we burn the brightest

in the dark

The stone was a beautiful sight to see. The rock was an earthly green, speckled with hints of bright red, as if someone dripped blood on its smooth surface. It stood out among the drab, dusty floor of the crumbling arena, but it was not easy to spot from afar. For what seemed like cycles, a chrysalis of the same color slowly formed around it as the stone began to utilize its newly given power. There, in the center of the forum, surround by rows upon rows seats, the chrysalis lay still and bathed under the flickering light of Orion's "stars", as the precious life inside grew and grew.

Until one day...

There was movement, a scratching nose from the inside. Then suddenly, a shatter split the silence. Cloven hooves kicked out with great force. sending shards flying. The chrysalis shuffled again, then slowly, a four-legged creature emerged from its remains. Wide, golden eyes blinked as the starlight pireced his pupils for the first time. It did not take long for his eyes to adjust, but once they did the small, shivering lamb took another look at his new world. His head twisted and turned and large ears swiveled as he took in the vast, crumbling, structure that was Forum. It made his heart pound with awe.

He was not shivering because it was drafty. He was shivering because he was scared, and overwhelmed by the moment. He was scared because he was confused. The lamb saw no one around him, and an aching loneliness crept upon him like dark, ensnaring tendrils. With no one around to flock to, he felt unsafe. There was a foreboding tug in his gut, telling him to be wary of the shadows. He could not see well in them. From the moment he hatched, the lamb felt a strong urge to stand. He did not feel safe on his belly, as he was very vulnerable like this. So, he shifted his fore hooves out in front of him and urged his trembling hind legs to push his body off the ground.

Unsure of how to distribute his weight, the lamb's unsteady legs gave way almost immediately, and he toppled over on his side with a quiet "Oof!"

"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: // OOC:

we burn the brightest

in the dark

The lamb tried lifting himself off the ground again. Unfortunely, his legs gave way faster than the first time. Impatiance began to blister through him like a singeing fire. Growing angry at his weak limbs, he let his frustration billow out in a vexed, yet cute, little bleat. But he did not lose hope. By the shards of his chrysalis, he was going to stand up to today. He did not care how many tries it took!

"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: // OOC:

Amongst the quiet rows of ancient, hewn seats within the building, atop one such seat close as it could be to the central arena - and the young creature now within - one stone, decidedly more vibrant than its surroundings, shifted. How long it had lain within the forum was anyone’s guess; perhaps days, perhaps weeks perched atop one of the seats as if patiently awaiting some untold event. Whatever the case, soon it would become clear that its inhabitant - whomever it may be - had grown aware of their cramped surroundings, and simply was not having it.

The chrysalis of lapis lazuli shifted again, this time more violently. It gave another rock, and all at once tumbled suddenly from its perch to roll down the few remaining rows of seats between it and the arena proper, finally settling within the round space - though settled was, perhaps, not the right word. The stone seemed alive, now, rolling and rocking back and forth. Whatever was inside was clearly agitated; at last, a break in the stone appeared, and the tip of a beak peeked its way out from a fracture in the azure stone. Apparently sensing how close it was to freedom, the creature inside gives another violent shake, the beak making an attempt at widening the fracture that had allowed its appearance-

And managed a deep crack within the azure prison, from which the entirety of it slowly begins to shatter and fall away, revealing a wet, bedraggled mess of black-white-blue feathers. The creature flops over to one side in some vain effort to right itself after such a dizzying entrance into the world. She’s silent, for now.

we burn the brightest

in the dark

Something echoed throughout the hollow forum, the sound of a stone tumbling down from the seats. Startled, the lamb gasped. A sudden surge of energy burst through the his muscles and he found himself scrambling to his hooves. He stood, wobbly, but at least he was now standing. The lamb snapped his head in the direction the noise came from, eyes wide with excitement and tension as they locked on a stone he had not seen before. His ears pressed forward curiously, but his eyes caught blue stone shifting under the crystalline "star" light. His head lurched back, surprised at its sudden movements. The lamb looked at his chrysalis' remains, then to the shaking stone. Suddenly, it clicked. His golden eyes sparkled with realization. Could this thing be another one of him? Curiosity began to fill his head with questions, questions he wanted answers to, and there was only one way to find out.

I can do it...

He rallied himself, urging his hooves to support his weight. Then, he took his first step. His body shifted awkwardly, cause his legs to buckle, but he correct himself in the nick of time.

I can do it! I can do it! I can do it! His mind chanted like a roaring stadium.

The lamb directed his legs to take more unbalanced steps, again and again. Steadily, he made his way towards the blue stone, and the more steps he took, the more natural it began to feel. Slowly, confidence began to rise in his chest.

"I'm doing it." He breathed cheerfully."I'm doing it!"

By the time he reached the stone, it had become second nature. He gave his stubby tail a victorious, wiggle as he treaded up to it. But then, the stone cracked.

"AH!" He shrieked, falling back on his rump. Unlike the first time, however, he was quick to get back up. He squinted at the strange, wet thing emerging from its chrysalis. Why, it did not look like him at all. Cautiously, he stepped forward and gave it a sniff.

"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: @Seven // OOC:

To say that she’d had a rude awakening would be an understatement for the little magpie - dropped a fair few feet onto unforgiving stone, her chrysalis unbending against the movement; no doubt she was partially dazed, at the very least. Beady black eyes blinked open against the crystalline light of Orion’s ceiling, blinking away the blurriness of her newfound vision. And then there’s a nose. A furred nose, not far from her, snuffling in her general direction. And as she glances up from her prone position, there's a creature attached to said nose. A creature much, much larger than she herself. She attempts to right herself again more hurriedly this time, uncoordinated wings flapping against the packed dirt as she at least manages to pull herself onto her stomach - and the ram was still there, eyeing her. It was so big. So unlike her.

It was then that the magpie found her voice at last, though without the words to accompany it - instead, a shrill cry escapes her, wings fluttering uselessly at her sides. Her feathers, still wet from her recent emergence, clung to her tiny frame - truly, she seemed a ball of mostly-formed feathers and little else. That cry rang out again, and again, as if scolding the ram for scaring her.

we burn the brightest

in the dark

The shrill squawking caught the little lamb off guard. His heart nearly burst out of his chest. A startled bleat escaped his mouth and he scrambled back to the remains of his chrysalis. He tried to shove his body back inside the broken concave bloodstone where he felt safe, but his rump would not fit. It must have been quite a sight.

It did not take long for him to realise that his efforts were futile, so, he slowly crept out. The shaken lamb stared the strange, lump of flesh on the ground. He did not want to go anywhere near that alien thing, but a part of him urged him to take a closer look. He glup, and buried his fears deep down. So, he crept towards it again. This time, he eyed it more carefully. It was another living thing, like him, but it looked deformed, and grotesque, yet, strangely cute at the same time. He shriveled his nose, half in disgust, half in confusion.

"What.. are you?" He asked himself out loud.

"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: @Seven // OOC:

The warning seemed to work, as before she knew it the strange, large creature was backing away hurriedly and into a pile of… something. Her still-new eyes struggled to make it out, but it looked a shell of some sort - a giant red shell, now apparently much too small for him, with the way he struggled. Her new mind begins to put pieces together, slowly at first, then quicker as she grows accustomed to all of the sensory input assaulting her. He must’ve just gone through the same thing she had. Hadn’t he? Surely any creature that backed off that quickly was just as wary as she was. Wary of the new world that sparkled and gleamed above and around them.

The big, four-legged creature stepped closer again, this time much more hesitantly, and her beak remains closed. Now that he wasn’t immediately upon her, she felt less discomforted at his presence - though he did look odd. No feathers to speak of, unless the fuzz that seemed to cover him /was/ tiny feathers. But something told her that wasn’t right. He speaks, and her black head twists this way and that, gauging the sound.

“What are you?” She mimics, her tone largely the same as his but her voice altogether different - higher, and with a curious lilt. “What are you?” She says again, apparently pleased that she’s found her voice, if only so that she can imitate his speech. Her wings flutter again, evidently more as a means to test them than anything else - with every moment spent out of her chrysalis they dry by degrees, whorled feathers uncurling both into sleek black pinions, and - closer to her belly and back - the soft down of a still-young fledgling. Though the dampness would dry, it seems she’d have a while yet to go before she looked anything other than a somewhat bedraggled lump of feathers and beak.

@Aries

we burn the brightest

in the dark

Was this creature mocking him now? The lamb shot the other gemling an angry look. "Hey! I asked you first!" He snorted harshly. The lamb scraped at the the ground as if he wanted to charge. It was his instinct to butt heads, but the gembound looked so small and fragile, he didn't want to crush it. So the lamb lifted his head high in intimidation, his golden eyes peering down on the little thing as he awaited their answer.

Although the gemling did strike up an interesting thought his head. What was he exactly? Despite his own origin's mystery, he wanted to hear the feathered creature's first.

"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: @Seven // OOC: *cringes* sorry this is so short!

The lamb shouted - evidently he hadn’t been as pleased as she was that she’d found her words at last! He seemed to suddenly grow, head lifting imperiously over her tiny form, and she let out another squawk - more of an indignant one than the fearful noises she’d made before, as the creature had just previously proved himself to be as flighty as she was. Perhaps it wasn’t best to anger him further, though.

“What am I?” She asks, picking out the words in her mind - who was she, after all? Clearly not of the same make as the towering lamb. But she was something, clearly - something with feathers, and wings and beak to match. “I’m me! I don’t think I could be anything else!” She flapped her wings, glancing to them as if she’d just now recognized them as her own. “Why don’t you have these? And why are you so big?” The words seem to come easier with each sentence; she tilts her head curiously up at the creature, wondering how he would answer.

@Aries

we burn the brightest

in the dark

Oh no, he wasn't falling for that trick again. All those strange, ear piercing noises that the little creature shrieked, he figured they were nothing but bluff. If they weren't she would have attacked him already, right? A surge of confidence flooded his veins. The lamb pawed at the dirt stubbornly and snorted. He wasn't going to back down to a bluffer.

Before he could demand her to spill her knowledge on what she was, she told him. The lamb cocked his head to the side. What did that even mean, to be me? He shot the little creature a confused look. He opened his mouth to voice his opinion, but the other gembound beat him to it.

The lamb stared at the strange appendages on her side as she flapped them wildly. "Because..." Truly, he was stumped on this question, but he did not want to admit defeat. He had to come up with an answer. "Beeecaaause..."The lambs eyes wandered around the room, scanning for any sign, any hint that would shed light on an answer. What was he exactly? Surely not the same thing as the tiny creature. He did not have a beak, or feathers, or weird limbs that could flapped vigoriously. He eyes locked on to the quartz above them, gleaming like twinkling constellations Suddenly, an answer came to him, not from outside, but within.

Aries.

The word was new, but it felt so familiar. It felt like... him.

That was it. He wasn't just a "me". No, he was more than that. He was an Aries.

A grin drew across his lips and he looked back down at the smaller gembound. His eyes sparkled with pride.
"Because," He began, puffing out his chest. "I'm an Aries." The lamb planted his hooves on the ground and lifted his head high in an attempt to appear majestic. However, if he was a splendid beast, his lanky limbs and fluffy coat did a great job of hiding it.

"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: @Seven //
OOC: So sorry about the delay, hopefully this log post will make up for it.