Creatures Caves

Now it properly begins!
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Chapter 1: They Live

Suddenly, a crack broke the eerie almost silence of the dock. The eggs were indeed alive, ready to begin the somewhat tedious process of inhabiting this room, and of the mysteries it may have contained.

Before long, the marbled blue/green egg broke open, releasing what at first glance appeared to be a Porcelain Norn. However, his limbs were definitely not like those of normal porcelains. Instead of the pottery-like nature the rest of him had, these were plain in color and oddly natural looking. One could assume that they might also be amphibian....

After prodding an old telescope, the old ship grabbed this norn's interest, and he wandered aboard. It was at this time that some mysterious force implanted the word "Howard" into his mind. In a few moments, he decided to start calling himself that. What had decided to christen him that was beyond his concern at the moment. He seemed to be more interested in examining a plush whale something had left on the deck.

Naturally, the fact that he was not alone also escaped his attention. The egg that had been positioned immediately next to his own soon showed signs of breaking open....

...And what a sight it contained! Its previous inhabitant was a giant amongst norns, covered in thick fur from head to foot. A pair of fierce looking sabers jutted downwards from his upper jaw. Make no mistake, this norn was a member of the primitive race called the Sabertooths. However, this environment was a far cry from the plains and caves of their kind's native KT.

Howard found the old telescope to be nothing more than a fleeting interest, but the newly born sabertooth was deeply intrigued by it. While he prodded it without thinking about actually looking into it, the same force that had named Howard bestowed upon him the name of Borland. This was the same name as a famous sea monster of Albia, but of course this norn had no way of knowing that.

The smell of Howard entered Borland's nostrils, and he followed his nose to initiate the first contact between a fellow creature either of them had. They were wary at first. Borland in particular approached and backed away repeatedly. Eventually, however, they decided that they were both on the same side.

Meanwhile, another egg prepared to open sesame. Its coloration suggested something quite peaceful.

The being inside, however, was anything but. She was a member of the rough-and-tumble race of Beowulf; a descendent of the greatest Grendel-slayer ever known. Her name was Halcyon, and her presence understandably made Howard nervous. Whether this was due to her breed or her gender was not clear.

Like Borland before her, Halcyon became intrigued by the telescope. She knew not of who left it here, nor how to properly use it. Regardless, it made for an interesting plaything.

Eventually, she wandered off towards the old ship, where most of the others had wandered previously. Howard alone was left to greet the next newcomer, who would spring forth from an egg seemingly crafted from marble.

Thankfully for him, the newcomer was a much-more placid Apple Norn. While she wouldn't enjoy the fog, the moist air would certainly help to make her feel at home, what with her kind being native to tropical rainforests and their like.

Soon after hatching, fate decreed that her name shall be Apphia. Not being one for males right from the egg, she focused her attention on Halcyon, following at her heels quite closely. If these two became close, it would be quite the odd relationship indeed.

Being the first born unfortunately did not mean anything to this crowd. While there was no harassment because someone was seen as the omega, there was no alpha either. The case in point was Howard, who had wandered off from the rest of the group and now had discovered an old, rustic shack containing food that was still edible. The shoreline, at least, was a safe haven for the norns...for now, anyway.
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To be continued next post....

Ghosthande: The grendel is actually not part of the run - he lives in an entirely different world than all the norns. He just posed for the banner.