The Muck Pond

[Snake_byte]

I smell the air before me and can taste the moistness but I smell something else as well. The hair on my head tingles as I sense a pressence and I immediatly turn around to see who is there.
I don't see anyone but remain cautions. I turn to what's waiting before me again and put my hand on the rock face.
"hmmm" I tap it with one of my nails and it echoes. I go back to the cavern to the pile of wood and begin throwing them on the embers. When there is a healthy pile on the embers I take a deep breath and blow on them to get the fire roaring. When the fire catches and is burning strong, I draw a hand back and slap the fire towards the door.
Flaming logs and embers explode through the new door and sends sparks flying everywhere inside the cavern. As I shield my eyes from the sparks I see them outline somthing in the cave entrance.
When the sparks clear I look again but see nothing. I growl and slowly walk to the new door once again while watching the cave entrance.

[AoM]

Ao felt a pang of sadness and disappointment, for he couldn't make out what the voice was saying. He was sure he had heard it, but the voice was muffled and distant. The little rock man hung it's head and decided it would be best to look someplace else for answers.

But where to look?

Once again, he sloshed his bulky form across the Muck pond, feeling rather tingly and happy as he did, for in his mind, the Muck was of the earth and soil, and had given birth to him. That meant that it was special beyond anything else that he knew. But then again, Ao knew very little.

He reached the other side of the Muck and plodded onto the narrow path that skirted the grassy field to the northeast. Where to go? None of the places looked particularly encouraging to him, his favorite place was there, by the Muck.

And so, not knowing what to do, Ao sat down in the middle of the path, looking towards the Muck and the cliff with the muffled voice.

[AngelSpice]

*smiles at Davrim* Yes, I came from the muck pond, too. However, I had to drag myself by my arms to the ocean. You appear to have had a much easier time getting here. *smiles* Do you want company on your journey to the garden or shall I wait here and see if anyone else seems to take a liking to ocean life?

[Razorlance]

Tek consists of five circular 'limbs' all of equal length, approx 4 feet long by 1 foot diameter. They are all connected together in a symmetrical span much like a starfish. At the end of each limb is five oval 'fingers' each about 6 inches long, they start at about 2 inches diameter from the end of the limb and taper off to quite a fine point of approx half an inch, they are covered in thousands of tiny claws on the inside part enabling it to grip most surfaces quite easily. All of its limbs can move much like a snake and are covered in similar scales. In the middle of each limb there is collection of sensitive glands which can interpret all its senses: sight, sound, smell, which surrounds an orifice that emits its 'speech'. It is able to quickly decipher most communications and copy them using this orifice and it also acts as an eating and secretion gland. Each limb is much like the other and it uses any one for any particular purpose at a given time, and all its main organs are at the centre of its body where those limbs all connect.

Tek slowly slithered out of the muck pond, it instinctively rubbed itself over the ground to try and get rid of the muck. What’s happened here then it thought to itself, this stuff gets everywhere. As it rubbed itself it’s ‘fingers’ opened up on the forward most limb, subjecting it to his senses. At first it was just a jumble of light, sound and smell on its brain. Slowly though it could make out the sky from the ground then things moving on the ground, it could hear all sorts of pitches of sound coming from the moving things, Tek concentrated for a bit and patterns started to emerge in the sounds. Sounds like some sort of communication it thought. It could also smell a very foul stench, I must stay clear of that it though. Once it had finished rubbing itself of the muck it decided to get a bit closer to the nearest moving thing, it continued to slither slowly for a bit until it thought there must be an quicker way to do this. Concentrating again it tried tensing some of its limbs, it realised it could lift itself up onto four of it’s limbs enabling him to ‘walk’ and use the forward most one to sense where it was going, it started to walk towards the moving thing that seemed to be made of rock.

[AoM]

Of all the things that Ao had seen so far, the creature that now approached him struck him as easily the most bizzare. His eyes followed the thing's slithering movements as it shook off the Muck ooze. This was certainly no ordinary rock. In fact, it stood to good chance that this was not a rock at all, so alien were its features.

Ao wondered if it was perhaps dangerous in any way. Although weird, he didn't see any particularly menacing features. No large teeth nor extreme display of muscle mass seemed obvious. At that moment, the creature decided to heave itself up on to four of it's arms, and pointed the fifth in his direction.

Now it approached him quicker, although still in a very un-rock-like fashion. He supposed that there was little for it but to turn to face it completely, and perhaps give it a nice greeting.

And so Ao emitted a loud rumble, very bass, that seemingly echoed across the area of the Muck and reverberated off of the cliff. He hadn't meant to make it that loud... but then again, this was only the second thing he had ever talked to, and appropriate volume levels were not yet knowledgable to him. It also occured to him, a moment after he had spoke, that this non-rock might not even understand him. But Ao didn't really have a better way of communicating, so the loud bellow of greeting would have to suffice.

[El_Skwidd]

Vex spoke to Resuso. "Thank you, friend, for the information. I think we'll try the forest."

He turned to Kitty. "While that sounds interesting, finding the meaning of all things, I think it just may be impossible. Besides, I don't want to be around when Beezlebub gets angry again. I don't want to find myself eating my... self," the head snapped.

Xev chimed in. "What he means to say is this: we are cowards. Greedy cowards. If the pink people are afraid of us, perhaps it is better to be closer to them than to Beezlebub."

Vex nods and picks off a stalk of groff.

"So, it's nothing personal," Xev finished, also taking a stalk. The two chewed the plant quickly. "Perhaps we'll meet again."

Vex snapped, "Or perhaps not."

"Now that wasn't very nice at all," said Xev, slightly more socially inclined. "We'd best be going."

Yet again, the two heads started off bickering at each other, crawling slowly in the direction of the forest.

[Fleegle]

(Hey guys.... I hate to do this to those who might want to join, but after this post I cannot let anyone new join. If in future people drop out, I will let more join to replace them... but because of logistics, I have to cap it right now. Everyone who has joined so far is in, so don't worry about that. I hope anyone who was thinking of joining will keep reading... it should be a very interesting read with the cast of characters we've got. Thanks for understanding )

[Varrius]

Shaking her head Kitty thinks to herself "Maybe two heads wouldnt be as good as it seems". She then Starts walking towards the forest following quickly behind the two-headed turtle.

"Maybe there will the god of life here as there certainly seems ot be alot of life in this forest itself". She thinks to herself before climbing a tree, waiting til a bird lands near her she grabs it between her paws. "Are you a god or intelligent lifeform like myself?" she askes the bird, as if it is she most certainly would not like to eat it.

[Razorlance]

As Tek approached the rock thing he saw it moving again, but then it gave out an almighty rumble, Tek quickly stopped and closed his fingers around his senses to stop the sound, I wonder what that was he thought. He slowly opened his fingers again to find the sound had stopped and the rock thing was still there. Well it hasn't moved again, maybe its trying to communicate, I'll try to copy that sound see what it does he thought. So for the first time he tried to make a sound, a deep sound, sort of similar to the sound the rock thing made but much quieter.

[Fleegle]

(For Nixit)

Anesek lifted off, with Briker on her back. They flew up out of the Temple, back towards the Pond.
"I would hate for something to happen to you so early in your little life. I would recommend that you make some friends. There are several compassionate creatures that I'm sure will let you into their hearts."
Anesek rode along the wind currents, flying over the Pond and settling down in the groff-fields. She let him down on the top of a groff plant.
"This is groff. Feel free to eat as much as you like. This here is Resuso, god of food and guardian of the groff-field." She hovered over the mighty serpent to indicate him.

Resuso looked up. "Sssplendid! The great and wonderful Anesek is here! How wonderful! Oh Anesek, a most splendid creature named Kitty was seeking you. She wishes to give thanks, isn't that absolutely wonderful? She went into the forest, thinking you might be there. That splendid two-headed creature followed her into the forest as well."

"Resuso my magnificent friend, I shall seek her out immediately. It is always grand to meet someone with a love for life. And this is Briker." she said, hovering over the little ant. "He is small but has great power."

"Goodbye beautiful creature, goodbye mighty Resuso!" Anesek exclaimed as she darted off in the direction of the Forest.

[AoM]

From its response, Ao could tell that the many-limbed creature was not fluent in earth-speak. It was obviously trying to imitate the greeting, but it was lacking proper inflection and of course, the necessary ground-vibration. But for a non-rock, Ao thought it was a good first attempt.

He thought perhaps there was another way to communicate. So he waved his left fist, to try to get his point across.

[Nixit]

Watches as Anesek leaves and screeches loudly, meaning to himself "Wait!" But realizing it is too late and she is gone, he helps himself to some groff, and tries to nod greeting to Resuso.

"I don't know a way to communicate..." he thinks sadly, but is content for now with the groff.

[Varrius]

After recieving no reply from the Bird for a few seconds, Kitty crunched down on it. "That was delicious" she thought to herself, "But ill try to refrain from having to do it too often, as it is cruel eating such a beautiful creature".

Climbing down from the tree Kitty started exploring the forest, when she found a clearing she decided to wait and see if any other creatures would be kind enough to pass her way.

[Razorlance]

Ah, Tek thought as he watched the rock thing move one of its limbs, I can do that too. He then lifted one of the forward most limbs he was walking on and tried his best to copy the waving motion the rock thing did. As he did so he let his fingers wave which let his senses on that limb briefly see, hear, and smell the world. Wow, he thought, that's much clearer.

Tek could now see that the rock thing was similarly shaped to himself although his limbs were all quite different from one another, it appeared to stand on just two and use the other three to sense the world, and it appears, to communicate. Now that seems like a very good idea, maybe if I do that I might understand him better, he thought.

And so he tried, he started by putting all five limbs firmly on the ground and pushed with all his strength on the forward three, he quickly pushed himself all the way up onto his two remaining limbs, promptly lost his balance by this quick manouver, and on just two limbs, he continued all the way over until all five limbs were back on the ground. Technically he was now upside down and facing the opposite direction, but Tek had no concept of that, he mearly lifted the limb he instinctively knew was nearest the rock thing, previously one of his rear limbs, and opened his fingers to sense that the rock thing was still there.

Well that didn't quite work, maybe a bit slower this time. So he tried again, this time with less force using the same three limbs, he managed to get up onto the other two, and stay there. Excellent, now I can try using more of my senses, so he open the fingers on the three limbs which were off the ground. That is much better, but where did the rock thing go and for that matter where is the ground? Now his forward most limb was also the highest, approximately 7 feet off the ground, he focused the limbs downwards until he could see the ground and then the rock thing. Ah there it is, I seem to be quite high now, but hopefully I will be able to understand him better.

[AoM]

A slight stuttored tremor could be felt as Ao chortled at the star-creature's attempt to stand. We watched and rumbled encouragingly as the creature made its second attempt.

"Well done," he uttered in his earth-speak. "It must be difficult for non-rocks like you to stand up." Even though it was likely the creature did not understand him, Ao was still immensely pleased to have found something that at least tried to communicate with him.