In a tiny alcove, sheltered away from the lights of Polaris and amongst a nest of bones that were once its own, a small orb of livid pink was nestled. But its long stasis was about to end. Small creaks were emerging from within as, bit by bit, a tiny creature began to stir into consciousness.

It strained and struggled, soon feeling something give way. on the surface, a tiny crack appeared, a tiny drop of fluid oozing down the face of the orb. and then another crack... and another. light streamed into the chrysalis, and a small, thin nose pushed its way to freedom. Then a small, pink foot followed, avian claws scratching at the pearl surface.

Another great heave, and another crack... and then one half of the orb fell away, setting a bedraggled chick, nearly bald except for grey wisps plastered against its sides, free into a slightly wider world. opening its hard-topped muzzle, it keened loudly, eyes still fixed firmly shut. Tiny wings, formerly fastened to its sides, beat frantically as pins and needles surged through its entire body. From its prison it fell forward and collapsed onto the ground, toes stretching out before it. With every movement its small, floppy ears picked up a blur of sound that was bleached bones clattering against bones.

it let out another hungry keen, struggling onto shaky and wobbly legs but soon falling down.

It didn't know what it was crying for, but it was unlikely to be heard; for the tiny newborn was completely trapped inside a dome of completely clear quartz, as though the little one was an exhibit to be marvelled at.

---

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

tags: here
notes: here

why change the past

when you could own this day

The blue jay had always adored shiny things, pretty things, and Polaris yielded a bountiful boon. The walls of the great cavern were encrusted in many beautiful gems, red ones, green ones, purple ones, and many other colors only birds were blessed with seeing. Some happened to become dislodged or chipped, sprinkling the ground like a multi-colored Orion sky, those pebbles were the treasures she had come to collect. Riffi could help but to sift through the bunch. She accepted only the best for her nest, and it was a long flight home. Riffi pecked at the gem pieces, flipping them over, inspecting them.

Too dull, too scratched, ugh chipped... oh! What's this?

She prodded at a large, blue crystal. It had a lovely hue, even more vibrant in her eyes, and could barely fit her beak. It was heavy, but this is what she came for. Elated, and fiendishly satisfied, she snatched up the gem and spread her wings to take flight, but something stopped her. A gigantic, clear quartz dome towered before her, but it wasn't the beautiful bizarre formation that could her keen eye, but what was within. It was creature of dull grey and pathetic, little wings. It was ugly. It was a lot like her younger self, and it seemed to be trapped. She hopped towards the quartz display, eyeing the dome with curiosity as she wondered how anything could get in their, or get out. Riffi (reluctantly) set down the blue gem and approached the young gembound's prison. She let loose a couple of staccato pecks on the crystal to get the creature's attention, and a few more for good measure.

"Listen to me."
Thoughts

TAG: @Kielo // OOC:

The newborn continued to let out keening, mournful wails as it sat, confused in the dark, and not truly understanding the hunger gnawing at its belly. It continued, its patchy head raised almost like a howling canine, until finally...

Tap-tap...

A sound echoed through the small space around around it, breaking through the blur of white noise and bringing its cries into momentary silence. Its droopy ears pricked, and the small one listened again, gummed-up eyes frantically twitching as though in sleep.

tap-tap-tap...

There it was again, a waking call that the young one followed. heaving itself onto thin, wobbly, and shaky legs it whimpered and stumbled, tripping over the bones of its kin until plunging headfirst into the glass. small pink paws touched, searched, and finally scrabbled against the smooth surface. At first it sat, one paw raised and scratching, and soon that keening wail began again, rising into shrill desperation with the young one rising onto trembling hind limbs to paw and scratch, ugly, downy wings beating furiously.

---

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

tags: @Riffi
notes: here

why change the past

when you could own this day

Her attention flicked to the baby pink paw scratching at the crystalline barrier. It made a muffled shrill sound that Riffi thought sounded kind of avian. The blue shook her head.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you poor thing." Her replied lacked empathy, as she was mainly talking to herself , but her pink eyes scanned the dome for any areas that could possibly be breached. She turn backed to the hatchling and pressed her claw against the quartz's side. "What monster did this to?" Not waiting for a response, she sighed and stepped back, looking at the large quartz prison some more, then spread her wings."That's cruel, even by my standards."

Riffi took off, circling the formation, and the area around it for any tools to use. But her ariel search came up short, and she glided back down to where she left her pretty, blue crystal.

Think, Riffi, think..

Her eyes caught the glinting of the gems shards she was sifting through, and they gave her an idea. She looked back at the avian hybrid, pondering her choices. It was risky, but she could use her magick. Was it unpredictable and possibly dangerous? Yes. But unless a better idea came falling from the ceiling, it was all she had the moment.

"Listen to me."
Thoughts

TAG: @Kielo // OOC:

With a faint voice barely reaching them from behind the glassy barrier, the little one clawed and scraped with renewed vigour for just a few more seconds. Soon after though, they once again sat back, feathery ears perked straight upright. As that distant, muffled voice again reached them from behind the barrier forming a prison, the little one tried a different tactic, instead pressing its head to the cold stone in an effort to hear them better, knowing that it was another creature there, and desperately craving the companionship.

It was the first words that the child had heard, and yet the child struggled to put meaning to them. A monster? What kind of monster? what had it done? With not a second of sight spared this child, they didn't even know how the stranger had figured something out; this darkened world was the norm to them.

As the voice left them behind, the young one began to pace, trying to look for another way out as it gradually came to the realization that perhaps this was not all there was. They stumbled over their parents' bones as they followed the wall around their chrysalis in a wide oval, but still found no way of escape. Whomever had made this tomb had meant it to be forever.

---

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

tags: @Riffi
notes: here

why change the past

when you could own this day

Blue jay fluttered back to the scattered crystal shards, picking up as much stones as she could carry, and flew back to the crystal dome. She laid them down and began to pile them, then she went back to go get some more. Riffi did this until the heap of glittering rainbow-colored pebbles looked roughly the same size as the trapped gembound.

She took as step back, noticeably nervous about casting this spell. Perhaps she should practice. Riffi found some comfort in that idea. She found two pebbles that looked roughly the same size. She nodded. Yes, these would do.

Riffi concentrated on the pebbles, feeling a tingling sensation bubble up within her moonstone, but nothing happened. She tried once more, this time focusing harder, and harder, but the stupid rock would not switch places.

"C'mon!" She squawked. "Now is not the time!"

"Listen to me."
Thoughts

TAG: @Kielo // OOC:

The series of flapping and squawking noise from beyond their wall brought the little being rushing back to the front, hopping and bouncing- only to collide face-first with the barrier that they remembered being slightly further away. Stepping back, they gave a chirping yap, and pawed at their hard nose with a delicate, scaly pink paw.

After a few moments, they went back to their pacing, wandering in a wide circle, cracking some more bones and finally coming to a halt back where they had started, from where they'd heard the noise and where they could feel the earth beneath them marked by their fervent pawing. Already, they were learning.

after a few long minutes the young one sat back on their haunches, small wings trembling and eyes closed. They were thinking; with the happenings of outside still unknon, was there anything they could do to get themselves out?


---

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

tags: @Riffi
notes: here

why change the past

when you could own this day

Riffi turned to the gemling, hearing their muffled chirping, and wondered just how long they have been in there. If her spell utterly failed on two pebbles, then how could she managed a large hatchling without straining herself? It would be easier to leave them there, she knows her past self would have done so, but pang of sympathy for the poor child, and frustration, nagged at her heart. Riffi found that she couldn't live with herself if she did such a thing. Had she gone soft? No, she abandoned them now, she would be no better than the Gembound who left them there.

Riffi hopped up the crystal wall and gave it a few pecks, hoping it would get their attention. "Don't worry kid," She assured. "I'm going to get you out of here."

She fluttered back to the stone pile and took a deep breath. Riffi concentrated on the gemling and his replacement, but something seemed off. She hopped around the pile eyes it, then the baby hybrid. Then, Riffi came to a realization, they weren't the same volume. She plucked the two other pebbles from the ground and placed them with the rest, but it still felt less. As Riffi scouted for more rocks, she had used every shard in the area, all except one, her perfect, blue crystal.

The blue jay sauntered over to her prize and picked it up with her claw. She studied it as her mind contemplated on her choice. This could be the key to releasing the them, but she found it hard for her talons to let go.

Damn it...

Reluctantly, she add her hard-earned treasure to the pile. She loved it, but no treasure was worth the life of an innocent gemling. Riffi concentrated on once more on the child and stone mound and unfurled her wings. This time, she felt the magick stir to life within her gem. She strained her mind, harder and harder, pushing past the rising pain, until she felt the veil tear open. A pink aura surrounded the targets, and stone pile disappeared. Riffi collapsed on the ground in a gasp, though through the fog of her throbbing headache, she could make out the image of the pile of stones, along with her blue crystal, behind the quartz wall were the gemling once was.

"Listen to me."
Thoughts

TAG: @Kielo // OOC:

The young one's eyes were still closed when they felt as though the world around them suddenly start to spin, as though in a brief earthquake. the young one gave a chirp of shock, but by the time they had done so they found that the sudden change had already finished. The little hybrid flopped down on their belly, unsure of what to think, their head turning, sightless eyes flickering and nose twitching.

Wait...

They inhaled deeply. Suddenly, their wings flared and they shot onto their feet. They felt soft moss, and their small talons sank into it. They could smell the fresh scent of growth, and hear the distant thrumming of the lights somewhere above. Somewhere below, the river gurgled satisfyingly as it went about its endless journey into the unknown.

The young one slowly and hesitantly raised a paw, almost as though they didn't believe their cage was really gone. They reached out, moving forward slowly, but they never encountered any walls. Slowly, they let their avian paw drop to the floor, ears swiveling.

They didn't know how they'd been saved or by whom, but Kielo showed their appreciation by gulping in huge, lingering breaths of air that was fresh and clean.

---

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

tags: @Riffi
notes: here

Felina was sniffing around for a light snack. Her hunting brought her to Polaris. She was enjoying all the beauty around her. The bright light and various colors were quite lovely.

The runty female bobcat picked up two scents: One was definitely a female Avian (Riffi). The other one, though, was quite strange: A Canine *and* an Avian at the same time. Felina couldn't smell the hybrid creature's gender.

Curious and wary, she approached both creatures. She did make sure there was at least two feet between herself and the two Gembounds. The creature with the mixed scent seemed to smell like it was newly hatched.

"Hello, there!", Felina said to the bird and...whatever kind of creature the other was. "My name is Felina. May I ask what your (meaning both) names are?" Her greeting was warm, friendly and kind...or at least she hoped she sounded that way.

@Kielo, @Riffi