ORIGIN - Euphorbia viguieri

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The maw of mosses - this great living thing, populated as it was by dense plant life and all manner of small critters - was soon to be the home of yet another. High above, in the reaching canopy of one massive, ancient baobab tree, intertwined in the manner of a seed pod ready to drop, there was a shining red gem. Actually, it resembled an apple - but being both tear-shaped and far larger, of course. Who knows how long it had rested there, growing, ignoring the land below, but the chrysalis was nearly ready. The branches which held the stone were transverse like the arms of a new mother, cradling the heavy bottom of the gemstone casing as delicately as they could. The stone gave a shiver, rustling the great canopy surrounding it, and a flurry of leaves and detritus snapped away - littering the floor of Eridanus in a hale of bits and pieces.

Twenty four hours after the chrysalis began its spontaneous shivering, the surface has begun to splinter. Cracks have formed across most of the narrow point of the teardrop-shaped egg, while the heavy base remains intact. There isn't much time now - the trees can barely hold the egg aloft, let alone keep the contained creature safe, as the point of connection between the stone and the sturdy branch it is anchored to has become thinner and thinner. One last bout of trembling, and there is a mighty snap - the weighted branches fling up, relieved of the tension that the chrysalis has produced, and the red stone shell plummets to the forest floor below. It dives down and lands amid a cluster of ferns, bushes, vines, and various foreign plants; they catch the chrysalis, and when the dust settles, the gleam of the stone has been overshadowed by dust and leaf litter.

Macawi's travels had taken her far from Orion, and now here she was in the Maw of Mosses. It was far too hot and humid here for her liking, and she had no intention of staying for any length of time. But the sudden sound of branches and twigs snapping and then a thud as something large hit the ground caught her attention. She wound her way gracefully through the vines and trees and shrubs of Eridanus, knowing not of fear – only curiosity. What in the Cave had made that massive noise? She intended to find out.

She coughed a bit as she inhaled dust and dirt from the spot where the chrysalis lay, though it took a moment to realize that’s what it was, considering it was covered in plant matter. But the red gleam of the gem shone through, and the coyote wagged her tail in excitement. To be witness to another Gembound’s birth was an exciting thing. She sat down, tail still wagging, and waited…

@Kiady -- figured I'd join since no one had yet, and I didn't want you to be threading by yourself. :) Besides, Macawi made me. XD

The egg sat there, hidden among the debris, even as the coyote crept closer. Inside the chrysalis there was little change despite the collision with the ground, almost as if the being inside had not quite woken up yet. Or maybe it had been awake, for the briefest of moments, but the landing knocked it out again. Whichever occurred, the newborn (the not-yet-born, rather) was well protected behind the heavy stone carapace of the chrysalis.

The cracks which splintered across the thin sections had begun to deteriorate further. Eventually there would be no stone left to shelter the creature inside, except for the thick husk at the bottom of the tear-drop, that which sat embedded in the soil now, like a giant red seed. The egg rested for a time, but gravity pulled at the shards of stone, seemingly digging through the shell until the gembound's head - tucked neatly down against its clavicle - was exposed.

Eridanus was warm enough, humid enough, that the new creature did not notice its exposure. It was contented and warm, asleep without realizing that the shell had been worked away by physics and circumstance. And when she did wake up, it was a slow (almost deliberate, dramatic,) waking. Reaching with her forelimbs outward in a stretch, one paw mindlessly caught the stone and with a dull pop, another section of the shell was loosened. It slid off of the base and slumped in to the soil adjacent, and the sound made the baby jump.

She was wedged in to the ground by the base of the chrysalis, with her legs pinned tightly by stone. Once awakened, her eyes grew wide and her mind was overwhelmed by the stimuli of life; but she knew her legs were stuck, she didn't like that feeling, and mewled uselessly. Wiggling did not seem to free her - nor did placing her paws palm-side down upon the surrounding stone and pulling with all her might. With a defeated squeak, the creature began to cry.

Macawi watched with a patience she previously did not know she possessed as the cracks in the chrysalis formulated and built upon themselves. She inched ever closer to the red tear-drop shaped gem, sniffing at it and wondering what creature could be laying inside. But quickly, she yelped and jumped back as the gem began to fall away, revealing the tiny Gemling inside. The coyote creeped forward again and lifted up her front paws to place them against the side of the chrysalis so she could glance inside at the baby. She melted at its cuteness, then slowly pulled away to give it some room as it stretched and more of the chrysalis fell away. Then she came back again to look down on it.

It seemed to be having some… trouble. It was stuck. Macawi could tell when it wriggled a bit, and didn’t go anywhere, then it tried to pull itself up, and nothing happened. Then… it began to cry. The coyote’s ears fell back along her head and she whined a bit as she tried to think of what to do. She was afraid to pull it out by the scruff, in case she just hurt it more, but there didn’t seem to be anything else for it. Besides, they seemed to be roughly the same size, so she wasn’t sure she had the strength for it. She cooed to it a little, so it wouldn’t be frightened by her presence. “Hello, little one. Rather, not so little. Macawi is here. She will not leave you. No more crying now. Let Coyote think. There must be a way to get you out of there…”

@Kiady

She didn't want to wait, she didn't want to get any help - the creature wiggled and cried, just wanting out. But freedom would not be her's, not yet. The stone was snug across her hips and legs, and unless someone did something, she would never get out of there. She squeaked and squealed in protest, shoving against the stone and twisting herself as if that would help. The babe stopped when the coyote drifted closer, and peered at the strange animal with her eyes wide as saucers, following the canine with her full attention as it spoke.

"Maw-caw-hee," the child imitated, "Caw-hee!" Apparently that was the only thing she had connected with, and continued to chant the coyote's name while she wiggled, as if the invocation of that name (slurred and wrongly pronounced as it was) could summon a great well of strength from within her body.

Macawi smiled at the babe’s mispronunciation of her name, and then her brows furrowed in thought. Half of the creature’s body was out of the shell by now, and the rest seemed to be breaking apart slowly as it was. Maybe if she just… helped it along, it would crumble the rest of the way? “All right, little one,” she said to the babe, even if it didn’t understand her. “Caw-hee will get you out! Do not worry!”

She backed up, then backed up a bit more, and took a breath. This had the potential to hurt – a lot. But there was a baby in trouble! (Not that Macawi was much older than the creature, but she already thought rather highly of herself, taking it upon herself to ‘mother’ all things younger or smaller than her). She charged forward and threw her body at the chrysalis, and grinned through the pain that immediately affronted her when a dull cracking sound filled her ears. So, brute force worked! Good to know…

@Kiady

The coyote took a dash at the chrysalis, and when the body connected, Kiady gave a shriek of surprise; mildly entertained at first, but then worried, confused, because it sounded like the other animal was hurt. The chrysalis crumbled away from her hindquarters, freeing her enough to slip free - except for one foot, which was still snug within the stone, but a little awkward wiggling got that piece free too. The fossa tumbled face-first away from the stone and in to a cluster of shadows and plants. When she came to a stop, she popped her head out of the darkness, seeking her friend. But as soon as she spied the coyote a shyness overcame her, as if the ordeal with the chrysalis had not even happened. She retreated a step then, slumping against the soil.

((Typing on phone, so sorry for general crappiness of post or typos. Also, idk if you knew this so just fyi -- the "cracking sound" was the chrysalis breaking, not Macawi breaking. XD))

Macawi laughed when the creature came tumbling out of her red chrysalis, face first, landing in a pile of leaves and plants. The coyote laughed freely and easily and now was no exception when her new friend had come into the world so cutely. But when the fossa ducked down, backed away a bit, attempting to hide, Macawi hummed in thought. She had no concept of shyness. When she'd run into her Boar friend, she'd gone up to him eagerly. So this reaction the Gemling was having was... odd to her.

She took a step forward, then decided that was a bad idea, and stepped back again. Her tail wagged a bit, but more out of friendly concern than anything else... She gave another Humm, then laid down in the grass, trying to look less... scary, or whatever the other creature thought she was.

@Kiady

No sooner had Kiady flattened herself as much as possible, but she was lifting her head, trying to get a good look at the stranger before her. The stranger had planted themselves against the ground as well, but a bit further away. With her own face burrowed partially in to a pile of leaves and plant matter, Kiady would have to try harder if she was going to witness whatever it was the stranger was doing - except she was apprehensive, and only had the nerve to move her eyes at first.

Then, she caught the dull sound of the other creature's noises; she didn't know what humming was, however, the sound itself caught her attention. It pulled her head up, and even gave the baby enough confidence to take a waddle-step closer, only to trip on a root or something and flatten against the ground once more - except this time it wasn't on purpose. The wind was briefly blepped out of her.

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