ORIGIN - [Hatching] From the depths of emptiness

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strong language

abuse

Maybe Vargas didn't mean it, but from Vedette's perspective, that's exactly what it seemed like. One moment Vargas complimented her and the next he slapped her around like she was a hockey puck and Vargas a stick.

She weakly scrabbled at the ground, shivering, afraid of his touch, afraid of him. She gripped the ground as hard as she could, even digging her teeth into what she could, but Vargas was larger and she was easily dragged away. Her claws were torn from the rock she'd grabbed a hold of and she was plonked down none so gently.

"I hate you...", she sobbed, curling up in a prickly ball and raising her quills, hiding her face and soft belly.

At least if she was hit again, Vargas would feel it too.

Vedette was pathetic now. Trembling, her eyes clenched shut and chest heaving. Panicking. Fearful. If she could leave and minimize any and all contact with Vargas, that would be ideal. But nope, the asshole just kept coming back.

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

He ignored Vedette, bar to keep an eye that she did not flee. His attention, now, was on the newly-hatched one. She did not answer: indeed she only smacked lightly at him, and again he grunted.

"You cannot speak-?" he asked, as if this would somehow help. A moment's thought, and he looked around. Could he get her to grasp the concept, at least, of language?

Vargas leaned out, and tapped a rock--then his claws, then his eye. He slapped one palm lightly over the ground. And for each, he spoke, slowly and clearly: "Rock. Claw. Eye. Ground. Words--do you understand? Names." Again he touched his chest, and gestured to Vjira. "Vargas. Vjira," he informed, slowly. "Do you understand?"

@Vedette

Her attention was back on the smaller one when she curled up on herself and started trembling. An entire head turn to change focus, and all of her eyes looking to the tiny one. What was wrong with it? Was it because of the big one? Vjira's eyes on the right side turned back to look at Vargas. The other eyes still lingering on the pokey one. Vjira hunkered down, nearly loafing, tail on the ground and fluffy fur brushing against it. A curious chirp, first, then Vjira reached out to poke the wing of Vedette before letting out a short rumbled purr - it sounded more like a less aggressive growl more than anything, though.

Her eyes then looked to Vargas, and back to the small one again. Back to vargas, rumbling at him when he said words and pointed at her. She still had no idea what kind of noises he was making, but it was something, and didn't seem to be particularly aggressive. At least, not in the way Vedette was before - screaming. Except he had done that too - her feral brain didn't comprehend the difference well.

@Vedette

Vedette flinched and snapped her wings shut, tucking them in and trying to layer quills over them. Even if it wasn't Vargas touching her, she didn't want to take a chance.

"Go 'way," she hissed, curling up tighter and flaring out her quills dangerously.

She was the world's most dangerous bouncy ball at the moment.

It was kind of funny, though. Vargas was working way too hard to get this imbecile to understand him. What a loser.

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Vargas was gradually moving from "patient" to "devastated." He was about halfway there, his heart sinking, faint panic bubbling to the surface. No, no, no, this is not right. DAMN it, he thought. Racing thoughts flicked through his mind: had Astraea deliberately set this one up to be a failure? Or had he, himself, somehow ruined this creation?

If it could not communicate, it would have to be remade--that was the old way. And while the creature would likely survive, it would reflect poorly, he thought, on its creators. Perhaps if he were one with dozens of successes under his belt but he was not: he was still a new Master, and--was this his mistake?

Or was it Astraea's?

It should have had some intrinsic ability to comprehend speech...

Inspiration flickered up--maybe the patting at his arm had been communication, of a sort? Perhaps Vjira had been telling him that she understood, but her communication was not verbal? Creator, he hoped so, fervently.

"Listen to me," he said, as she turned her attention to Vedette. He pushed up, padding over, attempting to gently position himself--and her, if she didn't look his way--so that they were facing one another. Solemn, he pointed off along the rock. "I need to know that you can comprehend, and follow orders. Walk a few paces that way. Walk there, and then walk back. Can you do that for me-?"

Vedette was half-forgotten, his pulse thudding in his ears. Please understand, he wished, fervently, staring at Vjira's form. Such a beautiful creation--it would be a shame if it were truly so very flawed.

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@Vjira

Vjira nearly went back in to poke at the spiny one. Except the other parent made a noise. that caused Vjira's head to turn, and for all of her eyes to focus on him instead. There wasn't much for Vjira to do but stand there - she didn't want to leave, was the parent going to make her leave? Vjira watched as the purple one made more sounds, she not entirely understanding what any of it meant. Then he pointed to an area not far away but not too close either.

So, Vjira stood, curious of what Vargas was pointing at. Sniffling around where she was directed to, Vjira found nothing. What was it then? She lifted her head up and stared at the two that were somewhat close. Tail waving in a flag behind her. Well, if there was nothing, she could come back right? The valkhound's wings were raised up high, almost as if Vjira was proud of herself for doing absolutely nothing as she re-approached. Head tilting to the side as if to ask a question.

@Vedette

Vedette remained where she was, curled up with her quills raised, doing absolutely nothing to add to the situation, which was better because she'd probably just be swearing up and down and hissing at people.

She was docile and it was weird.

She kind of wanted Twobutt. They'd pick her up and let her cling to their chest fur and nap, and hopefully heal her head wound. She doubted she'd be able to stand without falling over.

@Vargas
yall can skip me until someone interacts with vedette!

- THE LEVIATHAN -

The Leviathan sagged in faint relief. "Good! Very good," he boomed, in encouragement.

Now... What to do?

He glanced between the two; normally he'd have handed one off to Chaos-Two, or even both, but a new and better idea occurred to him. "Give us a moment, would you? -Stay," he told Vjira, gesturing to the ground. He then paced to Vedette, and spoke more quietly.

"Agate, listen to me closely. This is a lesson you are learning: that actions bring consequences, that when you lash out, when you will receive is a lash back in return. Perhaps you will hear the alternative: if you treat others with respect, they will--unless they are fools--return this respect." He paused, to give this time to sink in.

Would she understand? Would she even listen? That, he did not know; perhaps she was too wounded, too angry, or too young. Perhaps she would not care. "For now, I offer you a choice. You may return to Chaos-Two if you wish. Or if you feel up to it, you might join Vjira and I on her first hunt. Perhaps teach her a thing or two, if you know how to hunt-?" Was that a bit of a challenge?

"If you are too wounded then go back and rest, you have permission. Or we might hunt together, and we can then all eat--in, let us say, Pegasus?"

He glanced over his shoulder to Vjira, then. "Are you hungry?" he asked. "Do you want--food?" A gesture to his mouth, a touch to his belly; would she comprehend this-?

Would either of them respond? Perhaps it was too much to hope for a field trip with Vedette cooperating, even recovering her mood; perhaps instead he'd wind up with Vjira wandering mutely away and the Agate sulking off with Chaos or--worse--fleeing into Pegasus, with Vargas resorting to chasing her down.

He didn't know, but it was worth a try and as Master--with these two and their fates reliant on him--he gave it his best shot.

@Vedette @Vjira

Vjira's fleshy bits on the side of her face wiggled, though those eyes were closed, when Vargas gave her praise. Oh!!! That was nice!!! She did a good thing!!! Vjira was literally wiggling in place, her longer fur doing a wave as she swayed. Almost like an excited cat or dog, she could be compared to. The attention was then taken away from her, the purple one parent pointing at the ground in front of her and making some kind of noise. They all really did make a lot of noise.

At the point, though, Vjira quickly lept down to inspect the floor and sniff at it - was there something there she should be paying attention to? Purple claws scratched at the ground in front of her, patches of dust scraping up with nothing underneath. Nine eyes blinked down at it but there was nothing. The valkhound was still snuffling about on the ground when Vargas started speaking at her again.

Vjira watched Vargas closely, eyes following his movements. Mouth... stomach? Munchies? Vjira chirped at him - moving from her spot of scratch-marks and instead going to stand with parent.

@Vedette

Vedette looked up, her red eyes rimmed with tears, her tiny ears pinned back and one eye slowly swelling shut, "... Outside?"

Outside of this wretched cave. Anything outside had to be better than this, with things to kill and plants to trample, to wreck havoc and destruction on.

~~Maybe she could roll around and feel grass on her paws and face.~~

But respecting Vargas... hm. That would be hard. She was still incredibly angry, but at the moment it was overshadowed by the fact that half her face felt like it was falling off.

"Grapes," she said, slowly standing, "Are purple, I think. Twobu- Chaos-Two says they are. So I call you grape, because it's purple, you're purple, but I guess you're not squishy like fruits are. But they brought me grapes once, and they looked like you. They came in bunches and had green insides, like your eyes. They were neat."

The name was a connection between something sweet and something she hated.

"... It's a nickname," she mumbled, "I call you grape, I call Chaos-Two 'Twobutt', and they call me pincushion. It's a cycle. I dunno if it's affectionate but I guess if it goes two ways then it doesn't have to be mean."

She sniffed and put a hand to her cheek, "... I'll come. I just need to get my face un-fucked. Won't be able t' see with it swelling up like this."

Vedette went to go, but she turned around instead, tail dragging on the ground, "... Did you mean it? What you said after I defeated... her."

She gestured vaguely at the Valkhound, having already forgotten her name. She was a bit put off by her clear lack of intelligence, seeing as she was digging at the ground like the rats that stupidly wandered in to try and steal her food only to be snapped up by Chaos-Two and thrown halfway across the cave.

@Vargas

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