Curator POV
Watching that....thing breach the sand like some kind of whale, if only on a much smaller scale, is shocking. When Babe called it a 'furry tunneling horror' I thought it would be something like a golden mole or something like that. I was not expecting the horrid cross between a weasel and a Bobbitt worm. Furry tunneling horror indeed, jeeeze that things just...wrong to look at on so many levels. Here's my dilemma however, if I can make it a companion like I did with Babe there's no doubt in my mind it'll be useful, and strong for this area. On the other proverbial hand, Babe seems to be scared of it, and it's pretty nasty looking. The actually iridescent and reflective fur is pretty though but...that mouth and face...
Shuddering mentally I'd think about what steps to take here and try to weight the pros and cons further as it starts to wiggle walk along the top of the sand. Seems it's heading toward that little bubbling spring there on the surface and not under the sand. Maybe it only moves like that to get around some times? Ooooh, or what if it's an ambush predator, like an -ACTUAL- Bobbitt worm is. Hell, what if it's a variable approach predator based on what it's going to hunt or more passively hunts during the night?
Alright, so then, lets do some proper pros and cons then shall we, without thinking about my own personal discomfort by it. Pros, it's a hunter of some sort, it seems pretty large, but, for all I know, everything here could actually be tiny. Outside the mandible jaw things it's actually quite pretty and cute in it's own way, like, who doesn't love a lil wiggly boy weasel or ferret, if you can handle the stink. It can clearly dig, so, would likely be able to help me start building a better safe haven for everyone here.
Now the cons. Food may be an issue, I don't know what it eats other than Babe being scared of those things to some level so it likely eats her species. It's unclear how innately intelligent it is or if it can even tell I'm currently watching it like a hawk like Babe seemed to pick up on. Although, that could indicate nothing actively hunts it as well.
Hmmm, if that's the case then, this thing would definitely need to be grabbed. Actually, yeah, those mandibles could probably be used to snip and cut things too. Yeah, lets see if we can make it mine, like I did for Babe. First thought what to call it.
It looks like a Bobbitt worm, and like a weasel. AH! That' it! Now, how to go about this. With Babe I was just closely observing them and had a strong thought of the name of a character they reminded me of. With this one, I'm trying to intentionally name it so...lets start with the obvious thing to go for, we'll try something else.
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Focusing my intention closely upon the creature I'd take a moment to psych myself up.
'I name you Poppit'
With that, the same draining sensation as before would hit, the creature suddenly going stiff as a rod while energy visibly swirl over, around, and even through it. It's beady eyes, and mandibles, taking on the same navy hue as myself as understanding starts to dawn on it's, surprisingly expressive, face. It looks....happy, very very very happy.
Poppit POV
Thirsty. So thirsty. No juicy snacks in too long. Need to drink. Water. Close, water. Go to surface, walk to water. Smell tasty juicy snacks, so many tasty juicy snacks. Need water now, no time to hunt.
'I name you Poppit'
Energy, thoughts beyond the immediate need of slaking thirst or considering the next meal. Concepts and ideas, that none of my kind have ever had before. Places I've never been, with strange stone rock nests. Places with weird pink things that stand on trunks. Other creatures that are small, poofy like the clouds, and so many colors but still walking on two twigs. Maybe those are the offspring of the bigger creatures?
As soon as that thought crosses my mind the image fades and I can see the world around me properly with a new-found clarity. The sand isn't a single thing like water, it's actually lots of really really small things! The plants near that spring, they aren't just blobs that are stuck together, they have so many different bits and parts, what with the leaves and the flower and the stalks!
Lost for a moment in the newfound wonder around me my body would let out a grumbling reminder of why the sands were breached in the first place. Practically sprinting now in an eager haste to experience more of these new things, the water which was once just a needed thing now holds a new beauty to it as the sun reflects off of it, letting me truly see myself. I'm quite the handsome fellow, aren't I!
Drinking deeply, the cool crispness of the water would be a welcome reprieve from the already warming air of the desert, before the voice speaks into my head again.
'So, how do we feel there Poppit?'
I try to speak my joy, but can only manage out some clicks and clacks of my mandibles and the squanking sound my kind, typically, only makes as young when playing. This feeling of pure joy and elation at all these new sensations and experiences is just a pure delight. Who ever this voice is, I will never be able to thank them enough for this delightful gift!
Curator POV
Okay...so...it can't talk like Babe can. That's okay, but man, it's so happy that it's making ME super happy too. Like watching the joy of an unleashed mob of puppies with only a single kid to play with all of them. If that puppy were a three foot mix between a sea horror and a noodly boyo, if the yucca like plants are like the yucca from back home. It was definitely the right call with this, and, glad that little experiment worked out too, cause whoof, did that take it out of me. That gold band is gone, and it's only dull lights again, yet, I seem to have gotten just a weeee bit bigger. If I were a ring, it'd be size 9 now, instead of size 8, so that's good. The real question is, if it can't talk, how can I effectively communicate with it and tell it what needs doing?