Sizzle

Most Gembounds were used to the sight of Chrysalises. Every Gembound was born, or rather hatched, from one, so they tended to be a rather common sight. Because they often carried rather large animals, Chrysalises were often rather large. This one wasn't, though. And the colors were odd. It was about the size of an apple, with brown-orange coloring speckled with an odd dark blue-black color.


The chrysalis was shuddering, as though something inside was trying to escape. It rocked this way and that, shaking and shuddering. And then, suddenly, there was a crack in the chrysalis, and a piece broke off.


A small, thumb-sized head popped out of the small hole, large round eyes blinking owlishly. The head was odd-looking, almost cylindrical, and the same burnt-orange color of the chrysalis. Gleaming on its forehead was a tiny ruby.


The little snake's tongue flicked out, tasting the air, as she tried to figure out where she was.

"I'm speaking..."
'I'm thinking...'

Winter was resting peacefully between a couple of boulders, her body coiled and comfortable. Her breathing was even and her eyes were clouded and sightless with sleep. Until she heard a crack and color flashed into her vision. She looked up, trying to find the source of the sound. After a moment, her eyes spotted it - a strange looking chrysalis not far away. Deciding to investigate, she pushed herself out of the rock and slid across the ground.

After a moment, she paused. The head poking out was strange looking, but oddly familiar. She tried to place it, but needed to get closer. So she did, her eyes glued to the little creature. And then it came to her - she had seen her own reflection in the water before. With her hood down, her head looked very similar to this one (but different, of course). And the tongue flickering was exactly like hers.

Was this another snake? Maybe even another cobra? She had never met another of her kind before. As she approached, she realized that only it's head was out. She remembered her own hatching a cycle ago and the fear of getting stuck halfway through the shell. "Hey, do you need help?" She was worried that it was stuck - fear so early in life was horrible and she didn't want this little one to suffer as she did.

When I speak.

When I think.

@Sizzle

Sizzle

The little snake's small tongue darted out again, and again. Where was she? What was going on? Why was everything so big? Where she'd been before, the nest, had been small, small enough she could only furl around herself. But out here, everything seemed so much bigger! She could completely unfurl, and not touch the walls.


She looked around at the sound of a familiar slithering, not unlike the sound she'd made when slipping out of the chrysalis. The little snakes brown-grey eyes looked around, before locking on a big, white long thing. 'Snake,' something in her mind supplied, 'like you.'The burnt orange snake tilted her head, looking into the eyes of the other snake.


The little snake seemed to think for a moment, before pushing against her chrysalis, slithering free and onto the ground in front of the other snake. Her clear eyelids wiped clean her eyes of the liquid from inside the chrysalis, taking in the other. Help? No, she didn't need help. "Thank you, but no." she hissed. "Where are we? Who are you?"


The Bush Viper remained unaware of the fungus that bloomed under her, wherever her scales touched the ground.


"I'm speaking..."
'I'm thinking...'

Winter watched with relief as the small snake managed to slide out of her chrysalis with no problem. Thankfully, the sharp edges of the shell didn't scratch him or tear off scales, as they had done to her. She backed away a bit as they landed in front of her. "Okay, good. I'm happy to see you hatched okay."

And then her eye caught the fungus growing around her. She had sworn that she had seen this somewhere. She leaned forward, her tongue flickering, the foul stench of the fungus sticking in her mouth. She recoiled a little bit, but she wondered how it was happening. Was she purposely making them? But she took no notice. How odd.

"I'm Winter, a cobra. A snake, like you. And this is Polaris. I'm pretty sure it's the main cave. There's a big thing that makes the lights go on and there's crystals everywhere and a big river in the center. A lot of other creatures live her, like me. It's not a bad place to live, since its so big and its easy to be undisturbed. But it can get lonely." She didn't know why she started chattering about the cave, but it was like her thoughts about living in Polaris were flowing forward. She wanted this young one to understand. Life was confusing and any help, at least, in her eyes, would be most welcome.

"So who are you?" She turned to the snake, her eyes moving from its colorful scales to the fungus on the ground and back again. "Do you have a name?"

When I speak.

When I think.

@Sizzle

Sizzle

The little snake observed the larger snake curious, taking in her hood and white coloring. Did she look like that? But, no, she didn't think she did. The other seemed to scoot back some, and she tilted her head. "Could I have hatched wrong?" The other had said she was glad she had hatched okay, so did that mean something could have happened while she hatched?


The other seemed to lean forward, tongue flickering out, before recoiling. Was something wrong? Did she smell funny? But the other didn't seem to mind much, speaking again.


"Winter?" she tasted the name on her tongue. "I like that name." It rolled off her tongue well. "Polaris?" What an odd seeming name! Main cave? "Are there other caves, then?" And big thing? How could a big thing create light? "If there are a lot of creatures, how can you be lonely?"


"Me? My name is... Sizzle?" Yes, Sizzle. The name seemed to come naturally to her, although she hadn't a clue what it meant. Even as they spoke, more fungus bloomed out from under her, without her noticing.


"I'm speaking..."
'I'm thinking...'

Winter considered her question for a moment. "No, I don't think you could hatch wrong, as long as you get out, but it isn't always easy. When I hatched I got stuck on the shards of crystal and they scratched me up pretty bad." She turned to show her the faint scar running down her side from where the chrysalis had cut through her scales.

She smiled at her approval of her name. Yes, she thought the name was pretty too. She hadn't a clue what it meant, but it had come to her in her first moments of hatching and it seemed perfect. "Thanks! I like the name Sizzle too. It suits you." Why it suited her, she could not put a word onto it, but it just did. She liked the names that did that."Yeah, the tunnels are huge. I want to see all of them, but its a lot of work. I hatched here too, but I've also been to a room where stars glimmer on the ceiling, one that covered in green plants and trees, and one like a ball of mist and mud. I've heard that there's of a room of bones and a room of crashing water and I've always wanted to see them." Her eyes glimmered at the thought of exploring and seeing the new places. It was true, she wanted to see everything and she wondered if Sizzle wanted the same.

She noticed the fungus sprouting, this time right in front of her eyes. She bent down again and poked one of them with her nose. "How are you doing that? You are doing it, right?"

When I speak.

When I think.

@Sizzle

Sizzle

The little snake tilted her head, staring at Winter as she spoke. But she said she was glad she hadn't hatched wrong, so why was she saying she didn't think it was possible? This was one strange snake!


But then the large white cobra explained that she'd been scratched up by her crystal when hatching, and showed her the scar. Sizzle cringed sympathetically, before twisting to stare herself over. Her scales were so... different, from the others'. Where the other's scales were white and smooth, hers were burnt orange, yellow, and blue, and stood on end. But from what she could see, there were no scars, but it would be hard to tell.


"Thank you!" she smiled, glad the other liked her name. She didn't know what sizzle meant, but she liked it. Just like winter; she didn't know what it meant, but she liked it.


Her eyes widened at the other's description of the tunnels. A room of stars? Green plants and trees? Mist and mud? Bones and crashing water? "That sounds amazing!" she desperately wanted to see the room of bones, it sounded amazing! Something about the thought of all those bones drew her.


Her eyes widened as her fellow snake drew her attention to the fungus under her scaled, and she arched up, tilting her head to look at it. What in Polaris...? "I...I don't know. It just... happens." She frowned, focusing, before growing excited as more fungus bloomed beneath her.

"I'm speaking..."
'I'm thinking...'

Winter's was happy to see the snake's eyes widen with amazement. So they were curious too, they wanted to see it all. Winter wondered for a moment if she should go with her. No,
you were going to rest. Take a break from a while, make a nest.

But perhaps they would meet sometime. The caves didn't go on forever after all. She smiled and nodded. "I know. What I've seen so far is amazing."

She looked back down at the fungus. "That's kind of cool. I've never heard of that before, a gembound unconsciously using magic. Or maybe the fungus just likes you. It could probably turn out very useful!"

When I speak.

When I think.

@Sizzle

Sizzle

The snake returned Winter's smile, inclining her head. "I can't wait to see it, then." And she couldn't! It sounded amazing, and she wanted to see everything. Even the most minute of things! She wanted to see all of the Gembound, no matter how big, how small, how fluffy or smooth.


Sizzle observed her fungus, finding it fascinating. She made this? She made this? "How could this be useful?" she couldn't imagine it.

"I'm speaking..."
'I'm thinking...'

Winter looked at the mushroom for a moment. Hadn't she seen glowing mushrooms around? When the cave lights had been out? Well, she had actually seen them in the light, too they were just harder to spot. But there was definitely someone around lighting up the cave with glowing mushrooms. "Well, for one, if the cave lights go out, you could make glowing mushrooms to see! Maybe if a friend is in trouble, you can grow edible mushrooms or mushrooms with healing properties to help them. Or maybe..." she paused. She wasn't sure if she wanted to put the idea into their head at such a young age. But, then again, they should explore every part of their gift. "If you're in trouble, you might find an offensive use as well."

She didn't know what kind of offensive spells were related to fungus. She didn't find them too threatening, except if they were ingested. And she wasn't sure Sizzle was going to be stuffing them down anyone's throats. That wouldn't be too easy, nor would it be wise.

When I speak.

When I think.

@Sizzle