The child that had hatched second to last was the first to speak. He managed a full question, yet Bacchus found himself torn between pride and annoyance. He allowed himself to settle on pride, in the end. One semi-belligerent question did not prove an entire personality.

”There is no need to be jealous,” he answered, his tone his usual rumble with amusement laden heavily within the words. ”You have a name as well, I am certain. A name you know instinctively. If you truly wish for me to give you a name, I can. Yet, I think you might find you already have one if you search your mind.”

He found himself curious at what names the children would give themselves.

”I am certain all of you will have excellent names, no matter how long it takes you to find that name,” Bacchus told the entire group of children, bar Khemi who already had his name.

@Staphylus

He didn't protest or struggle when he was lifted, just went limp like a wet noodle, a little shocked by all the sudden input of voice and cracking sounds and the sudden appearance of light, although it was a twisted strange light that at first made him confused. But it, so far, was the only light he ever knew, and so he basked in it, stumbled towards it when he was set down, looking up at the many plants that hung over his small head. A garden?

Canine head swung around, squinting into the darkness to try and find the sources of other noises, managing to catch a glimpse of the other children as they were gathered. Other small ones, one slightly larger one, one that walked a little funny...no, make that two that walked funny, with that oversized horn on its head.

He shivered and raised his head at his name - Khemi? Oh, was he special? To be singled out and given a title before the rest? Was this some kind of special reward for being the first one out? Nice! He looked towards the one questioning and puffed his chest out. "I get a name...because I get one!" Proclaimed as if this was some great achievement, some amazing special reward that he'd been given, and as if it had made any sense at all. It was the only thing he had, right now, besides his life, the light, and the others surrounding him that he did not know. He was Khemi and he had a name!

@Staphylus @Bacchus

No need to be jealous? Well too bad, because Staph was jealous. He huffed, tottering forward, attempting to keep his head held high as he did. It took visible effort, but he managed well enough.

My name’s Stafff- Staffillis.” He tossed his head towards his now rival, Khemi. His horn swung with dangerous momentum (dangerous for its owner, mostly). ”And it’s WAYY better than yours. And it’s mineeee. I found it.”

@Bacchus @Khemi

The little jackal-child gave a distinctly sad whine, full of discontent, at the sound of the argument brewing between two of his siblings. "No, no fight-," he pleaded. "Khemiii, and, and... Staffilllis, both pretty! Names pretty. Aleeohnis loves... both names. All names! Loves all siblings," he stated with certainty, for all that his words were wobbly.

"Love... father, too!" proclaimed the innocent child.

Then he paused. "Father... mentioned food? Food smell, faint...." To others, the meat might have smelled like a great option as food, but it's blood had grown older smelling as the hatching had passed.

"Hungry," Aleonis mentioned, soft, unaware of what he craved.

@Khemi @Staphylus @Shadow@Bacchus @Yoru

Shadow hesitated, rangy body shivering briefly as she watched. Her thin form was cold, here; or maybe she was unnerved by the sudden crowd, when her whole life up until this point had been spent alone in the dark.

Still, a sense of... was it concern? Or fear? It seized her, looking at these children. They were family, now. And they were young, stupid in the harmless way that babies were, unaware of the horrific dangers of the outside world. Of the need to stay in the dark, to creep in silence.

At least, that was the world Bacchus had given her; and she was unaware, in her own youthful ignorance, of any other.

She dared creep closer in obedience to her father's command, pausing once or twice in obvious uncertainty, but her expression was one of concentration. Her brow was furrowed, jaw tight, as her soft silver light extended out to shine over the new-hatched litter. When she spoke it was soft and halting, almost inaudible: a voice that demanded silence in turn, and concentration, to even hear. Would--could--the children manage that-? Or would her words reach only Bacchus?

"You look so young," she murmured to them all, fear driving her heart into a patter. How am I meant to keep them safe..?

She looked to Bacchus, swallowing hard. "There's something... alive, farther in the maze." 'Maze.' She didn't know this was a prison. She knew it as a sanctuary. "I think it would eat us, if it could." The tremor that laced Shadow's voice was only half-controlled by her attempt at courage. "They have to learn to be... quieter. Or it'll find us, if we go that far. I guess I can--keep them on this side? for now?"

She was trying. That much was obvious. Bravery, or necessity, allowing her to speak in this new little crowd, despite the terror she'd gained of making noise at all. But if they were to retreat farther into the safety of the Maze, the children would need to learn to not make so much noise. Their sounds--their loud crows and squabbles--frightened Shadow.

Sounds drew the thing in the dark.

Sounds would get them all killed.

Only belatedly did other survival instincts kick in, a sharp pang at her narrow abdomen making her wince. "Did you bring... food, Father?" she asked.

image credit

@Bacchus

Khemi had inflated and sat taller for a moment, proud and sure, but as soon as his sibling huffed, it was like a hole had been popped in a balloon. Oh no, he'd made someone upset already. He didn't know that if his name was good, then Staphylus could not be good. Was that how things worked? He didn't want to make his siblings upset so soon into life. They were going to be...family, right? Together? He did not want to ruin that. "Oh, okay," he responded, trying to keep the sadness out of his voice. "You're right. Staf...Stafffil....Staffillis is way cooler." He shrunk into himself as the horned beast swung his way. He hadn't uttered the word "rival" but it was absolutely the last thing on Khemi's agenda, to be a rival of a beast so much bigger looking and scarier then him.

He looked around at the rest. Was he...the smallest? This one had a big horn, the other one could stand up on two legs, and the last that had just arrived was bigger then all of them. He was just a ragged, thin little cub with no impressive horn, crouched over on all fours, and still wet with the fluid of pre-life.

He shivered, suddenly feeling very small.

And he felt even smaller when the newest-comer said something about "something alive" that would EAT THEM?!

He gave a small squeak of terror and shrunk further towards the ground, almost flattening himself against the stone floor. He desperately wished he felt secure enough to hide behind someone's flank right now. "E-eat us?! That's scary!! I don't like that." He looked towards Bacchus - father, parent, protector - with wide, terrified eyes. "Are we going to get eaten?!"

@Bacchus @Staphylus