Darkness Devours All (Small Assorted Bonding)

Stuck In The Dark But I'm Your Flashlight Female Nebulae Astrum

Mindspeech: Italic #ffff4a

Despite being little more than a kitten, this Astrum is clever and picks up on things relatively quickly. However, in having to avoid the monsters that lurked in the depths, she has been unable to just be a kitten much less partake in the art forms that her rank adores. Though she is exceedingly wary of her surroundings most of the time and usually won't go out of her way to help others, she won't begrudge someone sharing her hiding place with her either. She is wary of anyone larger than herself and it will likely take some time before she opens up. In terms of coloration she resembles a tortoiseshell more than a calico - her black and orange coloration allows her to blend in more easily with the shadows. At first glance, her glow is more of a yellowish-white rather than the shimmering rainbow unless you are paying close attention. She can project her light into a beam in front of her, illuminating the darkest of places.

Just For A Little While, Let Me Pretend I'm Loved Brown Fire Lizard

Having been alone for most of his young life and without a faire to call home, this brown has taken up collecting hats as a way of filling the void within him. His favorite one is a paper bag with two crudely cut holes in it, and it's the one he wears most often. He doesn't like anyone touching whatever hat he is wearing at the time and will shy away from those who attempt it. Despite this, he is more than willing to aid others not of his own kind - this leads him to being a little too quick to trust, sometimes to his own detriment courtesy of his desperate need for companionship. He longs for a place to call home and a group of friends...maybe even a family, far away from the nightmares that plague his dreams and the very real horrors haunting his waking life. His scales are a shade often referred to as golden brown, though he is by no means a mottle fire lizard.

One Can Only Do So Much On Their Own Zephyr Pegasus

Quiet and resourceful, this Zephyr is small even when compared to other foals her age. While more than accustomed to working on her own, she is willing to help her fellow prisoners escape when she can. Remarkably calm and levelheaded even in moments where death appears imminent (perhaps unsurprisingly given her rank), she is capable of recognizing when her own strength or puzzle-solving ability will not be enough to navigate through a potentially dangerous situation. Though this Zephyr does have the tendency to jump a little too quickly to conclusions every now and then, she is more than willing to be patient with the young and frightened no matter how long it may take them to warm up to her. However, she will not push if someone feels they are better off on their own. She resembles a golden miniature horse with a dark brown mane and tail. Unfortunately one of her wings has been irreparably damaged, making her incapable of flight.

Solely For My Own Survival Nonbinary Pygmy Lepicerin Scarf

Mindspeech: #488ca2

This little Lepicerin was barely old enough to leave the burrow when they were taken from their home and family, stuffed in a cage to be taxidermied into a toy for a spoiled princess. Wanting nothing more than to escape, they will not go out of their way to help anyone unless it guarantees they'll be able to progress further in their efforts to escape. They are a good deal more skittish and distrustful than your typical Lepicerin due to being ripped away from their safety net and thrust into a whole different and frightening world. They are very reluctant to attach themself to someone because they have no way of knowing whether that person will betray them. Even those of their own species and rank are not exempt, with this particular pygmy shying away from bonding with others and from any that might be larger than they are. Offers of friendship are treated with suspicion. From ears to tail their fur is gray-blue, only broken up by a red scarf tied around their neck.

Zagin steadily clopped along, bearing his Bonded on his back with his wings folded over the elf's legs. Though their meeting had been unique from the moment the Chinook saw the silent warrior he knew that Jirin was the one he'd been waiting and looking for.



And Jirin was a silent one, that was for certain. Mute, it seemed, which made them something of an interesting paradox. Typically, elves spoke, but he could not. Typically Pegasus didn't Mindspeak, but Zagin did. Interesting, and amusing in a sense. It had happened often enough that Zagin would act as Jirin's voice for those who didn't know sign language and weren't patient enough for written communication, and certainly by Jirin's grateful smiles it made things simpler.



Today however they weren't in the village or any of the surrounding farmlands, however. Jirin had left the cabin that morning edgy, distressed with no real source or outlet. So they had gone out riding, no saddle or bridle, but that mattered little. Jirin had long ago proved to be an expert rider bareback or not. It wouldn't have surprised Zagin if he'd been riding from childhood, not that Jirin could tell if he had or not. That was one of the great mysteries; Jirin's absent, or at best very fuzzy, memories of places, people, voices or snatches of song that were as impossible to catch as the morning mist. Sometimes Zagin even thought that he was not always the horse that Jirin remembered, at least instinctively, when they went out riding. The elf would occasionally reach as if for a higher or lower place on his neck, sit as if he was on the back of a taller-standing beast, and the like. Clearly, the pegasus believed, he'd Bonded or had another mount at one point, one he rode repeatedly to give him such a natural way with riding. He could only hope that in some way he was able to help Jirin as his predecessor had been able to. Certainly someone who treated the Pegasus so kindly deserved whatever respite from his troubles he could find.



Though they'd been intending to wander along the shoreline initially Zagin found that for some inexplicable reason his hoofsteps were guided somewhere they never intended to go. And through the radiating darkness they saw an expected sight...







((leaving it here since I don't know which they'll see lol!))

*Oooh~* Pip’s eyes widened as the ship drew close, lighting up with intrigue, and naturally he didn’t hesitate to scamper up the thin plank, using his wings to stay light on his feet. What greeted him inside, however, was far from the fun adventure he’d been hoping for; his excitement immediately gave way to horror as he took in all the captive young ones.

*What in the heck...what is this place? What are you all doing here?!* His ears flattened as he glanced around, their desperate mewls and whimpers tearing at his heart. He wanted to set them all free - but how? No amount of riddles or tricks could break all those locks...But just as his gaze landed on the sole empty cage, his ears pricked up once again at the bell, which seemed to him like a call to action. Find them? He didn’t know who - or how - but he was determined to try his hardest. *I’m gonna find them, and then find a way to get you all out of here*, he told no one in particular, hoping - perhaps foolishly - that if he only believed he could pull off such a stunt enough then he really could.

He froze at the creak of the wheelchair, the fur on the back of his neck standing on end; he didn’t know who or what was approaching, but something told him he didn’t want to be caught. Noticing a door at the far end of the room, he ran towards it and pawed at the crack until it swung open enough to slip through to the next room - and so the search would begin.

The creaking sound would draw ever closer until Pip would finally bear witness to the creature that rolled in - it was a man, a very tall one at that had he not been sitting in a wheelchair. His red-tinted goggles and facial mask hid his expression completely, and the sphinx was lucky that his presence hadn't been noticed...but his luck wouldn't last long as the sound of the door opening drew his attention. After a moment of pause, he abandoned the process of choosing from the little ones still in their cages in favor of pursuing the presumed escapee.

Meanwhile, a tiny Lepicerin with a scarf around their neck found themself frozen (thankfully not literally) in a dark hallway with eyes glaring down at the floor, searching for any troublemakers. Scarf knew exactly what those eyes would do if they were caught in the glare - they would be turned into a statue, trapped forever. But the eyes moved so fast, faster than they could run. How were they supposed to figure this one out? They would have screamed in frustration had they not known it would get them caught. Maybe there was something they could use, something that would provide them with a bit more cover from the eyes' penetrating gaze?

Upon passing through the door, Pip would find himself in a room with what appeared to be some kind of laundry cart, near to which was a lever. Across the room was a vent, though it was a little small for him to squeeze through. He would have to find another way into the room without being caught.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unfortunately for Zagin, the girl with the silver-white hair seemed thoroughly unperturned by his presence and moved her hand as though she was going to swat a fly. No, she was more focused on the trembling creature in front of her, stretching out her arm...and then a giant boulder fell on top of her, crushing her.

The young pegasus glanced up and the kitsune that had managed to push the boulder down onto the girl peeked over the edge, tail wagging tiredly.

But this moment was not to last, as it turned out the girl was not quite deceased - she lunged at the pegasus just as the rock ledge crumbled under them. Luckily, Zagin was there otherwise the young pegasus might have fallen to a watery grave. She landed roughly on his back, an enraged scream from the girl following suit as she plummeted into the unforgiving depths. She stared at the water for a long moment, her ears pinned back as she trembled.

She knew that she wouldn't have survived the fall into the water, not from this high up. It was only out of the corner of her eye that she noticed her kitsune friend moving as fast as they could down the cliffs and she let out a whinny to reassure them. They stopped and peered out, their tail starting to wag furiously when they saw her. They still had to escape this place though - the servants of the home would not be happy to find out about the death of their mistress.

The kitsune glanced downward and back up at the pegasus, letting out a soft yip. But she shook her head - she would weigh down the raft too much - it wasn't made for someone of her size. The kitsune's ears and tail drooped, but this would be where they parted ways.

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Round three has begun! Pip has the craftsman after him now, though if his luck stays with him he might be able to avoid his clutches until he can find Scarf. As for Zagin, his mission has been completed. His new companion can guide him to an exit, or he can stay longer to search for others who might need his help.

Phiarlan the Black Mottle Firelizard, glided on his feathered wings alongside his Bonded, Cobalt. The Warforged had been unsettled in her mind of late and had been restless as a result. So she had gone wandering from her dojo home, and Phiarlan had tagged along to ensure that she didn't get into any situations she couldn't get herself out of.



Perhaps Firelizards weren't the first choice of many when there was battle or what have you, but he could distract an enemy or pop Between to go for help.



But as it would turn out it might not be Cobalt who would be the one going into a situation as they stumbled upon an interesting sight....

Pip froze, his ears flattening and eyes widening as he caught a glimpse of the man - and that glimpse was more than enough to spur him into action. He flapped his wings just the slightest bit to quiet the sound of his footsteps as he slipped into the next room, his heart pounding in his chest as he bit his lip to stifle a whimper. He tried to remind himself that he’d gotten out of worse kerfuffles than this, but he certainly didn’t want to take his chances with...whatever that thing was. But it wasn’t like he could just jump ship either - someone here needed him, and he’d promised them he would find them even if they didn’t know it yet.

Eyes darting around the room for an escape path, they first landed on the vent but he quickly realised even his lithe physique wouldn’t be able to wriggle through such a slim space. That laundry basket, however...Well, it didn’t look like he had a better option, so he jumped straight into it, burrowing under the pile of clothes with just his tail sticking out, which he used - with some difficulty - to curl around the lever and yank it, kicking the machine into action. He didn’t know where exactly the loud, creaky rail would take him, but he knew he couldn’t afford to waste any time panicking right now.

Bring grabbed and pulled through a TV screen - something the Firelizard had no frame of reference for as Cobalt didn't - sent Phiarlan scurrying to cling to a dark, shadowy corner the first instance he could, far from the revealing light of the TV that flashed its single instruction before going dark as well.

Some flits might have panicked. It was dark, he was alone, no Bonded anywhere, unknown dangers potentially everywhere. But Phiarlan had met Cobalt with a full-sized, unfriendly-behaving dragon not a handful of feet away. He wasn't some flighty blue or green Pureblood, or some small, timid white. He was named for the Dragonmark House of shadows and secrets.

He'd handle this.

With his eyes only able to pick out varying shades of 'dark' he knew he'd only be able to minister rely of sight. So he's really on scent and on memory. The TV's glow had for that brief time lit part of the room and gave some frame of reference to position. He sniffed as he came down from the corner, creeping about quietly and carefully seeking air currents, creature movements, anything that could help provide information. Ideally he'd find a door or window, but even a ventilation grate would do at the moment.