ORIGIN - Thieves and Beggars

Foul language warning, always.

The stone was a strange one: bright and ridiculous red leaning a tad toward orange or pink, and mottled in a pocked, chipped way that revealed its oddly organic nature.

It was also cracking.

A quiet shudder, a snap. A line began to erupt along the coral's length--but the stone lay in the mud of Cetus, wholly submerged in the water. The first crack allowed that foul swamp-water in, flooding the stone, displacing the fluid that had kept the child within growing and alive.

Oh fuck.

It was a hell of a first thought: but here he was, alive, existing, he was Corsair and oh fuck, oh fuck, he was drowning!

A scaly black foot struggled, kicked, and the coral snapped away; the hatchling tumbled out and bobbed to the surface: a scraggly fledgling with wide and terrified eyes. The hooked beak gaped, the bird gasping for air, the little wings batting at the water's surface.

Terror was not a good start to any life, but at least he wouldn't die, yet--probably, anyway. He was free, the coral laying abandoned beneath him, lingering only in a dirty glint at his keel. And there the fledgling floundered, struggling and bobbing at the surface of the Heart.

"H-" he started, the word coming freely to his mind but he was choking--"HELP!"

Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck-

Skein was napping beneath a mangrove, tucked into the hay and grasses there. They felt safe, splayed out on their stomach. Comfortable with the knowledge that their siblings and father were nearby and safe. But that peace was shattered in seconds. Skein heard the crack of something splitting, and the ensuing splashes.

Skein bolted upright, ears nearly vertical. What was that? Dragon? No. A sibling? In danger? Skein skittered closer to the noise. Someone was stuck in there. They were desperately trying to escape? Brandle? Brandle might've gone deeper than was safe! Or no--Revenant! Revenant might've struck a branch while flying, and fell into the water! They eering into the water.

"REVI? BRAN?" Skein dove into the water, frantically paddling at the surface. The closer Skein got, the less familiar the thing became. At first Skein was sure it was Revenant, given the dark skin. But the thing in the water had black feathers. And that confused Skein. No one in their family had feathers except for them.

Black feathers, at least. And the flashes of red skin they saw at the surface, too, wasn't anything on any sibling they'd seen. They switched from worried sibling to rabid chihuahua in less than a second. This wasn't family! This was a liar, come to trick them! Come to hurt Skein's family! Skein squawk-hissed, and they began yapping like a broken alarm. "INTRUDER! INTRUDER! THIEF! LIAR! ROBBER!"

Skein did not retreat at this new revelation. Instead, they drew closer, intent on dealing with the threat themselves. "GO AWAY!" Skein cried. "INTRUDER!" they repeated. Skein drew their front talons. An attack meant to rend the intruder, and teach it a solid (and painful) lesson for daring to invade the Children of Rot's territory. However, most of that attack went into a strong, if accidental front forward push.

Skein's whole body weight went with it, more than seemed reasonable for a still young alligator. They tumbled in the water for a moment, dazed and confused, like a ferris wheel cranked up to mach ten. Once their spin out was finished, Skein blinked. Then, resumed barking its "INTRUDER," searching for the baby bird it'd just tried to punt.

@Corsair

There was a voice approaching--calling words he didn't know--and he struggled against the drowning waters. Terror still gripped him, a fear that seemed to swirl like the mist above. The stranger's approach both intensified that fear--what if it were enemy?--and brought him desperate hope--what if it were a saviour?

Any such hopes were dashed, though, when it began to hiss and squawk. The poor fledgling screamed, wordless and afraid, as the larger child drew closer. The words--intruder, thief, liar, robber--rang through Corsair's head, undoubtedly tucked away to be examined in confused horror later (should he survive this henious assault). But for now he was shoved, booted, thrown--bodily clear of the water in a horror-filled moment of spinning water, sky and fog--and then slamming tattered baby-feathers first into the mud.

Already weakened by his struggles, he fought to come upright. Wings battered the mud, legs pushing frantically in an attempt to escape his attacker. "HEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!" he managed again, a little bit of water spraying from his beak. And then a gasp, choking, as he tried to get to shore.

"Shi..." he started, interrupted by a gasp for air, as he pulled himself onto some semblance of land. It wasn't dry, it wasn't even solid, but it wasn't water. Skein had pretty much shoved him here, and he was sorely tempted to just lie and rest now--but the horrific monster was coming for him, searching for him.

The fledgling bird did his best to flop away. It wasn't a very dignified retreat. It certainly wasn't a speedy one. Shit, he was still thinking, again and again, red eyes wide with fear.

@Skein

Skein's head darted around, searching for Corsair. Truth be told, it was hard to miss the flying orb of feathers. Their eyes found Corsair quickly. But even if that hadn't caught Skein's attention, the loud cry for help would have. Skein watched the intruding thiever flop on the mud. And Skein was filled with nothing but pure pride for themselves. He was on the retreat! He was running! Running from Skein! Skein was doing it, they were saving their friends and family from the intruder! It did nothing but bolster Skein's confidence. Skein was defending their siblings so well, staving off this ferocious child!

They paddled after Corsair, not willing to lose this one before it was taught a serious lesson. Skein couldn't wait to tell Dragon about this, ooh--and this would be a good reason to keep Brandle and Revenant from wandering! There were other, strange animals out there that pretended to drown in water!

"THIEF!" Skein said. "RUN! RUN!"

Skein hard-paddled after Corsair, panting and spitting swamp water. It was hard work, but the hybrid was slowly gaining on Corsair' and his patch of mud. Not for any good reason. That was as evident as the visible malice in the hybrid's eyes. "RUN LIAR!" Skein said, in a rare stringing of words.

@Corsair

It was like the world was dimming, darkening even past the horrid black of swamp-water. He was pretty sure it was the essence of the marsh itself (of existence, as far as he were concerned--he knew nowhere near enough to differentiate individuals from the world) screaming at him. His heart hammered too-fast in his ears, his gasps ragged with swamp-water.

His wings found a final burst of energy, and as the screeching thing came up behind him he managed terrified first flight: crooked beats lifted him upward, tilting this way and that wildly before slamming him into a tree. But he landed on a branch, at least, and gripped this for all it was worth, clinging and pressing down and shivering.

Red eyes searched the darkness and fog in fear. What else is out there?! What is that?! Why does it hate me? What the fuck is a liar?! His mind reached for this, in his terror, and found the meaning, and he screamed down after a single ragged breath: "I'M-" -gasp- "NOT A LIAR?!"

Panting he clung to the tree, clueless as to what all this meant--and not wanting ANY part of it.

@Skein

Skein would be prudent in making sure this stranger was gone. Skein flapped his wings, pinfeathers clicking as they hit against each other, but no height was actually gained. The flight feathers that'd begun sprouting were still downy at the ends, and now thoroughly soaked with water.

Needless to say, Skein was pissed that they could not fly. Skein growled and chirped and hissed, and just about any other aggressive sound their mismatched genetics could make. "Leave! Leave!" Skein shouted. Skein spun around in circles, like a dog driven mad. Spittle frothed at Skein's mouth, growing more intense the more times Skein shouted leave.

"Liar? NOT a liar? LYING more? Come here! Tear apart!" Skein's claws scrabbled at the tree trunk, desperate for purchase. Their claws, still slick with swamp water and mud, snagged into corners and scars in the bark. Skein, still salivating in relentless aggression, began to climb the tree. Skein's amber eyes glared at Corsair through the fog. "RUN! RUN MORE! RUN AWAY! NEVER RETURN!"

Skein could see Corsair more clearly now. At least they thought it was Corsair--it was difficult to tell given all the fog, and clumps of leaves that sprouted on the tree. There was one issue. Corsair was farther up than Skein had thought. And Skein was scared to try and crawl from the tree to the branch. Going back down wasn't really an option either. Looking back down at the ground was scary. Scarier than going up further. Skein hissed. This was all the bird's fault. "I hurt you!"

@Corsair
((Accidentally put two pings in oops, my b!!))

Well, this was terrifying.

The Monster of the Marsh (as Corsair's brain was ~~happily~~ horrifyingly describing it, now) was clambering up behind him, and his water-muddied eyes were catching frightened glimpses of the beast. Flashes of brown and mud, of claws and feathers, and some distant primeval part of his brain was screaming in horror at the feathers bit.

FEATHERS MEAN FLY, his brain warned him, though not so clearly and he wasn't quite sure what to DO about this.

"FUCK! FUCK! NO! FUCK OFF!" he screamed, in a bravery born of last-ditch desperation. He could try to get up higher, but he might fall--and if he fell (or tried to glide down to safety) there was a pretty good chance this monster'd be on him in a heartbeat. He'd be torn to shreds before he'd ever really lived-! (This was all instinct, mind you; Corsair knew nothing of what predators did to prey, just yet, but his animal brain was screaming warnings of DO NOT GET NEAR THE THING and so he wouldn't. If he could help it.)

He drove his beak down in fear, splintering pieces off the branch below him. It was, all else aside, a huge beak, and powerful jaws for something so small--jaws meant to crack shells the size of walnuts. He pressed against the trunk and bit at anything that got close, blindly: tree bark, twig, and--if Skein got into range--any part of the monster that drew near.

He trembled against the branch, meanwhile, panting. "FUCK-! OFF-! NO! FUCK FUCK FUCK!" he screamed, high-pitched and desperate.

@Skein

"Fffuck?" Skein repeated. What was this brand new word? Skein could tell it was a bad thing, given it was directer at them. "Fuck..fuck! FUCK!" Skein rolled the word around in their mouth. It was a fun word! A new thing for Skein to weaponize. And Skein pointed this new weapon to Corsair, screaming a string of:"NO! YOU! YOU! FUCK OFF!"

Skein growled. They shifted their claws on the bark, preparing to scooch closer to Corsair. This came easier than climbing up the first time. Undoubtedly since Skein was already clinging to the tree. Skein did not anticipate the bird actually fighting back. The cockatoo's beak snapped out, finding Skein's leg. They squawked in pain, wings fluttering, as their closest leg was nipped.

Skein attempted to strike back, but the bird had moved out of range again. Skein's beak snapped on empty air. Well that was sharp. Skein retreated back, clinging to their safe patch. Skein hissed, a livid. "I'll hurt you!" Skein, despite the sharp sting in their forelimb, and the hot blood beginning to stream, was not deterred. They tucked their injured limb in(it hurt when they moved it), using the other three to gain ground. Skein had a mission to fulfill. To chase this stranger out of their lands, for being a stranger. Skein would try to endure whatever else Corsair threw at them, in an attempt to get on their branch.

@Corsair

This is it, his instincts screamed: all or nothing! We make our final stand here! He'd have to fight this monster, as it invaded his last sanctuary. Hurt it, drive it back, and finally secure his safety. He-

-saw its jaws and changed his plan immediately. They looked sharp and heavy and dangerous, and the mass of dirty feathers was coming at him with those jaws at its forefront. He turned, desperate, trying to clamber up a little higher. His only recourse was to drive it back without touching it, and he tried: intending to up his volume to immense levels. "FUUUUUUUUUUCK!" Corsair screamed, and, well, he went a little too hard. It wasn't even all that loud, really. He just ran himself out of breath.

And fainted, briefly.

The world swam dark, his air shoved out of his lungs, and he wavered for a moment on the tree trunk before toppling backward. Cetus flashed past and he landed on his back in the muck below, motionless--alive, of course, but slowly blinking back awake.

Lesson: don't scream out all your air when you're already low on oxygen.

"Fuck," he gently whispered, wings spread belly-up in the mud.

@Skein

SOME TIME LATER...

The monster, it seemed, hadn't found him. He woke up from a daze, mud-slicked--maybe his motionless unconsciousness, covered in goop, had saved him. Most likely Skein had thought that Corsair had fled--he wasn't sure, but he knew that he was alive, and the swamp was now silent bar the constant sounds of insects and... and whatever that horrific wailing was in the distant treetops.

Corsair didn't want to find out.

A flutter rose him up, and he turned, weakly looking around--but fear drove him, and he was soon hobbling as fast as he could in a completely random direction. He tried to stay quiet, and by all the luck, or gods, or whatever there was looking after him (maybe just his own effort), he managed to do so. A flutter and he'd lifted airborne, his weak barely-fledgling wings carrying him in slow hops and starts to blind safety.

He didn't know where to go--he didn't know what lay out there--he just wanted to be anywhere but this.

exit Corsair due to inactivity