeared to be looking at him. "Wait, wait!" Mozer said excitedly, coming to his feet in nearly a spring. He could have leapt into the air, but he remained carefully earthbound; don't scare him, don't scare him!

"Do you recall how you got that? And when? Can you see out of it?" Oh, slow down the questions, Mozer! The Dark restrained himself by the barest of degrees, his whole body radiating excitement at the sight of that third eye.

[koala]

Grisha scuttled back a few paces in surprise. He hadn't expected the Dark to get to excited all of a sudden! Eyes wide, he shrunk in on himself, unsure what to think.

"I..." he stammered, trying to get the words out. Then, in the faintest of tones, "I'm not sure." He averted his gaze, shame apparent in his posture (though he couldn't say why). The haughty facade from moments before dissolved, leaving weariness and confusion in its place. Even the Air's voice was softened with uncertainty. He sighed, temporarily forgetting about Mozer in his introspection.

[Sera]

Mozer moved forward a few steps when the other Grvyern stopped, unable to keep himself from coming closer. He wanted to just pick the Air's brain, but the other creature suddenly seemed to fold in on himself and that was so entirely un-Gryvern like that it managed to cut through Mozer's intense interest.

He moved closer, this time out of concern and sat down closer to the Explorer curiously. "Well, then I guess you should start with whatever is the last thing you do remember, huh?" And, if that didn't help, the Scholar could think of several other ways to get to the truth. Or an educated guess of what had happened, at least.

[koala]

Grisha shivered, curling up as he thought. His eyes darted from side to side, as though tracking a fly. He sighed, frustrated.

"I remember the portal," he began tentatively. "It was... unusual... foreboding. But it is my duty to explore, is it not? And so I did.

"I don't remember actually entering the portal, only being inside it. There was... something. All hot breath and flashing teeth and fear. And then... I was back here, trembling and afraid and lashing out at any who came near." He looked at Mozer beseechingly. "I wasn't this way before, you see; I was much more amiable. But... I am torn apart from the inside out, and I don't have control over myself!" This last sentence growing in pitch, he spat through clenched teeth, kicking up the dirt around him and twitching. "I feel... angry, though I don't know why. I want to destroy things, but I don't recall that being a part of my nature... before..." He heaved a shaky sigh, calming himself. Trembling, he covered his eyes with clawed forepaws. "There is no help for me, I fear."

[Sera]

Mozer searched his mental records quickly, trying to think of who might match this shaken Gryvern. "Grisha?" he finally hazarded quietly. He had met Grisha briefly a few years ago-- and as was his way-- he had made a mental note of the Air Explorer. But that Grisha-- light and air-- was a far cry from this one-- dark and storm.

He hated to see the other Gryvern so upset, though in this case he guessed there was a very good reason fo rit. There was always a danger in Exploration; Explorers were more than aware of that before they even saw their first portal. But the explanation was frightening, especially with the fear behind it.

Gryvern, he had personal reason to know, were terribly vulnerable to certain other creatures and magics. They never knew which ones until they had tangled with it, which meant that they had some badly scarred-- emotionally and physically-- gryvern living as proof of this susceptibility.

"Have you seen a Healer?" Mozer asked, though he wasn't certain if even their most powerful Healer could help.

[koala]

The Air's ears pricked at the sound of his name, though his eyes were bleary and unfocused. He nodded once, slowly- almost a bow. He was suddenly exhausted.

"No," he answered firmly. "No healers." He knew Healers were nothing to fear, but something kept him from going to one. It was like he was hiding something, though he didn't know what or why. And... he felt like a traitor, somehow. "I'd rather not talk anymore just now."

With his parting comment, Grisha turned his back on Mozer and retreated further into the trees, carefully keeping his left flank turned away from the Dark.

[Sera]

Mozer tilted his head worriedly at that pronouncement; something about the way Grisha said it. . . When the other Gryvern rose and began to walk off, Mozer did the same to follow. The Dark didn't say anything; perhaps out of respect for Grisha's blatant statement.

Mozer walked beside the other Gryvern, willing to wander for awhile to help calm the other male. "Have you eaten recently?" He finally asked some time later. "The hunting is very good in Chaos Hills, though there are also quite a few predators out here as well. You should be especially aware of the tsume who abound. They are sentient and certain types of them cause. . . a great weakness in our kind."