ORIGIN

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Underneath the great Spire lay a beautiful sugilite geode, tucked in near a few other assorted rocks and stones. Never had this stone moved since the lighting of the cave, but slowly it seem to grow; as if something grew inside? Til now, but the shake was so subtle. What could be going on inside? Swirling shapes, dancing figures and dazzling images kept the mind of a tiny one settled and calm in their stone shell. From the outside, the stone's movement might have been overlooked, since whoever lay inside didn't seem to be ready just yet to wake up from their pleasant slumber. After all, it must be so quite inside, only having to dream and not worry about the life outside in the cave.

Still the dancing of lights continued for the little one, swirling in their mind. At least, for the moment but the lights had dimmed over time. It wasn't to obvious to the one who slept, but now the dreams that kept them calm weren't as often or vibrant. No more . . ? The geode would shiver again. This all must have been going on for the corse of a few hours.

Inside the stone, the dreams and sweet images would finale fade away. Only silence and darkness, nothing more. . . . One would think this would cause the one inside to stir more, but it only caused her to go still. Possibly trying to understand what has happened to her dreams, possibly to scared to try and find more dreams. For now the chrysalis would stay still, the one beneath the shell trying to understand the darkness.

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"speech"
Thinking

OOC: This is her opening post, Penelope is a little shy.

HELLO? IT'S ME.
I'M JUST A LITTLE PRIMATE.

      Howl had been around for just a few days now, but he liked to refer to them as 'wake-ups'. It was easier to count that way. There was no cycle of day or night in the caves, so sleeping was how he kept track of the passage. After meeting his mommy, Diamondfang and getting the name of Quickclaw, the little ape had scampered off to explore. It was a good thing that Gembound were born with the ability to provide for themselves if needed, because he already had to run away from an angry pack of cave rats. Shuddering at the memory, he continued to creep among the rocks, lone pink eye glimmering in the dim light.

He'd found himself wandering across a tunnel of faces, the shiny blue room, a tunnel of green, (where he'd found himself a delicious meal of bugs and leaves!) and now he was here. It was a room of bright blue and lots of shiny crystals. Howl was compelled to take at least one home to give to his mommy. There was a skyscraper of a shiny blue stone, spiraling upwards to the ceiling and pulsing with magicka. A dense fog of magicka crackled in the air, almost suffocating.

Pale paws pitter-pattering on the cool stone floor, the boy's gaze fell upon an especially pretty rock. It was a geode, so it was a little rocky-looking, but he just knew that the inside would be beautiful! Now, if he could just chip off a piece of it. But he'd have to be stealthy. The flat and slightly bumpy scapolite upon his left shoulder (which he still had yet to notice, somehow) glimmered with pink-ish red magic, and the rich russet tones of the creature dulled to a muted brown tone, so that he could easily blend in with the stone. Lowering himself to the floor and clinging to the shadows cast by lightbulbs, Howl snuck up on the chrysalis. Pant-hooting in anticipation, the child stopped, gazing upon the stone.

Suddenly, he leaped up and launched himself at it, landing on the side and gripping it with his thin fingers. Yes... now he just had to chisel a small piece of it off to take home. Just a little!

It'd be difficult with his dull fingernails... and he was just scrabbling uselessly at the shell. Of course, he didn't know that everything that moved in the caves came out of pretty rocks like this one.

The tiny white bundle of feathers was still somewhat wary of leaving 'home' - which was no more than the shattered white-blue chrysalis she had emerged from. Her father had said it had been dangerous at times before, but today White decided to walk around. Black wasn't around - but she knew that he was generally lurking somewhere.

It hadn't occurred to her how creepy it was, yet.

She hadn't seen much of Polaris yet - but she knew where the Spire was. Everybody did - in fact, it was hard to miss it. As she made her way, half-sleepily, to the glowing blue rocks, she could have sworn she heard the sound of someone else walking - but upon looking around, she heard nothing. It was fine. It was probably dad.

She sat down in front of the Spire contentedly, only to sink down to her belly. She could have fallen asleep right then and there, in front of the comforting blue lights, if another sound didn't catch her attention.

A soft scratching sounded from near by. She stood up, talons scraping against the ground loudly, half-paralyzed as she stared at the base of the spire. She wasn't sure what to do - if she were to run away or get closer.

After her curiosity got the best of her, White slowly hobbled towards the right, and then closer to the Spire. She couldn't see anything - just a bunch of rocks. She looked behind her, then to the left, then to the right, then back at the spire.

She shuddered and sat back down, staring at the rocks as they continued to scratch seemingly amongst themselves.

Silently the beast watched from above. Onyx fur ruffling as he crouched on his hind legs upon the ledge he had laid claim to on the spire. Elbows rested against his thighs as his taloned paws grippeed at the spire to keep him balanced while he leaned over to see. Amber gems glimmered with dark curiosity as the scent of new creatures came to his senses. First, a monkey that had unusual features pounced at a gem near the spire's base. It began to scratch and work on the gem and Damian mused over the fact that just maybe he was trying to take the stone for himself. A smirk curled across his features, but before he had time to drift down towards the monkey a flash of white caught his gaze.

HIs attention instantly pulled over to the second new creature. Covered in white fur...and feathers? A brow shifted, lifting up in his confusion as he studied this creature. She was half canine...and half bird. Such a strange thing, but Damian had to admit it was not unappealing. She soon moved, hearing the ever scratching of the monkey that was not far from her own location.

His thoughts were trailed off as he finally decided to descend and greet the young ones. Or at least he assumed they were babies just by the fact that they were not very big. sanguine wings outstretched and he pushed himself from the ledge. Paws landed heavily on the ground as he situated himself half way between the two hybrids. First he glanced to the white hybrid before glancing towards the monkey. "Stealing something from the spire, little monkey, could prove unwise in the end..." He chuckled darkly, lowering himself to crouch and place his pawed hands against the ground. It wasn't that he knew if that were true or not, but what better did the monkey know? Damian was just trying to give him a bit of a scare for trying to take something. There was no telling if that gem belonged to something growing inside of it or not, but Damian really didn't care in the least. Outwardly he didn't care anyway.



"Speech" 'Thoughts'

Words:368
Tags: @Penelope @White @Howl
OoC: boop. have a shitty dami post.

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All was silent inside the stone, all was calm, and all until a tapping came upon her front door. Something scratched, causing light tares to the pause from her dears. The noise wasn't pleasant, it was actually very upsetting and cause her to stir where she slept. Make it stop. The young one who was inside was unable to notice others beside the one trying to break in. What was going on . . . outside from where she lay; why did the pretty lights and sounds end and these annoying ones begin? Deep from within the chrysalis, a glow could begin. Not bright enough to shine through the shell but enough for the one inside to take notice.

The glow was different from the other lights they saw in their slumber, for this one was coming from her. Trying to focus on her own light; something else came into view. Whatever it was, it was hard to make out. Something with round ears and long tail? Yet, before she could better understand the image in her mind, it had faded away. What was that? Her stone would shiver again, almost as if a reaction to her curiosity about the manage.

The spot that was being scratched at would crack lightly, revealing the shimmering gift beneath the shell of the geode. Though, something else shared the space with the gem and more shell would need to come off for the one inside to be set free.

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"speech"
Thinking

OOC: Whose that knocking on her door? Also, sorry it for being short, will have her hatch by the next post.

H E L L O !

      Even after the great canine behind him rumbled, the primate continued to scratch away at the stone, curiousity driving him on and on. Bi-colored eyes glinting with delight, he began to scrabble at the stone with both of his pale paws. But suddenly, the rock shuddered. That was odd. Rocks didn't just move like that! Of course, Howl was in the mindset that only he came out of a pretty rock. Everyone else was just there. That's how he liked it!

But he was wrong. A little chunk of rock fell away, revealing the gleaming treasure that he sought. It was painted a vibrant fuschia. He liked a it a lot... and it would be his! So the little ape pulled and pulled!

But nothing happened. The little baby pouted in a way that even for his horrifically cute appearance, it would literally break your heart in two.

White forgot all about the scratching and the pretty, purple stone as she heard a light thump behind her. The first word she managed to croak out, bird-like, was "Dad?!"

It was clear that she wasn't calling Damian her father - the pup's eyes went wide as she scrambled back. The creature standing there was similar to her, in a way - long shaggy, black fur with wings, but the wings didn't look like the fluffy appendages spouting from her own shoulders.

In fact, this thing had no feathers at all. For the first time in her little life, White had found someone she didn't want to approach at all - she didn't want to be friends with this thing. Instead she wanted to run away.

She looked left and she looked right with a soft croak calling for her father again as she continued to stumble back, half-tripping over her own bird feet.

He'd been lurking, hidden in the shadows (quite literally) near White--as always.

He hadn't intended to interfere, not yet. There were many menacing-looking creatures in the caves, but that didn't make them necessarily a threat, and Damian--despite his hulking, predatory form--had not yet shown a sign of aggression.

Still, White was his little angel, and she was calling for her dad. Not even the stoic mastiff would ignore the calls. He wanted her to know she was safe, guarded; yet he wanted her to learn her own way in the world, without him to leap out to save her--even if he was, and would be forever.

So instead of jumping out himself, coming to her side and reassuring her, he called on the shadows all around them, gathering them up like a cloak. What stepped forth from the darkness wasn't a physical hound, then, but a shivering shade, a shadow that resembled a huge black dog but which held no substance. It was as void, an absence of light, which strode forward in utter silence and came to the side of the pristine white dog, then seemed to sit, fading down onto the ground until it was as if a shadow of some massive invisible hound. If the hound were visible, if it existed, it would be facing Damian; but it was nothing, a wisp of thin air.

There: she would know his presence, then. Know he was close by, and make it known that she was guarded, without truly interfering. Well--not too much.

And anyway, half his attention was on the hatching Gembound. He was curious as to what was inside--and wanting to know who, if anyone, would help it hatch. He himself, however, made no move to: he was an observer, for now, and nothing more.

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There was commotion going on outside of her little shell of a world, perking the little ones interest for sure. But is it safe? Another shutter came from the rock as the one inside wiggled once more. This time, she was able to manage another crack in the surface, letting in more light. Light, that is what she was wanting now. To see more besides the darkness that has come into her little world. The dreams were over, and maybe it was about time for her to wake up? Soon a little foot would poke out of the shell, dropping some of the pieces of the pretty purple rock to the side.

The rock egg rolled a bit, causing the one who clung to the surface to move to the side as something began to tumble it's way out of the egg. The anticipation must have been long, since for her it felt like forever fighting to get out.

But all was done, on the floor before whoever was present lay a small little child. Covered in stripes and spots, a strangely long nose and a gem the same color as her rock home grew from her forehead in three places. So bright. Struggling to stand, the child blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the brightness of the room. Not yet aware she had a audience to her arrival.

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"speech"
Thinking

OOC: and she is freeee