Onward and Upward [Open]

[Nine]

[OOC: For clarification, Hera has found a small #9 from the Lesser Species List.]


She was only a few hours old, but already the feline had begun a journey away from the trees. The roots had afforded shelter for her as she dried off and adapted to the strangeness of being alive. It didn't take long for the animal's instincts to kick in: a need for food, for proper shelter, for companionship in whatever form that might take. So she had begun an uneasy adventure away from what was familiar and headed towards the unknown.

This was how the newborn arrived at the dried up riverbed; her creamy body growing tired quickly, but there was a tenacity within it. A determination that could not be stopped. She moseyed along the edge of the river, finding that the roundness of the stones was appealing, the varied colors and patterns, even the smell of them - arid, but warm.

While observing a particularly interesting stone (at least to the new eyes of this creature), something else happened. One of the stones moved. At first the feline was surprised; she lifted her head, thrust her ears forwards eagerly, and grew stiff with an instinctual worry. Raising a paw, she sickle-sliced at the roaming stone and missed. 

[Poke]

Having left the safe embrace of his pod and the relaxed atmosphere of the Orchard, Fer finally forced himself to explore. With still wobbly limbs, he stumbled along, following the river’s flow. He made sure to keep a fair distance from its edge, fearing that he’d fall in. The way the liquid swept uninterrupted around the stones and obstacles was unsettling, and, despite its tranquil speed and lack of depth, he foresaw himself being carried away by the water. Every now and again, moss would creep between his toes and give him a slimy shock, leaving him jumping and whining. Fer made sure to avoid the blossoms that littered his path — they could be poisonous.

Distracted by the slippery pebbles, Fer glanced up to see another creature. Her muscles were tense, as though prepared to attack. Immediately, Fer stopped. What if she attacked him? What would he do? He had yet to understand other creatures and their intentions. She swept at the air. A warning? A threat? Blue-grey ears flattened against his head, limbs ready to backtrack. His fur didn’t blend with his surrounding’s bright colours and light greens, and hiding in the river was out of the question. He could never fight anyone. He just had to quietly return without being noticed.

His plan was thrown to the wind when he saw what had actually taken her interest. A sludgy worm-like creature writhing and twisting on a rock. Fer’s ears shot further back. His tail swept between his legs as a strangled yelp left his mouth. If he had known that a creature like that was out here, he never would have left the Orchard. The outside world is a terrifying place.

[Nine]

The movement of the odd new thing held her interest for far long than it should have, but instinct was like that. A feline was often driven towards that which moved although, for the time being, Hera did not know why. The worm-creature wriggled and swirled atop the stones, trying its best to escape her touch. A second swipe missed, a third came close, and when the fourth very nearly grazed the flat-ended tail of the escaping animal, the feline let out a disgruntled huff. When the thing had slithered between the stones and finally found itself safe from her attempts, Hera decided to leave it be. She wasn't the most observant individual and thus, when an odd sound broke through the stillness of the riverbed, she barely paid it any mind; until of course her attention drifted from the worm-thing, and she caught sight of something else new and exciting.

The creature looked like her, but it also didn't. Her pale, sunny eyes locked upon the odd grey-blue of its coat, traced the edge of its appendages in a wordless count, but could not identify it. The animal had four legs like her, a head, ears... But no tail. It was far fluffier and (her eyes grew wide in the next few moments) bigger than her. Immediately she saw him as a threat - some kind of big beastie that would no doubt try to do her harm. The fur of her body puffed and stood on end, while her long tail raised like a static-filled boa. Hera's head lowered as she approached, expectant and nervous, but also very very curious.

[Poke]

Fer begged inside his head for her to take no notice of his presence, to be left too engrossed with her disgusting wormy thing to see him, but no one granted his wishes. He couldn’t stop himself from shivering as her wide face turned to him, light eyes brushing over his body, taking him in. His tongue ran along his fangs. Her analysis was unbearable. Fer’s gaze drifted back to where the squirmy thing had been, but he could no longer distinguish it from the rocks. Remembering the way that she had swiped at it sent another shudder through him. He would be next.

As she slunk towards him, head low, Fer cowered. His legs wouldn’t move. His gaze was trained dutifully on his front paws. He wanted to go back. Living wasn’t as fun as he had thought. It was too scary. Too risky. Finally, his legs moved. He began to back away. She might let him go. He didn’t know if he could outrun her, but he could try. Fer didn’t even know what it was called when a life ended. His back paws suddenly met with wet pebbles. The cream creature’s presence had distracted him from his former fear — the river. With another yelp, Fer slipped into the shallow water with a splash. His heart drummed on his ribs as he scrambled at the water, whimpering. He was going to be swept away in the river’s course. This was the end.

Except it wasn’t. The current was too weak to even shift him, and only his fur swayed in the stream. He bashfully pawed at the stream. It splashed and splattered, but it didn’t hurt. The substance didn’t burn or corrode his skin. It was harmless. But he was uncomfortably wet and his fur felt heavy. With a jolt, he remembered the oncoming threat of the other fluffy creature. He jerked up straight and looked up at the threat, fear in his golden eyes. He felt trapped.

[Nine]

Hera did not know what to expect, but it wasn't this.

The creature was so much bigger than her. Its teeth were jutting from its jaw in such a strange manner that she found herself unnerved - and his claws, they were so long, attached to monstrous paws. One swipe and she'd lose her pretty little head. But the stranger, whatever he was, just stood there. The closer she got, the odder and odder things became; until the entity backed away from her and dipped its rear toes in to the river's shallows. There was another strange sound then, this time clearly coming from the bigger animal, and Hera paused. Her ears remained forward-facing and her expression alert as she watched him - blinking her own big eyes when his golden gaze fell upon her. There was something behind the filigree of his expression that worried her. It wasn't some kind of vile intention, it wasn't anything negative towards her, but there was something there. Something primal she had no name for.

Swallowing whatever nervous energy she may have had, Hera concentrated on her own resolve for a moment - and that was when the realization hit her. This big beast of a creature was afraid of her. How very odd indeed! She didn't do anything to cause this - as far as she knew. The very thought of a burly creature like this being scared of little baby Hera was just... Ridiculous. The nervous energy which had caused her fur to spike and her tail to be lifted instinctively high, dissipated. She took a careful step towards the stranger - and then another, and another, until she was nose-to-nose with him, sniffing eagerly. "Hello!" The feline suddenly greeted, with the pale yellow of her own gaze shining bright.

[Poke]

Fer was taken aback by her sudden closeness. At first, he felt nothing but distress. His heart almost leapt from its boney cage. But her eager greeting brought his frets to halt. Her voice didn’t sound as threatening as he had expected. His eyes climbed up from his paws to hers, up her front legs to her chin, to her nose and then bravely peeked at her yellow-hued eyes. Despite their pale shade, they managed to be as bright as the flowers that were scattered along the river banks. They were earnest, not scheming.

Fer’s mouth opened, and closed, and opened again. He wanted to return her greeting. She didn’t seem as scary as she had moments before, though her curious sniffs made him nervous. "Hello," he said, eyes wavering away from her eyes, focusing on her nose instead. It was easier to look at. Eyes are too eery. Though it seemed as though he was the only one with a problem looking into them.

The large creature paused for a moment, then chanced a quick glance at her eyes. "Are… Are you going to hurt me?" He had to be sure. She was so close, she could easily bite him or scratch him or push him further into the water.

[Nine]

Hurt? Well that was an odd thing to ask. Initially Hera was too stunned to say anything. This passed as quickly as it came though - as her face split in to a big grin, and then through her shining teeth there came a snickering, gleeful laugh. She backed up out of necessity so that she could keep herself stable, but the idea that someone as tiny as her could hurt someone as big as him was just too silly. Of course, she could totally do that if she wanted to. He was big but she was a master warrior - whatever that meant - so perhaps it was right that he fear her. Then again, Hera didn't want to make an enemy out of this big blue boy; he was much too amusing.

'Of course not!" She chortled, snorting obnoxiously through her nose. She stepped away from him a few more times, giving him space, and then beckoned with her excessively fluffy tail for him to come away from the river. It was then that Hera got a brilliant (malevolent) idea. "The only thing that could hurt you is the monster in the water behind you." Her forced sincerity was clearly in jest, but she placed a grave expression upon her face - taking away the mirth that she had previously exposed, and making herself look utterly serious. "I mean, unless you... Want to become its lunch. It likes big fluffy blue things the most, y'know." Hera turned away from him and began to prance across the stones, her words matter-of-fact in their manner, while the rest of her was purposefully nonchalant, as if what she spoke was irrefutable fact.

[Poke]

”M-Monster?” Fer’s panicked voice slid up a few octaves, his hind legs kicking frantically to escape from the monster-infested waters. Forepaws rested on the bank, he made a weak attempt to pull himself out, resulting in a pathetic slide downwards, further into the dark depths. With a new splash and a yap, he tried again, scrambling awkwardly to solid land. Fer lugged his cumbersome weight onto the soil, landing in a soggy heap on the grass. Once grounded, he darted from the edge, powerful claws digging into the earth.

The animal gave himself a vigorous shake, sending a heavy shower of water flying from his heavy mane. He whirled around to face his new acquaintance, crouched in anticipation of the monster’s appearance. He licked his ivories once again, noticed that he was standing near a flower and tottered away from its potentially fatal touch. Fer’s focus returned to the fluffy creature on the rocks. ”What monster? Is he big?” His eyes widened. ”You should get off the stones. What if he jumps out and eats you?” His front paws marched in place anxiously, brow furrowed. Muffled whines escaped from his throat.

[Nine]

The sudden panic that gripped the dog was entertaining to the feline, who watched with rising pleasure as the cumbersome beast flailed and struggled. It wasn't as mean spirited as one would believe: Hera was entertained by the splashing water more than Fer's emotional upheaval, and she surely did not mean him any true harm. There was no monster after all. Then again, she was still just a newborn - a child eager to test the boundaries of the world around her. Plus this would ingratiate the other beast to her, gaining her an ally, and most importantly, his undivided attention.

"Is he big?" The big lug questioned, and as his eyes grew wide, Hera held in the urge to laugh once more.
"Oh, very big." She chimed.
"What if he jumps out and eats you?"
"Pfft, it can't jump, dummy. Everyone knows that."
The sound of her voice grew sharp and condescending, and she shook her head, placing an awed expression on her face.

"It has six heads and too many eyes to count," Fibbed the little weasel of a girl. As she listed off additional traits, her tail tip flicked as if to tally the individual attributes. A twitch for the heads, a twitch for the eyes, followed by her most creative imagining yet: "And it sits in the deep end of the river, in the center, anchoring itself to the bottom with its great big shiny claws. They're bigger than me by a long shot - big enough to grab anyone that it sees getting too close," Oh, this was marvelous fun. Hera began to snicker softly to herself, but once that sensation passed, she was serious again. With a sorrowful tone she added, "Its so big that I'd just be a snack for it, but you'd be perfect!"

[Poke]

Fer’s eyes flickered between her face and the river. He peered tentatively into the water, then pulled back quickly, putting even more distance between him and the monster. His tail was still tucked neatly between his legs, shivering. He didn’t even know that it was possible to have more than one head. The big guy wondered momentarily which one it ate with, then gave his still damp head a little shake. His now trusting golden gaze returned to the feline. She seemed to know much more about the world than he did. The way she held herself looked so mature and confident. To her, he must seem like an inexperienced, bumbling idiot.

He thought back to his first awakening. The seasoned canine that had first greeted him had exchanged names with him. Was that something that mature creatures did? He felt as though he had to prove that he was just as capable as she was, embarrassed by the skittish way he always held himself. If exchanging names was a mature thing to do, then he would do it. ”Um… b-by the way, what’s your name? I think my one’s Fer.” Fer slowly raised from his crouch, sniffing and eyeing the water suspiciously.

[Nine]

As he shuffled away from the water's edge (presumably for good this time), Hera sauntered over to him. He was sniffing at the water as if the fluid itself was the monster. The female wanted to tsk-tsk at him and egg his fears on further, but, she was content with how easily she could control him. It was an empowering feeling. When the stranger suddenly started talking, Hera's broad face turned and her ears shot forwards expectantly. "I'm called Hera," the girl chimed, and then a curious gleam caught in her moon-eyes. "I'm the princess of the river. How fortunate that I found you before the monster!"

[Poke]

His blue head titled to the side, eyes wide. "Really?” he asked in wonder. "C-cool!” Fer regarded the feline with renewed awe. He wasn’t really sure as to what it is that princesses do, but the title was enough to leave him excited. His tail snuck out from between his legs to wag at the air, causing his body to sway gracelessly from side to side. How lucky it was for him to meet with a princess. She probably knows all about the area. These thoughts made him relax, forgetting all about the stress of seeing her for the first time. "Does that mean that you’re in charge of the river?”

[meixiaotian]

As Dragonfly walked along the river searching for a good spot to fish, she hears a couple voices ahead. The reptile began to walk faster toward whoever was there. She'd spent a long time living on the river, but she hadn't seen anyone new until recently. Suddenly there were more... The ones she'd seen before had been pretty young. Maybe the Orchard was releasing a huge number around this time. It hadn't been doing much for a while, maybe the pods had been maturing to be released in one time. A feline and a canine were by the water, the canine seemed scared of something in there. Had he somehow fallen into the shallow water? He didn't look very wet.

She came up behind the feline to hear her name and her declaration of being princess of the river. She claimed there was a monster somewhere. What? She'd been by this area of water and there hadn't been any monster. She glanced to the center of the water, where the canine had been staring. There wasn't anything there, never had been. Maybe it was a large fish? As she came closer, she shook her head at the blue-gray canine's question. There had been no evidence of this Hera along the river for the entirety of Dragonfly's stay. Maybe she was telling some sort of a story... She really didn't know, so she decided to be polite first and foremost.

"Hello, I'm Dragonfly and who are you? I didn't know there was a monster around here." She'd figure out what was happening soon enough.