She'd kept an eye on them, this last cycle: the three stones, neatly pressed against the western wall along her densite, half-hidden in the foliage. She'd checked on them, noted their slightly varied sizes--one much larger than the other two--and wondered what might come of them.

The hyena's presence had been constant the last week, with Giggle only leaving to hunt and eat--and even then only after Omen had spotted prey. Other than that she'd watched, fidgeting with rising nervousness and excitement.

Who--and what--would emerge? What would they be like; what would they become?

Of her prior children she had created, one had been a strange but endearing alien creature, another a half-mystic little rodent hybrid, the third a considered and thoughtful antelope cross. Aure, of course, had been the product of the old Bone King and her close friend--his reincarnation, as it were. These three?

Complete unknowns.

She'd paced near them, checked on them with worry, and kept watch as they grew: now she slept by the edge of the small and stagnant pond just beside them. Thick, dry foliage overgrew it, providing a hiding and sleeping place; fungus grew in her garden on shelves of soil and rotten wood in the wall just behind them. It was a strange place to hatch, but one that she hoped they would call home.

Omen dipped a beak into the water, drinking; Giggle remained asleep, oblivious for now.

rain stock: D Sharon Pruitt wiki commons; hyena Benjamin Hollis on flickr

@Chitin @Enoki @Bayo

The small pup wiggled and thrashed as he had been for the last ten minutes, though he'd gained no ground and only ended up upside-down in his chrysalis. He wiggled some more and finally managed to shove a paw through the outer wall. He began to chip away at it, making the hole bigger and bigger until he finally fell out, tumbling onto the ground in a heap of wet fur.

Snuffling and coughing weakly, the pup lifted his head, shaking like a leaf as the cold air suddenly hit him, his soaked fur not helping at all.

Golden eyes blinked open and the small creature huddled down further, his ears down before he started to whine in distress. He flopped forward, his teeny tiny little tail wagging as he wiggled towards the shape he could just barely see above the grass, craning his head as far as it would go. He crawled on his belly, something there dragging in the dirt and slowing him down, his legs too new to support him just yet. Once he was dry and warm he'd probably try, but for now he'd head towards the weird, musky scent just up ahead.

A wet nose bumped into Giggle's side, and he yapped loudly, his tail wagging a mile a minute as he struggled to get his feet under him, though his legs didn't seem to want to help and he ended up flopping over instead. He lolled his tongue out and peered at the hyena, belly-up with his little tail going like it was attached to a motor. He was just so... happy!

The vividly colored pink chrysalis held inside it a heavy little baby who was not in a mood to be leaving it. They were swaddled up warmly in their stone, hugging themselves tightly, and they were... comfortable, to say the least. Unfortunately, the magic of their stone was telling them otherwise, and the chrysalis was starting to crack anyway where they shifted against it. The hybrid made an upset little grumble and tried to turn away from the noise to get comfortable again, but no matter how they shifted this way and that, it just made it worse until they were not only cramped, but also covered in spiderwebbing spinel.

With a final grunt and a desire to be free, they kicked out at their prison and tumbled out onto the ground. They started to lick furiously at their wet fur to clear it of fluid, and after a few moments of this noticed that there were other bodies nearby. Specifically, a big and spotted one with a perpetual grin and a stone on her forehead. Mama, they decided, and instinct drew them closer -- almost entirely ignoring their brother -- and to grab onto Giggle and hug her tightly (assuming she didn't wake up and move away).

They were, unfortunately, rather cold, and the liquid wasn't helping.

This one seemed to be a little late; a little bit behind their siblings. The last of the little siblings, curled up within a forest-green shell.

But, it, too, seems to be preparing to hatch—the smallest of cracks dances across the gemstone, quickly followed by another, then another. Slowly, then all at once; the front face of the chrysalis bows outwards, pressed forwards by the weight of a sleeping child.

Crack!

It's sudden, but expected; finally, the gemstone gives, scattering rough pebbles of shining aventurine across the garden. One piece even manages to scatter and skip into the water besides their mother with a 'plop!'

And so the last of the siblings awakens, blinking the sleep away from their one good eye. The other sparkles in the light, just slightly—their stone occupying it entirely. That single working eye widens, taking their world in; the overgrown foliage, the two other siblings already coming closer to their sleeping mother to rouse her.

With something starry in their expression, they take their very first step, already planning to join their siblings...

...a plan that is interrupted by a tickle in their nose. An itch, a—

Achoo!

—sneeze.

It's a soft sound, barely noticeable, but the sudden movement causes their gemstone to flare with instinctual energy, glowing vivid green.

They don't think much of it, so new to the world and focused on other things, like their mama in front of them, but as they continue their walk over to her on clumsy legs, a trail of cream-colored, flat-capped mushrooms sprout from the sediment in their wake.

@Giggle

Let it be said that the once-Bone Queen, current bonecaster and reader of the Bonebound, had been through a lot. Fights and blood, void and violence, betrayal and damned cats. At the best of times she was gruff, brash and blunt, though there was always a warm depth to her.

But when any mother awakens to her children, newly-hatched, crawling to her--recognizing her as Mom--clinging to her and snuggling, there is but one thought on said mother's mind.

BABIES!!!

Giggle woke with a start, dark eyes snapping wide; Omen was already hopping close to the first-hatched pup to gently preen (cautiously affectionate) at its fur. Surprise burst through her in a rush, and then joy.

"You--you're awake!" she managed, excited tone tamped down by forced softness (she didn't want to frighten them). Her eyes quickly ranged over them as she came fully awake.

The first was a puppy and she loved him already, upside-down and wagging tail, no sign of cat in him (thank the bones) but clearly full of love. She buried her face against him for a moment, offering all her own snuggling tail-wagging happiness in full approval of his entire existence. "Hello, little one. Welcome to the world--I love you," she told him, softly.

The second was clinging to her, and it took her a moment to notice it: it was clearly an alien, like Vinea was (had been, but let's not delve-). It held strange shapes and pretty colors--they all did, she noticed: they all had her spots!--and it seemed to be affectionate, as well. She offered this one her face next, burying it in fur, giving it the same sort of greeting. "And you," she cooed, all syrupy warmth, all of it genuine, eyes soft with love and joy. "I love you. Hello," she greeted, warmly, offering a slow blink akin to a hyena's smile.

It might've been the cracking of gemstone that had gradually woken her--or it might've been this third one's sneeze. It was toddling toward her on a carpet of creamy fungus, and she half-rose--careful not to dislodge Enoki--and offered it sniffing nose and nuzzling black muzzle. "And hello... I love you," she assured this one, and then curled down as if to invite the deer hybrid to join the other three in a cuddle pile.

Giggle's face went from one to the other, her tail beating the ground softly, excitement driving her between each of them, unable to pick a one (and how could she-?!).

It was a strange reminder of her first children: an echo, almost, of that litter. Enoki to Vinea, alien and strange but beautiful; Bayo to Skeena, skinny and affectionate; Chitin to Serek, a hoofed prey-hybrid with already-flourishing magic. Of course, she didn't know their names yet--but did they? Ahh--introductions! How had she forgotten?! (She could be forgiven, she thought, in the excitement and flood of warmth!)

"I'm Giggle. I'm your mom, your momma--your mother," she told them softly, touching each of them in turn with a warm, wet nose. Let them pick what they wanted to call her; any of the names, the titles, suited her just fine. "I'll take care of you. Stay close to me and I'll protect you, and teach you. Welcome to the world and I love you all," she repeated warmly, that 'smile' threatening to arc her eyes upward in inverted U's right off her face. "Do you know your own names, yet?" she asked them gently: a good first question.

It was time to get to know one another.

rain stock: D Sharon Pruitt wiki commons; hyena Benjamin Hollis on flickr

(loose posting order I guess, b/c there's a bunch of us, for now?)

@Chitin @Enoki @Bayo

Bayo's little tail wagged so hard he couldn't stand, their tongue lolling out as his mother- his momma!! As his momma pressed her snout against him. He lapped all over her face in a mess of puppy affection, his paws flailing awkwardly as he struggled to stand, yapping as Giggle moved away.

He noticed others, all spotted like himself, and stumbled to his feet, half-wiggling and half-walking over, occasionally stumbling and falling. He dove into the cuddle pile forming and booped and licked each of his siblings with the same boundless enthusiasm he showed his mother, yapping and sneezing, so excited his head kept swiveling from sibling to sibling to mother, and all over again.

A distinctly hyena giggle left his mouth, high-pitched and cackle-like, and to Giggle, his distinct laugh forever and always, and he was barely able to focus on Giggle long enough to know she was speaking. He made a few excited panting breaths and let out a baying howl, a small little, 'awooo!!' to tell the world he was here!

Bayo slapped his paws on the ground and cackled, hobbling around unsteadily on new legs, trying to find the perfect spot to snuggle into, his little tail going, thwap thwap thwaping against Giggle accidentally. He finally crawled nearer to her chest and nuzzled into her fur, seeking warmth and affection, burying himself under her coarse fur.

He looked up from under her pelt and grinned, tail wiggling under her fur as he cackled again, shaking his head and letting out another little howl, this time just a bit more like a name, "Baaaa-yoooo!!!"

He crawled back out, forgoing warmth for exploration, seeking to inspect and to give affection to every creature he could find, and currently the closest seemed to be his mother, so he attacked her with licks and teeny little whines, wanting attention and affection of his own. Definitely a mama's boy.

Enoki's tiny hands hugged Giggle's head as she buried it into their fur, making a raspy sort of noise that sounded sort of like love in response, though could have just as well been mere vocalizations rather than words. They liked those words, though. Love you. Enoki didn't understand words too well yet, but they understood those ones. They shifted onto her back as her attention was drawn elsewhere, draping over it like... well, a baby koala. Grip instincts were strong, and they might have been pulling Giggle's fur, if it happened to be sensitive to having little hands grabbing it.

The hyena reiterated the part about Mama, and Enoki looked out with wide eyes at the other two siblings. A happy, excited puppy wagging his tail and tripping over his paws to snuggle up to her, and Enoki could definitely understand that urge. Cuddles were essential for life, they decided. Without them, they certainly would have withered into nothing. They mimicked the laughing sound he made, albeit to less effect, sounding a bit more like they were squealing.

Their eyes shifted then to the one making magic, making mushrooms spring up behind them, and Enoki's eyes blinked widely before they finally said, "Enooooki!" That felt like a nice name -- good enough for the baby, anyway.


@chitin

And just like that, they learn their first word.

Mother.

Mom, mamma—Giggle, the first name of many they'll ever learn, although of course the personal significance of this is rather dampened by childish priorities. Namely: warmth, love, and affection—

—of which their furry, fluffy hyena mother provides in spades.

A warm, wet nose bumps into their fur, and they respond in kind with a nose-bump of their own, making a sound somewhat between a snort and a chuff as the little one presses into her, coming closer. Closer, closer, their fur pressing against that of their mother's and that of their two other siblings, until they're finally satisfied and they flop to the stone, belly-first.

How do they feel right now?

They feel loved, and safe, and contented, head lolling to rest against their mother's side, and—as their siblings introduce themselves, with the howls of their names, they commit them to memory, and find themselves loving them, too, with the same kind of newborn instinct.

"Mo…" The beginning of their first word is soft, hesitant; unlike the others', this one comes slowly, surely, like a stream of water trickling in.

Learning to speak, to repeat, is a challenge all its own, and they seem to get stuck on the syllable, for a little bit. "Mo—moooth…"

Their tongue pokes out of their muzzle, and their face screws up in focused thought. "...mo… ther."

And their efforts seem to pay off, for their tail twitches and flicks with a brief burst of excitement, and they repeat to her—"Mother! Mommy!"

Their name, next—an instinctive thing, this, and the meaning would be quite fitting for their element if they even knew what it meant, but for now all they know is that it's a whole lot harder to pronounce for a learning mind than the soft sibilants of "mommy", and they repeat this under their breath with determined focus once more, the name seeming quite reluctant to come from their lips.

But, eventually, it does. "Chit… Chitin."

Name given, other names learned, their attention quickly turns to their fellow siblings. First, to Enoki, crawling over their mother's back—they give them a nudge in the side with their nose, just like momma did to them, and murmur their name back to them. "Enoki."

And then, to their more energetic sibling—they find their haunches raising and tail wagging in response to their brother's excitement, and without hesitation they move forwards and give him a solid lick, just like he's doing with their mother. "Bayo!"

@Giggle

The hyena lay listening, warm and content, her rounded ears swept forward as she listened to--and snuggled with--each of her children in turn.

The first half-howled, and she wasn't sure if it was a name or not but she chuckled good-naturedly nonetheles sand decided to use it; it could always choose another later, if it wished. "Bayo," she greeted; and then, nudging the koala-babe, "a good name. So is Enoki."

And when the third managed to scrape out 'mother,' she offered a happy hyena expression not unlike a smile. "Mother--very good! And Chitin is a good name, too," she told this one. A second thought ran eyes over Bayo--definitely a meat-eater, she thought. But the other two? She studied them briefly, already planning for their well-being. She wasn't sure if they'd all--by virtue of being her children--be able to eat meat. But the second creature was unlike anything she'd ever seen and the third looked distinctly prey-like. If they need plants, we'll have to move, she realized, and with a sudden jolt her mind ran over the Bonebound members. It just wasn't something she'd thought of, before, but were all of them carnivores-? How strange.

Omen ruffled feathers close by, and Giggle nodded to her. "This is Omen. She will help take care of you. And we have a family--a big family! The Bonebound." Each word was said slowly, warmly--she didn't want to overwhelm them too fast. "We can meet them when you're ready."

When they wanted to, she'd take them to see the others; announce their presence to Aure and the rest. While her son had been told she was bringing life to new bones, she imagined it'd be mostly unknown to the others--and Giggle had an inkling that many of the Bonebound would be happy to meet these new kids.

"And when you're ready I can teach you all about magic... and feeding yourselves," Giggle went on, as an afterthought. Meat or plant, she'd have to find out.

In the meantime, though--until they were ready--she imagined they'd want to cuddle, to play; to explore their new environment. And she'd be right here with them every step of the way, supporting them.

rain stock: D Sharon Pruitt wiki commons; hyena Benjamin Hollis on flickr

@Enoki @Bayo @Chitin

Bayo was utterly delighted when he received a big (albeit wet) kiss from Chitin, giggling happily as he licked them back, tail beating the ground as he jumped up, immediately wanting to play despite his wobbly legs. He batted Chitin with a paw and immediately bounded away, his paws flopping about as he ran, still as uncoordinated as a newborn fawn, almost running completely sideways.

The moment he went into the grass he froze, losing sight of Giggle, too young to understand that she was still feet away, the grass just hiding her. He slowly backed out of the grass, emerging butt-first, tail down, but the moment he spotted Giggle and his siblings, it was back up and wagging. He yapped out a greeting and flip-flopped over, flopping up against his mother's side to try and lick Enoki instead, propping his front paws on her side to lick at their face.

Shaking his head again, he sniffed at the ground next to Giggle and started to dig, not really looking for anything, but the gem on their belly prevented him from laying down like he wanted to, so there was only one solution. Dig a hole!! And it was best hole, the greatest hole, that this world had ever seen!!

"... Oooo! Mmmmmm... mmmama!!", he bayed, trying to repeat the name of the familiar and ending up with the word for his mother instead, which, of course, was an achievement as well.

Bayo flopped down with his belly above his hole, gem no longer uncomfortably poking into the ground. He flopped his head down and licked his lip, snuggling up against Giggle's warm fur. His siblings' names were mumbled to himself, as if trying to memorize them, and he finally yawned, scratching at one of his floppy ears before laying down to rest, having managed to tucker himself out, at least for now.