A gem that has strips of pink and yellow rested on the floor. Inside, a gembound was ready to hatch. The walls closed around it, and it was rather uncomfortable. They reached out with their legs, and with a strong push, the walls around it began to crack and splinter. They pushed harder, and parts of it fell apart, releasing the gembound inside. Nyekundu walked out, stepping carefully around the splinters of the gem.

They were rather small, with fluffy gray feathers. Their legs were also rather short. They looked around, taking in the sights. It was absolutely beautiful here. It was very colorful, the rocks purple and brown. They felt almost energetic. Looking around a bit more, they realized there were clusters of growing fungi on the ceiling. Nyekundu continued to look around, seeing how pretty it is. Eventually, they grew a bit bored and wondered if someone was nearby.

Fira once again found herself in Polaris, the place she had spent the most time in so far. Now that she was a bit older, she figured she should explore more of the Cave than she had previously, but still, it was nice to return here at the end of a long journey elsewhere. This was home, even more so than Eridanus, her birthplace. Sure, there was more prey in Eridanus, and it was warmer there, but Polaris was where she had met Destiny, her only real friend. And they’d had that adventure swimming in the river. Or trying to, anyways.

As Fira padded along, she tried to cast her Magic outwards, to check if anyone was nearby. This was something she had gotten into the habit of doing, as a way to make sure her surroundings were safe. However, sometimes her Magic didn’t seem to want to work, and this was one of those times. She sighed when the Magic refused to leave her gem, dying down before it even really got started. Instead, she opened her mouth and let the nearby scents swarm the roof of her mouth so that she could smell better. Somewhere nearby was a Gembound.

She traveled for a time, following the scent, and sure enough, in the distance was a small grey… thing. It had feathers, so it had to be some kind of bird, right? Then again, by that definition, everything with a bill was a bird, and Destiny had a bill. And Destiny certainly wasn’t a bird. No. She shook her head. She’d need a more specific way to identify a bird. Let’s see… She approached the tiny thing slowly, making a lot of noise and trying to be obvious so she wouldn’t scare it. This creature… Had feathers. Check. A beak. Check. Flimsy legs. Check. And it had the stature of a bird, too. Okay, this was a bird. Enough analyzing.

Still not much of a talker, the only Fira said to the bird was, “Uhh… Hey.”

Words: 337 @Nyekundu -- It's so long omg. No need to match the length. <3

Nyekundu had wondered what they were to do when they heard someone approaching. Turning, they saw a small cat-like creature. "Oh, hello, hello!" they said, wobbling a bit closer. "Hello." They weren't really sure what else to say. They had hatched just mere moments ago, and clearly was not one with words. Perhaps that would change as they grew, perhaps not.

"Hello, I am Nyekundu. Oh goodness, where did that name even come from? I guess I just came up with it now. Hm. Interesting, I must say. What is your name?" Nyekundu eventually stopped talking. Where had the name Nyekundu come from? It had just popped into their head, they supposed. Well, they quite liked the name.

@Fira

Fira sort of grinned in amusement at the little one’s talking. Why were Gembounds so talkative, anyways? Fira didn’t really see the point in blabbering on, but she also understood that saying such a thing was capable of crushing a Gembound in horrible feelings. Her time spent with Destiny had taught her that not all Gembounds thought the same way she did. So, she often kept her thoughts to herself. “I’m Fira,” was all she said, doing nothing but answering the question thrown her way. Then her mouth closed and she laid down — some instinct told her that doing this made her seem less threatening.

Words: LOL it's so short I'm so sorry. @Nyekundu

"Fira, huh? Nice name." For once, the flamingo was quiet. They couldn't think of something to say. So they just stood there, wobbling a bit. They were still a bit unsteady on their feet. They watched as the other lay down. Nyekundu began to try and think of something, anything, to say. "So...How long have you been here?" That was a start, certainly. Right? That ought to get a conversation going, at least. Maybe not for very long, but it's a start.

@Fira short and late sorry--