As Rift emerged from the tunnel, he froze. He blinked, wondering if he was dreaming. No, he couldn't be dreaming. He could still feel, he could still smell. He remember exactly how he got here. This...this was real. It had to be real. It was real!

A tear appeared in his eye. This room...this room was beautiful. Every inch covered in green, mosses and plants and ferns and trees springing up from, well, everywhere. There was no part of this room that wasn't covered by friends. He was so overwhelmed by happiness that, for a few moments, he couldn't move.

The instant his shock wore off, however, he sprung forward. His paws sunk into the warm, soft earth and he sighed as the leaves of the bushes caressed his fur. He ran through the Maw of Mosses, enjoying every moment, every smell, every touch, and every sound. He was unconcerned with the volume in his ear anymore. It was loud, but he welcomed it. This room was amazing.

After a few minutes of running, he stopped in a small clearing and flopped to the ground. He lay on his back and rolled in the fresh, warm grass. Without really meaning to, he released magic into the earth and friends sprouted all around him. He had never been happier then he was in this moment. He pawed playfully at the leaves and laughed as they tickled his head. He was unconcerned with everything in the world. Right now, all that mattered is that he had found the perfect place for him.

___________________________________________________________

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

tags: here
notes: here

Winter needed to leave. This room was making her way too nervous. She didn't know how much longer she would be able to stand the anxiety of being such the wrong color. So she was leaving, fast.

But then she stopped as she heard a strange sound. She turned, her tongue flicking to try and catch any scents. She could smell another gembound nearby, but she wasn't sure what it was. She didn't really want to follow the scent, but she was interested. It was making a lot of strange noises.

Against her better judgement, she slid through the grass and found herself in a clearing where she was faced with a cat rolling around in the grass and pawing at the greenery around him. She stared in surprise. She had never seen any gembound act like this before, especially with plants.

Without really meaning to, she got closer, curious to know exactly what this cat was doing and why. She completely forgot about her color disadvantage in her curiosity and was right in a spot where the cat could see her clearly.

When I speak.

When I think.

At first, Rift didn't notice the snake. He was too busy playing in the grass and enjoying the company of plants. But then his right ear picked up the sound of it slithering through the undergrowth. Immediately, he jumped up and his sharp eyes caught sight of the white snake immediately, as it stuck out so horribly. His movable ear flattened against his head in fear and he growled, showing his sharp teeth.

He didn't really know why he was afraid. There was some primal instinct within him that screamed that snakes were evil - they were untrustworthy and aggressive and would bite without a second thought. Besides, this could be a lesser gembound on its way to make him a tasty meal. He wondered if it was even big enough to eat him though.

He wasn't taking that chance. He summoned his magic again - a new spell that he had learned among his friends and let it sink into the ground to call the roots of the trees into action. But they were so big and so deep that he couldn't even get them to budge. Disappointed, he stopped trying and instead focused on spitting and showing his teeth.

___________________________________________________________

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

tags: here
notes: here

Fear shot through the cobra as she cat leaped up and started growling. Instinctively, she curled back and raised herself, hood flaring. She didn't want things to get aggressive, but if they did, she needed to be prepared. However, she would rather to settle thing cordially rather then hostile.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you, I mean you no harm."

She sized up the cat. He was bigger then her and could probably make a good meal out of her. He tail wriggled at the thought. She didn't want to be food for another gembound. Of course, she had her venom if it came to a fight, but still, she couldn't beat him on her own.

When I speak.

When I think.

Rift didn't move from his defensive position, despite the snake's attempts to calm him. He reached for the plants again, but still, they would not move. Frusterated, he snarled at the cobra, "I don't believe you. I don't believe anything that snakes say."

He didn't know why he was being so mean, but there was something deep in him that was twisting his mind. Don't trust a snake. Don't trust a spider. Don't trust a dog. Things like that. "Come one step closer," he growled, "and I'll rip you apart."

___________________________________________________________

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

tags: here
notes: here

Winter was hurt and confused. She didn't understand why this cat distrusted her so much. What had she ever done to lose his trust? By being a snake? What did that have to do with anything? Nobody she had met before had had this reaction.

No, wait, Azar had a similar reaction. And Shade seemed scared when I first appeared. Is everyone afraid of snakes? Are we that hated? A small pit of anger started boiling in Winter's stomach. She hissed lowely at the cat's insults, but didn't make a move to show any more aggression. She lowered herself to the ground, but didn't relax her hood.

"That's extremely rude," she hissed. "I've done nothing to harm you. I merely wanted to see what was with all the noise you were making. You don't need to be so hostile." She flicked her tail angrily as she moved herself back a little bit at the threat. She would prefer to stay in one piece.

When I speak.

When I think.

Rift stared at the snake, wanting to believe that it was telling the truth, but there was something nagging at the back of his head that told him not to. He sighed and tried to summon the plants again, but, still, they were dormant. He stopped trying and instead sat down, still glaring at the snake.

"How do I know I can trust you?" he spat, still extremely suspicious.
___________________________________________________________

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

tags: here
notes: here

Winter backed away a little bit as he sat down, confused about his change of behavior, but his demand showed that nothing had changed. She nodded, trying to think about what she could do that would earn his trust. Perhaps if she showed that she favored the greater good, that she was 'on the side' of the rest of the greater gembounds. Maybe she could show him that she was trusted elsewhere. She could find a stone for the three kings and show it to him.

That was it. "Wait here, I'll be right back." She turned and slid off into the forest. She kept her eyes peeled for any sign of colored stones and her tongue flicked constantly to help her through the darkness. However, her search was wasted, and so far, she couldn't find anything.

When I speak.

When I think.

She continued to hunt for a blue stone through the forest. It wasn't easy, considering the darkness and the cover of the undergrowth and the amount of green that was everywhere. This proved to be more a challenge then she thought and she, once again, found nothing.

When I speak.

When I think.

Frustrated, she continued to search, knowing that the cat was waiting for her. After a few more minutes of searching, she finally came across a small blue crystal. However, the thing was tiny and dirty and, angry that her search had led her to such a small prize, she ignored it.

After way too long of searching for a stone, she decided to return to Rift. Maybe there were other ways of making him believe that she was trustworthy, but to keep failing was certainly not the way. Once she made her way to the clearing, she kept her head low to show her shame. "I'm sorry, I had gone to find a stone for the Three Kings to show you that I was with the gembounds, but I couldn't find anything."

When I speak.

When I think.