ORIGIN

Hen hadn't been in her right mind since awakening after her injuries left her encased in topaz-glass. She in fact, simply, hadn't been home. Not away. Just, obeying. Obeying every order, every word, her Ra'Ma told her. The tiny girl had woken looking different, feeling different, but to her Ra'Ma, she'd become just another- albiet slightly more special- raptor spawnling. She ran the caves without knowing them, until one day, her arrival home with meat in tow, to feed her Ra'Ma, stirred something. A familiar scent, or perhaps, simply enough time having gone by, left Hen standing stupid in the tunnel's entrance. What was she doing?

I've lost my mind, she thought awkwardly. How did I get here? What was I doing just now? Ah, yes, feeding Ra'Ma. The tiny raptorid picked up again and carried the meat in her mouth to Ra'Ma's sleeping shape. I've missed you, Ra'Ma. The thought surprised her. Missed her? She'd been here the whole time! Where had Ra'Ma gone that she needed to be missed? I was the one who left for a while. I forgot myself. Well, time to reinvent yourself then, Ra'Hen! She turned away from her sleeping giant and looked around the tunnel's length questioningly. How does one reinvent themselves? Where do I start? Well, certainly, not standing here like some stupid child! Where do I go to find myself? I don't know the caves as well as Ra'Ma would like. If I leave on some adventure, I might get lost! And Ra'Ma might get angry. Then innocent gembounds could die by her wrath. Ra'Hen decided in that moment to settle down beside her sleeping mother and wait. Waiting seemed safe. I shall wait for myself to come to me. That will do just fine.

ooc: anyone is welcome to come meet the newly awoken Hen! Feel free to assume seeing her running about catching rats mindlessly in the weeks leading up to now. She's been revived for a while, but she only now seems to have woken up from a trance.

Cold. It was one of the two thoughts that ever voiced themselves within the kitten's mind. He hadn't felt warm in a few days, having been separated from the heater he'd hatched with. His form was gaunt and emaciated, bony and wiry as he crept through the tunnels of Origin, spider-like in his strange delicacy.

Every once in awhile, he'd slow, hesitate, wondering if he shouldn't go back to the shiny-cracked-cold place to look for the rust-colored-warm-maker. Then again, he had just as much chance of finding a new warm-maker by ambling from place to place, and so he travelled on, strange lemon-shaped eyes forever wide with curiosity.

It wasn't long before he heard footsteps, skittering to and fro. It seemed the cat didn't have a sense of alarm for such things, as he kept trudging along, bent and broken whiskers twitching as he entered a new tunnel.

The air felt heavy and thick, like the stuff in his egg, and the cat began to purr, a low comfortable rumble. Now all he needed was a warm maker! The kitten trotted on, rounding a bend - only to come to an abrupt halt at the site of not one, but two big things. And boy, did they look warm.

With a silent mimic of a meow, the kitten trundled closer, stopping very much in Hen's personal space, dry black nose inches from the raptor's beak, tea-green eyes staring at her happily. Warm. The purr that rumbled through his body intensified, seemingly unperturbed by the mutated Gembound's teeth and talons - and disregarding the massive sleeping beast.

@Hen

Oh, look, here comes something now! The chicken-raptor-babe looked up with bright eyes as the naked four-legged thing came trotting towards her. It made no attempts at veering away, and instead, came right up into her circle of warmth. The hen blinked, then again, before deciding it was of no consequence to let the naked thing curl up with her if it wished. In fact, she lifted a clawed wing as invitation for him. It? She mimicked the purring sound it made with a churr of her own, friendly and welcoming.

Certainly this was one of her biggest problems. Ra'Hen was so friendly, she couldn't turn away another gembound if it didn't seem to want to do her harm. The crawler-with-many-teeth had hurt her in ways she hoped she'd soon forget about, but this featherless four-legger was not bigger than her. He was tiny. She could easily eat him if he decided to try and hurt her, or her Ra'Ma.

"I am Ra'Hen. Skin thing can join Ra'Hen, if Skin thing wants to. Ra'Hen will not bite the Skin thing."

@Booker

The kitten blinked once, twice, before his eyes seemed to brighten - the only show of gratitude, as it seemed he hadn't yet learned how to mimic a smile - before he purred even louder, the sound strange and strangled, thin tail, sore from constantly dragging on the floor, moving to gently pat at one of Hen's strange feet. Ra'Hen. The cat nodded once, raising a paw to point at the chicken before making his "fingers" into the shape of a beak, as if to commit the name to memory.

Skin thing. That must be... him? Was that his name? "Skin thing" nodded again, pointing to himself and tapping at his own wrinkles and folds, hairless paw rasping against his chest. Introductions through with, the tiny kitten darted to curl up underneath the offered wing, reveling in the warmth, purring so loud it almost sounded as if he were choking - which was probably healthier than having no heartbeat, anyhow.

Eyes narrowing to content slits, Skin thing took a moment to rub his cheek along the inside of Ra'Hen's wing, silently claiming her as his own, in a way. She could take it as a simple act of affection, or, perhaps, she would see to the truth of the matter: she was a very effective heater, and the kitten liked to collect useful warmth-makers.

In fact, he was contemplating just what to barter with in exchange for the continued pleasant reprieve from the ever-present cold. A shiny? Food? The raptor looked plenty well-fed. A shiny it was... as soon as he could find one.

@Hen

Skin thing seemed to understand her, so she waited until he settled before resting a protective and cloaking wing over her new friend. He was cold. She opted to fluff her feathers out more, to warm him up faster. That would help Skin thing be not-cold. She was plenty warm. She had never been cold. Except, once, when she was stuck in her shell, when the water flooded her home. Her first home. Ra'Hen shivered at the faded memory and willed it away. She turned to look closer at the boney kitten under her wing. With gentle claws, she held his shoulder with those wing-digits and patted his skin gently.

"Skin-Thing can be Ra'Hen's new friend. Go find adventure together. Then, someday, Ra'Ma might like Skin-Thing too. Skin-Thing become Ra'Skin." She nodded matter-of-factly and tucked her wing closer to him. "Ra'Skin will find feathers then, not be Skin-Thing anymore. Be warm by Ra'Skin's own self. Still be near Ra'Hen though. Ra'Hen always be warmer. Ra'Hen is a Fire thing. Make big heat with feet. Ra'Skin will make heat with feet too. Then Ra'Skin be like Ra'Hen." The plan came together as solidly as the stone she sat upon. She didn't see anything wrong with it, nor did she for a moment consider that her new Skin-Thing might not agree with her plans for greatness.

@Booker

Hen

Götterdämmerung

Hen

Götterdämmerung

Hen