ORIGIN

Constantly digging, shuffling; above, light was beginning to filter in through the pile of bones. They could see it, their eyes narrowed to slits, their pupils mere pinpricks against the sudden unprecedented light. Light. That was new. Something else tried to help - they heard a stamp but felt no blast of magic, only a pained whinny, and the thing digging continued to dig. They feared. But their desire for freedom overwhelmed their apprehension. The thing digging would soon find shards of shattered amethyst among the bones, and then tufts of grimy, filthy purple fur - they were so close, a raspy breath rattled through the bones as their cage was flushed with fresh air (as fresh as the air in Canis could be). So close.

Before they knew it, the thing had scattered the bones above and reached down, grabbing at it with its massive maw. No, one of - they were yanked up out of the bone pile, their sanctuary, their prison, away from the chrysalis in which they had laid dormant for so many years. Their eyes widened and what they saw was merely a blur, their lungs rattling with strangled breaths, struggling - but they couldn't resist, at least not for long, dragging limp down the pile until they were on the ground and exposed and the air - the air stung them, the light burned their many eyes, the five vivid green eyes embedded in the forefront of their skull. Slit pupils nigh invisible against the green of their iris, the colour of poison, fear. Light. Bodies.

Their heart thrummed deafening inside their chest. The panic that caused her to call out for help had subsided into fear of punishment, for the first time revealing her face to the bone room; a gnarled and slender jaw once so terribly broken that it was natural for her to hang it ajar, toxic tongue lolling from between her teeth. Her four limbs were mangled, bones grown horribly wrong; the humerus too short, radius and ulna so wickedly long that she swayed. Her hind legs were even worse, deformed by the blackened spines that mutated from her fibulas - what burst forth from her pelvis prevented her from even moving them. Alas, this creature had been a failure. A creation gone wrong. Merely an experiment to pave the way for something faster and stronger - better.

But now she lived again.

Hiding in her chrysalis had done little to repair what she'd been born with, but at least she could breathe, she could speak again. Writhing free from the cerberus' grip, the creature clamored on the ground before pushing herself up with her stilt-like forelegs. Long, greasy hair tinged with green hung from her gangly neck and her head wavered as though it were a thousand pounds. She turned her five eyes to him, aghast at what she saw.

"What... manner... of fiend... are you...?" The creature gasped through pained breaths, raspy, witchy voice crackling as it broke through an eternity of disuse.

Giggle had been digging alongside Kerberos, and a he pulled the strange creature out, she was seized with sudden misgiving. That color... it isn't right.

A moment later a multi-eyed, black-spined thing lay on the ground before them, and the hyena muttered softly, totally shocked.

"What in the twenty-seven caves of hell is that...?" Blinking, she then leaned conspiratorially toward the others, adding--in a whisper--"I don't actually know how many caves there are."

Then she stepped forward, clearing her throat roughly; if Kerberos had asked her to help, well... she had to put on the front, even if she had no idea what she could do. She glanced briefly at the others, gathered herself, and tried to look confident as she spoke. In truth, her heart raced, worry consuming her that this strange and alien beast might be the death of them.

...Of course, it didn't look like it could move, much.

"Ah. I am Giggle. Welcome...? Are you all right, do you need help?"

Upon uttering these words a brief twitch of maternal instinct took her, and the mass of spikes and sickly-colored multiple eyes couldn't put her off leaning nearer to the thing and trying to sniff it briefly over, concerned that it was injured in some way.

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Roll the bones.

Bones stared at the hellspawn that Kerberos and Giggle managed to unearth. For a moment, he was terrified. It reminded him of the girl-wolf he'd met in Pisces (who was also quite terrifying - in fact girls are stupid and scary for all he cared) only it had too many eyes.

Regardless though, the injured dog got a littler closer to it, neck craned out. "Hi," he said, and then decided then and there that this creature was completely safe, moving to deliver it a lick to it's... entire mouth.

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As a proven regularity of the Origin caves, everything moved at a pace much faster than the filly could anticipate. In some ways, she was thankful for it. It simply meant that no one would notice her horrid failure yet by that same token, gave her the opportunity to observe from afar all that transpired. She watched with interest as Kerberos continued digging through the pile of bone and rubbish before finally succeeding in his attempts to unearth what lay within. And indeed, they lived in a world of wonders.

Where others would have repulsed at the unseemly sight of what could not be, Delphine was ever the more intrigued. How strange that the creature should have so many eyes or look the way it did. Her head tilted to one side, pain forgotten in the spark of intrigue that unfurled from within. She opted for silence as the Gembounds greeted the creature with equal times slobber and fascination. Had it been in her nature, she imagined she would have done the same. A small smile tugged fondly along her lips; Kerberos was a sight to see, lathering the beast with all three heads. Her ears perked and her attention was won over upon hearing a voice drift through the lull.

"Kerberos is not a fiend." Delphine added courageously, her voice rising above the din. She was a stranger here but it hardly meant she intended to shy away. "He's a three-headed creature as you are one of many eyes." It was not reprove which she sought but a basic statement of facts. Here in this place, strangeness was the norm and in a way, Delphine felt almost lacking for it. She who bore no particular traits and in fact, had found specimens not unlike herself. Her attention wavered.

With effort, the filly wobbled and shook to a stand. A sharp intake of air was the only indication that she'd been hurt and in turn, her one leg lifted to avoid applying pressure where it would not be had.

"Who are you?" Delphine inquired amicably.

Giggle blinked at the Lorekeeper. She'd given her name already, so--perhaps that wasn't what the strange creature was after?

She stepped back to give the crowded stranger more space, sitting quietly down and glancing over the others as if to ask for help. Then she looked back to the Lorekeeper, clearing her throat, gathering herself. She had to speak with confidence, friendly, an ambassador; the stranger had looked to her, after all.

"Ahh..." she began. Well, no, that wasn't dignified at all. She was meant to represent everyone here! Damn it. She immediately tried again.
"I am Giggle, seer of the Bonebound; I live at my bone pit nearer to the walls, and... many of those are I consider my children," she finished, brow furrowing a little. It was hardly an impressive list of titles, but she was trying to explain who she was.

"I am a hyena," she added helpfully. "Is there any aid we can give? Food, warmth? ...If you have no name, then what should we call you?"

She remained polite, curious, despite her eyes roving briefly over the spines and eyes and crippled legs in wonder.

Just what is she...?

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ROLL THE BONES