ORIGIN - For a pocketful of mumbles (open)

Why Do We Always Seek Absolution

It's in the eyes; I can see you'll always be danger.

Lei's first memories were of joy and frustration. She didn't understand either emotion, or why they were happening-- all she knew was that she was, very emphatically, and she wanted to be, out there.

From the outside, this didn't look particularly special. A small stone-- slightly larger than a scrawny lioness cub would be-- by the waterfall, covered in the sort of quick-growing lichen that loved such damp and misty places, could be heard to have some scrabbling inside it, like claws against the damp innards of a shell. This was a Gembound's egg, and its content were scrabbling desperately to get out, eager to see the world and experience this thing that she knew was outside and wanted to play with, play in.

It was hard doing, this escape-- a stone shell was hard to deal with even if you had firm appendages, like a beak or hooves, but to a lioness with soft-barely formed claws, it was especially challenging. Scratching was slow progress, and she grew bored, smacking the shell with her paws eventually as the frustration surpassed any fledgling sense of patience she might've been born with. She wanted OUT, into the main world, NOW.

And, as if by the force of her wanting, her wish was granted. A particularly hard strike broke the shell all at once, and out came spilling a small, dark lioness, damp and wide-eyed and curious about this world that surrounded her.

And what a world it was. Loud, a cascade of water falling from the sky, overwhelming and glorious and wonderful. With this, her first sight of the world, Lei felt joy, unbelievably bright, exciting joy.

It was good to be alive.

RPGD

The lioness hummed a few notes of a song in her den. Her head was bent over a stone as she used her claw to scratch in words to the song. It was one of those rare times that she found her den completely empty and her time consumed by nothing. So, to fill the space this was what she found herself doing. A single blue flower lay sitting in front of her ear, in the usual fashion. It bobbed along with her head as she hummed the bars of the song.

Ah, it was the simple things in life that she loved. The song was finished and now she reached her paws out in a languid stretch to work out those muscles which had been cramped in the stillness of thought. Her sapphire gaze looked around her den. It felt so empty without her husband and children but no doubt they were out bonding. No matter, she'd prep it for there return by finding some things for their nest and having a large cave deer ready for them to munch on. No doubt they'd be hungry after whatever it was they were doing.

Makyna put the rock to one side and climbed swiftly down from her rock den. Her sharp eyes surveyed the land below and it was then that she saw the shape of a newborn. A little lion which always made her happy to find. A smile formed on her face as she wandered over to it, giving a chuff in greeting.

"Why, hello there! Welcome to Pisces, little one." The tawny feline purred to the fellow lion. Makyna lowered herself down on her belly, temporarily forgetting about the plans for her family as she welcomed this new life. "I am Makyna. Have you a name?"

---
@Lei
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6/10

"Talking looks like this!"
"Singing looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

Why Do We Always Seek Absolution

It's in the eyes; I can see you'll always be danger.

There was a song coming from somewhere; somewhere further away that Lei could see, which meant that it was almost a fantastical land to Lei. She raised her head to the noise, humming a few flat bars experimentally, but soon abandoned that particular activity in pursuit of wiggle-walking her way across the ground.

Walking wasn't as hard as it was cracked up to be, though it would be charitable to call what Lei was doing 'walking'-- it was more a sort of crawl across the ground, with occasional moments wherein she was standing on wobbly legs. When she fell forward, she wasn't particularly concerned-- just took up the crawl once more, delighted at the way the earth moved and sounded beneath her paws and belly, the way leaves crackled beneath big baby lion-cub feet. This was awesome.

It in this way that Lei discovered puddles. Wobble-walking forward, she managed to crash down in a little puddle of water, spraying droplets everywhere and soaking her underbelly. This new discovery made her squeal with delight and get back onto her wobbly feet, kicking the water to make the biggest splashes she could, until the shallow puddle was exhausted by her childish exuberance.

Which meant, of course, that she needed a new puddle.

So happy and delighted with this new world full of fun new things to interact with that she didn't notice an adult of her kind was approaching her until the other chuffed in greeting. Lei, who had been smashing a leaf with a paw, whirled around, unbalanced, fell over, and giggled in delight. The stranger was being welcoming, so Lei would be welcoming too. Upside down, she gave Makyna a big happy kitten smile, twitching her tail.

"I'm Lei." she answered happily, "Who're you? Were it you who were singing?"

RPGD

It had been a whole few days since they had hatched. They had met only two others and that was it. It wasn't enough for this curious little gembound. Paws pranced confidently over the floor, drawing her further into the cavern they seemed to be in. The waterfall still roared in their long ears and their ever curious emerald eyes searched all over. They could smell many scents in the area and they wanted to know who they belonged to.

As it seemed, it didn't take very long for them to find themselves stumbling upon someone new. And not just one! But two! Excitement curled all through her and her prancing picked up into a steady trot as she hurried to the two. The creatures looked similar. One was far bigger than them! The biggest they had ever seen at that point in their life.

"Hello!" They greeted without an ounce of hesitance. A broad grin was upon their features, pulling back their lips until their fangs were exposed in their grin. "Who is you guys!? I new. Is little thing new too?" They awed thoughtfully looking to the much smaller kitty that looked like they had been playing in water. Eagerly her dolphin like tail swayed about, showing their excitement at getting to meet new creatures.

"speech"
@Makyna @Lei

Oh weren't these little ones cute? The lioness gave a small giggle at her childish excitement. It was actually rather infective. Makyna's rear end raised into the air like a playful kitten while she batted at the baby's belly with one gentle and playful paw. "Makyna! Makyna! Makyna!" She repeated as she tickled her belly. Even though she was giving out the tickles she laughed as well. Then, she stopped tickling so that the little one could hopefully catch her breath. "Yes it was. I'm a Songcat and so, I sing." That was usually a trait of their family, some sort of musical talent though she'd never heard Sonata or Baroque give their talents.

Makyna's ears twitched to the side towards a new sound, there was some sort of fish creature. A canine with the theme of a dolphin... hmm... It reminded her of Eeya. Was this one of his children? "Why yes. You both seem about the same age to me." Makyna grinned at them and turned her attention back to Lei. "Well little one, I am Makyna and this is Lei. What is your name?" She eyed the creature again, looking her up and down with her kind eyes. "You remind me very much of a dear dolphin friend of mine." Well, they weren't exactly dear friends but it always seemed to make Eeya happy when he was referred to that way.

234
@Lei @Maya
---
6/10

"Talking looks like this!"
"Singing looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

Why Do We Always Seek Absolution

It's in the eyes; I can see you'll always be danger.

Tickling was new, and Lei shrieked with delight at the weird sensation it brought, giggling in that loud small-child way. She was all smiles when she caught her breath, and wiggled her paws in the air. "Hi," she said to Makyna, which was her child's version of nice-to-meet-you-- hi and a big smile.

Maya's appearance drew yet more wiggling, but this more purposeful; Lei managed, somewhere between flailing-turtle and one-day-will-be-an-actual-graceful-cat-but-we're-not-there-yet sort of movements, to twist herself in the right direction, and then she was back up on her feet and ambling towards Maya, eager to investigate a new stranger. Makyna had also introduced her, so she didn't need to do that, but she did giggle and imitate the smile that Maya was doing, so that her own little kitten teeth were showing. "Hi," she told Maya as well. "I am new, yes. Fresh. I had a shell. It's over there." she waved a paw vaguely in the direction from which she had come, though she didn't seem to be too concerned with specifics.

"I'm a lion." with an air of solemnity like she was divulging some great secret. "And so is Makyna I think. Also, Makyna is a Songcat so she sings."

A+ student right here.

@Makyna
@Maya

RPGD

Maya shifted, her long ears poised up straight as they listened to the bigger feline. Her name came to be Makyna. For some reason it felt...mildly familiar. As if they had heard wind of it before, but it was just a silly thought. There was no way they knew of the feline before them. Her grin spread more when the kitten came over and spoke of what they were. Lions it seemed and Maya looked between the two of them with the utmost curiosity. Upon hearing Makyna was a songcat, Maya turned her gaze towards the bigger lioness once again. "Sing?" They questioned for a moment, not sure if they knew what exactly that was. Her attention was pulled away when Makyna's next words filled their ears.

A dolphin friend. Yes! Yes their brother was a dolphin! Her smile grew ten times bigger and her little tail began to wag about again. "Eeeeeya! Eeeeeeyaa is my brother! I know him. Have known him. I hatched in the water. He was there. He helped me figure out to swim," They spoke excitedly with words that probably should have been foreign to her. No matter how she knew him, she always felt a warmth of love wash through her when she thought about the dolphin. As if there was an old long time affection for the creature. They knew right away the dolphin was their brother even if they did just hatch.

Maya gave several nods of confirmation to their own words before beaming with pride as they plopped down on her haunches and grinned once more. "I am Maya! Brother says I am part fox and part Dolphin!" They introduced themselves proudly, lifting a tiny cub paw to their chest as if to give a formal bow.

"speech"
OOC: @Makyna

The lioness nodded her head at the dolphin-creature's question. As if to give an example of what exactly singing was the lioness gave a quick four note run in a bright tone. "That's singing." She said with a grin to the children.

It was no surprise that Eeya had taught this little one how to swim and taken her in. That resemblance was uncanny though... She wondered if this one had something to do with the dolphin's brief period of depression. Perhaps but she didn't know the whole story. In any case it probably wasn't any of her business, he seemed just fine now anyway. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Maya. " The lioness dipped her own head down in a sort of bow to mirror the dolphin-fox's own gesture. Then, to Lei she said, "That is exactly right. We are both lions. We are both the same." For the most part, anyway.

Makyna leaned back and sat on her haunches then, raising one paw to gesture around the room. "Do you know what this place is that you've both hatched in?" It might have been rhetorical for Lei since she was just born but perhaps Eeya had imparted some knowledge of Pisces and Maji Walezi onto Maya.

208
@Lei @Maya
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6/10

"Talking looks like this!"
"Singing looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

Lei had no idea what either a fox or a dolphin was, but having recently learned what a Maya was, she resolved to think that Mayas were awesome creatures and therefore if she was a fox or a dolphin those must be pretty alright too. Maybe not as much as lions, of course, but that's because lions were awesome. It did strike her interesting that Maya said she was two things, and her eyes got big and excited. "You can be /two things/? At once?" This was a whole new world of opportunity to Lei-- to be many things at once was a fascinating prospect that she'd never considered. She'd have to consider this further, explore this further.

But Makyna was speaking, and Lei was quickly coming to regard Makyna as something of a role-model. she puffed up her chest and hummed out a few bars in response to Makyna-- discordant, not really music so much enthusiastic noise, but it was the thought that counted. Then, parroting Makyna's politeness, she nodded to Maya and said, somewhat gravely for her bright childish atmosphere, "Pleased to meet you." Then she was all smiles again, politeness taken care of, wriggling in her place. Makyna's question invited her to look around with big eyes, excited and curious. "No! What is here?"

@maya @makyna
((Sorry if anyone gets tagged twice-- i realized i'd been using the tagging system wrong, so i went through all my threads and redid the tag so it would notify people if it hadn't the first time.))

Image by Banshee/xx-Starry@DA; Table by me; Pattern from Dinpattern.com

The bigger lioness' question caused Maya to tilt their head to the side before they turned their gaze away to search and study their surroundings. Lei spoke after Makyna and Maya found herself listening closely. They grinned brightly at the small lion cub and began swishing their tail back and forth. "I guess so! I mean. I don't think regular foxes have tails like these!" They yipped excitedly as they instantly spun around and waved their dolphin like tail at the lion cub. Finally they turned their attention to the bigger lioness and slowly shook their head. "Brother said his friends lived here. Something about...uh....Don't...remember how to say it." Maya scrunched their nose up as they tried to decide how it was that Eeya described the place. Of course, Maya had yet to be able to easily translate dolphin language to land critter language, even if it did seemingly come off natural to them.

"Speech"'Thoughts'

Tags: @Makyna @Lei Notes: Smol post is smol sorry