ORIGIN - Can't Find My Way

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Xeo paced slowly as she dragged herself along the wall. A thick, mucky liquid of some sort coated her paws, most of her legs and the longer hairs on her stomach. The longer she walked away from the misty cave she was in before, the more the coating dried. The smell of the rock around her began to change from musty to sweet. She indulged in the sense when her paw hit a wall as she extended her leg out. Xeo tilted her head and began to rub her front foot on the stone. She couldn't find an immediate opening for her to fit, and so the pup turned so her body was up against the wall. She followed along the rock until it gave out beside her; she had barely traveled a couple of meters!

Odd.

The pup tilted her head once again. She began to walk forwards into the opening. The scent became even sweeter, but soon after it became enveloped in a smell she had no name for. The new aroma was coming from somewhere behind her, and so the pup turned around and began treading in that direction. Perhaps the new smell was another gembound? She was unsure, and so Xeo began to focus like she did the last time she wanted to know if she was in company.

And once again, there was nothing. Somewhat frustrated, Xeo began to stomp forwards towards the new found scent. She hoped the journey would be worth while, otherwise help whoever had to deal with her if she came across nothing but grief.

"talk" // think
tagged;
notes;

The young gembound trudged along through the cold, stony passageways. Her wide paws struggled to grip the uneven ground beneath her, which was laden with sharp, cold ridges. The fur on her back was damp with water that dripped from above, whilst her underbelly was drenched with liquid that pooled up on the icy floors. Earlier on her path, the thick, sludgy water had come up past her belly, causing her to wade through the flooded tunnel. Although the floodwater no longer came up as high on the little marten, the heavy moisture still clung to her pelt, hindering her movement.

Vivirra was cold, definitely. The chilly winds buffeted her small, soaked figure, making her shudder. Why had she come this way? It was certainly a bad idea. She should have chosen the other tunnel to venture down. She could have at least turned back when she had the chance. Now it was too late. Not only did she dread maneuvering through the flooded passage, but she had also lost her way. The darkness that clouded this seemingly endless trail was suffocating, practically tangible.

Don't think about it. Think about something else, she begged her mind. The darkness that cloaked these halls occupied all of her thoughts. Indeed, the little one was terrified of the dark. She had been frightened of the shadows that inhabited the caves of Polaris, but they now felt like a luxury compared to this. This was complete and utter blackness all around. Oh, how she missed the soft reflections off of the crystals, the dim glow given off by bioluminescent mushrooms. Think about mushrooms. Think about crystals. Pretty pink crystals that glimmer like my chrysalis.

A swift breeze drifted through the tunnel, battering the miserable creature. It nipped at her wet fur, causing a shudder to course through her whole body. Her short, drenched legs felt like flimsy pegs beneath the weight of her body. She whimpered softly. It permeated the silence; nobody was around to hear it, anyway... or maybe someone was? "Hello?" she called out into the darkness, hoping that somebody would hear. She was doubtful that anybody was around, but she still had hope.

"Is anybody there?"

@Xeo

Xeo continued wandering aimlessly towards the unfamiliar scent. She used nothing but her paws and waving tail to tell where she was going. Her head lowered closer to the ground as the smell became stronger. The pup knew she was close and so she began to slow her fast walk into a near halt. At a crawling speed, she knew that whatever the smell was, it was almost upon her. But then she was startled by a voice that called hello from nearby.

Almost falling over from the sudden noise, Xeo regained herself and continued walking forwards, but now she was once again walking quickly. "Hello?" she called out in reply. "I can smell that you are near." Unaware that vision was something that existed commonly among living creatures, she never mentioned that the gembound was out of sight. Xeo continued on in hopes the fellow speaker would soon be close enough that she wouldn't have to seek them out. She needed some rest; she had been traveling for what felt like ages since her emergence from the citrine chrysalis.

It must be close.

The smell was so strong; so consuming. Xeo was starting to grow anxious from how distant she felt from the voice. She almost growled in agitation when she knew that the gembound was somewhere right in front of her. Stopping in her tracks she said nothing, but turned her head to face the direction of the scent.

"talk" // think
tagged; @Vivirra
notes;

Just keep moving, just keep moving, she told herself. She just had to keep moving. Eventually, her aching legs and throbbing paws would bring her somewhere safe and warm. Yes, somewhere cozy and safe and warm, where she could once again find the light. Somewhere far away from this tunnel. Just keep moving.

What she didn't expect, though, was a response. Their voice bounced down the echoing tunnels towards her, like a signal of hope relaying from afar. The creature could smell where she was. They must be heading towards her. She thought to herself for a moment. Smell? The kit hadn't really thought much about her sense of smell. Could it really be used to track others? She headed towards the beacon of relief, attempting to use her nose to follow them.

Although her untrained sense of smell proved to be pitiful in this damp, musty cave, she trotted towards this new being. Alas, when she felt as though she was just upon them, she caught a glimpse of their outline in the dark. It was a canine of some sorts, and they seemed rather frustrated. They halted in their tracks, looking towards Vivirra.

The first thing the marten noticed about this gembound was that they seemed rather small, at least compared to the other gembounds she had met. Their floppy ears and thinner figure... this dog must have been about as old as she was, maybe younger. She caught a glimpse of their gem. My, was it beautiful! Its 3 orange peaks gleamed in the darkness, casting an amber glow.

Tilting her head, the young gembound examined and admired this canine. "Hello there," she said, in a curious voice that also gave away her weariness. "What a beautiful gem you have! It's very pretty." She smiled, eager to get to know this canine.

@Xeo

Xeo tilted her head when she heard the voice call back out to her. Her one ear flopped over while the other stood tall. The pup was tense, her muscles contracting as she began to lower her body somewhat closer to the ground. She was preparing to flee, but when the gembound complimented her stone, she stood back up. "My g-gem?" she stuttered."You can see it?" Genuinely confused, Xeo completely forgot about her defenses. She stood open, her head dipped down and her tail lifted somewhat up.

"What do you mean by 'see'? Do you mean smell?" The pup didn't quite know how you could smell a stone, but she went with the question anyways. Xeo had no idea what sight was. She only possessed 4/5 of the senses. She relied mainly on smell, but her hearing was also excellent.

Wait.

Suddenly realizing how defenseless she was, the pup straightened up. Her paws spread so she could flee or fight if she had too, and her head was dipped in order to defend her throat. She lowered her stomach back down to the ground to protect it from smaller creatures as she parted her maw. A soft growl escaped her lungs. "And who are you? How can I know that you're not here to hurt me?" Xeo hissed through her teeth.

"talk" // think
tagged; @Vivirra
notes;

The marten observed as the dog tensed up, but it soon relaxed once more. It seemed confused by her question. "Yes, I can see your gem. It's orange and very pointy." But wait. Apparently this pup didn't know what sight was? That was odd. Maybe not every gembound could see. She'd met Xin, who couldn't speak, so that was certainly a possibility. The gemling replied to this creature in a youthful voice, brimming with curiosity. She loved new wonders like this, new questions to pose and answer. "See is what you do with your eyes. It allows you to know what is around you. But I didn't know you could do that with your nose too. That's cool!" Pausing for a moment, she thought. "Can you see at all? Maybe it's just dark in here..."

Vivirra was alarmed by the canine's sudden position. They seemed to be dropping into a fighting stance, or at least preparing to do something hostile. The beast growled at her angrily. The small kit felt a kind of fear she had never felt before, a terror more primal than her fear of the darkness. Xin had told her that there would be dangerous creatures, ones that would seek to harm her or even kill her. But she had paid it no mind, for she had never encountered an aggressive gembound before.

She trembled as she hastily explained, trying not to stammer, "My name is Vivirra- I-I'm not here to hurt you, I promise! The tunnels are flooded... I got lost... please don't hurt me..." The little marten was definitely smaller than the puppy, and although it wasn't too drastic of a difference, she could easily be taken down in a fight. She didn't want to fight, she didn't want to get hurt. But this was all a big misunderstanding, right?

Xeo relaxed and tilted her head. "Orange and pointy?" she repeated. "Where is it? Can it protect me in any way?" The pup was confused at what the gembound before her meant. She was trying to grasp the concept of 'sight', but she didn't know how she would be able to understand something that she couldn't use. Her left ear flopped over as she continued to hold her head in a tilt. Her right ear was stuck between up and bent.

"It's dark everywhere. All I 'see' is black." Xeo wasn't sure if that's what the gembound meant, but that's all she could think off. Perhaps there was something influencing her lack of vision? The pup had no answer, and being clueless scared her. She straightened her once tilted head. Both her ears flopped over and then stood back up. She looked alert, but no longer aggressive.

"I'm sorry, Vivirra, for scaring you. I'm just trying to protect myself. I don't know what you look like, how big you are, or what you can do to me." She tried her best to relax her tense muscles, but the pup knew that she had to remain cautious. Anything could happen, even if the gembound before her seemed innocent and kind. They could be faking it. "I'm Xeo." After saying her name, the pup realized she had never thought about what to call herself. Twitching her nose, she decided that the name would have to do.

"talk" // think
tagged; @Vivirra
notes;

Vivirra smiled a little at the sight of the puppy's flopping ears. She was relieved to find that this appeared to be a miscommunication on her part. Maybe she had just panicked for no reason; there was nothing to worry about. But yet the dog still seemed confused. They couldn't see their own gem, apparently, and they didn't even know where it was. In fact, this gembound couldn't see anything but black. Strange. Even in the cutting darkness, the marten could still faintly make out outlines and silhouettes. And she could certainly spot the gem on their shoulder.

What the dog said next definitely made the kit glad. So the pup really didn't mean to cause any harm. They were only protecting themselves. They were unaware of what she was capable of, so they lashed out. Self-preservation and fear... she could understand that. But something was still off. This canine couldn't see anything at all.

"Xeo. That's a nice name." The marten mewed softly. "It's alright... I'm sorry for getting so scared. I'm pretty lost, and I guess I just got frightened." Fear was a normal thing, a constant thing. At times, it was a healthy thing, although she wouldn't know much about that. "And you can call me Vivi if you'd like." She smiled, having grown quite fond of the nickname.

The young gembound pondered a moment before speaking again. "Your gem is on your shoulder, and I'm not sure if it can protect you... it might hurt a little if you did. But why can't you see it...?" She let out a decisive 'hmm.' "Maybe... maybe you're blind. I've met a gembound who couldn't speak before. Maybe you just can't see at all." It seemed possible. She'd already encountered one creature with a disability. There very well could be others out there like him.

@Xeo

Xeo was growing more and more confused with every second that passed; every word that the gembound spoke. She was growing quite anxious. Something was obviously wrong with her, she could tell by the way that the creature spoke.

What is sight?

The pup was struggling to grasp the concept. How could she understand something that she couldn't do? Or possibly know. Her tail pressed down as she tucked it between her hind legs. Xeo dropped her head and pinned her ears back. She had never felt this way before, and boy she didn't like it. "T-thank you," she stuttered through clenched teeth. She looked down at the ground as her eyes swooped back and forth. She couldn't focus.

Then Vivirra brought up the concept of blindness. Xeo somewhat raised her head and brought her wandering eyes upwards to meet the gembounds. Not that she could see creature, but she wanted to give off the allusion that she was staring right at the gembound. "Blind?" she repeated. "If I focus, I am see heartbeats, so I can't really be 'blind', can I?" Xeo was referring to her animal magic, even though she didn't really know what magic really was.

Xeo had a lot to learn.

"talk" // think
tagged; @Vivirra
notes;

Vivirra watched as the gembound before her grew steadily more confused with each word she spoke. Anxiety seemed to radiate off of the pup in ripples, and Xeo's tail tucked itself underneath her. Even the way her companion spoke through clenched teeth gave off an odd feeling. She could tell that she was making this dog uncomfortable... she hadn't meant to make her nervous! The marten didn't want to make her new friend upset, only to talk to her and learn more about her oddities.

But suddenly the shepherd's eyes met hers in a way that was almost eerie. What she said surprised the young kit. How could somebody see a heartbeat? Heartbeats were sounds... was this a new type of magic? The thought excited and mystified Vivirra, and it showed. "You can see heartbeats? That's really cool! Is that your magic? I've never seen that type of magic before... maybe it has to do with your pretty stone." The marten had a theory that one's magic came from their stone, their life source. This had proven true for the most part, so she was excited to see what powers this creature held, especially with her beautiful citrine peaks.

What a pretty stone she had indeed. Although, it made her feel like she was forgetting something, something very important...

Oh no...

"The stone...!" she gasped. The stone. The tiny, pale blue gemstone that Tacitus had given her, the one that resided in the belly of the fish. She had taken it with her on her travels, but she did not have it anymore! Her tail twitched worriedly as her eyes darted about the tunnel, searching around her. If she had lost it, it would be extremely difficult to find it again, for it was only about a half an inch in size. She could have even dropped it further back in the flooded passageway.

The frazzled marten turned to the canine, meeting her gaze once more."I've lost my pretty gemstone! I don't have it anymore- it could be anywhere!" she cried in distress. The young kit whimpered. That small gem was the only possession that Vivirra held in this world. She needed to find it!

@Xeo

((~~aaaa this is so late I'm sorry~~))

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