ORIGIN

A small stone, shades of purple freckled with white, lay on the floor where a whirlwind had made its home. In a trench, the stone was protected from such winds. A creature lay inside, preparing themselves for their emergence, though they didn't know it at the time. Before too long, they shifted, and a crack began to form. More splintered away from it, until it shattered completely, releasing the hyena inside.

She shifted, and opened her eyes slowly, looking around. She could feel the winds around her, tousling the mane of fur that lay along her spine. She yawned, and stretched slightly before getting up. She got up and wobbled around, unsure of where to go or what to do. Or even where she was. What was all this? She wanted to get out and see, but the sound of the wind and the feel of it around her made her hesitant. So she stayed where she was, peaking out occasionally.

Tuck found he often avoided Monoceros because of the never-ending whirlwind in the center. Tuck was literally five inches tall and weighed less than a pound. Like, way less than a pound. One fifth of one pound. So why would he ever willing go into a room full of high, strong wind? He guessed today he was feeling slightly suicidal or something. He stuck religiously to the trenches along the floor, basically shimmying around on his belly like some tiny furry snake. Even the slightest push of any wind that found its way into into the Gorge bowled him over, and he would have to cling to the stone with his claws and scrape his way back into a flat-on-the-ground position.

Why was he doing this? He had half a mind to turn and make his way back to the safety of the tunnel when he saw the shattered chrysalis ahead of him. He blinked. What was this, the third hatching he’d come across lately? Why did this keep happening? It was like the universe was telling him to adopt a kid or something. He crawled forward, shouting, “Hey!” and hoping he’d be heard over the sound of the twister.

@Haru

Haru had stayed there for a while, once venturing out slightly only to come running back when she realized the wind was simply too strong. Was she going to be stuck here forever? That would suck. She was just thinking about venturing out again when a voice stopped her.

Wait. A voice?

Looking around, she couldn't tell where it had come from. Had she even heard it? Or was it just the wind? It was probably just the wind. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone else was there. So she called out loudly in response, though it seemed to take the form of a question. "Hi?"

@Tukluk