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Unfurling Light - Belladonna - May 09 2015
All she knew were her dreams.
She slept in a warm amber colored world, where the dreams whispered to her, filling her eyes and her heart with sweet images and concepts that didn't make sense to her yet. Smooth gentle walls surrounded her, protecting her, and she loved her walls. Time didn't exist in her soft little world, there was nothing that meant as much as her dreams. She knew they made her happy, and that was really all that mattered.
But soon the dreams ceased their song and drifted away from her, and she felt the loss through her whole being, making her cry out in pain. The warmth became overbearing and smothering, and the walls that she loved were closing in on her. Her breath came quick and shallow - had I even noticed before that I was breathing? - her eyes fluttered open - had they ever been open before? - and her weak legs were twitching and pushing against the walls - have I never moved them before? Or have I never known that I could? I never knew the option existed at all, when all I had were my dreams.
Of course, she didn't know that she was asleep all this time; there was no way she could've known. She questioned everything frantically, still lamenting the loss of her dreams, and soon the walls were pressing against her fur, and she wanted nothing more than to escape this prison. She quickened her movements, shoving the walls, feeling them crack, and kicking the cracks until the pieces fell away like glass.
She took in long breaths in of the damp fresh air, shaking herself free of the shards of her.... shell? Egg? She looked at the hard material that seemed almost see-through. It caught the dim light quite nicely, reflecting it back at her. Everywhere else was incredibly dark, and it made her very nervous. But where was the light coming from?
She turned her head this way and that, trying to see the source, but the light kept moving away from her, as if it was right next to her, but hiding. She huffed, then realized that she had two eyes, which both opened and closed together...but only one saw anything? How was that right? She moved her head to her knee, so that she could put pressure to the eye that probably didn't see anything, and then the light went out! Was the light coming from that eye? Her fur bristled with excitement. How interesting!
After some experimentation (that consisted of covering the light and uncovering it many times very quickly, just to make extra sure), she decided to look around her new surroundings. The dim golden light didn't go very far at all, but it allowed her to see these quietly rustling green things that she was both lying on and surrounded by. She sniffed one of them tentatively, and, finding it delicious-smelling, ate a little bit, and found it quite agreeable. She lifted her head and smelled the air, thinking that there must be a lot of these green things, and something else. Something cool, damp, and wonderful.
She was gripped with a strong desire to find wherever that scent came from, but after a few test tries on her legs, wobbling and shaking and threatening to plummet her back into the green things, she decided to stay where she was for now. It was peaceful here, and completely quiet aside from the gentle rustling.
RE: Unfurling Light - Saudade - May 09 2015
He walked and walked and walked for what felt like eons. It was a horrible thing, walking, and he found himself stumbling around and scowling in the dark. Why was it so dark? While he was very fond of the darkness from before (the one from within his warm, safe home of stone) the darkness of current was nothing but a burden. And no matter how much he wished the darkness away it did not budge an inch. What was wrong with this darkness? Did it not know better? The mist had happily obliged his wish, but this... Why would this darkness not listen?
He was wandering into another place in this limitless 'world' (he was hesitant to call it that. Was this really a world?) and soon he saw something glow dimly. He investigated it with a soft, black nose, sticking his nostrils into a flower and tilting his head as the fauna moved. It reacted to him and he pawed it, batting at it with an appendage and nearly toppling over when he was left to balance as a tripod.
The 'thing' was rather lovely, he supposed. All pink and gold and blue. The color changed when he touched it and that was rather nice. But...
He was dawn away by an unusual sound (Or was it unusual? Was it normal? He had to save himself from going off on that tangent) that came from... Where did it come from? And from what? His large ears were very suited to hearing, he realized, and he turned them to and fro. Where had that sound come from? Would it make another noise? He held his breath, blinking in the darkness and waiting for something.
He heard something crack. And he heard something hard (hooves, he would learn) toddle across the stone floor.
Saudade followed the sounds of wee little steps, moving as quickly as his legs allowed. And soon he came across the critter. The moving critter. And it was glowing. Sort of. Kind of. Was it glowing or was that just the stuff behind it, like the stuff from before (flowers), that gave some light?
How strange, he thought to himself, uncertain but not afraid. Spotting a rock near him he swatted it towards the... weird thing, the white sort-of-glowing thing there.
And then he just stared, waiting, expectant.
RE: Unfurling Light - Belladonna - May 09 2015
Ever since she heard the first shufflings and huffs from over to her left, she craned her neck and looked towards the source of the noise, wide eyed, completely still. The soft steps were coming closer and closer to her, but she wasn't going to figure out the source very well from the ground, now was she?
She tried again to stand, trying to put weight on her two forelegs, and the wobbling made her stomach flutter around, but she managed to get onto all four legs before falling over again this time, which was definite improvement. but it was okay, because the green things (which she would later know as ferns) cushioned her falls.
She lifted her head, and saw this big, big furry thing staring down at her quietly, almost impatiently, and the thing knocked a rock over at her.
She looked at the rock, then back at the thing. She wanted to see it more clearly, and the light coming from her was too dim. Could she make the light stronger? For some reason she felt like she could, like this unspoken connection thrived in her, just waiting.
Edit for spell
She followed the thread within her, this tentative connection that gently pulsated inside, and drew into it to bring out the light to fully see the thing in front of her. It suddenly grew bright (well, in her opinion anyway), and a soft golden light illuminated the thing in front of her. it had very long legs, warm brown fur, tiny feet that were very different from hers, and very pretty green-gold eyes.
Out of sudden impulse, she looked again at the rock, then nudged it towards the thing with her nose.
RE: Unfurling Light - Saudade - May 09 2015
He squinted when things became brighter (though to call it bright was a stretch) and he frowned. Frowning was something he was very good, even at this young of an age. Already he had at least three frowns at his disposal. There was the frown of displeasure, the frown of surprise, and - specifically donned for this situation - the frown of complete and utter confusion. Not that one could tell that this was his look of confusion. It looked more like a look of intense scrutiny.
This thing could make the darkness go away, he thought to himself. Why couldn't he? His young brow knit and his eyes narrowed. The foxish face squinted at the luminous little thing, laying as it was and pondered the possibilities.
Did he look like that? Were his eyes that big? Did he have a head that big? Well her legs - wait...
She was a she, wasn't she? He blinked, his very grumpy frown flickering into a small, small smile. She was a she and he delighted in knowing that.
But the fact the darkness listened to her and not him bothered him quite a bit. Could he not do as she had done? Could he not make things brighter, too? What had she done to make it happen?
He stepped a little closer, focusing intensely just as he had done when the mist had invaded. He wished, and he wished very hard...
Attempt Roll
And it became dark, terribly dark. She was shrouded in shadows and it was even worse than before. Letting out a sound of pure exasperation the wolf sighed deeply. There were no words he knew that could tell of his disappointment! With ears lowered and posture becoming limp he gave up on whatever it was he was trying to do. He could make things disappear he supposed, but making things appear was an altogether different manner.
But he wished she would come back. Would she come back? Suddenly realizing what he had done (Saudade very much believed he had wished her away) he frowned again. This frown was the one for deep displeasure... why did he wish her away? He hadn't meant it!
He walked closer, coming nearer on light paws and spindly legs. With his nose down to the ground he nudged the same rock he had skipped at her. Startled by the warmth (it was a little warm from the scarce moment she had touched it) he was overcome with another wave of remorse. Why oh why had he sent her away!
Come back, he thought to himself.
... Please?
RE: Unfurling Light - Belladonna - May 10 2015
She had utterly and completely no idea what just happened.
She was watching with some amusement as the things face furrowed - was it angry at something? Was it surprised to find her, like she was? She imagined that it had traveled a very long way from the dark, maybe it came from the cool damp smelling thing that was out of her reach for right now (which she later realized is called a pond), and that was its home. Maybe it didn't like the light, wherever it was from. Maybe....
And as she was thinking her own little thoughts, suddenly the light went out, and she took in a sharp breath and she squinted her eyes shut. Where- where- Why- I don't- I can't! No! Her thoughts were frantic, and even when she opened and closed them, no light appeared and it frightened her very much. She was scared, and she didn't like being scared at all. It was a horrifying state of being, and she would very much prefer not to feel this way, for it reminded her too much of the horrible tightness of her shell and the mindless need to escape.
She was afraid of the dark, she realized.
But then a sound broke her out of her reverie. The sound of the little pebble tumbling again. The big thing had nudged the rock back towards her? Was it still in front of her? Why couldn't she see it, then!
Well, if she couldn't see it, she should go and find it, now shouldn't she? With determination, she shuffled onto her two front legs (which was now very easy, as this was the third attempt), but the challenge was balancing on all four. Slowly, one by one, she stood, her knees buckling more than once. Hesitantly, she took a step forward, almost falling flat again, but no! She wouldn't fall! To fall would be to stay in this horrible dark, and she refused to do so.
Once step. Pause. Breathe. Another step. Halfway into her third step, her nose nudged something incredibly warm and fluffy, and she shook her head away and huffed. Was this the thing? Had it indeed gone anywhere at all? Regardless, she was glad she wasn't alone, and she nuzzled her head into this bunch of fur, letting out a sigh of quiet happiness. Whether she knew it or not, the spot she had found was right under the thing's chin.
RE: Unfurling Light - Saudade - May 10 2015
She was the third thing in this big wide world that had reacted. He did something and she did something back and what was more - she was a she. He didn't know the details of what that meant but in the same way he knew he was he, he knew she was she and that was a wondrous and amazing thing. They were different on that point, if not on many others.
She made it brighter he thought pensively, still disappointed and burdened by the knowledge that... perhaps he was not so great? Were there limits to what he could do? He moved the pad of his foot over the rock, feeling its hard surface and attempting to remember what she had looked like. He really should have paid more attention to promising details to memory...
He heard something move in front of him and he quirked his ears forward. His forehead became a wrinkled network of worry and concern once again - what were those noises? It sounded like the sound she made before... the sound he had followed to see her. Why would there be those sounds if she was gone?
Is she there?
She can't be.
Blinking, he strained his eyes, peering into the darkness. He didn't see a thing. He heard the clicks of little hooves come closer to him and while it occurred to him that it might be smart to get away from that ghostly noise... he didn't. He had yet to learn the meaning of fear (what had he come across thus far that could possibly give him a sense of it?) and instead...
Saudade did not know what he felt. He merely strained his senses, seeking with his eyes something he could only hear.
And then something he felt.
He felt something soft poke at his chest and he bristled, bothered by this invasion of space...
But too confused to flee or scowl. What touched him? He only saw darkness but he knew he felt what he felt. Something was on him and now it was rubbing on him. Never before in his entire life had he ever been touched or stroked or petted. Never before had he felt another against him and it was such a strange and fascinating feeling. Nothing had ever leaned against his fur, nothing had ever brushed against him besides cold rock and even colder wind.
This thing was warm. Pleasantly warm, and it seemed very pleased to be rubbing against him. And the spot it rubbed against - ah, if he was more feline he might have purred. There was something very satisfactory about being rubbed under the chin and it was enough to evoke from the wolf something that had never happened in all of his moments of waking life - his tail wagged. Lightly, barely (one could confuse it for a slight breeze in the cavern) but it did wag.
Perhaps he didn't mind wishing the she away if this was the result. It was quite nice.
But what was this? He leaned into the thing that petted him, bumping into it with his chest and feeling the outline of it. He used his head and his nose, poking and prodding further until he found something equally velvety (an ear). He began to lick the velvety thing, nibbling on it curiously.
That was not stone. Or his jewel. It tasted... hmm. Weird.
RE: Unfurling Light - Belladonna - May 10 2015
As she was comforting herself with knowing out that the thing was still here and not going anywhere at all, (a thought that gave her immeasurable relief), she felt huffs and sniffs at the top of her head, and a wet nose investigating the top of her head. Something bubbled up in her, and she started giggling at the ticking feeling.
Tickling was a much better sensation than being afraid, to be sure, but one she for some reason wanted to avoid? No idea why. She rustled her head a little bit to get away from the snuffling nose, but then an even wetter tongue was licking her ear, and she burst into laughter, and she butted into its chest a bit to tell the thing to stop, maybe, perhaps, because she really liked laughing. But then the thing started gently eating her ear much like she ate that green thing earlier, and she laughed more and more, for it was the strangest sensation she'd felt yet. Her voice sounded pleasant and bright, and she liked hearing it (as much as one could with one ear hearing only a very funny mouth).
She wanted it to be bright again, but she was somewhat tired inside from the last attempt. Through her laughter, she nudged him again, this time touching his jaw, trying to tell him to stop. She didn't want to move her ear away and accidentally hurt herself, which she doubted would happen. Maybe making a sound at it would make it stop? She opened her tiny mouth and said, "H..Heh-Hey...."
RE: Unfurling Light - Saudade - May 10 2015
Now this was a development! What strange sounds it made! It made small noises at first and then it grew louder and it - the thing that made the noises - moved a little more energetically, too. So strange! What did that sound mean? Was that a defense? Was it an offense? Was it merely noise? Was this thing in his mouth the button that made the noise?
He didn't know why he grinned but he did. The silly sound and the silly creature made him smile and he nibbled and gnawed and licked more. Gently, of course, because despite never having a mother upon which to test his jaws, he seemed to innately know - or at least be hesitant of - what his teeth could do. He didn't want to hurt the thing, whatever it was, not like he...
Not like he hurt the other one. The she. The she he wished away. Did wishing someone away hurt them? Had he hurt her?
The thought captured his imagination as he thought back to the mist and the shadows. Had he hurt them? What did it mean to hurt someone? What was that feeling in his belly... was that aversion? Was it justifiable to hurt someone? Ah but the mist had pushed itself upon me, he thought to himself.
What of the girl? What had she done wrong? His conscious retorted, debating these things as his gumming maw went slack. And then it spoke. Those were words. It meant something - it wanted his attention? He pondered the implication - ear still neatly placed betwixt his teeth and tongue - and cocked his head.
"Hmm?" He responded thoughtfully, half surprised that he, too, had a voice. It was a voice that made those sounds, wasn't it? What other sounds could voices make?
As his thoughts drifted elsewhere, so did the shadows that had been so dense. They seemed to gradually recede to their proper places with the glowing fauna returning the cave to its usual ambient glow. As the slant light returned he found himself peering again at the she.
She.
How did she end up in his mouth?! He spat out the ear indignantly, scowling at her for playing such a rude prank. So she wasn't gone this entire time?!
RE: Unfurling Light - Belladonna - May 10 2015
Her ear twitched when the thing made a hhmmmm sound so close to her, but it was such a pleasant sound, so very different than hers. It sounded much deeper and a little bit rumbly and for some irrational reason it made her happy that the thing made sounds like she did. It sounded nice, and she really liked the sound, which made the thing somewhat like her, aside from the obvious differences. It was like it was asking her a question, but before she could try to answer, the dark went away.
She would prefer to think that it got brighter, but that didn't really seem right. It was like an unnoticed presence just...left, if that would be more apt to the way it felt. She could see the thing right in front of her, see the warm brown fur she had been taking comfort in, see the teeth nibbling on her ear, and those suddenly wide gold-green eyes that looked at her in surprise.
The thing spat out her ear and she twitched her head back in some sort of indignation. What! Did she taste bad? That was just plain silly, she bet she tasted wonderful and the thing was just being ridiculous. It was wrong!
She felt more irritated than she would expect from so simple an action, but the thing was being so insulting. Her ear must've tasted so much better than the green thing. In fact, she decided, it did.
"Thhhhinnng." She said carefully yet with clear intention to refer to the thing in front of her. "Nnnn-no-noise." She demanded it from the thing, that it tell her why she apparently tasted so horrible as to spit out her ear. She demanded an explanation! "N-nooowww."
RE: Unfurling Light - Saudade - May 10 2015
He made an attempt at backing away from the girl and ended up tangled in his legs instead. He was doing so well, too! But going backwards was much more complicated than going frontwards. Stumbling over his legs and crossing his feet, he ended up on his tail with a thump.
The ground was much harder than the thing - her - nose had been. And colder. And all around less pleasant. But she tricked him and that wasn't very nice, especially when he had even felt bad for wishing her away. She could have at least told him she was still there. Or had it all been her plan to cozy up to him?
He eyed her skeptically. Was it a grand ruse so she could touch him? He gave her a good look-over, promising the details of the skinny creature to memory. Oh no! She would not be forgotten! Especially if she was at all what he looked like. But - those things. Those things on her feet. His feet were not like those at all.
The wolf, having forgotten he had tumbled onto his bottom (or perhaps making a smooth transition in which he ignored his graceless sit) settled and collected himself properly. He drew his legs together as best he could and began to gnaw on his toes. Yes, he definitely had toes. Did she not have toes? Or were their nails just different shapes...?
He wondered, engrossed with his feet until he heard her very stern tone. Or, as stern as someone with a voice like that could manage. He flicked an ear in her direction (he had mastered these big things very early) and stared.
Thing. Noise. Now.
She couldn't possibly be referring to him. He was not a thing, he was a he. There was a difference, just like she was a she even if she had played that dirty trick. But looking at her now he couldn't help but grin a little, his stoic expression melting piece by piece. She looked so silly when she tried to be serious! But noise? She wanted noise?
While he felt no obligation to indulge her demands (he wondered if he refused if she'd stomp - that'd be very cute, he thought) he was a little glad that she wasn't hurt, or that she wasn't gone. Spotting the rock that had begun all of those nonsense to begin with, he belly-crawled until he was close enough to swat it. Knocking the rock into the wall he quirked a brow in her direction.
Wa-la.
Noise.
Did he get a treat for doing what she wanted?
His expression - as it had been before - was expectant.