pending an m tag for the moment shoal inevitably says a bad word

Waking up was always a downright shock.

Whenever Shoal opened her eyes, she always expected to see nothing but the bleary, inky blackness of her chrysalis. There was always a vague jolt of fear whenever she awoke. She didn't want to go back in there-- she didn't want to die and keep coming back. At least, she was certain it was death.

It seemed like a punishment, to live in this kind of fear. But if she was still awake and able to breathe and spread her wings and fly, she would damn take it.

The haggard, ugly owl took a very deep breath as she stepped along the branch she'd fallen asleep in, long talons clicking melodically against the bark. Again-- as she always was --she was hungry. Stealing from the Pile she'd found was currently out of the question if the Children of Rot-- or whatever the hell they named themselves --was guarding it.

She didn't need to die. Again.

Amber eyes scanned over Cetus for a moment, squinting through the thick mist. From sight alone, she couldn't see much-- but she could hear something in the far distance plodding through mud. A deer, perhaps-- but cave deer were too large for her to try to hunt on her own.

Also, she hated deer. But that wasn't entirely relevant to Shoal's current dilemma. The owl shifted on the spot, narrowing her eyes and staring out into the marsh in silence, waiting.

@Pallas

PALLAS
they say it started with a big bang

The misty floors of Cetus were fascinating. Especially to little critters. They could so very easily just fade into nothing among the mist here.

However, hiding isn’t what Pallas was here for. Instead, his long neck was craned upwards, large black eyes glancing from branch to branch, trunk to trunk. Down here was the perfect angle to find a home.

He should be up in the trees, perhaps. What if he got lost among the leaves, though? No- it was good to find a tree with a memorable trunk. And, so, the linsang was down here, his body-length tail hovering above the water as he paced through the thick fog and trees. The search was beginning to grow tiresome, however. He’d been at this for quite some time. Weeks? No- it was probably just a few days. Telling time in this particular cave wasn’t something Pallas was adept at just yet.

The linsang’s nostrils flared as he took in the scent of the swamp. He loved it here- the giant cavern was a favorite of his to wander as he aged and matured. It was only fitting for something so tiny to make a place for itself in something so big. The only downside was all the water.

Besides, this was the only cave with a true to life forest that wasn’t a jungle.

The linsang was grateful that he didn’t have anything of his to carry around, only ideas and his thoughts. As he grew he’d realized that he could use his mind for other things rather than just panicking and running around like a chicken with its head lopped off. So, he turned to making things. Sticks and stones made excellent tools, and mixed with vine or any other adhesive magical things could be done. Who needed actual magic? Well- okay, magic was important, but Pallas didn’t really have anyone to teach it to him.

Back on track. Pallas shook his head as he continued trotting along, trudging through mud and undergrowth in search of a tree. The perfect tree. A big tree. Maybe one with a knot. Or a trunk that had a perfect little hole in it. Something he could weave a platform on, maybe. He didn’t even know how to weave something like that, but he’d sure try. Something he could store things on, store tools he couldn't ever use with his flimsy little paws.

The faintest orange glow brought him out of his thoughts.

It was.. Circular. Was it an eye? A gembound? Pallas paused with his tail curling in close, head craned up to the object to see if it would notice him too and do anything about it.

Hm. Suppose not. Huffing, Pallas shook out a leg right before directing it back into the muck, heading on the way he was going.

Edited an exit due to inactivity
@Shoal