Welcome to Gaia! ::

Taking Aislin's torso and legs, Atticus smiled, "Sorry, but if I am forced to have fun you are as well." he joked as he then looked over at Dara, "You ready?"

He who dares__________________________

Eric watched the others get on their swimsuits and leave to go swimming. He had never really learned how to swim. He had learned how to stay afloat by virtue of necessity, but never how to formally swim. He looked back at Marai once they were gone. "Marai, do you remember the story of Stepper?" He asked her. The question was mostly rhetorical since she had all his memories. It had been his favorite story back when he was in the orphanage, before the arenas. One of two stories he loved. The headmistress of the orphanage had read it to them often, not having much of a selection. He leaned back, folding his hands behind his head as he thought about the story.

It was a child's story so it was fairly simplistic: It had been about a wolf named Stepper who had suddenly appeared in "The Valley" where the other wolf packs had always lived in peace. They welcomed him in, even though he was strange. For one he was transparent and for the other he could disappear and reappear on command. At first they thought he was a ghost, but that wasn't the case. He was actually a spy for another pack of wolves outside The Valley who were evil and wanted to kill all the other wolves.

Stepper pretended to be the Valley Wolves' friend and gained their trust. Then he told them about the evil wolves' plot and how he had been a spy. Thinking he had truly joined their side, they went along with his plan to strike first and he led them to the evil wolves' lair. He betrayed them to the evil wolves and left them to die. They cursed him of course but in the end he sprung his final surprise and turned on the leader of the evil wolves and mortally wounded him, allowing the Valley Wolves to defeat him and drive off the evil ones. The catch was that it cost him his life, as he knew it would from the beginning.

Eric had been sold to the arena when he was four or five and those stories had been the only real guidance he had ever had. Except....him: The man who's name he would never speak again. But "he" didn't count. It was sad, but in a way Stepper had been the only moral teacher in his life. The person...well...wolf, that he looked up to as someone to be like. I guess that explains a lot about me... he thought as he stared up at the sky.

"Would you be willing to do what Stepper did? Hypothetically, I mean. Sacrifice yourself not for someone specific that you care about, or a family member or something like that, but to give an entire group of people the chance to life. Not necessarily better or wiser, but just giving them the chance to continue existing for better and for worse." He looked over at her, curious as to her answer.

 

DARA STAR

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"If you can't be number one by yourself,"

Dara nodded her head at Atticus and let Aislin go. "See Aislin you got this."  

 =Anime girl in bathing suit&filters[primary]=images&filters[secondary]=videos&sort=1&o=4]Outfit

"then surround yourself with strong friends, and be number one together."

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"Fear not this night you will not go astray..."

"...Though shadows fall still the stars find their way."

He who dares__________________________

Eric looked at Marai and nodded. "And do you think Stepper did the right thing? By tricking his friends to save their lives?" He asked, a strange look in his eyes.