ORIGIN

The first experience of going out of her den had been rather positive, and Pippy was looking forward to going out there again. In spite of all of this, Pippy struggles to make another attempt to leave, for every time Pippy does her fear surges, with her instincts screaming at her the demand to not leave. Each time it happens Pippy just goes to sleep and, hopes when she wakes up, she'll be able to give it another shot. When Pippy wakes up again, she can feel her thirst build up more, and it becomes easier for her to try and leave, water being important. It still took some time, and Pippy escaped into her slumber once again after another failed attempt to leave, when she was right next to the exit of her den.

Finally at last, after one of her many naps, her thirst was acknowledged by her instantly, her mouth felt as if it was full of dirt; it has become too unbearable to ignore now. Pippy got up again, and moved cautiously to the entrance of her den and peered outside. Her instinct to sate her thirst, as soon as possible took precedence over her instinct of possible dangers, and she managed to take a cautious step forward outside. Seeing no movement in the deep white haze, except for the rustling of the flora around her.

She did it! Good good, now time to begin the search for water! Pippy crawled slowly, as she tries to recall her previous journey while using her nose and ears to help find water. Not paying too much attention to her other surroundings, with that she had not seen that something was observing her, with three eyes of a hunter perched on a tree branch from afar...

Pippy stopped recounting her steps, the surroundings now looking familiar, and she can smell and hear the water now. Eventually, her eyes could make out a familiar looking stream, she's gunning for it now, as her thirst felt like torture. Pippy practically dunked her whole head in the water when she finally reached it, drinking with large mouthfuls of it, it was more refreshing than the last time as the dry feeling started to go at last.

This was a job well done today! Pippy was about to explore more, but the instinct and fear stopping her from leaving earlier came back full force, now that she's thirsty no more. No... It felt worse than before, like a feeling sense of overwhelming dread and warning, the bad sign is making all of her nerves bristle. Something's very wrong! Bu-But What...? With panic rising Pippy books it back to where her den is, bad idea for it tragically provoked a chase instinct in the other creature. It takes off to the air, with its greenish, glowing wings, darting towards her in a dive bomb attack, claws out to get her blind spot. But Pippy heard the thrum beating in its wings and, saw from the corner of her eye the green glow while running. Quickly as she yelped in terror Pippy took a leap forward and, managed to reach inside the safe shelter of her den, where it couldn't get her. Despite this, the monstrous-bat-thing-with-three-eyes didn't give up, as it tried to dig its beak into her shelter to no avail, sharp teeth showing. But it effectively has trapped her, as Pippy moves to a corner of her den while wrapping her wings around herself, trying her best not to cry, unsuccessfully...

Scared...

@Equinox

The Kyte continued in its persistence to grab Pippy at all costs, shoving its head to try and get in his den more. It was repeatedly snapping at the air in hopes of plucking him out, but it still couldn't reach him with Pippy's shelter being such a tiny slit of an entrance and Pippy has scrambled to press himself against the wall of roots that are furthest from the corridor. Pippy looked in absolute horror at those fangs as despite failing to reach him Pippy can see that it is managing to get a little closer to him it couldn't get him still but the Gemling didn't expect it to get this deep in his den. Pippy was practically hyperventilating now with the occasional sob; he feels so vulnerable and unsafe.

As if the Kyte decided on another plan on catching Pippy, it tried to withdraw its head out the entrance of the den, only to find that it managed to get its head stuck. Angered as it let out a screeching hiss at Pippy, and aggressively trying to jab its beak at Pippy, more desperate than before to get him like it was blaming him for getting stuck. In response, Pippy stumbled back with his trembling form and, tried his best to press himself further again even though this is the furthest he can get unless he digs and the roots are somewhat sturdy for that to work. His whole body is shaking like a leaf, as they pressed their back against a wall. It is still trying to shove its head out despite it trying to grab Pippy again. No no no no!

Soon the ground strangely felt like it was shaking with tremors, Pippy doesn't know if that's just because he's trembling, but it certainly did feel like the ground was shaking with a timed pause each time. And then...

Swoosh!

Wait w-wha-? Pippy peeked a look out from his wings as he noticed that nothing was there anymore, the Kyte vanished! Ears perked up, he could hear the sound of something getting dragged away from his den, which Pippy would believe is the Kyte, and soon there was nothing but silence. W-What happened to the Kyte? He heard nothing from it when it disappeared besides the dragging, which gave Pippy some dread as to what happened to it. Or it could be tricking him?

Feeling the vibrations on the ground again, now Pippy was sure it wasn't just from his trembling... Pippy knows he shouldn't go back out there from what may have happened to the Kyte, but he needed to see what exactly is out there. J-Just goes a little out the exit and take a look and jump back in if it's something scary. With that Pippy finally stopped pressing himself against the wall and crawled out the doorway of his den and immediately saw the large black mass by the door.

Pippy just froze from what he saw, a claw, and that's all he could see the rest was towering above him. H-He know things were big here but not that big... Slowly he cranes his head to look up and could see more mass; he ended up falling on his back from to look all the way up. He finally saw the face of the other Gembound as he let out a very audible whine again and found himself completely frozen in place of what he is seeing.

O-Oh geez, that's a big Gembound...!


@Equinox

Pippy knows she should move, but her instincts are in complete conflict with each other on one part her fear and instinct is bellowing at Pippy to get back inside right now. But her fear has made her body paralysed from all the stress that has taken place right now. So Pippy's just watching with wide eyes at the creature above her. Pippy didn't know what to think of this other Gembound, not precisely in the sense of how odd they looked, especially with their neck and the weird stuff on them one which dripped near Pippy. The only thing Pippy is taking note of, appearance wise is how gargantuan they were in contrast to her minuscule form which is a significant reason why she feels she needs to be afraid of them, at the same time she's unsure... They don't seem malicious although that could just be that they haven't seen Pippy yet, there's also the fact that the Kyte disappeared when they showed. Did they save her then?

The giant Gembound noticed Pippy and their head jerked downwards, neck snaking around in their search. When that moment happened, Pippy just flinched and shut her eyes tightly, trembling again as the other Gembound's large shadow looming somewhat ominously over her whole body, hearing the thud alongside the ground shaking lightly too Pippy's entire body just tenses up wholly, still not opening her eyes...

When absolutely nothing happened to Pippy, reluctantly she slowly opens her eyes again and was startled at the sight of its head right in front of her. Their beak wide open made Pippy by reflex try to jump back a little bit, but since she's still lying on her back, all she could manage was flailing on the ground. Their fear was starting to dim, as she cocked her head almost in question towards them and noticed their odd Gem, they haven't exactly tried to get her as that Kyte did, which she is frazzled over. It almost seemed like they were just curiously staring at her, wherever their eyes were anyway.

When they bowed their head, Pippy couldn't help but give them a sheepish wave with her wing as she finally picks herself from lying down, sitting up on her wings. But when they heard something from them and proceeded to move away from her, despite being scared of this one earlier and may still Pippy couldn't help but leap up and cling a little to one of its forelegs, almost like she was trying to hug them. Burying her shaking body in the leg they were holding onto dear life like they were some koala while letting out some whimpers, she doesn't seem to notice that the other Gembound's liquid is getting all over her fur, it looks Pippy doesn't want them to leave just yet.

"...D-D-Don't g-go... A-Another m-may get me..." Pippy pleaded them in a hushed, sobbing, hoarse voice, but she still strains it making it audible. Now that the dust has settled and she's alive Pippy realised just how close she could've had her life taken away if this other one didn't come it seems, so she doesn't want to be alone right now.

@Equinox

Pippy wasn't thinking when he latched onto the bigger Gembound's leg, while he knows somewhere that he really shouldn't be doing this. This action could potentially put himself in danger of provoking the other, they could easily crush him with just a claw, but he needed to do anything to stop them from leaving him alone. Did the little bat want to be protected for a bit, or comforted? He doesn't know, what he does know; he doesn't want to be alone right now.

So with that, he still didn't let go even when the large one's sludge started to slither around his tiny body in many layers, although it was scaring him when it happened, trying desperately to shake some of it off. When the other lowered their head, Pippy looked up at them with a scared, pleading expression and making squeaking sounds at them that made Pippy sound like a sad, tiny puppy.

"D-Don't go... I'm scared," he begs it again, refusing to let up on this; he's determined not to make them leave him until he felt a little better. So when from what he thinks was understanding, with how the trailing slime stopped looping around his body in response to his begging, he looked pretty relieved and was slowly starting to loosen his grip on their leg now. But when the massive Gembound tried to prod him off their leg, Pippy let out quiet whines of protest and, started to grip tighter than ever before.

He gives his head a shake in response, although he should be scared of how frantic the other is, Pippy is conflicted, but he still refuses to let go. The liquid on the other Gembound started to ooze more and engulfed around Pippy, scaring him more, he doesn't relent on his hold still. But then, it seems something finally clicked in his mind. What are you doing? Even if it didn't hurt you before, doesn't mean you should do this! Acting this way will give them a reason why they should harm you; it may look like you're trying to attack them! With that revelation, he finally let go of their leg and, was pushed back onto the ground when they nudged Pippy, and he curled up in a ball, quivering.

"S-Sorry s-sorry. D-Didn't m-mean t-to do that. P-Please d-don't b-be m-mad. I-I j-just d-don't w-want to be a-alone right now. T-There was this f-flying g-green thing t-trying to g-get m-me," his throat hurt now, as he tried to speak the two sentences in one go and, trying to make his voice audible. He felt terrible for grabbing onto them like that; he didn't elaborate on what the green flying thing was intending to do, not even Pippy himself knew, but from how aggressive the green flying thing was, it was most likely something gruesome, and had the intent to kill him.

Uncurling just a little as the other's head was close to him again "C-Could you stay for a bit? P-Please?" he tries to ask them and, lifts one of his wings up as if he's trying to reach out to them with it.


@Equinox

Pippy sniffed, rubbing one the wing that she was previously using to reach out over her face and eyes in hopes to dry some of her tears that are blurring her vision and getting some of the slimes that have draped over her eyes off so she can see a little better. She's feeling a little nervous now and hopes the other isn't upset at her as she looked at them while they did that thing of opening their beak which Pippy supposes their way somehow of staring she thinks. That's where their Gem is for one thing, and she believes that it is a Gem is how Greater Gembounds use Magick. Maybe they're using Magick on their Gem to be able to see? She's quite curious about that sort of thing, it's interesting to think of, but the curiosity of Magick can come later it's not a priority right now for Pippy in this situation.

"Mm?" Pippy copied the other Gembound by tilting her head herself in her wonder as to what they could be trying to ask her, not understanding their language of speaking. Maybe she should try to learn more dialects if possible soon?

But when the other closed their beak, Pippy looked at them with eager eyes as it all came to whether they'll stay around for a bit or not. While Pippy herself knows very full well how simple this one can harm her, even just from an accident but she tries to ignore that the best she can. Although she's not doing too well since she is lying before them and hoping they aren't mad at her even if her current frazzled attitude was more from that Lesser Gembound endangering her life.

She takes some more time to groom her fur with both of her wings to get the sludge off; it sadly was just about covered around her whole tiny form top to bottom and with how sticky it is Pippy wasn't making that much good progress on getting it off her. Good thing she doesn't want to uncurl from her quivering ball as she'll realise the stickiness may make it a little challenging although the silence is making her restless and is making her squirm a bit.

Pippy's expression lit up more in awe when she could hear the other speak the same language as her in reply to her words even if it was strained sounding, not that Pippy can judge most of her words usually sound hoarse. Hearing the words said to her through how the slime on them and Pippy herself is a bad thing made her worry. "B-Bad how...?" she asks meekly as she frantically tries to shake some of it off her head and Gem. Will the slime hurt her being on her skin and all?

When they stretched their neck out Pippy seemed more worried again about them leaving, but she noticed how they weren't walking away. It took some effort and time to realise what they were trying to do but understand that they seem to be looking for something which she caught in her eye was water she was surprised such a large body of drinkable water was so nearby, and she never noticed.


@Equinox