ORIGIN - TO LIFE!

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crickets and creatures will come in the night
keep my back from the reaper
who's hunting or running, you gotta decide

Gleaming gold against the monochrome grays of canis was a medium-sized chrysalis, a beautiful pristine opal flecked with flame and sun. It was done growing, now, and the shell had slowly begun to weaken as the neonate inside began to stir. There was a faint tremble within and then a moment passed. Another shiver before the loud cracking of stone fracturing echoed and bounced over the barren stone walls.

And then it broke open and the calf was deposited onto a bed of broken bones and rock, gasping in its first, dusty breath. Gray and gold eyes flickered open as it scrambled to right itself, confusion clouding its newly awakening mind. It was wet all over and shivering from the chilly, dry air that seemed to penetrate like needles through the thin layer of fuz over its body. Legs like sticks managed to right themselves beneath its body and it stood shakily, adrenaline of its first moments beginning to slowly pass as it stood there among the debris, alone, confused, and a little bit afraid.

september

Doru had been observing this chrysalis, bright and beautiful, flecked with colors beyond description. Every time he had visited this cave as of late, a somewhat infrequent occasion, but one that happened regardless, he had also stopped by this chrysalis. He wondered if the creature within would be similarly bright and beyond description.

Soon, it seemed, he would know, judging by the trembling of the chrysalis. It seemed this visit had come just in time

It would probably be better for it if it was not special. Doru was aware enough that his emotions were strange at times, and his motives even stranger. It was likely not beyond him to see something beautiful and then take its stone to remake it in his own image.

Murder, both his parents would have called it. Yet it was not murder when applied to lessers with stones, a disconnect that did not necessarily make sense to Doru.

A calf was what came out of the lovely chrysalis. Boring, he thought, at least physically. It was safe from his claws and teeth and the venom that came from both, in that case.

His seven foot height squatted down in order to see the smaller creature better. His wings were kept close to his back, but occasionally shifted with a movement.

It was fuzzy and had legs like sticks. It reminded Doru of the lesser deer, a bit. Except it was a greater, like his dad's parent's dad, Pride. But it did not look completely like him, either.

"Hello," He greeted, his voice a gentle croon, or an attempt at one.

However, it sounded more the purr of a predator coaxing prey close, not helped by the view of sharp talons, not softened by red fingerless gloves. His white cloak was spotless, and he tilted his head in a way that was entirely built of danger.

Doru meant no harm, not anymore, but he hardly looked the part.

@September

crickets and creatures will come in the night
keep my back from the reaper
who's hunting or running, you gotta decide

He twitched, almost a flinch, as something came into view. And something was a perfect descriptor of the strange six-limbed, long-tailed, navy and gold, antlered, long-tailed thing that approached. The soft voice, speaking a gentle greeting was soured by the sharp teeth, the claws, and, of course, the much much larger height. He was not fooled.

And the first semblance of thought and personality kicked in as it felt a surge of anger that this thing would be so rude as to try and trick him, when he had only just opened his eyes. The surge of instinctual prey-fear only furthered his frusteration and he immediately fought against it, standing up taller (despite the new-hatched shaking in his legs) and boldly staring down this stranger.

His face twisted strangely and his lips trembled as he struggled for a moment to figure out words, but it eventually formed into something - a brave, firm "No." as he glared at the larger stranger. It didn't make for an intimidating sight, this lanky, still-trembling new-hatched gembound calf staring at the massive hulking figure of Doru, but the opalescent, firey stone horn between its eyes glittered in response to his will and with the single word came a surprisingly powerful puff of wind around the calf, moving so that it didn't knock its caster over, but would slam full force into Doru.

september

@Doru

What a defiant creature, to speak that as his first word, Doru thought. Yet, Doru did not quite know what the calf refused. It was not as if Doru had asked a question.

He opened his mouth to ask, curious what the answer might be, only for a powerful gust of wind to surge towards him. Instincts drove him, a creature capable of flight, to spread open his wings. Before, he had made himself smaller, even if he was sharp still. With his wings spread, he was no smaller creature, even crouched down.

The wind buffeted his wings, but he used the strong gust to take off. Wind was not his enemy, not necessarily. It was an element Doru had learned to work with, not magically, but literally as a flight capable creature. From the air, he circled a moment, considering what had occurred.

He wanted to know why. He could not figure out what exactly he had done to offend, and not knowing frustrated him.

Doru finished circling and landing a bit farther away than before. "What was that for?" He wondered, voice not particularly offended, but instead curious. His purple viper gaze studied the calf from what was Doru's full height.

@September

crickets and creatures will come in the night
keep my back from the reaper
who's hunting or running, you gotta decide

He watched as wings - he had seen them already but hadn't known their purpose - caught the wind and took it to flight. At first he thought it was leaving and was moderately surprised it had been frightened away so easily, but he didn't take his eyes off of it and so saw it simply circle and land again. With Doru standing at its full height, it made the tiny size of the calf seem even smaller in comparison. He could probably lift him with one hand without any problem at all. Still, he trembled defiantly, pride running rampant through his veins.

He didn't fully understand what was going on, but what he did get was that he couldn't just stand down now, as if he'd made a mistake. He'd made an assumption and stood up to it, and he would continue to do so.

He lifted his head higher as more words were flung his way and he found that he had to figure out a way to respond. His eyes narrowed as he tongued phantom gibberish for a moment before managing to puzzle through a few bits more of a response. "No...fool. Don't....try to!" Yeah, that was close enough. It was becoming a little easier, the more and more he spoke, and so each word was more confident and came quicker then the last. "Not prey. Not weak!" It was objectively incorrect, of course, but in the moment, he thought of himself as quite strong and ready to fight if anything started. The trembling in his legs was beginning to fade.

september

@Doru

Oh, Doru understood now. His inherent nature as a predator had shone through, rather than it being softened by an attempt at reassuring, like he had intended.

”You are not prey,” Doru agreed matter-of-factly. ”And you are stronger than you look,” he conceded easily. To agree was a good way to start, to keep the calf from blasting him with magic yet again.

”I had no intention to harm you when I spoke,” Doru told the calf, the words honest enough. That Doru had considered harming what had hatched from the crysalis if it had not been this calf was neither here nor there.

”As an omnivore with predatory instincts, I also inherited the looks to match, but that hardly is a reason to attack me,” Doru pointed out.

”Beware of attacking first. I’d no intention to harm you when I spoke, but I could’ve changed my mind when you blasted me, and retaliated. And that is a warning for future encounters, not a threat, child,” He imparted this life lesson with a casual air.

”Your instinct to attack first on seeing a potential threat instead of fleeing is interesting. But it may not serve you well. There are more dangerous gembounds than me, greater or lesser. Greaters, who speak, tend not to respond well to uninvited attacks. That I am an exception makes you lucky.” Doru smiled, bearing sharp teeth in a semblance of a friendly expression, as well as he could make it.

@september

crickets and creatures will come in the night
keep my back from the reaper
who's hunting or running, you gotta decide

There was an air of surprise and a long blink as the stranger just kind of...agreed. Calmed, offered empathy and extended a friendly conversation to be had. He didn't understand, but he was beginning to. His wide, defensive stance relaxed a little bit - not fully, or at least he naturally held his head high, it was hard to tell.

"Okay," he accepted the concession. He frowned, though, and his ears flicked back against his neck. "Attack? No - defend! Defend before attacked." He sniffed and thought for a moment, trying to figure out the idea he was trying to get across before he finished up with "Send a message."

He did indeed bristle at what very well could have been a threat, before Doru calmed him with a quick assurance (although he retained that fiery glint in his eye - he would not tolerate being threatened, not when he was so on edge). He wanted to get mad, rage at this older gembound trying to talk down to him, trying to tell him what to do, but he wasn't quite that stupid. He could understand how aggression could be a bad thing. If he'd been the one to walk up and get smacked in the face with wind, he wouldn't be all too happy. Perhaps caution in the future?

But the thought seemed to all of a sudden click a button in his mind that had him suddenly focus inwards. On himself, on the rush of blood through his veins. The heartbeat in his ears, the heavy breaths, the blur that fell in at the edge of his vision that threatened a tunnel should things become more elevated. How his nerves seemed to sing through his limbs, ready to fight or fly, how everything felt so terrifying and huge and dangerous. And it was wonderful. The adrenaline was like a flame fueling his mind, every beat of his heart was music through his veins. He remembered the darkness and nothing that came before this - faintly, like a dream fading away - the comfort of the chrysalis, the sleep of un-life. It had been like a cage. But now...freedom awaited. Freedom and life!

If a deer could smile, this one would surely be beaming. But the glint of a mad joy was bright in his eyes. "Dangerous? Sounds...fun." Perhaps it was a daring thing to say, and something so out of place for the newly hatched calf, still trembling from the exertion of just standing, but after the moment of introspection, he felt like somebody completely different. Like he had pulled himself free of the last tendrils of the chrysalis then, and he had fully emerged into who he is at his core.

He cocked his head at Doru and took a step forward, leaning forward, curious. "More dangerous? Tell me." He looked him up and down. "You are big. Are there bigger?"

september

@Doru

One of the ideas he had presented had been assimilated by the child, at least. Fresh gembounds, he decided, were a mixture of interesting and not. They did not yet have minds shaped by experience, but what nature they started with was on clear display.

And this one? This one had a strange nature for one that was shaped as a prey animal. The calf, he thought of the quality of dangerousness as fun.

"You will grow to be an interesting one, if you can reach adulthood," Doru commented with idle amusement.

"There are plenty more dangerous than me. I am not a fighter, not in the conventional sense. I prefer words, not physical or magical might. But, yes, there are bigger than I. Yet size is not always the indicator of danger, especially when magic is involved." Doru wondered if this lesson would be able to be imparted.

"Appearances can be deceiving. Those that seem small and defenseless might wield magic or have venom or poison that you are unaware of. It is easy for one to cultivate danger, with magic. Power is more than physical might," he explained.

@September

crickets and creatures will come in the night
keep my back from the reaper
who's hunting or running, you gotta decide

He kept talking, kept teaching, and the calf was very quickly growing bored. Yeah, yeah, dangers and stuff, magic, appearances. He had figured out in the moment before that he was able to use magic and he was strong in it too. He had quickly worked out for himself that despite the smaller size, he wasn't defenseless, with the wind at his side. Already he had worked out that he could do that, and also run if it was not enough. Perhaps one day he would be able to do more.

"You talk a lot." he snorted, interrupting Doru's lecture. "What bigger then you? You have magic? Tell me that instead." Maybe the stranger would figure out that his patience was small and already worn away for the moment and excitement instead was growing like hot embers quickly growing to a flame.

september

@Doru

"Rude," Doru commented almost idly, purple viper gaze narrowing sharply at the interruption. "Why should I tell you anything when you will not listen?" He inquired.

It was not a rhetorical question, but it was not a question that Doru necessarily cared for the answer of. His mind had come to a decision, as soon as the calf had interrupted.

His posture shifted swiftly from relaxed to tension, and even quicker than that shift was his lunge, golden claws outstretched, his wings held ready to take to the air if this failed due to the calf's magic.

It was even more effective than he had thought it to be, however, as not only did it not fail, it landed exactly where he had intended, scratching into the side of the head held so high and prideful while knowing nothing. The sharp claws easily tore through the surface skin near the face, but Doru did not press them deeper than that surface.

For a moment, the claws lingered in the wound. It would have been enough venom in all likelihood to just scratch and remove his claws, with the size of his opponent compared to him.

Not that this venom would kill. This calf was either quite lucky or unlucky. He would have barely felt the harsh pain of the initial scratch of a golden clawed hand before a sensation that could only be described as extremely euphoric set in.

Doru was leaning towards the guess that this would be overall quite the unlucky experience for this particular gembound. The shock of this venom so soon after creation, when Doru saw hints of a reckless and possibly addictive nature...

Well, there was a reason he had let his claws linger briefly. He had always been curious if his venom could be an addictive sensation for more than just lesser gembounds, and Doru had a feeling that if any greater gembound was inclined towards addiction, it would be this one, he thought.

He knew not about addiction statistics when tied to personality traits, but it was an easy enough idea to translate even without that knowledge.

In any case, the calf would hardly forget the sensation. Perhaps he would chase the feeling his entire life...

Yes, Doru quite liked the sound of that punishment for the disrespect this gembound had shown him.

In the end, Doru removed his claws, then took to the air with a flap of wings, likely while the calf was more than disoriented. He would stay in the air for a bit, watch the reaction. Then in all likelihood, he would leave.

But not quite yet. He still wished to observe.

@September

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