ORIGIN - [Hatch] Hello, World

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Ill

Ill tilted his head, nodding. His whiskers twitched to the cold, the air around the things hands felt as if the hands had consumed all of the warmth. It was peculiar… how she could do that. It was peculiar.

“Nice to meet you!”

Ill chirped, rolling back onto his stomach with a heave and a sigh. He contemplated this ‘magic’. Did he have magic? Ill hadn’t done anything weird yet- Not like what Iceheart had done. It could come from inside him. He steadied himself on his flippers, head raised so he would be taller than Iceheart (It was a good confidence boost).

“How..”

Ill did not know how- But without finishing his question, he tried. He stared at the ground, focusing.. Willing himself to do something- Something cool. Something even cooler than what the little fluffy dragon had done. It happened rather quickly. Staring at the icy floor, his ears began to rush. Sounds echoed throughout his head. They sounded like footsteps, and large ones, carrying the weight of something great- Yet the deafening sound lasted only a second before the rush of water returned. Ill blinked, lowering his body and looking up at Iceheart.

“Did you hear that?”

"speak" and think

My father is a disturbed man
His rage entered my soul
As I lay on the floor
In a pool of my own blood

@Iceheart
(Man my thoughts are all over the place, sorry for the trash writing)

Iceheart was still huffing and puffing at their forelimbs when Íllska began casting-- though paying attention wouldn't have helped any, really. A massive satellite-antenna ear swivelled in his direction at his question, but Iceheart only lifted their head quizzically before shaking their head, no.

"What did you hear?" They asked. "Does your magic make you hear things?"

That seemed rather unfortunate. Iceheart got magic to help them hunt, and Íllska got... magic to hear things that aren't real. They'd get him a fish for the sake of condolences, they decided-- they curled and un-curled their foreclaws again before stretching their fuzzy white body forward to the ice and glanced into the water.

The school of silverlings had returned; slick and shiny and many-eyed in the crystalline water. Another cracking spell filled the air, ice snapping and popping as it formed into another spike. This one felt weaker, somehow-- like it were far away, but it didn't stop it from working. It didn't stop it from punching through the water as if thrown by an invisible hand and spearing a silver fish on its tip.

Iceheart scrambled to get the weapon and fish out of the water again, hissing as the cold touched their frost-nipped fingers. "You can try again," they said as they went. "Sometimes you have to keep trying to figure out what you can do."

Another bleeding fish slapped the ice between them. They didn't seem to mind too much as they nudged it in Íllska's direction.

@Íllska

Ill

“Really loud footsteps.”

Ill nodded, moaning in annoyance as he stretched his head with a pang from his crown-spike-gem. His teeth closed around the fish, breaking flesh once more, but he held it there this time, flippers clawing aimlessly at the ice.

“What now? I'm full- I mean, I don’t need anymore food. I should go- Or stay?”

Now he tilted his head back and swallowed the two halves, hacking on it in an awkward coughing fit. He turned away from Iceheart, Ills paws testing the water, honing in on a fatty silverling.

“I'll try one more time.”

They noted, both to themselves, before splashing into the water in a spray of droplets once more. The chill was more intense this time, biting his skin- But in a good way. His jaws, once more, caught only water that stung his warm mouth more than it did his skin, pulling backwards with a hard swallow and a sputter, an annoyed growl.

"I don't even like fish.."

"speak" and think

My father is a disturbed man
His rage entered my soul
As I lay on the floor
In a pool of my own blood

@Iceheart

Iceheart tilted their head as Íllska snapped down the fish. "Why'd you eat it, then?" They asked. If he didn't even like fish, he might as well have said so sooner-- though, Iceheart wasn't sure what alternatives they had. Rabbits weren't exactly going to wander into his open mouth.

They grimaced back as ice-water doused their pelt. They shook themselves out, but that didn't make them any warmer-- no, they'd need to get into a nice, warm den for a while and rest it off. "Do you want to leave?" They asked, toneless but earnest. "You can go if you want to."

"My fingers are cold, and my-- everything is cold," they said. "What will you do if you go?"

@Íllska

Ill

So maybe Ill did like fish- Not that it mattered- annoyance dug at his throat as he flumped onto the snowy floor once more. His nose wrinkled as he sniffed it, his mouth closed after being open for far too long. He almost looked cute and innocent- Well, he did look cute and innocent. He wasn’t a very scary animal- Just big. The baby chub was more prominent now, as his head was stilted down and pitch black eyes stared up at Iceheart.

“Oh.. Not sure. Do you know where these tunnels lead? I could always stay here, I guess. I dont have to leave.”

Ill didn’t really want to leave now. Whiskers twitched as he heaved himself onto his fore-flippers again, his skin rolling with muscle and fat. His head swayed as her perched above Iceheart, looking down at her now, instead of up like he had been doing previously.

“Should I leave?”

Ill’s head turned towards the water. He liked the snow and the prick of the ice-cold water. It felt good. The question was more targeted at himself than the dragon- He wasn’t sure yet. Exploring was always good, but so was having a home- He could make a home here. Or maybe he could make a home somewhere else. Options, options.

"speak" and think

My father is a disturbed man
His rage entered my soul
As I lay on the floor
In a pool of my own blood

@Iceheart

Iceheart shook their head. They'd seen the tunnels carved into the cave walls but promptly ignored them: they had other things to do. "No, not really," she said. "I think the snow doesn't reach them. The one I saw was all... grey and blue." She shrugged, and pointed her muzzle towards tunnel B, which lead to Polaris (not that she knew).

"I don't know," they said, honestly. "But I'm cold and tired, so I have to be warm in my den now." This was pure instinct: Iceheart did not know about hypothermia or frostbite, or that they would simply die if they got too cold. They simply knew that when you're cold, you have to get warm.

They licked their forelimbs, trying to warm them. "I think I'll go and see it when I wake up," they said. "So maybe I'll see you there?"

Iceheart stood and shook the powder snow and frost off their white pelt. "I hope you find something you like."

@Íllska

Ill

“Yes, maybe..”

Ill rolled his shoulders in a similar fashion to earlier, a shrug of sorts once more. He would go that way, most likely, but it would be painfully slow- Maybe he could find some water to wallow in, and splash into the stream. He was deep in thought as the other spoke, bobbing his head in recognition.

“You as well- Goodbye, then, I suppose. Enjoy your ‘den’.”

Ill turned past Iceheart, slipping smoothly into the water with a plume of snow and water, cutting through the crystal clear liquid. It was frigid, just as Iceheart had said, but it felt like home. He thought about looking back once more, maybe just to say goodbye again, or wish them good night- But no, Ill would be on their own now. Ill liked it on their own.

(Exit Ill ig)

"speak" and think

My father is a disturbed man
His rage entered my soul
As I lay on the floor
In a pool of my own blood

@Iceheart

Iceheart watched Íllska slip into the water. They backed off with another sense of unease-- things did not belong in there, if you were to ask them, which presumably, you are. "Goodbye," they said hesitantly before turning and leaving for their den, trailing up the snowy plains.

They weren't very sure what to make of Ill. Something about them seemed off in some kind of vague sense. Iceheart didn't know how to put it into words-- it didn't seem like he'd done anything wrong, so why did they feel so... uneasy?

Maybe it didn't matter. Iceheart found their den-- a little burrow dug out on the mountainside, and plunged into it. The snow inside was hard but smooth like a cave floor, and the shelter from the wind made it surprisingly warm. They curled up into themselves and sighed, closing their eyes.

They'd explore when they wake up.

;;exit

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