your bones ... (open)

[crumbles]

million stars up in the sky
formed a tiger's eye
that looked down on my face
out of time and out of place

With an quiet sigh, he rolled over.

It was an awfully weird thing, being aware of yourself for the first time. The realisation that you are, and not just in a solitary nether.

For a while, he just laid there. He didn't really know what to do with all this new and foreboding existential responsibility. He didn't even open his eyes, although as the time ticked on, the unpleasant but incessant internal prodding to wake up and smell the flowers (both literally and figuratively) grew stronger. He felt rather as if he belonged here, and this was not some sort of cosmic mistake, as he had first decided. Still, a small part of him was quite content to just curl back up and let the soil take him back into a state of unconscious had-been.

And that small part of him won over for a short time. He drew his paws inward and buried his head in the grass (my, all this preternatural knowledge and sense had him in a tizzy), willing it to go away to another being. He wasn't ready to live yet.

Alas, the universe does not always give you what you want, does it?

It certainly did not give this young canine any sort of refund.

Finally, he sat up, eyes still squeezed shut. The rush of blood gave him a heady feeling that he wasn't sure how to feel about. His eyes slid open with a good dose of reluctance, and his first instinct was to snap them back shut, but he couldn't bring himself to.

Well, this was all sorts of unwanted. He glanced around, unable to completely disregard the beauty of the place. Still, he stayed very still. Was he alone here?

[Aries]

He didn't know how long he listened to his heart thump to its steady rhythm, it felt like forever since he'd become aware of him self. It was quite honestly becoming boring to be trapped in his pod. The scents and sounds started coming through the walls of his pod not long ago, they were delicious and he wanted more.

Crack! Snap!

His pod plummeted from it's perch in his mother tree, hitting the moss with a muffled thump. It rolled for a moment before coming to a stop. Now detached from his tree, he needed air, the pod was beginning to suffocate him. His hind legs, kicked the pod out of reflex, and his paws did the same making short work of it. His lungs filled with sweet air for the first him as he tumbled out onto the ground. Scents swirled around him, but one thing was for sure, creature was near. He immediately knew the scent wasn't that of the flowers and grasses; it was much muskier and thick. The feline crawled carefully along the grass, taking in every feeling, every scent, every sound as he slowly hobbled towards the other creature.

"Helo-o?"

[crumbles]

After a few minutes of sitting and staring blankly at his surroundings, he forced himself to all four pa -- OOF! Okay, that didn't work. From his vantage point on the ground (again), he surveyed his paws. Three looked the same, normal he'd say (not that he really knew what normal was yet, or if there WAS a normal when it came to this sort of stuff), but the paw tipping his left foreleg didn't look so hot. It was completely twisted backwards and a few degrees to the right. He sat up again, the same rush of blood enforcing that he was here to stay. Well, no matter. He could make due with three functional paws. Maybe everyone had a weird thing like this. With an air of determined pessimism, he stood up again, placing his problem-paw against the ground and cringing as a lash of pain spread up the muscle in his arm.

He eventually, after a short moment of experimenting with what was comfortable and what was definitely not, just tucked his paw up near his side and took a few awkward steps forward. A little tough, but he could do it.

His ears twitched at the sound of a voice (something sentient, like him? Already?) Maybe this wasn't some sick unearthly game. Still, he couldn't be too sure. It could very well be an ambush, or a savage. He remained quiet but limped forward, eyes flittering about the landscape, slowly familiarizing the landscape, when -- ahah! Another form of life! He stood his ground from there on, observing the little feline dude from there.

Is that what he looked like? That certainly wasn't what he felt like. Were his eyes that hazy and barren? He looked down at his paw again. No, he was much darker, and the feline seemed small in perspective.

[Aries]

Slow and steady he crawled up to the other creature. It didn't occur to him that it might not be the best idea to approach it in case it was not as nice as he was, but he was dangerously fearless as is. The feline sniffed at the other creature for a moment, a word coming to mind, canine. He wasn't sure what it meant, it must have been what the other creature was. Was he a canine? He didn't thinks so, their scents were very different, and his muzzle only reached up to the other's shoulders.

"Who are you? Are you like me?" he blinked blindly up at thec anine, barely managing to sit steady on his newfound legs. He thought about his words for a moment. It occurred to him that he didn't even know who he was, which could be a dilemma if he didn't figure it out. He quickly became engrossed in his thoughts.

He was Alastair.

[crumbles]

He narrowed his eyes, staying absolutely still as the feline came close and sniffed at him -- no, there was no way that they were the same. The creature even had four full paws, all pointed the right way. When he first spoke, his voice was baritone and gruff, cracking a bit from the weird feeling.

"No." He paused, tongue lapping his nose absently. He was not like the feline, but he was someone. "I'm, uh..." He shifted his two back paws and blinked. "You can call me Vancleef." The sound was nice in his ears -- precise and unique. Memorable, but not outrageous, like Garfunkel. Bah. Garfunkel. He wrinkled his nose and dipped his head a bit, but immediately swung it back up -- no weakness! Not now! Not ever! (Was he going to be giving himself diatribes for the rest of his life? Was he really of that sort? Oh, fantastic.)

He had to be resolute and strong. This was a strange land full of strange things. The newcomer wasn't hostile (so far), but that didn't mean there weren't any who would be. He took a small step back and looked the feline in the eyes. "What do I look like?" He asked, guard not entirely down yet, but curiosity insatiable. He wanted something to compare to others, but couldn't see much aside from his paws and tail. Plus, he had no idea if he was big or small (he FELT big, standing next to this grey-furred intruder, but for all he knew they were both freakishly small compared to the natural fauna).

[Aries]

"Vancleef..that's a nice name... I'm Alastair." the feline's ears perked as Vancleef licked his nose, making a slapping sound. The air moved when he dipped his head for a split second, making him flinch slightly. He relaxed once more when the canine lifted his head. Vancleef didn't seem aggressive, a little tense maybe, but he was sure that the canine wouldn't hurt him.

Alastair curled his tail snugly over his paws as the canine stepped back and spoke, confusing him slightly. He wasn't sure how to answer the question. His vision was nothing but an inky black abyss, was he supposed to be seeing something else? Was something wrong with him? He blinked and shook his head. "I don't know." his clouded eyes stared unfocused at the nothingness.

[crumbles]

Vancleef gave Alastair a look, tilting his head in an unmistakably canine way. "All right." He didn't have much else to say on the matter, eyes raising past his head and gazing over the orchard again, making sure there weren't any others around. He blew an annoyed breath out of his nose and peered back down.

"...What do you mean, you don't know? I just asked what I look like. I know I'm dark, but that's it. You're grey and striped. I mean, what colour are my eyes? Yours are light blue, and all...er...you can see me, right?" All his attention was now focused upon Alastair, his own crimson eyes wide with understanding. Blind -- was he blind? If he was, he obviously didn't know it. Maybe he was just really stupid? He almost hoped it was the latter; surely it wouldn't be safe bounding around without seeing your surroundings. He'd get eaten! Or injured! Or eaten! Or both!

"We should..." He wasn't sure what they should do, but they sure had to do something. "Go. We should go."

[Aries]

"All I see is blackness." his ears flicked and he shrugged. "I just assumed it was normal. I guess not, heh." the feline sighed. He didn't want to be some freak, but in the end he really didn't care. If he was to make friends with anyone they'd have to accept he can function fine without his eyes. He sensed the canine's worry and was glad he kept it to himself.

"I think that'd be cool. Can you see what's beyond here?" he shakily rose to his feet and stretched his toned muscles in anticipation for exploring. His senses were still slightly overwhelmed by the scent, textures, and smells. He'd have to get used to it with time, he was getting bored anyhow. Whatever lied beyond the place they were would surely contain more action. He began shakily walking, sliding his paws over the moss to avoid tripping.

[crumbles]

"No," he replied, "there are colours and things and you can...nevermind. You can tell where you're going?" He carefully lowered his twisted paw and stumbled forward. As long as he could walk without bumping into everything in close proximity, it wouldn't be too bad.

"We should see where everyone else is...if there is anyone else." Vancleef had a very offish solitary complex, immediately assuming that he was alone in some aspect or another until proven otherwise. It would be really useful if, y'know, he actually was alone in some aspect or another. He set off just behind Alastair, getting used to walking -- on three legs, no less. He scanned the edge of the orchard, taking a small, clumsy jump onto a flat rock. "I can't see anything that seems different from here, but I guess if we just walk in one direction, we'll have to hit something eventually?"

"Oh," he adds, "those pods -- did you come from one of them, too? The ones that hang off the trees?"

[Aries]

"Um, sort of. I don't know what's past here, but I can tell if anything is in front of beside me." he made a clicking noise as he slid forward. The echos made a different sound if they hit something. He still had to be careful about where he placed his paws, as he couldn't hear holes in the ground.

"Is there something different about you, too? Your steps sound weird." the canine's steps sounded as if he didn't have one of his paws. Maybe it was just being off balance, but he didn't think that was it. "Yeah. There's gotta be something more, and others out there. We can't be the only ones. There's canine and feline scents all over this place." he picked up the pace slightly, getting used to his legs.

"Yeah, I came from over there." he backtracked his steps in his mind, finally pointing behind him and over to the right a bit with his tail, where an ivy covered tree stood with a shredded pod at its roots.

[crumbles]

Vancleef just nodded at him, figuring that was that. If he couldn't see, he could probably make up for it with other talents. His fur bristled a bit at the clicking sound and he looks around, searching for the bug that made it. When his efforts turned unfruitful, he snorted and picked up his pace.

"Yeah, I think so. One of my paws is just sort of..." He casted a glance down at it, hanging sadly just above the grass. "It's not a big deal, I can still walk without it. Run, too, probably. Maybe. Let me see." It would be pretty bad to find out he couldn't later on when they were getting chased by a furious cavemonster. His ears flicked and he gave it a try, turning his brusque hobble into a slow lope, keeping near to Alastair but giving him enough room to pick up speed. He had to put all of his weight on his front right paw, giving him a predilection to turn that way. He jogs a wide clockwise oval around the feline, making sure his path was clear and the dead weight of his leg wouldn't be a hindrance. Finally, he slows down, padding back up to Alastair. His tongue hangs out as he catches his breath.

"So, if we came from the same kind of pods, we must be the same. And there must be others like us around here, or nearby -- the apple never falls far from the tree." Apparently being born gave you access to a wide range of figurative language.

[Aries]

"Ay, okay." Alastair stopped walking as the canine ran around him. He was tempted to try out his own limbs, but he decided he'd be better off not getting hurt by tripping over something. He began trotting again as the canine slowed down next to him, breathing heavily as he caught his breath.

"Right. They must have wandered to whatever's beyond here like we're doing right now." he paused mid sentence to make clicking noises in several directions and trotted more confidently when he assessed that there was nothing in the immediate area to run into by mistake. The feline hoped whoever they might meet along the way wouldn't be out to eat them or something.

[crumbles]

It took a few minutes, but yes, the revelation did eventually hit him. "You're making those noises? What?" His voice raised incredulously above it's typical floor-height pedestal. "How? Why?" Luckily, his competitive nature won over and he attempted to replicate the sound before he could ask any more questions. He failed; the noise produced was very akin to a retching armadillo or a pterodactyl struggling with indigestion. He gave up promptly afterwards, nose scrunched up with distaste. "I - I thought it was a bug." The amount of dignity he managed to preserve during the entire fiasco was wholeheartedly impressive.

"When you first dropped out of the pod, did you stop and think about who you were? Why you were here?" Oh, boy, here we go. "I mean, of all things, we ended up alive and intelligent creatures -- defective, sure, but still alive and intelligent. We could've been -- I dunno, birds. Or swapped. What if I was a feline and you were a canine? Life energy is a funny thing."

[Aries]

"It lets me hear what's around me." he clicked again. "See, there's a tree over there. Or at lest something shaped like a tree." Alastair pointed with his tail to the tree a few yards to the left with spot on accuracy. He chuckled as the canine tried to mimic the clicking sound, failing miserably. Maybe the instinct to make the noise was special to him because he didn't have the sight to see anything, and thus had to "see" with his ears.

"No, not really. I thought about how boring my pod was before it dropped though. We are what we are, it was a low chance of us ending up what we are, but that's not changing anytime soon as far as I can tell. I'd hate to morph into a mouse one day." he snorted. He really didn't think about much until after he encountered the canine.

[crumbles]

Ears lowered in agitation at the laugh, he's caught with a grugding sort of respect after hearing the feline's explanation. "Oh. Very resourceful." His tail wagged a bit with approval as they continue. Eyes following Alastair's tail, he was surprised by the faultlessness of his method. That was a pretty treeish tree. "Impressive. I wish I had some sixth sense to make up for this stupid paw." He feebly unfolded it from his side for a moment, but its freedom didn't last long. "Like an extra back leg. Or wings. Or something."

"I guess the pod did get a little tedious. I mean, this is lot less comfortable, but at least I'm aware that I exist." He dropped the subject there, cut off by a voracious rumbling in his stomach at the mention of mice. "Maybe once we get out of here we should look for something to eat." If it got that bad, they could just eat the grass. Still, a mouse sounded leagues more appetizing.