Closed Menagerie Pitch In: Symenestra Baby

[Magpie]

Timestamp: 20th of Spring 513AV The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when there came a shallow rapping at Tai’aria’s door. Outside was a tired looking Akalak, looking almost ominous in the early morning mist. He stood beside a wooden crate on wheels, the dimensions of a small crib with a closed top. Inside, a deathly pale baby lay sleeping on a blanketed mattress, a few ragged toys shoved to the corners of the inside. His arms and legs were unusually long for a baby, and though the stomach was well rounded, his limbs didn’t have the usual pudge to them. If not for the tiny, pointed, black nails on his hands and feet, he might have passed for a sickly human baby. As it was, he stirred in his sleep as the door opened, making a small noise. The most prominent feature of the baby was the wire frame strapped around the bottom half of his face, thickly padded to protect his fragile skin. “Ahem, hi. Are you…” The Akalak whispered his greeting and checked a frayed piece of paper in his hand. “Tia…aria?” “This here’s little Golgo. Finally got him back to sleep about an hour before we came. Still won’t sleep through the night, this one. He’s a spoiled little devil, and cries like a thing possessed, but if you get him engaged in something, he’s pretty quick on the uptake. Here’s his things-” He paused to hand over a small backpack. “It’s got the rest of his toys, and four bowls of food. Don’t try and feed him much of regular food, unless it’s pretty well liquefied. And no strawberries, it gives him the runs. A ton of diapers in there too, just in case. Umm…” The Akalak paused, looking around as he rubbed the back of his neck. “There's a bowl in there for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and an extra for snacks. That’s pretty much it… Oh yea, the fangs. Keep the muzzle on all the time, even if he pulls at it. He’s gotten pretty used to having it on, but every now and then he gets a little rebellious. So long as he stays fed, the venom won’t be fatal, but you’ll be in serious pain for a few hours if he gets it into you, trust me. Just spoon feed him through the wires.” With an air of finality, he rubbed his hands together, and patted the top of the cage. “That's it. I’ll be back at noon or so to check up on you.” Backing up into the street, he waved once, and was gone. OOC Notes : When you're ready for the noontime visit, just post the below code at the end of your last post. I'll be keeping an eye on the thread so no need to let me know. Be sure to read up on the Symenestra page for more information on their race. Have fun and good luck! Code: Select all [size=130][center]ENTER TECHNICIAN, STAGE RIGHT[/center][/size]

[Tia'aria]

Tia'aria was already awake and waiting when she heard the knocking at the door. She lived in the Sanctuary now as one of their full time staff and had been been waiting at the main entrance of Sanctuary for the Akalak and his special delivery that she knew would arrive that day. She still had a job to do and was expected to do it, otherwise she would have been in Riverfall at her mother's house waiting for the baby Symenestra instead.

When she saw the Akalak and his little bundle, she started forward and met him halfway. She accepted the backpack with a grateful smile, slinging it over one slender shoulder and hearing the contents rattle slightly leaving her somewhat sheepish that she wasn't taking more care to keep the infant's things in good condition.

"Does the creature bite often?" She asked the quiet Akalak, giving the cage and its occupant a considering look. She would have to keep her cat and the other pets away from it lest it get its hands on it and decide to bite them. Whatever venom the creature had, it didn't sound friendly to smaller animals than itself at all. She took note of it's needs for food and amusement, taking in that he would try to pull off the muzzle himself. She wouldn't let it come off.

As the Akalak departed, Tia'aria lifted the cage and raised it to eye level, with some difficulty. The little creature was stirring fitfully in its sleep. It had a small, white face, like it was struck by albinism or something. It's head had a fine layer of black hair, short and seeming soft to her eye. As he squirmed, she noted that he was small, tiny even. He looked nothing like a Konti baby, or an Akalak one, at all.

"Let's get you inside, shall we?" She said in an undertone to the slumbering infant, lowering the cage and turning around to head around to the stables where she would begin work mucking the stalls.

She placed the cage, and the sleeping infant inside of it, on a nearby shelf for safety (although she suspected that if he moved enough he could fall), and began working as quickly as possible so she could give him her attention once done.

She took up a pitchfork and went to work in the foaling stalls, patting the young horses as she went and smiling a greeting to Aweston.

"So, you took up a little anklebiter of your own, huh?" The Drykas chuckled as he went to investigate the cage and the animal inside, observing the sleeping animal. The whinnying of the horses was disturbing the child but it didn't stop Aweston from muttering over it, casting his own judgements. He didn't know what it was but he was surprised at the unexpected humanness of it.

"He is Symenestra," Tia said, softly so as to alleviate chances of waking it. "Fussy sleeper, don't want to be loud. Not sleep good or fast."

Aweston nodded and returned to work grooming the foals as Aria returned to mucking their stalls, discarding their waste out in the pasture. The work was long, hard, and yet rewarding. She liked the horses. They had personality and had unique colours. The Denusk, they had been called. They shimmered like Konti, especially the white ones. Aria enjoyed their company the most.

She heard the infant squalling as she returned to the barn after dropping off more manure in the pasture and approached it quizzically. Time could fly by while working, but it couldn't have been more than one bell.

She placed the pitchfork aside against the wall and opened the cage to take out the child, cradling it in her arms like she had held her brother when he was young. Now that the animal was awake, she could see he had large gold eyes that were surprisingly alert. Beneath the muzzle, she could see his small mouth puckering as he made little sounds now that he had attention. She frowned at him as he reached for her face and patted at her, small black claws scratching at her skin, which she pulled away from. It seemed that movement upset him for he began to whimper, and then cry, with complaint.

"So, he's a crier," Aweson laughed, returning to look down at the Symenestra. Aria reached forward to press a finger against the child's hand and it latched on to it, shushing at the contact and gurgling at her.

"Such a strange infant it is,"[color] she said quietly. [color=white]"Aweston, I can't work with child here. Cover me?" She asked him, switching to Common. Aweston smiled good naturedly.

"Just this once, Tia. I see you have a fickle pet to take care of today, so I'll let it slide. I'll need your help tomorrow, though. You can still cook, right? I suspect Cadra won't be happy if you bail on her too."

"Should be no problem to cook, yeah. Can hold animal like this," she rest the child against her hip, a position that felt oddly comforting for her as well. The creature didn't relinquish her finger. "It will have something else to hold, though. Maybe I ask Kavala about babysitting Tasival. Think she say yes?"

Aweston shrugged but bid Tia'aria farewell as she put on the backpack again, lifted the cage, and carried it and the infant out. The little creature made sounds of interest the entire way out.