A new life has been birthed by the cave. A tiny body, fresh to the air and ground, presses lightly onto the dirt beneath it. Her left side hugs the earth, instinctively clinging to whatever support it found. The warm dust has already started to settle on her short fur. Her trunk is tickled by these particles. The child sneezes and alerts herself to the world.

The infant asian tapir opens her eyes for the first time. She raises her head and glances around but her eyesight is poor. Faint and blurry colors paint her vision. Shards of red are scattered around her temptingly, but she hesitates in investigating. The ground is so warm and soft. So, she clumsily props herself up on her legs and sat. Expecting nothing and yet everything.

Cycles upon cycles had passed in the dark and unknowing. With no-one around, Fate had shed all semblance of self that she'd once possessed, and now wandered quietly, feeding until her belly felt round and drinking until she could drink no more. For some reason, for all that time, she'd carried a trophy- a pair of dice joined by a string, which she'd happened upon one day in Orion.

The series of dots on each surface fascinated her, each time she dropped them trying to guess which ones would be seen. With this being her only amusement, however lame, Fate was sincerely lacking in social interaction. But luckily for her, she was a solitary beast. Friends were a hindrance, and company wasted time, she told herself again and again. Although, when she looked back to times cycles upon cycles ago there were a few faces there; kind faces that she would tolerate seeing again.

But... it had been so long since she'd seen anyone that it wasn't worth thinking about. When others began to appear, that's when she'd consider making use of company. Perhaps there was more to prediction than wondering how many dots would face skyward.

Fate's thoughts lingered wistfully, but she was distracted from her thoughts b a distant crack; something moving, perhaps a clumsy cave deer or hunting predator. It couldn't be a new life emerging... could it?

Either way, Fate was beginning to feel hunger gnawing at her belly. Feeling leaves caressing her sides, she pressed on into the undergrowth, large ears pricked and twitching for prey. She raised her head to sniff the air, lantern lights kaleidoscopic through her gem. A warm, sweet smell told her that whatever lurked here was something young, freshly emerged. But it wasn't a cave deer.

The maned wolf pressed on, pushing her way into an open clearing, no longer caring about staying hidden. There it was- a funny little creature lying in a nest of gem shards. She sniffed again, cocking her head to one side. She lowered her head close, peering at them through darkened vision. She could see with ease that it was a greater Gembound; the first she'd seen in many cycles.

"Ho, new one," Fate spoke softly, trying to keep the hunger leaking from her jaws. She dropped the dice at her paws and was unable to resist a glance down to see what they showed.

The dice showed 8 small dots, four on one and four on the other. Interesting.

She raised her head once more to the small tapir lying before her.


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tagged: @Halimah
ooc: Welcome to Origin!
muse:

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

How long was she sitting, letting the breeze dance on her face and the ferns sing in her ears? Time, it was not a concept to her. Yet the world changed fast in front of her, and that she innately sensed. Suddenly her vision was filled with movement and commotion. Orange was all she could see, except for a cloud of black centered in the middle of... whatever this was. Hot scent flooded Halimah's trunk as the mass moved closer. It moved its maw and spoke, but she didn't know the words. What was this? It was starkly different from the rest of the cave. More... alive.

Halimah did not know how it had come before her, but this question was pushed to the back of her mind. Its size was daunting and fear like a cautious mother was calling her to stand. Shakily she did so and tested her legs for the first time. Her stance was wide on her toes, legs sprawled to give her more support. As she did she felt a hard protrusion in the right chest rub against her leg. Unnerved by the feeling she brought up her right forearm and tucked it beneath her. Eyes wide, trunk lifted and ears perked forwards, Halimah brought her face up to its.
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ooc: thank you for the welcome MD

@Fate

Fate watched, scarcely moving a muscle as the tapir began to stand, its odd snout twitching- presumably drinking in her carnivorous scent. She could see as well the fear that was the source, and so, in a rare moment of tenderness, the long-legged canid backed away, and sank down into the soft moss and onto her belly. her own wet black nose twitched, her eyes darting and peering, squinting through the dark of her gem.

"Haven't found your voice, huh?" Fate murmured, as the young one remained quiet. The foggy cycles of her own childhood were scarcely remembered anymore. It had simply been so long; and Fate thought wistfully about the world of missed potential. But here, standing in front of her on shaky legs there was just as much- a child who might one day hold the world in their tiny trunk. What would they sound like? What name would they choose? Fate wished she held the power to predict it.

When the maned wolf looked up, the little one had drawn closer, and she looked into its eyes knowing that it would never see hers. A smile twinged the side of her muzzle, plumed tail beating the earth. One thump. Two thump. Quiet.

"Don't worry. All in due time," although it seemed more like she was muttering to herself.

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tagged: @Halimah
ooc: no worries! if you need any help, feel free to let me know. ^^
muse:

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