The Gentleman, the Dog would soon learn, was quite different in his qualities than the Lady. Where she was wise and sought compromises to problems, the Gentleman sought to surmount them. Where the Lady could not cross a gap, she found another way around – while the Gentleman would try to cross anyways, for better or for worse.

The Dog was unsure if he was the wiser of the two, but he represented a remarkable cunning and understanding off the world around him. Unlike with the Lady, the Gentleman seemed much less powerful with his connection to the void surrounding the mound, or the world around him. Instead, he possessed a great cunning and sense of foresight. Rather than walk through the forests with the Dog, the two set about to ponder and invent.

The Gentleman's fancy for creation began when he was observing the Dog playing with the creatures of Hymnal in one of the fields of the island, watching as a large creature he had dubbed the "Ursa" was sent flying into a nearby Oak, shattering it completely. While the creature did not seem to mind as it immediately rose and heaved itself back into the game, Ozpin wandered over peer at the insides of the tree.

He found that the wood was tough, yet he could strip away layers with one of the Ursa's broken claws before the tool disintegrated. When the game was over, he beckoned over the Dog and told him of his discovery. Inspired by the Gentleman's vision, the Dog yapped twice its two companions to join them. One was the large Ursa, the other was a lean creature with a head that was similar to the Dog, which Ozpin promptly dubbed the "Beowulf". Once the two creatures had lumbered over, the Dog began jumping wildly to and fro, dictating its orders to its playmates as they hurried to fulfill them.

Grabbing a sturdy tree, the Ursa pulled the tree clear out of the ground and threw it at the Beowulf, which promptly leapt through the air, cutting away all of the branches with its claws as it flew. Upon the ground lay the now branchless trunk, and standing around it was the quartet of intrepid inventors. Ozpin stroked his chin thoughtfully as he pondered how best to cut the tree for the most resources. Originally he considered cutting it widthwise, producing disks of the material – though he ultimately decided against it because he couldn't see any practical use for it. Instead, he settled on commanding the creatures of Hymnal to set about cutting the tree lengthwise, producing long, smooth boards.

Smiling with pride at their creation, Ozpin requested that the two creatures helped them carry the wood back to the hill so that they could further investigate. Pleased to be of further use to their creator, the creatures needed no further beckoning to pick up the planks and follow the two towards their home, the Gentleman began to ponder at to what he could possibly use this wonderful new material for. It was upon reaching the apex of the hill that he found his answer in the form of the rain clouds that rolled in. His canine companion shuddered, projecting the image of a cold night into the mind of the Gentleman. Rather than deal with the rain, the Dog began bounding down the opposite side of the hill from whence they came, with Ozpin and the Hymnal hot on his tail. At the end of their sprint, they found themselves at the mouth of the cave, which had been relatively dry for the most part while still dreadfully cold. Sighing, the Gentleman readied himself for what would surely be a dreadful night. Following the Dog who had begun to glow in the darkness, they began to head deeper into the cave. As they wandered further in, they were greeted by the familiar glow of a multitude of red eyes that began to dot the daunting darkness. Soon, the owner of the eyes full form came into vision. It belong to what would be known to man-kind as a Deathstalker, but to the Dog it would forever remain a signal of dry caves and peace. Barking happily, the Dog bounded onto the top of the Deathstalker's bony carapace, causing it to hum the musical and characteristic hum of the creatures of Hymnal. Upon finding a relatively clear spot on the cave floor, the Gentleman instructed the creatures to place the wood down on the floor. As they shifted, the Ursa's large bone plates grinded against a particularly dark part of the wall, sending sparks into the air and startling everyone accept the Deathstalker who seemed quite familiar with the concept. Cautiously, the Gentleman reached out and lightly brushed against the scrape on the wall. It was…warm.

With renewed vigor, the man searched for any stray bits of the black rock but could find none. Instead, he pleaded with the scorpion to break some for him. After receiving an encouraged nod from its creator on its head, the Deathstalker slowly extended its stinger and chipped away at the wall, sending a few rocks down onto the floor. Muttering his thanks, the man became engrossed with his discovery.

A few test strikes confirmed his initial hypothesis, and soon could send sparks into the air with ease. Pleased with himself, the Gentleman began sending the sparks as high as he could to entertain his companions, who responded with much amusement. During one especially hard strike, stray sparks found themselves amongst some of the dried leaves and twigs of the cave, catching them aflame.

The kindling roared to life, much to the confusion and distress of 4 of the resident cave dwellers. The fifth merely stared in amazement at what he had found, and the warmth that emanated from it. Inside those flames he saw the future; of a world so vast and mighty, and creations even greater than them all. And atop them all he would stand, and by his side would his creator rest as he took pride in the Gentleman's work.

And from that day forward, Ozpin and the Dog dedicated every waking hour of their time to creating and discovering new combinations and effects that the world had on each other, creating the foundation of every skill, talent and basis of learning that would carry humanity forwards throughout history – for better or for worse.

However, the Gentleman soon drove himself too hard, and was finding it increasingly more and more difficult to get up as early as he once had in order to play with the Dog. And when he did, his mood grew dour and grumpy. Upon seeing his plight, the Dog took pity on the man and sought to aid him.

Waiting until the man collapsed on to the soft grasses to sleep, the Dog stealthily and swiftly shuffled his tiny legs across the ground towards his companion. Placing his two front paws on the man's chest, he waited to see if Ozpin was fast asleep. Finding that he was, the Dog pondered on what to do in order to aid the man in his quest to stay awake. As he idly prodded the Gentleman's chest, he found his answer.

Reaching deep into his chest, the Dog drew out one of the man's ribs. He took the rib in his paws and molded it into a smooth, curvy companion for the man. The creation had a perfect figure, smooth and soft to the touch. It was pale like the moon, and smelt twice as wonderful. Content with its creation, the Dog sought to complete his creation with the most wonderful things in the world so that it would always bring his friend pleasure. Drawing in some of the lifeblood of the planet, the Dog emptied its energies into the creation, filing it to the brim with a golden radiance. Content with his creation, the Dog sped off to chase the moon out of the sky and bring the sun back around.

As the Sun slowly rose, the Gentleman shifted in his sleep, dreaming of another who was like him, but different. She stared at him, with red eyes and a smile that seemed brighter than the very sun. So sweet was her-

His dream was shattered when he felt a rough shoving and nibbling at his feet. Groggily sitting up, he found the corgi staring up at him, and beside him rested the most…..Beautiful thing he'd ever seen!

Picking up the delicate creation, it felt warm to the touch. Trembling, he looked between this majestic creation and his maker, who nodded vigorously as he made several licking motions. Turning back to his pale affliction, he slowly drew it closer and brought his trembling...quaking lips to meet it….and embraced true pleasure….

Smiling at the Gentleman's elation, the Dog pondered to himself;

'Coffee truly is a magnificent thing.'

Many months had passed since Salem had reached out into the void and connected with the Dog, only to find a new light beat its way through the penetrating darkness that they held at bay. She had wandered for a decade, climbing the highest mountains and digging through the lowest dirt – always looking. Looking for her purpose. It was after this new light began to shine that she felt the urge to return home. It was a familiar one, yet this somehow felt different. She had spent many hours in meditation, shifting through the darkness of the void and the very life that hung in the air of the mound she called home. It was in this meditation that she learned to always trust her instincts, for the Dog would always speak through her and guide her way, even when she herself would doubt them. This very same voice would be known as the Subconscious, an echo of the wisdom the Dog bestowed upon the Lady at her creation.

Hefting her walking stick, the Lady stood up from her seat, which was a smooth rock on a hill overlooking a valley of smooth grass that came to a stop by a massive lake. The valley was walled off by two mountain ranges that extended for a few miles around the lake. The only entrance to this valley was from where Salem had her back to, a long stretch of lowlands dotted with trees, providing a clear vantage point in which a person could see for miles at a time. Pleased with her discovery of this place, she began her long trek back to the center ocean. From there, she would be able to see the colossal and still growing oak tree that erupted from the island she once called home.

Her journey would take many months, and every day she drew closer home she found herself getting happier and happier, the thought of companionship pushed her ever forward. "So this must have been how the Dog felt for almost an eternity…" the Lady mused aloud to herself, feeling rather sad at this realization. She had left him after he waited for eons, and he let her go. Truly, he was a benevolent father.

Reaching the short gap of sea that rested between the Island and its sister islets, Salem could feel the tears beginning to bubble in her eyes as she could already hear the familiar barking of the little fluff ball from her perch. Racing to the water's edge she willed the waters to aid her, though they needed no further beckoning. Patches of water froze, while lily pads and seaweed gathered and stacked into a sturdy bridge. Not ceasing her sprint, she crossed the great bridge and raced through the treeline until she was met with an all too familiar path in the woods. Practically charging up the hill, she could feel the tears streaming down her face and past her wide grin as she crested the hill….

Only to be met with a man in a green coat and black pants standing cresting that very same hill, a thick and smooth branch with a flint axe-head seated in its end in his hand with a small cup with steam rising from it resting in the other, equally startled. The two stood in silence as their eyes roved over the body of the other, taking in every toned muscle, every smooth curve and every delicate detail until their eyes met. As they connected eyes, Salem found herself unable to turn away. The two of them thought the same thing as they continued to stare, their hearts beating in a way that it never had before,

Perfection.

The Dog watched from his seat by the tree as the two companions snapped out of their stupor and began to talk frantically and excitedly, as they were already enamoured with each other. The Dog found himself increasingly content as they hit it off, pleased that the Lady didn't feel betrayed that he had made a new companion.

However, he was confused amongst all these emotions as he stared wistfully at the rose that laid before him.

Curiously enough, it had still not bloomed.

AN: Hey guys! So this chapter was a little bit different in regards to how it was written. While the first chapter was written as though it was a historical text or epic tale, the second chapter kind of danced between epic tale and character based perspective and dialogue. For this chapter I decided to stick entirely with character perspectives because of how important the interactions between characters are in this chapter as supposed to the rest. I'm think that the next chapter will go back to the historical record/ epic tale of the first chapter. This is by no means an establishing pattern, as I will simply be writing in whatever perspective suits the needs of the chapter.

As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! :D

Feel free to leave a review or send me a pm either here or on reddit, as I regularly visit both.

~Jupitermonkey4~