Breaking Free (Open)

[Deleted]

Comfort was all she knew. All she ever had known. Light, dark, time, emotion...all sensations other than comfort and safety eluded her, far from the grasp of her undeveloped mind. That mind eventually did develop, however, as did the rest of her body. She grew - or her world shrank - and the sensation she had come to know as safety now registered as confinement in her mind. Her limbs scraped against the walls of her world, and her baby-sharp teeth stabbed at its edges. Her efforts were for naught, and her tail swished in frustration. She needed out! She needed free! She needed--

--Wait...

Was the world moving?

Something tugged at the world. Something outside, beyond existence. Something powerful. Her tiny body moved along with her prison, and her young heart lurched as her stomach clenched, threatening to expel its nonexistent contents.

It was...fun...

Then her world dropped, and she experienced a moment of disorienting weightlessness before the prison hit..something...and she crashed a moment later, miraculously safe despite the distance

A shaft of light penetrated her prison, and she scratched at it, seizing her opportunity for freedom. Her claws pulled against the edges of the hole the fall had formed, enlarging it until it was easily big enough for her to squeeze through. Once she was out of her old world - an odd plant thing, she discovered when she beheld the outside of the prison and the trees around her - her gaze drifted over the landscape, marveling at the vastness of it all. There was so much to see, and no two things were the same. Even the trees - the one next to her heavy with ivy, leaves, and massive fruit and the ones nearby sporting other features she'd come to know as thorns and blossoms - had their differences, and the scents... Everything seemed to be doing its best to try and overwhelm her inexperienced senses. It was magical, beautiful, beyond comprehension, and she wanted to learn everything she could about everything she saw.

She just had one problem: where should she start?

[Meesh]

Sleeping was fun.

It was needless to say Silva liked napping. Warm, peacefull, quiet. Well, at least until a pod fell not three feet away from her, splitting open with a loud crack. Silva leapt to her feet, fur fluffed up in surprise before she realized what she had just been sleeping under- a pod! She yipped happily, immediately walking over to sniff the young feline- female, from the scent of it- that had just tumbled out of her pod. She was grey, grey and white, a pattern marking Silva had not seen before. "Hello there little one" she said, tail beginning to wag at the site of another new friend. "Welcome to the world!"

[Deleted]

((Sorry it's a bit rushed. Dad came home early and I have to get ready to go for a bit.))

A yip caught her attention, and she turned to see what had to be the largest creature in existence. The creature walked over and sniffed her, and she blinked curiously before imitating the action. Was this how she was supposed to greet others? She supposed she could try it...if there were others, anyway. And why wouldn't there be? If she existed, and this goliath (compared to her, anyway) existed, then it only made sense that there should be more.

The other creature spoke, and it occurred to the feline that she understood the meaning of those sounds and that she could make them, too. Along with that realization came the knowledge of the fact that she knew so many more words besides what had been said. She could do more than imitate the creature - she could express her own thoughts! She wondered what other knowledge her mind contained, waiting to be unlocked. That would have to wait, though. The creature - canine, she now knew - had spoken to her, and it was only polite to respond.

"Thank you." Wow speaking felt weird. She supposed she'd have to get used to it. She looked between the canine and the tree. "Did you just fall from the tree, too?"

[Meesh]

Silva grinned as her action was imitated by the tiny feline, tail wagging harder. She crouched down until she was on the same eye level of the little creature, and offered a friendly smile. Wow, had she really ever been that small? Well, perhaps not that small, Silva reflected, since canines were larger than felines, but still, this little female was pretty tiny.
At the feline's first words, Silva opened her mouth in a smile. "I fell from a tree, but a very very long time ago. My name is Silva. What's yours?" pausing, the canine added. "Your name is what you think of when you think of yourself- who are you?" Wow, she sure was cute.

((That's fine Ree :3))

[Deleted]

She didn't know why, but the large canine was exceedingly happy. Surely it wasn't her presence that caused such a reaction. Not unless the canine was somehow related to her, but the feline didn't think so. Instinct or intellect - she couldn't distinguish between the two - told her that relatives would likely share her shape and have a similar scent, and neither was the case here. Whatever the reason, she was thankful that the creature was friendly. She was sure she'd never be able to beat something so large in a fight if it came down to it.

Will I ever become larger?

The canine stated that she fell from a tree a long time ago and then gave her name - Silva. It was pretty, and she wished she had one like it too.

Maybe I do... She thought hard, trying to find the name she was meant to have. When Silva explained how to find her name, a word occurred to her, which brought with it the image of a wavy line of flowing water.

"...River," she said after a moment. "I think I'm called River."

[Meesh]

"River" Silva repeated. "What a pretty name"

----------------------
Meanwhile, nearby, in the Kata-hal tree, another pod was shaking.

Ebony

That was his first thought. His only thought. Before, there had only been darkness and comfort and warmth and peace. Now, a thought resounded in his head. Ebony. He didn't know the word, couldn't comprehend it. His life in the pod had not prepared him for thoughts- for this thought. Ebony.
A new thought registered. Discomfort. Cramped. The podling shifted in discomfort, paws moving of their own accord for the first time, only to find their progress hindered by ...his home. The thing that had alway been a part of him. Again, his paws stretched out, and this time, he felt a responding lurch, accompanied by a falling, falling feeling.

His pod hit the ground with a thud. And for the first time, his eyes opened and he awoke.

Instinct took over then. Pure survival instinct that made his paws unwillingly bash at the crack made by his fall until it grew, and finally split. Instinct that forced him to take a breath of air, and climb, shakily to his feet. And finally, the thought, that one thought that had been nagging at him since his mother tree chose to release him took affect.

Ebony.
He was.
I am.
Ebony.

"Ebony" The feline said aloud, climbing to his feet. "Ebony"

[Deleted]

"Thank you." It made her happy that the canine thought her name was pretty. Even if it hadn't been her name, it was now, she supposed. It had better be a good one. As far as she could tell, it was, though she had no idea why a name like River should belong to her, of all creatures. Perhaps she would find that out later.

On the subject of finding things out, it occurred to her that she could ask the canine what she was supposed to do now that she was out of the pod. She hadn't even opened her mouth when movement caught her eye and she jumped back, a pod falling not far from where she had just been. She stared wide-eyed as a crack formed and widened and another feline appeared - more alike and different from her than the canine, in different ways. It was strange. How much variety was there among intelligent creatures?

She blinked as the male spoke. "Ebony?" Was that his name?

[Meesh]

He paused. It was only now that his newly formed mind began to connect what he had said and what he knew, that the noise he made corresponded with his name- himself- and belonged to no one else. His golden eyes skimmed the area, taking in the information that his mind began relaying him at lightning speed. Tree, Flower, Bird. It was strange how much he already knew about this world, so soon after....after...awakening? Hatching? Yes, that was the word.

Noise hit his ear and they twitched of their own accord, turning to the direction of the voice. There was another...someone, there. Someone who was a lot like him, but something was different. Female the word seemed to pop into his head. Feline. Female.. He paused a moment, looking at her, mouth opening to relay the words he did not know how to say. Finally, the correct one popped into his head and he sighed with relief. "Hello" he said aloud, dipping his head in greeting. "Ebony is- I am- I am Ebony." The words were a bit stuttered at first, but he soon grew to get the hang of speaking- it was a way to convey what he was thinking to others, which was useful.

He hardly noticed Silva until she moved, having only had paid attention to the feline in front of him. When she turned her head to look at him, he gasped, astounded by her immense size. Canine his mind instantly told him, but there was something nagging at the back of his mind as well, that this canine was not like others. Surely no one could even exist in that impossible size! He froze a moment, staring at her, before edging- practically imperceptibly, towards his fellow feline. "Who are you- you two?"

[Deleted]

River waited as the male looked around. She didn't particularly like waiting, but she knew how it was to be new. She was new herself, after all. Eventually, he seemed able to speak again, and he uttered a greeting, followed by his name. She nodded to him, disregarding the awkward sentence. He'd get better with practice, she was certain. ""Hello. I'm River."

His attention shifted to Silva, and she stepped aside so she could see both easily at the same time. She purred as she watched his reaction, amused and relieved that she wasn't the only one shocked that someone so large existed. "That's Silva. I think she's friendly."

[Meesh]

Silva chuckled at the introduction. "Yes, I am Silva" she said, bending down to lick both the felines on the head. "And I sure hope I'm friendly!" Ebony looked up at the large canine. "Why are you so big? Is it because you're a canine and I'm a feline?" he looked over to River for supposed. "We're the same size- ah, and it's a pleasure to meet you" He didn't know where the odd formality came from, only that it made him dip his head in greeting, then draw himself up to his full height. "Are you newly hatched as well ,Madam River?"

Silva flicked an ear in response to his question."When I left the orchard, I evolved" she began. "Which means I got bigger and stronger. It happened twice to me, actually"

"Oh?" River turned his head to the side in curiosity. "This evolving sounds like an interesting concept"

[Deleted]

River blinked as the canine touched her head with her tongue. That was...interesting. She knew on instinct that she was to do that with her own pelt to groom it, but the concept of licking anyone else was alien to her. Maybe it was a canine only thing, or something that creatures more social than her liked to do. She wasn't about to complain, though.

The other feline then asked if she was newly hatched as well, calling her...madam? She wasn't sure what she thought of that, but she let t go for now. There were more important things than worrying about formalities, here. "I suppose I am. I fell from the tree just a bit ago." Not very long ago at all, though she didn't know how to convey an exact amount of time.

She blinked when Silva mentioned her evolutions. "Do all creatures evolve?" To be bigger and stronger than she was now...she liked that idea.

[Meesh]

Silva shrugged. "So far, only a few of us have evolved, and most have all been members of the pack I'm in- Starpack" Silva paused, wondering how to explain this new concept. "A pack is a group of friends who lived together" she explained, licking both felines on the head once again.
Ebony tilted his head. "Interesting. I think I would rather enjoy being bigger" he mused quietly.
Silva chuckled. "It's nice" she agreed. Well, it seemed like these felines were well settled then. She knew it was more important for the newborns to bond with eachother instea od just her, so after a final nuzzle, she began trotting towards the direction of Maple forest. "Come to the Forest if you ever want to find me!" the canine called over her shoulder, before jumping into the air once, and disappearing with a flash.

Ebony blinked, flicking an ear. "That was interesting. Do you think anyone can do that, or is it just an evolution thing?"

[Deleted]

River listened as Silva explained about evolving, mentioning that most creatures that evolved were part of her pack. Was the secret to evolving being part of a group, then? Maybe...but she couldn't join a group just based on that. That wouldn't be fair to everyone else. Besides, she didn't want to be forever kept from exploring. But then...Silva was free to wander, wasn't she?

Ebony mused about being bigger, and River nodded. She shared the thought, and hoped her own evolution - if she was destined for such a thing - would be soon.

Silva left, telling them to go to the forest if they wanted to find her. River watched her go, and shrugged when Ebony asked about other creatures being able to do that. "I wouldn't even know how to begin trying. Do you have any ideas?"

[Meesh]

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[atrb=background,http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t459/Meeshdragon/Ebonybackground.png] Ebony shook his head in response to River's question. "I wouldn't even know where to begin- I wish she could have stayed around so we could have asked her" he looked down at his paws in consideration, then back up at a nearby tree. Closing his eyes, he wrinkled his face up, concentrating as hard as he could on appearing there. After a few seconds, he opened one eye. Nothing had changed. "Well, that didn't work" He gave his coat a few quick licks sheepishly. "I was trying to teleport" the feline explained. A sudden pain in his middle made him lurch. Hunger. Belly his mind whispered, and the feline's ears perked. Food. Eat His mind said again. "Uhm, I'm getting a bit hungry. Perhaps we can find something to eat, Madam? I think there's food- prey" he corrected himself at another whisper form his mind. "Nearby, if we can just find it"

[Deleted]

She nodded when he said he wished she'd stay so they could ask. It would have been nice, but maybe it was for the best. The first creatures had to learn everything on their own, so why shouldn't they? Surely the two of them were smart enough. Besides, she did like to be independent, for the most part.

Ebony concentrated and she watched, head tilted to the side. Was he trying to teleport? It...wasn't going very well. He opened an eye and then began grooming, confirming what she'd suspected. "Well, it was worth a try."

Then he lurched. She took a step, intent on steadying him, but he seemed to have recovered so she stepped back. He then suggested they find food. She nodded to that. "Where at? And it's 'River'. I'm hardly old enough to be 'madam' to anyone."