She could speak, but she didn't have anyone to speak to. The birds could've been her constant companions, but she ate them, letting their gems drop to the forest floor--and even if she hadn't, they'd have flown away anyway. So she walked alone, never touching the ground, because that was where the monsters were. Blessedly most of them seemed to stay on the ground, but she knew some could climb, so whenever she saw one of the huge creatures she slipped away.

It was a lonely existence, and she hated it, even though she could barely imagine anything else. Running from place to place, never to having a den, going days without sleep or eating anything but insects... That was simply how life was. At least water was a plentiful resource.

She was weak, and they were strong. Even if--even if--they wouldn't try to eat her, she was competition, or a potential threat. So when she saw a flash of red fur, her response was what it always was: run away. But while she'd managed to do so without issue before, this time in her haste she didn't check the branch ahead of her for strength.

It broke, and fell crashing to the ground in front of the red-colored monster with the strange eye, taking her with it. The fall wasn't too far, and the ground was soft moss, but it still knocked the wind out of her. And that left her defenseless, though she struggled to get to her feet. Even a moment's delay could mean the difference between life and death. The pain made her hiss. "Idiot..." she muttered to herself.

@Louie

---

Disgust rippled along his spine at how he had sunk so low as to walk back into the caresses of the forest and vines that marked Eridanus. This time, he wasn't seeking out his numbat lover. Instead, it was to find out what was actually brewing here as he had a feeling there were secrets being kept from him by the insectivore. This whole place gave off a familiar feeling of throbbing magic, the greenery and dappled light not a norm among the cliffs and drops of Monoceros. But still he could feel each gembound as they rustled about their daily lives.

In particular, there was a loud snap, followed by the crashing of the upset of one of the twigs. Hackles raising, the scarred man scoured the underbrush for where the disturbance had come from. There was a silent hiss, one he couldn't make out the words but he began to step towards it. Pushing through the dense bushes, he shook his head to get the leaves out his face before his eyes fell upon the young cat. It reminded him of the caracal child he had met once before, but never saw again.

Connecting the dots by the broken branch at her side, he raised an eyebrow, "Looks like you made an error and now you're here walking with us." Tail sweeping at his feet, he kept his eyes on her, wary of the super fast reflexes some of these cat children were born with.

Akiya looked up at the strange creature that had just... spoken? She was so amazed, she forgot to be afraid. "You can talk! I thought I was the only one!" Never in her life had she known that there were others like her; she'd thought about it from time to time but never really believed there were. After all, if there were wouldn't they find her?

She had to know more. Could the creatures that she had been running from... could they have been nice, after all? And she brightened a bit at a sudden thought--if the ones she had been running from weren't going to hurt her, maybe she could stop running! That thought alone was reason to purr, and purr she did.

"Are there others that can talk? Can they grow plants in their skin too?" Akiya got back to her feet, but for once she didn't run. She just sat down, waiting for answers. "Can the monsters--the great big things that walk on the ground--talk? I kept running from them, but maybe they wouldn't be hostile if I tried to talk to them."

@Louie