The past cycle had been spent rather ravenously. At every opportunity it received, Phlegethon had eaten some unsuspecting creature — Greater or Lesser, it hadn't been quite aware yet. It's thoughts were occupied only with hunting and feeding, consuming as much as possible until it was nearly ready to burst. Each day, it would eat until it could not anymore. Within a few days, the loop would begin anew. Because of this, Phlegethon had a little over tripled in size, already nine feet long compared to its hatching size of only one or so feet.

Its patch of the swamp now ran black with its slime and was, as Phlegethon had discovered, incredibly flammable; very effective for killing prey it didn't reach in time.

Of course, it didn't hunger quite as much. It could now go about a week without feeding, without frantic hunting and snapping at everything that moved. Rather eagerly, Phlegethon took this time to explore its own mind and to practice more skillful maneuvers. Every once in a while, it would come to land and chat up some miscellaneous talking Gembound or perhaps scout out better marshes to lie in. Today was one of those days.

Slowly, carefully, the monstrosity drew itself from the muck and mire, slime eagerly coagulating into bubbles about its arms without the weight of water on them. With a curious rumble, Phlegethon found all four limbs on solid ground and craned its swan neck high above the reeds. Vibrating, it called out, "hello?"

@Nox

Nox moved through the bog, the aftertaste of evergreen lingering on the inside of her mouth and throat. She had stripped a grove of trees down to their trunks, and now, barely satiated, had left to find more. She waded chest-deep in mud, murky water passing around her, and barely did it hold her down.

Although she had tried all she could to care for Dragon's spawn, bringing it food and lingering near the carrion pile where it often fed, Nox had not seen anything of the other two slime-children that she had seen prior to finding that one. She had not wondered, for the most part, what had become of them. But a part of her ached to find them, as she remembered the feeling of familiarity, the feeling off finally seeing something that was, in a way, like her.

She did not dwell on it.

The draconian being's mind was, as always, fixated on present matters, which were as follows; find food. So she kept on moving. Deep, throaty rumbles reverberated from deep within her chest, and trembled through the bog all around her. And the marsh was, quite strangely, changing. Nox noticed its waters going from brown to a thick black. The scent of ash clung to her nostrils. Her rumble deepened to a thick, worried growl, and, she snorted as she drew in the scent, blowing tendrils of slime.

Then, there was a voice.

Her growl once again separating into a throaty throbbing, Nox pressed on with only a sliver of fear, lowering her head, and slowly hauling herself onto the bank. She followed dry land, shedding water and sediment as she went. She peered out, a looming shape in the mist- a glistening red eye, taking in all she could.

She saw a pitch-black shape. Slowly, she took form, her swan neck arching back, her chin resting upon her chest, eye staring. "Hello," she answered their call, her voice a low gurgle.

@Phlegethon

It noticed the vibrations, first; a tell-tale sign of another. Quietly, carefully, Phlegethon tensed, head lowering a little. The pattern of stepping, breathing, sniffing was deeply familiar, and immediately it realized what was coming this way: the big creature from its emergence. In the distance, a single gleaming red eye yawned into being. To the unsuspecting, the eye would seem like an eldritch monstrosity bent on consumption of souls or the world — or something — yet Phlegethon immediately recognized it as familiar and… rather homely. In the past cycle, it had seen itself, inspected itself. Inspected the slime that came from it unwittingly and the glistening eye in its throat. Phlegethon knew what it looked like, and something similar loomed in the distance.

And it called, gurgling. The swamp-beast could only answer with another reverberating "hello," before beginning to scuttle forth, neck fully extended to better see the approaching figure.

The mists gave way, and Phlegethon could now see the draconian beast in all her glory. It stared for a moment, unmoving, before lowering its head to peer up suspiciously towards Nox. Without a single movement of its mouth, it intoned, "I remember you." This beast didn't seem quite so large, now, so it did not feel quite as much fear as it did with their initial encounter with one another..

@Nox

As the other strange creature scuttled forward, Nox quickly followed suit- she moved closer, lowering her head down towards it for a closer look, curiosity setting her skin to move in a curious scaled texture. The other swamp-creature's gurgling voice mirrored her own, and looking closer, she noticed the purple glint in her red-tinted vision- the familiar glint of the singing jewel she'd found in the swamp where she'd first met this young beast.

"You came from me," she rumbled softly, as though in realization. "I held your ssssstone inside. That'ssss why you're like me."

It was a simple statement of fact. Her voice was level, and yet her skin squirmed as though in distress, shock leaking into her texture. She was silent for a time, she kept on looking- her eye met the other's inner eye- so similar to her own. Although she hadn't thought much of the other creature, the small one- the image of its single-eyed face suddenly rose in her mind. Slicked back and slimy feathers. The crowing voice. Could it be...? Could Hikari's hallowed caller have returned to life?

She blew out a few droplets of slime and returned her attention to the slimy hybrid before her.

"You dissssappeared."

"speech."

@Phlegethon

Like its apparent family, the strange creature's skin shifted and churned unwittingly into a scaled texture. Phlegethon's slime managed to become more viscous, less willing to slip into the swamp like oil in water. Indeed, in the back of the draconian beast's throat was a red eye like its. Tilting its head side to side, the hybrid carefully inspected every detail of its life-giver. "You gave me life," it stated with a wavering voice formed of vibrations and slime.

Phlegethon recoiled slightly as a few droplets of slime came at it, rearing back like the larger creature had spat poison at it. With a rather hostile, warning sound akin to vwoononononooomp! its neck immediately retreated into its base, preparing to scuttle backwards into the depths of the mire. A few moments passed with no further threat, however, and all defensive posture vanished. Still wary, it kept its head low. "I did not disappear. I have lived in the swamp. Eating, growing, becoming stronger so that I may eat the one with long limbs. It is a threat." Of course, it met Hunger. Then, in a quick addition: "I am Phlegethon."

@Nox

Nox offered a long, slow nod. She didn't know how she had given the singing stone life, but she had- and here, before her, was the indisputable proof. As though looking in a mirror, she flinched back in turn at the child's warning sound, her neck contracting as though elastic, and jaws snapping shut. A deep, rumbling sound took shape deep within her breast.

As the other relaxed, Nox parted her jaws- checked either side, looked it over. Then she, too, once again extended her neck and came forward. She listened to its words, but her skin crawled, with concern, and with confusion, at its statement. "...A... Threat?" she gurgled, as though she did not undertand. And then she shook her head. "Won't let you hurt the one with long limbsssss."

Her rumble deepened, and there was a firmness, an ominous reverberation in her tone. "I gave it life, too." Her meaning was clear: Phlegethon would hurt none of her children, as strange as they were. She knew the aggression well. The anger and pain that came with misunderstanding. If she could help it, these young ones would not have to feel it too.

Then her tone calmed. She closed her jaws and dipped her head. "Nox."


"speech."

@Phlegethon

The bigger creature could retract its neck, too, it seemed. Fitting, perhaps. Phlegethon wondered if the long-limbed one could do such a thing as well. It certainly helped in being an efficient hunter --- the snapping turtle-esque action was perfect for dragging unsuspecting prey into the muck and mire, drowning it and swallowing it whole.

"A threat," it repeated gravely with a nod of its head. A warning cry began to reverberate from its slime, vwoomomomomoomping some more as it called upon magic from the center of its forehead. Smoke, thick and dark, began to rise from its body, black like the muck it had inhabited for so long. Defiantly, it called, "I will. It is a threat. It eats my food." Even as it threatened its own live-giver, Phlegethon began to shift backwards, moving deeper into the reeds and causing the waters to ripple imperceptibly. "It hunts and it eats. It will eat me when it can. It hungers. I hunger." Then, with a quiet note of curiosity and fear: "you hunger?"

@Nox

Nox felt a rumble growing in her chest. She snorted at the smell of smoke, a sharp sound almost like a sneeze. She rose up, her skin writhing with a sharp jolt of fear. "No," she repeated, voice deep and wavering. "We all feed here. We all must hunt, and we all must eat. You will not hurt it."

She relaxed slightly, though, as the young one appeared afraid of what the long-limbed one would do to it. "I will make sssssure it doesn't. We will all live here. In peace. Me, you, long legssss, and the sssmall one. We are all the sssssame. Family." Her voice was slow, but hard. For the first time, she was filled with a throbbing feeling of determination, growing. For the first time, there were creatures in the swamp like her, and she wouldn't see them fight. Her skin smoothed, settling into goosebumps.

She dipped her head at his question. "I hunger. But not for you."


"speech."

@Phlegethon

Nox feared fire. Phlegethon made a note of it, continually allowing the slime upon its flesh to smolder and smoke. The monstrosity did not respond for a moment, staring intensely and rather blankly towards the draconian beast. It would wait, then, until the larger one was away, not aware. Not knowing. It would devour the long-limbed one deep within the muck and mire, unseen. Stealth would be key, here, as it always was; these slime beasts were not built for endurance hunting, it seemed.

"And in your absence?" It challenged with a warbling growl, mouth opening again to reveal its glistening red eye. But, it was met with an unfamiliar word: "family?" Where was the small one? Phlegethon wanted to eat that one, too, before it stole its food as well. It paid no mind to Nox's nearly motherly tone, no feelings of warmth and obedience sparked within it. Instead, it said matter-of-factly, "you are too big to eat. I do not hunger for you. Do not touch me. I will burn you like trees."

Well... that was good?

@Nox

"Absssssence?" Nox burbled. There was a long pause, her skin rippling and shifting as she thought. Tendrils of goop pooled on the marshy ground at her feet. "I will make ssssure all know, even in my abssssence. It will remember. You will remember."

She hissed softly as her own child threatened to set her alight, her neck coiling back, jaws parted, like a cobra preparing to strike. A deep rumble trembled from her chest and across her gelatinous skin, her texture writhing like maggots. "Burn me, and you will burn too," she rumbled. It was not a threat; only fact. She could see, even through bejeweled, red-tinted vision that the water here ran black. Fire would be disastrous.

"Burn the treesssss, and you will desssstroy everything. Including you."

@Phlegethon