It didn't take the Puma long to arrive at their meeting place. He'd already been in Eridanus as it was, considering that's where he lived with Rift and Splotch. He felt sad to leave behind where he'd found the flower, wondering what it was, but there was evidentally little he could do, as it had vanished.

However, that didn't keep him from holding the orb between his teeth as he loped, careful not to crush it or pierce it with one of his fangs, or swallow it by accident.

He didn't know which 'Big Tree' the voice had meant, so he simply went for the patch of big trees he knew of. Once he arrived, he leaped up the nearest 'big tree', to allow him to view whomever was nearing. As he made himself comfortable, lounging across the branch, he sent out across the bond, 'I'm here.'

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

@Bremen

'I'll be there soon!' the hybrid mentally replied as he rushed at dangerous speeds through the windy tunnel, flower orb safely held in his beak. Ghost puma was fast! Or was is a psychic puma? A magical puma perhaps? Yeah probably magical. Everything was magical in the caves so it just made sense that the voice in his head was magical too.

A short time passed and the odd little hybrid erupted out of the exit of Tunnel H, through a stretch of relatively thin vegetation, right past the tree Sebastian was resting in, and further down the trail until he was completely out of sight, skidding to a stop only once he arrived at a tree about a quarter mile away from the one he was meeting.

But where was the one he was meeting? They said they were here but they were definitely not at the big tree. Confusion effused the link as Bremen began to search around, weaving his way around every tree and bush in the area. Were they playing hide and seek?

He loved hide and seek! It might be tough to win a game against a magical puma what could phase in and out of the spirit world but he'd try his best!

"Ready or not, here I come!" Bremen yelled out playfully as he set the orb down and started to skip around the area in a large circuit.

---

'Thinking... thinking... thinking...'
"This is my voice, isn't it neat?"
Tags: @Sebastian

Sebastian's ears flicked as the ghostly voice whispered into his mind, confirming he'd be there soon. He wondered where the voice would be coming from, and hoped he'd found the correct 'big tree'. He allowed his head to rest on his paws, stretched out on the brance, carefully holding the flower orb in his mouth.

The Puma had just begun to doze off as something suddenly went flying passed him, little more than a blur of color. 'Well, I'll be damned!' he thought, before standing, beginning to race through the trees after the blur.

He could feel confusion that wasn't his, and assumed he must have picked the wrong tree. Well, at least he was here, no? Seeing the orb be set down, Sebastian leaped down, sitting next to it and watching the... thing, run around. "What are you doing?" he asked.


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

@Bremen

There was a noise behind him! Bremen's ears perked and head turned downwards and back at an angle supported by his long neck. Magical psychic ghost puma was here! And it wasn't a ghost, just a magic giant puma that'd probably been hiding up in the tree. Bremen chittered with glee as the rest of his body twisted to bring his head to a more neutral position and he rushed over to tap the much larger cat with webbed paw.

"Tag, I got you!" he said playfully as his wings unfurled to at least partially match the apparent size of the puma. Somewhere deep in his psyche perhaps he knew to be wary of larger things but on a conscious level he was showing no regard for caution at all.

"I knew you weren’t imaginary, knew it the whole time!" he continued on, completely convinced that it was true, "I'm Bremen, but I told you that already didn't I? All the gembounds in my group usually like me to stay in Canis, but I was out exploring today, and a good thing too. I saw a burning flower and met a new friend and had a good run and won a game of tag!"

Or was it hide and seek? Didn't matter either way, the housecat-sized hybrid was happy whatever game they were playing. Even now he seemed incapable of standing still, pacing back and forth as though subconsciously sizing up his opponent. Wrestling? No too much of a size difference for that? Racing? Bremen was good at that but would probably have to wait a moment after his last run. They could tell stories and jokes and find out about each other. What was life like as a big huge puma cat? Oh, and there was also the flower orb thing; he could show that off since it was there when he first heard the cat's voice.

---

’Thinking... thinking... thinking…’
"This is my voice, isn't it neat?"
Tags: @Sebastian

Sebastian's head tilted, observing the... thing, before him as he waited for it to respond to him. What was it? It was tiny, about his size when he'd been two cycles old, but with absolutely huge bat-like wings. He could also make out a dark colored tail, and from behind he saw what may have been its gem, long and yellow and pointing away from him.

Sebastian startled as the thing's head moved the way nothing ever should, moving entirely independent of its body. Thankfully, the little thing twisted its body around to face him, and he found he was right, its gem was long and pointed and now aimed at him. It had a rather bird-like head, with a long and pointy beak. But its head, also, was covered in fur, so he had no idea what to think.

The thing tapped him with its paw, and he chuckled as it yelled tag loudly. Tag? What was that? Some sort of game? He assumed so. The little beast spread its wings, and he tilted his head. What was it doing? Was it about to take flight? But, no, instead it began to talk. And talk, and talk.

Knew he wasn't imaginary? But the little beast had certainly been acting like he thought he was imaginary. Or dead. Either or, apparently. But he ignored that, flicking his ears. "Nice to meet you, Bremen." he chuckled, head turning to follow the pacing thing. "I'm glad you had a good day!" and then what the thing had said drew his attention, and he was quick to say, "You found a flower too? Did it have one of these?" he used his tongue to roll the orb out of the side of his mouth, before dropping his jaw to show it to the hybrid. He'd seen the hybrid set his down, but he didn't want to quite say that.


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

@Bremen

Bremen stopped pacing as his new friend revealed that they too had a flower orb. Did that mean that they had seen a flower too? What did that mean? Were the orbs like magical communication devices that they had both stumbled upon at the same time? Maybe the flowers had been just tiny above the surface but had a huge network of roots that twisted and turned and stretched across the entire cave. Maybe the cave itself was surrounded by flower roots that popped out of the ground when they got bored.

"It did have something like that! Here, let me get it for you" he responded as movement came back to his limbs and he scrambled toward the tree again and took the sphere in his beak. As he was about to walk back his ever-racing mind veered off to the side as a possible activity dawned on him. He could just bring the flower orb over there but what if there was a game to be played? If they had two orbs then they could see how close they could get them to land next to each other from a distance.

With a flick of his head the orb went flying straight up into the air above him. "Mystery flower orb headed your way!" he called out as the objects arc brought it back toward the ground and Bremen took a deep breath.

Just as the orb was about to pass in front of the hybrid's face again Bremen breathed out and flapped his wings forward, catching it up in a disproportionately powerful gust of wind that sent it flying in an arc toward the puma. The seed landed about a foot away from the other one and rolled to a stop. Not a perfect execution but a pretty good one for his first try.

---

’Thinking... thinking... thinking…’
"This is my voice, isn't it neat?"
Tags:

Sebastian shook his head at the hybrid's energy. Had he ever had that much energy? He couldn't remember if he had, and he hoped not. How had Rift ever put up with that? Lord, if he ever had Gemlings, he could only hope they would not have such unbridled energy. The Puma assumed, while it was amusing in short bursts, any more than that would drive one completely insane.

His head turned to follow Bremen as the hybrid raced back to the tree, taking the sphere in its beak. He cringed as it suddenly flung the orb through the air, before launching it forward with a flap of its wings. He tensed, readying to leap out of the way, only for the orb to stop about a foot away from him.

"Good throw!" the puma chucked around his orb, before doing the same, flicking his head to release the orb. It flew the air, before rolling along the ground, tapping the other orb as it came to a stop.


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

@Bremen

As Sebastian and Bremen's flower cores were set next to one another, something unusual happened. The cores began to glow, their dully iridescent surfaces lighting up, as though in response to the close proximity of their other half. The glow flickered dully as though it were alive, but would only linger so long as the cores remained close to one another. The glow shone brightest when the two cores met with a gentle clink; both cores combined giving off a glow akin in brightness to a small candle burning.

Other than that sign, there was nothing else happened; the Gembounds' bond remained, for now.

But at least, it seemed like a step in the right direction.

@Bremen @Sebastian

The hybrid's head tilted as the orbs clinked together and began to make pretty lights. That hadn't happened any time before. Sure the flower had been all fiery and glowing but the toy it left behind had been completely inert all the while.

Bremen maneuvered forward in a slinking motion, eyes fixated on the oddly behaving objects. Nothing else happened; they were just... sitting there glowing at each other. Maybe his orb was just saying hello to the other one. He wasn't a flower; he didn't know how plants might talk to each other. Of course it probably wouldn't be as fun to be a flower as a fodolhecavul like him; flowers couldn't move and explore like he could.

Unless they turned into orbs and got rides with creature like him! Maybe they were glowing because usually they couldn't have normally met each other but were happy to see each other.

The sum of all these thoughts and theories was expressed only in a single extended syllable as the little creature approached and tinked the two together again with his horn: "Coooooooool"

---

’Thinking... thinking... thinking…’
"This is my voice, isn't it neat?"
Tags: @Sebastian

Sebastian watched as the two flower-orbs came together. As they neared, they began to glow, and he tilted his head. What was happening?

The glow flickered, and as they came together the glow brightened. However, nothing else seemed to happen, and he tilted his head the other way. Perhaps...?

The hybrid thing stalked forward in a way similar to a cat, and he found himself doing the same. The puma found himself doing the same, slinking forward and eying the orb, ready to jump away if something happened.

The little hybrid thing pressed the two orbs together with his horn, and he grinned. "Indeed." He pressed his nose against his orb, until the two orbs were sitting together, pressing against each other.


___________________________________________________________

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

tags: @Bremen
notes: