ORIGIN - starfall

seiya

Nestled at the base of the dark tree was a shimmering, slightly iridescent moonstone—an odd crescent shape, having grown itself around part of an arching root that dove in and out of the ground like a giant serpent does water. Its smooth facets began to crack, a sliver of moon breaking free of its celestial prison, and as its face shattered, a small body slid free from its womb.

He did not move, not immediately. Pale yellow eyes drifted upward to scan the soft glow of red leaves, black ears twitched and listened to the gentle babble of water that surrounded the island; slowly, his head lifted to explore more of the scenery. With great effort, he pulled his legs beneath him and pushed, struggling to find the strength to stand on his long, gangly legs. He was but a pup and he did not fit in his body yet.

And he did not like feeling wet. With a vigorous shake he rid himself of the life-fluid and his posture splayed, catching himself, his breathing rapid; he did not like that feeling, either.

As he settled, he turned to view the moon-shaped chrysalis and cocked his head. Had he come from this? His attention wandered as his vision picked across the empty mats and pillows, quiet under the silent red glow of the tree. Of all the things he did not know, he felt a sudden awareness: Seiya. Like a whisper in his newborn mind came his name, and a gentle smile etched his lips.

Seiya.

i'm caught between the wind and parts of the unknown

One mat was not empty - upon one was stretched the feline form of Arcturus, golden wings folded to his side, wisps of the galaxy gently trailing off the starry mane. His soft purrs mixed with the bubbling of the water, a delightful, soft harmony. He was at peace, resting, although meditating was perhaps pushing it a little bit. There was nothing in particular he meditated on - this was simply a nice place to have a nap and to rest and be free from worry. Not that he ever was particularly worried about anything.

Twin stars blinked open at the sound of a crack and a gentle thud. Ears twitched, tail flicked. Gentle movements as he glanced over to the place where no creature had been but seconds ago, and now there was.

His first thought was how they were different. Where this one was icy white and midnight black, moonlight crown upon his head, Arcturus was the deep sunrise, a golden nebula, an aurora of flame against the black sky. This one was canine, Arcturus was feline. Ah, but differences didn't matter, especially not when it was this one's first breath!

"Hello!" It was soft, gentle. So different from Arcturus's normal rambunctious, pepper voice. It was simply too quiet here, too peaceful to raise his voice too high. "I didn't notice you there - your chrysalis I mean. Um..." He never actually had ever interacted with children before and suddenly found himself lost. Did kids speak? Did they know their names? He couldn't really remember what he was like when he hatched.

"Are you hungry?" Is what he eventually came up with. Food solves everything.

@Seiya

seiya

Pale eyes moved to meet the shifting colors that called to him; he did not know what to make of this creature. A wave of emotions tumbled through his young mind: fear, awe, curiosity, safety. It spoke to him and he took a moment to regard its voice and its words. Are you hungry? His head cocked.

"I am Seiya," he answered thoughtfully, his voice also quiet. Then, to match the other creature, he said, "Hello." There was a knowing that it was a greeting, and he wanted to return such a greeting. As he shared space with the older gembound, Seiya began to understand things he did not even know about yet. They were living creatures. They were speaking. This other creature had not suggested violence, and so Seiya felt safe in its presence.

And hunger was a feeling that his empty stomach grumbled with, but he shook his head. He did not want to eat, not yet. It seemed like a chore. For now he was simply existing.

His eyes held the other creature in wonder and he realized he knew something else: beautiful.

brightness_3

i'm caught between the wind and parts of the unknown

@Arcturus

He almost looked disappointed for a brief moment when the little wolf refused. A paw had been about to raise to reach into the nebula of his mane to pull out the Trail Mix, but it stayed on the ground, for now. That was okay. The momentary sadness passed. They would share snacks another time.

"Seiya is a pretty name," he offered, instead of snacks. "I'm Arcturus." His tail thumped softly against the ground behind him, pleased. They had shared names, shared greetings, and there was no hostility. Obviously, this meant they were friends now!

He leaned over to the side, reaching with one of his paws and tapping the mat next to him. "Come, sit here. Get a pillow, if you want. You picked a nice spot to hatch. Or, uh, I guess you didn't pick it." Personally, he thought he was doing pretty great.

@Seiya

seiya

Arcturus. It was the first name aside from his own that Seiya would know. His eyes followed the tapping paw to the mat and he took a steady, careful step, then another—he felt like a gust of air, unsure of where or how to move, but he got the hang of it quickly enough. Glancing toward a pillow, he decided he did not want one. As he reached the mat he was quite content to sit on it, curling his tail around his long puppy legs.

Looking over the edge of the rock and into the shallow water beneath, he breathed an air of peace.

You picked a nice spot to hatch. He thought of the words again and he smiled.

"Yes, this is a nice place," he agreed, surprising himself at the discovery of so many words and meanings; but as the moments passed, it all felt inherent.

His attention shifted back to Arcturus and he looked as if he might ask a question... then he could not think of one. He was sure there were so many but he struggled to pluck just one from the whirlwind of his thoughts.

"Are other places so nice?" he asked finally. He was learning about things he liked, and things he did not like: he liked this place, and its quiet serenity; he did not like being wet. He liked Arcturus but he did not like hunger. These simple thoughts became slowly committed to Seiya's blooming existence.

brightness_3

i'm caught between the wind and parts of the unknown

@Arcturus

He was impressed at all the sounds the kid was making, all the words he was forming. One of his earliest memories that he could remember was most definitely struggling with that. Although the lights across his mantle had been his preferred and natural choice of communication at the time. So perhaps it was just because he was learning that second language that it had not come as easy.

He saw the pup looking at him and waited expectantly, patiently, staying quiet and giving him time to form whatever he needed to ask. He was content to sit here, peaceful as it was, the quiet rumble in his chest the only thing to break his own silence.

He hummed thoughtfully at the question. "Some are. In different ways. There is a place not far from here where there are open meadows and a river and a forest. And within there is a secret place where a father and his daughter live in a grove of flowers. That place is nice. Or...there is a place where the walls and ceiling are covered in crystal mirrors. Its strange but beautiful. It can be disorienting, but it is fascinating." He smiled back down at Seiya. "Those are some that come to mind, at least."

@Seiya