Welcome to Gaia! ::

Biroki was in a decent mood. It had been a great day, promising to turn into a mild night- perfect for collecting surpluses of materials and plants. When he returned home, he would have plenty of things for himself and Zuri, as well as much besides to trade for other things they needed. He was still worried, but not as much as before. He knew she was strong, and he knew he could support her. He didn't think that he himself could be pregnant. It had been quite a thing to drop on him, hadn't it, that he would soon be a father. A few days had softened the blow a bit.
He had to wonder... What had his father been like? Reshel had never told him, and Biroki had never thought to ask. What, indeed, was Sen'oda like? Or his mother? Why had he not asked?
Because there were so many things around him to explore, so many things to focus on, he supposed. As if to show an example, he picked a newly-bloomed nightflower and examined it tenderly. It was such an intense color, glowing slightly even as it began to quietly wilt off of its stem. It was beautiful inside and out- its petals held many nutrients that could be used when the toxins were boiled out of it. Such a beautiful thing could make you sick, or make you better. That sort of balance was a marvel. He inspected the plant's stem, already now sealing his incision with sticky gum. Perhaps tomorrow, or a few nights from now, this plant would have a new blossom to open to the sky. Remarkable. Life was remarkable.
He would have missed the rumbling of the ground if he hadn't stood up just then, his balance unsteady and sensitive for a moment. He stumbled, turning in surprise to see a pincered maw erupt from the ground, barely missing him as the great insect's legs landed, ready to pursue.
He yelped and threw a shaky and haphazard spell that bounced off the Wadana's armored carapace. He backed away. Where there was one, there were more, he knew, and he didn't want to have to face it or its friends.
He threw a lightning bolt and ran as fast as his legs could carry him in the direction of the village, not looking back to see how his shot landed. Even when he felt no rumbles of the earth or heard no clatter of insect legs, he still ran until, gasping, he was in view of Ast's edge. He looked back, his sides hurting, and breathed a sigh of relief. It was gone, probably to ambush some other creature.
He took a moment to rest, then returned home with what he had gathered so far. Zuri was waiting.