Growing on the underside of one of the many rock slabs that jutted out from the steep walls of Orion, was a jagged dark blue chrysalis. Should a passerby try to look into the deep sea colored stone, they would see only darkness, for the creature within had reached its limits. The body was pressed so tightly against the inside of the chrysalis, it was a wonder that the thing had not shattered yet. As if the very thought were too much, a sudden crack chased the silence away, followed closely by a crash as the chrysalis's end dropped on to the stony floor. A ball of golden fur quickly succeeded the jagged end of blue stone, falling right into the pile of smaller, sharp pieces that the large piece had turned into. After that, everything went quiet again, as if nothing had ever happened in the first place.
For the just emerged Gembound though, something had very much just happened. His golden orbs snapped open, and immediately began flicking around. While his gaze soaked in everything in sight, his small, sandy hued frame began to notice how uncomfortable laying down was. Something poked and pricked at his side, eventually driving him to heave himself up, so that he lay on his belly with his paws stretched out in front of him. The insistent, painful little jabs moved to his soft underbelly though, which was worse than his side. With a deep breath, the young lion pushed himself to his paws, only to fall after a second of putting his weight on his thin, gangly legs. His shoulder, and up until now un"injured" side, crashed into the pile of chrysalis shards. The arousal of pain exploded the male's instincts into carrying his fall into a roll, so that he rolled right through the scattering of shards, and to a fairly empty patch of ground.
After a moment of reorienting himself, Faelan sat up with a grunt. Shards stuck out of his thick, honey colored coat all down the side he had fallen on. It appeared as if the newly emerged Gembound were dotted with a dozen gems, but after a quick shake, the majority of pieces fell away. Only a smooth, oval lump of stone remained, but it was not part of the chrysalis, at least not anymore. For the first time, but certainly not the last, the lion cub stared at the gem atop his right forepaw, and wondered why it was apart of him. A sudden noise distracted him though, causing his gaze and attention to jerk up away from his paw, and to the vast world around him. What had that been, he wondered silently, while his small round ears strained to catch the unknown noise again.
"Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, how I wonder where you are?"
There it was, the noise again, the lion cub thought as the voice floated faintly in to his strained ears. Slowly, his head and gaze followed the direction of his ears so that all of his senses were reaching out toward the noise. It seemed to be coming from somewhere on the other side of the rock slab that he had fallen from. Its base, connected to the slab he was standing on, apparently had more room to stand on if there was a voice coming from the other part of it. Before now, the newly Gembound had just assumed that everything that was out of sight, meant he couldn't get to it. Now, he knew better, or, at the very least, he knew someone else could get there, and they were close enough for him to hear.
Faelan took a single step forward out of curiosity, but he kept his ears strained to hear the voice. His tufted tail lashed to release some of the tension that the concentration was building in the cub. He really wanted to know who was there, but he really didn't want to leave everything he knew yet. It wasn't much, but it was his whole world right now.
Instinctively, the tawny youth's mind reached out with the rest of his senses, but unlike the others, it actually found something. It seemed small, but it was just on the other side of the slab, like he had thought. His curiosity to find out just what it was, and how he could sense it, drove Faelan forward. The first few steps were hesitant, out of caution and inexperience in walking, but he figured things out quickly enough, and was nearly speed walking by the time he rounded the slab. The small, golden-red figure sitting atop a rock came into view immediately after his turn, despite its size, and drew the young Gembound forward.
The unfamiliar scent of fur and flesh, so unlike that of the rock and dust he had known up until now, drew Faelan right up to the stranger. He stopped within a tail length of the other Gembound, abruptly dropped his haunches to sit down, and then proceeded to openly stare. At that moment, he had no idea he had a voice of his own. All he cared about was hearing the tiny creature again, and figuring out what it was.
Tags:
@Serendipity &
@Xerxes
Faelan watched the tiny creature with wide, curious eyes, his golden gaze dancing all over her lithe, russet frame. She exuded confidence, and a carefree attitude that he couldn't help but mimic. Without realizing it, the newly emerged Gembound began to grin while his tufted tail lashed back and forward in excitement at finding the other Gembound and getting the chance to meet her. Whenever she spoke up though, he had no response for her. With the same, wide, innocent eyes, he watched the hybrid blankly, though his grin did broaden when she planted her paws on her hips. It was very expressive, he liked it! He liked it so much, in fact, that he tried to do it.
The lion cub reared up on his back legs, grinning like a fool, and tried to stand on his back and plant his paws on his hips. Within seconds, he was tipping over like a falling log, and came crashing down on to his side. With no shards underneath him when he fell this time, he was able to roll right back on to his paws. His grin never faltered, and now, his tail was lashing so fast it practically spun nonstop behind him. Finally, with so much pent up excitement, he found his voice. The honey colored cub let out a short roar, before starting to hop from side to side in front of the liogoose. He went back and forth a few times before letting out a playful growl, and reaching out to bat at the other Gembound.
Faelan's unusually large paws caught the tiny hybrid right on to the side, gently cuffing her. The second after he touched her, the lion cub growled playfully and sprang away, before ducking into a pounce position. His butt wiggled in the air and he grinned at Serendipity, silently daring her to spring at him.
@Serendipity &
@Xerxes
The newly emerged Gembound watched with open delight as his playmate spun away from his hit, and then almost immediately sprang back on to her tiny paws to face him once more. The wiggling of her own rump signaled her upcoming pounce in some innate part of the lion cub, causing his muscles to tense the second her haunches bunched before her launch. Whatever impact he expected never came though. His bright gold eyes watched as the tiny Gembound flew through the air towards him, and then fell on the ground right next to him. A chortling laugh bubbled up from his chest, before being cut off by a deep, unfamiliar voice. As one, the two youngsters turned their heads to the stranger, but Faelan's reaction was far more surprised and awed than his playmate's.
The cub's golden orbs widened in wonderment each second that he looked at the dark stranger. Being so young, he didn't see the gauntness of the older lion, or the lackluster of his brilliant, shadowy mane. All he saw was a strong, regal looking creature that had the coolest freaking things on his head. Faelan openly stared at the deep red spirals that came out of the older Gembound's skull and curled behind his ears, over his mane. If it hadn't been for the liogoose speaking up again, the Gemling probably would have kept on staring. However, her voice, directed at the new arrival, finally made a connection for him. Somehow, the sounds were supposed to be made at each other, to communicate. As if they could hear his thoughts, both Gembounds turned to face him with expectant expressions on their faces.
Faelan scrunched up his face as he tried to remember what the other lion had said. Since he didn't know how to talk, it was difficult to recall what others said, but after the hybrid said the same word, he grabbed on to that at least. Parents. The word evoked nothing but a sense that it meant more than one something. And since he saw more than one other Gembound in front of him, he drew the easiest conclusion that he could.
"Parents? The lion cub asked the pair with a wide, friendly grin, looking back and forth between them innocently. He obviously assumed that they were his parents, since they were talking about them. Faelan had no way, yet, to explain how he had come into the world. In fact, he could barely recall his first moments of life. Since sensing the tiny hybrid, his life had become far too exciting to think about such confusing, painful things. It was almost as if he
@xerxes