Welcome to Gaia! ::

Soft, fuzzy brown ears flicked back and forth in the wind as if listening for something. Irun, a jackal girl, pulled a pink hood down over them as she made her way down the path. She didn’t hear anyone following her, but it was always good to be cautious. Clad in a hoodie and jeans with some old sneakers, she felt she looked the part of your average citizen. No one would find her suspicious. Or so she hoped. Plus, trying to explain who she was would likely just end in people thinking she was crazy so…best to keep quiet. She held no status here anyways so it was fine. Probably.

A gentle breeze tousled her long dark locks around, as she brushed them out of her eyes and gazed down at the little bundle in her arms. She smiled. Malik was sleeping peacefully. His guardian was relieved as he seemed to always be anxious; as if he were having a conversation with someone who wasn’t actually there. His ears were usually a good indicator something was…off. He was very emotional, and she could always tell by his ear movement. Was he hearing things? She could only wonder. She noticed the little one liked to second guess himself often, and she was trying to build up his confidence. She thought maybe getting out of the house and taking a trip to the park would relieve some of his stress. Even at his age, he could enjoy the sights and sounds at least.

It had been a while since Irun first stumbled across the Lantern Orphanage. She never expected she would come across a little one there; One that she would be interested in caring for. After learning to blend in and running the book shop, parenthood wasn’t exactly something on her bucket list. At least not right away. She didn’t even have a boyfriend yet! She shook her head, chuckling to herself at how absurd it was. But that is when she met Malik. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but he reminded her of someone. And what’s more, they clicked immediately. Malik latched onto her and refused to budge that day. And that was when Irun decided to take him home. She had filled out the paperwork, and often stopped by for check ups and whatnot.

As she made her way into the park, she noticed there was already someone there. And they appeared to have a little one as well! The baby looked almost around Malik’s age. Irun smiled and nodded in greeting. She might be letting her guard down. But surely someone with a kid Malik’s age would be safe to chat with. Irun would have waved but her hands were kind of full. Instead she gave a small polite bow, still carefully holding Malik. He stirred for a moment, but it didn’t bother him apparently, as he was softly snoring away.

Walking down a well worn path strode a woman who was not very thrilled about heading where she was going. Not that it was a bad place or bad thing, she was just protective of her preciouses.

Brianda sighed as she looked down at the two toddlers that were toddling next to her. Each one had a hand wrapped in her cloak, holding on to her. She smiled. One came into her life in an unexpected way and when they were out one evening she kept making noise and toddling towards the orphanage. Realizing she wanted something there she picked her up and walked there, in a short time she was inside and went straight to a female toddler who was a sphinx like her little one. It was strange they seemed to communicate with each other as if they knew each other. When it was time to go, Cassiana wouldn't leave she wailed and toddled back to the other sphinx toddler. Giving up she asked about her and was told she appeared there on the same night as when she found Cassiana outside. She was stunned. Realizing they were twins she adopted the other little one naming her Aloriana and they set off home.

Now she was walking down a path towards a park for them to play with other kids. This terrified Briandia. She was protective and the thought of them running about with others didn't settle right with her. She knew they needed interaction with others of their size and age, and there were all kinds of children. It would be good for their social skills as Cassiana still won't fully talk, but has been doing better since her sister came home. Maybe a child here will be able to get her to talk.

As for Aloriana she was hoping for a child to get her to be less clingy. She doesn't like it when Briandia is out of her sight although she is an outgoing toddler she prefers it when she is near.

Seeing the walkway that leads into the park, she stepped through and looked around. There was a ton of things for the toddlers to do, she relaxed somewhat. Letting them lead her where they wanted to go she tried to remember she was doing this for the girls.

Alzirr walked through the forest not too far from the park, he had heard rumors of an orphanage that had strange and sometimes powerful children, much like himself who has always been strange, even to Centaurs.
In his mind, he rolled over the idea of what criteria he’s looking for in a child, wondering if he would be turned away because he’s not exactly the fatherly sort, more of a teacher and a mentor. He was tired of doing his travels of exploration and creating maps of unknown places in strange worlds by himself.
The idea of dating crossed his mind several times, but not many bipedal People want to have anything to do with a quadruped anything.
The immersion of his thoughts broke away as he felt a presence behind him, and not very far, the starlight must have touched it from the star that glowed in the hollow of his torso.
He’s uncertain on how it snuck up on him so close, but as he turned and looked into the forest behind him, the fur and hair on him began to raise. What he saw was unnerving, creepy, and in almost every environment he has ever been in, something that looked like this would be dangerous.
However, in this little pocket realm he is in, he has no idea what to expect and he knows that each moment is his own creation.
What he saw was the skull of some sort of giant rodent was staring at him from about 15 feet behind him, but he can only make out parts of it because it was trying to be sneaky. It was hiding in a bush, and somehow with its size got in the bush without making too big of a noise or fuss that caught his attention and
With his hearing, that is a really hard thing to do in the woods.
It was almost as though everything stood still for a moment, soft light hung in curtains through the trees, and whatever was in those bushes decided it was not going to move.
Deciding the flashes of a skull through the bushes was not a good feeling, Alzirr began to back away slowly, and like something out of a kids story as long as he faced it, it didn’t seem to pursue him at all.
In his mind, however, he wondered how close they were to the orphanage from here. Something like this in the woods surrounding the orphanage. He’s hoping that this is something normal because he feels the need to warn someone about this creature.. that’s when it hit him and he pauses a moment. He doesn’t stop staring in that spot, but he reaches down into his side satchel, which was about the only thing he brought with him today, and pulled out a small sketchbook and pencil. It was black and worn, almost like it had had pages placed and replaced in the same cover all the time because the pages looked new. He took a split moment or two to opened his sketchbook and throw a quick sketch in there of what he was seeing. Only looking down a moment at small glances to make sure he was getting what he was seeing right. He couldn’t quite make out exactly what its body looked like, but he could see most of the skull clearly, even though it was shrouded in shadows from within the bush, and he could tell it had horns of some kind.
It still did not pursue him, and it stayed exactly where it was so he took a moment to update his map he had started when he first arrived in this realm, and marked where he has seen this creature. Everything from where he stood and behind him was blank on the map for he hadn’t been there yet.

He put his things away quickly and then continue to make his way backwards, watching as this bush slowly slipped away from sight, but just as it did so suddenly the shade of the canopy was split by sunlight, as he has backed out of the forest backwards with his eyes fixed in one place and into the park.
He could tell there was a large break in the trees by the line he could see in his peripheral going from left to right, so he stopped.
He could hear the talking of a woman not far behind him and excitable little sounds. It sounds like a very young child.. wait..
His eyes widen slightly against the dark streak of his skin behind them, and he breaks his concentration from the forest and turns sideways to the women and the children that weren’t too awful far from him, looking at them with a hard to read expression, but something slightly alarmed about his pale baby blue eyes.
His mind was already unsettled as it was, but he’s realizing the proximity of this creature to people, to women and children, and what look like a park.
Pale, almost glowing hooves pawed at the ground and his tail stayed partially raised with his angst.
With little children nearby, however, he didn’t want to scare them either, but his eyes turned back and he stared back into the woods again. Some of the plants had withered between him and where he was, and his eyes catch glimpse slightly to the left of from where he traveled of a wide tree that was withering actively.

He was pretty sure he just passed that tree a moment ago, and it was perfectly alive before, wasn’t it?
He watched in silence, but his somewhat defensive tension caused the horse like body of his to take an easy steps sideways occasionally.
Most people don’t take very kindly to the way he looks. The hole through his torso, the size of a cantaloupe in the middle of his chest that you can see through from the stars presence within him usually really bothers people.
It always raises questions to, like how was he setting up or alive without a spine which should be right in the middle backside of this hollow and it isn’t.
So so approaching people without scaring them has always been a challenge anyway, on top of it trying to tell them that there is a strange creature just inside the tree line…
He doesn’t see whatever it is though, but something about the area in that tree just feels really odd.



It was pretty… the beautiful shining star She could see moving through the woods.
Shyla just wanted to see.. just wanted to touch…. She knows better though, especially when it’s of people you haven’t seen before. That also means they have never seen her either.
In her time as a Duskwalker, which her age is unknown even to her, her experiences and her instincts tell her the people fear her. It was something she came to accept a long time ago about her own existence.
She was careful. Most of her body blended into the forest and its colors, and as long as she didn’t linger too long or avoided, touching the plants in her surroundings, she could hide very well here except for her skull and the glowing little orbs that hovered within empty sockets. She knew they stood out and almost everyone could see the glowing of her eyes, even in the daytime.
But she just needed to see, only hesitating a moment or two before shrouding herself with unnatural shadows and slipping along behind a strange horse man with a star in his chest. What she saw when she looked at him was very different than what most mortal people or immortal plane dwellers see. She could see the celestial white energy, glowing in the ribbons that moved an all directions of different color that came from the star, she could see almost like an aurora borealis that wrapped around him and she didn’t understand anything of the beauty that she was following, but she just wanted to see just a little closer..
He kept facing her and her instincts froze her in place, like a mouse when a cat is facing them as a target, or when a bird flies over overhead, the way it freezes and almost seems to stop breathing.
She kept trying to follow after he had slipped out of sight, he was smart, and from his unease, she knew he had to have caught some glimpse of her.
She lost sight of him in a way, but could still see the glow at a distance through the trees where he was.
She got a little hasty and even perhaps slightly sloppy and brushed against a few plants as she moved, and then hid behind a tree before he could turn back around. Laying a clawed hand on the side of the tree was her first mistake.
Plants with around her after sometime, but upon touch they begin to wither too but it was only with plants. Animals, insects, people. It didn’t seem to do anything to them.
Shyla knew that was as far as she could go, in the air she could smell people, smell children. Children were beautiful, as much as she wanted to see, this is where she stopped.
She can phase through objects, however, not living ones. Not things like living trees, so here she has to put in full effort and actually hide while staying away from the ribbons that she and only she sees that come from the star.

Syndra couldn’t help the faint smirk that tugged at her lips as Briandia answered. There was something almost familiar about the way she carried herself—guarded, watchful, calculating every possible outcome before it happened.

“…Not obvious,” Syndra replied easily, shifting her weight as she adjusted her hold on Chii. “Just… recognizable.”

Her eyes flicked briefly around the park again—routes, people, spacing—before settling back on the woman and the twins.

“First time I brought her out, I almost turned around three times before actually committing,” she added dryly.

A soft, pleased sound came from Chii as she leaned further out of Syndra’s jacket, completely fixated on the two toddlers. Her tiny tail flicked with excitement, little paws reaching outward again.

Syndra followed Briandia’s introduction, her gaze settling on each of the twins in turn.

“Cassiana…” she murmured, softer, noticing the quieter one. Then her eyes shifted to the fiery little one who had very clearly chosen defiance as a personality trait.

“…and Aloriana,” she finished, a hint of amusement slipping into her tone. “Yeah, I can see the difference.”

Right on cue, Aloriana made her move.

Syndra’s brow lifted slightly as the tiny orange whirlwind toddled closer, bold despite the earlier protest. At the same time, Chii let out an excited little trill, practically vibrating in Syndra’s arms.

“Alright, alright—hold on—” Syndra muttered, already lowering herself into a crouch.

She carefully brought Chii down, one hand steady at her back as tiny paws met the ground. The moment Chii was stable, she wobbled forward with all the grace of a very determined baby, eyes locked onto Aloriana.

“Easy,” Syndra added quietly, though it was unclear if she was talking to Chii… or herself.

Chii stopped just short of the other toddler, tilting her head curiously. Then, with zero hesitation, she reached out and gently patted Aloriana’s arm.

“Mrrp!”

Syndra exhaled slowly, watching the interaction like it was a high-stakes negotiation.

“…Well,” she muttered under her breath, “that’s one way to skip introductions.”

Her gaze flicked back to Briandia, something a little softer in her expression now.

“She doesn’t really… hesitate,” Syndra said, a faint huff of a laugh following. “No sense of danger. Or boundaries. Or personal space.”

As if to prove her point, Chii took another tiny step closer to Aloriana, now attempting to grab her hand with both of her own.

Syndra rubbed the back of her neck lightly.

“…I’m working on it.”

Elira had only meant to take Scraps for a short walk through the park bordering the orphanage grounds. The little hellhound had been especially energetic that morning, darting around her legs with clumsy puppy paws and tiny bursts of ember-smoke puffing from her nose whenever she became excited.

The princess moved with practiced grace despite the child perched against her hip. Her pale golden fur shimmered softly beneath the filtered sunlight while the elegant cream-and-gold gown she wore shifted around her legs with each step. One large fennec ear twitched at the sounds drifting from deeper within the forest.

Then she noticed the centaur.

Her blue eyes narrowed slightly as she took in his posture first—the tension in his stance, the defensive sidestepping, the way his gaze never fully left the treeline. Fear. Alarm. Confusion.

Scraps noticed it too.

The baby hellhound immediately went still in her arms, her oversized ears flattening as a low tiny growl rumbled in her chest. Little curls of heat rolled from her nostrils while bright White eyes locked onto the woods.

Elira’s expression softened instead of hardening.

“Oh dear…” she murmured quietly.

She approached slowly and carefully, mindful not to startle him further. Scraps clung to the front of her dress now, peeking over her arm with wary curiosity.

“You saw it, didn’t you?” Elira asked gently once she was close enough to speak comfortably. Her voice carried warmth instead of suspicion. “The Duskwalker in the trees.”

The princess glanced toward the withering plants and sighed softly beneath her breath before looking back toward him again.

“She didn’t harm you.”

It was not a question. She already knew.

Scraps gave another small grumbly growl toward the forest before Elira stroked behind one of her ears. Instantly the hellhound quieted, though her glowing eyes still watched the shadows carefully.

“You needn’t be afraid,” Elira continued softly. “They are... curious. Lonely, more than dangerous.” Her ears lowered slightly with sympathy. “Most people react poorly when they see a skull staring at them from the woods.”

A faint amused smile tugged at her muzzle.

“Which admittedly does little to help their reputation.”

Behind the trees, where shadows pooled thickly between the roots, Elira’s sharp hearing caught the nearly imperceptible shift of movement. She turned her head slightly toward the forest.

“You can come a little closer,” she called gently into the woods. “You frightened the poor traveler enough already.”

Scraps immediately perked up at that, tail wagging once before she barked a tiny puff of sparks toward the trees.

Elira smiled faintly down at her before addressing the centaur again.

“The orphanage protects creatures many worlds would call monsters,” she said softly. “But most of them are simply children trying to understand a world that fears them first.”

Her gaze flicked briefly to the glowing star within his chest.

“And I imagine,” she added carefully, “you understand that feeling better than most.”

Soft canine giggles rolled through the air as another hellhound child toddled up the path to the park. Behind them was what appeared to be a human man with long chestnut hair in very normal long-sleeved jersey-style black band t-shirt and worn jeans. The only thing strange about this young man was his slightly pointed human ears, and together with all the piercings, it might be assumed that those ears were artificially altered...? But what about the hellhound; one might expect a human to be running away from the little beast! Right? If it were any other place, one might assume such things, but Jack was anything but normal and those at the park might instead wonder, when they finally saw him, what was below skin-deep. But they were going to hear the duo long before they ever reached the park.

Suddenly, the tiny terror veered off the path and into the bushes.

Jack sighed, with a long-wearied expression that gave away his lack of surprise. This had happened before. Many times. "Grimm," he growled under his breath, then followed after. "Where did you go, you little s**t?" the last was more hiss than actual speech. He did not make it a habit to call Grimm such words, he was just so tired --exhausted-- of this particular behavior. "Grimm!" He looked through the low-lying plants and couldn't seem to find them. They had disappeared!

Not again!

Jack growled. His eyes seemed to flash with something more than just sunlight and ire. "Grimm?!"

Grimm giggled again, and this time their voice came from the park itself.

Jack blinked, his surprise evident in his suddenly slack expression. Well, then. At least Grimm had finally gone in the correct direction, toward their destination. "Finally! Grimm, where--?" he began as he broke free of the bushes and looked around for the little hellhound.

Grimm, meanwhile, had shot clear of the bushes like a charcoal-and-pine runaway shadow, and made a beeline through the park. They wasn't paying close enough attention and ploughed right into the leg of one adult-- Irun, holding another hellhound who was fast asleep. The impact brought an abrupt yelp out of Grimm's mouth, but instead of crying, they giggled again and hid behind this new adult's jeans. They peered up at her with their eerie glowing (even in the sunlight) ear-to-ear smile. A giggle to her, then back down to watch for Jack emerging from the bushes.

At first, Jack didn't see where Grimm was because the dark smudge against pink and did not register them as separate beings. Then he saw Grimm. Jack strode up to the jackal woman with purpose and a more neutral expression. Now that he knew that the hellhound child was okay, he was able to control his emotions far easier. "Grimm." He wore a half smile by the time he stood before Irun and said, "There you are. Don't bother the nice Lady. Sorry about this," he said to Irun with an apologetic twist of his brow and lips.

Grimm thought all of it was so hilarious. A chortle bubbled upward to Irun then Grimm ran and tried to knock Jack over by careening into his leg as they had to the jackal woman. Such a small little scamp couldn't even knock him back a step. Grimm clung to his leg, hugging Jack for all they was worth. For all of the mischief this little one had caused, they still loved Jack like no other. Like a big brother, perhaps?

A string of laughter was muffled by Jack's pants leg. Jack scooped the infant up and buried his face in the child's belly. "You silly little goober." At least that was what it sounded like; it was much more like what he would call Grimm, anyway.