ORIGIN - With Eyes Like Starlight

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Comet's muzzle was swelling up at such a rate that she could barely talk, so she just nodded. The area sort of burned, and she was really starting to regret eating that bumblebug.

But this failure did not seem to faze Thalia for some reason, so Comet followed her on the search for a bug that the fawn could try eating. A blackfly! The pup stayed back and let her try to catch it herself, she was not tall enough to get it, but hopefully Thalia was.

Suddenly, the fawn disappeared. Comet tilted her head in confusion. What had happened? She was right there just a moment ago! Her position was soon revealed, however, by her loud cries. The pup raced towards the sound, and and plopped down next to her partner. This would be the part where Comet would say some comforting words, but her muzzle was too swollen for that. The pup licked Thalia all over her face, cleaning it of tears and dirt.

@Thalia

It was hard to be upset with a puppy in your lap, even a sentient puppy with a bee-swollen muzzle. Thalia sat up, her miserably-twisted face contorting into confusion, turning away a little from Comet's licking. That quickly turned into giggles, and a moment later she was trying to pet the wolf cub appreciatively.

"I f-fell," she explained, in a short and quiet mumble, but she was already looking around, blinking tears away from wide eyes. Just as it was hard to be upset with a puppy, it was hard to stay sad with such a vibrant flower grove all around, and soon enough Thalia was pushing back to her feet. Shame did it, too; she was determined to be tough and reliable and certainly not wailing in the dirt. A final pat was offered Comet's way and she turned, sniffling, unselfconsciously using her other forearm to wipe away her tears and snot.

Pale eyes shifted back to the wolf cub. "We can go where you wanna, n-now. -Your face okay-?" she added, and then remembered to look around to find her spear. She picked it up a moment later from the grass, hanging her head a little at the memory of her own brief crying.

@Comet

Comet was happy to see that her licks were working! Thalia's sobbing had turned into giggling, and she was getting some good pets! The fawn's hand stroking her fur felt good. It was strange, how much she liked it.

The pup was a little disappointed when the petting stopped, but she stood up eagerly at the possibility of more exploring. Comet stayed close to her side, just in case she fell again. They had finished exploring this grove of flowers, so that called for finding someplace else to frolic in.

"Yes I tink my fath is better now." replied Comet. The swelling was already starting to go away. "Leth's go!" She waited for Thalia to pick up her spear, then she headed off into the trees, checking back to make sure the fawn didn't fall again.

@Thalia

Thalia came along behind Comet, each step carefully-placed in the grass so as not to fall again. A brief, childish mental note--soon to be forgotten--reminded her to kill he next Blackfly she saw, in retaliation! But for now, silver eyes peered into the comparative darkness beneath the trees ahead.

"Glad your face is good," she offered, a little clumsy with her words, but kind. And then, after a moment, more hushed: "Think we'll find monsters..?"

It was quiet and hopefully, despite the fact that Thalia was barely more than a toddler, and still sniffling now and then from having fallen down. Surely a monster was within their capabilities to handle.

Little fingers clutched more tightly around the spear as she pushed behind Comet through the foliage, leaves parting at her push. Thalia moved in a half-crouch again, a silly attempt at the 'sleek huntress,' something Comet's nature made her better at--even as a puppy. And for now, she followed the wolf cub's lead.

@Comet

Comet's press through the thick Eridanus foliage did not go unnoticed. The ever-present birdsong drew louder--closer--and then there were a dozen Rainbow Spinners in the branches just above.

Glittering feathers of a dozen colors shone in the orb-light; inquisitive little faces tilted this way, then that, as the flock peered down at the two travellers. And their melodic calls didn't stop, or quiet; they seemed to sing as much to Comet and to Thalia as to one another.

The birds were tiny--only a few inches long--but didn't seem afraid.

@Comet

Comet's carefully placed paw steps carried her through the underbrush, and Thalia was following along pretty well. "Yeah! Maybe something big, like..." She did not exactly know much super big and scary things, so she said something that she came up with from her imagination. "A monster with ten legs and HUGE teeth!" She was pretty sure with her own sharp teeth and Thalia's sharp stick thingy, they would be able to take down any monster!

As the pup pushed through a the leaves, the birdsong got louder and louder, until finally she emerged into a clearing filled with singing Rainbow Spinners. "Wow." Comet breathed. They were so pretty! She looked back to see Thalia's reaction. This was no monster indeed, but it was amazing!

@Thalia

Thalia froze, at first, staring up in amazement at the birds so close. She'd seen Rainbow Spinners before, but none had been so friendly or so bold, and she went from briefly wondering if one would taste good to gentle awe, instead, very quickly.

She glanced forward as Comet spoke, then looked up, nose scrunching with her squinting, a grin on her face.

"Maybe a monster with twelve legs. Maybe the birds are monsters, in didsg... disguise," she teased. Then she looked up, clumsily attempting to imitate their warble.

Her whistle was passable, a little airy, tapering off too soon but multi-noted and musical, at least. The child--tears still drying on her cheeks--burst into giggles as the birds seemed to respond in kind.

"They like us. Maybe they can find us a monster," Thalia suggested, with all the outlandish imagination of a toddler.

@Comet

Comet laughed at Thalia's teasing, and listened to the fawn's attempted imitation of the Rainbow Spinners' chirps. That was a good idea! Perhaps she should try it herself. Being a wolf, she could not whistle, but she could whine.

She raised her nose to the sky like she was going to howl, but what came out was a whine. It went up and down in pitch and sound, a much better imitation of the chirps than Thalia's whistling had been. The birds chirped right back, and she laughed.

"Hmm, let's listen to the birds. Maybe they will whistle something?" The pup pricked her ears to try and decipher their chirps, merging random sounds into words where there were none. What were they saying?

"Follow me!" Comet's imagination had told her to head off to the right and see what they would find. There was no trail here, it was completely dense underbrush. The birds had also said there may be some monster fighting to do...

What stood in the clearing certainly looked like a monster.

Some eight feet tall, all tangled branches and vines, it might have been easy to mistake it at first, brief glimpse for a tree. But its shape was too animal for that, the long, talon-like fingers uplifted toward the canopy--motionless--too humanoid. The glow of its eyes was dim, and it was wholly still--the moss hanging from it, here and there.

Was it a sculpture, or an animal? A person, a Gembound? Or a strange tree, imitating one?

The slow draw of nutrients from the soil beneath its branchlike feet kept it rooted, in a sense; and its upraised hands seemed to plead with the orb-lights for their sustenance--or maybe it was basking in it. Not a sound came from it, but there it stood: silent, looming, vaguely ominous.

She was still giggling, grinning up at the birds, as Comet led her through the underbrush. Bouyant with the exhilarating joy of it all--the pretty flowers, the fearless birds, her new friend--she had that sort of feeling that everything was well, and nothing could go wrong. That this was one of those good moments in life, the safe ones that, in later years, one might look back upon with a warm smile.

Then, she saw Titanite.

Thalia jerked to a halt, bare feet nearly losing traction in the earth, silver eyes springing wide. The smile vanished, replaced by a tiny "o" as her mouth parted in shock. She froze, instinctive, blinking slowly only once; her gaze travelled over its bone-like branch structure, its dangling vines, the thorn-like rows of teeth. Her fist tightened around the little spear, though now this spear felt distinctly flimsy in her tiny hand.

She almost screamed--but didn't; instead she quickly took three steps to come up alongside Comet, speaking in an alarmed, hushed near-whisper. "What is that thing?!" she asked, alarmed--as if somehow, Comet might know.

As if they hadn't gone out looking for monsters.

@Comet

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