It was time. They had discussed everything they needed to. After their long reunion, Fira had moved into Destiny’s den beside the river. She’d dug out a little space for herself, and she planned on digging out a little more to place the chrysalises in once they were made. She and Destiny had decided that Fira would give the Life Energy, and Destiny would give the Stone. Now all they needed to do was try it out. She’d never done this before, and it might be hard, but they would figure it out together like always. With a deep breath, the leopard looked at her best friend, knowing in the back of her mind that Destiny could not see her.

“Are you ready?”

Words: 123 @Destiny

Destiny was curled up on the little bed of mosses she'd made long ago within her den. The little platypus had been battling with herself about this for a long time, but... She wanted this. She needed this. It wasn't worth living the rest of her short life in fear. If she wanted a family, she had to create it now.

Maybe the breaking of her stone could even extend her short life.

Destiny breathed deeply, struggling to reassure herself that everything would be alright. Guilt wavered in her chest even still. "Ready..." she murmured.

Taking deep breaths, Destiny prepared herself for casting.

@Fira

Fira took a deep breath, thinking about how to begin. She'd at least somewhat come to terms with all this, but it was still pretty overwhelming, especially now that they were actually about to go through with it. She looked around the relatively small den, and wondered whether they should do this outside... But she decided against it. If they did it outside, then they'd have to then move them back inside anyways, so what was the point?

"Okay," she said. "Um... I think you need to cast your spell first, right? You'll give the stone, but that means you need to go first so I have something to Give Life to." She paused. "If it hurts, tell me, and we'll stop. Okay? I don't want you to be in pain, even for something like this." Fira studied Destiny's gem for a moment. "But your stone is on the outside of your body so... It shouldn't hurt, I don't think. Maybe it'll even relieve some pressure on your brain." That would be great if it were the case. It might even get rid of the platypus' problems altogether... But that was wishful thinking, and Fira had no time for such things.

Words: 201 @Destiny

"A-alright. I'm gonna do it."

Destiny understood. It made sense to her. She acknowledged Fira's words with a deep breath and a little bow. Curling up before moving to seek Fira's warmth for comfort, the little creature then curled up again, thinking deeply about her next move. Unable to close her eyes, she focused, allowing all of her thoughts to drift inwards... and to her gem.

Her breaths came slow, and Fira might have seen her gem begin to glow, starting at the longest point and spreading. A shudder of effort ran through Destiny, from her bill to the tip of her fatty tail. As the glow finally died down, Destiny's shudders kept growing. She lay, or perhaps fell, down onto her belly with a heavy sigh. Several seconds passed, and a tiny whimper left her. "H-has it come off yet?" she mumbled, strained with effort, voice barely audible. Destiny's words trailed off into a small grimace.

Her concentration deepened still, until she seemed to gasp for air.

Until, with the sound of glass clinking against stone, a sharp quill rolled down her buill and onto the ground. Even with just that, Destiny was left panting and shivering. Suddenly, she could barely lift her bill from the ground. She was just glad she didn't have far to fall...

Exhaustion swept over her like a wave then.

@Fira

Fira watched Destiny in concern, noting her shivering, which was becoming more and more intense. Her stone spikes began to glow, and the leopard watched as one of the spikes slowly rose above her friend’s thick, velvety fur like it was being pushed upwards. Then it bent forward as if it had broken off and rolled down her bill, hitting the floor with a light, tinkling sound. It was pretty small now, but Fira knew that over time the shard would grow into a proper chrysalis. She smiled, but the smile was wiped from her face when she noticed how exhausted Destiny seemed.

She gently nudged her friend’s bill with her head. “Are you okay? How did it feel?” She paused. “I’m gonna try to do my spell now. You rest, okay? We can do the other one later.” With a breath, she turned and focused on the small opal shard. She touched it delicately with her nose, closed her eyes, and concentrated. She felt the energy flow out of her maw-sit-sit gem on her forehead, downwards into her nose, and from there it dissipated across the surface of the shard. Keeping her nose against it, she could feel her Life Force spreading all across the opal, and then permeating it completely. With a grin, she lifted up. “I did it, Destiny. This little stone will turn into our first child.”

It was only then that the exhaustion hit her. It wasn’t sudden, but gradually her limbs felt a little weaker, and she lay down. It wasn’t too bad. It felt like what happens right after exercise, that feeling of your heart still pounding to keep oxygen flowing through your body. It would pass with time, Fira was sure.

Words: 233+ @Destiny

"That was... Exhausting..." The platypus breathed, her tremors finally dying down as the effort left her and she stopped concentrating. Still though, her entire body felt like a lead weight and her breaths were short, but heavy. "A-alright," she agreed hesitantly. "J-just a short break though, right?"

As she waited, she heard Fira's movements close by her. The platypus noted that she didn't seem nearly as affected by the spell. Maybe Destiny was just a little unfit, or maybe it was because giving a portion of her stone was more exhausting. She wasn't sure, but it didn't really matter. As her heart pounding finally slowed, a wave of emotion hit her like a ton of bricks. Destiny nosed around, and with a little tink! her bill bumped against the stone which would grow into their little one.

"I... I don't believe it," she murmured. I'm gonna... We're gonna... Do... Does it look pretty? The stone?" She couldn't help but ask. Maybe it'd give the slightest hint to what their baby would look like. Nerves welled up in her belly, fear made her feel a little ill. But it was a good fear.

@Fira

Fira snuggled up to Destiny, noting that the platypus seemed completely out of breath. Well… she wasn’t exactly healthy at the moment, so it was understandable that something like this would exhaust her. Fira hoped she’d have enough energy to shed another gem shard, but she’d be okay with just one baby if Destiny couldn’t do it. She didn’t want to push her friend too hard, afraid that too much effort would only speed up her death. She shook her head at the thought. Now was not the time to be thinking such things. She needed to focus on Destiny’s life.

She smiled as she watched the platypus nose the shard with her bill. At Destiny’s question, she studied the stone a bit more. “Yes, it’s pretty,” she said. “It’s full of colors just like your gem. It’s dark, but if you — if I turn my head different directions, I can… I can see the colors in it.” It was still hard for Fira to figure out what language to use when talking about seeing things. She didn’t want to offend Destiny, but since her sight was fine, it was hard to remember to be sensitive. She sighed quietly, wondering if she’d ever get this right.

Words: 206 @Destiny

Destiny listened to Fira's explanation, eagerness shown as she raised her heavy head to listen better, even though exhaustion was clear in her every movement. Her face lit up though with Fira's words, her bill opening up into a beam of joy. "I-it sounds amazing... she breathed, remembering when she'd first seen the quills begin to sprout. The colours! Excitement coursed through her as she remembered what colour was. As the excitement grew, Destiny breathed deeply again, steadying her mind for another go.

Breathe in...

...Breathe out...

Breathe in...

...Breathe out...

Destiny waited, and felt the surge of energy through her gem. Another quill slid off, clinking as it hit the ground. This time, the wave of exhaustion didn't hit her as hard as it had before, and her breathing still deep, Destiny let herself sprawl out, happily throwing her bill around and snuggling up to Fira.

"That wasn't so hard!" she exclaimed, though it was clear to see that that was it for today. Destiny was tired out, but pleased with their efforts. Now all they'd have to do was wait for that special day.

@Fira

Fira smiled as she witnessed Destiny’s second try at Giving her Stone. This second attempt seemed much easier for the platypus, and Fira was quite relieved. Still, it wasn’t over yet. She nudged Destiny happily with her nose, and then turned to the opal quill and pressed her nose against it just like the first time. She concentrated, eyes closed, but nothing seemed to happen. Her Magic failed her, the gem on her head remaining its normal color instead of glowing like it was supposed to. She grunted in frustration, pulling back to look down at the quill. “Lemme try again,” she said. “It didn’t work.”

Words: 106 @Destiny

Destiny waited for a while, and seemed nervous as Fira noted that it hadn't worked. "It's okay, are you too tired?" destiny asked worriedly. she didn't want to overwork her friend, especially not for her sake. "W-we can try again some other day if you want..." she fussed, thinking that Fira's grunt of frustration was more of exhaustion. Shuffling her flippers against soft moss, Destiny pressed herself closer.

"I don't mind..."

@Fira