ORIGIN - The Sun Bleached Jaws of Life

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Their chrysalis sat perched on a wide ledge above a small trickle of water. The rock above it offer some shade, not enough to effectively block out all of the rising heat, but enough to not cook the young gembound within. On this day it mattered little Hydra had seen fit to wake the young one whether they wanted to be awake or not. A stone, likely cast from the take off of a Eyehook vulture, fractured their chrysalis open. Pieces lay asunder around them as they shook their head to clear their vision. Even in the shade everything was so bright.

Taking their first few steps away from their chrysalis they opened their wings. Letting the sweltering breeze simultaneously warm them up and dry off their wet feathers. With a look over the ledge they noted the small creek that meandered down the snakelike path the deep fissure took. A few smaller cavern were below them before their eye line was obstructed by stone. Above them a wide arch took up most of the view of the sky but the trade off being shade, they weren't to sure what to think about that.

Q U E N T I N
we'll become silhouettes
when our bodies finally go

Quentin shook out his fur as he stepped out of his den.

It was too bright to be awake. With large ears pinned back, he squinted as he glanced side to side, making sure nothing was out to attack. Precious few seconds taken to making sure he was safe.

Alright. Taking a deep breath, the fox steeled his wills and darted forward, dry mouth open towards the stream in front of his cave. Quickly, he dove his muzzle in, lapping up as much as he could, burping with the haste he'd developed in his few days of life.

The sound of a crack alerted him. Ears swiveling forward and eyes wide, Quentin glanced up. He has to squint against the lights dangling from the roof of the cave. He hated being out this far into the noon.

Straining, he looked towards whatever had made the noise. He was quick to notice movement in the darker shade- a bird? His head stretched out as he tried to get a good look.

He could feel fur rising from his skin as he realized it was a bird. Was it one of those vultures? Why was it so white? Was this what new vultures looked like? Panicked, Quentin darted to his cave, tail scraping the ground as he scuttled back in.

After a beat of trembling, the fennec fox's head poked back out to stare up at the vulture, watching and waiting to see if it would come down and attack. A nervous chattering took over the little gemling as he stared.

@Jawbone

A flicker of movement out of their periphery caught their attention as they looked back down from the arch above them. Eyes narrowed, interested in the creature below them. Large ears, small body, sand hued fur. Things that would suit them well here, wherever here was. They seemed to be desperate for water and all at once Jawbone became aware of their own need. In the same moment the gembound became aware of them, quickly vanishing into a cave before poking their head out, a sound that they couldn't quite describe emitting from them.

Their head cocked to the side,they didn't seem like a threat, more so they didn't act like a threat. It was a gamble either way and right now the call of water was out weighting everything else. That didn't mean they had to be a dimwit while gaining the prize.

A few beats of their wings and they were gliding down toward where the gembound had been, angling themselves so that they could drink and watch the other from the corner of their eye. Once sated, they rose, wings tucked to their side to fully take stock of the stranger. "Hello, I am..." Ahh, that was the question that they were now posed with. Casting a glance round, their gaze settled on a jawbone of a fallen creature sticking up from the sand. "Jawbone. There is nothing the fear from me, unless you mean me harm."

@Quentin

Q U E N T I N
we'll become silhouettes
when our bodies finally go

Quentin retreated his head farther into the small nook, pupils pin-pricked as movement swept from above. Alarm bells drowned out his thoughts. That thing wasn't right, it was like the vultures above. It could eat him right there. Warning noises continued streaming from the fox's mouth, a mixture of intimidation and fear lacing the screaming squeaks from Quentin. His back had curled up as much as it could in its little place.

At the pause, though, Quentin's feral screams died out slowly. This thing... Wasn't attacking him. It wasn't drawing him in like that spider. His teeth ground together as he took one cautious step out.

And then it spoke. Quentin didn't know what to think. He hadn't heard words before, only the dangerous calls of the other creatures about. For all he knew, he was the only one who had thoughts like his.

The fox could feel the water in his throat as another paw slid out, his back still arched but a quizzical look on his face. He seemed nearly upset at the confusion. "Harm.." The word played off his tongue oddly. After a beat, he shook his head, large ears flopping to either side. "I.. am Quentin? I.. Fear," he explained in a light, feminine voice, squeaking out his words. He wasn't sure how to phrase things, but that should work well enough.

@Jawbone

There seemed to be a internal struggle within the other gembound, Quentin, as they cocked their head to the side, ears following the motion. It was a moment before they spoke "Right,I won't eat you if you don't try and eat me. For now," They looked towards the cave roof, finding it clear and ever bright. "there is nothing to fear. Drink your fill I will watch for any danger." They knew nothing of what danger's existed here but instinctively knew to stay on their guard, something did not sit well with them.

@Quentin

Q U E N T I N
we'll become silhouettes
when our bodies finally go

Quentin straightened as the vulture- Jawbone- spoke back. This one was smarter than those he'd seen hovering above, flying between the tall sides of the canyon.

Plus, this one had a lot more feathers.

Eyes squinting and pupils thin, Quentin braved a few more steps into the light, the front half of his body visible in the balls of miniature sun above. "I'm too small, can't eat you," the fox spoke stilted, eyes to the metaphorical skies above. "Many dangers. Many fears. Spiders, birds, prey is fear," he continued. His fluffy tail was held high as he finished re-emerging from his cave. "Not thirsty. You drink." Brown eyes glanced around on the floor, quick to take things in lest he place eyes on another spider. He couldn't risk what happened last time- he refused to be caught in the mental web of another creature.

@Jawbone

They shook their head. They had already had their fill when they had landed.they were correct in saying that they were to small to eat them but that didn't mean they couldn't hurt them. Their head bobbed as Quentin mentioned what they feared and the danger therein. " Spiders, what of the spiders and the birds, can you explain?" Any information they could glean about the place they had been born in would be a great help.

@Quentin

Q U E N T I N
we'll become silhouettes
when our bodies finally go

The tiniest sigh pushed past Quentin's lungs as his ears perked forward, risking a few more steps to get closer. Jawbone didn't seem dangerous. It was too fluffy to be dangerous, not like the mice and deer around here. "Blue spiders. Pretty but too pretty. Don't look at them." His nose quivered anxiously as he sniffed at the bird. "Birds in the open. Birds not like you- naked wings, not fluffy. Dry." A few steps back. "Safer in shade. Not hot. Spiders in cracks. Don't look in cracks unless safe." His head swiveled back to his own den, a paw pointing to it. "Quentin home safe. Join? Maybe too big." He was quick to jump back as he turned his back to Jawbone, not wanting to keep his eyes off them long.

Hastily, he scuttled in and dragged out a long stick-like thing. "Mice also danger. And deer. Have pointy thing like this, but not on belly." He dropped it towards Jawbone, expecting the vulture to come closer.

@Jawbone

They went still. there was much to unpack here. Spiders that they could not look at, other birds with no feathers. They stepped closer to the stick-like object Quentin had brought out. It was wider at the base but narrowed into a sharp point. Prey with sharp things. So, this was their lot. Not bad, not impossible, but hard to deal with. They looked back up to Quentin and then behind to where his den. He was certainly to big. " I am to big, but my place is the ledge where I came from." He motioned back to where he had once been before he took flight. " If you stay here maybe we can work together to hunt and keep each other safe, but that is up to you."

@Quentin

Q U E N T I N
we'll become silhouettes
when our bodies finally go

Quentin's ears perked with interest as Jawbone looked over his prize. "You like? I have more. In the den." Large brown eyes looked over Jawbone before he backed up to his den, intent on pulling out more.

Until, he realized, the vulture actually couldn't fit. His tail flicked with thought as he returned to his companion, glancing up to the wall where they motioned. "Maybe," Quentin huffed, sitting on his haunches. "Quentin can only hunt small mouse, but he can help teach how! Yes!" His tail wagged softly in the sand, kicking up a few particles into the air.

"It hurt learning. Don't bite their sticks." That was the most important lesson the child had to impart, gesturing towards the quill on the ground. "Many of them, could maybe use them as..." His mind faltered and he paused for a moment. "For... Catching and hurting? Trap!" He beamed at recognizing the word. "Mouse stupid. We're smart."

The irony that Quentin was speaking so awkwardly caught on, but he didn't really know how to formulate his thoughts in better ways. He was smarter than them- he'd seen the birds hold onto the mice and kill them. It didn't help that they were so spiky.

@Jawbone

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