The long-limbed one did speak. It understood. Why hadn't it, yet, then? Phlegethon pondered for a moment, thinking back to a time when it was limited to simple noises and instincts firing at will. Perhaps, Hunger remained in that juvenile state of mind. The draconian creature pledged to protect its sibling, and Phlegethon's jaw cracked in distaste; instead of sharp teeth, frilly baleen lined its lower mandible. It hadn't figured out their purpose, yet, and disliked accidentally licking them. They had a strange texture. If the monstrosity was complaining, it must be a odd texture.

Anyways, the creature didn't have much else to say or ask, other than: "why are you my mother? Our mother?" Well, that wasn't exactly the proper question to explain its confusion. Phlegethon paused, slime quivering and shifting in deep thought. "Why do I and my kin have life?"
@Nox

It was a difficult question for such a usually reticent beast, and Nox's jaws closed as she paused to consider it, her skin rippling with a series of slick sounds as she thought. "I found your sssstone making a beautiful noissssse. I ssswallowed it, and it began to grow insssside of me." That was, indeed, how it happened. But Nox didn't know why it had happened. She was inexperienced with magic, and didn't know how lifegiving was supposed to work.

She blew out several small flecks of slime. "I know what the long-limbed one isssss. A dragon gave me a piece of hissss stone. I ssswallowed that too. And the sssssmall one... it looksssss like a bird I once ate." Nox felt her skin shudder with discomfort at the thought of the unfortunate event of the bird's attack and subsequent digestion. She had only meant to protect Hikari from its wrath. That was all.

"I do not know how. But I felt a warmth inssssside of me after sssswallowing them. Perhapssss that wasss it." it was, perhaps, fitting that Phlegethon was afraid of being eaten. After all, it had been swallowed by her once before.

"speech."

@Phlegethon

Its stone had once made beautiful sounds, and --- for some reason --- that meant Nox had swallowed it. Similarly to the draconic being, Phlegethon was pondering the origins of its consumption-related fears. It was impossible to be consciously aware of such a thing, but a feeling of deja vu settled uncomfortably within its gut. It was a feeling the creature could not attribute a name to.

Each of the slime-beasts were born from the draconic being's stomach. Was that the origin of creation, before becoming a chrysalis? "Do the things we consume become life, again, then?" It wasn't a far-off assumption, if not totally inaccurate. Phlegethon's head tilted rather uselessly to its own gullet, pondering if the many lessers it had eaten would inevitably spawn more slimy creatures into the swamp. The thought of something festering within disgusted Phlegethon, and it averted its unseeing gaze.

"The only warmth I have felt is fire," it observed, hoping that it wouldn't be accidentally giving life to its prey; lest it mistake its own spawn for food. Kin weren't off-limits, but children were, apparently. They would speak, perhaps, and be Greater.
@Nox

Nox rumbled softly as she thought. It was a difficult question, for this situation was, in all of her cycles, unique. She had eaten many things before, both living and dead... but these were the first that had come back to life. She considered; she did not know, truly, from where new life came. She was inexperienced with magic, and only vaguely knew what she had done. She shook her head. "Not often. I have been alive many cyclesssss, and thisss is the firssst time... There mussst be more to it than that."

She fell silent, a ripple flowing over her skin. It had closely followed when she'd met Hikari, and remembered that the warm feeling had brewed whilst protecting and guiding him. She had not seen the peachick in a long time-- a feeling of emptiness smoothed her skin. Perhaps it came from happiness? Perhaps one needed a combination of the correct circumstances and feelings to create new life?

She rumbled again at the words of Phlegethon. A sound of amusement, perhaps? "You are very new," she said. "Too new, think."

A moment later, she added.

"It issss not a feeling like fire."

"speech."

@Phlegethon

Not everything it would consume would become another being; Phlegethon visibly relaxed at this realization. It was not aware that its skin had been writhing with anticipation and worry at the prospect. Knowledge had swiftly smoothed it out. "Good," it damn-near purred, shifting on the spot. The monstrosity's limbs were growing tired from propping it up. "I am new, and I am tired," Phlegethon grumbled, not entirely disagreeing.

It opened its mouth slightly, glistening red eye peering out at Nox --- as if asking permission to leave. There wasn't trust in that eye, still. Lower half swaying, moving so that its flukes were just barely within the water, Phlegethon began to worm its way backwards, murky black slime resisting the moisture of the water.
@Nox

Nox rumbled- perhaps in amusement at the obvious relief that showed itself in Phlegethon's skin and voice. She tilted her head as it spoke of being tired, before offering a nod, although it was unclear of exactly what it meant. "I'm sssure we will ssssee one another in the ssswamp."

She watched as it slithered its way backwards, and did not make a move to follow, though her skin rippled as a moment of sorrow passed over her. After being alone for so long, it almost felt wrong to let this thing simply leave. "I will be near. Call out if you have need," she fretted, if such a monster could fret. "I will come."

"speech."

@Phlegethon

Yes, socializing was tiring, it seemed. Phlegethon liked chatting it up, but with such awkward conversation, the monstrosity was exhausted. It simply nodded as its chest sank beneath the besmirched waters, jaw snapping shut. "It is a small swamp where we find air," it rumbled, then seemingly vanished. With so much inky-black slime interspersed through the water, there wasn't even a shadow to indicate its presence; perhaps, a blessing, for such a wary creature.
;exit phlegethon
@Nox

Nox watched, and waited, in quiet politeness, as phlegethon melted into the swamp and quickly disappeared. It was only after it was long gone that she finally moved herself. With a throaty rumble, she finally began to plod away, over solid ground with muddy water welling in her tracks.

It was only then that she took the time to process the meeting that had just come to pass; what she had seen, what she had learned... but more than anything, the Gembound whom she'd met. Her child. Or... one of them, at least. The weight of that thought was almost beyond her, although not quite. It was a good feeling, she knew. Pleasant. And little did she know, she was excited as well; the next meeting of the two eldritch horrors really couldn't come soon enough.

-exit nox-

"speech."