ORIGIN - 200 Years Too Late

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Juniper didn't hatch with her mother's warm fur to greet her. She didn't hatch with a new sibling to play with, or a welcoming family. She was far too late for any of that, to the point of being several years off of the date she was supposed to hatch.

Out of a chrysalis long thought dead or dormant she emerged, breaking free and tumbling to the ground on legs that were far too big for the puppy. Her fur was long and her head was large, her weight too heavy to be held up. She shivered as she lay on the ground, tail curled up and over herself for warmth.

Soft pink eyes opened and she soon realized... she was all alone.

She was supposed to be small and adorable, a puppy to be loved and adored by all who met her. Instead she hatched a full adult with the mind of a child, unable to comprehend the true nature of what was going on. How could she know that she was late, anyway? She only knew that she was alone, with the vague feeling that she shouldn't be.

Juniper slowly stood, practicing her balance on tall, thin legs. She herself was thin, almost malnourished looking, having been living off of the magic of her chrysalis for the past two years. If she did eat, it may or may not pass through her due to a stomach that had never held anything but acid. Only time would tell if the wolf would survive.

Alone and afraid she wobbled further into Orion, her ears pinned and tail tucked between her legs as she made a wide semi-circle around her broken chrysalis, wondering if whoever had left her here had simply gone off hunting. Maybe they were bringing food back and that was what was keeping them. That had to be it.

She tried hard think the words that floated in the back of her mind, but it was futile. Even she could not deny it any longer. ’No one is coming...’, she thought in sorrow, because deep down she knew that no one was.

Juniper was all alone.

She whined and tilted her head back, howling a perfect, clear note into the sky, singing despite having a lack of words. She sang her little heart out, crying out for someone to come and comfort her, hoping that someone else came.

@Vicktor

Orion, the room of stars.

He had not been in these parts of the caves in what felt like centuries, still, it was still far too many cycles to count. Though was just a cub back then. Pale eyes flickered over the stars above. He had to admit it was beautiful, he knew as a cub he hardly relished in its beauty. He could recall it though, his time back then was rushed, sloppy, and bitter. Like sugar placed on a roaring fire, consumed and charred in a matter of minutes. It was back when Vazi still roamed the caves and had taken Clo-

He stopped abruptly, swallowing hard in an attempt to calm the fire in his gut. There was that wavering feeling of bile, laced with hatred once again rising in his throat. It burned with that familiar pang of anger. That notion of hunger and distress, something that had once only calmed if he had something to sink his teeth into, living or not.

They itched.

Tongue trailing over teeth with a hiss he inhaled. Invisible scars from memories he wished were long forgotten were still swollen and fat. Layed out haphazardly even though they were delicate to the touch and aching with each now rattling breath. It didn't take him long to gain his grip though, and for that he was proud. Many cycles ago he would have lost his nerve then. Mind flickering back to the countless times he had descended into a spiral of panic and anger. Obsession of salvation and the loss of his right to something he was denied so cruelly as a child. Back then it had fed trauma, embodying it into fiery chaos. Turning him into a monster, but now-

Family and love.

But now that was in the past, he had come to terms with a great many things. Being alone often led one to reflect, to process, and better themselves. His time in these caves, especially recently he had met quite a few souls he felt passionate about protecting. He had an overwhelming call, a need to ensure those who crossed his path would never fall to the same ill fate he once had.

Vicktor stopped, ears flickering now in a new focus that called his attention. He had been pulled from his thoughts so suddenly which was quite possibly the best thing for him in that time. All due to a howl rang clear through Orion's space. It sounded so hollow, alone even. Vicktor knew he had a knack for stumbling upon those in need as if fate was urging him onward with his new purpose. It had once been to destroy, taking advantage of a gembound's lonesome nature or pain. But now it was to nourish and protect.

He had no choice but to run, hastily albeit silently. He may not have been in his room of mists but a cat was often a cat. They would find their prey. Though he wasn't hunting for food, it still was honest of him to say he was attempting to fill a void, one of the heart rather than the stomach. It took him but a moment, his stark coat shimmering into nothing but a reflection of what surrounded him. He would find them and check out the situation. Even though he was one to rush into a situation, not caring of his own health in particular, he wasn't dumb. He knew others- at least back then would set traps for those who held good intentions. He'd let down his defenses soon enough though, this he was certain.

He had no sooner found his way upon a wolf, one who was alone and perhaps a bit too thin for good health. He felt an ache in his heart just then. The canine's form reminding him of a gembound now long gone all because of him. No, now wasn't the time for this, he needed to focus. Pale eyes flickered from them to the surrounding chrysalis, cracked and broken... Had they just hatched? He wasn't entirely sure. He had his own chrysalis back in his nest, it was entirely possible this was their home- though it...didn't seem like it. It was rather barren and wholeheartedly alone...No sign of life, except for them.

And their size- no he didn't use size to gauge one's age...After all Vicktor himself was very large for whatever he was, often leading most to assume he had been an adult when he was but a startled child all those cycles ago. Well, that there settled it.

He'd take the chance.

Voice deep, smoky but smooth he practically purred out in reassurance.

"Hello, are you hurt? I heard your call."

"Clover Speech"
"Vicktor Speech"

@Juniper

Nothing. Despite how far her little cry had reached, she heard nothing. No footsteps, no voice calling back to her, not a sound. Despite herself she felt tears well up as she retreated back to her chrysalis, the last place she remembered being warm and comforting. Like an embrace all around.

A voice rang out, saying words she didn't understand. The pup turned to try and see who spoke, tears blurring her vision. Around and around she turned, seeing no one, her hopes dwindling. Was this simply a hallucination? A trick created by her lonely mind?

She didn't see Vicktor, and whined softly, a high-pitched, sad little thing.

A word came to her mind, it's meaning familiar to her, for she'd felt it the whole time she was sleeping in her chrysalis.

”Alone,” she said, her voice smooth like butter, though it was tinged with sadness and loneliness, her ache clear as day.

Juniper sat down among the remains of her stone cradle, hopeless.

@Vicktor

The wolf could evidently hear, in which Vicktor's words only seemed to drive the gembound to tears. They looked for him, and he felt a bit sad that it had come to that but, it was better safe than sorry in most cases. Still he watched them for a moment longer, listening to that soft whine that seemed to drag out. And when they spoke, it was just one word, alone.

His heart ached.

A few moments passed and he hummed for a moment longer then. They would be able to hear him as thoughts flickered from one plan to the next. He wasn't sure what would be the best way to simply show himself without startling them. Most pups and the like weren't ever too startled if they knew someone was near, often thinking it was a game of sorts, which he found rather endearing. On the other hand it was often adults who were quite anxious of such, lashing out or even screaming if he was to simply appear. And with how little coverage this terrain offered, well it would have to do, but he'd offer a few more words to prepare them for his sudden arrival.

"Shh, shh now. It is alright, you are not alone."

His defenses began to waver, slowly pulling back on his magic so that he may appear to the wolf slowly rather than all at once. It was hardly noticeable at first, the reflection shimmering and ceasing to cover his form. It was almost peeling back to reveal he stood a few meters away. He had no intention of startling the young wolf, one he was rather confident was a child. And even if they weren't particularly a pup, to him in comparison with his own age they most certainly were.

Regardless he spoke softer this time, watching them with half lidded eyes.

"I'm here, you aren't alone now. You won't ever have to worry about that as long as I'm around."

"Clover Speech"
"Vicktor Speech"

@Juniper

Juniper heard humming, her ears flicking as she faced forward, head held low and her shoulders hunched. Who was this entity, and why were they teasing her so? They were there but... not?

She looked up at the voice and gasped softly, taking to her feet with her tail raised hopefully. As she watched, this invisible figure slowly appeared, warping into the real world inch by inch. Her jaw dropped in awe and she stood there, stunned, immediately wondering how Vicktor had done such a wonderful thing.

”... Not alone?”, she asked, her doubts apparent as she slowly padded forward, her feet leading the way as she half-cowered towards him.

Her nose twitched as she sniffed at his feet, raising her head to do the same to his fur before finally looking up into his eyes, her tail starting to wag gently. She stepped back, ears back but not submissive, more like she was just thinking really hard.

”M-my.... name,” she said slowly, working out the words carefully, ”Is... Juniper.”

Juniper's tail started to wag again and she looked up at Vicktor expectantly, waiting for him to introduce himself too. She'd shared her name (which she'd just come up with, she was very proud) and now it was time for him to share his.

@Vicktor

The pup watched him, in what he hoped to be awe rather than fear. But he hadn't smelled fear in the air, so surely this would go well yes? Then she spoke. Not Alone. He softly smiled, remaining calm and letting her approach him in curiosity. He would not move, just watch as she conducted her observations. She was though cowering a tiny bit, but that was natural he assumed. He had just appeared out of thin air as far as the young wolf was concerned.

She sniffed at him, and he gently sniffed back. Inhaling deeply to catch her scent that lingered in the air. They locked eyes for a moment and her tail started to wag. He knew canines with a great deal of familiarity- and he thought all was going well till she stepped back, ears pinned. He didn't react much, giving her time to collect herself. He wouldn't rush to conclusions on what she felt, he had yet to smell fear of course so it made all of that much easier.

”M-my.... name,”

She spoke again, in an attempt to give her name? He gave her time, she was clearly thinking rather hard on this. It was a very important matter after all.

”Is... Juniper.”

Ah, Juniper, such a lovely name. No sooner had she given her name she was wagging her tail again looking up at him expectantly. He smiled. He did suppose it was his turn to introduce himself. He sniffed at her visibly, craning his neck closer in greeting while doing so.

"Hello little Juniper, such a lovely name."

He smiled, slowly blinking through half-lidded eyes.

"My name is Vicktor, I am so very happy to have found you. Are you hungry?"

As much as he loved introductions he was rather worried about Juniper's health and wellbeing. She looked...so frail and thin, he could scarcely imagine her as nothing but skin and bones wearing a fur coat. Was she starving? She sure looked it, at least to him. Just how long was she left out here all alone.

"Clover Speech"
"Vicktor Speech"

@Juniper

Juniper tilted her head, frowning in thought, ”Not little. Supposed to be, but not.”

Her words were jumbled and broken but slowly getting better, her short, clipped sentences making more and more sense the more she spoke. It was like watching a child learning to speak.

”I am hungry,” she said suddenly, eyes snapping up to meet Vicktor's, her tail whipping around furiously, ”Never eaten, been in there.”

She turned to point her nose at her broken chrysalis, still wet from her hatching. Her own fur was matted from it, and she'd made no attempt to clean it off, since she didn't have the knowledge to groom herself, let alone properly.

”... Have you... seen others?”, she asked softly, her ears drooping, ”Like me?”

Juniper was a wolf, and a wolf needed a pack, a family. Lone wolves didn't last very long on their own, or if they did, it certainly wasn't an easy life to live. Not to mention being half pack animal and half flock animal meant she had both instincts to group up for safety and for hunting and bonding purposes.

She ached to have a family, and as she stared at Vicktor, hope flickering in her eyes... she might have found it.

”... You're here,” she said softly, shifting her weight as she looked away, ”Um... will you be... be my p-pack?”

That was the word, right? A pack? A flock, maybe? Either way, she didn't want to be alone and Vicktor seemed kind enough.

@Vicktor

”Not little. Supposed to be, but not.”

He could only smile at her words. While yes, she wasn't the size of what one might expect for a newborn pup she was still small to him. Never mind the fact he called most young gembounds little ones. They were after all small souls that had their whole lives ahead of them to grow and flourish into the best they could be. Yes, she was little.

The mention of hunger though got her immediate attention, he watched as her eyes snapped up to his with an intense focus. His smile only widened as her tail whipped around in newfound energy. Though his heart did ache a bit when she had informed him that she had never eaten before. Though, that made sense being as she just hatched- but still...He would do his best to remedy this, she needed nutrients to grow strong and to put some actual meat on those bones.

Which speaking of bones, the fur that covered her frail form- was.. rather matted and wet...if they didn't tend to it soon it would be an enormous hassle whenever she did manage to dry. He took a moment though before acting on instinct, letting her ask if he had seen others like her. Well- that was a very complicated answer. But he hummed the more she spoke, and the gentle question on if he would be her pack soon came to light. She looked so especially small just then, looking away and speaking so softly. Yes. He would be her pack, there were many she would meet and grow alongside with. He'd make sure of it. So he spoke up as fast as he could, but ever so calmly. A soft purr rolling his r's as he spoke.

"I will be your pack little Juniper, know that you are not alone. Not for as long as I breathe. I promise you that."

He inhaled once, his immediate exhale revving up a deep purr that was now held in his chest. A growing warmth surged through his veins, it was familiar but in this instance kind. A softer power than what he was known to harness all those years prior. His eyes glowed softly like the warm coals, it was harmless, a reaction fueled by emotion and the instinct to care for this pup.

His pup.

"Come here, sit, we will go hunting soon but first we must tend to your pelt. One must groom themself, one may get sick otherwise."

He sat close beside her, grooming over her shoulder to cease any matting that would no doubt take root as she dried. He would help teach her to bathe, and dry her all the while he radiated that loving warmth.

"I am your pack, and I have met other canines similar to you, yes. But we as a species are what's known as gembounds."

He would aid in her curiosity from earlier, while he was her pack now this would also prove to be a learning experience.

"Many of us have magic, and we come in many shapes, colors and sizes. Some are like me, and some like you, and others barely the size of my paw."

To be fair he had rather large paws...

"When we hunt, we will go after lessers. We must not feed on other gembounds. They are living, sentient just like you and me...But, lessers do not speak, do not think much aside from instinct, and are identical to one another. You will see when it's time."

He would leave it at that for now. She was so very young and he had no idea just how much she could retain just yet. But still, if she held any questions he would answer them. She was his pup and he would care for her as such. But for now, he was focusing on this grooming session, she needed to be taken care of and warmed up before a meal. It would make things go along smoothly.

"Clover Speech"
"Vicktor Speech"

@Juniper

Juniper felt like she could breathe again when Vicktor told her he would be her pack. The emotions that flooded her were overwhelming, and she could only single out a few. Relief, joy, love.

She snuggled into Vicktor as he grew warmer, tucking her head against his fur as she sighed softly, comforted by his grooming. She didn't have the barbed tongue he did, but she tried to do the same, licking at his fur and really only leaving wet spots behind.

"We are gembounds?”, she said in wonder, lifting a paw to touch the stone around her throat like a choker, ”Like this?”

Her fur was thick and fluffy, but as she pushed it out of the way her gemstone could be seen. It was a beautiful iridescent rainbow, though how it was clasped around her neck was a little worrying. It didn't seem to hinder her at the moment, though it was good that she was full grown and it wouldn't end up choking her.

”Do you have one?”, she asked, stumbling through her words before ultimately getting through a complete sentence, her tail wagging with pride.

Juniper didn't know what lessers were, if they looked like Vicktor and Juniper or not, but she guessed that he'd show her when they went hunting. She was excited for that! Hunting and eating sounded fun and it made her stomach rumble. She was so hungry.

After a moment of thinking she started to lick and wash her chest, using her teeth to untangle the more stubborn spots and to scratch any itches she had. Her soft fur was smoothed down bit by bit, tangles and knots slowly being coaxed out of her hair, and her white fur started to gleam. She was healthy aside from her malnourishment, so her fur would have a healthy shine to it once it was all taken care of.

@Vicktor

Vicktor could only purr as she snuggled up to him, his heart growing with that ever protective streak and one devised entirely of love. She was his pup now and he would ensure her safety and do the best he could for her happiness. He was more than happy to see her try and groom herself, while she didn't have the same type of tongue anatomy he did, it was perhaps a bit more work for her in the long run; at least in this current moment.

"We are gembounds?”

She asked, only to part her fur to reveal her own gem in turn. It looked like that of a collar of sorts. But it was beautifully iridescent and rainbow, somewhat similar to how his own stone was. He was for a moment a bit worried about the gem's placement though. Being so close to her neck and encompassing around her throat...

He had known and heard of some gem's demise to be because of the ill placement of their stone, such a pity really but...considering she was from what he could assume full-grown in size perhaps she would be just fine. Regardless he would keep an eye on it and help her as she needed. If it became an issue later in life that made her unable to hunt effectively by being unable to run for prolonged periods of time, well...he would provide for her. He took this seriously, but he would not scare her with the mention of such ill possibilities. She was but a pup and had her whole life ahead of her. He would take care of her and the things that would come about in time.

"Just like that!"

He breathed, a calm but overwhelming sense of pride washing over him and she knew her own stone so easily. He had met gembounds who knew so little about what they were, let alone what their stone was or even the very obvious placement of such. He was well, proud of her. The topic though soon switched to his own stone, a question of which he felt was- very obvious but... she was so young and hadn't seen another aside from him. He found it rather endearing as his set of saber fangs that grew out alongside the rest of his fangs and teeth were his stone. Always on display, a silent threat but also one he sported with pride.

"Yes I do, do you see my extra pair of fangs? They are my own gem, I believe it's my skull too-but this is what we can see."

He turned his head slightly as if to give her a better angle, opening his mouth even to run a tongue along the sabers themselves that filled the space where most large felines had empty alongside their fangs. They were iridescent and shimmering in the right light much like her own.

"Clover Speech"
"Vicktor Speech"

@Juniper

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