The boy had managed to escape the confines of the too-tight shell, but he did not go far from it. Like any newborn might linger within the den, afraid of its own shadow. He was new, but his body did not appear so; even in the dark that was apparent, with the length of his spidery limbs and the way he had to crane his neck down to investigate even the most boring of scents.

If only it was not so dark!

If only he had some sort of mirror with which to look upon himself!

Alas, the poor child was without. All he could do was feel his way along the floor of the cave, bumbling in to piles of bones or stacks of rock; and always, he would return to the place where the sunstone chrysalis was rooted. Though it was only shards now - and without the light of magicka within it - the newborn could always find his way back. It was as though he wished to return to the stone egg and forget about the dark place, the cold place. It was an impossible thing. But the child found comfort in the shards, and soon enough made a nest atop the pieces.

Amaria

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Tentatively paws moved along, carrying the clouded leopard through the maze of bone walls that made up Canis. It had become her home in the many cycles she had came to first be here with her family. Even in the dark it was far to easy to navigate the many rooms and halls the walls of bones seemed to create. Blue eyes searched the abyss, almost as if she were expecting the lights to come back on.

It wasn't until the sound of shuffling crystals did Amaria pull to a stop and lift up her head, pushing her rounded ears into attention as she tried to pinpoint the sound. She sniffed thoughtfully before she shook her head and called on her magicka. The gem upon her tail quickly light up and within a moment the area was easily seen.

Moving further within the area it didn't take long before she came across what looked like shards of chrysalis scattered around the floor. She tilted her head as she soon found herself standing over a pup curled up among the shards of a chrysalis. A smile curled across her features as she lowered her head and gave the pup a gentle nudge. Hopefully it wouldn't scare him. "Hello there."


"Speech" 'Thoughts'

Tags: @Helios
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OoC: SORRY IT'S BAD. It's been forever since I used Ammy

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It wasn't the most comfortable bed in the world, but he didn't know any different. The boy couldn't exactly rebuild the chrysalis and crawl back inside like he'd truly desired, so this became the next best thing. Shards dug in to his round belly, came loose when he adjusted his weight or tucked his legs beneath himself, split to pieces when his tail caught an edge and caused a spill.

Was this what life was like? Was it always going to be cold, dark, and hard? Already he was feeling the darker feelings of existence. Regret. Loneliness. The cold and empty sensation of the darkness.

And then, there was something new. A touch - a voice - both of which caused him to bolt upright and tumble back from his perch, sliding off of the pile of sunstone. He slammed the back of his head on a pile of bones and they clattered around him; in his surprise the boy accessed something deep within himself and within seconds, every inch of his body seemed to ignite. It was not the ignition of a flame which caused the glowing. It did not hurt, and it was not warm. But the light flooded from every follicle of hair upon his body, burned within his eyes and ears, erupted from his mouth.

When he righted himself and crawled from beneath the scattered remains of an unknowable number of bodies and bones, he was still glowing. The light gave rise to the boy's ability to see the world properly and did not seem like it would diminish; while the fringes of his vision were clouded by the bright shards of light shooting from within his body, he could still make out the silhouette of the stranger [mdash] and the many faces of the skulls that settled around him.

It was terrifying.

Amaria

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Amaria couldn't say she wasn't surprised by the reaction of the young pup. Perhaps she should have made her presence known before she had made contact. Though her thoughts were quickly shattered away when a burst of light suddenly came from the pup and pain exploded in her head. She was quick to close her eyes, shaking her head back and forth to urge her night vision to be no more before slowly prying her eyes open once more just as the pup pulled himself from the pile of bones and such.

The terror in his eyes caused the leopard the frown just a little bit, but she was quick to shake it off and lowered herself to sit down just before him. "I'm sorry for scaring you. Are you alright little one?" She tried speaking to him again, hoping to pull his attention away from the skulls littered all around and onto her.

Her scaled dragonic tail scraped across the ground, knocking a few bones and crystal shards out of it's way as it curled around her paws. With the renewed light that this pup was now exuding she could easily make out his appearance. Albeit glowing in the golden light he now shown with. It had been awhile since she had came across a newly born gembound.


"Speech" 'Thoughts'

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As disoriented as he was, the light gave him context. He could see now that the ground wasn't a thing built for pain. There were things littering the ground, but they were easily moved. The walls were oddly sculpted because they too were not just stone; the many grinning faces of dried-out skulls looked menacing with the brilliance of his light, but they did not come closer. Their deep sockets made him shiver more than the gritted teeth; some missed jaws entirely. He wondered, in a vague sense, how many faces were buried here.

But he came back to the strange creature when she spoke. She was alive, like himself. Although her fur did not glow in the odd manner of his own, where it caught the light he could make out some fuzzy markings. A mackerel pattern, some spots... The long tail that curled around her paws caught more of his light than the rest, and the scales gleamed. So too did a strange blue shape - it fluoresced, reflecting both light and the faint gleam of magicka as if to greet his own stone.

Blinking his now shining eyes (they looked like ignited bronze), he turned his head in the manner of a puppy listening to a youtube video, back and forth, trying to get the best understanding of her words. The boy was too young for speech although he looked as if he were fully grown - the body of a three-cycle canine, but the mind of a newly formed Gembound.

It was unfortunate, for surely he would have many questions. At the very least he appeared attentive and curious, but held back because of a natural shyness. She was so strange! Did he look like her? Was his tail so brilliant with shine? Did he have patterns across his body?

Amaria

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Amaria was quiet for a moment. Studying the way this pup looked. He was indeed far bigger than what a pup such as he would have been born as. Maybe she had guessed wrong and he had not just been born, but had been around for a few cycles now. That thought itself felt wrong all on its own. If only for the fact she could just faintly detect the smell of the slime that encased all newly hatched gemlings. Even he himself carried the scent. He spoke no words, which only helped verify that he was indeed as young as she assumed. It always amazed her how different each gembound was when they emerged. Some spoke fluently, as if they had been speaking for years, some were a jumbled mess but still somewhat recognizable in their words...then there were some like this pup before her. Unable to form even the smallest of words.

Then again this was all based on her own assumptions. Amaria soon finally offered a warm smile. He was already nearly as big as her. She could only imagine how big he would be once he reached actual adulthood. For a moment she was at a loss of what to do. It felt like an eternity since she was around a newborn. Her ears perked up for a moment before she tilted her head in curiosity. Perhaps he was hungry? She glanced around the area he seemed to stay in, searching for something he may have found on his own.

She hummed thoughtfully before glancing back towards the pup. "Are you...hungry?" She spoke slowly in an attempt to see if he could at least understand her even a little bit. It'd be interesting to see how to get the pup to understand her. It'd probably be easier had she been a canine, but alas she was not.


"Speech" 'Thoughts'

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The glow of his body persisted, and would likely persist for some time. Being startled had ignited his magicka and there was no reversing it - but eventually it would ebb, and the darkness would return. For now the boy watched the stranger, listened to her speak, and gave a slight shiver of his withers each time a shadow grew to large or the light cascaded off of a surface that he was unfamiliar with.

But the word she used - hungry - he didn't know what it meant, and yet the boy licked his lips and cautiously approached the large cat-thing. In finding that she was not going to attack him, and that she was in fact radiating a natural warmth, he scurried ever closer - burrowing himself against her side. The oddest thing was the desire to root about her belly fur. As he began this it seemed all too natural; yet he had teeth, and no matter what he nipped or poked at, all the child was accomplishing was some irritable invasion of space. Eventually his search eased up and he grew contented by her presence rather than the promise of milk - a thing he yearned for without understanding.

Amaria

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Ears jumped up instantly when the pup suddenly began responding what she was saying. She remained motionless as he trotted his way over, but when the boy suddenly started nipping around her scales and fur she stared at him a little in shock. "Whoa whoa. Not that kind of food," She laughed as she rose to all four paws even as he simply nestled down against her. She was not opposed to him seeking warmth from her. In fact it made her happy to know she could provide a newborn some warmth.

She nudged her muzzle against his rump, urging him back up on his feet and attempted to get him to go along with her. She could at least attempt to catch something for him and hope he has a hankering for some raw meat. "We'll find something for you to eat...that isn't coming from me," She laughed lightly slopping her tongue over the top of his head before hopefully convincing him to follow her through the darkness to find something he may like to eat.


"Speech" 'Thoughts'

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