ORIGIN

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While Tal'at was excited, Eve felt nothing but dread.

She didn't mention it. Her violent trembling was enough to show that she was afraid of whatever was going to emerge from the chrysalis. Some part of her, upon realising it needed help, told her to leave it there. The Void's words never left her head - inside there was a dangerous weapon. Too dangerous.

But she couldn't do that to her own child.

The crow took in a deep breath, pressing her beak against Czernobog's ear and then Tal'at's head in turn, before she flew down to the marshy ground near the egg, observing it for a good few moments. Inky-black feathers were still pressed tightly to her frail form, the creature appearing horribly thin - borderline underweight.

She hobbled close to the chrysalis, resting her tiny forehead against it for a moment before she pulled away and began pecking at it, gently, at first - she didn't want to hurt the creature inside. Then, almost frantically, cracking the surface of the smooth onyx, trying to aid it.

She had eventually managed to create a dent in the rock before she turned and flew back to assume hat position on the boar's head, watching the chrysalis with wide eyes. She glanced at Tal'at, briefly, quiet. "I'm scared," she murmured.

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The crowdog within his chrysalis struggled, kicking and scratching at the stone. What had been dark, comforting warmth was fading into fear, a strange sense of being trapped--though it didn't become overpowering, didn't become terrifyingly claustrophobic. The feeling that the darkness was safe still remained, but some primal instinct in him did feel pinned down.

Another darkness, this slightly darker than the black stone and the dim world beyond, was suddenly fluttering just beyond his prison-home. He could see it move, hear the rapid tap-tap-tap and ominous scraping, and the muffled sound of voices. For a moment he went still, both curious and afraid; then it was gone, and he could feel the faint thread of cool air where the stone had cracked.

What should he do? He suddenly didn't feel quite so trapped, and even worse, felt reluctant to move, to betray his position to whatever was outside. The stone, at least, was safe--and there was strangeness out there. Strangers.

But nothing clawed further at his egg, nothing bit or roared or breathed fire, so after a moment his curiosity got the better of him, and he began to more quietly press at the rock.

There was a quiet crack, and another, and a shard eventually fell away. He still couldn't clamber all the way out, but it was enough to stick a black puppy face slowly, tentatively, through the hole he'd made. Enough to peer out, to blink blue-eyed at the world around him.

The first thing he noticed was that it was dark, and he liked that. The second was that it smelled bad, and he liked that too; he wanted to go stick his nose in it all. There were shapes moving, but his eyes hadn't adjusted yet, so he abruptly pulled back into the egg.

He wasn't sure of words, yet, so his question--his way of asking who and what they were, and if they were friends--instead came as a soft, keening whimper from his place hidden away within the broken onyx chrysalis.

{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

The cub was talking again, in the strange tongue-speech all of the inhabitants of the Caves seemed to use. Zephyr. Sorry. Scaring. Harm. Chrysalis. Rashly. Czernobog snorted, eyes narrowing in confusion, widening again when the stranger turned to him and... bowed? The boar huffed, straightening, ears perking forward to listen. Apologize. Alarm. Mistaken. Wounded. His maw opened to answer slowly, careful of the bat on his snout, but Tal'at broke in before he could, and just as quickly the monster's jaws slipped shut. Child. Hatching.

Black-brown eyes widened in glee, and Czernobog turned on the spot, peering down at the egg once again, tail wagging furiously. Bog. Protect. Rot. Child. The boar nodded softly, chest puffing up with pride - he would protect Tiny, and Hat, and Dragon, and this new Hat too. Speaking of, his Hat touched his ear with her beak, diving to the ground below, and he wiggled, almost vibrating with excitement. She was beating at the surface now, trying to help the babe inside free - and he remembered, vaguely, how Dragon had sung to him.

A hum started up in Czernobog's throat, and soon it became a strange, rumbling sort of melody - loud enough that he missed Eve's whisper to Tal'at when she returned to perch on the boar's head. Said pig began to sway on the spot, watching, riveted, as the baby broke out of its chrysalis, and tumbled into the misty world. It was... a pup. And a hat? A pup-hat. A pup-bird. It was also really cute, and the boar couldn't contain an ecstatic little squeal, stepping forward to duck his head, momentarily forgetting about his passengers to snuffle at the babe. "Baaaaaaaby," he greeted.

@Oliver @Eve @Talat