Comprehension and growth. Those were the twin tasks set before the nameless migrant crab by whatever that warmth had been. As those directives thrummed in the back of the crab’s mind it began to slowly approach the center of the brook. It stumbled a few times over the loose wet rocks, but soon it reached a vantage point where it could survey its surroundings. Light dappled the water through the leaves above, sparkling and pleasant, but there was little that the crab’s new senses could discern as important, though all of it was new.
Hours passed as the crab explored a small stretch of the brook and the surrounding forest. With each movement it became more and more acclimatized to its new carapaced body and struggled less with small tasks. It soon learned from watching other migrant crabs how to scuttle about with ease and speed, how to scavenge small bits of algae and worms (though it only dimly understood why), as well as how to use their hard and semi-camouflaged exteriors to hide. All the while it adjusted to this existence with rapid progress and a ravenous appetite for the novel and necessary.
Scrambling over a mossy log, the crab watched as the light above slipped past the treeline and the forest fell into twilight. The burbling brook and the smattering of clacks from fellow crabs legs striking stone were the only solace that the newborn crab had that all was as it had been, just another phase of this life it was adjusting to. Turning to the forest, the crab saw little in the dim light, but something in the air had changed. Using its small intellect it barely discerned danger, crouching low as talons snapped just above it. The silent white form of a monstrous owl glided over the brook attempting to grab at a second crab before swooping away into the gloomy trees.
The migrant crab crawled cautiously down to the brook and huddled in a nook between the rocks. Its first encounter with danger left it more confused than afraid. Swirling in its mind were alien feelings. Panicked and befuddled, the crab settled into an uncomfortable and watchful span. More predators visited the brook that night. A hunched ragged thing with large claws and even larger teeth which tore apart one unlucky migrant crab. Another winged thing that came silently to feast upon what few moths flitted about over the brook. Last was a long pale serpent that only visited the flowing water to drink, it lapped up water for several minutes before slipping away through the trees.
As time passed the crab began to learn the signs of danger, as well as internalized what danger meant. Any of those creatures could have ended its life given the opportunity, that would mean an end to its ability to grow and understand too. Its journey would be over.
At that brief thought, two things blossomed into the crab’s small mind. One was the fervent and instinctual grasp of mortality and the second was a miniscule understanding of the Journey. The Journey was one’s path through the mortal dangers this world offered. All the choices that one made culminated in growth, namely Ascension. The higher one ascended, the more capable they were of understanding the world and handling its perils. The crab barely understood this, but one thing was clear to it. It must grow to understand and understanding would help it grow as well.
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The night passed without any more threats. The other crabs all slept, while the day old crab pondered all it could wrap its miniature mind around. In doing so, the crab learned that it could dive into itself and uncover those odd descriptions it had observed yesterday. Perhaps this was part of its journey as well, being able to internalize how far it had come.
Nameless
Role: Lesser Migrant Crab
Ascension: 0
Force: 4 Endurance: 10
Intellect: 11 Potency: 5
Skills: Discernment, Hide, Scuttle
Little had changed since its probing thoughts discovered the odd information, but the crab took the change as a good thing. Working its way downstream, it began to notice more differences in the crabs and creatures it saw. Some migrant crabs had subtle patterns across their backs, while others had little nubs and spines adorning their carapaces. The newborn intuited that these were all signs of their choices along their own journeys. It wanted to reach out and learn more from these crabs, but the longer it stared and poked at them, the worse their reactions. Some simply rose up on their legs and clacked their claws menacingly, while others bolted or shied away, the largest ones reaching out to snip a leg off the poor observer. The crab eventually crawled under a rocky outcropping by the brook to sleep a while, having figured out that exhaustion also limited its survival chances.
As it sank into restless slumber, the crab tried to pick apart each piece of that strange list. ‘Nameless’ was meaningless to the crab. ‘Role’ made little sense, but the part that mentioned ‘crab’ was interesting. Before it had said ‘mote’ and now it was crab. Perhaps that section was talking about the body it inhabited? Curious, the crab continued to look at each piece in turn. ‘Ascension’ made sense in context now, though the number was a mystery to an uneducated crustacean. Each attribute was confusing too since the words meant little to the crab, but the fact that one’s value had changed overnight was interesting. Finally the skills were a treasure trove. What ‘discernment’ meant was not clear, but ‘hide’ and ‘scuttle’ made much more sense. As it poked each skill inside its mind, the word and its meaning became significantly clearer. ‘Hide’ boosted the crabs' attempts to shield itself from view of those predators and ‘scuttle’ aided its efforts when moving rapidly. The crab would have done more internal exploration, but sleep claimed it.