Earth Legend 1; Down To Earth

After successfully delivering the Ankh to its proper place, Titane would return to the Earth Sanctuary feeling sorta down. After being turned down by that cute rabbit girl and still having no partner, like the rest of his elemental brethren, the Monkey King was actually wondering if he would ever find a mate. "Darn. I really thought for SURE that rabbit girl would be the one." He kicked his bare feet on the ground, kicking up some dust. "Shucks." He dug his hands into his pocket-fur acting as pants, then just bummed around Copernicus, the Capricorn's Keep. It was really beautiful, with many tall, slender trees with wide, green branches that shaded the entire area and had a nice river flowing... But no babes that were Monkey King worthy! He stooped down and looked into the water at his reflection. "Am I just ugly? My body is totally malleable. With some work, I can totally just look different." With a body of clay, and control over the Earth, looking different wasn't an issue... But, he also wanted to continue to be himself and portray himself as he was. He sighed heavily and continued looking at his reflection in the river.

"Is it my hair?" His hair was long, stringy, clumped and somewhat tangled, like vines, which they were. "Or maybe my smell?" He raised his arm up and sniffed himself, indulging in the fresh smells of the earth. All of the hair on his body were like patches of grass that resembled the fur of a monkey, which he could also alter. It covered his legs like pants and his forearms like sleeves, but not his upper arm. "Maybe it's because I'm a Monkey." He flicked his tail, which was like a long, thick stem of a plant, studded with thorns and tipped with a budding flower. "But in my Final Form, I can transform into a panda! That's a plus, right?" He didn't seem to be like the other animals around here, though. There was something different about Titane, but he couldn't understand why that difference made him unattractive to others. He simply sighed and moped. "Isn't this the 'Year Of The Monkey' or something? Not very 'Year of The Monkey' for the Monkey King."

As Titane looked into the river of Copernicus, he would see the image of a large, skeletal ram head overshadowing his own and glaring at him with deadly eyes.

Titane would continue looking into the water, thinking about all the ways he could find a mate, like legitimately every last one of his other elemental kin had done, when suddenly a ghastly skeletal face appeared to him in the river. "GAH!!! DEATH APPROACHES!!!" He tumbled backwards acrobatically in his shock, curling into a monkey ball and popping up on all fours, ready to take on whatever was approaching, or to flee, if necessary. "Where's it coming from!?" he said, looking around. The Crystal Gem embedded in his chest would glow brightly as he became excited, and his primal instincts would start to flare up. "SHOW YOUR FACE, DEATH!!" He paused, realizing he'd already seen it in the reflection of the water. "... Wait..."

After Titane distanced himself from the river, the skeletal ram's head that he'd seen in the water would rise up from it, lifted by the soft pressures of a fountain, continuing to glare directly at him. The water pouring into the skull would spill outward after meeting the cusp within the cranium and fall down into the form of a watery faun, whose body was made completely of the water. The only physical portion of this being was the solid skull that continued to glare at Titane ominously with eyes like that of death, itself.

The Crystal Gem in Titane's chest glowed brighter as he grew more emotional, his instincts rising along with it. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!? IS IT MY MONEY!?" Suddenly, he'd stand upright, starting to ponder some things about the Veritas. "... I don't even think we have any money here..." Titane didn't really 'get' the Veritas all the way, but it seemed like they had some sort of currency, or something, and things worth value. It just didn't seem to be money. Then again, he hadn't been anywhere except the Dawn and the Depthsroot, so he wouldn't know about the other places and their currency system, anyway. The more he thought about the mechanics of the Veritas, and became lost in thought, the Crystal Gem encrusted in his forehead would begin to glow. He lifted a hand up to his chin philosophically and comical question marks appeared around his head. "Hmmmmm..."

The watery faun stared blankly at Titane for a moment or two, then started to walk along the top of the river and deeper into the Capricorn's keep; upstream, in fact, against the current.

Titane continued to think about the economical standpoint of the Veritas on a philosophical level. "... What do we even NEED money for? Is there something we need to be counting...?" Whether he was right or wrong, these were simply thoughts coming to his head meant to ponder, and perhaps to solve, either by himself or one of the many entities that were lurking about the Veritas in the atmosphere, the earth, and everywhere else invisibly. Certainly, that matter would get solved, even if it wasn't by Titane, himself. Such was the purpose of philosophy. "Hmmm..." As he continued to think, he would notice the strange creature walking away and meaning him no harm. "... Oh, look, there it goes. Hooray!" He gleefully exclaimed, happy that he wasn't trying to be hunted or killed by something, or even had to fight it for his life or for any other reason. He really didn't like fighting, either, even when he had to. "Once again, the day is saved!!"

Sooner or later, the watery faun would turn its skeletal ram head around all the way, like the head of a doll, then immediately start walking backward (literally) toward Titane, retracing its steps the exact same way as they'd been taken, hoof for hoof, like a vehicle put in reverse, until it was standing exactly in the same spot as it had risen from and glaring at Titane again with cold, blank, deathly eyes.

Titane, being caught up in the moment of 'victory,' would do all sorts of goofy triumphant poses as if he'd just won a battle and a fanfare were playing in the background. "Duhduhduhduh~dunna~duhduhduh~" He did all types of positive hand gestures, such as the two-fingered 'V' sign, and a thumbs up, and would also do flips and whatever else he felt like expressing both his joy and triumphant attitude. He would continue doing things like this until he saw the creature's head spin around like a possessed doll and start literally walking backward to return to him after he'd spoken. "... Oh dear LORD IT'S COMING BACK!!!" All too quickly, his joy turned to panic as he screeched wildly like a monkey and hopped around, bouncing off of nearby trees and throwing his hands up in the air, flailing wildly. He'd even roll around on the ground a few times before popping up acrobatically and continued to screech and panic.

The water faun stood there and glared blankly at Titane, waiting.

Titane carried on like a wild and crazy monkey for as long as he would, until he finally wore himself out and realized that this creature didn't want to harm him. Otherwise, it probably would have done so by now. "... Wait, so you're not death, and you're not trying to kill me?" He sighed with relief, then brushed his forehead with his hand. "Well, that's good. Man, so what do you want, then? Why did you start walking and then spin your head around like a demon spawn and then come back here and look at me, then?" The creature hadn't said a word to him, and without that level of communication, or even a sound at all, it was really difficult for one who actually used speech to fully comprehend such things immediately... Especially when he was LOOKING for it to speak. "You gonna tell me, or are you just gonna sit there gawking?"

The water faun remained silent and continued to look on, but now that it was very clear that it had Titane's full and undivided attention, which hopefully would not be broken by some more of his silly antics, the watery faun would turn its head once more and begin to walk back upstream. Before it got too far up , it would turn its head back and look at Titane again, waiting.

Titane stood there for a moment, cocking his head to the side. "Uh? Hello? Are you going to say anything? It's rude not to talk to people, you know, when they are directly talking to you." When the creature turned around again, he would furrow his brow angrily. "Hey! Don't just walk away from someone that's talking! That's not nice!" He didn't understand why this creature wasn't speaking to him, but seemed to have some sort of want to interact with him. Even so, it was becoming bothersome to him. When it looked back and stopped, he would look at it in the eyes, the Crystal Gem on his head beginning to glow a bit. "... You want me to... Follow you?" At that moment, the Crystal Gem on his chest would also begin to glow, both of the same colorless color, and suddenly he would become much more serious. "... I understand." He would start to walk behind the water faun, naturally on the plush grass rather than atop the water, and follow it wherever it was trying to lead him.

Now that it seemed that the Monkey King understood that the water faun wished for him to follow, it would walk alongside him and no longer stop nor look back. He would be led upstream toward where the river was flowing into the Capricorn's Keep, which would be coming from a beautiful grove that was hidden by bushels and bushels of thick leaves, something like a giant nest of sorts. The only opening was through a small hole where the river flowed out of and down through the Capricorn's Keep and all throughout the rest of the Earth Sanctuary. However, where it originated was hidden within this mystical grove. The water faun walked inside and disappeared into the cavernous darkness.

Titane continued walking alongside the water faun silently, allowing it to guide him as it may. It wasn't until the two of them reached the end (or rather, the beginning) of the stream that he would come to a halt, gazing upon what looked to be a giant bush of leaves and greens forming a grove of sorts, probably cradling something inside. "... Here...?" he asked, wondering what could be inside that this creature insisted that he see. "... Alright." With both of the Crystal Gems upon the Earth God glowing in tandem and in synchronicity, mandated by their respective harmonious colors, Titane was able to focus both his heart and his mind in order to more easily and accurately understand things more deeply and clearly, rather than when he was not concentrating, as he'd been beforehand. Lifting his hand up and closing his eyes to tune into the earth around him, he would part the bush around himself and ease his way inside gently, letting the leaves brush upon his bare flesh as he slipped inside. He would search for the water faun, as to not lose track of it after it entered the new area.

The creature was already lost to the depths of the grove by the time Titane had journeyed inside. Yet, the further he went in, the more he would feel something within the heart of the enormous bush, itself. Something that was living, not like the water faun, which seemed only to be a construct. If his heart and mind were truly open, he would be able to feel the pulsations of its own heart and its own mind; the actual signs of biological life. The closer he got, the more intensely he would feel them, beating in tandem with his own.

"Ook?" Titane cooed, the light of his Crystal Gems suddenly flaring up at the sensing of another biological life form. "KEKE~!" he cried out suddenly, rather happily, at that. His Crystal Gems would shift from their crystal clear color to a bright red and before he knew it, he was happily scouring the leaflets, vines, thistles, thickets and branches like some sort of wild animal. He definitely wanted someone to talk to or play with or to interact with on a level that was more than just being silent and following whatever signs he was left with. As much as he appreciated and understood these signs as they appeared before him, he was also extremely tired of not having any sort of direct direction due to having nothing to directly speak to. Hopefully, that would change once he reached the heart of this grove.

With his power over the earth, Titane could easily brush aside whatever sort of earthen or natural obstacles were in his way, as they would bend to his will and control, and he would crawl through without much hesitation or resistance. As it may, Titane would also be able to hurl himself through some of these thickets in order to get himself closer much more swiftly. He was more than excited to see what kind of living creature could have been dwelling in the depths of this place, since it probably was something that was really cool. Especially if it had some sort of weird creepy deathly river faun to come get him and guide him all the way here. It had to be something way cool, right? Only one way to find out!

Titane would continue to scrape through the thickness of the grove for a while, getting deeper and deeper inside of the heart of the Capricorn's Keep, where the only living creature he had connected to had been. Deeper still, he'd be able to feel the beating of the heart now as if it were one with the forest, with the land, with the very earth itself, just like his own. The same would be with its mind, which would call out to him silently and draw him nearer with just its vibrations alone.

Before long, Titane would reach the clearing of the grove, where he'd be able to clearly see the nest of what dwelled here. The clearing was like a wide expanse, yet not too wide, though just enough for there to be other wildlife than just what he'd been feeling so very intensely. There were a few birds flying about, shooting from the branches of the domed grove and landing where they may, whilst some doe trotted around leisurely. One would pass by a more mystical creature, which sat upon a large rock, with a light shining down through the thicket, speckling the rock and the being upon it with trace amounts of sunlight. There was a great aura around this being, yet it was only to illuminate its form, which was that of a beautiful woman.


Her legs were those of a faun, yet her upper torso was fully woman, something like a Satyr. Her hair was long and beautiful, with two large horns protruding from the top like antlers, and a skull fashioned into a mask resting atop her head right above her exposed face. Her hair, which was a vivid green like those of the leaves, would shine as if coated with dew, and her eyes, a sparkling blue, would gaze blankly upon Titane as he found his way to her dwelling. This being was the Capricorn, Khnum, in her true form, rather than the masked and cloaked form she'd been taking on ever since her arrival in the Veritas. She was simply very shy and wore many, many layers to protect her own image. After calling Titane here and leading him directly to her Capricorn's Keep, which the Veritas had kindly fashioned for her on its own, the Capricorn herself would allow him to lay eyes on the truth of her form and curiously wonder how he would interact with her.

The Capricorn looked on. This person, Titane, was curious to her, yet also a very good soul that she knew was one she could trust and be at peace with from how he interacted with the life around him, and not merely just approaching her without taking them into consideration. The Capricorn had known long ago that this was a person that would be open and receptive to her ways, even if at first they were widely misunderstood simply from the communication gap. All he needed was to understand the method and in no time flat, he was already emulating and showing great adaptability without her needing to speak a word. Truly, he was connected to the earth and the life around him, which found favor in the eyes of the Capricorn through how he treated life beyond himself and the life he wished to interact with. Most had only eyes for what they wanted or what they wished to engage with, and cared nothing for anything that was around them. Their eyes were narrow and dim, seeing naught but the path before them without taking into account the lives of any and everything else that may have been in their path or walking in the path, like a deer in the headlights of a car at night. There were many who would, in their haste, hit the deer, leave it, and run away, so to speak, caring nothing for anything but where they were going and leaving the life they'd just claimed as worthless. So many times, it made the Capricorn sad to watch, since she, too, had a respect and love for all life around her. She was able to see beyond just what she wanted at the time or what her direct wishes and will was in order to take account something smaller, like a bird or tree, or even a tiny insect. That was why she sectioned off this part of her domain as holy and sacred, even in the already holy and sacred land that was the Capricorn's Keep established for her by the Veritas upon her coming. She needed her own land within her own land, and would leave the rest of the land for other dwellers and travelers whilst keeping the sanctity of herself and her own peace within this small space. All she needed was her own personal space, and everything else was free to be tread by the other living beings as they saw fit, with the Capricorn watching over from her many manners.

A simple shift of the head to the curious nature of the Earth God was all she would give initially. He hugged one of her creatures, which the Capricorn had been personally working with in order to be more consciously aware of the world around it beyond just itself and its natural instincts, which she believed that even the creatures of nature needed to respect if they wished to be respected, themselves. Each of the beings that lived here, from the birds that flew from branch to branch to the very crawling insects on the leaves that were in the bushes were taught by the Capricorn, and would serve as her aids about her keep. They would teach their children and their brethren upon being released, and to them, they would be like wise men were to human life. Animals could have such creatures, as well, and that wisdom was much more respected among the animals than it was in humanity recently. As displeased as Capricorn had been with human life as it was, having to watch from the cosmos for however long it had been, she was very happy here with the Veritas and the ascended humanity of these beings that dwelt here. It was pleasing to the eye and left a feeling of sanctity in her spirit, which is what allowed her to thrive without dying. Stressful and tense air, even if silent, was not good for the Capricorn, and would inevitably cause her to wither. Other beings did not know how to preserve peace and harmony, nor how to thrive naturally without coming into conflict, and therefore, would harm the delicate Capricorn even before they'd physically said or done anything. Just tense air in general, from the very smallest negative thoughts and feelings harbored by any life for another life, she was sensitive enough to pick up on. That was why she could not dwell just anywhere, since all that seemed to misunderstand her and her mannerisms would only become tense and upset, and drive her and the life-giving essence she had away. It happened often in the past, to her dismay. Fortunately, she was able to have some peace and quiet here in the Veritas, and so, it was her dwelling.

Titane had been led here for many reasons, one of which was to truly see if he was as open and receptive as he'd insisted, and another to observe him more closely in his own nature. The Capricorn already held him in high enough regard to allow him to see her true form before any and everyone else within the Veritas, and actually, for quite a long time. She took on the form of a male figure as a cover to her actual true shyness, and engaged with others more roughly in order to preserve whatever she was protecting and also to blend in. Capricorn would fight hard for whatever she was protecting, as she'd done with the other sacred land that she once reigned as guardian of in another part of the Veritas. She held holy and sacred land in high regard, knowing that once a land was blessed, it became different from other land which was unclean and impure. The very earth itself was different in a blessed land, and it became a dwelling place for spirits and peaceful beings that did not seek to disturb harmony. As rare as sacred lands were these days, that one which she once oversaw was far more sacred than even her dwelling, and once being bested by that strange, but acutely powerful spirit, she knew that she no longer had a place there and that the land would be protected by him. That much, she could be at peace with. Now, she tended her own fields and kept to her own lands, much like she wanted, and could hopefully deal with other beings the same as she had done with these first creatures that lived with her in isolation, until they were ready to be released out into the rest of the Earth Sanctuary, and then eventually, further into the Veritas. Capricorn, as an Earth sign, was very patient and sturdy, even if she was also very protective and at times, unmoving. She knew what she was doing, even if others didn't.

Her next motion was the gentle raise and sway of the hand, beckoning the creature, a small doe, that Titane was engaging with, to come to her, and Titane with it. Even if he didn't, she would remain patient and steadfast, as was the Capricorn spirit as a being, waiting for and respecting Titane's own natural will and way the same as he'd done hers.

The Capricorn's eyes widened, and but a single sound of a gasp slipped from her parted lips, seeing, feeling and knowing the same thing that Titane did at the time. In her steadfast manner, she hadn't seen that what she'd done could have been misinterpreted simply because she knew that Titane was more than capable of doing so. In that, the silence was broken for a single moment, and time seemed to stop.

Yet, when when the spirit of the Capricorn returned to ease, the doe finally finished its trot over to her hand, and she would slide her hand down its silky smooth coat, petting it gently. The Capricorn looked down, averting her gaze from Titane and realizing what had been done. A very small, very faint break in her ever observant gaze came with an even slighter smile, knowing that what he was doing was right in its own respect. Such assumptions that simply because Titane was able to communicate with her on this level, and that everything that was would understand all of her motions, was something the Capricorn was not to be doing. Not everyone had the same level of understanding, even if they had enough to understand something initially. Much like any language, even this one had its complexities, layers and levels, and like the spoken word, there were some forms that were not immediately understood; some that were like unlearned definitions that the more intelligent and learned of the ones that communicated in this way would thoroughly understand better than the ones who were new to it. Where the Capricorn, and seemingly Titane, as well, would be considered rather eloquent and masterful in this manner of communication, perhaps something like a normal human who hadn't yet known this realm of speech would completely miss something like that and would, inevitably, not understand. Titane was different. He understood exactly, yet knew also that it was not good, and immediately corrected her, as Capricorn would to anything. She accepted this, yet, also, knew that there was something he, himself, needed to be corrected on. Something he'd been failing to see with his distractions being wrapped up in his own endeavors and his own blissfulness. Despite how he felt, much like Capricorn, he needed to think about things a little more beyond himself and what his manner or nature was at the time. Nature grows by expanding outward, rather than remaining stationary.

If Titane truly felt the Earth as he should have, then he would be able to feel the disturbance going on in the land just as clearly as the Capricorn. Though she was secluded in her lair, she was still ever in tune with life and with the earth, and could feel trouble far off in the distance. Certainly, Titane should have known, as well. Though, Capricorn had already seen that when this Earth God was distracted by his own affairs, and not reminded of what was necessary to be done, he would act without thinking and simply do as he pleased instead of doing what he needed to do. A gentle and simple reminder might help.

She stroked the doe, then sent it off on its way, patting its rear affectionately as it was sent off to roam the grove as it may. From there, Capricorn would rise from her mount, stepping forth onto the solid earth below her feet. She was not one for many movements, nor many swift movements, in fact, and rather stayed in one place and did as little as possible in order to make larger impacts with as little as required. This time, though, she knew that doing things in that manner was nothing but wasting time, and there came a time when an extended effort needed to be reached from her end rather than waiting for everyone and everything to come to her. There were times when those that didn't move needed to be the ones to make the first moves, and when they were made, greater opportunities opened up far more quickly and things got done far more swiftly. Now was that time.

Capricorn's hooves gently brushed over the tips of the blades of grass, pressing down upon them with the utmost delicacy to carry her over without leaving a single hoof print or indentation below. Her silent, graceful and nearly ghost-like steps would bring her directly before Titane, eye to eye, face to face, and she looked him straight in the eyes as he had been doing her. Though she was very shy, when time came for her to be serious, normally for the sake of another being that was in danger, which she normally always felt was more important than her own desires, the Capricorn would put her own feelings aside and do what had to be done. She raised her hand again, just as she had done to beckon the doe before, and would this time, instead, leave her hand loosely hanging right before Titane, yet careful not to touch him. She respected his space as he had respected his, and also recognized him as a god. She would dare not show such disrespect for one that truly ruled this domain, even if this world had extended her rule to a land made specifically for her. The Capricorn knew at all times what her place was, and this may have been made for her, but it was made for her by one above her, of which Titane was part of. Therefore, she would be humble before him, as he'd come to her humbly and not asserted any form of authority over his own land. It was only proper.

The Capricorn's first reaction was to blush, for after being treated with such care and compassion, it was not only clear that this Monkey King was no oaf, but also that he knew deep down how to truly treat others when he was not lost in his own pleasures. That was all Capricorn truly needed to see. His token of affection was simply his manner of showing her how he appreciated her, and certainly, it was accepted without hostility. Still, it was not to be dwelled on, for it was not the nature of her coming; yet, Capricorn would never forget. In her blushing face, she would smile a bit wider, nodding her head in acceptance. At that moment, she would grip his hand tightly and show Titane a vision of the Terra Gris, far off in the distance, where there seemed to be a disturbance in the earth. Though possibly something easily overlooked in Titane's own natural pursuit of his own happiness, it was not to be ignored for his natural pursuit of his own happiness. Overlooking and ignoring were two different things that were not to be confused, and in this, the Capricorn's face would become very serious and stern after he was shown the vision, knowing when he saw and knew exactly what he'd seen.

Capricorn squeezed Titane's hand tightly, further expressing her own concern about the land and the life of the land, as it may be. She did not let go, nor did she break her very serious and stern gaze. It looked like there was great concern in her and she was hoping that Titane could very much understand why, and see it as well through the vision. If he were truly as connected as he seemed to portray, then he should have received her feelings without any sort of misunderstanding. She wouldn't let go or avert her gaze until she knew for sure that Titane knew, as well.