ORIGIN - A new life, a new reality [m]

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Thoughts appeared as slowly this one entered another moment of awareness. This state was difficult to describe except for the absence of information flooding into his mind and the constant droning noise in the background. There was no light and this one had no concept of its existence except what had been taught to him in his dreams. The droning continued on.

This time, however, consciousness stayed for much longer than ever before. Feelings of discomfort overwhelmed previously dormant nerves. Time was running out, though, he wasn't entirely sure why. He didn't want the end to come, there was still so much to learn.

A soft bump shook the entirety of existence and the droning changed pitch for just a split second. It wasn't enough to shatter reality but the thud was enough to bring his... to bring Zeno's mind into full awareness. This wouldn't be the end, something told him that there was more to discover if he would only just take hold of the form he found himself in and broke the confines of his world.

Limbs sprung to life as this one called Zeno pushed against the edges of all he knew. Slowly the world began to buckle and give way, dumping the miniscule fruit bat into a much larger place of existence.

A new sense sprang to life as Zeno opened his eyes and found himself in a wondrous new reality. Bright lights everywhere above him, a great expanse of strange shapes stretching out before him, and all around him rainbow colored flying creatures almost as big as he was. The droning was much louder now as their small wings beat so fast he could barely see them, but for the most part they seemed to have ignored his presence.

---

Alone again, he found himself. He'd left the foggy room of Cetus by only getting lucky and finding the correct path to take. The diminutive owl hopped along, talons creating a clicking sound upon the rocky terrain as set out for sights yet unseen. His solitary wandering brought him upon an ancient wonder. A room with twinkling lights above and strange buildings towering around him. A million questions buzzed around his head at the site of this strange place. Who had created this buildings? Why were they here? For what purpose did they serve? The "stars" overhead, what created them? Were they simply sparkling gemstones? Or were they something more? The owlet hopped about in a circle, eyes lost in the strange sites around him. Oh, what a strange place he'd walked himself into.

He loved it.

A strange rumbling erupted in his stomach, distracting him for a brief moment before he clacked his beak in irritation. Not now... there is too much to ponder over. Later perhaps, he might find something for his stomach but for now he couldn't. There was too much to do! Food was a trivial, annoying thing. Something his weak body couldn't live without. He was determined to best it and hopefully figure out a way to keep the flesh going.

Onwards, he hopped as he span around in circles with eyes still overhead. It was a miracle that he didn't trod upon the wee hatchling that just erupted a few feet away. It was the resounding crack of new life that made him finally look down and see the tiny bat amid the flitting little bugs. If it wasn't for his exceptional night sight and eyes he might have missed the diminutive gem. There was so much to see, so much to do... He wished he had some way to jot everything he noticed down but alas, no such method had been developed yet.

"Salutations. It appears you have just hatched... What are you?" It was a question he always asked whether to a new hatchling or an old one. He was always keen to learn knew creatures and this time was no exception. He stared down with his big blue eyes, curious as to what new thing he'd happened upon.

---

377 | notes | @Zeno

"Talking!"
Thinking...

Eyes wandered around as this one, fresh to the world, took in everything he could. Behind him amid the insects he could now see a beautiful encasing rainbow in color just like the. .. what had his dreams called them? Rainbow bumblebugs? Yes, that sounded right.

Zeno stretched his shoulders and pushed himself off the ground, preparing to crawl over to inspect the nearby gem. Just as he was about to move, however, another gemstone appeared near him, one brilliant blue in color. His gaze trailed up as he realized that this stone was attached to another living being; one that was large enough to crush him yet not large enough that it might do so without meaning to.

Speech broke the droning of the insect's wings. Words he recognized, yet had never attempted to replicate. The young bat paused a moment after the words were spoken, trying to digest thier meaning fully. Intrinsically he knew that he had just hatched, but the wider context and meaning of doing such a thing eluded him. How could he answer without fully understanding what he was talking about? Had he hatched to witness this beauty around him?

That made sense but he felt there was more to it than that. Musing on it further, however, would be useless to the other. He had not asked why Zeno had hatched even if that seemed to be the most important question at this time. No, he had asked what Zeno was. That path was even more difficult, however. He was a consciousness that had no way of knowing its origin. This one was a mind who had lost, or perhaps never had in the first place, knowledge of why it was. How could he possibly answer the bird when he'd had so little time to consider it himself?

The young face had been fixed on the owl's gaze, eyes unfocused as its owner was lost in contemplation. He couldn't be mute forever and he sensed the other was likely to get impatient soon. He had to give the best answer he possibly could.

"I am..." He started out, his voice small but strong, "I am a living being."

Astaroth tossed a rat at Tacitus suddenly, having snuck up on the young owl "Eat." He said firmly but no threateningly. "You're not going to cure hunger Tac, if I have to..." Astaroth noticed a smaller shape on the ground mid-sentence. He lowered himself down so he was at eye level with the bat.. well, as close to eye level as he could."Hello, little one, I'm Astaroth, did you just hatch? Did Tac give you a name yet?" He suddenly realized how small the little bat was, the rats would eat him for breakfast. He probably couldn't even fly yet, Astaroth laid down and tried to put his head to the ground even further as to mot intimidate the little creature "Climb on my back until you gain a little more strength. The lessers are a little less kind than Tac and I." Astaroth said cheerfully.

"Speech"
Thoughts
tags: @Zeno
notes: here

---

The tiny creature was silent for a long while, a look of deep contemplation crossing his features. The owl felt impatence tugging at him but knew that a new hatchling would take a while to come up with an answer so he didn't push. Instead he waited until the tiny creature spoke, giving an answer that was broad but far more intelligent than a lot of other creatures he'd heard. Tacitus nodded his head, beak opening as he prepared to respond but was interrupted at the sudden rat carcass flopping down next to him with a wet squish.

The owlet hooted in alarm but calmed down when he heard a voice... a familiar voice. One that spoke in a firm tone... a command. He didn't appreciate that. Not only did he not appreciate being told what to do, he also didn't appreciate being called "Tac", and to top it all off this pup had interrupted his interview with this tiny bat. All of which added up to make for a very, very annoyed owl.

Without turning his body the owl's head slowly turned to look at the wolf pup, eyes narrowed in a glare. "You infuriate me." His body turned then, so that he was fully facing Astaroth then the tact-less, enraged owlet continued. "My name is Tacitus. Do not call me Tac, such a nickname is asinine and belittles my entire existence. Secondly, I will not eat. I do not want to eat." Here he hooked his talons into the rat carcass and with all of his might flung it at the pup and away from he and the bat. "You do not control when I will consume food. You do not control my actions, wolf." With that done, he opened a wing and pointed to the tiny bat next to him. "You interrupt us with nothing intelligent to add. I do not appreciate it. Get up from the ground, stop making more of a fool of yourself or I will ask you to leave." With eyes still boring into the pup, he said nothing more, only waited to see what Astaroth would do. This was the first time he felt true anger in his entire life, everything compounded into one to swiftly bring on a rage in his tiny body. He wasn't one to fight but if the pup kept pushing him he would have to take more extreme measures than his scolding.

---

405 | notes | @Zeno @Astaroth

"Talking!"
Thinking...

The tiny bat looked up at the great being before him as he awaited a response, and possibly better insight into the question. The initial reaction indicated that the preliminary conclusion had been satisfactory, but just as he was about to learn more something terrible happened.

This world so far had been pure and beautiful, with lights and sounds full of peace. From nowhere, however, a canid of some kind appeared carrying the lifeless shell of another living being. The corpse was thrown, and Zeno found himself looking not upon an ancient city below but into the cold eyes of a being that may have once been like himself.

Zeno crawled back a few steps as the lupine beast spoke to the owl before him. He'd known of predation, but a part of him silently hoped those images had been only nightmares. He'd hoped that this was not a world that required of some of its inhabitants to fight to the death and consume one another just to survive.

It looked at him. The beast had seen him! Zeno crawled back a little further as he feared he'd meet the same fate as that rat. The wolf's words didn't seem hostile, but the energy with which they were delivered didn't help his nerves any.

As soon as the creature lowered its head all the way Zeno made a break for it, rushing back to his old world as quickly as he could. He heard voices behind him of the owl apparently scolding it, but this was too much for him at the moment. Zeno crawled back into the broken gem, huddled down and hoping to go back to his old world until he was strong enough to handle the great terror of this world that went alongside its great beauty.

As he cowered small tendrils of light gathered around the cracked opening. They were weak, scattered, and wisping away as soon as each small vapor appeared but matching in color almost perfectly the shell that remained intact.

@Astaroth @Tacitus

Astaroth turned to look at the owl slowly, hackles raised "Listen, hatchling. You are right, I can't tell you what to do, only make suggestions. if I could tell you what to do then you would be eating instead of wasting away from starvation. YOU are killing yourself, not me trying to help. And I apologize for distracting you in your little 'interview' with it, which by the way, 'it' is a bat, if you could look at anything but yourself and get your beak out of intestines for a few seconds you'd see them flying everywhere. Now you can be pissed at me, I don't care, but I am done trying to help you live, I'll still help you with hunting but eventually you'll be able to do even that yourself so since I'm a generous and rational creature I will try to help you until then, then I will leave you to your own devices, do we have a deal? And maybe instead of trying to scold an older gembound you should just say a simple 'No', and tell me that you are doing something of importance, which by the way, I would completely understand so long as you told me what it is, if I had seen the TINY BAT THAT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE IN THE DARK, then I would have come over in a calmer, less aggressive manner, do you think I feel proud of myself for being responsible for the little thing to be cowering inside its' chrysalis trying to be unborn? No, I'm not, but maybe we should make the best of the situation and try to show it that we aren't going to kill it!"

"Speech"
Thoughts
tags: @Zeno @Tacitus
notes:

---

The owl barely noticed as the bat crawled back into his gem, his eyes were completely locked onto the pup. His body still as he listened intently, not wanting to miss a single word. He took note of the raised hackles, the snarling tone, the anger that spewed from the wolf... It was echoed in his own body, he could feel the pulsing rage. The want to rip and tear and scream at the wolf... but he didn't. He thought, he focused. The wolf was right. He was wasting away, he was starving... But if he wanted to do so then it was his decision and no one would make him do otherwise.

When he spoke it was icy cold, "I never asked for your help. A generous and rational creature would see that and not try to force help where it was not wanted." He blinked, eyes still glaring at the pup. "I was doing fine before you, if I need food I will catch it myself when absolutely necessary. We do not have a deal. Go your way and I will go mine." If the wolf wanted to help then he could do it without turning angry and self-righteous and throwing it and demanding he eat whenever he decided. "But I do have a question... If it is so dark and impossible to see... How did you know I was here? Why would you throw your carcass? Could you have not hit me in the darkness? Could you have not hit whatever I was studying? If I so love to dig in intestines then couldn't your haphazardly throwing carcasses have disrupted me? Did you not think of that? It is foolish to not think before one acts, shouldn't you know that?" Shrill voice was still cold, still angry but he did not fly at the wolf. He raised valid points but he also had things to answer for, things he didn't understand and didn't see the point of.

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329 | notes | @Zeno @Astaroth

"Talking!"
Thinking...

Astaroth shook his head in surprise of himself, he still felt outraged at the owl but would never attack him as he almost had just then, he felt the blood rushing in his ears, it felt... exhilarating. He gathered himself up and stood proudly, towering over the owl. Slightly drawing back his lips to show his teeth. "You're right. You didn't ask for help, you were dying, I could see it even then, I felt that I should help you, if for no other reason for the benefit of knowledge, you're the one who has a beak and talons that can make precise operations. I can't. But I also hoped to make a friend along the way, I'm starting to think that maybe that was foolish of me. As for my sight, I can tell that you're there, I can see outlines of everything, though I can't see everything, that bat, it's one of those things I can't see unless I am very close by. I didn't see it at first. You I can see from a much greater distance, It's like fog, the closer you are the clearer everything gets.And I'm not going to give up on this, unless you truly want me to. Also, hunting isn't as easy as it looks, a young owl like you would be eaten alive by half the lessers in these caves"

"Speech"
Thoughts
tags: @Tacitus @Zeno
notes: here

---

Again, he listened silently as the pup went on to answer him. He was honestly intrigued to hear that not everyone could see as he could in the dark, eyes were different. It made sense, it was just another thing to catalog into his growing mind. He pondered for a moment, mulling over all of the words before making his reply.

"I was not dying. Weakening, perhaps, but not dying." He knew this for a fact as he was still able to move, to get around, to take action. If he were dying none of those things would be possible. Just like now, his body felt drained and was begging for food but he would not die yet. He would eat, soon, when he absolutely had to... but not yet. "Why won't you give up? If we are not friends what does it matter to you if I die or not? What I do to my body is not your prerogative. If I wish to waste away into nothingness than that is my concern only. Granted, I will do no such thing. I still intend to study and to learn and to do that I must eat, but I will eat on my own time, not yours. Take this as you will. I will not eat now and any further efforts you take to make me do so will be resisted against." And impossible for him to make him do. His mind was made up and it was only done so further with the pup's forceful words. Stubbornness would win out in the owl's mind today.

"I have taken into consideration what you said of the darkness and it is noted but you still have not answered my question. Why throw something when you cannot see well? You could see my outline, well, could you not see that I was looking at something? Why haphazardly throw a carcass? Why throw a carcass at all? I ask again." He could understand not being able to see but all of his reckless actions combined... well... they made no sense to the owl. The wolf could easily have walked up, announced his presence, and given him the carcass. Perhaps he would have taken it better, perhaps not with the combination of other factors. He could feel his anger waning but his resolve was still there as was his feeling of being wronged but he would not budge on his issues and still did not appreciate Astaroth's brashness nor his aggression. It was all noted and would be taken down for future reference, a mark forever upon the wolf's name.

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436 | notes | @Zeno @Astaroth

"Talking!"
Thinking...

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