ORIGIN - What the heck am I doing here?

{Backdated to hatchday, August First 2023}

The comparatively small, red-orange octahedral sphalerite is wedged tightly wedged against the wall near the entrance to Canis, as if the chrysalis itself could feel the sensation of unwelcome settling into it's facets like the mist forming condensation on the sharp sides.

Or maybe that's just where the small stone had wound up, really, since given the size of it and all...

In any case.

A crack sounds out- and then a softer squeak, as if the noise had caused some pain.

Sekith did not like Canis - no! No not at all! The resident creature of Cetus had turned into a wandering creature in pursuit of new tastes and smells and something to entertain its bored corvid brain. Why it had found itself in Canis was a mystery to even itself, but it had quickly abandoned the dry cave of bones. Too small! Too dry and musty! Too much dust and dirt and not enough water to splish splash around in and no trees to climb and no roots to hide under. And also nobody to throw rocks at.

It gurgled to itself as it crawled pathetically through the cold, uncomfortable cave, wanting to get back to its mud and mist as soon as possible, maybe find a warm snack along the way. But a sudden crack split the air and Sekith raised its head, alert, feather-crown bristling. It swung its head around, its jaw opening as its throat contracted, a similar but not-quite-there crack echoed from its gullet. Something red in the not-red cave caught its eye.

A love for shiny things. A potential snack. Maybe just pure curiosity. Whatever the reasoning was, the creature changed its direction, now headed for the rock-thing. At its side, it paused, as if thinking. At first, it opened its mouth and gnawed helplessly at the smooth surface of a stone that was much too large to eat. Then, after another brief pause, a squeak, not too different from the one that had just sounded from within, came from its throat.

It began to scrabble at the edge of the rock near where a crack had appeared, as if trying to help. But then it made a loud croaking noise and suddenly pulled back with a hiss - it had cut the underside of a claw against the sharp stone. It observed the wound, blood slowly oozing into the black slime that coated its feathers. It nosed at it, dropping more oil on top as if to soothe the cut. It didn’t exactly have a tongue to lick at it, after all.

@Tyrin

The sounds in the chrysalis pause- oh? Another noise, sounds not unlike what we would call a curious hum, but this is... much deeper.

Well now, we have to wonder if what the critter inside does next is out of curiosity or not- another whack, this time to the other edge of the stone. Maybe a desire to open the gem away from their new audience? Or perhaps just knowing that it's the quickest way to crack the stone without tools.

Crack it does, splitting open along the original fracture and about to where it becomes apparent that the creature- a small, very soaked and very hairy humanoid - had for some reason headbutted the stone.

"Ow..."

@Sekith

The sudden CRACK! seemed to surprise the creature who let out a startled screeching noise and scrambled away, wing-arms flapping in a strange defensive display, scattering droplets of black all over the surrounding dusty environment. It turned to find a place to hide, but only found itself scrambling over rocks and bones uselessly, making quite the racket and scattering debris all around, until its instincts settled enough for it to turn around, freezing in place.

It stared at the humanoid thing and cocked its head. It opened its strange jaws and echoed the sound it had just made - "Ow..." It was oddly accurate, but carried a harshness not present in the original voice.

It skittered forward a bit, curious. It was smaller then it, but too big to be a snack, although it was itching to try. Feathers rattled as it leaned in closer, ever so closer, making a series of odd clicking noises in its throat. It slowed its forwardness as it got closer, stopping if the child made any move, but a strange moment of curiosity had come over it. It had not been so close to something else in a long time - at least, in a non-hostile situation.

@Tyrin

He just... observes. More confused than anything at the display, he climbs his way carefully out of his chrysalis- only pausing when Sekith pauses.

The humanoid stares back, and cocks his head the other way, mirroring the motion. Scrunching his nose, he decides to plop down in place and start trying to wipe away the... whatever we want to call the fluid from the chrysalis.

Still staring, as young beings do. Of course.

Tyrin tries to click back - it's not quite as accurate an echo as Sekith's had been of his own noises, but it's an attempt. Before he gets bored of the same noise over and over again.

"Who you?"

@Sekith

The bird-creature jerked back a bit when the hatchling sat down, startled by the movement, but then leaned in again. Curious, at the light skin with no feathers - or oil! (although there was a strange fluid) - and the way it was wiping itself down. It trilled again, quieter, and then decided that it was going to help. That's right! Not make it more difficult, not annoy it or hunt it, but help! Its motivations were...confusing, but in the back of its mind it wondered if it could potentially get something out of a positive relationship. More complex thoughts then the simple beast it had been deep in the mists of Cetus, perhaps inspired by its wordly travels to think more.

It stepped forward, still ever so slowly, reaching forward with its wing-arm, every movement waiting for danger, in which it would skitter back again. Without any danger, however, it would also begin trying to use its feathers to wipe off the fluid from the child's arms. Which did help a little, it could feel the strange stuff on its skin, but it also did a very good job of slathering pitch black oil in its place. Definitely not an improvement, although it did not seem to see the problem.

It did flinch back as more noises came from the kid. It cocked its head again and parroted in the same manner as before - "Who you?" It paused, single eye staring wide at the kid, feathers rattling. "Ow. Who you?" A fantastic conversationalist.

@Tyrin

Having no reason to expect pain, not from anything else, not yet, Tyrin simply watches Sekith reach out with pale eyes- and a scrunched nose.

Hmm.

Well, he appreciates the attempt.

"I... am Tyrin, my name." He answers the other, wondering if they're learning like him. Hearing words, maybe taking time to put them together.

"What your name?"

Trying to be subtle, they wipe the oil off themselves with a small noise. Mainly his forearms, he feels like those need to be clean more than any other part right now.

@Sekith