ORIGIN - EMERGENCE

It was impossible to pinpoint the moment that instinct was triggered and she knew she must get out; a pure reaction, heralding her birth into a magic-driven world. Something was not quite right about the way her rough skin pressed against the nearly unyielding surface of her chrysalis. It's from this cage that she was destined to metamorphose by pure force, slowly chipping away at the hardened material (much like stone, though not quite the same) as hours pass. Her struggle is punctured by periods of exhaustion, regathering strength until she can forge ahead once more. Finally, a larger fragment falls away and her first true breath of air is sucked greedily into flared nostrils, devouring the damp cave air with the greediness that only a newborn can muster. Her eyes are too bleary to grasp much more than vague blotches of veiled color, and with a burst of strength granted by another deep gulp of air, the beast shoves her way into the world via the brunt of her armored shoulder. The world around her tilts, and a reluctant slurping crack rends the chrysalis into two enormous pieces, revealing the prone silhouette of the collapsed hybrid. Her chest heaves beneath her shell as she begins snuffling wetly in the darkness. Her mind scrambles to make sense of the world, but only a hoarse bray of confusion erupts from her leathery lips. The sound is lucky to have a few bellowing echoes before it is lost to the howl of wind below. Air rushes over her, and she trembles in the face of the overwhelming sensation, unable to gather her limbs beneath her and seek shelter further within the alcove of rock behind her. Strangely, it is not fright that grips her. It was an overload of sensory input assaulting her new body and awakened mind, enough to induce a paralysis so thorough that not even the shiver of magical warmth emanating from her core could shatter it.

ooc: this is not as grand as I wanted it, but I am running short on time tonight! forgive me!

With the aid of her loyal princess, the knight had returned to Monoceros. She had no sense of time, but a fear clung to her chest. The only thing she could imagine was being too late, coming to her nest to find only egg shells. Her limbs were slow, weak in their lack of use in the past. If it was not for Magdalena, she was afraid her limbs would have never healed, and that she would have never been able to return.

Yet as her large, granite form stepped into the place she had been born, the once rhinoceros was struck by a glorious sight. At her toes she felt the lick of hot wind brushing dust across the cracked plains, and in her deep, midnight-reflected gaze she saw an old friend. One who she thought was lost to the Fire, her kindred spirit.

The Wind had returned.

It was enough to draw tears to the trino's eyes, watching the cycle of wind twist up towards the ceiling. How long had the Wind been back? Had she missed the cyclones return? The noise roared in her ears and sent goosebumps across her skin. Excitement filled her and she broke into a run, if only for a few steps before the pain sent her staggering. Wincing, the massive beast stopped and nearly toppled over, but she turned her head towards Magdalena, a smile gracing her face.

"The wind," she practically sang, her voice scratchy but enthusiastic. "It has return home. If I believed in fate, I'd say it was a sign," her words escaped her throat with a cackle of laughter, her ears twitching and her tail swishing eagerly. "Come, Maggs, my den's just over here." Again, the beast began to hobble towards her crack in the wall. It was a ways down the cavern, as she loathed to be too far from where the wind had once and now was again dancing through the centre of Monoceros.

Nemesis was huffing and puffing for air as she reached her den, the smell so familiar to her hitting her senses. As she drew close, she had those prickling fears tickling the back of her throat, but she clung to the thought that if the Wind had returned, then she would not let even the absence of her child break her spirit. Not now.

The trinoceros spotted the cracked shell first, and despair crept up to her heart-- until a moment, faint in the back of the den, caught her eyes. Her navy eyes stared at the glimpse of a shade so similar glistening off of a shell, and she began to pour over the details. There was a small creature here-- how long it had been in her nest she had no clue-- one that was as bulky and awkward as her, if not more so.

She knew immediate it was hers, and although she had never had a mother nor a child of her own before this moment, she felt an intimate understanding for her place in this baby gembound's life. She reached her head in and cooed gently to the child, hoping that it could somehow recognize her as she had.

"Oh, love... Hello."

@Hestia

Magdalena had followed the rhino back to the room of Monoceros, eager to return to their veil of safety after having spent so long propped up in the tunnel connecting to Polaris. Before that, she had met with Louie and breathed life into the stone he had split off; it was a secret kept between them for only as long as it took her to return to the rhino, and then she informed her Fire of what had transpired between them. She didn't know where Louie intended to plant the two shards, but she had requested him to return to Monoceros on the advent of her and Nemesis' return. She only hoped that the fox would make his way back here; she would have to search him out every chance she got, and anticipate finding the final resting location of the two shards, where they would grow and blossom into two new creatures at the fox's disposal.

But she hadn't dwell much on it. She didn't speak much of it, either; there was little to speak of on the matter. Louie had made a request of her and she honored it, as loyally as a student would her teacher. Her mind lingered on it only when she found herself wondering where Louie would be, and then her attention would drift back to the room as they approached. It's whipping winds she could already feel as they drew near. She knew of the twister's return long before Nemesis had retired to the tunnel, and yet when they finally entered the room, she was met with the trinoceros' immense surprise and joy at experiencing it once more. Magdalena suffered a swell of guilt - how had she not managed to mention it? Perhaps she'd kept it secret so as to not sour Nemesis' mood, being unable to return home until she'd healed, or maybe it really had slipped Magdalena's mind this whole time.

In any case, the dog raised her head in the general direction and listened to her Fire's voice as she piped up about the wind. The joy in her voice caused the canine's slim black lips to curl up in a genuine smile - a rare occasion, and beautiful if ever it did occur. Her pleasure sparked a warmth in her heart that did not so often linger long, but in Nemesis' presence, it had a tendency to outlast every other emotion. It was strange, but Magdalena had long ago decided not to question it, only to relish it. Magdalena had even offered a small chuckle as she mentioned fate. I would believe that some entity crafted this coincidence just for you. If only she could read her mind; but so many words often left her lungs spent. She remained silent, cherishing the sound of her laughter instead.

Dutifully, Magdalena followed the sound of the trino's footsteps, weaving away from the twister and into the depth of the familiar cavern. The ground felt familiar, with its thin layer of dust that seemed omnipresent even despite the swirling winds in the heart of the room. It was a derelict sensation, as though the cave itself was a soul older than time, outlasting all that wandered among it; she felt embellished in its age, as though its ancientness had imparted some intangible wisdom on the dog. She toted it above everyone else. Those of Monoceros were older, wiser, better. She wondered if others had ever thought to find this feeling in the dirt like she did.

The canine lingered close behind Nemesis, keeping constant contact with the trino's shoulder by her own, until she had felt her companion lurch to a halt. Magdalena stopped as well, lifting her head and pressing her nose gently against the trino's neck. Then she felt more movement, advancing forward, and Magdalena stepped back. There was a new smell here. Magdalena's folded ears twitched, turning her head into the darkness of the den - her Fire's gentle voice confirmed her suspicions. The rumored youth she'd been told of. The child that Nemesis had vowed to raise. It was here, as promised; for now, her heart didn't stir, for she didn't know this creature. Not yet.

Beyond the incessant whistle of wind through stony halls, the small creature imagined she might have heard another sound. Her senses were already quite overwhelmed, but her fuzz-tipped ears twitch instinctively as the shuffling gait of another beast approaches. She immediately scrunches her wrinkly body even further, feeling the rough surface of the alcove's furthest wall against her gnarled skin, where it wasn't protected by the opalescent armor she wore. A tiny thrill of fear churns in her belly, but refuses to succumb to terror completely. Her eyes, wide with dread, stare into the vague darkness beyond the mouth of the den, wondering what the lumbering noises just beyond might herald. The gloom seems to shift, and a silhouette fills her vision. It would be familiar, if she knew what her own face looked like, but for the space of a few long moments, there was nothing remotely comforting about the horned, crystallized face that leered down at her with eyes that were the brightest things she had seen in the span of her short existence.

It was impossible to avoid their kinship, however. A slow, warm sensation of knowing bloomed at the little beast's core, visibly melting away the reluctance and fear. Hello, love. A cheerful squealing grunt erupts from between her leathery lips immediately, delighted by the sound of the voice that greeted her from the darkness. The tiny curves of her nostrils flare with excited grunts, blunt toes scrabbling as she tries to regain her footing instead of cowering in the shadows. But standing on all fours was difficult, and walking even more so, and there was much flailing of rotund baby limbs before she manages to lurch forward, practically throwing herself against Nemesis' face and chest. She had broken free of her magically induced stasis, and the remnants of the chrysalis were evidence enough that there was little else to hold her back from embracing the life she had been given (thanks, in part, to the rhinoceros that towered above her now). Family as defined by bonds of blood did not exist for the creatures of the caves, but that did not lessen the strength of the connection she had to her progenitor - her Enkindler.

It would seem that gravity was not in her favor, for after a moment of rubbing her small head against Nemesis' broad cheek, she slips sideways and brushes against an unexpectedly soft barrier. The newborn's head flings up, braying her surprise before realizing that the pale animal - Magdalena - is quite the opposite of a threat. With all four feet splayed flat against the rocky floor of the den, she stares at the pale dog inquisitively, before uttering a much softer grumbling hum. She has no idea what to do, and words were impossible. She couldn't even know what words really were; not yet. The world was a veritable mystery, beyond the two other animals in front of her and the den she had been born into.

@Magdalena @Nemesis

Nemesis watched the youth stumble forward, grunting and flailing and-- and then, the magic happened. The child bumped into her gently and she brushed her lips across the soft, delicate skin along the baby's face, chuffing hot air against her child. She was so real, so alive. The child slipped in the next moment, making more absolutely precious noises of mild confusion.

But the once-rhino could only stare at the beauty of her creation. Usually, she was absolute adverse to anything that resembled a rhino but not quite-- for a great while, it was a source of self loathing since her transformation-- yet the child before her was nothing but a magnificent gift that she could not tear her shimmering midnight gaze from.

The child was protected with a large, hard shell that seemed so much stronger than her own tough skin. Compared to her harsh, jagged orange firestone splattered between her eyes, the perfectly smooth oval of navy that adorned her shell seemed like a flawless jewel. Aside from her hard, useful shell, the child looked exactly as she had as a newborn. Cute, twitching ears and a nub where a horn would soon grow large and powerful. Pudgy cheeks and a big wide snout that was filled to the brim with expression.

"Are you alright?" She fretted to the little one splayed across the floor. "My tough little calf," she cooed, turning her head to Magdalena. She bumped her nose gently against the top of the dog's head affectionately, snuffling into her ear. "She looks just like me, Princess. I wish you could see her." That said, however, she lowered her snout down to the child, sniffing at her once more.

"My name is Nemesis," she explained softly, "I am Fire, and so to will you be Fire. This here is Magdalena." She nodded gently to the pretty ghost horse-dog that she was so absolutely in love with. Explaining what Maggs was, well, that was a bit more difficult. She figured that was enough information for the child for now as it was.

@Hestia

There was no possible way for her to read the child before her. She knew nothing about it - its name, its voice, its feelings. There was no history behind it that Magdalena could compare her current behavior to. There was no relations that Magdalena could reference. She was, effectively, left gasping for air in water that was too deep for her. Water that was the sudden arrival of an important new addition, and air being the proper way to conduct one's self in the face of another that will so inevitably steal the affections of her beloved. She was quiet, she was contemplative, listening to the quiet shuffling of the creature as Nemesis pushed herself into the den and cooed gently. She could hear the creature suddenly rise and the sound of thick hide rubbing against thick hide - a nuzzle, by now she knew it well. Magdalena could only observe (without her eyes; listen, feel, smell) from next to Nemesis when the creature suddenly stumbled forward.

Contact made Magdalena freeze. She didn't understand this context, only that there was sudden force, a sudden weight that was falling towards her. The dog braced her legs and tipped her head down instinctively, but she knew that this was no aggressive advance. Anyone else could have wrenched a snarl from her, or at least a frown, but she struggled to remain neutral towards the child's fleeting contact. When she was left splayed on the ground, Magdalena's nerves eased. She could hear the babe's breathing before her, what sounded uneven and choppy - maybe scared? - but alright. No trial on her life.

Nemesis' voice soothed her further. Magdalena turned her head slightly and listened, and she found herself smiling warmly towards the trino. Then came introductions, and Magdalena nodded slowly as her larger Fire spoke of their element and names. Magdalena wanted to exude some sensation of welcome, but it wasn't within her. At most she could speak gentle intones of warmth, but she didn't know how to do so sincerely. She couldn't negate the sensation that even if she did try to comfort the child, it would feel wrong. It would feel... fraud... contrived. She knew she would do nothing to harm the child, so why was it so difficult to picture herself receiving the child in genuine candor?

She loosed a small breath and craned her neck forward. Her nose probed for the feel of the child, searching for hide, or ear, or nose. When finally she found what she thought was her brow, Magdalena gently nudged it and smiled a second time. The bacteria she was so known for stirred within her lungs.

Post-Roll Edit:
It was but a simple exhale. A quiet breath rolling from between her teeth, entering the airspace around the child's head. Her bacteria would cause no harm to the child, she'd hope. Her intention was only to mark her. To know her. "You must be lovely, Little Fire." Magdalena hummed. She gave one more nudge to the babe's brow before she withdrew and reclined to her haunches, pressing her shoulder into Nemesis' leg.

@Hestia