The Chrysalis hadn't been there long.

One day, there had just been grass. And then, seemingly overnight, a Chrysalis had appeared. The appearance of it was odd, jagged and nonsensical. It was hard to believe that a Gemling could be inside it, as the Gem was jagged, pointing out every which way. However, if one looked closely, there was a small, solid spot at the bottom that could hold a small Gemling. The Chrysalis was brown, and grey, and in many spots it was hard to tell which.

The creature inside was small, even compared to other Gemlings of her species. But she was beginning to become aware, aware of pain. Her head her, throbbed, and she had an awful bellyache. And so, confused by the pain, she began to thrash, slamming against the sides of her Chrysalis.

Amazon was relaxing, sitting in the shade of a rock, dozing peacefully. She had been feeling strange the day before and she thought that she would take it easy now. However, the sound of scrabbling and moving and one of her eyes opened. Her nose twitched as she tried to figure out what she was hearing and then realized that the sound of vaguely familiar. She had had trouble getting out of her own chrysalis - something nearby was trying to hatch.

She awakened immediately and leaped to her feet, scurrying out from under her rock. She looked around until she caught sight of a red gem in the grasses not far away.

She ran over towards it and paused at the sight of it. It was strange, jagged, with so many points and a very strange form. How was there something living in there? Had her chrysalis looked like that? No, it didn't matter. She could see the shadow of something and it was wobbling, as if it was trying its hardest to escape.

The lizard raised herself and began to use her sharp claws to scratch at the side of the gem. "It's okay, I'll help you get out!" However hard she clawed at it, though, she barely made any headway into cracking the shell open. She tried harder, using all her force, but it just wasn't enough. She even banged her head against it a couple times, but it did nothing except give her a headache.

@Onyekachukwu

Something was outside her gem, something was trying to get her out. She slowed her thrashing, her limbs beginning to ache from slamming into the hard sides of her chrysalis. Had she woken too soon? Was her chrysalis not prepared to let her out? Was she going to die in here?

She could make out a voice on the other side, warped and rippled by the Aardwolf's Chrysalis. There was an awful scratching sound, over and over, and then a few bangs, but nothing really happened. The Aardwolf thrashed, paws thump-thump-thumping against the inside of her Chrysalis, but soon grew tired, and had to stop.

@Amazon

It kept struggling, unable to break the stone and Amazon suddenly feared that this was bad. That it would die in there or be trapped forever. But her head was hurting and her claws ached from trying to scratch open the shell. So, instead, she turned and immediately spotted a sharp rock nearby. She dove for it and snatched it up in her jaws.

She turned back to the crystal, raised herself so that she was holding it down firmly with her two front feet, and began bashing at the shell with the rock. Cracks began to appear on the jagged surface and she felt a few of the edges scratch at her face. Despite the softness of youth, however, her own jagged scales kept it from doing real harm. Instead, she continued to smash at it with the rock, with was cracking itself from the repeated damage. Eventually, the rock broke but not before she had done significant damage to the crystal. A small hole was poking out at the top which she began scrabbling at with her claws. "Hey, I almost got it! Help me!" She sliced off a few small chunks of the chrysalis, but it wouldn't be large enough for the new creature inside to get out just yet. It would need to help out as well.

@Onyekachukwu

There was a funny thudding sound, and suddenly she could see light. It was only a tiny bit, barely enough to see by, but now she knew that light existed! She'd have to thank the whatever-it-was that was creating the light. She began to kick out her paws as well, slamming them into the weak spot of the Chrysalis.

Suddenly, with a loud crack, the Chrysalis gave way, dumping out a funny looking pup. It was built at an angle, it seemed, with a garnet jutting out from its forehead. The Aardwolf dropped its jaw, cackling in an alarming way, yelping "Hello hello hello!" breathlessly.

@Amazon

Amazon stepped back as the little thing came tumbling out of its shell. She hummed happily that she had helped a tiny life come into the world but then stopped a moment later at its strange cackling and speaking patterns. Was it...okay? She leaned forward, sniffing curiously. "Hello,' she said, cautiously.

She noticed how strange it looked and was a little scared for it. It was so new and young, just like her. Would it be able to be strong? Would it be able to walk and hunt and eat? "Are you okay?" She nudged it a bit to make sure that it would be okay, her eyes sparkling with worry.

@Onyekachukwu

Onyekachukwu looked down at the funny scaly thing. It had a funny-looking glowy green thing sticking out of the back of its head! And then, to her utter glee, it said HELLO!

"Hello hello hello!" she cackled again, tail wagging behind her almost violently. She danced from paw to paw, before laughing again. She was alive, she was living, she could breathe and smell and see and hear!

"Okay?" she echoed, before cackling, "Am I okay are you okay is anyone ever okay? I'm alive you're alive we're alive so that's okay!"

@Amazon

Amazon stepped back a little, her eyes wide with fear. There was something very wrong with this gembound, even if it didn't say there was. She was getting a sinking feeling that something terrible was going to happen. She opened her mouth to speak but found herself unable to, shocked into silence.

It was then that her eyes moved towards the strange gem on her forehead. She had seen many gems with forehead gems but something about this one made her feel strange. Was there maybe something wrong with her gem as well. Just like hers and just like Envy's. What if she was making it worse by being nearby? With her gems being so dangerous?

But she wanted ot help. She wanted to make them better. The thing had only just hatched. Even if it was bigger then her, she still wanted to protect her. "H-hey, yeah! Everyone's alive! And we're going to stay like that, right?" The significance of what she had said suddenly weighed heavily upon her. She was dying. She would die one day. What about this creature? How long would they live?

@Onyekachukwu

Onye looked at the lizard as it stepped back, her oddly-shaped head tilted. What was wrong with it? "You're afraid? Why? I'm not afraid so why are you? There's nothing to fear, I won't hurt you, you or anyone else or anything else ever ever ever! Why why why would I? Not fun not fun not fun at all!" She shook her head no, of course she wouldn't hurt the little lizard thing!

Her head was beginning to hurt, and the Aardwolf shook her head, reaching up with a club-like paw to scratch at it. But she didn't care, she was alive! "Yes yes yes we're all alive! And stay that way, we will! Forever and ever, we shall!" she barked.

However, after a moment, she tilted her head. "What are you? You are hard and not fuzzy, I am soft and not hard. We are not the same, so what are you?"

@Amazon

Perhaps the creature was just strange. Perhaps it was just too full of energy. Amazon didn't know but still, something really seemed wrong. She looked at the little canine with eyes full of worry, but decided that she needed to calm down. It would be fine. Not everyone was dying.

But the discomfort in the aardwolf did not go unnoticed by her. Did it's head hurt? Was it's gem hurting it too somehow? Or did it just have a headache from hatching? She didn't know and it scared her a little bit.

"Is your head okay? You don't want to exert yourself too much on your first day. You could get sick. If you need some water we can find a stream maybe?" She shook her head. "I'm not afraid. I don't think you'll hurt me! I'm just worried about you."

At the question, she realized that she, in fact, didn't really know what she was. She was a lizard, yes, Ghanyarah had told her that, but what kind of lizard, she didn't know. "Uh...a lizard? A reptile? I don't really know. But my name is Amazon! What about you? What are you and what are you called?"

@Onyekachukwu