Oka had dragged the grass back to their spot. The assistance of Qisiux was much needed, and made the trek back that much easier. They planted it close to mass of the gnarled roots they called home. Well, they didn't really plant it. They just stood it up and hoped itd grow. It leaned slightly against the tree. Oka wasn't strong enough to plant it fully upright. Nor did Oka have any feet or claws with which to plant it. This wasn't even given the hours it'd taken them to get it into that position. Oka really wished they had hands. And not nubs. But...maybe they could use their nubs! Maybe it'd work! They placed their tentacles against the dirt, trying to scrape away at it.

No dice. All they did was stain their nubs brown. Browner than usual. Oka sighed. The..the plant looked pretty though! It looked pretty against their tree. Their gaze was drawn to the grass near the base of the tree. The smaller, normal grass.

"Will you grow, maybe?" Oka took a clump of grass. Taking care to try and preserve as many roots as possible. "Please?"Oka said.


((This thread is private since Oka is just chrysalizing but if you REALLY want in just @ me))

Oka placed them on a section of their main shell. The clump was still for a moment. Then, gently, the roots began to spread. Oka felt them crack through their shell, slowly. Painfully. They winced throughout it. But by the time it was done, Oka had a patch of grass on their shell.

"I did it!" They said. "I did it!" Oka looked around for anyone to share their excitement with, but realized they were alone. "Oh."

But Oka wasn't truly alone. The whispers were constantly on their heels. Tinging every moment with a sort of waking horror. The visions, too were still there. Oka was so far away--how was this still happening? Maybe..Oka needed to sleep. That was the only thing that made sense. With no other course of action, Oka slipped beneath the roots of their tree. Occasionally getting the spikes stuck between roots. "Good night grass," they said gently. "Good night growy." They directed at the large grass outside. Oka curled up within their shell, and began to doze. Their pale blue chrysalis gradually growing to envelop the gembound.


--Exit oka
((YEAH i just made a two post thread to exit keep scrollin))

Qisziux had pretty much booked it to Eridanus, after getting blinded by the spell gone wrong. It'd taken him much longer than usual, being blind and panicked, and it felt twice as long, to him. But finally, he could feel moss and grass beneath his claws, and knew he'd finally gotten to Eridanus. Oka had to be here- He'd help them drag their giant piece of grass to Eridanus. He could only hope that Oka hadn't gone exploring.

Without his eyesight, it was like the whispers were amplified, with one less sense to distract himself from them. The disturbing visions too, persisted. Vague visions of war that made him double take, even though he was sure he couldn't see anything in the state he was in. The persistent whispering was getting... alluring, again. Like it had been in the altar. The thought, of giving in, of becoming like the others who had listened, terrified him. It just made him walk faster, pushing blindly through the undergrowth.

"Oka?" He called, as loud as he could. He looked around instinctively, despite being unable to see. "Oka?" He called again, unable to keep fear from creeping into his voice. Eridanus is huge. He tried to reassure himself, Oka could just be out of earshot.

He walked, feeling frustratingly directionless, for what felt like forever. Eventually, however, he came upon the first clue- A slime trail that could've have come from anyone other than Oka. It was partially dried, but it was still easy to follow.

"Oka? Are you there?" He called again as he followed the trail. He was getting closer- he could literally feel it as the slime became more sticky beneath his claws. "Oka? Please answer me!" He called, desperately.

He ran right into a tree root, one that, as silly as it might've sounded if he had said so allowed, felt familiar. He poked around, cautiously. "Oka?" He called, feeling a wave of hopelessness at the lack of answer. Had Oka gone to look for food, or just to explore like he had? He had no way of knowing where they were. He could wait, assuming this was the spot Oka had shown him. But the idea of being alone, with the whisper and the visions, for any longer was the worst thing he could think of. The exhaustion of traveling all the way here finally caught up to him. I'll take a little break, to catch my breath. He decided, And maybe Oka will be back by then.

"Spoken Words."
Thoughts

tags: @Oka
notes: wuh oh

coding by wulf for template purposes

It was when the anxiety of being alone with his thoughts overwhelmed the exhaustion from running here that he stood up. There was still no signs of Oka, despite this being their home- or at least, he thought it was. Did I choose the wrong spot by accident? He had no real way of telling where he was, not until his vision was recovered. And he had zero way of knowing when his eyesight would heal. If it heals at all.

He stood up, and began to feel his way around the area, trying to catalog everything he felt, heard, and smelled. He felt dirt, and grass. Slightly damp. As he walked around, he bumped into many roots. The air smelled earthy, and damp, like most of Eridanus. He only heard the rustling of leaves. And the whispers.

He remembered seeing Oka's 'spot.' It was a under a tree, one of the trees with a mess of roots surrounding it like the tentacles of some strange creature. It was damp, and dark, because of how shady it was.

Cautiously, he stepped forward. He brushed against something. Like grass, but huge. Oka's grass. From the strange room. He thought. So this had to be it. That mean Oka just wasn't home. He walked forward, carefully, until he was pretty sure he was underneath the tree. I'll wait here. Until they get back. Hopefully soon.

But just as he was going to lie down, he bumped into something. Not a tree root. Something hard.

A rock.

But why would a rock be here? There hadn't been a rock here before, he'd been sure of it. He stepped forward, curiously, pressing his claws against it. It thrummed gently with magic.

Strange, he'd only felt something like that once. Before he had hatched...

Was it a chrysalis, then? But what why-

In the strange room, the same one with the giant grass. He remembered seeing a horde of giant bees attack a unfortunate gembound. Their gemstone had shot up, to protect them.

His stomach dropped as he quickly realized what had happened.

"O-Oka?." He asked, his quiet voice broken up by a sob that seemed to bubble up out of nowhere. Oka must've gotten hurt, for this to happen. But how? Why?

He couldn't think. His throat ached. His face was wet. If he'd been able to see, his sight would've been blurred with tears. Why did this happen I should've been able to stop it I should've been there when will they come back Oka please I can't be alone.

The only thing louder than his thoughts were the whispers that now seemed to roar in his ears. Visions of aliens tearing each other apart in viscous war invaded his sightless vision.

The exhaustion came again, but this time it pulled him under completely. The panicked heaving of his chest gave way to steady, gentle breaths. His body was pressed against the chrysalis, curled around it protectively, even as he laid unconscious.

"Spoken Words."
Thoughts

tags: @Oka
notes: Exit Thread

coding by wulf for template purposes