Hunter had been meticulously counting the days. He was nervous-- as most new parents probably were, right?-- to meet this new gembound, one made from his magic. Would they look like him? Would they have his temperament? Would they like their home, and the life that was pre-determined for them? (And if not, would he know? Could he save them from his mistakes, if he had made them?)
Would they like him?
He wanted to have all the answers right away, but he knew he wouldn't. The kid would need time to come into their own... But he wanted, so badly, to make sure that the first few moments of his life knew love-- specifically, love from his mom, y'know?
It was only halfway through Pegasus that he remembered that he had forgotten to get some jerky, and one of the blankets he had set aside, for the kid. It was the difference between being late and on time, and he was not going to miss the hatching. He could bring them later, he rationalized... maybe the kid wouldn't be hungry. Or maybe the Sentinel already had that covered? He could teach the kid how to hunt, anyway, and if the kid was cold, he could always snuggle them.
But he was NOT going to be late, so unfortunately, there he was: hurrying down the tunnel, eyes bright and gleaming. "Sentinel!" He called. "I haven't miss it, have I?" He was nice and early, but did they sometimes hatch early? He knew they could hatch late-- his stomach dropped. What if the child wasn't ready yet? Anxiety fluttered in his stomach like butterflies as his eyes landed on the stone-- so much larger than it had originally been.
"Is this it?" He asked, almost more to himself than anything, reaching out a furry hand to place against the glistening oil-streaked onyx.
@The Sentinel @V-Onyx-Three (soon :tm:)
The chrysalis lay at the intersection of two worlds. One end of the tunnel opened to light, blooming flowers, the gentle caress of grass. The other widened out to a place that had a much more sinister atmosphere. Strange, and ominous. A recent addition to the tunnel, in the grand scheme of things, had been the introduction of an onyx chrysalis. Though it had started out small, it had slowly grown to hold a gembound the size of a cat as the days passed.
There was no concept of time, of the idea that there were gembounds outside waiting for them to emerge. They could choose not to if they so wished. It was not completely unheard of for chrysalises to hatch late. But the noises from beyond crystal walls startled them awake. Something within their consciousness told them that it was time. It was a gentle tap at first. Barely audible to anyone who wasn't listening closely or hard of hearing. They were not so inherently reckless as to lash out against the chrysalis right away. Another tap, the sound of claw on stone. It didn't break away.
They became aware now, of another sense. Sight. But this was not very helpful considering how dark the onyx was. They couldn't quite see out of it, but saw that there was no other way to escape other than to break the chrysalis. Instinctively, they understood that their legs were to be used for this action. They thrust outwards, paws pressing against the oiled stone, but the only thing that came out of it was a loud and audible 'thump'. Failed attempt.
Though their sight was much obscured, the pause in their struggle made them notice that there was something different about the colors they saw. Some parts of the onyx were darker. Not that the stone itself was darker- they didn't know how they understood this, but they realized that it was because someone was out there. Or more than one someone? It was the shadows of their hands. Hunter's and the Sentinel's. In the few moments of silence as they waited to recover their strength for another attempt, they reached out to place their own hands- different from the paws on their hind legs, to meet the shadows. They were much bigger than their own, but a reassuring rather than dangerous presence.
@Hunter
Their still floppy ears caught the faint noise of speech. One was softer, reassuring, while the other was firm, yet supportive. Hatching was the first test a new gembound had to face, and even though they failed the first time, they would try again. And again. As many times as was needed to break free. It was a good test of ones strength and determination in a way. There was someone waiting for them on the other side. Some
ones.
A surge of energy coursed through them. And they kicked, legs and arms both pushing outwards, though young muscles not developed enough to make this an easy task. But this time they didn't stop to take a break. They didn't consider failure as an option. A crack here, a crack there. These spread throughout the chrysalis, widening with every thump and scratch. Until finally, finally, the onyx could hold it together no longer. It shattered all at once, leaving oil touched shards scattered around the gembound.
They gasped, taking in the air. Air. The gas filled their lungs, and they breathed, relishing the strange sensation of life. Multicolored eyes blinked. The sudden transition from darkness to a pouring in of light was hard on their eyesight. The blurred shapes surrounding them slowly focused into figures, and their head turned as their four eyes all locked onto each gembound, one at a time. They suddenly felt very small. Exposed. Vulnerable. But- curious. Their muzzle opened, as if to say something. Say what? Who? Why? They sneezed. Blinked. Stared, gaze drifting from parent to child to parent.
@Hunter