+- ORIGIN (https://origin.boreal-nights.space)
+-- Forum: IC Archives (https://origin.boreal-nights.space/forumdisplay.php?fid=50)
+--- Forum: Year 1 Archives (https://origin.boreal-nights.space/forumdisplay.php?fid=42)
+--- Thread: Stranded (/showthread.php?tid=2933)
Pages:
1
2
Stranded - Mango - Mar 15 2016
Deep within Eridanus, life was stiring. Hidden for a long time beneath the ferns, bedded in soft moss, a small stone, shimmering in deep blues and greens, wobbled slightly, then stilled again.
After a long time it wobbled again, teetering to the side untill, with a faint 'plop' it rolled out of its resting place. Again it quieted, as though listening to its surroundings, trying to find something.
Seeing to come to a decision, it started moving resolutely, rocking first one way, then the other, movement hindered by its rounded, but nevertheless cube like shape. Finally gaining enough momentum it vaulted over one of its corners and continued its bumpy progress.
Had anyone seen it and known the destination of it current path, they would most certainly have deterred it or given it a nudge in a different direction. But the occupant, still striving to move its bulky shell, could not know where it was headed, for the stone encasing it was almost opaque, thin strips of lighter stone showing only distorted outlines and vague shapes.
The ultimate end of the stones journey was just ahead. Two deep pools of clear water, serenely calm, lay in the stones path. With a last wobbling hop, the stone fell over the edge of one of the pools and floated quietly for a moment, as though the occupant was trying to understand the new situation.
Then the stone started turning over and over itself in the water in frantic movements, causing deep ripples in the pool and propelling the stone in random directions. Finally it hit the hard granite like edge of the pool with a loud cracking sound. Several cracks appeared and the stone hurriedly turned, so that the cracks faced upward. It bobbed for a moment, drifting back out into the middle of the pool. Then there was a faint scratching sound, a slight soft pounding, and a loose piece of the shell wobbled upwards, then fell away, exposing a small dark snout, sniffing cautiously.
As the snout pushed upwards, out of the small hole, more pieces of its stone shell fell away, untill there was enough space for a dark head and large pointed ears to look out. The snout nudged at the side of the shell, making it rock dangerously in the water. With a small squeak the Gembound curled in on herself as splashes of water hit her fur. She nosed the wet patches cautiously, then gave them a tentative lick. Finding no threat in her fur she carefully peered over the edge of her shelter.
The water had calmed again, only slight ripples maring its pristine surface. The Gembound varefully extended a paw towards the flat expanse of water, thinking of leaving her shell, that was geting uncomfotably damp. Reaching the water was difficult, as the Gembound had to lean out of her shell to do so. Her other paw was resting on the rim of the shell, which suddenly gave way as more weight leaned on it. The outstreached paw hit the water as the Gembound pitched forward and to her great fright, the paw sank right into the water with little resistance. She pulled back immediately with a loud cry, breaking more of her stone casing as she did so, staring with new horror at the no longer smooth surface of the water. Whimpering slightly she huddled down in her shell again. She knew instinctivly she had to get out of her shell, but had no idea how to do it.
RE: Stranded - Todd - Mar 15 2016
"Speech" @Mango
Todd had been in Eridanus a while. The ground was soft, there were things to eat and this was where the All-Mother lived. What wasn't to love? And better yet, there didn't seem to be many others around here. Not enough to scare him, anyway. He was almost certain there'd been more in Pisces. His scarred hind legs were gradually beginning to heal. walking came easier, and was less... hurty, as it had been. And he could start to run now!
He'd been trying a few times now, bouncing around the trees, up and down the room, around the big mushroom that was the All-Mother. He'd called out to her, but still hadn't talked to him yet. Humph. She didn't seem to like him very much...
After a few incidents of falling head over heels, Todd grew tired of running and his attention was soon drawn by some kind of shiny stone, running away from him. The second he saw it, he was charmed and, obviously, began to limp after it it as it fled, taking it like a game. This was more fun! Though it didn't get very far... in moments it was splashing into a nice little pond.Todd stood at the side of the ponds, staring out, raising his paw to try and reach the little stone. Oh, oh! it was at the edge! Todd raced over and placed a paw on it so it wouldn't float away.
Wow! It's so big, and pretty! the fox thought to himself excitedly, gazing at his prize. And then it started to crack. Crack, crack, crack... And then there was a face. Todd abruptly let go of the rock, eyes wide and startled. He hung back and watched as whatever was inside disappeared back in.
"What... What'd you do to my pretty rock?" he asked, dismayed. Slowly he approached again. The other was... small. He didn't think they could hurt. He tilted his head and allowed his hind legs to collapse beneath him so that he fell heavily into a seated position.
The pretty rock was drifting away from the side again. Todd still wanted the pretty stone, so he reached out with a paw with the loose idea that he'd be able to put it back together again. The small thing inside it had been hidden for a while, but as he pawed back the rock, he could see them again. The adult fox's face lit up, like a child who'd just been shown a magic trick.
"There you are! You disappeared!" he giggled.
RE: Stranded - Mango - Mar 15 2016
The newly born Gembound stared at the figure sitting on the edge of the pool. It didn't look too threatening, but who knew... Still, staying in the wreakage of stone and waiting to drown was no option so she stared even more intently at the figure and tried to mimic the sounds they had just made. All she managed was a mewling cry.
She sat up, thinking. The sounds had sounded farmiliar, as if she had heard them before. She cocked her head slightly, trying to remember. The only things she could clearly recall was an urge to move and everything that had happened since the strange casing around her had broken. But there were other impressions too. Sounds and faint flickering movement. Some of the sounds were similar to what the figure across the water had made.
Slowly, things started drifting together in her mind, single syables forming words and images or associations forming with each word. Finally what the figure had said made sense.
'there you are! You dissappered!' followed by a sound associated with joy. Instinctivly she smiled in response, even if it was a bit late for that and tried again to form words. This time she managed she managed a questioning
"Huh?"
RE: Stranded - Todd - Mar 15 2016
"Speech" @Mango
They didn't seem very talkative. Todd tilted his head to the side, watching the funny little creature. It looked... Familiar. How strange! But he quickly forgot about that intrigue. After all, he could walk and he felt strong, and here was a little thing stood in a shiny rock! Todd tried to paw a shiny shard from the water with his free paw, only to find that the bigger rock the creature sat in began to bob away.
He didn't want to lose it! Both of 'em!
Quickly he pulled the little one back to the side, even if it'd only moved an inch or so. They smiled at him, and Todd gave a toothy grin back, his thin tail flicking from side to side. They talked, but it wasn't really anything big. Todd replied anyway. "Name's Todd!" he declared, puffing out his chest as though in pride.
"Who're you? What're you? And whatcha doing in the shiny rock?" he might have been bombarding the little one with questions, but Todd didn't quite understand that she was new here, and that she might be a little overwhelmed. He was just happy, curious, and full of endless curiosity.
"You gonna come out?"
RE: Stranded - Mango - Mar 15 2016
"Todd..." She repeated slowly, then repeated it in a firmer voice. "Todd."
She wagged her tail slightly, liking the feeling, then stopped quickly when her makeshift boat wobbled again. She eyed the water and then the bank, wanting very much to reach it. The other creature chattered away very quickly, confusing her as the information was slowly processed in her head. She shook it experimentally, maybe it would speed everything up. It didn't.
Frouning slightly, she carefully touched the water with her paw again. Why couldn't she get off this thing she was sitting on? Watching the ripples slowly expand around her paw a word drifted to the front of her mind. She knew no meaning to it, but it sounded nice, so she said it out loud, tail twitching slightlly as she did so.
"Mango."
RE: Stranded - Todd - Mar 15 2016
"Speech" @Mango
"Yes, Todd! That's right!" praised the fox. He did love his name! So easy to remember and say, it was perfect! "Todd, Todd, Todd!"
They didn't quite move, wobbling around quite a bit. Then the young one reached out with her paw, to the water. Todd's own paw held the shiny little rock boat in place on the bank of the pristine pond. He'd felt so big recently, he didn't know why. Her paws were so tiny compared to his!
"Mango, hm? Mango, Man-gooo..." He tested it on his tongue. Nice and simple and easy, just like his. He liked it, and the excited twitches of his tail showed it. "Good to meetcha, Mango! You can come out of that pretty floaty now if you wanna!" he offered, holding her in place still.
RE: Stranded - Mango - Mar 15 2016
Climbing carefully out onto the rim of the pool, Mango watched her rock boat float away, slowly filling with water, then sink. As the ripples smoothed out she looked back at the surface of the water, seeing her oown reflection clearly for the first time. She blinked, looking from the large form of Todd next to her and back at the reflection.
"You look like me, but darker..." she ventured, laying her own rust red tail alongside his darker one. Her tail was almost as long as his already, even though she was a lot smaller everywhere else.
She sniffed at his paw, which seemed different to her own. "Whats that?"
@Todd
RE: Stranded - Todd - Mar 15 2016
"Speech" @Mango
The little one clambered out, revealing themselves in full. They really were small! Todd loved that feeling of being big for once, and with glee flooding his chest, he almost failed to notice the little boat floating away, a plop filling it with water and causing it to float away. "Oh no!" he exclaimed in surprise which quickly faded to gloominess. His ears drooped to the sides and smile faded as he slowly lowered his bejeweled paw. "The pretty..."
He sniffed.
And then the little one spoke properly, for the first time. His ears swiveled and he turned to Mango, his short attention span showing itself as he quickly forgot about the pretty chrysalis which he'd been after moments ago. "I do?" he asked quizzically, and looked curiously into the water, wrinkling his nose as he sniffed curiously, as though making sure that his reflection wasn't a separate entity. He looked at his reflection, and at her. "...I do! We look like each other!" Todd quivered with excitement; he'd never seen another fox before!
Oh?
Todd raised the paw in question, and looked down at the iridescent pad with its hooked labradorite claws. "Oh, oh! This is my gem, it glows sometimes! It's pretty... Do you have one?"
RE: Stranded - Mango - Mar 15 2016
"A gem?"
Mango imidiately started searching every inch of herself she coud see for a shiny sparkly something like Todds paw. Finding nothing her ears drooped and she slumped lightly. She wanted something pretty like that too.
She picked a tiny piece of her shell casing out of her tail fur and nosed it gently, head resting on her paws.
RE: Stranded - Todd - Mar 16 2016
"Speech" @Mango
Todd nodded affirmatively. "A gem!" he chirped happily, and tipped his head to one side, then the other as he watched them. They began to search themselves, looking through their fur rather intently. Todd was curious, they hadn't answered his question, but it seemed to answer itself after a few moments.
"I see it, I see it!" he called happily, his front paws dancing. He reached out to try and poke with his own shining claws at the object placed in between her shoulders. "It is pretty!"