Pretty Flower [Open!]

[Twilight]

This was the first time Maro had traveled away from the orchard, and she was curious about what was beyond the birth trees. She sniffed the ground and followed the sweet smell of flowers. She soon found herself at a shallow river covered in flowers and pretty plants. Excited, Maro ran into the water, splashing around like a puppy. She had grown since hatching, but inside she still acted like a pup.

She liked the cool water and the sweet scent of the garden, so she rolled onto her back and wriggled around to get herself completely soaked. Of course wet canine fur did not smell very pleasant but she was able to ignore that. She carefully stood up when she saw a glimmer of silver pass by her. A school of tiny fish swam in this river, but seemed to want to keep their distance. They were much to small to make a decent meal out of, but Maro's rump shook slightly before she charged after the fish. Meal or not, the hunt was always exciting.

[Aries]

Antares laid sprawled across the warm grey rocks basking his shimmering black fur in the glorious warmth of the sun. The calm silence of the shallow river was soothing and peaceful as he reminisced of old times with friends and his first days of exploring. He had come to the river garden in search of the sweet pods of angel ferns but found a nice nap in the sun too tempting to pass up, the ferns weren't going anywhere as far as he was concerned.

Splash, splash!

Antares jumped, fur on end at the sudden sound of splashing and water droplets soaking his pelt. He relaxed a tad after he saw the culprit, a young brown and white canine. He sat tail curled over his paws as she playfully chased a school of small fish, grinning a little bit when he remembered his kitten days. Oh, how he missed those times with his friends. He might as well try to make another friend, the more the merrier after all.

"Hello~!"

[Twilight]

Maro chased the fish around in circles, once tripping and falling onto her side with a big splash, likely that was the one that got the feline wet. She got back up quickly and ran to try and catch up with the fish. They swam to quickly though and got away. Growling, Maro sat down heavily in the water, letting the frustration run its course and then pass.

She jumped when she heard someone greet her. She turned to find herself facing a feline. She had seen a few around the orchard but she hadn't gotten to meet any of them... as a lot of them were high in the trees. She tried to catch the feline's scent but her sense of smell was full of flower and wet canine smells. The mix was not exactly pleasant, but easily ignored.

Maro paced over to the feline and replied, "Hey!" she just had to punctuate her words by shaking herself off, flinging water in all directions. Then she gave the feline a friendly lick between the ears, "My name's Maro."

[Aries]

Antares's whiskers wavered in amusement as the canine jumped at his greeting just as he had when he initially heard her splashing in the river. He guessed she had never been up close and personal with a feline like himself, so he tried not to make a horribly first impression like he tended to do.

"Nice to meet you, Maro! I'm Antares~" the feline went to lick the canine's ear in return, but stopped when he smelled how god awful her wet fur smelled. As to not make his retreat obvious, he looked over to the right as if remembering something important. It wouldn't hurt to get those angel fern pods now, he was sure the canine was hungry with all the fish chasing she had been doing earlier.

"Are you hungry, hon?" he purred, hopping from rock to rock across the river to get to the ferns.

[Twilight]

"Antares.. that's a nice name," Maro said with a smile, her ear twitching slightly in amusement when the feline tried to be polite and not comment on her smelly fur. She followed his gaze to the right and then he jumped away with all the gracefulness she had seen in other cats. Of course she couldn't move that easily without making a sound but she tried. Her jumping wasn't as easy as Antares's appeared to be, and the strides weren't as long.

"This is harder then it looks," Maro said, as she tried to remain clear of the shallow water. Of course canines were not built for that so she was easily tripped up and fell in the water. Shaking water from the thick mane of fur on her neck and out of her face, Maro looked at Antares, "Canines are obviously not meant to jump rock to rock."

Maro laughed then just started walking through the water. When the feline asked if she was hungry, Maro shook her head, "Not particularly, I was just bored and wanted something to do with my time."

[Aries]

"Thank you, Maro is a very nice name as well!" Antares stopped at a rock a few feet from the bank of the river. He grinned a tad at how the canine was trying to mimic his stealth and clumsily fell into the water. He remembered how clumsy he was his first few days out of the pod. With time his feet had become trained to be silent and stealthy, it would come with age for the canine as well. Not as much, though.

"Haha, it takes time to get used to, I've been around for a long time so it comes naturally to me." the feline grinned and sat to wait for Maro to get her bearings again. He scrunched his nose when the chilly water splashed onto his coat, but he was relatively water tolerant for a cat. "It take practice, I didn't learn over night. My canine friends hop these rocks just fine, you're just young and inexperienced with it." he purred, his face pulled into a tight grin, crimson eyes squinted.

Once again Antares rose as the canine waded through the water rather than hoping the rocks. He leaped over the last few rocks to the bank where the ferns were waiting a few feet away. "Ah, well I'm famished!" he used his weight to lower one of the fronds so that he could pluck a few of the sweet halo-like pods off. He nudged a few towards the young canine before eating a few himself.

"They taste excellent and are a great pick me up if you want them" he said, his mouth full of the succulent pod.

[Twilight]

"I think i prefer the water anyway, it is cool and soothing," Maro said when Antares said that grace was something that came with age and experience. "I may jump rocks when the water is deep but with shallow water like this.." Maro smiled and lifted one paw out of the water, observing that the water wasn't even deep enough to wet her underbelly. "I'll learn it eventually though," she said, stepping onto a stone and started slowly jumping from rock to rock, trying to dig her blunt canine claws into the hard stones whenever she slipped.

She still ended up in the water again before she actually reached the feline. He seemed to be eating little pods. Eating plants seemed unusual to the canine, since in her experiance everyone ate the rodents around the orchard. Still, she was naturally curious and sniffed the pods. She carefully pulled one away from the plant and moved it to the back of her mouth to chew. It was sweet. It was sort of like a dessert for animals and she gobbled up some more, forgetting whatever manners other creatures would expect from a female.

Realizing that she may well destroy the ferns that way, Maro stopped, sat up and looked at the Antares, "So what brings you here, besides the tasty plants." Somehow it seemed unusual to come to a river and only want a sweet snack. But maybe that was just Maro's hyperactive nature.

[Aries]

"Have you never eaten a plant before?" Antares have the canine a curious look, still munching on the pods. He preferred eating plants over hunting, it was easier and he didn't have the guilt of killing another creature on his mind. He, of course, had to hunt to stay alive but he didn't do it as much as the others of his kind because of his constant plant consumption. He watched slightly amused as the canine savagely gobbled the pods down, he almost did the same when he has first tasted the delicious plant.

"Hmm? Oh, well the rocks are nice to bask on for one, and someone informed me that the lilies have very sweet nectar if I had the audacity to try to get one. I figured if I had the energy after a nice nap on the rocks and snacked on some of these pods I'd try to fish one out of the water. And it's not like my territory is far from here, I live just past here in the Maple Forest with my packmates." the feline babbled, staring at the bright yellow lilies, thinking about if he wanted to fish one out or not.

[Twilight]

"No, Mommy Silva told me to eat meat so that is what I have been doing. Rodents and the occasional small fish. I have gotten fairly good at hunting, Maro said, her dark pink tongue licking one side of her muzzle in satisfaction. She didn't mind kill anymore, after what Silva said about the circle of life, but she could understand Antares's view on the matter.

"I guess it could weigh on your mind," she said before following the feline's gaze to the yellow flowers in the water. Wanting to be helpful, she splashed through the water and chomped the lily between her jaws. Needless to say that didn't help much since the strength of her jaws destroyed it. She stared a minute, thinking she may have made Antares mad, but then tried again, this time sticking her nose under the water to grasp the stem of the lily gently. She dragged it back to the cat and then questioned, "What pack? Like a family? That sounds nice."

[Aries]

"You know Silva?" Antares's lips formed a smile that looked near painful, forgetting the hunting talk altogether. Silva was one of his best friends, he was practically born with her. They met mere minutes after emerging from their pods and had been together ever since. Although, he hadn't seen her in a while he was exceptionally glad to know she was fine.


Antares watched curiously as the canine romped into the river after the lilies. He was a tad surprised when she ripped one up, but certainly not made, the flowers were delicate and easy to harm after all. Surprised that she managed to grab one without getting stung by the painful prickles they're covered in he padded over to her to help keep it upright as to not spill the sweet purple fluid it contained. "Yes, exactly~ It's very nice, I'm sure I could introduce you to my packmates,,, Well you've actually already met one, Silva."

The feline dipped his head down to have a taste of the nectar, he was surprised how nice it tasted. He would surely have to come back for more sometime. "Are you going to have any?" he sat up, remembering his manners. She went to get it, so she should have invariably had the first taste.

[Twilight]

"Yeah, she was outside my pod when I hatched, and we became friends. She taught me everything I need to know to survive in this world. I suppose that is everything a mother would do for her baby, so I call her Mommy Silva," she said, her tail wagging back and forth quickly, flinging drops of water everywhere. "And I would love to meet your pack," Maro looked at the smiling cat and couldn't help but say aloud, "Doesn't that hurt?" Of course she felt a little embarrassed after saying it, since it sounded rude to her, but she wasn't the type to keep such curious comments to herself.

"Oh, that was rude," she said, placing one paw over her muzzle comically.

"And if they are all as nice as you and Silva, I'm sure your friends are wonderful," Maro smiled at Antares, and then, noticing he had asked her a question, and started to say no, but she felt she already offended him once so she dipped her nose into one of the lilies and lapped up the nectar.

"Mmm, it tastes... strange but in a good way. It's thicker then water, sweeter then meat, and doesn't have the bitterness of blood. It's nice," the pup made a happy face, a smile on her muzzle and ears back, with the thick fur around her neck sticking up, making her look even younger then she was.

[Aries]

"That definitely sounds like Silva, she was always so motherly, even as a pup," Antares reminisced of the time he and Silva had, they were all wonderful memories. He flinched when the water from her wagging tail took him by surprised by flinging onto his face. "I'll have to take you to our den to meet them!" he said, spacing out for a moment before perking back up at the canine's question. "Huh? Oh no, I quite enjoy it. If I smile for too long my face cramps up sometimes though." the feline dropped his grin for a split second to rest his jaw.

"How was that rude? You were just curious. We all get curious sometimes!" Antares snickered flicking her muzzle with the tip of his tail.

"Nerah is very nice as well, Yamir is said to be a bit blunt but I honestly find him amusing!" he giggled at the thought of him, they were always bickering but he hadn't seen Yamir in a while unfortunately. He noticed her hesitate for a moment before drinking the nectar, but passed it off as she wasn't sure about the way it would taste.

"Yes, doesn't it? The strangely delicious tastes are why I like plants so much!" he chuckled, licking some nectar off of his muzzle. His legs began to burn a bit so he arose and stretched his limbs thinking they were just stiff from sitting too long, but the pain persisted.

"Are you feeling any pai-" Antares tried to speak but was cut off by the most horrible pain and fell onto his flank. His bones felt like they were rearranging themselves, growing and stretching inside of him. He closed his eye as he saw the shape of his muzzle changing shape before him, afraid that he was turning into some hideous monster.

It felt like ages before the burning ebbed, he opened his eyes to see an unfamiliar muzzle. The feline rolled onto his belly, his paws were much broader, but still black in color. Although slightly lighter with jet black striping. Antares rose to his feet, unstably wobbling over to the edge of the river to be greeted with a strange face, but not grotesquely deformed as he had expected. In fact, he kinda liked the new form he had taken, his powerful shoulders would be excellent for hunting and gathering and the handsome tabby stripes he had would make excellent camouflage.

"Welp. This is awkward."

[[Congratulations, your Antares has evolved into an OCCULT Antares!
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]]

[Twilight]

"I'd like to meet them, very much," Maro said, her smile growing even wider. Then she chuckled, "Curious is sometimes rude," the canine laughed, tail still wagging quickly. When the cat tickled her nose, Maro pulled away and sneezed cutely, wiggling her nose and licking it once.

Suddenly Antares seemed somewhat uncomfortable, "Are you alright?" she asked, suddenly wondering if the nectar was poisonous. She wasn't feeling any different, so what could be wrong with her new friend? She was about to answer Antares's question when suddenly he stopped and fell, apparently twisting in agony. As she watched, his frame caved in and then grew out, bigger and bigger... and bigger. He was huge by the time it stopped, and maybe it was his length but he seemed bigger then even Silva.

His face, his form, even his coat changed in those few minutes, and it freaked Maro out terribly. She back away with her tail tucked between her legs and farther into the water as if she hoped the shallow pool would save her. When the change was over, the new creature said something in a voice that at least sounded something like Antares's, though it was deeper coming from a wider chest and longer muzzle.

"What happened to you?" Maro asked, her voice trembling and her body still poised to jump and run.

[Aries]

"Oh god, I'm sorry I scared you." Antares looked down at the canine, who was now half his size, dropping his head below his shoulders in a sulky look. He could understand her fear, it scared him when Nerah and Silva evolved, but he never expected to do the same. He figured it was either a female only, or canine only thing but apparently not. He started to step towards the canine but figured that might not be a good idea with how terrified she was and sat back down with a thump of his tail, curling it over his now massive paws.

"...I think that I evolved, like Nerah and Silva did...that's why they're so large, if you didn't know." Antares pondered a moment, not entirely sure when 'evolve' entered his vocabulary, but it seemed to fit what just happened. He adjusted himself into a more relaxed position, hoping to make it clear that he had not intention of hurting the canine, and that he was the same Antares as before... Just a little (lot) different looking.

[Twilight]

Maro was still staring at Antares, taking in how much he changed in so short a time. She had thought that maybe she would grow to be as big as Silva one day, when she was all grown up, but that... that looked so fast that it was painful. Maro shivered, wondering if she wanted to be as big as Silva now. The instinctive answer to that was no, but then again, she would be very strong if she was that big.

When Antares started to move toward her, Maro flinched, but then he seemed to think better of it and just sat down. Not that it made him look any smaller but it did seem less threatening. "I always thought it was because I was so young, that I would eventually grow to be as big as Silva," Maro replied to the feline's explanation. Evolution seemed to suite the change well but the word wasn't exactly familiar to her.

If this is what made Silva so huge, then it made sense that maybe Antares was still as nice as he was before. Silva was certainly very friendly. Maro moved closer to the black feline sniffed his dark stripped fur, her tail relaxing eventually then she gathered the confidence to hold it up proudly once more. "Evolution.. it certainly makes you huge. Does it always change your coat color too? Do you feel any other differences?" If evolving was a natural stage of life, she wanted to be prepared when it happened to her.