Oh, crap. He’d ended up disturbing someone after all. Gaja’s quite literally crawling out of the very large hole he made (thank goodness most humans just assume a rock fell from the heavens) when he shivers at the feel of those irate eyes on him. Getting out of the crater actually takes some time given that he’s too weak to simply stand and pull himself out of it. Still, he manages a smile toward the river’s guardian once he flops on the ground beside the hole.

In this form, at this time, Gaja’s usually bright plumage has faded, leaving him looking dull and boring (in his opinion). But when he peers up at the river spirit, there’s still shimmering flecks of gold in his dark brown eyes. And maybe a spark of mischief that still remained.

“Dying,” he rasped. Yes, Gaja means it literally.