forum Underground Cryptids Community (character RP/Chat)

Started December 20, 2023 by @Serenity88 group

tune

Basic Info

Name: Janine (juh-NEEN) Montague
Nicknames (Optional): Jane, J
Age: 18
Gender: Female

Appearance

Skin Tone: Very pale, colorless and pallid, seeming almost drained of blood (Hex Color #FFFCF2)
Height: 7'4 13/16" (Needs to duck a considerable distance to fit into conventional doorways.)
Weight: Despite her large frame, she's very light, only weighing about 186.55 lbs.
Eye Color: Her left eye is a dark reddish brown, and her right is a deep, ashy purple but they glow strangely when in the dark, with a crimson light. (Hex color #7B2910)
Hair Color: Ash grey (#B2BEB5)
Hair Style-

Legs and arms very long in proportion to her torso, very slim shouldered and not much meat on her bones. In certain lights you can count most of her ribs, a very weird effect considering she's nowhere near underweight. She also has almost creepily long fingers that have extra joints, so that her thumbs have three joints (the base, the normal second and then an added third, making it just a bit shorter than a normal index finger) and each other finger is stretched to add a fourth joint. Her body is very slim and lithe, and the muscles that are visible beneath her skin are like rubber bands pulled taut, ready to snap and send her flying at any moment. As for her facial structure, it's very slim and sharp, all angles and planes, almost wild and feral in appearance, her eyes sunken slightly into their sockets. And though she's born human, her teeth are more akin to a mix between a tiger's and a wolf's: sharp, designed for ripping and tearing rather than grinding and chewing like normal human teeth.
Identifying Marks (tattoos, scars, birthmarks, etc.): She has a ring of puncture scars on her neck where the base of her skull is, though you can only see it when the wind is strong enough to blow all her hair away from that area to reveal he undercut as well as said scars.
Usual Outfit: A very oversized black hoodie with a large hood, a black beanie, baggy grey sweatpants and a pair of beat up classic Vans.

Personality

Basic Personality: Despite all appearances, Jane is a very outgoing and carefree spirit, though she, of course, isn't without her flaws. However, rather than letting her flaws be who she is, she chooses to simply act in a way that makes her feel good. Though all this doesn't mean she has a particularly good moral compass. In the end, she only really looks out for herself. If something doesn't interest her, she won't take part or anything like that. After all, when you're treated like a freak, you tend to start being a little. . . freak-y. But she cares strongly for her friends, and one thing she doesn't like is when someone she cares about is being treated in a shitty manner.
Sexuality: Bi. . . herself.
Fears: Nothing, really. After all, peering into the void is just about the worst it gets. (Or so she says. Deep down inside she's terrified o being forgotten or left behind, but she'll never admit that to anybody, least of all herself.)
Hopes: To be able to eat good food and live life the way she wants.
Motivations/Goals: Motivations? Goals? Who cares? She has a long time, she doesn't need to worry about that yet.
Hobbies: Eating, sleeping and playing video games, and tinkering with electronics.
Talents: Electronics and gaming. Eating large amounts of food.
Physical Conditions: It always seems like no matter how much she eats, she never gains weight. . .
Mental Conditions: Sometimes, when she's around normal humans, an uncomfortable urge to do. . . something. . . sweeps over her.
Backstory (optional): Will reveal given time. Just know she's very troubled.
Other: On top of the other physical differences she has, it seems any injury she gets heals extremely fast. Almost as though she can't be injured, at least for long. . .

Valiel smiled, just a little, as a few of the members of the group began to come out of their shells. She kept an eye on Veronica, gauging the girl's reaction. A glance at Arthur revealed that he too was relieved to see that most of their group were what they claimed to be- cryptids.

Veronica watched, her eyes wide, as various members of the group threw off their human forms and revealedt themselves to be something else. She swallowed hard, just really trying to get her heart rate and breathing under control. She glanced at Valiel and Arthur, and they both had the same reaction. Both raised a hand, and shifted the form of that hand to a paw, complete with fur, paw pads, and claws. Clearly, she was amongst a group of people like her, outcasts from society who were all a bit different from the norm. That thought, and sudden curiosity about the rest of their lives and where they were, distracted her mind from the fear and the panic, and she began to calm down.
And then, she took a second look at Einar, and realized why she had been drawn to him from the start. Those wings were huge. His attitude said he'd had to hide, same as she had, though his method seemed a little more sophisticated than a big hoodie. She swallowed hard, calming the last of her frantic feelings, and got to her feet, taking a little hesitant step towards Einar.
"You're safe, Veronica. We won't let anything happened to you here." Valiel said quietly, and got a shaky nod in return.
That situation resolved, Valiel's attention returned to the note in her hands. She turned around, inviting the rest of the group to come around here and read the note with her. Arthur stepped forward, nodding at the rest to join them.

Janine watches as everyone slowly makes their way to the meeting place for the "therapy" and hums a soft tune.

Wish Hive had found this damn place sooner. . . I was running out of businesses to bum off of. she thinks sourly before catching herself and sighing, berating herself. It wasn't Hive's fault nobody would hire such an obvious freak of nature. In the first place, he's the one who had given her even a temporary source of income. She couldn't thank him enough for that.

And besides, it's not like it's his fault I can't find a place to live either. . . she adds. Of course, she didn't know if it was even anybody else's fault but her own in the first place. Though Hive had given her a space in the forest to crash.

But that's beside the point.

What mattered right now is that all these cryptid's emotions were running on a constant "high" level, meaning they were all on edge and unsure of their selves. It was Janine's job to - hopefully - calm them down enough to listen to why they were there and for her to guide them to their new living spaces.

It really had come as a shock to her. Her and Hive had been searching for about a year and a half in the first place for the forest, for one of its entrances. Janine had been the one to stumble across the weird manhole cover and report it. She'd been payed a lot for that. Enough to buy her a pizza from one of the little bakeries in a back alley of the shitty part of the city.

She'd pried it open and dropped down and had found herself. . . somewhere. She'd climbed back out and reported it when she got to a library.

A really good deal, all in all. Fall in an unusual hole, get paid enough for food.

She shakes her head, clearing away these thoughts, loping towards the group meeting place and ducking through the door, finding a group of clearly not human humans.

"Hey guys. I'm Janine. Call me Jane or J. I'm working with the guy who sent out that notice that brought you here." she says. Her voice was at once unusual and calming, very husky, like the last vestiges of light touching a stark mountainside in fall. It was almost enough to offset her. . . troubling appearance. And despite her voice, her appearance - very unsettlingly long everywhere and freakishly tall - and aura - predatory, calm, watchful, almost as though she stood at the apex of all food chains on land - were enough to put most normal people on edge.

"The guy's name is Hive. He's. . . unique. More so than me or any of you," she chuckles. And as soon as the laugh left her, as soon as her mouth opened wide enough to show her teeth, it was like staring at the face a being who could very easily tear you apart but chooses to laugh and smile with you instead.

"Now, I know you all were likely in the middle of it already, or at least about to start, but let's get this started. Everybody introduce yourselves and tell us what manner of cryptid or non-human being you are," she suggests.

Stella buzzed, fluttering her wings a bit, stretching them, as she waited for Sylvya to speak. Sylvya quickly did so, smiling and blinking all eight of her eyes. "As I said before, I'm Sylvya, and this is Stellalune, or Stella, for short. We're hybrids, a creation of magic bearing humans who tested their magic on a few too many animals.
"I'm a spider hybrid, a black widow, meaning I can spin webs, stick to most walls, I'm venomous, among some other things. Stella is a glowing blue moth hybrid. Like her insect counterpart, her wings and antenna glow, and she can't speak, as her mouth is more moth-like. She can buzz, hum, and squeak though."

On reflex, Einar flinched away from Janice. She was so tall, human but not, with an ethereal, just-might-kill-you beauty to her. His wings flexed down and out, feet taking one tiny, protective step toward Veronica. Her step toward him hadn't been missed, and he pondered whaat it could mean.

She doesn't want your protection. You couldn't protect her from anything anyway!
It was just reflex. I know I can't do anything.
Then why did the reflex still react?

After a count of four, during which everyone digested Tommahud's words but no one offered their own, he debated for another three seconds whether or not to step up.
"Um. I'm Einar. My family is a real aristocratic one, part of the Winged Society in my realm. Oh, uh I kinda did some minor world hopping to get to this one, too. Mine is similar but…different."

REaally? similar but different?

His wings, which were looking a little see-through due to his unconscious habit of keeping them veiled, were tightly folded against his back. The wing-tips still twitched, no matter how hard he clenched the muscles.

"I dont have much by way of abilities." Her lifted his hands in a helpless gesture. "I can occasionally use telekinesis, sometimes I can sense auras if my mind is quiet; but my mind blocks most of that ability cause it would be super overwhelming if not blocked." He took a breath, trying to order his scattering thoughts.

"Most wings aren't as large as mine. Birth defect, I guess. I get a lot of… crap from my folks about them. Because they're so oversized, I uh, dont have much coordination in them. I can fly really fast if I wanted to, but the steering get finicky at speed for me. I prefer to coast on updrafts."

You sound weak and sentimental, with a soft heart. You should appear strong and confident.
What's so bad about compassion?
Tough people survive. Compassionate people get stepped on and used.
That seems wrong…
Only cause its true.

Relaxing his wings and lifting this chin to meet Janine's eyes, he shrugged. "Thats all, I guess. Unless I left out something important which I doubt." Hopefully the illusion of softness fell away a little if he could look the most terrifying person there in the eye. But did he actually want to not look soft? He fiddled with his hands and the heel of his shirt, before realizing that it probably looked nervous. Cause it is, stupid.

He just wished the voice in his head, the one that sounded like his parents, would stop.

Valiel smiled as Janine came running up. A second look at the note explained why. She read it out loud for the group to hear once Janine had introduced herself.

Friends,
You made it. I am glad you are here. Welcome to the Cryptid Woods, just one part of the underground Cryptid community! You can trust J. She can bring you to meet me, if you'd like. I can then answer other questions you might have.
Again, welcome.
-Hive

Valiel beamed up at Janine. "Hi there. My name is Valiel. I'm a Hinterlands Skin-changer." She held up the hand she had shown Veronica a couple minutes before, and very quickly shifted its form from paw to fin to hoof to claw, and back to her normal hand. "Always good to meet another guide." Her watchful eyes turned on the rest of the group, keeping tabs on their mental states and sense of well-being. Most seem to be doing okay, though Tomma, Einar, and Veronica were showing a lot of nerves. Still, that was to be expected. New place, new people, and likely the first chance they had ever had to be themselves without fear of immediate repercussion. Valiel could remember her first time too.

Arthur watched the interaction between Valiel and Janine. All seemed well, and the tall girl wasn't setting off any of Valiel's dark alarms, so that was good. As soon as she had to come running up though, Sixclaw had growled quietly.
Lots of power there.
She's a friend, don't be so suspicious.
It wasn't much that made the Revenant take notice, so Arthur was glad that their new guide seemed friendly. "Name's Arthur, and I host a Revenant Werewolf." He looked at Tomma and smiled a bit. "Lots of conversations with someone no one else can see. Makes me look a bit crazy. That, and something about becoming a 15 ft tall wolf - Man - beast thing."

Veronica was the last, and she was just staring at Janine. The others seemed ready to trust the tall predator, but Veronica wasn't really ready to trust anyone yet.
Except maybe the boy with the beautiful wings.
When Einar had a stepped towards her, almost protectively, she had stepped a little closer to him as well, near his back. There was no way she was introducing herself again, not after what had just happened, but she did manage to whisper, very quietly, where only he could hear her. "Nice wings…"

J nods. "Sylvya, black widow, and Stella, blue moth. Nice to meet you both. I hope life as something other than a guinea pig is everything you hoped it would be."

She stares at Tommahund, bemused.

"Gifted with Sight, eh? Beyond the grave. No clue what that means for what you are as a race, since you certainly look human enough. But I know some funny fellows. Oracles, we call them. See the future and stuff. It's all a bit out of my understanding, since I was kicked out of school," she says to him, unconsciously imitating the way he talked near perfectly.

As a matter of fact, it would seem that no matter who she talked to, she could imitate the accent and all the weird small noises made when speaking. It was a definite pointer towards what she was, since she had yet to figure it out. Hive had said he had some ideas but wanted to wait and see what else happened before confirming or denying his suspicions with himself.

Presently, she turns towards Einar, her secondary instincts kicking in. It was clear from the way her gaze sharpened upon landing on the feathered not-human that she seemed to be a bit weary of him, though weather it was more because of his abilities or the fact that he said he'd hopped worlds was unclear. She took note of the fact that he'd moved in front of another person there, a lady.

"Einar. From the. . . Winged Society, you say? Definitely never heard of them, but enjoy your time in this hellhole of a place called Earth. If you're an outcast among outcasts there then you'll fit right in with us here. Though if where you're from is similar I doubt it'll take long to get used to our wonderful little planet in full," she chuckles bitterly and sarcastically.

She finally turns to Valiel, Arthur and Veronica.

Something about this particular grouping made her skin itch, made some base instinct in her genetics want to go haywire and take over, but she forced it down quickly enough.

"Nice to meet you, Val. Nice to see a shifter every once in a while. I've always been fascinated by the different types and all your powers, and it's a pain in the ass to even get close to one, since. . . well, shifting forms is something you all do with practiced ease. I look forward to working with you as a guide," she grins.

She then turns to Arthur. Her skin itched, in the way that said "That is a fellow predator hiding in humanish skin. Be cautious."

And as such, he was the only one she walked up to and held out her hand for him to shake, though how he would go about shaking a hand that was nearly a foot long was beyond her.

"Nice to meet you, Arthur and Revenant Werewolf," she says, her eyes locked onto Arthur's, flashing slightly in the dim, rippling light of the forest.

After she was done greeting Arthur, she turns to the last member, the one Einar had moved in front of. She crouches down to be more in line with her line of sight, trying to seem less threatening.

"Hey Girl. What's your name? Can't help you feel welcome if I don't know it," she says quietly.

(I known I'm out of order but I figured I'd resolve the handshake and stuff real quick. Serenity after me to start the order again?)

Arthur nodded and gave a half smile, meeting her gaze and holding it. He wasn't flinching, but his expression also wasn't one of challenge, just recognition.
As for J's huge hand, he glanced at it, and then shifted his entire arm. The muscles bulged, fur grew quickly, his hand grew several sizes, sprouted claws, and wound up looking more like a massive paw. Still, it was the right size to shake her hand now, comfortably for them both, and he was careful of his grip as he did. Not because he feared he might hurt her; he just wasn't interested in starting a squeeze war. "Nice to meet you too. The wolf in my head goes by Sixclaw."

Veronica had further shrunk behind Einar as Janine stepped towards her and crouched. The crouch was supposed to make less tall and less intimidating to Veronica, but the girl only saw a predator coiling itself to strike, ready to pounce. She shrank back, silent, not answering in the least, her eyes wide and locked onto J.
Valiel rescued the situation from becoming an anxiety inducing staring match. "Her name is Veronica. She doesn't say much." She gave Veronica a gentle smile, before turning back to J. "So you know where Hive is holed up, huh?"

His skin at the back of his neck prickled as Veronica whispered, "Nice wings." He could only hope he didn't smell bad or anything, cause he found himself automatically trying to stay in a protective mode.

Dude. Just stop. You aren't good enough for any relationships. You look like you think you're in a drama movie; ya look stupid.
Yeah. I know. But if she trusts me, I wouldn't want to let her down…right?
No matter what you do, you will let everyone down.

"The Winged Society is just a fancy-ass name for a bunch of stuck-up winged families who think they're better than humankind and that humans don't deserve to know of them, or something like that. My family is one of the higher-ranking families." Einar glared momentarily at a leaf a few feet away. Looking back up to Janine, he caught what appeared to be weariness in her eyes.

How could a fearsome, no doubt powerful being be worried of me?
You're making it up.

"I had to get here through a thin spot, a very old one. it was difficult to find, and I think that's cause this particular one moves around. My home is just like this one, but more people have magical abilities and the mystic is welcome and nurtured." He laughed a laugh without humor. "My classmates at school ride home on a Sky Whale most days!"

As Janine greeted the others, he turned his head over his shoulder. Einar's wings, he realized, were looking partially transparent, like stained glass. His habit of keeping them veiled was still kicking in, completely unconscious. With an exhale, he relaxed the muscle in his mind, letting them fully exist on this plane of reality. They flickered uncertainly when Janine turned her attention to Veronica.

---

(heyyy, guess who forgot about her characters she made just for this rp!! couldn't be me…yeah its me. Null, idk if you've read the whole thing here, but I have two other characters on their way to the forest. I will post an update on them soon, probably out of turn😅)
(oh ye I wrote this like six hours ago, before Davadio, but didn't get around to posting until just now🤦‍♀️)

Stella fluttered her own wings and hummed happily. In the shade of the trees, the glow of her wings and antennae was visible, although not awfully bright. She chirped back at J, impressed at the slight buzzing under her voice. She waved happily at the rest of the group, wondering if any would be able to read her as well as Sylvya could.

Sylvya nodded to J, looking around at everyone again. It was certainly an odd group, at least by human standards. She didn't mind the variety, but she was feeling protective of Stella, and she was fighting back a snarl. Now wasn't the time or place to be overprotective.

(hope you guys dont mind if I update on my other two cryptids…casue I just finished this bit and im happy with how it turned out!)

Astraea was in a memory.

She smelled smoke. Fire licked at her heels. Her mother, her uncle, her aunt, father and cousin; they were telling her to run. But how? Rough ropes, tough from age, rubbed her wrists, ankles and neck. The post at her back was so broad it expanded past her shoulders to either side, making any escape impossible.

The smoke blew away, giving way to clean mountain air. Her feet ached, and hair kept whipping in her eyes, and her clothes were in tatters. The pale sun glared down at her, striking blindness in her unprotected eyes. The mossy stone at her feet was deceptively soft-looking, but thin and provided no cushion for her beaten and bloody soles. She clutched at her bony arms, trying to ward off the unstoppable wind from cutting the warmth from her bones.

A voice, so small and ragged, tore from her throat. "Mama! Father!" It echoed lonesomely against the rocks and barren tree trunks of the mountaintop.

The clouds came down, obscuring everything from all of her senses. Then there was Aideen, touching her elbow. "Hey. Come on, star, I think there is a creek ahead." Indeed, Astraea could just make out the rushing of a little stream and quiet splashes from birds or fish. Tall reaching evergreens provided canopy far above, the lowest branches many Aideen-heights beyond the top of Astraea's head. They also gave the forest floor a wonderful thick, soft carpet of fallen pine needles and ferns.

Taking what was supposed to be a deep breath but only filled her lungs partway, Astraea fell into step behind her adopted sister. She lifted her eyes to the branches of the trees, spotting many birds she had never seen before but somehow, she could recognize them by color and shape. That large round one with head plumage the color of the evening sky, the small one with green and yellow stripes flitting past it with a loud trill and a peck to the head. They all felt familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere in the past. Their songs wafted in her ears like forgotten melodies.

"Trae, how empty is your water?" Aideen looked up at her from a crouch by a little rocky stream. "Mine's just about out."

Astraea bobbed her head, bringing the small metal insulated bottle from her backpack. The blue marbled patterns looked really nice in the filtered sunlight, she thought.

"Little more than half." She gave it a little shake before handing it over. "No more ice left, either."

Aideen chuckled as she took the bottle. "No, I wouldn't expect any ice to be left." she unscrewed the top. "Last time we had ice was… like a week ago."

"Yes. Lots of time in the woods." She rolled her neck, observing the tree trunks at different angles. "Time."

Aideen glanced up from filling the second of three total bottles. "Time? Got any more to that sentence?"

A tickle in her mind, like dust or bugs. "Yes. Maybe." As usual, she wished she could just show Aideen her thoughts instead of trying to piece together words to explain them. The thoughts were difficult to speak. "Not much time left. We used a lot of it walking." She glared into her sister's green eyes, letting her mouth shape a frown. "We could have been flying."

A sigh. "I told you why we can't try that."

"Yes."

Aideen was standing now, looking down at her. Exasperation filled her expression. "So why is this still a problem for you?"

She looked away. Astraea knew, she knew, that these woods were safe, welcoming, even, to her and Aideen's wings. But somehow, she couldn't explain how she was so certain, and that made Aideen call it 'just a hope' and 'but you dont know for sure'. but I do know…

The tickle was a needle now, but not a sharp one. A pointing one. Her arm lifted, pointing with it. Upstream, but on the other side and further into the trees. "They're over there."

Her sister tightened the cap on the last water bottle. "Good. Let's get going."

She smiled. "But they're closer than last time." She turned her smile to Aideen. "We'll meet with them tomorrow, Deen."

Valiel returned Stella's wave with a smile, happy the moth girl seemed happy. She'd need to cultivate communicating with her, though maybe not just now- Sylvya was looking around protectively, and Valiel wasn't going to push that.
She also noted, with some sense of satisfaction, that although Veronica still seemed on edge, she was at least willing to stick close to Einar. That was good.

Indeed, Veronica had only seemed more likely to stay close to Einar the more his wings entered this plane of existence and became more visible. They were a familiar piece to her, in the midst of something very new and nerve-wracking.

Arthur stepped towards Tomma, gently placing a hand on his shoulder, steadying him a bit. The guy was staring a lot, and seemed unsettled. "We can hit up the market, or even the Bazaar after we meet with Hive, if you want. There's always good food there."

…………..

A couple of miles away, in the depths of the cavern he'd built as his home, Hive hummed to himself happily as he hurried around, tidying up. The new group had come through the portal, and all of them had turned out to be honest to goodness Cryptids. He was always delighted to grow their little community, and this new method had worked better than he'd hoped for. He had sent one of his insects to watch the bottle, and so he knew that someone had opened his note, and J had gone to meet them. Hopefully they'd be along soon. The big hollow tree that was his front door was neat, the long spiral staircase down into the cavern was swept, the mushroom lights had been fed and were glowing brightly, and all was ready to greet the guests and answer questions. He even had snacks, arranged on little wooden platters set out on the stone ledges. Hosting wasn't something he got to do very often, so he may have gone overboard, but. New arrivals deserved the best.
Soon… he smiled happily to himself.

Something Janine noted about Arthur was how fluidly he shifted his arm, something very interesting to her. The amount of mental stability and control this man must have is astronomical, at least in her eyes.

Presently, she looks at how the lady shrinks back in fear, and sighs quietly, backing up and standing slowly, hands visible and with no indication of attack or intent to threaten or harm. She glances over at Valiel at her words, then back at Veronica.

"Veronica, I know this probably won't help, but I won't eat you. I only eat pizza rolls and Mountain Dew," she says softly, with a joking tone of voice. She had a kind smile on her face, closed lips, to avoid freaking her out more. She knew how unsettling her teeth were.

After that she lets the matter go, turning fully to Valiel.

"Yup. He's been holed here the longest of anybody, actually. In a tree," she laughs vibrantly. "I guess it makes sense though. You'll see what I mean when we meet him."

She turns back towards Einar as he starts talking, listening closely. She notes the way he hesitates upon seeing a hint of weariness in her and she covers it quickly.

Janine nods thoughtfully. "Stuck up politicians, huh? Seems about right. We have more than our fair share in this world, so you just left magical ones for entirely human ones. Or mostly human. As for world differences, I have no clue what a sky whale is but it certainly sounds interesting."

At Einar's comment about a "thin spot," she pauses and fully looks him in the eyes for a moment, reading the fear, anger, confusion and defensiveness that are there. And something deeper - happiness. Happy to be away from wherever he came from. "I'm glad you made it here, Einar. We're happy to have you in this world."

Janine catches Stella's chirp and chirps back, almost reflexively, in the same manner one might imitate their pet - only a lot more real sounding. She nods back at Sylvya, smiling.

She then looks over at Tomma, but Arthur seems to have handled that already, so she just smiles brightly and claps once.

"Well! It's nice to meet you all. I think it's time we go to meet our wonderful 'leader'-" she puts air quotes around leader and laughs. "-and get living situations sorted out. After that, you all are free to wander and explore, rest for a while, fight, eat, game - anything you'd like."

"Also, there's two to three others coming to meet us. Keep an eye out for anything, alright? We don't know what they are," she adds as a quick afterthought.

Einar resolved to stay quieter throughout the other's introductions. He felt the need to hide, to make himself unnoticed in the presence of Janine and this unfamiliar territory. But there was a part of him, a part he was fighting with, that told him he was safe and that he could trust everyone here and that the woods felt more like home than his own house.

Just can it for now, can it all. We don't have time for all that weakness. Get yourself together.

The others were talking to Janine about the trek to Hive's bunker, food and water, sleeping and how long it would take to get there. It sounded like a day's run for J, but with smaller, weaker or more leisurely people it could take two days.

---

(crap, writing fuel running out…)

Sylvya calmed herself, hugging Stella. "I love you" she whispered. She let Stella go, waiting to see if anyone would come talk to her.

Stella fluttered over to the other winged people (person? I forgot how many had wings-)) and buzzed happily, pointing at their wings and smiling.

Veronica kept her eyes locked on Janine for a bit, until the tall girl stepped away to talk to others. Veronica caught Valiel's eye, and the shifter gave her a reassuring smile.
It didn't help a whole lot, but Veronica did her best to relax. Having her muscles all tense was beginning to hurt.
She glanced at Einar, noting his quietness, and was trying to think if she should say something else, when Stella fluttered over and began making excited noises and smiling. Veronica couldn't understand her, but from the way she was pointing at Einar's wings, her meaning was pretty clear.
"Someone else likes your wings too…" she rasped quietly, before looking at Stella's own wings and giving a big thumbs up. She swallowed the nerves and tried to focus on not seeing the moth-girl as a predator.
Of all of them, Stella seemed the most gentle, and Veronica badly wanted to be less on guard.

Arthur watched that interaction, a small smile crossing his face. He turned back to Tomma, about to crack a joke about winged people and birds of a feather flocking together, or something, but Tomma was still staring a bit. Arthur tightened his grip on Tomma's shoulder, not to a painful degree, but to remind the kid he was here, and hopefully ground him a bit.
There was movement behind him, and Arthur glanced up to see a gargoyle-looking individual step into the clearing and stand there, watching them. Creaking metal wings made it clear the guy wasn't attempting to hide, so Arther waved him over. "Join us, bud. Got a name?"

Valiel looked over as Arthur called to someone, and noticed the newcomer. She could tell Arthur had relaxed a bit now that they were in the Cryptic Woods, so she didn't feel like she had to monitor every interaction.
So she focused on shifting instead. Stepping back from people for a minute, she closed her eyes, concentrating on the creature in her head. There was a rippling motion over her skin, and when her eyes opened again, for a moment they blazed a blinding white light. And then she was shifting, her body morphing and changing and growing.
A few seconds later, what was left there was an uncommon creature, big and imposing. Valiel looked like someone had crossed a horse with a lion, and then blended that with… a rhino, maybe? Whatever she was, she was big enough to carry several people easily.
"Alright folks! We gotta get a move on towards Hive's place. Those who can fly, feel free to take to the skies. Those who would like a ride, hop on! And if you choose to run on your own, you better keep up." This last comment was clearly aimed at Arthur, from the way Valiel tossed her maned head in his direction.

Einar cleared his throat quietly; not like he wanted attention, but as if he was a preparing himself to speak.
"Ver…Veronica? Will you fly?" He tried not to seem uneasy or pushy, but his voice wavered uncertainly. "I'll be flying, but my oversized wings are really fast and clumsy."

That doesn't make sense.
It's fine.

He almost missed Valiel's shift, but the light caught his eye and he couldn't help staring a little as she changed to a creature he had never seen the likes of before. Einar also almost didn't notice the large metallic winged fella, but they were impossible to ignore once the gargoyle stepped closer to the group. He nodded to himself, noting just how many wings were present – so many unwanted flappers just like himself. His heart warmed a little, an unfamiliar sensation, at the thought of not being out of place here, of belonging.

J looks around at the group and smiles. Everyone was getting along well; there were even newcomers who were already adapting to the group.

That reminded her. . . but no, the last two would be able to find them. Either at the tree or in the camp, it would happen. She'd introduce them to Hive when she could.

She nods at Valiel, interested in her shifting but deciding to focus for now.

"I'm good on my own two feet," she grins broadly, bending back and then forward, then from side to side, stretching out her body for the impending trip.

"Let's get a move on, people!" she exclaims, bounding off into the trees fast on all fours, her lanky body lending itself well to the strange galloping run. As she ran, her form seemed to start to lengthen and thin, and start looking more. . . feral. A high, fluting and inhuman call escapes her as she runs, but whether it was intentional or not was unknown. Indeed, it seemed almost as if she had no idea that her body had changed at all.

Stella smiled happily at the person who complimented their wings. As Veronica's complement, her wings glowed brighter. When Valeil called out that it was time to go, Stella fluttered back over to Sylvya, before both took off in their own ways, Stella flying and Syl scurrying along, having no difficulty keeping up with the group. After a little bit, Stella grew tired and opted for a ride.

Aideen plucked another thorn from her jeans. She and Astraea had been in this swath of briars and blackberry bushes for the past day, and she was getting real tired of it. when there was a small open space for them to stand, it was small and they had to find their way out by ducking under the reaching arms of thorns or climbing the short, branchy trees that now populated the area. Several times, she'd noticed Astraea looking up and rolling her shoulders; she had to resist doing the same thing, focusing on not wanting to stretch her wings.

But why did her apprehensions feel so shallow now? Why did her instinct to stay normal sound quiet and untroubled? If this place was as she thought, was a last sanctuary for inhuman beings like her and Astraea, there was no need to appear human; they weren't human, after all.

"Trae," she called softly, pulling her sister's attention from the large green and blue beetle she was staring at. Her silver sky eyes met Aideen's. "Trae, I've been thinking."

"Pondering?" a smile curved Astraea's small mouth.

She nodded. "You could say that. I'm thinking that we're taking up lots of time here."

Astraea's head bobbed, along with her shoulders. "Yes. The briars are taking all the time."

"So…do you know which way to go?"

Her arm instantly lifted, pointing slightly to the left of their current trajectory. "Not far, as the hummingbird flies. Very far, as the briar root reaches."

"Well, we aren't briars or hummingbirds." Aideen let herself look to the sky, feeling her heart reach for the unobstructed air. "We're dragons, Trae."

Those ice blue eyes widened, surprised. "Yes," she murmured. "We are dragons." Her snowy skin at the corners of her eyes hardened and fractured into tiny grey-blue scales, shaping little swirls up to her temples and down her chin.

Aideen felt a muscle relax in her mind, and felt the scales creep over her skin too – her face felt a little stiff, unfamiliar with the change after not doing it for so long. She took her jacket off so her wings wouldn't damage it. She wadded it up and crammed it into her backpack. Her wings, dark orange with mottled red patches and yellow highlights unfolded from her back. She'd never understood how it worked – they seemed to unfold from her skin as if they'd been pressed there, but when they were hidden there was no evidence except a collection of freckles, like a wing-shaped spray of dark stars.

As she rolled her shoulders, she noticed Astraea doing the same. "You ready?"

One more big nod. Aideen raised her wings high, bending her knees. She and her sister pushed off and flapped downward at the same time, blowing the briars back from them with the powerful gust. With a few more flaps, she was above Astraea, quietly giggling as she did loops with her blue-grey wings. In the afternoon sunlight, her scales glinted like ice, her silver hair flowing and whipping about her face and shoulders. We should've put our hair up…we're gonna have some awful mats to detangle later.

"This way!" Astraea's little voice reached Aideen's ears over the flapping of her own wings as her sister began winging off to the south. Exhilaration swirled in her stomach as she let the wind carry her along, forgetting her troubles and enjoying the sky.