Within the dark corners of Orion, a chrysalis began to tremble. The rock was a opaque white, but when it would move, it would catch light just perfectly to create a red glow from within. Anyone near the rock would not notice it's movement unless they were paying close attention, for the wiggles and tumbles were small and unnoticeable. The chrysalis bore no defined shape or structure that would give clue as to what grew inside. But, as the rock shell tumbled to it's side, the neonate within became complete.

The chrysalis broke away, and in its place laid a ruffled creature whom shared the appearance of a elk. His legs were thick and strong, and his body was lean. A thick layer of skin that drooped of his neck clung to his muscles and was covered by silky smooth fur. His eyes opened and showed that they shared the appearance of the stone that had surrounded him. A lump could be seen atop his head where it could be assumed his rock resided. The young elk stood up; his strong legs wobbled but he soon caught himself. He looked around and began to think full sentences for the first time. Where is everyone, and what is my name?

ooc; anyone is free to join in the emergence of Thomas <3
think
talk

Gabriel was wandering, as it so often did, a new plan forming in its mind. It had received directions from its brother to the waterfall room, and so that was where it planned to head next despite the ever-impending darkness that had closed around the cave. Although, perhaps it would be better to seek out the cause of this darkness, first? the best place to start would be Polaris, where the light still remained, albeit in different sources.

The hairless dog padded along the path it had chosen when a familiar sound caused it to come to a halt, ears pricking up. The sound, it recognized, was of a chrysalis breaking, a new Gembound emerging into the world. Gabriel had inhabited these caves for quite some time, and the process of creatures from stone to Gembound fascinated it. One day, it wanted to find out what was going on inside the Chrysalis, the entire process that lead to the birth of the new Gembound. It knew that sometimes, the stones were created and given life by adult Gembounds, but he, among many others, weren't. It was intriguing, and didn't seem to make much sense without a third piece to the puzzle. But for now, Gabriel had other things to worry about.

The small pup changed its course and padded towards the sound; there, it found a young, freshly-emerged deer. New to the caves yet already towering over it, the deer was many times its height. But the puppy didn't seem afraid, instead Gabriel sat in the gemling's path and bowed its head in greeting, tail wagging slowly from side to side.

"Hello there! You may call me Gabriel. Welcome to the caves!"



"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: @Thomas
notes: here

Thomas turned his head around, gazing beyond the rocks in front of him. He could not see far, for the darkness that consumed the cave was thick and blinding. As he attempt to analyze the formation of the rocks around him, his attention was grasped by a small dog. Thomas turned his body to face the creature. He observed it's features closely; it's long patches of hair and royal physique. The crown resting atop the pups head caught Thomas' attention the most. Why does it wear such a thing? he pondered.

When the dog sat down before him, bowed and wagged his tail, Thomas attempted to return the gesture. He stretched out his front left leg and dipped his head in greeting. He stood back up and stared down at the canine. Thomas noted how smoothly the dog spoke. It was the first time he had ever heard speech, and now he aimed to recreate it. "M-my name?" he said aloud to himself. He pondered in silence whilst looking up from the pup. His name clicked in his head like a memory, and the elk looked back down. "My name is Thomas." His voice was scratchy. "Why is it so dark?" Thomas' speech patterns were childish in nature, as he was just learning to grasp the concept of speech.

ooc; --
tagged; @Gabriel
think
talk

The puppy blinked at the other creature, wispy tail continuing to wag and large red eyes blinking as they attempted to do the same with their own short and stubby tail. A youngling like itself, they were gangly and furry and Gabriel suspected that even had it been an adult, they still would have towered above it. The other one spoke, causing Gabriel to nod slightly. Was it going to have to decide on another name? these questions were quickly answered however, as they introduced themselves as Thomas. "Simple. Yes, I will remember that," the puppy said.

The young elk went on to wonder aloud about the darkness. Gabriel's fluffy ears twitched, its crimson gaze breaking away for mere moments to think. "I do not know," it admitted, shifting its wispy paws. Its fur, whilst it had grown since its birth, was still nothing special and it was still very nearly bald. "...But in any case, I plan to find out soon enough. Fear not, the caves are not always like this. There will be lights eventually, but in the meantime, your eyes will adjust."

Such was the way of the world. Like him, this youngling would have to adapt to the situation it found itself in.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: @Thomas
notes: here

Thomas dipped his head down slightly in order to gain a more even gaze with Gabriel. He noted how red the pups eyes were, and he began to wonder what he looked like himself. Are my eyes red, like his, or do I bear a different color? Like usual, he began to get lost in casual, pointless thoughts. But, as the canine began to speak of the darkness the elk had wondered about, he looked back down. "I hope it does not stay dark for long," he said with a soft voice. "I want to see light.".

His head raised back up to a normal height as he began to look around the cave. Gabriel was right; he could see further than before, but objects near and far continued to have no dimension. Thomas twitched his nose as he looked back down at the pup. "Your crown," he stated bluntly. "Where did you find such a thing?" Thomas had little clue what a gembound was and was meant to be. He merely thought they were in the cave with a destiny of some kind. What helped with his gem confusion was that he could not see his, for it rested under his fur on the crown of his head. Completely out of his view.

ooc; --
tagged; @Gabriel
talk
think

Gabriel didn't respond for a moment, seeming to stare off into the darkness. "The lights will return if... and when... they do. My apologies I cannot be of any assistance." the pup bowed its head. It wasn't like it had any power over the lights... however, a thought occurred to it which may appease Thomas yet. in the dark, a small smile curved over the puppy's muzzle. "If you wish to see light for the first time, head towards Polaris. Polaris- aptly known as the room of lights- is lit by glowing crystals and fungi. Even without the lanterns, it will be safer there," Gabriel offered.

"Should you wish it... I'll lead you there. But, you'll owe me a favour sometime!" The pup's words were a direct contrast against its usual cheerful and almost playful tone.

The gemling went on to question where it found its crown- a crown which was, in fact, a part of the pup. Had it not been birthed from a chrysalis of the same golden hue, and investigated said 'crown' on looking into the water, Gabriel may have been confused as well- but it was merely a signature of their kind, the Gembounds. "This crown is a part of me, as a hoof or your fur is a part of you. it is representative of our kind, the Gembound."

Gabriel did feel, however- that it may be possible to find something of the sort in Orion. The pup had passed many strange relics in its travels- often appearing to be mere embellishments.



"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: @Thomas
notes: here

Thomas listened closely to the small dog; he was captivated by the news of Polaris. When Gabriel offered to show him the way, the elk dipped his head. "It would be kind if you could take me there," he replied, struggling to find the right words. "I will do something for you as well one day," he added. Thomas was jealous that Gabriel could speak such complicated sentences. He too could talk, but his wording was plain and lacked complicated words and phrases. This annoyed him, but he knew he would soon be great.

"Gembound? Thomas repeated. "Is that what we are called? His head lifted back up from it's lowered position. He craned his neck to look behind him, in search of his own stone. Thomas could not find it, and began to wonder what his looked like. He turned back to Gabriel and flicked his stubbed tail in annoyance at himself. "Polaris," he said again. "Can we talk on our way to Polaris?

ooc; --
tagged; @Gabriel
talk
think

Gabriel nodded in acknowledgement; wordlessly agreeing before verbally acknowledging them. "Then you may accompany me," the dog assured them. In fact, Gabriel had been planning to head to Polaris next- the dog wouldn't like to test its look in venturing to new caverns when the caves were this dark, and the light lingering there was the best lead it had on where to start figuring out where the lights had gone.

"That's right, Thomas! we are all Gembound. No matter what outer shell we inhabit, each of us has a stone at our cores. That's what makes us what we are." The pup got to its paws, red eyes flashing as it turned away. The small dog's claws clicked on stone as it moved, slowly, leisurely to signal their leave. Before long however, it stopped and looked back to make sure the deer was keeping pace.

"Let's move, then."


"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: @Thomas
notes: here

Thomas couldn't stop thinking about what light really looked like. Yes, his eyes were getting better at seeing the different shades and hues of the darkness, but he still wondered what bright color was like. He was also curious about what glowing fungi looked like. How bright is it? Does the fungi grow in groups to glow more? What color is it? Thomas, like usual, was so lost in thought that Gabriel's words caught him off guard. He blinked slowly as he took in all the knowledge that the pup shared with him. "Are not all gems visible?" he asked, regarding his own seemingly hidden gem. If all gembounds have a stone, and I am a gembound, where is mine? he thought.

Thomas watched Gabriel as he stood and began to tread slowly towards, which he assumed, the exit of the cave. The young elk took his place beside (but slightly behind) the pup. He looked down at his hooves as he started to take larger and larger steps. Quickly he was becoming comfortable with his body, and soon he would have full motor control. The thought of one day soon becoming fully developed excited Thomas. Perhaps he would become large and mesmerizing to the eye. Or, he dreaded, he would remain small and scraggly. "Gabriel," he began. "How far away is Polaris?."


ooc; --
tagged; @Gabriel
talk
think

The pup's steps were practiced and there was a spring in its trot as it carried on moving, confident of the deer following close behind. At their words, Gabriel's ears twitched slightly in their direction. Its head turned back towards them just enough to be polite but still focus on where it was going. "Of course! I can't see yours, but it's in there somewhere." Gabriel didn't mention how it knew this; such a thing could cause some controversy amongst the emotion-driven inhabitants of the cave. They didn't need to know. Either way, it was the truth.

"Polaris is quite a ways from here, I'm afraid. But fear not, I will lead you all the way." around them the ground was beginning to level, buildings appearing to grow more crumbled as they reached the edges of the city. Gabriel knew where it was headed- towards tunnel N, which lead directly to the heart of the cave. But just to make sure, the puppy cast out its senses, aiming to gather information from the bacteria populating the environment to see a larger picture of the world around it.

Using information gathered from the presences all around, the puppy was able to piece together a more coherent picture of the world around them. From that, the pup knew for sure that they were on the right track. "We are in the room known as Orion. We must pass through a connecting tunnel to reach Polaris."

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: @Thomas
notes: here