Nestled snugly in-between two large rocks on the flora covered floors of Eridanus was a dark orangish-red clinohumite chrysalis. And inside that chrysalis was a little fossa, and an angry one at that.

Why was she angry exactly? Well, she wasn’t sure when she had realized it, but she had figured out she was stuck inside this thing, and that made her furious. She didn’t care that it had kept her safe and secure from danger for who knows how long -- it had no right to keep her trapped here without her say so! Who the heck did this thing think it was?!

She wanted, no, she demanded to free -- to escape and be forever free from this dumb place that's kept her here against her will! With all her built up rage and frustration, she used it to try and slam her body at the chrysalis’s walls.

Her little body slammed against the walls of her chrysalis, the pressure being strong enough to actually break and release her. Next thing she knew she was on the ground alongside some shards of broken chrysalis, wet and gasping for air.

@Arquia

Arquia had been traveling through the forest when she had caught sight of something that looked orangish red. It was out of place among the greenery, and immediately caught her interest. She pushed through the ferns, and eventually made her way to the chrysalis. She noted that it looked similar to her's, which had been made of amber, but it hadn't had the reddish tint to it.

The small dragon wasn't a very experienced little thing, having only been in existence for... a few days? Anyway, she knew that the chrysalis contained a gembound that was going to hatch. Why-- she should leave. She was dangerous, she shouldn't be here, witnessing the emergence of new life. What if she killed them?

But another part of her told her to stay, so stay she did, just watching to see if it would hatch. Sure enough, a few moments later she heard a thump... CRACK! As the chrysalis split open, revealing a fossa. Arquia hadn't expected this to happen, and she wasn't quite sure what to do either, so she just sat. She wasn't sure whether she should help the gembound, or run away now, not cause any more problems. The fossa was probably cold, too, like she had been. But she didn't want to get too close, for fear of what she could do.

@Ferox

She hadn't noticed the dragon at first, too busy putting her new found lungs to work by taking quick, short breaths. Some part of her told her to breathe longer and slower, and she did, soon breathing at a regular pace.

Once her breathing situation was settled her eyes moved around to study her new surroundings, that was when she finally saw the other. The sight of the stranger made her...angry. Why was she just sitting there, watching her? Why hadn’t she helped her break free? Did she trap her in that thing?

"Y-You…" the newly hatched gembound started to speak as she stood on her four limbs. "...you...tra-pped...me…? You did..." she growled slowly. She wasn't completely sure what the words coming from her mouth had meant, yet, they somehow made sense to her.

Her tiny teeth were now bared, air going in and out between them as she breathed from her mouth. Mad. She was so mad!

"Who..do you think...you, are?! Who...ARE you?!" she shouted at the other gembound, her little claws already poking out from their sheaths.

@Arquia

Arquia waited for the fossa to gather herself, eyes eventually settling on... her. Well, of course. It didn't make much sense for the gembound to not look at her, considering she was the only other living thing in the clearing at the moment.

Then she opened her mouth to speak. Being only recently hatched herself, she did not understand many of the words that were being said, but the growl coming out of the fossa was not a good thing. Arquia bared her own teeth in response, afraid to use her fangs, but-- she would not be afraid to bite in self-defence.

Words were yelled, and she understood these. "Arquia." said the dragon, loud and clear, oh, so the fossa was challenging her? She would not strike first, perhaps she was all bark and no bite, but if she did bite... Arquia would bite back. She did not want to do this. She did not want to fight. But there were somethings in this world that were pushed onto you. "You?" There was something else laced in with the question, not just an asking of the fossa's name, but also a warning. A chance for her to back down. The newly hatched gembound did not know who she was messing with. Ah, running away was an option, but she could not turn her back and do that, it would be too dangerous.

@Ferox

"Arquia…?" she repeated from the other. Arquia, the heck kind of name was that, she thought. It didn’t even sound cool or scary! And she had the audacity to say it so boldly? "Pah! Stupid name...for stupid tra-pper!" she spat an insult at the other gembound - her first one ever, and it likely wouldn't be the last.

She was a little caught off guard when Arquia asked for her name in return, ignorant of the warning the other was also giving her from the single word. Or perhaps she did notice it and just wasn't smart enough to heed it, she was newly hatched, after all. "Me? Huh..." the fossa paused for a moment.

"Ferox. I am Ferox!" she said her own name just as loud and clear as the other had before. Ferox. Yeah, that was her name. And it was a good one too, sounded cool and fierce! Unlike stupid Arquia's!

Arquia, the one who had trapped her, or so that's what she has come to believe. She growled once more at the thought of being encased in her now broken chrysalis. There was so much rage boiling inside her now; she wanted to do something, to Arquia. She wanted to scratch, and bite, and yell at her, make her suffer and regret. She wanted to fight!

"AAUGH! STUPID ARQUIA! FIGHT ME!" Ferox roared furiously. Her little legs rushed forward, she was going to try charging the dragon.

Round: 1/5
Attempt: Angry baby fossa becomes bull and charges
Defense: Naw
Injuries: None, yet.

@Arquia

Arquia flinched as the she spat out another insult, this time in response to her name. Well the fossa didn't know what her name meant, if she did it wouldn't be any scarier anyway. But there was a story behind everything. This was quite the fiery and annoying fossa. Perhaps even dangerous. Not as dangerous as her though.

Ferox was her name, huh? Fitting name. Didn't mean it sounded good though. And it definitely wasn't better than her own. Arquia was amazed that this fossa was speaking so well. She was only a few days older and she could barely speak. A growl was emitted from Ferox's throat, and she snapped into a defensive stance. With a loud challenge, the fossa started charging towards her.

Perhaps... this were a fair fight. Her wings didn't work, she was slower, and she couldn't talk. Like that last part effected things at all. But Arquia, well, she had that thing. Maybe this was all a bluff, perhaps she wouldn't have to resort to such drastic measures. She would stay on the defensive... for now. Which meant she would attempt to jump out of the way.

@Ferox

Round: 1/5
Attempt: Dodge the charge
Defense: No
Injuries: None

Ferox might have been able to stand on her own four legs and paws without too much trouble -- but actually using them to move, at such a fast and sudden pace when she was only a few minutes old and hadn't even bothered trying to walk, was another story. She hadn't gotten too far from the distance between her and Arquia before she tripped over her own paws, then she tumbled…

...and tumbled…

...past Arquia…

...right onto a bush behind her.

"Ow!" was the sound the pup made when her backside was immediately greeted by painful little pokes and prods from the pointy ends of branches upon impact with the bush. She got back on her feet soon after, jumping away from the pointy bush. "That...that not happened! O-okay?!" she yelled over towards her dragon opponent with a glare, her tone mixed with embarrassment and frustration.

She wasn't supposed to tumble into a bush. Stupid legs! She needed to get closer. So she...just needed to try charging again! Yeah, and she won't trip or tumble this time, she's sure of it! She won't look silly during her first fight. Just--try again!

@Arquia

Round: 2/5
Attempt: Charging at Arquia, again!
Defense: Naw
Injuries: Some pokes from a bush (and some slightly hurting confidence lol).

Arquia watched as the fossa started charging at her, so she jumped to the side. Unfortunately, her paw got caught on an exposed root, and she was sent sprawling on the ground. It seemed that Ferox's skill was just as bad however, and the dragon watched as she tripped too, and tumbled right into a bush. Ouch, that looked like it hurt. Her suspicions were confirmed when a loud 'Ow!' came from the fossa. Huh, they were the ones who tried to attack her first anyway.

Ferox jumped right back onto her feet though, along with a statement filled with... Arquia couldn't tell what emotions it held. She did exactly understand what the words meant either, but they had something to do with the fall into the bush. She had been lucky this time that the fossa had missed, but perhaps next time she wouldn't be so lucky. And Ferox had gotten back onto her feet frighteningly quick.

Sure enough, the small and angry? animal charged at her once again, and since she was still on the defensive, she tried dodging again. Barely getting out of the way, Arquia felt fur scrape against scales, it was a narrow miss. "S-- stop! Or... I attack!" she warned. Speaking much more words than she usually did.

@Ferox

Round: 2/5
Attempt: Dodging Ferox again
Defense: Nope
Injuries: A little bruise from tripping