The gemstone that lay there--half-tangled in branches and more than half-covered by moss--had grown thin. Its starshot steel had cracked, razor-narrow lines parting one shard from the next.

A small figure, dark with wet, huddled half-asleep within, its heat escaping the new opening in wisps of steam. A black-taloned foot emerged, claws hooking over the lip of the gap, pulling, finding no give, and then retreating.

Another instinct took over: a quiet burst of magicka, a flash of color from the other glittering grey stone, the one settled against the new chick's chest: and the Specularite chrysalis gave way with a sharp sound not unlike a rap of hooves on rock.

A large hole now lay open in the little rock, a thin trickle of liquid pouring forth--and now the taloned foot reemerged. It was followed closely by a watchful, wary yellow eye, and a black-tipped beak; the sodden hatchling peered into the world around him. Out at the jungle, blurry to his new eyes--out at the Eyes, shimmering with hidden malevolence.

There was, at least at first, no one there--and the new child found faint, if distinct, fear in this unwanted solitude. He huddled back, and gave a short, loud chirp--a cry for help; a cry for parents that would never come.

stars: ESO/UltraVISTA team. Acknowledgement: TERAPIX/CNRS/INSU/CASU; Mike's Birds on Flickr credit for part of "Black and white hawk eagle"

Rainstorm was a wanderer. And wander they did. The area they were in now was rather nice looking- many plants covered the entire area and they knew which area they would be coming back to later. Climbing the branches, trees, and other things in the place would be fun to climb on. Rainstorm could see the whole world if they climbed up!

Speaking of trees, a chirping sound came from one of them. It sounded panicked. Blinking up at the sound, Rainstorm decided that they would be climbing a lot sooner than they thought. Grabbing one of the lower branches, Rainstorm moved until they reached where they thought the sound came from.

Sending a chirp back, they looked around for where the sound could have come from.

Beady red eyes scoured the area, until they spotted another bird huddled, hiding from the world.

Flopping down, Rainstorm would come into view of the other.

"Hey there." They said.

@Blitz

He heard the scratching of claws on bark--and he wasn't in the tree; his stone was down amongst the tangles of foliage beneath. Rainstorm, however, managed to find him after some skilled clambering, and he was left blinking out of his cracked chrysalis at the strange blue-hued bird. Hey there, they said, and he was left trying to puzzle out the meaning of this.

He was freshly-born. He had never seen his reflection; if he had, he might've wondered at their vague similarities. Beaks and feathers, scaled legs and black masks--but instead he was left a little bewildered.

"Hey there," he chirped, imitating the sound back, pushing past his fear. And then, finding some courage, he carefully--gaze flicking up to watch Rainstorm warily--picked his way from his chrysalis.

Feathers ruffled, and settled back into place: it was cold out here. Or colder than it had been in the comfort of his gemstone, anyway.

He regarded the stranger as his feet sank into the moss; they seemed unthreatening, at least. He fought for concentration, fought to form a coherent thought, a set of words. "I am-..." he paused. What was the right word..? "Baby." Okay, good--that was a description. But it wasn't him, was it?

And a name came to him, and he puffed himself up a little as he struggled out the second sentence.

"I am-... Blitz."

The urge to engage the only stranger he'd ever met in conversation took him. Keep them here, his subconscious murmured. It would be impolite to only talk about himself! ...But his repertoire was limited, to say the least, and Blitz struggled for a third set of words. "Who... are you?"

stars: ESO/UltraVISTA team. Acknowledgement: TERAPIX/CNRS/INSU/CASU; Mike's Birds on Flickr credit for part of "Black and white hawk eagle"

@Rainstorm

Rainstorm initially hadn't realized that the sounds were indeed, not coming from in the tree, but rather at the bottom. After some skilled climbing (which they had no idea they could do), they'd ended up finding him before. At least Rainstorm found the other bird! If they hadn't it may have given them a curious bellyache that they wouldn't be able to settle! It was pretty clear that this bird had just come from a chrysalis, based on how he was still lodged inside, but at that point was ready to come out.

Rainstorm was above the other child at this point- on a low branch above wherever he was inside. It would have been a good idea to come down to actually face the other bird, but they didn't exactly know how they were going to get back down just yet. The blue colored bird would figure it out- eventually. Climbing up there just proved that they were better suited for the ground.

Rainstorm did notice, however, when the other bird came out of the shell of the chrysalis to peer up at them. The other bird was an interesting array of colors that Rainstorm did not have themselves. Far different than how the crowned pigeon looked. It was clear enough that the other bird was a baby- much like Rainstorm. But it didn't look like that those words were what the other one was looking for, based on expression alone.

Blitz was his name- and then he asked for theirs. "I'm Rainstorm!"

@Blitz

Parroting, as a child does--as a child learns--Blitz was not exactly the best of conversational partners. "Rainstorm," he murmured, and thought this word over.

It brought with it images of flashing lights and shaking leaves, of dark sky filled with sheets of falling water. He'd never seen such a thing, and how he knew it was beyond him, but he didn't particularly think of that. Instead he peered at the bird before him, wondering why it was a rainstorm. ...The color, maybe? "Why are... you Rainstorm?" he managed, in broken words uttered between clicks of his small, hooked beak.

Blitz then took the time to look around. There were trees, yes--towering all around them; there were other plants, ferns and moss and tangles of vines. So this was the world..? It was overwhelming to the little fledgling. What was he meant to do? What was his task? What was this place like? At least Rainstorm was with him; to be alone now, that he wasn't sure he could bear. Even the thought of it terrified him.

So he drew closer to the pigeon, huddling near as if fearful of the large, living world around them, and he spoke. "It's big," he confided, his voice a half-whisper as he glanced warily around Eridanus.

stars: ESO/UltraVISTA team. Acknowledgement: TERAPIX/CNRS/INSU/CASU; Mike's Birds on Flickr credit for part of "Black and white hawk eagle"

@Rainstorm

The other bird repeated Rainstorm's name, and seemed to be in thought about it. Was their name that hard to understand? Rainstorm wasn't even sure why they were named the way they were. So, when the other bird asked why they were named the way they were... Well Rainstorm didn't really have an answer for it. Storms were really pretty things- making everything dark and spooky. Rainstorm was like one of those things. They decided they were called that, because they were a rainstorm.

They weren't going to tell this one that, though.

"One day, I'm going to be strong enough to create one of those storms!" They decided on. Maybe it was true, maybe it wasn't. But either way it would be a sight to see. A blue bird creating those storms that some would be afraid to go near- lightning, thunder, and all of the other things that came with it.

They then turned their attention to the area around them after Blitz commented that it was big. This area wasn't the only one in the caverns, there were many places all over the place. The other bird would just have to go explore- maybe Rainstorm would take him with them! "Bigger than you think."

@Blitz

Blitz considered, head tilting to one side. Imagery of pattering rain and roaring winds rose in his mind, and these were followed by thoughts of a flash--a flickering streak, bright and blinding. Lightning.

"I'm the lightning in the storm," he said slowly, pronouncing each word with care. And then he drew himself up proudly. That was him: quick, bright, a flash--here then gone, devastating and impossible to catch.

But this proud self-reflection was slowly drained away as Rainstorm spoke of the caves' size. They didn't say much, but it left Blitz looking around him again, slowly, wondering.

Bigger than you think. Well, that didn't tell him much. He didn't know how big to think they were! Were they four times the size of what he could see? Were they a thousand? -Infinite?

"...How big?" he asked, his voice hushed with awe.

It was frightening, to think they might be in a place so vast. But exciting, too; what might there be to see? To explore? He looked back to the other bird, about to comment, then realized he'd never answered their other remark. He didn't want to be rude, so he did so now. "Making those storms would be... strong. Are you--old? Have you been... to many places?"

stars: ESO/UltraVISTA team. Acknowledgement: TERAPIX/CNRS/INSU/CASU; Mike's Birds on Flickr credit for part of "Black and white hawk eagle"

@Rainstorm

Rainstorm blinked when the other bird claimed to be the lightning that came from her own storms. They were the one that created those things, and he was the one that came from them? Was Blitz the shocking sounds that came from their soft rains? It wasn't an odd thought. They gave a nod to that statement- he could be the lightning if he wanted to be! The storm would just have to be big enough to support such a thing.

When Blitz looked around the cave once again, it was clear enough that he had noted what they mentioned before. About how the caves were bigger than he thought. At least- from all the wandering she had to do to get to this place, they were big to her. On her way she'd even spotted some strange creatures but didn't speak with them. If they could speak.

"Big." Rainstorm replied. They didn't really know how to word what they meant. There were so many caves- this place was a giant ecosystem where they were to live, and never exit. There didn't seem to be one.

Rainstorm was surprised at the question of if they were old or not. OLD? Rainstorm was a baby! Much like this bird in front of them! Their feathers fluffed up in a defensive stance, eyes going narrow. "Am NOT old! Baby!" Came out in a spate of words, some tossed in there that were lost to the wind.

@Blitz

The little bird turned, eyeing the other little bird, and thinking. So they were both babies, then. And the world was big! ...Where did that leave them?

A faint spirit of adventure, bolstered by boldness and trembling with nervousness, flickered through him. "Want to... explore? Together."

Blitz hopped fully-clear from his destroyed chrysalis, turning to peer back at it curiously, at its shimmering opaque shell. How pretty a stone, and how strange, that it had spawned him - glittering white specks across gunmetal gray, where his own body was fresh snow-white and jet-black plumage. He looked at the rock, then down across his own feathers, and then out at the world. From gray, to color; and what a change! As he inspected Eridanus, his mind was near-overwhelmed by the constantly shifting leaves, the rustling green that seemed to whisper from every direction at once. He tugged a taloned foot free of gemstone shards, and stepped clear, onto soft moss; and this had him peering down again, in curiosity.

Excitement, courage, life flowed through him, and he reared back and spread his wings. His hooked beak parted slightly as he concentrated, and that life-force spluttered forth, an invisible shove that sent sticks and leaves skittering out of his path.

Me! That was me! he thought, excitedly. Wings folded back against his sides and he puffed out proudly, staring out at Eridanus.

He looked to Rainstorm, then--to see if they were game. To see if they wanted to explore this world, to learn about it together.

stars: ESO/UltraVISTA team. Acknowledgement: TERAPIX/CNRS/INSU/CASU; Mike's Birds on Flickr credit for part of "Black and white hawk eagle"

@Rainstorm

The pigeon smirked when the other bird mentioned exploring together. Oh how fun that would be! Most of their exploration so far had been alone- but Rainstorm didn't mind the fact. However, it was always nice to have someone else to turn to when you found something interesting. That made their feathers fluff out, blue, white, and black small feathers prompting the other bird to finally land down next to Blitz.

Rainstorm's red eyes looked to the chrysalis that was the backdrop to their meeting. It shone in a familiar light from the areas around them. Making Rainstorm remember their own hatching that wasn't even a cycle ago. The red eyes of Rainstorm followed the other bird when he moved to use a spell- using it to clear a way to gaze upon. The power that went through that was admirable- Rainstorm couldn't do anything like that. Only go faster.

For right now anyway.

"We can explore!!" Rainstorm chided back.

Yes! That would be exciting!

@Blitz