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Post by Lethalia on May 16, 2021 17:23:35 GMT -6
Juniper's head dipped beneath the black ripples the moment she felt herself floating freely. Lethalia swore some more, holding the torch over the water in an attempt to spot what ought to be an easy to find hen, white and gleaming. Luckily for the woman she had a few things more in her favor than the hen did in hers. Not like she ever really knew what the elemental injections would do, but she didn't think that it had made Juniper aquatic by nature. A theory proven true when that white head popped out of the water a few yards deeper into the lake. Upon breaking the surface Juniper let out a fearful, croaking squeak. "Over here, baby girl," Lethalia chimed sweetly, trying her best to not scare the hen off to the depths where she'd never be recovered. Juni's blue eyes dilated as she looked from the dark water to the flames. Juniper lv|6 ly|6 May|30
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Post by Lethalia on May 16, 2021 17:23:52 GMT -6
To Lethalia's surprise the hen made her way directly towards her owner, allowing Leth to admire the complicated ripple of Juni's spine and tail that enabled her to cut through the water. It was unnerving in a very real way - the best sight of an ancient predator under the dark water as she'd ever get. There was no stopping the primal warning her heart gave of the albino predator approaching beneath the ripples - it was a pretty fair fear, considering she wasn't even sure how cautious she needed to be while knowing this creature. Several steps were taken back at the sarane's advance, allowing Juniper the room to launch herself at dry land, claws scrabbling wildly for purchase on the hard stone. While the swimming part came 'naturally' to her - as natural as an injection could be - 'landing' wasn't included in the same skillset. May|31
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Post by Lethalia on May 16, 2021 17:24:30 GMT -6
Lethalia felt the need to reach out and help, but those white claws were flailing every which way without heed to what she was grabbing. Wincing when Juniper slipped backwards with an angered croak, Lethalia walked a few paces to the side, seeking out less rocky shores for the poor girl. Another croak sounded when her owner dissappeared breifly behind a crystal cluster, blue eyes honing in on the glow as she emerged further down the lake shore. "C'mere, June-bug," the satyr called, holding the comforting torch glow out in front of her. Following light more than she satyr, Juniper twisted in the water and kicked off, approaching the smaller shore with quite a lot of force this time. Though she had time to skitter out of the hen's way, Lethalia couldn't tamp down on the squeal when Juniper burst out of the water with a deluge of freezing black on her tail. May|32
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Post by Lethalia on May 16, 2021 17:25:02 GMT -6
Those blue eyes peered widely at the satyr as Juniper panted and regained her bearings, wild eyes flickering this way and that while she took in the reality not being in the water. "Y'get'cha adventurin' in fo' t'day?" Lethalia ventured, dropping down to a knee to bring the light to Juni's level. "Dark dn'there, huh, Juni?" It'd been pretty clear Juniper had been following the light source more than her owner, but talking couldn't hurt. While she crooned to the frazzled hen Lethalia got the best look she could to make sure there was no actual harm done. Mostly just tired, a tiny scraped up... and her thorns had grown in. Growing in tail thorns looked like nasty business. Lethalia couldn't tell if they were modified scales that grew beneath and pushed off old ones, or something that broke through the skin, but it wasn't much a surprise it made the whelps pricklier for a while. May|33
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Post by Lethalia on May 16, 2021 17:25:16 GMT -6
Poor Juni's tail was in the stage of shedding pretty white scales in shales, still gleaming with faint iridescence while dangling from soft new thorns. If Juniper had been the agreeable type, a little bit of scale oil could work wonders especially after being dried out by time in the water. Maybe she could try, once they got home. Juni sure was growing fast since they'd been exploring... Leth didn't get much longer to think on it. Juniper shook herself heavily, with an extra few sensitive twitches of her tail as if becoming more and more aware of it. As big as she was getting, she was still trying to squeak, letting out an undignified croak instead as she sidled up to her owner - and closer to the fire. "There'ya are, June-bug," Lethalia cooed to the hen, bracing carefully in her kneel when the hen gave her a catlike rub, landing with one side leaning against her owner's shoulder. May|34
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Post by Lethalia on May 16, 2021 17:25:30 GMT -6
Juniper had gotten a lot bigger, and didn't seem to realize it in spite of towering over the kneeling owner she leaned on. With the additional weight Lethalia held up best she could, unwilling to shoo the hen off when she'd been fighting for this type of acceptance this entire time. "Y'okie now, girlie?" she asked, reaching out questioningly. Juni's head till noodled away when her owner tried to pet her, but she didn't offer further snapping even without being muzzled. Progress was progress in any form! Who knew if it was actually growing used to her owner or if growing up chilled her out, but Lethalia wasn't the type to question the source. Allowing the hen some time to bask in the light and recover from her dark adventure, Lethalia eventually found herself unable to stand up to the hen's weight pressing on her. Once the woman allowed herself to shift, Juniper almost realized what she was leaning against and jerked away with a small moody hiss. Juniper lv|7 ly|7 May|35
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Post by Lethalia on May 16, 2021 17:25:43 GMT -6
Ah well, it couldn't have lasted forever - they would have had to get moving sooner or later. No matter what they still had to press onward somewhere; it wasn't like the mansion to just eject it's hopelessly lost visitors under it's own volition. She'd come to start thinking the magical place was something of an asshole. Rising to her feet now that Juni wasn't bearing down on her, Leth noted that the hen remained close and seemed a little more at ease. It was either still their growing familiarity, or perhaps she was happier without being contained with leashes and muzzles. Big surprise there, right? Before deciding on a direction to take, Lethalia fished out a big chunk of jerky to hand off to her hen, making a small encouraging sound when Juni didn't even try to take a finger along with it. Progress was progress, especially with one of Rimefang's kids. May|36
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Post by Lethalia on May 16, 2021 17:25:56 GMT -6
Lethalia squinted at Juniper as the hen munched on her treat, trying to judge how 'old' she was. Her dam Ivaylo had remained pretty petiete, even after becoming dominant. It was a little comical she'd been considered for the pit now that the satyr looked back on it with some guilt - but Vay had come out without a scratch on her! Rimefang was the same - always small, diminutive looking against his lumbering brown Stark. No surprise if Juniper remained pint-sized, even if Lethalia couldn't quite tell how grown-up she'd become at the mansion's whim. She could be done growing, or she could have a ways to go yet... Of course she wasn't thrilled the mansion went and expedited Juniper's growth - who knew if it was bad for them? - but admittedly the wait for them to shed in their adult colors had always been an agonizing one for the woman. May|37
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Post by Lethalia on May 16, 2021 17:26:07 GMT -6
Well, the mansion had provided her with some sort of boon that meant she no longer had to wait to see beautiful Juniper in her full glory. It was neat, obviously, but Lethalia briefly pondered if it meant she ought to stop taking sarane to the mansion. A hen like Juniper growing up wasn't an especially big deal, something about non-flighted sarane that made them a lot more chill to deal with than the fully winged ones. But if one of the flying beasts grew right before her eyes in this place, what recourse would she have for a beast that would turn on her the moment they were grown enough to eshew her care? Terror that Juniper was, at least it didn't come to that. Those candy-colored wings were larger than her dam's and gorgeous even in yellow torchlight, but she was never going to fly particularly successfully with them. May|38
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Post by Lethalia on May 16, 2021 17:26:21 GMT -6
Age might've made the white a tad more agreeable, in fact. When Juni finished her morsel and licked her chops, she looked to her owner to see where the erratic woman was heading next. "Comin' explorin' wit'me, June-bug?" Lethalia asked, hopeful the hen had little choice. This hen definitely couldn't see a lick in the dark, moving along with the torchlight as it was walked a few paces further away, unwilling to leave the protective bubble it illuminated. Hey, it was all Leth could possibly ask for in a hen that wouldn't be much inclined to follow her without it, especially lacking any sort of tether for the creature. She still didn't know where they were headed, but they'd figure out in time. Until then, appeasing the place and poking around it's newest playground seemed to be the fastest way to meet whatever requirements it had to let them out. The mansion couldn't keep them indefinitely, right? ..right? May|39
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Post by Lethalia on May 16, 2021 17:26:40 GMT -6
Though it did feel like they walked for quite some time, the shrouded scenery unchanging as they advanced. Following them like a lost puppy the lake's shore curved along with the drier walkway, keeping them pinned between stone wall and deep water. It took some time - every crystal cluster looked exactly the same, after a while - but eventually Lethalia cocked her head at the slight change. Was there a clean, white light somewhere ahead? Lethalia asked "Y'see, Juni?" much after the white had spotted the glow for herself. It was the most excited she'd witnessed the hen. June was running to the edge of light created by their torch and wigging at it's precipice, practically dancing in excitement until her owner walked several paces past so that she could rocket to the far end of the light's cast once again. It was close enough she could likely dart between light sources no problem, but Leth didn't have much issue with letting it 'contain' the hen either. Juniper lv|8 ly|8 May|40
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Post by Lethalia on May 16, 2021 17:26:54 GMT -6
Juniper might've grown fast, but was clearly still young. If she could've whined about it, she would've been. Lethalia only might have slowed down just a little bit to giggle all the more at the hen's wiggling. They finally crept close enough and around another bend, one the lake actually ended and curved away from instead of following, to be able to sight what'd been a distant glow. Ahead of them more clusters of crystals, studding the walkway on either side. Juni's nose pressed against one as they passed, and Lethalia realized the ones closest to them cast their own light source, subtle but burning somewhere in the center of the stones. Which was good - the torch sputtered out on the last of it's fuel. Flames dying left the satyr completely in the dark for several moments before her eyes adjusted, focusing in on the new low light. May|41
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Post by Lethalia on May 16, 2021 17:27:07 GMT -6
It was significantly darker without fire to guide their way, but soon the satyr's eyes picked back up on the low-watt glow of the crystals surrounding them. She could scarcely see her hen in the dark, but eventually she reached out for Juni to find the creature still right by her side. (With more volume than her brain wanted to remember for her; there was an entire grown hen in here!) It was out of necessity for the hen sure enough, but Leth couldn't help but be flattered she still had companionship nonetheless. Good as she was ever going to adjust. Lethalia patted the white's shoulder, prompting "Lessgo, Juni," as she began advancing forward once more. The paw-padding next to her was hesitant, a shoulder constantly bumping into her as they went. Leth had half a mind to lean Juniper some manners about her owner's bubble - before she realized Juni was looking for the guidance. May|42
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Post by Lethalia on May 16, 2021 17:28:04 GMT -6
"Y'okie, June-bug," Lethalia chimed to her, reaching out again to touch the hen's side and leaving the point of contact there. Juniper grumbled at first - still not the most sociable creature, was she? - but leaned into the touch, her padding growing more confident. She stopped wavering and bumping into the satyr, so a marked improvement. "There'sa girl!" Not like she went here intending to manipulate Juni into being her companion, but.. it was working. She hadn't expected darkness to be part of this month, little as she did know about it. It just didn't seem to go along with dragons, or magic, in any way? Lethalia was just grateful she'd never tire of walking, it was just with the hope Juniper would be fine since the mansion didn't seem too intent on releasing them. Maybe it was entertained by new toys - hopefully they weren't entertaining enough to keep around for any amount of time. May|43
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Post by Lethalia on May 16, 2021 17:28:16 GMT -6
As if it was never more than a few steps away, Lethalia could pick up on the tricking of water no matter how far they'd walked. Going along the crystals picked up energy and cast more light, illuminating delicate rivulets of water along the cavern walls like so many fine crystalline chains. Juniper looked stunning in this light resembling the pre-dawn, the soft blue-ish cast accentuating the iridescence it bounced off of. How did she get so lucky with this blue-eyed girl? Juniper had honed in on something ahead, her footsteps growing faster - Lethalia hastened to look up, busy trying to discern the stripes crossing over the white's hide. Taking on more power - but still not abuzz with energy like actual magical crystals - the ornamental crystals grew larger and brighter, turning big enough to be floor-to-ceiling columns glowing with soft blues and purples of arcane energy. Two such columns framed a doorway, finally the end of what the mansion could've made limitless. May|44
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