She looked at the thing with surprise. How did it not know what it was? But then, she didn't really know what she was, she just...was. She struggled to find the word to describe herself and there was another long silence before she was finally able to grasp the sounds she had to make to describe what she was.d "I'm a snake," she replied, "A cobra."

But as soon as she said it, she realized that, maybe that was what she was, but not who she was. She needed a name, a name that would bring her pride. A name like...

"My name is Winter."

Yes, Winter, that was a good name. The thing in front of her seemed to be happy with her speech for whatever reason. Maybe it had a name too. For now, however, she decided to call it a bird because of all the feathers across its body. However, she didn't have long to think about it before there was a particularly nasty crack of lightning. She flinched and immediately looked up. It struck her all of a sudden, how odd it was that there was such a storm above them, since, after a moment of observation, there wasn't anything like it anywhere else in the room.

She turned back to the bird and was about to point it out before it swung around and called out to someone else. At first, fear shot through her body and she moved back a little, her stance growing tall and rigid again, but then she wondered if this 'friend' was as harmless as this tiny bird. And they said she would like them - perhaps she should trust them?

With great difficulty, she lowered herself back down and forced her hood to close. However, she couldn't help her tongue flickering furiously as she took in every scent in the air. She absentmindedly moved her body forward and tried her best to stay calm. But with a new arrival so soon and the storm raging above, it was more difficult then it sounded.

@Kielo @Azar

Azar
It's a new world
It's a new start
And it's alive with the beating of a young heart

Azar saw the familiar glow when he next opened his eyes. But it couldn't be... could it? His bushy tail twitched and his tongue lolled as he increased his pace, bounding over to the pile of cracked shell, his fear suddenly forgotten.
"Kielo!" He cried out, not at first noticing the white snake. 'I thought we split up!' However, the strange thing he could smell was not Kielo, he knew that now. When he finally did notice the snake, he shuddered and couldn't keep the shock from his voice.
"WHAT IS THAT?"




"Speech."
"Thoughts."

@Kielo
@Winter

"Wow, a snake?" Kielo asked, wondering what that meant. They felt safe enough to approach somewhat, sniffing the ground to try and pinpoint the stranger's location. "I've never met one of those before! At least... I don't think I have!" The little one finally drew close enough to the serpent to allow physical contact if they would allow it.

The little one sniffed, wet pink nose wrinkling, and stretched out to nuzzle them, sniffing at the metallic tang of their blood. "You're hurt," Kielo said in concern, the feathers along their back trembling. "Can I help? I can maybe clean it off for you."

Again, the voice reached them, even closer now- Kielo knew now that the fox could see them, and their wings flared excitedly.

"Azar!" Kielo called joyously, in a keening call like that of a baby bird. Hearing the next thing the fox said however, caused the youngster to squirm with guilt, wings bunching and shifting at their sides. "I'm sorry, I k-know I promised to come b-back to you but, I couldn't find my way back! The Something happened and I couldn't hear the high things buzzing for a while." Still, they were relieved that Azar was okay, and better yet, they hadn't stayed and waited for the rest of their life.

"Azar! I made a new friend!"

Kielo raised their head away from the little snake, head turning towards their approaching friend, sightless eyes flickering wildly. Their next words however, confused them. Were they talking about the strange sounds from above? Or was there something else around here that blindness hid from them? "What is it?" Kielo asked nervously, ears swivelling. They inched subconsciously closer to Winter, out of fear for both themselves and the newborn snake.

---

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts look like this."

tags: @Winter @Azar
notes: here

As the bird drew a little closer, Winter couldn't stop herself from stiffening, feeling her hood, which she had tried so hard to keep close, open again. Her instincts told her to hiss and get the hatchling to back away, but she forced herself to stay calm. She had been doing so good with interacting. But once the chick had brushed against her, she found herself completely relaxed. When it sniffed her side, the feathers on its face tickled her skin and she couldn't help but giggle a little bit at the sensation. The physical contact was surprisingly nice.

And when the little fox arrived at the scene, she found herself not as scared or nervous as she had before. She was beginning to trust this odd creature and if they trusted the new stranger, then she was more prone to trust them as well. However, his question caught her by surprise. Why was he so shocked? Did she really look so strange, so horrifying, that she would scare someone just by her looks? But the bird's question amused her and fractured her bad mood.

"He's talking about me," she pointed out before turning to the fox. "That's sort of rude, don't you think? I'm a cobra, by the way, my name's Winter."

@Kielo @Azar

Azar
It's a new world
It's a new start
And it's alive with the beating of a young heart

Still completely overwhelmed that Kielo remembered him, Azar faced the cobra and bowed his head apologetically. "You have my deepest apologies if I offended you, cobra, but I am fairly new to this world and have not met many. This is the best person I've ever met, standing right in front of you. Their name is Kielo, and I assure you that they will always look after you. You don't need to fear either of us." Azar instantly was fond of this snake and wanted it to be happy just like he was, and to find its own purpose exactly like he had found his. He could tell by its voice that it wasn't the happiest little thing, and that it had had a difficult start to life. Azar had never felt that way. He knew from the moment he opened his eyes his life was to be sacrificed, eventually, for the sake of another. He grinned, his bushy tail still wagging as he eyed the two gembounds standing before him.
"Let's all be friends! We make a perfect team, don't we?" Although Azar knew he would, most likely, say this to anybody, he truly loved Kielo and he truly loved this snake as well. He loved everybody, wanted everybody to love each other. That was the core of his very existence.



"Speech."
"Thoughts."

@Kielo @Winter

Kielo seemed pleased as their motion elicited a small giggle from the newly-hatched gembound, and their ears pricked, the feathers along their spine trembling upright in elation. Their happiness was cut short however, as the cobra said that Azar was talking about them- which didn't seem like the Azar Kielo knew at all! Kielo's ears drooped, whiskers twitching. Once more they lowered their head to nudge at the little snake and again feel the silken-smooth scales of their newborn form.

"Are you sure?" they asked Winter, tone baffled, although they seemed to relax as they heard the small fox's apology, feathered ears perking up once more and tiny tail feathers flicking. They allowed themselves to settle back on their haunches with the beginnings of wispy feathers pooling on the ground around their rear. Their ears lowered against their head but this time they appeared bashful, not worried.

"Azaaar! Stop! That's silly! I can hardly look after myself! B-but I'll try my best!" they called with a resolute nod, their delicate pink and purple eyes drifting gently closed for the time being.

The hybrid seemed excited by Azar's proposition, splaying their wings and trying to gently brush Winter's scaly hide. "Oh, that would be lovely!" Kielo yipped, a wide grin spreading quickly across their muzzle. "Winter, Winter! You'll be our friend, won't you?"

---

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts look like this."

tags: @Winter
notes: here

Winter
In every heart
there is a room
a sanctuary safe and strong


Winter looked from the fox to the little bird and was overwhelmed by their happiness and enthusiasm. She had no idea that the world could be so kind - all of her instincts screamed that the world was cruel, that she would never be safe, that she had to take care of herself and only herself. But these creatures, they were proving her wrong. Maybe she could throw down abandon and let herself trust these new friends? Would it be okay? Would she be able to be happy with them?

So far, she knew that she liked Kielo. They were friendly and happy and their feathers were soft. She liked the feeling of them brushing against her scales, trying to figure out where she was. She wondered if they were ever going to see. If not, she probably wouldn't mind letting them know where she was all the time. They could take care of each other

As for the fox, Azar, she didn't know much about him yet, but his apology made her feel better about him. He seemed trustworthy, even if he had only entered the scene. And Kielo trusted him. She probably would come to like him as well.

"Yes, I'd love to be friends with you two. It sounds like a lot of fun!"

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

tags: @Kielo @Azar
notes:

All of a sudden, there was a huge crash from the storm above and Winter, who had momentarily forgotten about it, almost leaped with fear. Her hood didn't even bother flaring. Her flight instinct had taken over and her mind went on one track - get away from the storm.

Without another word, she shot away from Kielo and Azar, barely even knowing what she was doing, her heart beating hard and her whole body tense with fear. Within moments, she was too far away to go back.

*exit due to inactivity

When I speak.

When I think.