ORIGIN - when the stars align

The stone had grown too small. The creature inside, as small as he may have been, was cramped, twisted at an awkward angle. His hind paws were pressed against the stone, his back against the bottom of it. It was pressed against his sides, his paws. While he may have not cared at first, he was all too aware now. He needed out, and he needed out now. The movement, at first, was slow, something small. But then, it turned into something more, a desperate attempt to come into the world, pushed by instinct.

With the sudden shove came...Nothing. There was still the same feeling against him, and still some sort of instinct screaming at him to try again. He couldn't just stay and wait for the place that had protected him for so long to become even more cramped. It was already too cramped, every movement seemingly restricted and every breath seemingly a struggle. Just a little more. Maybe next try would be better. Maybe he'd actually get out of the cramped space. He'd have to hope that it'd turn out to be that way. He didn't want to have to do this for too long. He wanted to be out in the world already.

coding by wulf for template purposes

Even with how his first attempt to escape had turned out, he was still desperate to. Even with as little as he knew at the moment, he knew that he couldn't stay. Instinct was telling him that much, at least. After what seemed like forever, but was in fact only a few moments, he stirred again. This movement, a jerk of one paw, was much more sudden than it had been the first time, more forceful. The rest of him followed suit, twisting and kicking blindly, aiming for any soft spot that may get him out of the cramped stone.

Some sort of kick sent the stone shattering, and he was dumped out into the world, in a heap of damp, black fur. The instinct that had been screaming at him to get out was gone, and so he was still, besides the rising and lowering of his sides. The mud of the room was clinging to his fur, but that was the last of his problems, with the shivering that quickly took over his body. It was too cold, too unpleasant. Soon, his whole body was racked with shivers, although he still did not stir, surrounded by the remains of the stone.

Finally, he moved, his head lifting to see what may be around him. The place he was born in. The first thing that he noticed was the tree, with twisted shapes in the roots. A chill going through him, he turned his head away, slightly, hoping to see anything else but the tree.
tags: alaska
notes: He's free!

coding by wulf for template purposes

The wraith had been sleeping, dreaming of something she could not remember upon awakening. At first, she was unaware of what had caused her to wake up, and looked around sleepily. Perhaps it had been nothing — or her dream had taken an odd turn and frightened her into wakefulness.

No… That didn’t sound right. Although she could not remember the dream, she was sure it hadn’t been a nightmare. She lay her head back down and thought of falling back to sleep, aware of how little energy she had from lack of food, but something was bothering her. Some instinct was telling her to get up and look around.

Silently, she rose, and with slow steps, began to investigate her surroundings. One side of her body was covered in mud, leaves, and twigs from lying down to rest. The other side was, while damp, a pristine white. Well… perhaps not pristine, covered in bits of marsh here and there, but it was much cleaner than the opposite side. Looking a bit odd, the wraith wandered around the Divine, thinking that whatever had woken her up must be near enough for the sound to have disturbed her.

When she found herself on the opposite side of the Great Tree, she saw a creature lying in the mud, shivering. Her black eyes roamed the scene as she stood silently, a ghost in the fog. There were scattered bits of gemstone everywhere. Her eyes landed once more upon the tiny shivering creature. A newborn… She stared in awe, having never witnessed the hatching of a newborn before. She wasn’t even entirely sure how she knew that that’s what had happened. Somehow, it was simply knowledge in her head. She thought back to her own birth, just days before. Yes… She’d come from a cocoon made of some kind of blue gem. She looked around again. This one’s gem was blue too — though a deeper shade. He was so dark as to be nigh invisible in the black mud of Cetus.

She stepped forward a bit more, studying him. He was shivering terribly, a feeling she knew well — though unlike him, she enjoyed the cold. Therefore, she did not know what to do about his shivering. Maybe he was like her. Maybe he enjoyed the cold. She did not know. So, she waited, standing still and silent, watching him.

@Phenex -- sorry this is so long omg. you don't have to copy the post length. XD

The form of another hadn't caught his attention, just yet, but it likely would soon. For now, he was looking around where he had been born, trying to memorize how it looked; this was his home. If he ever needed it, this could be the place that he knew to come back to whenever he got lost. If he ever got lost, that was.

Giving up for now, he lowered his head again, bunching his legs underneath him. He was still shivering, although it was fading as time passed, with the cub getting used to the chill. It wasn't something he liked, however. He didn't like that, and he definately didn't like the feeling of the mud that was beginning to be caked to his fur. Neither of the feelings were welcomed, although he didn't know how to make them stop.

Hunger clawed at him, and instinct told him to get up, and move around at the very least. Pushing himself up into a sitting position, slowly, he blinked his eye, unsure of where he was supposed to go. Maybe he should try and get the dirt off of his stomach and paws. If he could find somewhere that would help him out with that. A part of him didn't want to leave the room just yet, not until he was ready. Surely it wouldn't take him long to be ready. Restlessness was already in his paws, and he was itching to go somewhere. Anywhere would be better than staying in the room.

Movement caught his attention, and his head whipped around to see what it was. It was a much larger creature, although it still seemed to be around his age. The other creature, the larger one, seemed to be entirely different from him, with light fur where his was dark. The marking on her chest was blue, and he cast a glance at the shards around him. Just like his, although the shards were a darker color; before he could think, he was already watching the other. He didn't trust this larger creature, and he was convinced that they had only came around for a fight. If it was a fight that they wanted, then he'd give them a fight. Standing up, quickly, he turned towards them, instinct telling him to turn his side towards them. Once he did that, he paced forwards, stiff legged and his ears flattening against his head.

Once he got close enough, he flipped away, still glaring at the other in an almost challenging manner, before edging closer again. Maybe that would intimidate the larger creature! It'd show them!

tags: @Alaska
notes: I had to do it

coding by wulf for template purposes

The wraith continued standing without moving, her dark eyes ever-watchful. The small black creature had stood up, but upon seeing her, now seemed incredibly agitated. It seemed to dance as it came towards her, turning sideways and arching its back. It looked angry. It hopped closer, and the wraith took a hesitant step backwards, unsure of how to feel in this situation. She’d never encountered anything like this black fuzzy Gembound before. How could a child already seem to hate her? Perhaps she should leave… It danced away then, and she continued to watch it out of sheer curiosity. What should she do?

She thought to lay down for a moment, to make herself seem less threatening. But if it actually attacked her, she didn’t want to be in a vulnerable position. She decided to keep standing, and just to stay as still as possible. She turned her eyes away from the creature, roaming around the backdrop of Cetus without looking at the Gemling. Perhaps if she pretended she was not there, he would not be so agitated.

@Phenex

Maybe his attempt at intimidating the other had worked, if it was just a little. As he hopped forwards, it took a hesitant step back, and a wave of pride washed over him. He had done it! Now he just had to figure out what to do next, and how he could get the other creature to back away even more. For a moment or two, he stood there; that had taken quite a bit out of him. His original plan seemed to be working well enough, though. After a few moments of watching the other warily, and realizing that it wasn't about to leave, he arched his back once more. The much larger creature seemed to be ignoring him, and he didn't like that! Maybe, if he kept it up, he'd prove to the odd looking creature that he wasn't afraid.

His jaws opening in a squeak, and the closest noise he could make to a warning, he danced forwards again. This time, he dared himself to get closer before backing away and flipping over his own paws. For a moment, he stopped his warning dance and glared at the other, daring them to get any closer before he moved sideways again, closer to them. Once he got close enough, another warning squeak came from him, and he moved away as fast as he could.

tags: @alaska

coding by wulf for template purposes

The ghost backed up a few more steps when the Gemling continued their strange angry dance. She was truly unsure of how she was supposed to feel at the moment, but clearly, the child did not want her there. That was obvious enough, even to her, someone who was a bit inept when it came to social cues. She stared at the kitten with confusion and apprehension in her eyes for a moment or two, and then turned and walked away. She was not one to crave or need much social interaction, so being shunned was not something that negatively affected her. In truth, she didn’t really care, and would probably forget about the kitten in time.

Soon, the swirling fog had swallowed her up. She truly was a wraith in this place, ephemeral. She was gone…

[Exit Alaska]

@Phenex

The much larger creature backed up a few more steps, away from him, but he didn't want to stop only to find that the other would just stand there. As they stared, he continued to glare up, hoping that this time he'd be much more lucky in his attempts to intimidate the other. When they turned and walked away, he relaxed, although still stared after them. He was all too ready to start up once more in case they decided to turn around and come back. Although, if they did, it may mean that it was going to wind up turning into a fight. As he watched, the larger creature continued to walk on, and they were soon swallowed up by the fog of the place. The larger creature was gone, and he doubted that it would come back to this place any time soon. Which, without a creature to intimidate, brought him to the problem that he had been thinking about. He had a yearning to explore, and get out of this cave, which had been all but forgotten until this time. Huffing, almost angrily, he turned his attention towards the area around him, spotting a place that may just lead him out of here.

Without a second thought, he headed towards the new place. Fog swallowed his frame, and he was on his way to whatever adventure he'd have.

[Exit Phenex]

coding by wulf for template purposes