[open] THE EARTH, THE EARTH

[mysteryfaith]

The first thing he hits is his name; earth. He knows this, in his small, simple mind; perhaps the reason that fate chooses his name to be Orad is because of this event. But everyone hits the ground when they fall from the tree, don't they? So perhaps it is deeper than that. He doesn't know. He doesn't care.

So this is life! The sweet air that he has sucked once, twice, three times into his lungs fills him with a strange sense of being; this is what everyone else does, and now he gets to do it, too. It's nice, being down here with the others. Well, it's nice being.

Orad's shell - the shell that has protected him against all types of weather, the shell that he has grown in, the shell that has just fallen and cracked against the earth with a sickening thump - is crumbling away now, revealing him to the world. He takes a very deep breath as his stale air is replaced with crisp night air; it stings his nose a little with its icy sharpness, but that is perfect. Just perfect.

In his mind, he sees himself running; he sees himself leaping, squealing, dancing (as best a feline can), rolling . . . these pictures flit like butterflies in his fickle mind, filling him with a melancholy kind of excitement. Finally, he can do these things! Yet, with all of this joy comes the sad part: he is alone, and perhaps this is all he will ever be.

This frightens him. In the tree, he wasn't conscious; he wasn't aware that he was alone, would be born alone, would face his first steps alone. He was rather under the impression that once he fell from the tree, his shell would crack and he would immediately see someone to spend his life with. Even at this young, impressionable age, he felt he needed someone at his side. He is a hopeless romantic, and has been since the word go; he can't tell whether this is a good or a bad thing.

Now, though, any company would be good - he is alone, on a sweet, warm evening, and even if he doesn't find his true love today, he would like to find a friend. He is lonely - desperately, desperately lonely - and with that kind of solitude comes an air of self-pity. Orad doesn't want to pity himself, because he doesn't deserve it; there are far more creatures out there that deserve pity than him. He would be wasting pity on himself, quite frankly; it would be best for someone to come along now and help him understand what he's fallen into, this strange, mixed-up world, rather than him slowly sinking into a guilty kind of self-pity.

[tymid]

Through the orchard came bounding a chocolate-pelted canine, and in front of her, a small cloud of Hoppers. The look on her face was a fine description of pure ecstacy, and her leaps were more graceful and steady than they had been previously. Still, as her silhouette bounded merrily through the grass, there were times that she looked like a flailing, wounded creature. "Hopper! Hopperhopper!" she cried in between leaps, pausing only to pant heavily and seek her next target. From her muzzle dangled the leg of an unfortunate Hopper she had already devoured, and she was getting tired, despite her energetic nature. However, her smiling, panting mouth shut, and her ears swivelled forward as a new scent touched her nares. The aroma was sweet, and fresh...much the same aroma she had encountered when she had first sprouted from her pod. Her nosetip twitched as she scented the air, one ear falling lazily to the side as she attempted to find where the scent was coming from. It was nearby, that much was certain. As she looked around and saw the shadows of fallen pods underneath the vast trees that made up the Orchard, she saw none that moved, or even looked like it had any life left. There were only shells, cracked remnants of the life-holding pods that she herself lived in until the time of her recent birth. A Hopper floated in front of her nose, as though teasing her to chase it to its doom, but she paid it no mind. She took a few tentative steps forward, sniffing the grass to see if the scent-owner had walked by. Her nose wrinkled in dismay as she discovered that she could not find the scent trail, which meant that whomever she was seeking had probably just sprouted. "Hello?" she asked softly, taking a few tentative steps into the trees. She squinted, the deep darkness of the night inhibiting her sight. However, slight movement caught her eye, and her quick head turned to face it, her tail wagging amiably. A soft, gentle whine escaped her as she cautiously approached the small lump of a creature. She hoped it was friendly. "Is...anyone there?" she queried, her banner still waving behind her in excited curiosity. As she came closer to the lump of cracked pod, she paused in her footsteps, her eyes widening at what she saw. There was...a new creature, something she had never seen before. It had fur, like she did, and it breathed and...came from a pod, but it was not like her. Its muzzle was shorter than hers, and its overall stature was smaller. She slowly fell to her haunches, sitting and looking curiously at the creature. For some reason, she felt as though this was not a creature to eat, or even contemplate eating. It was...curious. tagged, Orad words, 487 notes, Whisper's first kitty encounter.

[mysteryfaith]

Orad's eyes widened as he saw the strange creature approach him. Large, he thought after a moment of panic, but not intimidating. Orad soon came to realise that this creature - this strange, furry thing - was not like him, and would never grow to be like him . . . however, he felt that they were connected somehow. Ah! They were both alive! That was the key; simply by living, they were practically related to each other.

Orad took in another deep scent, and realised that the smell he had inhaled - something rather sweet to his nose, other than the cool night air - was something entirely different to his own. The scent of this strange creature wasn't completely different to his own, but there was something about the large, furry thing that seemed vitally different. He spent a moment pondering with strange difference, until it came to strike him that they were fundamentally separate because this creature was female.

"Female!" Orad squeaked, unable to contain himself; could this be the vision of his future mate, walking into his life so early? He had been born with a sense of love; romantic, he called himself, although some would call him strange. He would spend his life looking for that special someone to complete his puzzle - could this be the final piece? Not five minutes out of his shell, and already a pretty - yet slightly strange - creature had wandered into his life.

"G-good evening," he stuttered; these were his first few words of speech, and it took all of his concentration to put them together, like threading beads on a piece of string. "You are . . . different." She seemed to be older than him - not just hatched from his shell, that was for sure. He liked her original appearance; she was the first creature he had seen, and she was refreshingly different from himself. He could see them together; himself, a feline, and this . . . thing. Was there a name for her type?

"I am feline," he forced out, a wide grin springing to his muzzle; it felt good to say the word, to be able to speak and to know that with every word, he was getting better at it. "What are you?" Perhaps she would say she was not born from the tree - what an exciting tale she might have! She could have been brought from the stars to be by his side, to be with him.

Orad shook his head, trying to expel the thoughts; despite his romantic nature, and his pure hope that this female would be his, he had to control himself. Nothing about this situation was to do with mating, or starting a family; it was to do with love. It was to do with finding a life partner, someone to stand by him and support him no matter what - and yet he wanted a deeper connection that just friendship. He knew nothing about what being mates actually involved, and yet he wanted that experience. He wanted love, from the very moment he was hatched.

It was then that Orad noticed another strange, completely different creature; something that the female had brought, he realised. They didn't share life, and he felt a small pang of sorrow for the little furry thing; it had lost its life somehow, and he felt guilty for being able to live on, for keeping the life that this creature could not. "What is this?" he asked slowly, indicating towards the dead creature with his rich, red tabby tail. "Why is it not living?"

[tymid]

The fuzzy creature squeaked as she sat there, which caused her to jump slightly and boof her tail out in caution. However, as it continued speaking, she inched closer once again. It had a different voice than hers, and he smelled different from the female she had encountered. It...must be a he! Whisper was excited about this new discovery, and as she noticed how shy the creature seemed, the cautious glint to her eyes faded, and her eyes became happy once again, and a slow smile crept across her elegant muzzle. "What a nice thing you are...different, but nice." she soothed, stepping closer to the sap-sticky kitty. "I am a canine, feline. You are different, too. We're both different. Isn't that something?" she quipped, chuckling softly and cocking her head to the side. "We are both alike, however. We both fell from the tree. I fell recently, and was introduced to this world. It's big, and wonderful...and big!" she stated, the smile still lingering on her muzzle. Her eyes darted across his sap-covered figure. She could remember the pain she experienced while trying to pull the little particles out of her fur when it had already dried. "The sap, however...not so nice. Here. Let me help you." she slowly walked over toward him, and began to clean his pelt. She felt proud of herself for doing such a good deed, not knowing that her actions could possibly cause the cat to fall in love with her. She felt that she was helping others, just like she had been helped when she first woke from her pod. As she finished the brief cleaning, she backed away and looked at him. "There now. Much better." she quipped, proud of her handiwork. Of course, now, his fur was all pokey and sticking up due to dog saliva, but at least he didn't have to worry about sticky sap everywhere. The cat then, with a curious, sad face, asked what had died. She blinked curiously, looking around for something dead, but when she retracted her tongue in from its panting position, the Hopper leg caught on the side and entered her mouth. Her eyes widened as she slowly crunched, and smiled sheepishly after she had followed. "Well...that was...a Hopper. They are delicious. I caught it, and I ate it, because I was hungry. Hungry means your belly rumbles and aches, so you...erm...eat things to get better." she responded, trying to remember all that she had learned from the she-dog she had met when she had first sprouted. "Are you hungry? Would you like to go catch Hoppers with me?" she asked softly, her head canting to the side, lazy ear flopping over as per usual. tagged, Orad words, 485 notes, Whisper's making things hard for herself. c:

[mysteryfaith]

Orad was captivated by this strange, wonderful "canine", as she called herself. Not only was she canine, but she was female - a welcoming to this world that confused and excited him. He spent a moment of awkward silence as she washed him; her tongue was warm and sloppy, and not entirely pleasant against his smooth, fresh skin. However, it did get the sticky sap away from him, and that was something; and perhaps it was an expression of fondness for him!

Feeling better (although still slightly damp), the feline nodded eagerly at her. Before setting off, ready to follow her to the end of all ends, he realised they had missed out a vital part of any introduction. He had just been hatched, so he should know very little about the world - but the wonderful tree that had made him had given him all kinds of knowledge, about how he should act and how to speak, how to walk and what to hunt. It had left some vital information out so that he could learn for himself - such as what these 'Hopper' things were - but that just made life all the more exciting! Due to the tree's infinite wisdom being passed on to him, he knew that creatures had names, and he had one to share with this canine.

Orad wondered where his name had come from. It was certainly different, and not one he imagined anyone else having; that being said, the only creature he'd ever met was this one, so he couldn't be sure of what everyone else was called. But something told him that the tree wouldn't be so cruel; despite its leaves and its bark, he was sure it had emotions, too. He was sure that it cared for every sapling it created, every little feline or canine that fell from its branches; it made each one an individual, and so blessed each one with individual names. Wherever his name had come from, he knew the tree had made a good choice - it suited him perfectly, from his sandy face to his red-tipped tail - and he had been aware of it undoubtedly since the moment he had been aware he was alive.

"I must tell you my name," he told Whisper, glowing with excitement from the very prospect of such an adventure. Finally, he was able to put to use some of the skills that the tree gave to him! "I am Orad - it means earth, I think." How did he know this? He didn't know. "The tree gave me this name. What's your name?"

He was happy to feel the sensation of language tripping from his tongue; by now, he had grown accustomed to it, and had become very nearly fluent in the short space of time that he had been able to speak. It amazed him how the tree had given him this wisdom, too; had this canine felt all of these things when she hatched? Maybe it was different for females; maybe they were born without the tree's knowledge, and they had to discover it all themselves. If this was a case, then the canine must be smarter than Orad originally thought - to be little older than him, and already know so much more, even without the tree's significant head-start!

"Will you show me the Hoppers, please?" he asked politely, smiling up at the canine. She really did have wonderfully sparkly eyes; eyes he could fall in love with . . .

[tymid]

Whisper had risen to her feet, ready to set off, when the kitty started talking again. As he spoke, Whisper felt herself flush with embarrassment. She still had much to learn about this world, if she could not even muster the knowledge to ask for a name. She learned that his was Orad, which she thought was a fine name for a feline. "Forgive me, Orad! The thought completely slipped my mind. I am Whisper. It means...to speak in a low, soft voice." she said with an embarrassed chuckle, still mentally reprimanding herself for not getting the basics out of the way. She motioned with her head towards an area with not as many trees, and started plodding off, slowly, so Orad could get his bearings. "Hoppers come out at night...the time of the day when the sun does not shine." she explained, looking down at Orad with a gentle, but excited smile. "Usually, they lay hidden in the grass. They don't really have a smell...but..." She began drifting her paw through the top of the soft grass, passing it back and forth, hopping forward on three legs with every step, so she brushed a new patch of grass with every sweep. After a few brushings of the grass, the large insect Orad would see as his first Hopper leapt from the grass, and with audible wingbeats, fluttered to a new patch. "They're a little difficult to catch, at first...but once you really get into it..." she began, but as she moved to the patch, the flight of the Hopper completely commanded her attention. She began leaping into the air after the Hopper, her shimmering, chocolate pelt glimmering in the moonlight. Her teeth clicked in the air, finding no Hopper within her mouth. She frowned slightly, but her angst was soon dissappated by another (or the same) Hopper taking flight at all the excitement. She laughed heartily, and turned to Orad, crouching into a playful bow. "Come on, Orad! It's fun!" she laughed over to him, and with that, she was leaping and bounding once again, her teeth clicking on mostly air, but every now and then, she got lucky. Soon, there were a flurry of the ugly insects in the air; so many that even the newest sproutling could catch one. They had a delicate taste, like almond, and as Whisper happily crunched, she brought one over to his feet. "Try it! I'm sure you'll love it!" she said happily, before bouncing back off to her own adventure. It was the simple things in life that made the cocoa canine happy, such as catching Hoppers under a starry sky, with a new friend at her side that she could help. She was delighted to make a new friend, and she hoped that he was as intrigued by her as she was him. She had a feeling that this world, in all of its infinite wonder, would bring her many more surprises to come. tagged, Orad/Anyone words, 515 notes, Nope.

[mysteryfaith]

Orad nodded, eyes wide; this was so interesting! Although the tree had taught him much, it could not have taught him what he had to experience to learn; the changes between night and day, and the feeling of friendship. Of course, he would prefer to have the feeling of love - something he felt in the tree and now missed so much his heart physically ached - but friendship came at a close second.

They walked towards where these Hopper creatures must lie - Orad noticed a change in Whisper's movement, as if she was excited for what they were about to experience. Whisper was a pretty name; it rolled easily off his tongue, although happily most words did now, what with his fluent speech. She seemed to leap into action at the sight of a Hopper - her joy was visible. They were certainly chase-able; she seemed to focus all of her attention on them, and flutter after them almost as fast as they could fly with their little wings!

Hearing her many invitations for him to join her, he finally accepted the offer; bracing his muscles tight, still figuring out how to work with them, Orad forced himself forward. At first, his run was a little wobbly; he felt himself rocking on his feet, struggling to keep his balance. Soon, though, he got into it, and was running, sprinting, simply feeling free! With all of this noise from the thundering of his paws, a few Hoppers fluttered up from their hiding places, floating uncertainly above the patches of grass where they had been settled.

Orad let out a slight squeal of joy, and threw himself after them, his small feline body twisting in all directions to try and catch the tiny creatures. They were the first creatures he had seen without fur, and he was fascinated by them; what's more, he was desperate to taste them! This eating experience that Whisper had described seemed more than fascinating; he couldn't wait until one turned at the wrong moment, bumping into his paws as they clasped themselves around it, dragging it down and finally, after a long, tiring stretch of Hopper-hunting, he could dig his teeth into its juicy body . . .

Caught one! With adrenalin pumping through him, he felt the little creature put up a fight - it struggled in his claws, writhing to be free, but it was no match for him. He may have been a small feline, but he was still much bigger than a little Hopper - he felt no mercy for the tiny creature as he pinned it to the dust, for he had not been taught to mercy. As far as he knew, he had caught this Hopper and therefore, he deserved to eat it or play with it however he wished. With this lack of mercy, he was more than tempted to let the wounded Hopper fly free now so that it was easier to catch him again, repeating this process until he was bored.

However, he didn't want to do that; eating intrigued him more than playing, and so, with a hesitant breath, he lowered his head and took the wriggling Hopper into his mouth. For one moment, it fluttered around inside his jaws, desperately rushing to be free and making Orad panic for one frenzied second - all of this was stopped when his strong teeth finally connected with its shell, biting down hard and making him shiver with relief when he heard the sharp snap of the Hopper's body. It was dead, at last, and he was free to eat.

A sour taste filled his mouth - despite its rather unpleasant taste, this was incredible! It was like scenting the air, but ten times more vivid, and this time he could actually feel the scents! The Hopper was crunchy, and its blood tasted a little salty, but that didn't matter; what else was out there that he could eat? Orad pranced about in the field, leaping from spot to spot in a celebration of this new discovery. His eyes wide with exhilaration, he turned back to Whisper, and grinned.

"This is amazing!" he cried out in joy, rolling over on his back and rejoicing in the cool feel of the long grass against his back fur. "It's so . . . intense! It doesn't taste very nice," he added quickly, wrinkling his nose at the strong scent of Hopper blood, "but it's great! What else is there to eat?" Right on cue, he sat up attentively, and waited for Whisper to pour out her infinite wisdom to him. "You've probably eaten everything! Go on, tell me all about it!"

[tymid]

Whisper paused briefly from her own hunt to watch Orad begin his. At first, he was understandably shaky, but he got the hang of it rather quickly. Whisper was quick to notice the way his body twisted, and wondered if that was normal; if all felines were able to be so flexible. She then wondered if she could do that! She leapt into the air, and attempted to twist her body in the same way that Orad had been bounding around, and a sharp cramp attacked her right under the right side of her ribcage. She yelped a bit, before landing on the ground, trying to stretch out the muscle. Once the cramp had subsided, she looked over and noticed that Orad was trying his first Hopper. She watched carefully, and as he wrinkled his nose a little at first, Whisper was dismayed. She thought they tasted quite sweet and delicious; the crunch was only an added bonus. However, Orad seemed quite excited about the Hopper, despite its apparent foul taste. Whisper's stagnant tail went to wagging about again rampantly as she watched him bound about. For some reason, she found the strange urge deep within her spirit to chase the bounding feline, but she resisted. Her patience was rewarded when the Orad turned around to her and grinned. The smile was contagious, and with a leap into the air and series of excited, short barks, she returned with with a wolfish one of her own. Her tassel was waving behind her as a symbol of her joy, and she felt quite proud of herself whenever he told her how amazing the experience was. She drooped a little, however, when he told her the Hoppers weren't very tasty. They were only her favorite thing in the world. He seemed to notice her mild despair, and quickly told her that it was still great. When he asked her what else there was to eat, she inhaled sharply and opened her mouth as if to explain her infinite knowledge, but her mouth quickly shut, and a confounded look crossed her face. "I...don't...know." she said softly, the statement sounding almost question like. A Hopper flew up onto her nose, as though begging her to chase it, but flew off rather swiftly. Whisper remained staring cross-eyed at the spot where the Hopper had so recently been. Orad then, unwittingly of course, made matters worse by stating how sure he was that she had eaten everything, and for her to share her experience. Whisper's tail slowed to a stop, and lowered behind her legs from its raised, wagging position. The energy in her eyes seemed to fade slightly, and the eyes of a young scholar took over the light in her eyes. A slow, cool breeze trickled through her fur, causing the longer part around her head and neck to ruffle slightly, tousling her ears and mane. She turned her head away from the excited Feline, and in a soft voice, began to speak. "I was born here only days ago, Orad. I am a new creature upon this wide world, upon which are many mysteries and discoveries that I have yet to understand or see. Hoppers are the only thing I have eaten, and it is only until this moment that the true call of adventure has reached Her arm to be and stroked the innermost desires of my canine heart. I, like you, desire to know, and to be, and to learn. One day...one day very soon, I shall leave this place, and have many more stories to tell you than I do now." she murmured quietly, a whimsical, faraway look in her young, amber eyes. She lingered a moment longer in her reverie, before turning back to Orad, and giving him a gentle smile. She slowly walked over to him and ruffled the hair on top of his head with a large, canine paw. "But not tonight. Come, I'm sure when can find a place to rest until morning." tagged, Orad/Anyone words, 690 notes, None.

[mysteryfaith]

Orad felt a slight ripple of fear; Whisper leaving him so soon? B-but she was his hero! She had helped him understand the world when no one else was around . . . what would he do without her? The feline began to quiver, his whiskers twitching with fear; he couldn't carry on without his guide! If he had to, he would follow her everywhere, just so she could teach him everything she knew.

Relief flooded through him when she told him that it wouldn't be tonight; at least he'd have one more night with the canine who'd brought him much joy, even though he'd only been on this earth for a few mere hours. With an eager nod at her, he began to stroll off through the long grass, trying to ignore the Hoppers taunting them in their own, whispering language. He scented the air - many strange scents lingered around them, but he didn't want to explore them just yet. He glanced straight award, towards the horizon. Was that where Whisper was headed - beyond the horizon, to bigger adventures and better lands? Could he follow her there?

Orad quickly cast the thoughts away - distracted by them, he had almost missed the perfect place for them to sleep for the night. A large, bushy tree with a massive plume of purple leaves was nearby, and had he not dragged himself away from his worries, he would have missed it. The feline couldn't contain his excitement and pride at having spotted out the place - grinning wildly, he threw himself towards the tree and skidded as he approached it, sliding to a halt just before he smashed into the trunk.

Turning towards Whisper, Orad smiled clumsily. "I think this should be fine," he mewed, already padding the ground beneath him and circling to make it more comfortable. The moon was high overhead now, watching over them like the mother he never had. He sniffed the air a few times, and couldn't smell the warm, familiar scent of all the trees in the Orchard - the smell of new life. This tree can't be producing pods at the moment, the feline realised, aware that this was better for them; now, they could sleep in peace, without being woken up by the constant sound of cracking shells around them.

"Come on - let's sleep," the feline murmured, lying down and resting his chin on his paws. Already, he could feel sleep calling to him, running its silky fingers through his fur and causing him to let out a tiny prrow! of happiness. Shifting until he felt comfortable, he tried to listen out to see if he could hear Whisper lying down with him, but it was too late; he was fading into sleep, too far gone now to pay attention to his senses. Whether the canine sat down or not, Orad couldn't be sure - but in his half-asleep state, he made the effort to say one last thing, even if Whisper wasn't around.

"Whisper?" he mewed quietly, eyes shut tight and breathing already slowing down to a steady, sleeping pace. "Will you be my friend forever?" The question seemed stupid - and if he wasn't slipping into sleep and losing consciousness, he would have realised that. However, now he couldn't care less; it seemed sensible to him, to ask this canine to be his friend even after she'd left the Orchard. Now, he had slipped into sleep; the next morning, it was probable that he wouldn't even remember asking the question, or the answer that Whisper had given him.

((OOC: Shall we finish with your next post? (: ))