ORIGIN

The small pine marten struggled against its chrysalis. Gosh, this sucked. It huffed silently, kicking at the chrysalis again. Though, looking at the color, it would make an awesome necklace or a cool accent to a blue and green flower crown. Shaking its head and re-focusing the marten tried to escape once more.

Yes! A crack. Scratching some more, a gap was made. not quite big enough to slip through, or was it? trying to squeeze through, Ghost got themselves stuck.

"HEEELLLLLPPPPP!!!!" They squealed helplessly. They had hatched. But now, well they were stuck. What a great day to be alive.

"This rock sure is pretty thouuggghhh."

There were good creatures to run into after hatching--ones who would be helpful, friendly and instructional. Then there were dangerous ones--predatory, who would snap a newborn up as soon as they saw them, a free meal.

Then... there was Imp.

The squat, gargoyle-like being with his soft ruff of fur and permanent grin glided toward the call for aid, and rather than helpfully aiding the pine marten--or harming them--he just sat grinning.


"...Having some trouble?" he croaked, his strange smile widening. Batlike nostrils flared--the tiny creature's predicament amused him. He lolloped forward, his winged forelimbs and clawed hind crawling his way up the rock to watch more closely.

I could have some fun with this thing.

((ooc -- @Skeleton ))

Squirming and squeaking, Skeleton tried to wiggle out of the hole. It didn't seem like they'd succeed at first, but they did. And then they looked at the creature before them, which they had been ignoring before.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU!?" They screamed, backing into their chrysalis. Turning around, they stared at it. "That'd make one hell of a cool crown." They spoke to themselves, forgetting about the thing behind them. Ghost was oblivious to everything, they really were.

@Imp

Imp peered. He sniffed. He drew closer in a way that was meant to be intimidating, but just came across as awkward and ungainly. And he tried to speak in an intimidating voice--but it came across as squeaky and weak.

"I AM THE GREAT IMP!"
he squawked. He was not in any way 'great,' but in his own mind he was the greatest, of course. He peered at the tiny thing before him.

"What are YOU? Who are you? Why are you in there? Are you new? Can I eat you?" he added with a malicious grin. He wouldn't--he was just a, well, imp. A troublemaker. But there was no harm in tormenting this thing a little. Or so he imagined.

((ooc -- @Skeleton ))

He started talking. Man, this guys was annoying. Wait a minute, eat her!?! WHAT THE HECK!?

"NO, YOU CANNOT EAT ME FOUL BEAST! God, I can't even use fashion to make you look good, you squeaky monster." Ghost spat. They were astonished at this beast's lack of manners and etiquette.

"You sir, or whatever you are, are very rude." Skel chided before speaking again. "I am Ghost, a pine marten. I am new, I just freaking hatched, if you can't tell!" Feisty, this one was.

@Imp

Imp turned, twisting to clamber upside-down along the rocks with his clawed bat-wings. He stared with his equally upside-down grin.

"Rude? That's rude! --Calling me rude! ...What's a pine marten?"

The squat creature eyed Ghost up and down, crawling somewhat closer. "Do you pine? Do you pine for the pines?! Do you eat pines? Pines explode when they burn."

With this 'useful' bit of information given, he clambered closer, sniffing loudly. Whatever a pine marten was, he'd never seen anything like it, and he was curious as to what it would do.

((ooc -- @Skeleton ))

Gosh, this guy was really weird! Ghost wanted to smack him, but then they'd be no better than him.

"You creep! You're being rude, sniffing me and asking if you can eat me!" Skeleton squeaked. "And don't sniff me! I'm busy, I gotta go find something to make a bag out of so I can take some of my chrysalis with me to make myself something to wear!"

And with that, Skeleton blew a raspberry at Imp, and turned to go find something. They wouldn't leave, no, they just needed to get something.\

@Imp

Imp blew a raspberry right back, equally rude and obnoxious. He had no idea whatsoever how this thing was able to speak so clearly and so soon after hatching--he'd been nearly a mute, himself--but he accepted and thought little more of it. However, his curiosity was piqued.

"A bag? What's a bag? What's fashion? What's fashion?"

He clattered along the stone, peering after the tiny mustelid, clapping his jaws shut rapidly in thought. It made a quiet chittering noise, and his wings folded along his back as he observed.

((ooc -- @Skeleton ))

Ghost rolled their eyes.

"You are really really dim-witted." They threw over their shoulder, searching for something. After searching for a few minutes, they found a nice leaf, and a thin blade of grass. They giggled and got to work, using the long thin blade of grass to sew it into a pouch, and then making a strap to attach it around her midsection.

"This is a bag. And fashion, you dim-witted monstrosity, is the most amazing thing. It can make something like you look amazing. Like a queen, or king." They told Imp. Turning back around, they started toward their abandoned chrysalis, ready to fill up the one small pouch they had.

@Imp

Imp crawled closer, smoke briefly twisting up from his nostrils at the insult. But he wasn't one to go straight to violence--instead, he'd play with it a little. Show it who the stupid one was. For a moment he crawled closely after the creature--perhaps too closely, inspecting it and hissing softly from between broad jaws. Then he spoke, voice overly innocent.

"What's dim-witted? What's dim-witted mean? Explain?"

His voice took on a high-pitched, whining tone as he pursued, wing-arms dragging him over the cave wall as his gaze craftily followed the newborn.

((ooc -- @Skeleton ))