There was at first nothing. The only sound was the crashing of grand waterfalls.

But then there was another noise. Tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap.

This tiny sound belonged to a tiny blue chrysalis nestled in the mosses.

Tap-tap-tap. The minuscule sound continued as a new gembound fought to be free of his resting place. Tap-tap-tap.

The chrysalis soon chipped and fractured. Tap-tap. It soon shattered.

Now free to take in a new world, the young Zyphor felt unbridled excitement. He quickly shook the slime from his gray wings. Instinct took hold as he began to flap, faster, harder, and slowly rose off the cave floor.

Zyphor's bright cyan eyes glinted in the light, filled with exuberant joy. The hummingbird welcomed the world, as it welcomed him.

Tucked into a nearby corner, the tapping had roused something else new to the world.

A crooked and twisted tangle of jade crystals stuck out in every direction and inside, inside of the chaos and sharp edges of the shell, stirred a small brown lion cub.

Small, of course, was the operative word, comparing the cub to the bird that flitted nearby. Inside the green 'womb', the cub shifted and pushed with all four paws, putting some real effort behind it.

Y'see, the cub felt far too cramped inside such a tiny space now.

He was done sleeping.

One final push, and the shell clattered free. He spilled onto the stone floor, hind legs spasming but front paws covering his face instinctively until everything came to a stop.

Damp, fresh and bewildered, bright green eyes took in the first sights of his new world, and the cub twisted to right himself as he stared around him in bleary-eyed wonder.

@Zyphor @Mercurius
Tagging Merc because he's supposed to be naming this broken thing.

Zyphor was bright with enthusiasm when a crash sounded behind him. The hummingbird turned to see something moving between grassy rocks. He did his best to flitter over, rather unwieldy in his first flight.

Green eyes greeted Zyphor. He gazed into them for a long streach of time. Questions filled the hummingbird's mind. Who is this? Is it new like me? What is it?

Zyphor tried to call out to the other. "Hello," was the single the word that escaped his beak.

(( @Kronos @mercurius ))

A humming filtered through drying here. He flicked away the crusty coating, tilting his head to get a better look at the tiny, fluttering thing that hovered above him. It said, 'hello', and he blinked at it as if it'd just solved some complex puzzle spontaneously.

Speech. Speech was that puzzle. For the much larger, much fleshier mouth of the lion cub, it did not come so easily.

"'ullo." He said back, kinda wobbly in his voice, and it felt so new to him to use it. So strange. He shifted, and those back legs kicked out again spasmodically. He stumbled but eventually managed to stand, unsteadily, on all four feet. His hind legs quivered with the use.

"Heeeelllloo." He tried again, forming the 'h' slowly. "Hello!"

Oh, speech! He'd figured it out! Ha! His first word! His head knew more.

Could he try more? Maybe how he felt.

"Hhh. Hhunggrree. Hungry!" The smart little lion cub babbled on, thoroughly impressed with himself. "Hungry?" He asked the other as if his intended meaning was crystal clear; are you hungry, too?

@Zyphor This is my last post of the night, I'll hit up this thread first thing tomorrow ;o

Zyphor was intrigued. The other had difficulty speaking. So it was likely another new one. It seemed careful.

Then it said something other than hello. Hungree? the hummmingbird was at first perplexed by this. Hungry? He then realized what it meant. It meant a want for food. What was food? Neccessary.

As he thought about it, he realized he was hungry. "Hungry?" Zyphor tested the word, feeling it aloud. "Yes, hungry."

(( @kronos ))

The cub regarded the other for a long moment, then grinned, because he had an idea. Food was a new concept to the cub, but he felt tiny hints floating around in the back of his head, like an instinct not from the lion part of him, but from the stone.

He wobbled on unsteady hind legs and steadier front legs until he found his way to the side of the lagoon's watery depths. Smaller creatures swam below, he could see them from where he took a seat at the water's edge. He couldn't pin a name to them, but knew that their water carried their oily scents to his nose, and that was enough to start him drooling.

"Hungry..." But how to get at them? And most of those water things were bigger than his tiny friend. He turned back to look at the tiny bird a moment, then back at the fish. Not food for both. He felt a pang of guilt.

"Hmm..." He hummed, thoughtful, staring between the two before finally turning back away from the lagoon. He figured he'd at least see if the little swimming things looked good to his friend. He waved a paw at the lagoon once back by his side. "Hungry?" Is this food for you too?

@Zyphor

Mercurius shook violently as he walked. Most certainly chilled to the bone, he had stumbled his way to Pisces. It may have been only marginally warmer, yet it felt like emerging into a furnace. Stretching frigid, arthritic toes apart in the running water sent relief surging through his form. Slowly, but certainly, he stopped shivering, only mildly uncomfortable with the cold. Laying in water up to his shoulders, he was content listening to the roar of water drowning the troubled thoughts seeded by ice.

Above the din came petite voices, neonates freshly emerged. Hesitant at first, he stretched creaky limbs into motion. Edging towards the warrens, the pale lion was met with one of similar kind and a tiny ball of down he mistook for a dust bunny floating in the air. Hummingbird his mind offered. It seemed they were locked in an astounding conversation about who was hungry. Or something of the like. "Hello," he murmured warmly, magicka casting towards an extended paw. As the earth failed to be split, he frowned softly and put his paw back down briefly.

@Zyphor