A small mountain range known for its black colored rocks and mineral ore deposits. Many mining caves have been dug through the mountain but not all of these are safe. Bears and mountain lions guard the hills and many unsafe tunnels collapse without warning.
After his talk with Enya, Eon had immediately settled down to sleep. His journey to and from the crystal caverns the day prior had exhausted him, and he hadn’t given himself a chance to catch up. When he finally woke, he realized he had slept nearly the entire day. Not that this was unusual for him. Eon could be a night owl. He'd patrol the borders tonight to make up for sleeping late.
He’d watch the shadows of the afternoon dance on the walls of his den, beckoning him awake. “Alright,” he’d grunt. With a yawn, the small canid would stretch his front legs out in front of him, allowing his spine to give a slight ‘crack’. On the ground beside him was the small leather pouch he had stuffed with crystals on his journey to the crystal caverns.
It dawned on him that he had wanted to show one of the monarchs what he had found. It might be useful information that there was a good mining spot just east of their territory. He had been so caught up in his ponderings that he had completely forgotten to tell Enya about it. Well, he might as well tell one of them now, whoever he ran into first.
He’d pick the pouch up, swing it around his frame, and take off into the sunlight. He had made his den on the edge of a cliff, which would have been quite hard to get to if he didn’t have wings. He felt safest in such places. It meant predators would have a more challenging time trying to get to get at him. It also meant it was harder for others to steal any valuables he might decide to stash away.
With a few flaps, Eon would lift himself higher, scouting the lands for any movement below. Dark brown fur caught his attention, and assuming he had spotted Caedwyn, he dove down to perch on one of the nearby tree branches.
After the gathering at the beach a few days before, Caedwyn once again had began to make a journey through their territories. He had heard many of the Kingdom members had claimed dens high up in the mountains and he figured he'd need to go see some of these for himself. These sorts of dens were mostly claimed by those who could fly. For a wolf like him, it was slow and tedious moving up the mountain to search for them. He had always been a little envious of creatures that could fly. Sure, having magic allowed most creatures to have an equal footing if there was to be an altercation, but even so - that didn't replace the experience of flying. The wind flowing through ones fur or the brisk cold air biting as it struck his face. And the sight of the mist and clouds above and below. Those were things that walking on the ground didn't imitate. He had heard the the mountains farther to the south were surrounded by a magic that could allow those who entered to fly and walk amongst the stars, but that area had been claimed by those dirty worshippers of Ohr. Thinking about this, his nose wrinkled in annoyance. Verdantis was spitting in Tsillah's face by rejecting her, and it infuriated him. Despite the truce among the gods, sometimes Caedwyn wished Tsillah would once again return to the lands and lay them asunder, if only to punish the canids and felids that worshipped Ohr. Wouldn't that be a day!
As his thoughts wandered, a shadow passed overhead. It was faint, like a bird passing in front of the sun, and just enough to draw his attention. His steps slowed as he looked skyward, searching for the source of the movement. It was then that he heard the rustling of leaves in a tree near him. His gaze turned, catching sight of a familiar form. "Eon," he greeted, changing his direction to move toward the tree where Eon had perched. "Nice weather for a flight today?" He glanced back overhead, making casual conversation. The summer sun was warm and the sky clear, aside from a few puffy white clouds scattered throughout. "I take it you are doing well?" He turned back to Eon, lowering himself into a comfortable sitting position in the grass just below the tree.
It seemed the evening was just arriving as more colors began illuminating the sky. It had only been about a minute or two since he had left his den, but he could already see the sky becoming slightly darker. As he observed the shadows painting the world below, he couldn’t help thinking of the constant rainfall that had occurred just months prior in the realm. It was so bad they were forced to flee. He, too, had been grounded then. His wings were quite useless in the rain. He was relieved when he heard Caedwyn and Enya planned to leave; finding a more suitable home for the kingdom was for the best, and he wasn't sure he would have lasted much longer in those conditions.
“Compared to the weather in the realm, it's perfect.” He had no complaints about this place. " I’m doing well, yes. I went off exploring the other day, that's why I came looking for you.” Eon swung the pouch off of him as he jumped off the branch. It landed with a soft thud in front of Caedwyn. “I found these not too far from here, just a little to the southeast. There were bunches of them. I grabbed what I could fit, but I think getting more is a good idea. I’d bet there's more stuff hiding in the caves, too."
The bag held an array of crystals, all different colors and sizes. “I’d never seen ones that glow like this.” He began to ponder how they were able to do so. His antennae glowed by absorbing light from around them, but these were found deep in a cave, hidden from outside light. That meant that the crystals were producing their own light. He could make his own light, too, but that was because he had been blessed with magic. If these crystals produced light on their own, did that mean they held magic, too? He'd make a note to himself to study them more. Maybe he could create something useful with them.
“Compared to the weather in the realm, it's perfect.” Ah yes. The storms that had overtaken the Realm had been so sudden and unusual. Caedwyn had grown up in a jungle, so he enjoyed misty tropical rains, but the rainfall in the Realm had been different entirely. It had been cold and harsh, forceful downpours that swept the dirt and plants away from the lands. Even the prey animals had begun to flee after days of endless rain. Caedwyn was just happy that they were able to leave at all. So many attempts to leave the Realm before that had failed. Perhaps it was some working of a powerful deity, he wondered. But no matter. He was pleased they had not only escaped but had managed to escape together. If they had been separated, it would have made life very difficult. Caedwyn had grown fond of Eon's company, not to mention how he would have felt if he'd ended up separated from Enya once again.
His ears gave a little prick of interest when Eon mentioned he had come looking for Caedwyn. His eyes widened as Eon displayed a bag and little glowing crystals fell out of it when Eon placed it before Caedwyn. “I found these not too far from here, just a little to the southeast. There were bunches of them. I grabbed what I could fit, but I think getting more is a good idea. I’d bet there's more stuff hiding in the caves, too." So Eon had gathered these from a cave? They were certainly entrancing. The vibrant colors caught his interest and the crystals seemed to give off a glow. Caedwyn wasn't sure if the crystals had any obvious use or magic power, but they were interesting to look at. Simply the idea of having them to add to his hoard was tantalizing.
Caedwyn reached forward with his paw slowly, not wanting to offend Eon. Despite how much Caedwyn suddenly desired the shiny gems, he wasn't going to steal them from Eon... though, the thought occurred to him. He pushed some of the gems around with his foot, allowing each one to catch the dimming evening light as he looked how they shone and glowed. "These are very intriguing, Eon," Caedwyn said with genuine interest while he inspected them. "You said there were more in the caves?" He looked up to Eon first, giving the other time to answer before looking over to the foothills of the mountain. It was getting dark. Not the best time to go looking for things, but caves would be dark no matter the time of day.
"Do you think there's something special about these? Perhaps that is why they glow? A hidden magical energy within them?" Caedwyn asked aloud, both to himself and to Eon. "Would you be willing to show me where you found these? If we gathered more of them, I'm sure we could bring them back to investigate further."
Eon watched as Caedwyn pawed at the crystals. It didn’t bother him. He was unaware of any desire he might have to try and snag them. Not that Eon was being particularly protective over them. There were plenty; if the Monarch had wanted a few for whatever reason, he wouldn’t have opposed.
“Yep, there’s plenty. Some areas are so stuffed with these guys that they brighten the caves like lanterns.” He spoke excitedly, then paused, remembering some dark sections and that weird creature that hid within. He was about to mention it when Caedwyn spoke again. ‘Do you think there's something special about these? Perhaps that is why they glow? A hidden magical energy within them?’ His attention returned to the collection of crystals and their strange glow. It appeared Caedwyn had the same thoughts about the crystals: “I was thinking about that. Perhaps they do. I wanted to inspect them a bit.” He was still hesitant to jump to conclusions too quickly.
His long ears perked as he heard Caedwyns voice again.'Would you be willing to show me where you found these? If we gathered more of them, I'm sure we could bring them back to investigate further.' The canid would reply with a nod and shake of his three tails. “I’d be glad to!” however, the thought of the creature once again invaded his headspace.
“There’s just one thing I think I should mention, though. When I was there, I was attacked by a giant centipede-like creature. I got away, but the thing was a good 6 feet long, maybe longer, and I don’t know what else might be lurking there. Parts of the cave with fewer crystals to brighten the path can get pretty dark.” He shuddered at the thought of the enormous insect he had encountered the last time. It was the one thing that made him nervous to return.
Caedwyn nodded as Eon answered his questions. But his interest was piqued by Eon's last statement. A centipede creature? His eyes moved away from the stones over to Eon, his gaze darting around curiously looking for signs of injury. "Were you injured?" he asked, a tone of concern in his voice. "We can find a healer if you need tending... actually, Enya has healing. I'm sure we could summon her." But Eon didn't seem to be in too dire of shape. Eon had flown over here, so at least Eon's wings were working fine... and Caedwyn didn't see anything too obvious - though perhaps he had overlooked something.
"But the centipede is another matter entirely. Someone else could just as easily go stumbling in and not be as lucky as you," Caedwyn said, leaning his haunches back until he came to a more relaxed sitting position. "You're strong, but if someone lesser wandered in... they might find themselves face to face with Tsillah sooner than they expected. Perhaps..." his initial tone of concern faded as his voice trailed off for a moment in thought. "... perhaps this wasn't an accident that you came across such a beast hidden in the depths. Maybe Tsillah has given us a challenge?" His words began to hold the slightest hint of excitement, veiled behind cool, collected tones.
His rose up again, using his paw to quickly push the stones back into Eon's bag as he spoke. "Do you think the two of us could face the beast? I think we should go back and see what other treasures might be hidden in those dark caves of yours." He looked to Eon, awaiting Eon's judgement of the situation and withheld his excitement at the idea of not only facing off against such a challenging creature but also at finding some mysterious rare treasure that he was sure Tsillah had put in the cave as a reward for them.
“Were you injured? We can find a healer if you need tending... actually, Enya has healing. I'm sure we could summon her.” Eon was quick to shake his head. “No, I’m fine. There are no major injuries worth bothering Enya about.” "But the centipede is another matter entirely. Someone else could just as easily go stumbling in and not be as lucky as you, You're strong, but if someone lesser wandered in... they might find themselves face to face with Tsillah sooner than they expected. Perhaps..." Eon would continue to listen to the monarch's words. “I suppose…” He said, rather not thinking about what could have happened. He was here now, and thats what was important, right?
His ears lifted as Caedwyn continued, this time matching his own thoughts on the matter. “perhaps this wasn't an accident that you came across such a beast hidden in the depths. Maybe Tsillah has given us a challenge?" The small wolf would find himself nodding in agreement. "Do you think the two of us could face the beast? I think we should go back and see what other treasures might be hidden in those dark caves of yours." Eon now lit up in excitement. “Yes, I do believe the two of us could handle it should it show itself again, and I’ve been itching to go back and explore the caves more.”
His mind wandered back to his previous venture, it appeared the caves went much further than he was able to explore then. Perhaps something was hidden inside - a treasure even grander than the little crystals in his bag.
He’d help put the crystals away and swung the satchel back over his shoulder. His attention then turned to the darkening sky. “Did you want to go tomorrow, when it's lighter - or?” The dark didn’t bother him much, as he could use his light magic to brighten the way, though he remained unsure of Caedwyns thoughts on the matter; he didn’t mind waiting if the Monarch would rather do so.
