ALWAYS QUICK TO FOLLOW ☆ dante

[FRAGGLEROCK.]

Curiosity. Seemingly, it was the driving force of what would lead to Fragglerock's downfall. After all, it was what drove him to wander from the safe haven that was The Golden Eye's territory, wanting to find some answers for himself. It had been a couple of weeks since he had shifted into his current lion cub form, and he finally found himself comfortable within the new body. What he wasn't comfortable with, however, was the questions that it left him with. Like who the lioness from his dreams was, and who the Kingmakers were. They seemed to be his family, but... he was a rabbit, not a lion. The majority of the time, anyways. Either way, it didn't seem like the territory of his home group was going to provide many answers anytime soon, which was what led to his wandering. Of course, he didn't just leave without a word. Instead, he told a few NPCs that he would be out for a little while, and should have been returning fairly soon. They seemed uneasy about allowing him to leave, given his young age, but eventually they relented, saying they would come to look for him if he was gone for too long.

So, without a clear goal in mind of where he wanted to go, Fraggle allowed himself to simply... wander. He kept an eye out for the towering structures he had seen in his dreams, wondering if he could perhaps find the place that the lioness was from. Thankfully, he didn't have to worry so much about being attacked during his travels this time. Although he was still fairly small due to only being around six months, he was still much larger than his birth rabbit form, and most other wanderers seemed keen on steering clear of him, just in case. It was a new experience to not have to fear for his life every moment of the day, but also a welcome one, honestly.

Eventually, he did come across somewhere new. A group, seemingly, although the boy wasn't really aware of this. He didn't see the towering city structures of his dream, but what he did see was... the desert. Sprawling out before him, with structures and a jungle out in the distance, looking rather enticing. Maybe he could find something here? The place felt... familiar, although he couldn't quite put his paw on why. Something about it filled him with a sense of apprehension, and a want to avoid the place entirely. However, that only really drove him further forward. So, his paws sank down into the warm sand of The Pitt's territory as he continued forth, heading for the jungle that lingered in the distance. After a few minutes of walking, though, he saw a figure approaching him, in the distance. Unaware of who they were, or the fact that he was trespassing, Frag called out softly, his tail flicking behind him, "Hello? Who are you...?" Unfortunately, he wasn't about to be greeted by a friendly face. It was unlikely he would get out of this without a scratch, especially with an unfamiliar group's scent clinging to his pelt.

☆ — what of the meek, the mourning, and the merciful?

[DANTE NORTHWEST.]

[glow=white,1,400]I'M LOSING MY MIND TODAY ! — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

Perhaps when Dante was younger and he wasn't holed up in a science lab, he would be able to understand the urge of wanting to explore, the urge of wanting to satisfy curiosity. Unfortunately due to growing up in what was essentially an underground fighting ring, the hybrid was naturally aggressive and not so friendly to visitors. Much to his fellow Pittian's dismay; his aggression typically wasn't welcome, though he didn't seem to particularly care what his clanmates thought. Dante believed he was protecting them, that they were naïve for thinking that pacifism would get them anywhere. Life doesn't give a shit what you think.

A strange, unfamiliar scent was in the air. It was strong, indicating that whomever the scent was coming from, they were nearby and possibly apart of another group. Although not any sort of group that Dante knew about, assuming this trespasser was apart of a group. "I could ask you the same thing, kid." The sharkcat replied with a rumble, spreading out his wings as he approached Fragglerock, eyes narrowed and pupils in slits. His wings were spread out in an attempt to make himself look bigger, an intimidation factor - although this may be a bit of overkill, considering how nervous this little cub seemed.

"Do you even know where you are?" Dante asked this mostly to get information. If Fragglerock had no idea where he was, then that was a bad thing. The Pitt used to be feared, nobody would have second thoughts about trespassing them. And I will make sure we are like that once more. Obviously attacking some of the bigger groups - the Coalition, Typhoon, and Tanglewood - was going to get him in trouble. But perhaps attacking a member of a smaller group would be easier to shrug off. To warn these groups that may or may not be popping up that The Pitt would not be messed with.[glow=COLOR,1,400] ━ ✧*:･ﾟ[/glow]

[FRAGGLEROCK.]

Fear. It was an emotion that Fraggle had felt plenty of times before due to his small stature as a rabbit. However, he hadn't been expecting to feel it so freshly just while exploring. Dante's approach was initially just an interesting encounter in the boy's mind, but it became clear as the other grew closer that the sharkcat wasn't particularly friendly. Fraggle's ears were drawn back as he shrank down, trying to move a bit away from Dante as he muttered, "I was just... wandering..." As he stared up at the other, his own aura fluctuated and flared to life, the flaming form of Aurum looming over Dante – even if the Pittian was unable to see it. The heightening of his aura only served to make things more confusing for Fragglerock, though. Inside of him, that feeling of fear remained, but it was joined by a sense of anger, and grief. A voice in his head chanted a mantra, over and over, he is the one who hurt her. He didn't understand it, though.

If Frag was feeling a bit less overwhelmed, he might've taken the easier, logical route out of the situation. After all, he had fire elementals – it wouldn't have been too hard to lash out with them and bolt. He probably would've been able to get far enough away to make a clean escape. Unfortunately, the boy wasn't thinking clearly, his body a tornado of fear and flashbacks that he was struggling to understand. So, he found himself frozen on the spot, muttering in response to Dante's questioning, "Where I am? Well... no. Like I said, I was just wandering, and I just came across this place. I wasn't trying to intentionally trespass, if that's what you think. I... In fact, I can go right now." He pointed with a slightly shaky paw behind him, back in the direction he had come from. In the back of his mind – beneath the torrent of memories and anger – he silently hoped that Dante would just... let him leave.

☆ — what of the meek, the mourning, and the merciful?

[DANTE NORTHWEST.]

[glow=white,1,400]I'M LOSING MY MIND TODAY ! — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

"Tsk, tsk, leave now?" Dante responded with a shake of his head, stopping his prowl for a moment to watch the little lion cub shrink back with a grin. The hybrid was blissfully unaware of the aura that hung above him, though that didn't mean that he didn't feel as if something was watching him. Giving him a cold glare, though the hybrid shook it off as it being Aine or another one of the flower-pickers of the group. "You just got here. I'm sure The Pitt would love to hear where yer from." There was no time to waste now; this cub was clearly afraid and the scent was only making Dante crave the kid's blood more.

Without another word or warning, Dante leapt forward as an attempt to bowl FRAGGLEROCK over, or try to rake his claws across the kid's side.[glow=COLOR,1,400] ━ ✧*:･ﾟ[/glow]

[FRAGGLEROCK.]

No. No, no, no, this was all so wrong. All he had wanted to do was explore. His only desire had been to find out more about himself, and the island that he lived on. Yet, here he was, trapped on unfamiliar lands with an unfamiliar hybrid approaching him, looking none too friendly. Dante's words did little to comfort the boy, fur raising along his spine as he muttered, "I don't... I don't want them to know where I'm from. Please, just... just let me go." His words were meek, but his spirit was still raging inside, his aura fluctuating and bearing down on Dante as he grew closer. Had Fraggle been a bit more stable, Dante definitely would've been in for a world of hurt, and searing pain. Luckily for the Pittian, the cub still had a while to go before he could achieve such things.

Instead, Fragglerock found himself utterly defenseless. As Dante leaped at him, the lion let out a shrill cry, trying his best to dodge out of the way. He was too slow, though, and he  hit the sand hard, claws raking down part of his side, and his leg. The pain of the new wounds made him want to curl up, a whimper running through him. With his body still being so small, the large scratches were enough to make him woozy, his blood staining the desert sands. In a vain effort to defend himself, he lashed out weakly at Dante's front leg, attempting to leave his own mark. However, the attack was uncoordinated and sloppy, and it wasn't long before Frag's chin fell to the ground, eyes falling shut.

☆ — what of the meek, the mourning, and the merciful?

[DANTE NORTHWEST.]

[glow=white,1,400]I'M LOSING MY MIND TODAY ! — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

Pathetic. Even though Fragglerock was clearly young, Dante still expected more. After all, the hybrid had grown up where he had been expected to fight at such a young age and that fighting was typically kill or be killed. The cub tried clawing back at Dante, though his attempts were extremely slobby, and once the hybrid felt Fragglerock go limp, he released the cub. This will be fun. With that, Dante picked the cub up by the scruff, making his way back towards The Pitt.[glow=COLOR,1,400] ━ ✧*:･ﾟ[/glow]