Wanderings (Open to Anyone)

[Deleted]

Life was quickly becoming routine for Nerah, even if it changed twice a year. She thought she’d learned the patterns. There was a time for resting and hunting with her pack, and there was a time for exploration and observing new life. Even in the peaceful time, she always made a point of checking on the orchard, so she could see when the pods started forming. That was the signal that things were about to get exciting every year. Beyond that, she and Silva had made a habit of coming by every now and again to greet whatever newborns they could find.

Her spirits lifted as she padded into the orchard. The pods had been growing for the past few days, but now they looked ready to burst! Maybe now was the time to start exploring again. There were parts of the world she had not yet visited but wanted to. She could find some newborns and explain the basics of life and then teleport somewhere random, or she could just enjoy her stroll through the orchard. Or maybe something completely unexpected would happen. As eager as she was to get back to the excitement of things, she had no idea what to focus on first.

It would depend on what creatures she came across, she supposed. If she was lucky enough to meet someone.

[Poke]

Fear was the first thing that he felt. This encasement that had felt so comforting for so long suddenly felt as though it was closing in on him — as though he was trapped. The gentle warmth was suddenly smouldering. His jaw ached to open. His legs ached to stretch. The blueish creature shifted. The pod seemed to buckle under his immense weight, as though the bulk it had easily held was now too much. Another small motion, and it gave up. The capsule dropped from its tree and met the ground with a clump, opening up to allow its contents to abandon it.

But he had changed his mind. He no longer wanted to leave its safe embrace. This was all he knew. He wasn’t giving it up. Leaving the pod meant leaving his protective cage. It meant entering existence. But what was scarier? Existing or not existing? His loud gasps that he hadn’t noticed before quietened. The thought brought him to a stop. He didn’t know the answer.

He reached out one large paw, eyes squeezed shut. Despite them being closed for so long, it was now an effort to stop them from opening up. After a few moments of feeling the air with his paw, the canine came into contact with something solid. Earth. He recoiled at first, reached out again and clumsily tumbled out of the pod. He lay there in the grass on his back. The urge to open his eyes was too much. His eyelids parted to expose two golden almonds to the air. They widened at the sight of the tree that loomed over him, its bark like charcoal and its blossoms like snow. Of course, these things he had yet to come into contact with.

The eyes rested on the tree, then wandered to the pod. Fer pondered returning. It was impossible. The vessel was now far from its branch and was barely able to hold his sizeable body. His sizeable body that he had yet to become acquainted with. Fer wriggled onto his side, eyes hesitantly searching his surroundings. He didn’t know if he could get up, and he didn’t want to. He had already done too many new things at once.

Bright eyes stopped at a mottled creature. Fer watched it for a while. It didn’t look new. It looked as though it knew what it was doing. He didn’t want to call out to it. Or did he? He didn’t know. There were a lot of things he didn’t know. Too many. Should he call out to it? Fer didn’t want to. He didn’t know if he could. He didn’t want to find out. He was too tired from the new sensations. But he should ask it for help. He felt as though he should. ”Um…” He stopped. The voice was so quiet. It probably couldn’t get any louder. He didn’t want it to. ”Hello.” He didn’t know what else to say. Was there anything else?

[Deleted]

She heard rather than saw it, but she’d been here so many times and witnessed so many births that she knew what that thudding meant. Nerah bounded to the left, heading for the pod that had freshly fallen from the tree. Oh, how she’d missed this! She loved meeting the new creatures. It reminded her so much of her own start in life and made her think of all the things that had happened to her thus far…mostly good stuff.

Eventually, she spotted the pod laying where it had fallen. From there, it wasn’t hard to see the newborn. Blue-gray wasn’t a color that blended in easily in the orchard. That was fine – it didn’t need to. The orchard was a safe place. Well…except for that one year when the world got sick, but that was a long time ago.

The canine spoke to her, and she smiled, wagging her tail. Newly born and already he could talk! This one was a fast learner. Well…faster than she’d been. She’d learned to walk a while before talking, and she only tried talking because there were others there born at the same time.

“Hello!” she greeted cheerfully. “Welcome to life! I know everything must be overwhelming for you right now, but you get used to it rather quickly.” She sat down, hunching over a bit. There was a time when she was around the same size as the newborn, but that was long, long ago. She’d been through two evolutions since then and towered over pretty much everyone she met. Some creatures were fine with that, but some were scared by her, so she’d learned to try and make herself appear non-threatening despite her size.

“My name’s Nerah,” she said after a moment, remembering that she hadn’t yet introduced herself. “Do you have a name yet? It’s okay if you don’t. Some creatures know what to call themselves as soon as they first wake up, but other creatures need a bit more time.”

[Poke]

There is a difference between being small and being far away. As the other creature approached, her overwhelming size became apparent. She was many times Fer’s size, and even as she sat and hunched over a wave of nerves hit him. She could easily crush him — with her jaws or with her body. She could smother him with her tail or paws. He felt like an ant, and squirmed a bit, eyes stuck to the grass. His tongue ran along his teeth to find two particularly long fangs. They were too long to fit in his mouth, and poked out from his lips no matter how he tried to keep them hidden. Fer’s dark nose wrinkled.

His fears seemed to be proven illogical as she spoke with a bright and welcoming tone. The words, however, took a moment to process. Once his mind had assigned meanings to them, Fer rolled to his stomach to allow himself a better view of the other canine. He forced his eyes to examine her face. He couldn’t see any ill will as he analysed her — she seemed kindly and sincere. But the worry still hadn’t left him. Her swishing tail could make one wrong move and snuff out his short life. It came to Fer’s attention that he was no longer opposed to the idea of living, and even feared its end.

Nerah’s introduction brought a new concept into his mind. A name. Fer’s brow furrowed. The meaning of a name was in his mind — it is a word that is entrusted to you early in life. It is a word that you use to identify yourself with. It doesn’t even have to make sense. But he didn’t have one. Not yet. ”I don’t think I have one.” His gaze drifted, avoiding her eyes.

The way her legs folded under her when she sat looked comfortable. The grass was soft, but it tickled Fer’s belly whenever he moved. He decided to replicate her position. He pushed off the ground weakly with his forelegs, lifting off the ground shakily before slipping back down. Another attempt, another unsteady failure. His limbs disobeyed him. He trembled like a fawn. Giving up, he returned to his original stance closer to the ground.

Fer’s low ears perked at the mention of “other creatures”. There were more living things than just him and Nerah. He peeked back up at her. She appeared ready to explain the world to him. ”Are all the other creatures as big as you are?” He didn’t want to be a miniature in a land of giants. Though it would make hiding easier.

[Deleted]

The newborn seemed confused, or at least a bit disoriented. Probably from the fall. She didn’t blame him. Her first memory was waking up outside her pod – she’d apparently been asleep when it fell, so her body didn’t need the time to adjust. She had no idea how she slept through falling and everything that came after, but did it matter? She’d lived, she was healthy, and she got to help others now that she had experienced a good bit of the world and its quirks.

The male rolled to his stomach and looked at her, his eyes resting on her face. She grinned wide, tongue lolling out. She did her best to keep her fangs at least mostly tucked under her lip, though. Those were meant only for prey, and she didn’t prey on anything intelligent enough to talk.

His brow furrowed at the mention of names. His gaze drifted as he stated he didn’t have a name. She shook her head. “That’s perfectly fine! You can make one. I didn’t have a name when I first came out either…I think. I didn’t really even know words for a while. I met two other canines – that’s what we are – and a feline – another kind of creature – and we greeted each other and learned from there. If I remember right, names and everything important evolved from there.” Did she remember right? That was so long ago…

The male moved like he was trying to sit up. He seemed to be having trouble with it, and she watched intently. Did he need help? How could she help? Should she offer, or was this something that he needed to learn himself? But her own attempts at everything had been clumsy at first too, hadn’t they? “You’ll get the hang of it. Moving takes some tries to master.”

He then asked if other creatures were as big as her, and she shook her head. “Actually, most creatures are around your size. I used to be your size, too. There’s this thing called ‘evolution’ that happens to us. It grows us and changes our shape a little. Can’t tell you when it’ll happen, though. It seems to vary between creatures. My best friend and I grew very quickly and pretty much around the same time. One of our other best friends has had an evolution too, but his took quite a while.”

[Poke]

At each piece of new information, Fer nodded his head, soaking it in. At least he now knew what he was — a canine. He would have to look at himself in a puddle later and see how similar he was to her. He could already see that his fur was a shade of blue-grey, with long claws attached to each paw. Fer wondered what the rest of him looked like.

Once more, he attempted to sit. The canine tilted to the side, supporting himself with his forelegs, and rose himself to his haunches successfully. Fer settled in that position. His tail wiggled in celebration. Though Nerah still towered above him, the newly gained height made her image less intimidating.

At the mention of evolution, Fer pawed lightly at the ground, head lowered. ”I probably won’t evolve,” he said in a low, reserved tone. He struggled to sit, let alone stand. His negative outlook towards life assured him of his mediocrity. Fer asked himself if he would make friends, like she did, but it was already difficult enough to speak with someone. His expectations were as low as his head.

[Deleted]

Fer nodded as she spoke, and she hoped he understood. He seemed to, but she never did know how much of what she’d learned was easy to understand and what required life experience. Having relatively new additions to her pack didn’t help, for some reason. Seraphi and Shadow picked up on things very quickly with three older creatures to teach them.

Well…he’d learn everything eventually.

The male attempted to sit again. This time he succeeded. Nerah wagged her tail. She was glad to see him able to sit up. Walking would come quickly enough, and then he’d have access to much of the world. Maybe all of it, someday.

His head then lowered, and he said that he probably wouldn’t evolve. Her tail stopped wagging and she frowned at that. “You could. You’re still very young.” She tilted her head to the side. “First thing to focus on should probably be getting familiar with the essentials of life. Once you get to where you can stand and walk, you’ll be able to experience almost everything.”

[Jair]

A pod on the other side of the tree from the two canine's below twitched ever so slightly before going still for a few moments. Then, just as suddenly as before it twitched once more. The creature inside was waking, rather violently at that. It thrashed around, gasping for air on the inside only to gulp down the protective and nourishing juices that had contributed to its growth in the past. With one great kick the pod was released from the tree and dropped behind the tree, out of sight of the Newborn Aboriginal and the massive Absconding Canine. A loud thud and the sound of the pod opening. What followed was the sound of liquid being coughed up from the lungs and the first gasp of air from the new creature.

Kaolin lay there for a moment catching her breath, her mind already alight with thoughts and curiosity. The masculine female, now on her back, looked around at the pods on the large tree, instantly recognizing it as the place she had originated from. Oblivious to the pair on the other side of the tree she raised her paws and looked at them. She began to curl and uncurl them several times, taking in the movements they made and the claws that adorned them. The white fur that grew from her paws was blinding in contrast to the pitch black that colored the rest of her body.

This is where she noticed how thick her muscles were. Were all born to look like this? How was it possible to be so toned after having just been born? How did she know her muscles were toned in the first place? Many more thoughts crossed her mind as she stared intently at her paws and legs. This place was rather curious indeed.

[Poke]

Fer nodded once more, though he wasn’t looking forwards to falling on his face once he tried to stand. Talking was much easier than moving around for him. ”Okay.” At least he could now set his eyes on a goal. He had to get used to moving around with this body of his, despite how difficult he found it. He wondered if all creatures have this much difficulty, or if he was just particularly uncoordinated.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a loud thudding noise. He jumped, eyes wide and ears down. He almost fell over, but barely regained his balance. Fer’s head swivelled to find the noise’s source, but none was found. He licked at his fangs nervously, looking back at Nerah. ”What was that?” His tail wrapped protectively around himself, its fluffiness tickling his side.

[Deleted]

The newborn nodded to her and then responded. Nerah gave him what she hoped was an encouraging smile, but before she could encourage him with words a loud thud distracted them both. The poor male had been startled and seemed to be scared, but Nerah had heard that sound many times in her life. Her ears perked, she glanced in the direction from which the sound had come.

“Another pod has fallen,” she answered. “Someone else was just born, or is trying to be.” She gestured to the tree. “It might be good to go greet them.” It would do the stormy-hued canine some good to meet a creature around his age. Maybe teaching them what he’d learned so far would give him a boost of confidence. That, and she never could leave the newborns to deal with life alone. She’d been okay, but she’d found her companions soon after her birth, and she knew that not all creatures were so lucky. She took a couple steps around the tree, purposefully stepping on a twig as she moved. She wanted the newest life to know that something was nearby so they wouldn’t be startled.

[Jair]

Kaolin could barely hear, the sound around her was muffled, almost as if it was traveling through water. The conversation between the two canines was lost to her, in fact she couldn't even hear it adequately enough to know it was any different from the surrounding noise of the Orchard. As the great Absconding Canine walked over Kaolin slowly and clumsily attempted to roll to her feet. It took her a few tries but she was able to stand on wobbly legs. If her muscles hadn't already been so defined she was certain this would not be possible yet.

A twig snapped, yet she did not hear it for reasons mentioned earlier. The masculine female began scratching at her ear and some liquid began to drip out. She only now realized she was drenched in the stuff. The newborn sniffed at her coat causing her to sneeze. It cleared her nose and made it much easier to smell things, so she sniffed it again. For some reason the word sweet came to her mind. Curious, she licked some of the juice off her fur, the same word as before flashed before her mind's eye. It tasted great! At least she thought so. But it was clogging up her ears and making her start to feel cold. So, she shook.

The life giving liquid that had, at this point, surrounded her form her entire life flew off in every direction. Her dark fur shook violently from side to side, first from her head and progressing slowly towards her tail before stopping entirely. When she was finally done she could hear, and smell, and feel the wind without it chilling her to the bone. Her senses suddenly exploded at the sheer volume of stimuli that assailed them. She wasn't sure what to do, she looked in every which direction in order to place any sound she could hear, every smell! But, what made her stand still was what she saw coming around the corner of the tree. Right around the bend was a massive creature, much bigger than herself. Kaolin's ruby red eyes stared, like a deer in the headlights, at the creature. Hoping, almost praying, that it was a good sign of things to come.

[Poke]

To think that he would witness new life arriving, just as his had just moments ago, was exciting but nerve-wracking. Fer debated with himself whether or not to go to it, but as he watched Nerah go to greet the newborn, he took that as his cue to follow. He couldn’t risk losing her guidance yet. Fer brought his body up to a standing position. He was definitely steadier than he had expected. He forced his grounded paws to lift. Flinching at the sound of the twig crunching, he caught himself and took his first shaky steps, carrying himself forwards. He stayed rather close to Nerah, unsure of what to expect. Once he had taken a few steps, Fer peeked cautiously at the new arrival.

She, like Nerah, had a rather strong jaw and a more masculine build, but she was much darker in colour. She seemed very sturdy and strong, like one of the trees standing in the Orchard. Her muscles were a threatening sight. But the most terrifying moment was when her burning eyes turned to look at them (or rather, at Nerah). Fer’s tail hid behind him, just as he hid behind Nerah.

[Deleted]

The male seemed nervous, but she thought she heard him following her. That was a good sign. And hey – he was walking! He was learning fast. It wouldn’t surprise her to see him evolved at least once the next time they met. If there was a next time. She hoped so. It was rare when she managed to meet the same creature twice. When that happened, it was either her pack or former mate. To see a newborn that she had guided and find out what became of them would certainly be a nice reward.

The newborn female rolled to her feet as Nerah approached. It was a clumsy effort, but at least it was successful. Nerah wagged her tail and panted, doing her best not to let her teeth show. Her friendly nature didn’t change the fact that her mouth was full of sharp, pointy things that could and had crushed bone, even if the bones in question typically belonged to rodents and birds.

The young female scratched at her ear, gave her pelt a sniff and lick, and then shook, sending liquid flying everywhere. Nerah flinched back, closing her eyes to shield them from the liquid. Once the spray was over, she opened them again and shook her head rapidly to dislodge some of the liquid that had fallen on her.

“Welcome to life!” She barked when she realized the new life was now looking at her. She noticed then that the newborn male was hiding behind her and she wagged her tail encouragingly. She supposed she could understand the fear, but there was no harm in trying to make friends with the new female. Maybe the two of them would form their own pack someday, or at least accompany each other until they got the hang of life. Whatever they did, here was an opportunity for them to make their first friend around their own age.

[Jair]

She continued to stare even after Nerah had said hello. Her eyes flitted rapidly between the large absconding canine and the newborn closer to her own size. After a few moments of silence, and the feeling of caution and fear had subsided enough, Kaolin began to sniff the air. Unfortunately her snout was rather unpracticed and not very precise at the moment, so she strained to get any information out of her nose. A look of frustration crossed her face, her first emotion was one of curiosity, the second fear, and the third frustration. Perhaps it was what all newborns felt at the moment of their inception into this world? Or perhaps she was unique? Perhaps the latter train of thought was pretentious? It did not matter.

The dark creature dipped her nose down and poked her neck out towards the two canines in an attempt to focus her nose a little better. After that failed she attempted to take a step forward but, being uncoordinated and unpracticed, instead took a step backwards and fell on her rump with a grunt. A few more seconds of silence, inaction, and ruby red eyes staring intently.

Unintelligible growling and low rumbles escaped from the masculine female's mouth to break the silence. She had attempted to speak but could not get the hang of it yet. So, she tried again to no avail, and again a third time failing. A look of confusion and another of frustration adorned her features as she thought about what she was doing wrong. The look of fear was already gone, perhaps it had been taken by the smaller beast in front of her?

((Sorry this took so long!))

[Deleted]

The newborn female continued to stare at her. Nerah blinked at her, tongue lolling out of her mouth in an attempt to look non-threatening. Eventually, the young female started sniffing, and Nerah could see the frustration in her face. She frowned at that. Being born was a bit overwhelming, wasn’t it? What could she do to help?

The young female dipped her nose down and stretched toward her, and she inched forward a little. She wanted to encourage the newborn without frightening her. Well…more than she already had, anyway. That couldn’t be avoided.

The newborn stepped forward but then stepped back and fell on her rump. Nerah gave her what she hoped was an encouraging smile. “It takes time and practice, but you can do it!” She wagged her tail, willing the little one to try again. If she kept at it, she’d be on her feet and moving in no time!

Then the newborn started to grow and rumble, and Nerah subconsciously took a step back. Had she angered the pup somehow? That certainly wasn’t her intention. But the young canine wasn’t attacking… Was that just an attempt to get used to her body? Maybe… She smiled at the newborn and waited to see what she’d do next.

((Not a problem!))