Born.

[mysteryfaith]

At last, Alpani's eyes were open.

Curled up tightly in a warm cocoon, she felt as if she had been wrapped there forever - but she couldn't have been, could she? No; this tree must have . . . created her, although that must have been some time ago, judging by her well-developed senses. Still a young thing, she knew she had plenty of time to sit here and continue to grow - get a sense of the world before she dropped herself into it - but she was an impatient creature; before long, she was wriggling in her casket, ready to be dropped.

Her wish was granted - for a moment, she was in mid-air, speeding down to the ground and hitting it with a thump. A cracking noise echoed around her, and, with a hint of excited satisfaction, she found the cocoon was breaking away. Before now, her vision had been blurry - she had perfect eyesight, of course, but had found herself hindered by the cocoon's thick shell, so that everything on the outside appeared as a beige-coloured blur to her.

Now, the shell was cracking, and she was being revealed to the world. The cocoon crumbled away, leaving her bare on the ground beside the tree - the moonlight on her fresh young fur felt surprisingly refreshing, and Alpani found herself basking in it, just enjoying the fresh, cool air that came with it. She knew that soon enough, she would have to get up, and face the world - but for now, she was quite content to lie in the dust and think.

Born. No longer hanging from the tree - in fact, the first moment she had been blessed with consciousness was just before her cocoon had fallen, when she was aware of being ready to fall. Before that, she had been an empty shell - a nameless figure with nothing but a cracking shell. Now, she had more than the shattered remains of that - she had a personality, she had potential, and she had youth; rivers of youth, running through her veins and pounding through her heart.

Before her consciousness, her name had just been Nameless Creature. Now, she knew it was Alpani - she had known it as soon as she had "woken up", as soon as she was capable of knowledge. It came to her so easily, like it had chosen her before she had even been aware of her existence; Alpani. A pretty name, if she dared say so herself.

Now, she had dropped from the tree, and the adventures of life would soon begin. She was ready to be engulfed in emotion, to be trapped in a world of pain and hurt and hunger. Alpani was unaware of such suffering now, but soon, she would come to face it - and when she did, she would be ready. She was determined to be ready.

Alpani looked down at herself, and saw tufts of golden fur - feline, she recognised. She could have been anything when she was hanging from that tree, but the tree chose to make her feline. A good choice; felines were sly and nimble, and she hoped to live up to the clever stereotype that was attached to them. With a fair amount of knowledge about her birth - where she had come from, and where she wanted to go - she was prepared to step out into the world.

Surprisingly, she had very little fear about leaving the edge of this tree. Some would have inhibitions, would fear that such an act would mean the beginning of a life full of hardship; she was an adventurous type, and so these thoughts did not hinder her. With a deep breath and a confident smile on her young, fresh face, she took a step from the wreckage of her cocoon - wobbly, but she'd get better - and started her existence.