ANALA
From a spark to a flame

Anala wasn't sure when she fell asleep, nor did she know when her chrysalis enveloped her again so soon after hatching. Perhaps the water of Pisces made her magic weak, sending her back to the comfort of her crystal in an attempt to renew it. Regardless, she had awoken many cycles older, only known to her by the startling fact that she was no longer a pup.
Still bright-eyed with a youthful view, it had at least seemed worth it to her to try and travel to a less wet climate, to avoid entering her chrysalis without warning again.
And so she was here, in a room somehow even more wet than her birthing place. So much for a less humid climate. It was cold too, colder than she remembered. But then again, she didn't have much to remember to begin with.
Anala found herself at the edge of a swamp, pawing at the water in a weak attempt to fish. At the very least, this cave could provide her a meal.

OOC Notes:

Doru was an empathetic individual, in that they could generally comprehend how other gembounds were feeling. But comprehension did not necessarily lead towards compassion towards other beings. Rarely would Doru be called helpful or kind, not with no reason to prompt such behaviors.

Such being the case, when they saw another gembound fishing, their impulse was not to correct her method of fishing, a skill Doru had learned in their youth.

At this point in their life, Doru, odd-looking hybrid they were, was decently grown by this point, though not quite fully so yet. They were still pretty tall, even if not yet the seven foot height they would become. They had also started to put on some bulk, having started this cycle as a scrawnier thing.

Instead of helping, Doru deliberately stepped on a branch, and then paused, waiting to see if the other gembound would react the sound. Watching with no interaction would be boring, after all. Better to watch and interact.

@Anala

ANALA
From a spark to a flame

Anala had only just halfheartedly pulled up a fish from the marsh when her ears perked up, and she jerked her head around to meet the sound. While it only felt like days since she had last had company, she knew it had been much longer and wasn't too sure if she'd be treated with the same kindness she was given as a pup.
"I can kill more than fish, if you're trying to sneak up on me!" She called out, her ears and head tucked in close as she stood atop her catch.
It took her a moment to hone in on where the sound had come from, but when she did, she locked eyes with the being. They were bigger than her, for one. She stood at most three feet tall at the shoulder, and she estimated even with the distance for them to have at least a foot over her. She also, thanks to her chrysalis fiasco, didn't actually have the skills to kill much of anything. Two for two, she was starting to wonder if her sad little fish was worth fighting for.

OOC Notes: She's just nervous bear with her haha

@Doru

Her initial reaction of warning them greatly amused Doru. "Careful, some might take your words as a threat," They purred their tone, sounding more amused than anything else. They knew it wasn't. Still, there was clearly a potential for danger in Doru, for all that they were not acting upon it in this moment.

The other was half Doru's height. It took a moment for her to locate them, and their golden tipped tail was swaying faintly, a playful air to them. Not a friendly playfulness necessarily, maybe the sentiment of a predator toying with prey. Though, of course, Doru had no intentions to eat the other.

Doru was a hybrid of mostly predators and they looked it. Their hands and feet tipped and golden claws stood out, and they gave a wave of greeting. "Hello there," They said, displaying unnerving sharp teeth. Their wings were tucked in more, but they were present all the same.

"I broke the branch so as not to sneak up on you, but if you'd like a fight..." They trailed off with a toothy smirk, their offer clear.

@Anala

ANALA
From a spark to a flame

The other's response did not settle Anala at first, and she ducked her head lower at the word "threat." Still, she did not bare teeth, merely holding her ground as she let the other talk, taking note of all their sharp edges. She had thought the gator's teeth were huge, but the claws on this one? She couldn't help but worry every gembound was sharper than her.
"I suppose I'm just on edge is all. If it was under any other circumstance I might take you up on that, but I can barely catch a fish as is." Anala sighed, both upset at losing such an interesting chance and exhausted by hunger. "I just woke up," she added, sitting back down by the water.
She stretched her front legs forward, muscles along her spine visibly twitching in protest.
"You're welcome to join, if you aren't opposed to fish."

OOC Notes: I adjust my writing as I go, so if at any point you need more to go off of or better descriptions by all means let me know, I take no offense :)

@Doru

The other gembound was considering Doru, perhaps trying to judge how dangerous they outwardly appeared. The other did not instigate anything, which was not a surprise, but it was still a little disappointing to them. Doru liked surprises.

"Oh? Are you a fighter?" They inquired, faintly curious by the wording of that. They moved closer, only the slightest hint of a prowl to their movements now.

"You just woke up? From chrysalis?" Their curiosity increased, and they decided that was interesting enough to stay.

They settled by the water, considering again whether giving advice would benefit them at all. "Not hungry right now, but thank you for the offer," They gave a nod.

@Anala

ANALA
From a spark to a flame

Anala found herself contemplating the question as much as the stranger did, settling herself on the shore as the winged one approached. She let them continue a moment, asking their questions and getting settled themselves before she seemed to settle on her answers.

"Kind of?" She decided on, not quite an answer. "I had only been a cycle old or so before I reverted, if that's the term, so I'm a little..." She drifted off for a moment, squinting as if trying to see a word form midair. Most of the language she had learned had been during her half-conscious slumber.
"Unsure." She nodded, more to herself than Doru as she leaned down to eat her unforgotten meal. She didn't want to listen to her stomach growling any longer.
"I remember Sharp, though. I wanted to have teeth as big and a bite as strong... I remember practicing for a while before I went to sleep. Are you a fighter? You have the claws of one." She gestured to the golden claws in question before cleaning her face, ears forward to listen.

She didn't seem to mind talking, having droned on as much as she did with seemingly little mind as to whether or not the other would find it rude. They had asked, so she answered, mostly trying to answer them for herself in any case. Her saturnine demeanour had entirely cleared upon putting something in her stomach, as meagre of a meal as it was.

OOC Notes:

@Doru

The thoughtfulness that the other had fallen into was interesting. Doru found that they liked that the other answered their questions with much thoroughness and honesty. They liked the depth this stranger gave to her answers.

"I could be a fighter," Doru answered, pausing to think, and they decided to reward this gembound with a similar thoroughness in answers.

"After all, I have the physical capabilities given to me by my parents. I certainly am a hunter. While I can consume plant material perfectly fine, hunting gives a more satisfying meal to me. The taste of blood especially so, unsurprisingly. One of my parents solely consumes blood. The one I inherited these claws from, and more," They began.

"However, with regards to fighting... I like to think and speak. I don't dislike fighting, but I find it more interesting to engage with others verbally than physically," They explain, getting to the point.

"Though, I'm not yet fully grown. I'm only three cycles old, not four. I'm young, and I have all the time to learn ahead of me," Doru concludes.

Studying the other gembound, they speak again. "Did you get what you wanted?" They inquire with curiosity.

@Anala

ANALA
From a spark to a flame

Anala was comforted by the stranger as they spoke, providing as much detail as she had. They seemed genuinely interested in the conversation, and she found herself feeling proud that she was able to carry on so well.
"Parents?" As a first-generation gembound born only from a stray gem and the magic of the cave itself, the topic made her eyes light up. "That's why you have prey antlers and predator teeth! I haven't met anyone with such conflicting traits before. It must be nice to have others to teach you? And to be able to eat berries!? They look so good." Her tail began to sweep the ground, and Anala tried to calm and correct herself as she realized it was getting soaked in the process.

She listened again, growing evermore intrigued about Doru's lineage and how they saw the world. While she was physically older, Doru had been given more experience in the caves, and she was sure any stories they might have would keep her interest for a while. Maybe she'd have to catch another fish, just to be sure she could sit still.
"I can understand that, and I agree talking should be first, but I'm sure you'd also agree there's something refreshing about trying one's newly practised skills on a thinking opponent? Lessers can only offer so much I find." She offered up the idea with a cheeky wink, laughing to make it clear she was joking. Maybe someday, though. A spar could always be fun with the right partner.

She found herself looking at her reflection upon being asked if she grew to what she imagined she would, studying her teeth and looking at the marks her own claws made in the mud. "I've certainly grown. I desperately need to put some muscle on though." She looked from her reflection to Doru's, wondering how big they would grow in the coming cycle.

OOC Notes:

@Doru

Doru gave a soft laugh, but not a mean one, hearing her enthusiasm. This amusement was gentler than the time previous. "It is convenient, having the gifts I have, I suppose. I have a very big family, or my dad does at least. I only really know my parents and brother well. My dad never introduced me to the rest of his family, but he spoke of them often." A mystery that Doru wanted answers for, but that would be for another time.

"Family is important to him. And to my other parent as well, for all that my other parent only has my dad, my brother, and I. More my dad than anyone else, these days. ...I guess my unhatched littermates might count too," They considered, not quite sure why this thought had stuck.

Well. Maybe they had a hint of an idea. "It was good to have others to teach and protect me while I was small. But..."

"My parents, they love me and my brother. They never say anything exactly, nor expect anything. But I can tell. And I want to give life one day, because I am curious, as I am curious of many things, but I don't know if I'd love my children. I don't think I love my parents, though I am grateful they exist. I don't love any of my family. Or anyone else," Doru considered.

"I don't know how my dad loves all his family, when he has so very much, yet he does. I don't think I know how to love at all. I don't know if I'd even want to learn. Emotions are interesting to observe, but that doesn't mean I want to experience them all." It was surprisingly easy, talking about this to a stranger who Doru might never meet again.

Cathartic, might be the word for it.

"Oh, it's not that I don't like to fight, as I very much like to fight with words. Words are a skill all their own, that can only be used against thinking opponents. Those are my practiced skills, and that is some of the ways I can use them," Doru corrected.

Doru smirked, playful. "You are a bit scrawny at the moment, yes," He teased, in a relatively good mood.

@Anala