The chrysalis's expected hatch date had come and gone. It's twin in Canis had hatched, grown, and proven itself as winner by default. All the while massive hunk of agate sat, seemingly healthy and yet refusing to show any sign of hatching. Perhaps it had to do with the flow of magicka in the area, or some unknown fault of the gem or spark that created it? Or, maybe, this was entirely to spite Vargas and his mission to prove himself as even a passable parent.

Despite the anticipation of this entirely too long wait, the creature's hatching was anticlimatic. It wasn't even entirely awake, just vaguely aware of its body and the fact it could stand to be more comfortable. So it rolled over in it's sleep and proceeded to kick a hole in the wall of it's chrysalis. It oozed out of the hole like a liquid thing, squinting its many eyes as though disgusted by the world it was so rudely thrust into.

Nidhogg scurried over the moment he heard the cracking of the chrysalis. He hadn't been keeping watch on it, no. Not staring at it all the time, fidgeting and wondering what the heck he'd done wrong.

Not at all.

His multi-eyed head stared intently at the child that had flopped out. Or would it be squeezed out? -Squiggled out? It looked long and goopy. It... looked like him.

Well--sort of. Not entirely. Some of it (like the color) looked like the hairy "hyena" thing that had been its other parent, and that, Nidhogg supposed, made sense. But how to greet a newborn child-? He'd met a couple. He had not been a good influence. But he'd learned some things, since then, like how to form a coherent sentence. So he considered very carefully before leaning in, all his eyes wide.

"HELLO," he offered, and realized that was probably way too loud. "Hello," he corrected then, far more softly.

Behind him, a quilled tail thrashed slowly over the rock, like a cat's, the only betrayal of his intense inner energy; for once, Nidhogg was sitting still.

@V-Agate-One

It's many-eye'd gaze would meet with one startling similar to it's own. It hissed softly- not exactly aggressive, just warning this strange, familiar creature that it was DEFINITELY encroaching on it's personal space. Nidhogg's overly excited greeting caused the agate to LEAP back, all of it's quills and fur spiking like a cat. The second, repeated phrase calmed it down ever so slightly, head tilting to the side. Oh, those were words. It knew what words were, probably.

"...Hello." It echoed. Another soft, considering hiss followed as it trawled through its absolute pathetic wordbank. "...You friendly? Not danger?"

@Nidhogg

It spoke! Already, it spoke! ...Admittedly it was very large, for a child.

(Nidhogg was not sure why. But that meant they'd get bigger than Vargas, even! Bigger than the Spire! -Right?)

But the speaking right away was great news. "Not danger!" he agreed, adopting V-Agate-One's speech mannerisms. He then brightened. "I'm your FATHER!" This came, too, with a proud puff of quills, as if being Agate's parent were a grand achievement of some kind. "-You're VERY big! That's good!"

Okay, so--now what?

Maybe he'd... wait a moment? Maybe the child had questions. Nidhogg could use a moment to plan, anyway. He probably should've done so sooner--decided what to say to a kid, and so on. But he hadn't thought about that, and now, he was sort of having to wing it.

@V-Agate-One

Its fur and quills fully flattened at Nidhogg's 'reassurance', although its posture remained tense. It wasn't really sure what to make of any of this- of this loud, familiar-shaped creature, of this eerie tunnel it found itself in, of existing at all.

"...Father? Whats that?" It questioned. It had absolutely no idea what the significance of that was, but it seemed like a good thing based on how the other literally puffed up with pride. "...Big. You're bigger. It noted.

Now that it had fully shaken off it's cycles-long sleep, it felt primarily, overwhelming hungry. "Hungry. Wheres food? Prey? Hunting?" It's head swung, gaze casting down the tunnel for any signs of life.

@Nidhogg

"FATHER means I made you! -Or helped make you! There was a rock--someone else gave part of their gemstone. And I brought it to life and then the rock grew and now you came out of the rock!"

Nidhogg's head swung back toward the Pegasus exit, and then to V-Agate-One again. "That way. We can hunt? I can help you eat. I mean, help you get food," he corrected himself, speaking so excitedly his words tumbled over one another. "But we have to come back! -After! We are Forge. Chaos Forge. You are-..."

Nidhogg paused, squinting as he struggled to remember the name Vargas had told him. "...VEE Agate? ...One? But you can have a different name for when he isn't around. Master Vargas. We'll come back. Let's go get food?"

Nidhogg didn't often hold a conversation. When he did, it was--as this example perfectly displayed--somewhat scatterbrained, even a little disjointed. But he was trying, and he hoped he was helping, somehow, too.

@V-Agate-One

Nidhogg's manner of speaking didn't strike it as odd- being just born meant it had little concept of proper grammar- but it was somewhat hard to follow. And just a lot, in general.

"Wheres the other? The rock-father?" It would turn it's head to look at the hunk of crystal it had just slid out of, as though considering the possibility that the empty chrysalis was it's other 'father.'

"YES! HUNT!! FOOD!!" It howled with excitement, already set to go careening down the tunnel. However, Nidhogg was still listening, so begrudgingly it listened. Words like 'Chaos Forge' and 'Vee-Agate-One' and 'Vargas' had no real meaning to it, especially compared to ones like 'FOOD' and 'HUNT.' It payed attention to none of it, practically rolling it's glowing green eyes.

As soon as Nidhogg seemed to be done talking it would start scampering down the tunnel, towards the Pegasus exit, absolutely no longer able to wait even a second longer.

@Nidhogg

"The other one's a spotted dog called 'Hyena' and it's in a cave full of bones! Your sister is there. Or your brother. I dunno!" Nidhogg offered, indifferent.

The kid was still alive. That did matter to him, as surprising as that had been even to him. But he had no relationship with her. Him. Whatever. "We-" Oh.

It was going for food.

Okay, yes. Food was good; they could do that.

"SLOWER!" he tried to call. The last thing he wanted was his newborn kid getting trampled by a Meadow Deer, or something.

I dunno if you want to thread past this/in pegasus or if the intro is enough? idm either way!

@V-Agate-One

It did not slow down. If anything, it started to run even faster, as though it was worried Nidhogg would try to stop it or steal whatever it managed to hunt. It's scampering turned into a full-on sprint, the thunderous beat of it's footsteps nearly drowned out by the clattering of it's quill-laden tail as it ran out of the tunnel and into the great big unknown of Pegasus.

@Nidhogg Exit to Baby need smoko

Nidhogg's far-too-many eyes widened. "SLOW-" he tried, but the child was having none of it. He found himself scrambling to keep up, howling after it: "SLOW DOWN! -WAIT-... WAIT UP!"

He was a dark streak as he shot down the tunnel, galloping clumsily after it. "WAIT FOR MEEEE!"

shortest post eu
exit