ORIGIN

Long legs carried the hyena pup away from the darkness, and vegetation, of Eridanus. She flicked her ears back once, to check for sounds of anyone tagging along, and when none came she turned them back around.
Not two steps after she had done so though, a terrible racket ricocheted off the walls of the tunnel before her. Her slim, charcoal mask jerked upward, ears straining forward to pick up every note of the terrible clamor that originated from somewhere up ahead. It sounded awful, as if something were tearing the very cave down in their excitement or rage.

The Gemling didn't have a firm grasp on emotions and which behaviors they fueled, so she didn't know to be wary of the situation ahead. Instead, her curiosity drove her forward slowly, step by step. Instinctively, she kept her steps light, though the noise from ahead probably would have drowned out any sound of her, even if she had been stomping down the tunnel.

Within moments, Kitaka peeked around the bend in the tunnel and caught sight of whom was responsible for all of the din. She waited patiently until the creature had calmed down, and then she slowly stepped out into view.
Unable to speak yet, the hyena pup let out a soft whine to try and catch the stranger's attention. Her large, deep brown eyes stared questioningly at the other Gembound, glancing from her to the cracked rocks and the claw marks in the dirt.

@Blackberry

The hiss made Kitaka's head tilt curiously. The snake in the green room had hissed, but this was no snake, she thought simply. She guessed there that were some similarities between the two creatures, but she was certain this was not a reptile.
Then the other Gembound snapped at her, the hostility in its voice palpable, and the hyena pup ducked her head down. She knew that the thing had made noises at her, and expected some sort of reaction from her. The snake had done the same, however, Kit didn't know how to answer back. Most of what she'd done had seemed to annoy the snake.

The pup glanced up, and then quickly regretted the decision to do so whenever her gaze met the burning intensity of the other's. Instinctively, she started to shuffle forward, her head still down. Her short tail wrapped in between her back legs, and held itself against her stomach. She wanted to know what was going on, wanted to be closer and figure the thing out. So she just had to do so, and see what happened.

Whenever Kitaka was only a few steps away, she crouched down and literally crawled up to Blackberry. As soon as she was close enough, she tentatively reached out her ebony colored nose and began to curiously sniff along the Gembound's legs and lower feathers.

@Blackberry

Whenever the stranger leaned their petite head down to Kitaka's level, she turned to regard them with a small crease of her maw. So they wanted to know about me too, she thought excitedly. Her tail relaxed slowly as the other Gembound spoke, uncurling from in between her back legs and giving a few small, hopeful wags.
Then the creature hissed again, eyes narrowed, and spat out another string of strange sounds. Some of them sounded similar to what the hyena had heard before, but she was no better at understanding them now than she had been when she first hatched. All she could do was stare, confused, at the goose, while her tail curled itself protectively against her stomach again.

The desperate edge in Blackberry's voice didn't help Kit understand her words any better either. In fact, it only kind of made the pup wonder what she was supposed to do about it. She knew that the other Gembound expected some sort of answer, or reaction, from her whenever those noises were made. What that reply was supposed to be illuded her though. Until an idea suddenly popped into the hyena's still growing cranium. She wasn't sure if it would work, she had only done it once before, but it seemed worth it to try.

Kitaka thought back to her short time in the green room, and all she had done there. She remembered running, wind at her back, and how exhilarating it felt. Unbeknownst to her, her magic stirred, willing her forward. So, the pup started forward slowly, and then she increased her gait to a lope. Within a couple of moments, she was running wide circles around Blackberry, going so fast her form created one large, dark blur around the goose.

Finally, Kit skidded to a halt, her eyes glowing with elation and her maw parted to heave air into her lungs. She wagged her now free tail at the other Gembound in small, hopeful jerks again. Surely they were impressed with her speed?

@Blackberry

The pup waited for more yelling and thrashing about from the stranger, but nothing of the sort came. Instead, the avian settled down on to its haunches and then beckoned her closer with a wing. Since she was equally satisfied with this reaction as any other, and curious of what might happen, Kitaka bounced forward with ignorant, innocent glee.

Whenever she got close, the other Gembound spoke softly to her, a huge change from the tense awkwardness and outright hostility from moments before. Yet, the hyena didn't seem to remember or care about that. Her tail wagged faster as the other creature continued to talk. The higher tones of a question excited her, as did the fact that she was still being acknowledged. She didn't understand what was being said, but she was obviously happy about it being said to her.

Sensing an opening, the hyena pup crouched down and quickly crawled up to the stranger. Tail still wagging, she stopped at the goose's shoulder and just stared up at her. Kit's dark brown eyes gleamed in the cave lights, seemingly begging Blackberry to stay.
She hadn't met many others, but this one seemed to tolerate her well enough. That meant that it wanted her around, right? Kitaka hoped so, because she didn't like being alone. The short time she had spent in solitude had been boring. Nothing like meeting the snake and finding the special rock, that had been fun!

@Blackberry

Blackberry was actually surprised that the pup approached her and was even more when she seemed happy about her words. She blinked with surprise and, not sure what else to do, rubbed the top of her head with the underside of her beak. Hopefully not the sharp end. She was growing a little fond of the innocent little pup. It is no idea, though, and she wondered if she could lead her into the family she was creating.

A family of blood and berries. Plundering, destroying, and ruining what they could. Simply because it was fun and because it would be their way of life. Did this pup have what it would take? Was she tough? Or, at least, fierce?

She thought she should test it out. She stood to her feet and lifted her wings a bit, hopping playfully around the hyena, a small, playful growl in her throat. She didn't want to fight her, but she could at least test throgh play.

@Kitaka

Although it was unexpected, the goose's touch was not unwelcome. Kitaka relaxed under it, soothed by the gentle stroke. She was surprised by how hard the bird's beak was though. For some reason, the pup had assumed it was soft, like flesh. However, the beak felt more like her claws did, and by the looks of it, it could do just as much, if not more, damage.

Whenever the other Gembound suddenly stood up, the pup jerked her head up, ears erect. She watched intently as her acquaintance hopped once to one side, then again in another, with her wings spread out to either side of her. The Gemling didn't need to be told what to do here, she knew playing by instinct. She leaped to her paws with a low, stuttering growl of her own. It was obvious to anybody listening how unpracticed it was, but she didn't seem to notice. She furrowed her brows and then let out a yip before darting forward.

The hyena's gangly legs tangled though, and she went sprawling face first right in front of her playmate. She popped up after a couple of seconds without a groan though, seemingly unphased by the failure. With her eyes gleaming, and her tongue lolling, she bounced from to side and then crouched down. Her wriggling rump in the air, Kit let out another bark, as if daring the other Gembound to charge her now.

@Blackberry