She watched, observing the natural instincts, where it succeeded and where it failed, and then when it darted up to the rock, she reached forward and quickly knocked the rock away with a claw. "You approached too fast. Prey will sense you if you approach like that. Take your time." She shifted to the side, standing back near the stone' new location a few feet away, watching the Chromite expectantly.

This time, as it would go to crouch, she would comment on its form - "Set your claws down more careful. Keep yourself low, it helps with balance and makes it easier to take quiet steps. Don't take your eyes off the prey, but be aware of your surroundings. You don't want to trip on a stray rock."

@Chromite T-One

Chromite listened, but it was--hard.

The creature was destined to be a hunter of immense patience, able to stalk with single-minded calm focus for hours at a time. So that was part of it, already in place.

The other part, however, was a freshly-hatched child that was wondering, vaguely, what that sound was (it was running water) and wondering why Tectus was a different color than it.

But it did buckle down, for now, and attempt to focus.

Scythe-claws came up, and it crept forward, more carefully stalking, now. That was good: the focus and the stalking, this time, played out well. However, when it reached the pebble, it did something Tectus perhaps did not intend: Chromite lunged.

It snagged the rock in its mandibles, threw its head back, and ate it.

Crunch.

Then it blinked expectantly at Tectus, seeking her opinion on its performance.

@Tectus

She nodded with approval at the creatures improvement. Already she was seeing the hints of what it was going to be - an assassin, a hunter, and that was exciting for the Overseer that had a whole bunch of scouts but no real hunters. Fighters, sure. She probably had some of those. But if she needed a single target taken out, if she needed someone that could go in quick and silent...this might be the one right here.

So lost in imagining what she could do with this brilliantly designed creature, she almost missed the thing with the rock. Almost. She was impressed by the successful lunge and catch, but then watching it actually rear its head back and eat the rock...well.

She started, confused. "Oh, don't..." but it was too late, the rock was gone. She stared, as if waiting for it to throw it up, but when it didn't, she cleared her throat. "Okay. Well. I didn't know you could eat rocks. That's interesting. But the stalking is much better. You'll need to work on focusing but this is a good start." She was quiet for a moment, then narrowed her eyes. "You're okay? From eating that?"

@Chromite T-One

It listened, eyes locked on Tectus, its scythes raised but forgotten there. Dutifully, it tried to examine how it felt from eating the rock, and then reported in.

"It..." What was the word it needed-? "Tasted? Good." Chromite nodded earnestly. "...Tangy?" Was that right? "Salt." Yes--salty. That was better.

Eating the rock had felt perfectly natural to it.

In fact...

"I show-"

Chromite looked around, instinct prompting it further, and decided it could offer a display of another behavior. If its feeding was interesting to Tectus, maybe this would be, too-? It picked another pebble up, somewhat awkwardly, in the joint beneath one scythe. This it lifted to its mandibles. Driven by a sort of primal understanding of its own body, it squeezed out some of the specialized adhesive saliva from the glands along the inside of its jaw.

A moment later it had stuck the rock to its carapace, where it remained.

It wasn't entirely clear what purpose a single pebble stuck to its ribs might serve--but maybe it could apply other objects, too: things that could serve as disguises, or armor. For the moment, though, it was just a single rock, and it looked expectantly at Tectus, wondering if it had done well.

"Is it--good? Will you--teach focus?" It was meant to focus, better, but it didn't know how. It also had no idea what to call Tectus. So it hesitated, claws curling, before adding: "Are you Mom?"

@Tectus

She watched with fascination as it explained and displayed the uniqueness of its design. Something in her mind then clamped down on this thing - she needed to have it in her Task Force. Whichever Master had crafted this thing, she needed to thank. Its abilities were unique and would definitely come in handy. As a fighter, or maybe as a hunter. Hmmm...

In the meantime, she nodded, looking at the pebble it had stuck to itself. "That is quite interesting. Perhaps you could create armor or camouflage with that. Very useful." She shifted a little closer to look at the young gembound, looking for its stone and, upon not finding it, flicked her eye to the shattered chrysalis next to it. "Chromite, huh? Yes, I will teach you."

She was taken aback by the reaching question - Mom? Is she mom? Was that a title she wanted to take on? If she said no, would it leave her to find someone else that would be its mom? She didn't want to risk that, but she also didn't want to manipulate it.

She supposed, if she was going to take on the task of raising it, then she could call herself mom. Or at least let it call her mom. A soft sigh came from her jaws and she rumbled, "Sure, if that's what you want. You can call me Overseer Tectus. And you will be Chromite T-One. I will teach you focus, and I will train you to hunt. If you want this."

@Chromite T-One

In the manner of children the universe over, Chromite was becoming distracted. It wasn't a hyperactive sort of distracted, or the kind where it had found another focus; it was just that its current attention was drifting, so that it was gazing around again at this new world as if seeking something new to interest it.

"Okay," it agreed, easygoing and knowing no better, signing its life away to the Overseer. And it did try and repeat back her name and title, though at least in this first attempt, it managed to muddle that and the "mom" that it had sought: "Overseer Momtus."

It paused, staring off at nothing, as its brain caught up and realized that this was incorrect. It then turned, head tilting abruptly in a birdlike way, and peered at Tectus as if confused. "Tect... ovus. Ov-ersus." Its mandibles abruptly clacked multiple times, as if frustrated or distressed. "Oversectus." That still wasn't right, and this time, it let out a little squeak and waved its baby scythes in the air.

@Tectus

The first attempt at repeating her name back earned widened eyes and a short, hearty laugh. Overseer Momtus was certainly not something she ever thought she'd hear anyone say. She was not exactly motherly material, but if that's what this little one needed to be raised correctly, then she'd at least try to give it to them.

She watched it struggle to speak her name for a moment, amused, and then shook her head. "Say it slowly. Overseer. Tectus." She stretched each syllable of her name out for the Chromite to parrot and explore with its own vocalization. She did her best to stay patient in the face of the child's agitation.

@Chromite T-One

It managed a number of rattling clicks as it considered, forelimbs swaying slowly. At length it made another attempt, carefully and clearly enunciating each syllable as it had heard it.

It hadn't done badly at speech overall, as yet, despite being newly hatched and not really made for vocalization in this way. But this seemed to be the exception.

"Over. Seer. Sectus," it said. Then it perked up, proudly peering up at her.

It'd done it right that time--right?

@Tectus (I'm so sorry)

Tectus sighed and shook her head. "TEC-tus. T." Why she was letting herself get caught up on baby speech was beyond her, it would learn it in due time, right? A sigh. "It's alright if you don't get it now. You'll learn." But, hopefully, quickly. She did not want it calling her "Sectus" or "Momtus" in front of someone like...Aethril. That would be embarrassing.

She glanced up, down the tunnel - they'd been standing here for a while and it might be a good idea to take it back to Orion with her, get it settled in, introduce it to the other hatchlings. Get it started on training as soon as possible. "Would you like to go home? There are others there you can meet. You will all train together."

@Chromite T-One

It paused, considered, and then beamed. "OVERTIER SEXTUS!" it cried, with what it seemed to deem flawless pronunciation. Then it waved its scythes around cheerfully, dismissing its obvious victory, and... chirped.

"Others?" it said, quickly moving on. It then nodded. "Yes. Learn. Train. We go?" It was only half a question. It wasn't clear if the child's species, or design, had been intended to be sociable, or a loner, or to simply take commands. Or take command, once it was grown. But for now it appeared perfectly amiable, even interested, as it clicked its way across the floor, indicating a willingness to follow wherever the 'Overtier' might lead.

@Tectus (possible exit?)