Boy, was she
tired. From the cave of greenery and moss to this cavern of endless wind she had traveled, unknowingly, each inch pulling her energy as she slithered miles, half curious and half utterly lost. She was blessed with the eyesight of a nocturnal hunter, but for how much longer could she go without the safety of the leaves and the comfort of the mosses? Desire was growing, of course, but it was nominal - her time for gargantuan length would come, but she had no inkling that it was fated at all. She intended to live in fear forever.
It was in this great cave of winds a chrysalis did crack. It was
not, however, the crack that alerted her. The gusts rattled off her bones and made it night impossible to hear anything else. She could smell, though, and the little snake was flicking out her tongue frequently to hopefully ensure her safety and awareness. The scent that came to her was almost familiar - warm, wet. But it was different, too, and the smell was whisked away immediately. Desire slithered about, hoping for the right direction - and there! A great glow, a shattered gem, slick with the "water" of birth and split by... What
was that thing? It was larger than her, and spotted, and sort of...funny looking. Carefully she slid between the gouges in the cave bottom, hoping the ground that rose up could hide her on the other side. Silently, she watched the spotted thing, apprehensive, but undeniably curious.
@Aztec
Anxiety shot through Desire as the spotted thing wandered into the swirling wind and sailed through the air, only to land back where he started, right on his feet. She remembered when she had hatched and could hardly raise her head without falling over. In fact, she had fallen over. Since then, she'd gotten better at balance, but she wondered if all things with legs could do
that. The spotted creature had landed alright, but Desire wasn't really sure what to do. She wanted to help it get out... Cautiously, the little white python slithered over, stopping before the whipping winds could touch her - just the rest of the winds slid around her, an uncomfortable and deafening roar.
The prospect of leaping into the circle was tempting, but she had no desire to be thrown around, and what if - what if that was a nasty creature? A spotted, ugly monster that would eat her as soon as she jumped in to help! She feared being eaten and turned around, sliding a foot or so away to watch if the funny-looking fuzzy thing got out.
@Aztec
His call did not heed her; it went with the wind as she receded into the shadows.
In silence she watched him pace, leaning forward as he took a second attempt at the tornado. Muscles grew tight around her heart, she held her breath, the fuzzy thing spun and cried out and
made it. And on his feet! He looked even stranger, she thought, now puffed up like some flower she'd seen in Eridanus. For a few moments the snake waited in the darkness. He could be dangerous, but he was also quite small. He could be strangled, she thought, or bitten, but then, he could probably bite her too. But he was alone, and very odd, and she didn't think it was fair to leave him there just because he looked like a funny flower. Slowly she slid back towards his glowing form, stopping at the edge of the faint light.
"Do you speak?" was the first thing she asked;
"Who are you?" was the second. She was still without concept of proper greeting or diplomacy, and was more inclined to know where this thing stood amongst the few other creatures she had encountered.
@Aztec
She saw the little cub tilt his head when he finally saw her. That hadn't been the first time she'd been give
a look by a stranger, and she wondered why. She hadn't yet met anyone that seemed like her, but she also thought that maybe all creatures looked different and she never would.
And he spoke.
Well, good.
"Aztec," she repeated, feeling the syllables in her lungs and throat and mouth. She would remember, like she remembered Envy and Khloros. Something told her it was important, like something told her to eat mice or that
her name was Desire.
"My name is Desire," she rasped.
The python stayed put, still wary of the odd creature.
"Do you know what you are?" she asked.
"I'm a snake. You don't look like any other creatures I've met before." She paused.
"I've never met another snake, though. Lots of mice." No shadows, or snakes, or Envy things, or... whatever this was. He had lots of funny spots and his fur was clumped and wet, even as the winds whipped around the cave. She thought maybe there weren't any more like him because he was weird. But then, what of Khloros, or Envy, or herself? The concept had her stumped, for sure.
@Aztec
She watched as little thorns came out between his toes. Maybe they weren't thorns. Teeth? How strange. Khloros had flat teeth, though, but Envy's were sharp, and so were Desire's. She hadn't ever seen herself, really, but she saw the punctures her fangs left in cave mice and she knew enough. It must be weird to have teeth between your toes. She looked at her body, like one big tail. It must be weird to have
toes.
"You think so? Huh." Well...maybe. But wouldn't they eat the same things then?
"What do you eat, then, Aztec? Mice? Or plants? Or bugs?" Khloros ate grass, and Envy didn't eat at all. Would he even know? She hadn't known.
Hm.
@Aztec