It's time.... the thought seemed to whisper through the small head. But it was dark... so very dark. Almost suffocating... He had moved before. Twisted his body in the confines of the darkness. But that darkness was too small now. Too close and pressing in ever so tightly around the small creature. He needed to breath.

Breath? What....? another thought sparked through his mind. How do I...

He grew restless. Twisting and straining against his lightness oppressor, he felt something give at his back. As if the darkness grew a little larger with the movement. The feeling made him pause for a second. Something in the back of his mind told him that the darkness had never done that before. Never gave way to his pushing. He had to try again.

Another twist, another push. He had to keep going. There was a need deep within the small creature that had to know what lay beyond the darkness. With each push, the darkness gave way, until the first slivers of light came through. Too much! Too bright! came the frantic thoughts. He never should have pushed, never should have broken free. It was too much. But it was also too late.

His darkness gave way, dumping him on to a cold and wet floor, the comparatively bright lights making the small otter squeeze his eyes tightly shut and curl his serpentine body around himself. His small hands went to his head, brushing tiny claws across smooth, yet jagged gems that encased the left side of his face. The stone was familiar and he comforted himself with stroking it.

Slowly he opened his eyes once more. He lay in a shallow pool of water, and as he rolled to his back, gazed for the first time upon his world. The rocks above seemed so very very far away, but then, he was so very small. Relaxed by the feeling of the water at his back and sides, the tiny otter closed his eyes once more, a single word falling from his lips. "Veles....."

Listen to me + Hear my thoughts

The tears and the blood still clung to the stag's fur as she stepped into Canis. This, decidedly, was not Eridanus - not that she actually cared or anything. She just had to get away. Carefully, she moved into the room and headed towards a shallow pool of water, dipping her scarlet leg into it before her muzzle followed, drinking the filthy water as the blood seeped away into the puddle.

She breathed in, clearing her mind for a moment. She would be okay - surely that little owl wasn't entirely her fault, right? The thought of it made her want to cry again - but before she could, a sharp crack caught her ears.

She turned, staring at the newborn otter for a moment. A second chance.

She had to stop herself from galloping towards it - she had to stop herself from getting too close. She leaned down, wet nose close to the tiny little body. "Baby?" she murmured gently, wide-eyed.

@Veles

The cold waters did little to send chills up the spine of the tiny otter, though it's down fur didn't provide too much insulation against the chill of the stone below. He wasn't sure how long he laid like that, he had no concept of time yet. It was all a blur. "Veles..." he repeated again, though he did not know why, his words barely more than a whisper.

The echos of an unknown sound forced the babe to flutter his dark eyes open. Unsure of what he gazed upon, his tiny face contorted in a questioning look. It was so much larger than he, though not quite as large as the stones. That much he knew. Rolling over to his stomach, the little creature slowly made his way to shaky feet, trying to stretch himself as far up as he could to truly look at this... this thing. "Veles? It was a question this time, for he knew not what else to call it. It too held a stone, though on it's foot. Was it a foot if it were made from stone? It was not long before small legs gave way and he tumbled back into the cool water, though he strove to keep an eye on the stone footed creature before him.

Listen to me + Hear my thoughts

She flinched somewhat. "Baby," she said gently as her nose made it's way under the otter's belly, trying to lift him back up onto his paws. "V-Veles," she then stammered, as if testing the name out.

She paused. "Isi," that was her own name. She knew that much. A closer inspection of this newborn told her that it's gemstone took up half his face - but that was okay. She knew there were others with pretty big stones, too.

She lay down beside the otter carefully. Clearly, this baby had been born specifically so Isi could redeem herself from the Owl Incident, and she knew what she had to do. Tucking her legs under her belly she gently nuzzled Veles' neck with her nose. "Veles," she said once more before looking around Canis.

@Veles

With a tiny "oof" Veles hit the floor, suddenly feeling the cool, leathery nose of the much bigger creature under his soft belly. Sprawled out across the muzzle of the creature, he instinctively licked away the water that his body was leaving on her snout, his small licks barely more than a tickle. "Isi...." he said softly, allowing his body to relax. A tiredness swept over the little otter, the process of birth having wiped him entirely out.

As the larger creature lay down, Veles pulled himself up to snuggle up in the crook of Isi's neck, his tiny paws smoothing her fur down before he settled in a tiny ball. It was not long before his breathing evened out and he was lost to the depth of sleep.