Hatching was supposed to be a meaningful experience to most, wasn't it? Not for Mojag. His escape from the pink prison that was his chrysalis was as anticlimactic as it comes. Beak chipped at the walls of the rhodochrosite womb for what seemed to be an eternity. It was a rhythmic and catchy beat he tapped out, anyone passing would be interested to hear the music of a not yet born gembound. He wanted out, done with this cramped up room of muffled noises and sights. There was things to be done and viewed… marveled over. Finally his ceaseless tapping cracked through the thin spot in the wall. The fissure popped: webbing out like branches on a tree from the impact of his beak. One more quick stab and half of the chrysalis was shattered.

The hatchlings eyes adjusted painfully to the bright and active world around the dirt mound where his chrysalis had been perched in center of. "Brahh??" he quacked out, confused by the noise that came so naturally from his throat. Opening beak up and raising his head up to the ceiling, "AAAAH?? GRAAA BRAA KAA?" Random nonsense flooded the air. Gemless birds fluttered by to stop and stare at the annoying thing that was birthed into their forest. Mojag tilted his blue eye up to return an expectant gaze, weren't they going to greet him now? Isn't that how it worked? After all that work he put in just to get out of the clustered womb to chill with the outside birds… He waited… and waited.

Since her violent encounter with the pale dragon, Delphine had remained within Eridanus to rest and heal from her wounds. It was a slow process, hindered furthermore by her immobility, boredom and isolation. The first few days to a week had been spent practicing her linguistic skills and magic. Nothing that would expend her energy more than necessary and even more so, a sure-fire guarantee of absolute boredom. Then she forced herself to walk again, ignoring the wretched stretch of newly-healed, sensitive flesh along her spine and shoulders. It was tedious and frustrating. A cruel act on Time and Fate's part in toying with a child's patience and sense of perseverance but alas, the young filly was born with a stubborn streak and she forced herself through her adversities. By the second week, she'd explored nearly all nooks and crannies that Eridanus had to offer and inadvertently expunged any form of entertainment she could have derived from the place.

Post-Roll Edit:
So it came as no surprise that when she woke this day, she was faced with the sobering knowledge that there was nothing left for her to do. Except, today was different. She could feel it in the air; a barely present but electrifying energy that coursed through the emerald sentries and reverberated within the ground. All at once, Delphine was plunged into a world of magic, where what she saw was not the corporeal forms of life but the very energy that flowed through them. Within this kaleidoscopic world, there lay a rhythmic beat that fluttered stronger than the rest, something she herself had never been met with yet she knew. She knew it to be the birthing of a new life and therein, her own heart shuddered with anticipation.

Without a second thought, Delphine stood and carefully made her way through the underbrush. Following the still rhythmic beating, it'd taken her a moment to realize that the nearly melodious tune was not a sound resonated from her heart but from the source of the new Gembound. Her steps quickened and her heart raced ever the more until she broke through a bush and there, lain upon the ground was the source of energy that had brought the jungle to life.

It squawked and the young filly froze. How small and dainty the avian creature was, smaller even then Adeyemi and the owl had been. Slowly, Delphine lowered her head to the ground, her ears flattened along her crown. She nickered, low and soft, to announce her arrival before words sought passage through hesitant lips, "Hello. I-I am Delphine." She took a step forward, stopping only when there was but a few feet of distance between them. "Welcome to Eridanus."

Mojag ruffled his soft, juvenile feathers as he waited for response. A little dot of fluff sitting on top of a cracked open pink shell. The outside world was chillier than anything he had imagined. Too blissful to expect much of a difference besides, well, having copious amounts of friends to adore him. Blowing his feathers out in this way seemed to help insulate his body heat, giving him some relief to the climate shock. Peeping every now and then, his heart sank when the birds above in the branches lost interest one by one and disappeared into the dark forest canopy.

So lost in the abandonment that was happening, the kookaburra didn't notice an approaching shadow revealing itself from the maze of trees. He screeched in alarm when the mare spoke to him, despite the words being gentle and welcoming. Bobbing around in circles for a panicked second, Mojag ran to each wall of his shell and bounced back when his pointy beak made contact. Eventually he squatted low down to the bottom of the bowl and peer up in terror at the larger beast with a wide orange eye. Shivers went through his body involuntarily, even after he calmed down enough to realize she wasn't going to hurt him (yet).

Words! She had said words. Mojag somehow was able to understand the language, but was he capable of replicating? "What's up?" he said cooly in his small voice. "Del...pheeeeen. Mojag?" He offered with a slight shrug of lifted wings.

@Delphine

Athena Ignis
The hottest fire makes the hardest steel.

Walking away from the fiery pit that was Polaris proved to be a good idea. The heat lessened the further Athena went into the tunnel and was replaced by cold when she walked through another opening of the tunnel, finding herself in Eridanus.

The Alaskan Malamute took a deep breath in and grinned, flashing her sharp baby teeth at the trees. "Good smell." Athena barked, grinning. Her tiny legs trudged over the dirt, following some faint noises. "Who?" She called, walking as fast as her young legs might allow her without stumbling.

The clearance she came too was bordered by high trees much much taller than Athena could ever hope to grow. Two creatures were already present in the clearing - one with wings; a really tiny one & a larger one with long legs and green horns - and the Alaskan Malamute smiled at both of them. "Me Athena." She said, voice full of confidence; tail wagging.


"Listen to me."

The last thing Delphine had expected was the utter terror that ripped from the small Gembound's body and not soon after, a nearly theatrical attempt to escape within the small confines of his pink shell. Inherently she knew that she should have felt some modicum of guilt for scaring the poor creature but as he bumped along the walls of his carapace, a small but sured smile curled fondly along her lips. It was a miracle that she hadn't laughed until he spoke and all at once, hot air gushed from Delphine in a strange concoction of an exhale and hilarity. "Hello Mojag." She stopped to appraise his gem, a half-beak that seemed most befitting the avian creature.

She thought of Adeyemi and perhaps for that reason, she warmed instantly to the young bird before her. "Do you ne-" A shuffle rustled from the underbrush and Delphine stopped, caught between rushing forward in defense of the newborn Gembound and not trying to scare the poor thing anymore than she already had. Her deliberations, though, seemed entirely unnecessary when a four-legged creature, not unlike Magdalena shuffled in confidently and amiably. What felled Delphine was that it was not simply another Gembound but most certainly, another newborn. She saw it in the ways of her speech and the slight jilt to her strides. Her heart fluttered and her countenance softened immediately to welcome the dog. "Hello Athena, I am Delphine." She nodded her head to the tiny chick, "And this is Mojag. Where did you come from?"

( @Mojag )

Mojag tittered to himself when Delphine said his name, he very much liked the word that was meant for him. A title that was all his. It could be said and everyone would know who it meant. The little bird bounced up and down on his petite sandy colored legs, unable to contain the excitement that was overwhelming him. The dark mare was saying something else before she cut off mid sentence, to which Mojag didn't know why at first. Then a wobbly looking canine came forth. He cocked his head to the side at the arrival of the new furry beast. They both seemed nice enough, but he was still disappointed no birds had come down to greet him. After all that effort!

He listened contently to the two interacting, soaking in the proper ways of introductions. Mojag wasn't sure how it was done correctly.

@Athena
[lol, sorry, I got half way through and gave up... shit post is shit.]

Athena Ignis
The hottest fire makes the hardest steel.

The larger Gembound eyed her and Athena returned the curiosity, blue orbs resting on the black-coated animal. This one was way more interesting anyway, because the other one didn't even talk to her or anything. Rude! Athena shot it a momentary glace to see that it was watching both Delphine and her. Even in thought the name was hard to pronounce and for now she didn't dare speak it. "Hello." She mimicked, smiling at the horse.

Where had she come from? Athena turned around and looked at the path the'd taken. Did that place have a name? All there'd been was fire. And a dragon. Pointing at where she'd come from, Athena thought about how that place might be called. "There was fire." It was the only thing she could think of to say, accepting eventually that she did not have a name for her birthplace. "But I am okay." Athena said and grinned when she turned back to face Delphine and Mojag.


"Listen to me."

It was one thing to be in the presence of one newborn Gembound but another altogether when surrounded by a whole two of them. Unable to keep her eye on one alone, she found her gaze oscillating between the pair; one moment on the tiny chick and another for the puppy.

In the end, the more talkative of the duo won her attention. With perked ears and a minute cant of her head, Delphine glanced toward the direction from which Athena wandered and recognition bled along her delicate features. "Polaris..." The word trailed into somber silence. "That's my home too. I'm surprised, but glad, that you came out unharmed. I hear that there's a dragon run rampant." She paused, her brows furrowed in thought. "How did you get out? Ah, hold on." Turning to face the avian babe, Delphine's head lowered to the ground so that they were eye level, a small smile curled along her lips. "Do you need help coming out? Or maybe a ride?" In truth, the filly had been elated when Willow and Adeyemi had taken temporary homage along her back but the joy had been short-lived and the moment was lost to her memories. Seeking to reconcile the loss through a mere child seemed desperate on her part but she not what else there was to do. If she left the bird to his own wits, she could not trust that he would bode well in the wilderness yet the puppy was perfectly well and fine.

Perhaps it was to her own fault for underestimating those around her, after all, she'd been left to survive on her own and she came out just fine. If not, a little traumatized.

( @Mojag )

"Athena," he said to himself to burn the name into memory, unaware that saying the name could possibly command the girl's attention in which he wasn't prepared to address. He stared in her direction blankly with one eye.

Fire? What was fire? Mojag had no idea but Athena had said she came from a place with it. He had a desperate curiosity to know what fire was but resisted his whims with great self control to his soon to evolve blabber mouth. The two were going to great extents of conversation, so deep that they had completely lost the newly hatched chick in the semantics. Words, words he didn't know. He ruffled and unruffled his feathers in a show of impatience, wanting the attention to swing back his way. But at the same time having no idea what to do when it did.

Finally, the taller black one with the long face spoke to him. "Out!" he cheeped and repeated several times hopping in place again. Mojag had no idea how to use his wings just yet, it was completely unknown to him that he had the ability of flight. Being so level to the ground made him anxious and he felt bizarrely out of place. He knew he belonged in the trees with the other birds but had no idea how to get there. "Ouuuuuuuuuutttttt!" he screeched louder when his word wasn't met with INSTANT gratification.

lol we got an impatient baby on our hands. sorry it took awhile to respond.
(Sorry I tagged you, Jester, when it wasn't your turn yet xD)
@Athena

Athena Ignis

Everything is hard before it is easy.

Athena grinned as Mojag said her name. It was nice to hear someone say it and it meant that the bird actually planned on remembering her; a nice thought. She turned to him, expecting the gembound to say something else now that he held her attention but he didn't and therefore the pup just took in the sight around them.

The forest was thick and filled with mosses and ferns, unlike the Alaskan Malamute's birthplace bathed in fire; quite a nice change actually, Athena thought. And the biggest plus was obviously that no dragons lived in Eridanus, which was a major factor in Athena's search for a home.
The smell was pleasant too, of earth and herbs and the lingering prey around the three gembounds, which instinctively demanded the puppy's attention. She could hear the fleeing of tiny critters, alarmed by her smell and the sound of their voices. Luckily, Athena wasn't hungry though, so it was easy to dismiss the lost chance for a hunt. Willow had already taught her how to hunt and while the rat she'd eaten hadn't been fat, it was enough to sate her.

"Hmmh-" Athena hummed uneasily as she watched Mojag sitting in the remains of his chrysalis, unsure of how to help the bird. She couldn't really grasp him or anything and she was afraid of hurting him with her teeth if she tried using them to pull him out. Instead, the pup just sat there, looking anywhere but at Mojag and hoped Delphine would know how to help the tiny feathered creature.


"Listen to me."