Everlasting mist clung to the walls, the ceiling, the floor. Within the thick brush of the grove, it slithered and caressed every stone and creature in its path. It blew upon a chrysalis, made of hard pink zoisite. It dulled in the dim light, and yet its clear crystal revealed the tiny child within. A small ball python, no longer than the fingers of your hand, was suspended in the rock. Eyes open yet not seeing. Her coloring dull and pale, the vibrance perhaps to come in time. It was a hot minute until the cracking began. It was a sharp, crisp crackling. Invading the silent, mist covered forest. First slow, just creeping on the chrysalis like the tiny patter of ants. Then faster, like storms marching across the sky. Until it parted, breaking, falling to the ground like flowers open. The python hatchling rolled onto the marshy floor, forked tongue pressing past her lips as she was startled by this new consciousness. And as most babies do. She began to cry. A strange, hissed cry. For what kind of mother can love a snake with no heart? Sass sass sass.

They were sleeping, hanging delicately from a tree, their wings curled upon themselves. It had been merciful days, free from Crack's terror and free from too much arguing. Caliante was awake, but the others were not. So she softly let her body rock from the tree. The others liked that, she had discovered, and their sleep was peaceful.

It was a little while before Salvation gave a yawn and his consciousness blinked awake. Rusty followed soon after. Crack was, well, never asleep so they ignored whatever it was doing. It had been dormant, silent, and they'd rather not change that now.

It's my turn today, right? Salvation's voice was hopeful and excited. They had decided that they would share the body day by day, each voice getting complete control for the entire waking hours. Caliante nodded and he pushed his way to the front of the controls.

Immediately, he opened his claws and they dropped from the tree.

IDIOT. THIS IS WHY WE HATE GIVING YOU CONTROL. Rusty screamed as they fell through the air. Salvation cried out as he opened his wings, trying to break their fall, and they only slowed enough to avoid injury as they slammed into the ground.

For a moment, he lay there, stunned, trying to catch his breath, his heart racing out of control, before he heard a small sound. Forgetting the fall, he looked up from where he lay and found that he was sitting in front of a snake. A very very small snake.

Curious, he crawled forward to sniff the little thing. He wasn't really sure what to do about this. The snake was pretty cute and he noticed the shattered remains of the chrysalis. A newly hatched gembound. Maybe a smart one, like them. But he had never seen a baby gem before. He wasn't quite sure what to do.

Say hello! Let it know that you're not going to eat it!

Salvation nodded. Of course. Let it know that they weren't a threat. "Hello. I'm not going to eat you.

He heard Caliante sigh in the back of his mind and he was confused. Had he said something wrong?

Caliante
Salvation
Rusty
Crack

Speech is "Bold". Thoughts are italicized.

Tag: @Catarina
Notes:

Jaws zip to a close as suddenly, a pile of gossamer wings and fur come barreling down from above. Catarina was far too young, seconds old, to know the difference between the sky and the land. It seemed as unnatural for some to reign the sky as it was unnatural to reign the earth. Everything, in every sense, was unnatural. Even the current skin she inhabited. New, strange, and unpredictable. And as the thing came closer, the child coiled, letting out a diminutive hiss. And then it spoke, words she couldn’t quite understand. So she simply repeated. “Wooo?” The little snake tasted language on her tongue, for the very first time. Believe it or not, that was a new hip version of the word hello. Though she didn’t quite know what it meant, or what she was saying. It was the simple instinct, the way children learn by picking up the little things from adults. “Wooo. Wooo.” Catarina repeated, uncoiling slowly. Orange eyes steady and hard, as if observing a fellow competitor. She was a curious, watchful little snake. What was it? And why did it make such noise? She attempted to prod it with her snout, testing if it would make another sound. “Wooo. Wooo.” Words of encouragement, I’m guessing? Sorry. I don’t speak infant. Sass sass sass.

@Umbra

Salvation stared at the snake, completely lost. What was it trying to say? Was it repeating his voice? "Uh, what?" He tilted his head, confused, and gave the snake a worried look. Was something wrong? Did it need help? Was it born wrong? He couldn't remember his first minutes of life. None of them could. So he did not understand the helplessness of infancy or the inability to understand.

I don't think it knows how to speak, Caliante suggested, slowly.

Well, isn't that great! Let's just leave it here. It's probably not even intelligent at all, Rusty snapped, angrily. They started pulling on Salvation's consciousness, as if to drag him back, but he stayed put. If Rusty took control, the situation would only be more confusing.

When the snake came up, he didn't really know what to do, so he didn't move as it poked at him. He blinked, shocked, and barely formed any words. "Um, uh, hello. Are you okay?"

Caliante
Salvation
Rusty
Crack

Speech is "Bold". Thoughts are italicized.

Tag: @Catarina
Notes:

Catarina’s forked tongue slipped past her scaly lips, tasting the newcomer’s scent. And as it made another sound, she eagerly repeated. “Wahh. Wahh.” Apparently, she’s kinda stuck in that whole vowel stage. She wasn’t like your usual baby serpent. There was something so sharp about her. Like a hunter watching prey. Even the air seemed to still around her. Something so small, so seemingly helpless, it made chills go down your spine. Her skull cocked to the side, making her own observations as it seemed quite shocked at her touch. With her snout, she attempted to press it up against their leg. Testing the limits, the reactions. What sort of thing was she? What sort of thing was this? Perhaps she needed guidance or just some time...time to fit into this skin. “Kay. Kay.” The creature could take it however they wanted. She was unable to understand the murkiness of its head, thinking that its true problem was here. The first taste of how intimidation could feel, that lick of power. Something that would slowly creep into that stony heart. And stay forever. Catarina attempted to curl up around the creature’s leg. Wanting to seek the warmth that her cold reptile blood lacked. Orange eyes stare up at its face. Wondering. Wondering why it was warm, and why she was not. How can you exactly put that question into words? Woo woo? Sass sass sass.

@Umbra