Now that she'd been in Eridanus for a while, it felt so much more comfortable. Whatever bad memories that were itching at her consciousness had ebbed away, only growing noticeable when she approached a long-abandoned garden. It was easy to just. Stay away from there.

She stopped every so often to graze upon the ferns and grasses that overtook this particular cave - it was a good thing that she'd managed to get past her fear. Eridanus was teeming with life and good food, much better then the meager offerings of, say, Orion.

As she wandered, something caught her eye. She turned a corner and...there was something there. On the ground, curled up. A gembound, perhaps? She didn't know if it was sentient or not but there was only one way to find out. "Hello?" she called softly.

Nameless blinked with surprise when it suddenly jerked up. Oh, oops, she must have startled them. She took a step back, but it seemed that there was no use - they were already recovering from the small shock. She let a small smile grow on her face as the kid started talking. "Oh, hello, Entu! That's a nice name!" She cocked her head. "Huh? A tree kangaroo? What's that? How do you know that you're a tree kangaroo? I don't think I've ever seen one before." Then again, how did she know that she was a goose? She couldn't really remember when she'd first used or heard the term, but then again, it wasn't really important to her.

She let out a small honk. "Ah, I don't have a name. Most just call me what they'd like, or just Nameless. Or The Goose." She didn't elaborate, for now, settling herself down in the soft grass to get comfortable. "I hope it's not rude to ask but...how old are you? Forgive me, you just look young to be wandering around by yourself."

The goose's eyes widened. She couldn't help but feel the slightest twinge of jealousy at Entu's situation - hatched knowing lots of things? Well, she had too, but she was a different case. She wasn't new. She knew things that she probably knew from before, but nothing that she'd deem important. Imagine hatching and just...knowing things. "Oh, wow! What else did you hatch knowing?"

And - oh she was very young! Only a cycle old. the goose knew that most Gembound were independent enough at hatch to be able to go about their lives on their own, but still - she could see how daunting the world outside of Eridanus could be to one as young as this. "You don't have anyone else? No parents or friends to stay with?" Well, obviously not - she was out here by herself.

She cocked her head at the suggestion. "Frost?" It was similar to the example that Azizos had given, that he'd passed up quickly, but, as with all simple names, she didn't mind. "If you'd like to call me Frost, I am fine with that." She let out a small, sympathetic honk. "Oh, it's not that bad out there. The caves are big and scary, but they're really not that bad. As long as you stay away from danger, it usually won't come find you. If you'd like, I can take you to go see a cave? I'll protect you."

The temporarily named Frost nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, that's good information to have! Must make it easier having some basic knowledge." Well, then that was okay. She had that knowledge too, although she couldn't remember if she'd known that from the beginning too. Not that she minded not having that memory. She had the knowledge now - that's what mattered, right?

Frost's face lit up. "Oh, that's great! We can just start with Orion, since that's the closest." The rocks were still scorched and burned, but the dragon was long gone and the cave was safe once again. Or, well, relatively safe. She was thinking about where she'd show the kid, lost in thought, and almost missed the last bit. "Oh, sorry, what did you say?" She blinked just as she realized what she was asking.

Delight came first. She wasn't sure where the instinct came from, but the way it felt to love the idea of having children and protecting them seemed totally normal and built into her very being. But then a stroke of fear. A streak of terror. What if she couldn't do it? What if she was a terrible mother? What if...what if she failed? What if her failure caused her to get hurt or...or even die?

She stared at Entu for a moment, wrestling with these two conflicting sides before she came to a resolution, sighing and giving the kangaroo a gentle expression. "Y-your mother? I...I would love to, but...but if you're okay with it and...I'm not sure I can live up to whatever expectations you have for me but I'll do my best."

Frost smiled gently. "Ah...thank you. Thank you for putting your trust in me, although you should be careful. Not everyone in the caves are the same. Some may try to manipulate you or hurt you somehow." She stood, shaking out her white feathers, scattering bits of moss and grass. "Then let's go, Entu! Stick close to me, okay? Although I'm not hard to find, with my color and all."

She stepped away from their little hiding place and onto the main paths that twisted through the woods. She could vaguely remember the way to the exit, but she was sure she'd find it easily. It was really large and hard to miss. Making sure Entu was following, she led the way out of Eridanus.

*exit