when the youth need guidance

 
The day is unnaturally warm despite the autumn season that has encompassed all of Novus. The air of the Tinea Swamp is muggy and damp, high and strong with humidity. A slight, warm breeze dances through the trees, yet it brings no reprieve from the unrelenting moisture in the air or the heat from the sun. Insects of all kinds buzz about stagnant swamp water and drooping stalks of vegetation, roaming their natural habitat in annoying droves. Due to the heat of the day, the soiled smell of peat moss and decay carry easily on the breeze, a smell akin to rotten eggs billowing through the atmosphere.
 
All in all, it makes for a miserable day to explore through the swamp. The sun has reached its zenith in the sky, hanging proudly and bearing down an unnatural heat upon the land. All is as it should be…
 
… Or is it?
 
A task had been given from a primitive of the land. A mission. A sojourn. The land is as ancient as it is wise, haunted by the spirits of condemned souls and forgotten shamans. Some know the legends. Others do not… Yet, should she accept the task given to her by the Ilati Elder, Jaxis will find herself wandering the swamp in search of the truth. The terrain will prove a challenge. All good things, after all, do not come easy. The soggy ground will give out beneath her large hooves, the peat moss and rotten soil clinging to her legs. Dragonflies will dance about her ears the deeper she ventures into the moisture-ridden land, flies buzzing about her eyes. The insects do not want her here. This is their sanctuary, their domain, and they were not happy.
 
Yet within this ancient land, one with the water, the air, the soil, and the trees, there is an energy. A pull. It winds itself around Jaxis’ body like an invisible cord and lures her onwards, pulling her deeper and deeper into the forgotten recesses of the Tinea Swamp. Prehistoric carvings litter the trees, the torn bark stained with red paint from the forgotten natives. Red ferns grow in dense, cumbersome populations, making every step difficult.
 
Suddenly the insects halt their assault, the loud buzzing stops, and the world seems to stand still. There, in the clearing surrounded by rotting red ferns is what Jaxis has been drawn towards.
 
Nestled in the midst of the clearing sits a solitary egg. It is larger than that of any known avian, its color dull yet speckled. It rests within a crude, abandoned nest of dirt, animal parts, and sticks. Around the nest are sun-bleached skulls of long-deceased creatures, surely leftovers from a mother’s hearty meal. The remaining bones are prehistoric, from a time Novus has not seen in many years… Yet the egg is something else. Something new. It is the promise of new life, of endurance, of survival.
 
Should Jaxis wander into the clearing and approach the nest, all will continue to be silent. There is no wind. It was as if the world was holding its breath, waiting, watching… Suddenly, a shrewd crack cut through the silence, coming from the egg in the nest. It rocks a little onto its side, a crack appearing on its surface. Slowly the fissure grows, spreading across the diluted surface of the egg, until a maw forces its way through, for the tiny creature inside is ready to face the world.
 
The creature inside the egg shifts and rolls, taking great effort to force herself out of her tiny prison. It is a struggle, and an exhausting one, yet she is determined. She will not give up, not now, not after all of that waiting… Eventually she breaks free from the confines of her shell, letting her scaly legs and long tail unravel and stretch out, her neck and broad head unfolding to reveal the prepubescent form of a species long believed to be extinct. The Indominus Rex’s beady eyes peered out, blinking slowly, staring around the remains of its shell and its nest in wonder.
 
Instinct, however, was a prime motivator. The Indominus Rex knew hunger before understanding the word itself, but oh, was she hungry! The tiny form rolled and began to try and stand, taking a few attempts to discover and understand her legs, and it was when she had finally stood that the creature realized that she was not alone.
 
A creature much taller than she loomed nearby, so very close that they could almost touch with just a few paces put between them. The Indominus Rex peered at the horned equine for a few moments and then let out a faint, uncertain warble. Something about this looming equine felt right. It felt as though they were meant to be. Words it did not yet understand flew through her brain; parent. Mother. Momma. One step, then another, the small prehistoric creature approached Jaxis, and then with all the might in her tiny body, let out a shrill bellow that, quite honestly, was not very fearsome.
 
For now, she was small… Yet one day, she would be big. Intimidating. Fearsome. It would be up to Jaxis to teach her how.

After she has accepted the quest assigned by Turhan, @Jaxis will venture deep into the Tinea Swamp on a hot, muggy day. Through her journey she will be drawn by an invisible feeling, something raw and ancient that will lure her deep into the forgotten recesses of the swamp, where few others have ever walked before. Stumbling upon a nest surrounded by dinosaur skulls and red ferns, she will find an old egg, which hatches shortly after arrival. The Indominus Rex arrives into a world without a mother or a guide, but upon seeing Jaxis near the nest, believes that she will be the one to teach her these things. Should Jaxis accept, the Indominus Rex will return with her out of the swamp.
 
Jaxis has met her bonded.
 
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Have fun! - Sparrow