In a crevice in the wall of a side passage, hidden somewhere deep in the maze of tunnels that branched off the main tunnel H, a faint glitter shone despite the dark. A small sliver of pale lilac could be seen, if one looked close enough, and if one were to stay a while longer, a very long while longer, or came back after a time, they would notice that the lilac patch had grown larger, as if it was pushing the stone around it slowly out of its way. Still half stuck in the surrounding rock, it hung suspended a few feet above the ground. Slight movements, mere twitches in the dark, could be seen through the thin, slightly translucent shell.

It had only been a growing lump of stone for most of its time of existence, but now conscience stirred within. A flicker of being, no more than the simple feeling of ‘I am’, the feeling all sentient being share to a degree, flared into life in the depths of the cloudy crystal. The being grew slowly, patiently awaiting something it could not know yet, invisible to any casual observer, shrouded by a veil of light solidness. The chrysalis, a title the stone was now allowed to bear due to the life it carried within, continued to push its way slowly out of its surrounding encasement of salt rock as it grew until it hung above the ground, anchored only by a mere shard still embedded.

By now its inhabitant had grown restless, wanting to stretch the legs that had formed over time, its expansive patience worn thin by time and monotony. Unable to find stimulation outside the boundaries of what by now had become a confining cell, its conscience and focus turned inwards, probing the ‘I am’, that had by now grown from a slight flicker to a steady burning flame - a guarantee of life - to test what it entailed and what, if anything, lay underneath. It did indeed find something hidden there. It felt a little like the beings chrysalis, or what the chrysalis might be like turned inside out. It was round, and much like the walls of the confinement this new thing was smooth and soft and hard at the same time, letting a touch slide over it without resistance, but hard to grip firmly and even harder to puncture. The being tried for a time, pushing its conscience toward it, trying to find out what was inside.

The little ball of ultimate being resisted all attemts of lingering contact or capture, flitting away from its hosts attempts to reach it like a dream after waking, no matter how hard one tries, it slips away like smoke and shadow.

While he absolutely loved Eridanus he couldn't stay there for an eternity, he needed to get out and stretch his legs. Besides, the cave deer were getting a bit too frightful and unwilling to venture far. When that happened it was a necessity to go out and get his food; not that he minded as a bit of a walk was always a good thing.

His huge paws made heavy thuds upon the earth as he trod forward. Even though part of his reasoning for coming here was to give the deer of Eridanus a break he also wasn't particularly hungry at this point in time so keeping his footfalls quiet was not a priority.

Out of the pink tint of his vision his eyes saw something that intensely attracted him. While the color of it was not quite pink it was close enough that it had him wandering over and staring for a brief moment before brushing his muzzle, light as a feather, against its surface. He debated snatching it up and taking it with him but the sounds inside gave him a moment's pause. This must be a chrysalis with someone inside. Did the newborn need help?

Not waiting around to find out the dragon lowered his muzzle, pointing his pink nose-horn at the rounded stone before giving it a light tap. The gentle nudge he hoped would be enough to help free the babe within.

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words: 238
tagged: @Xerion
ooc: ----
muse: 5/10

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

The child inside the chrysalis could almost sense, like a touch through a veil, that someone was there. Not where they were, a place apart from themselves, place they desperately wanted to be too. Giving the centre of their being a last unyielding mental poke, the child turned their attention towards the walls of their prison, outside of which they were sure of some presence.

White eyes opened for the first time, but at first saw nothing but shimmering whiteish lilac, too bright in comparison to the shadows they had known behind closed lids. Slowly the light from outside seemed to dim as the pupils slowly contracted, allowing the eyes to see more. The shadowy reflection of their own form, now no more than a bundle with slightly twitching extremities in the cramped space, was shadowed by another, far greater form, moving outside the semi-transparent walls.

The child felt a slight twinge somewhere inside them, a gut instinct to run; an impossible feat in the current circumstances. A feeling all prey has felt before; fear, though yet unknown to the child, fluttered in its breast and his legs twitched harder, longing to prove their worth in face of a perilous situation. The second instinct was to lash out; the knowledge that their legs would one day be powerful enough to permit combat as well as flight somehow ingrained the small beings mind. However try as they might, its legs could not move enough to allow any such attempt, futile as it would be anyway, given the fragility of the young bones.

The only other option was the only thing the child could do; cower, turn back inwards and hope the being outside would leave him in peace. The knot of power inside them seemed to pulse, calling to the child, who focussed on it once more, realising that gaining access to that ultimate sense of being was paramount.

A small tremor seemed to wrack through the child’s slight frame, radiating outwards, as it finally managed to place a small mental dent on the solid knot, a small crack forming momentarily, letting the power inside slip out for a moment, before seeming to heal, forming a smooth shining surface again.
Nevertheless it was enough. A crack mirrored the mental image inside the child on the shell surrounding it, but this, contrary to its originator, did not heal. Instead it grew longer, splitting into several more crevices that criss-crossed and spread towards the rock wall the chrysalis was still suspended in, several feet above the floor. He child inside the rapidly failing shell was oblivious to its peril, only eager to get out of its prison, despite the lingering threat of the other being outside, that they had all but forgotten anyway.


@Baratheon