Giggle hesitated, glancing back at the third gemstone. The brookite.

It hadn't hatched, yet. Would it-? It would, she thought; the question was a matter of when. But that was a problem, because she had two hatchlings now who'd have to soon eat. And she couldn't stay with just this stone for long. So with a mental request, she sent Omen off to pinpoint food; once the Caller found something, she'd swap places, leaving her familiar here to guard and watch the Brookite while she took Serela and Grishia to eat.

The Caller took flight without a sound, flapping softly; Giggle looked to her children. "Grishia. Serela. Good names!" she declared, cheerfully approving. "We're all Bonebound. That's our family. You'll meet the others soon. But are you hungry?" she asked, studying them for any hint of either hunger or what diet they might prefer.

"And do you know what you might like to eat? Don't eat Omen--that bird that just flew away? She's a friend. But other birds, maybe? Rats? Berries, or grass? Bugs? -Do any of those things sound good?"

Giggle knew that the children wouldn't have actually encountered any of those things, yet. But maybe the words themselves might prompt that primal understanding they all hatched with. It was hard to guess; that knowledge could be a patchwork thing. But the next step was taking them on a taste test of the caves, and she'd rather skip that if it were possible.

Grishia considered.

All the words sounded good. She thought about it--and reached out, awkwardly, to forge some connection to her sister. In this case, that consisted of trying to pat Serela on the head.

Then she looked to Giggle. "Um... any?" she answered. She wasn't sure, but some of those things sounded warm and juicy and savory, and others tangy or sweet--and some, CRUNCHY--and she was pretty sure she could go for any of it!

She looked back to her new sibling then, and smiled, again shyly. "Hi," she almost whispered. "Srela." (Close enough, maybe.)

@Serela

Serela

Mom spoke, good names! Yay! Good names. That felt like praise! Bonebound. Family. Faaammillyyyy.

She couldn't wait to meet them.

Food! Mom spoke of food. Something that caused her ears to perk upwards. Little pitter patter of her toes. Crunchy. She wanted something CRUNCHY!

"Crunchy!" Serela leapt up on her legs, stomping her lizard-like legs on the ground. She turned towards her sibling. In a weird way, she opened to show her teeth. "Hi! HI! Want?"

Sister seemed shy, she didn't want to keep it that way. Perhaps she could fetch something for her sister. "Play! After crunchy, play!" She repeated herself a bit. Wanting to see what Grissshaaa would like to playyy with.

"Speech looks like this."

Code by CJ, edited color by Silverrye! ( @Grisha )

@giggle (editing in a tag for myself - Dark lol)

"Crunchy," she repeated back, with a warm nod. Then she sent that thought off to Omen, directing her to find the nearest cluster of edible bugs. Something enough for kids to eat, anyway. "Let's go see what Omen finds us, okay?"

Giggle turned, leading the way at a slow and easy pace. "Step carefully. There's bones everywhere," she warned them gently, with a nod toward the scattered skeletons. Within a few moments, Omen had found what she was looking for: a Green Wallcrawler infestation along one wall. They were usually plentiful somewhere in the cave; they ate rock instead of plants, so Canis usually had a few. And they were big, juicy, and crunchy: perfect for a couple hatchlings. Head back and watch the last chrysalis, would you? Let me know if it hatches. Thanks, Giggle thought, at her familiar. The bird agreed in wordless feeling, along that link, and Giggle could sense her winging her way back toward the den.

She led the way to the wall, not far off at all, where the Caller had found the bugs. They were long, cylindrical, and emerald with a bright and beautiful iridescence. "There you go," the old hyena offered, stepping aside and smiling at her kids.

An easy, peaceful meal. She was thankful it was nothing more exciting; if they'd wanted meat, the lesson would've been a little grimmer.

Grishia stared in wide-eyed surprise as the lizard-sibling STOMPED up, and said, 'want?' For a moment she hesitated, and stared at the bared teeth. It wasn't a threat--she could tell that much. It was... a grin? But for a confused, almost panicked moment, she thought her sister was offering her her teeth.

When she opened her mouth to say "...NNO?" she instead realized, blinking, that Serela had meant crunchy things. She was asking if Grishia wanted bugs, too! ...At least, she thought that was it. She nodded, slowly, and closed her mouth to squint. "Crunchies?" she hazarded, tentative. "Yes. And... play. After. Yes?" All of this was still said in an unsure, shy tone, but Serela's enthusiasm was infectious.

Grishia was up and following their Mom in moments, peering at Serela to be sure they didn't split up. Already she was afraid of the idea of somehow losing her new sibling, and she tried her best to build a bond as they walked. "Why crunchy?" she asked, almost politely. As in: why did her sibling prefer that, over meat or plants?

@Serela