ORIGIN

The magnesite chrysalis had sat nestled in the ferns, undisturbed.
The lion curled up inside of the magnesite had grown from a lanky cub into an adult during his hibernation, and he would soon find that not only had his surroundings changed, he would have too. And something stirred him to finally awaken. Sprig opened his eyes as he was confronted once again with the white gemstone that held him trapped within. He instinctively kicked outwards with his legs, forming a crack that slowly spiderwebbed out before the entire wall shattered. Tumbling out onto the cushiony undergrowth, he blinked a few times, eyes coming into focus, taking in his surroundings.
The plants that had been mere seeds cycles ago had sprouted into flowers and saplings. To someone who had been hibernating for so long, the area would have seemed familiar, yet different in a sense. Like the feeling of visiting a childhood home, or a place that used to be frequented often but was long abandoned.
The feelers on his head sensed a slight breeze, and the lion sat there, quite unsure of what was happening. Why had he been in a chrysalis? And how long has it been? It felt strange in his grown body, his mane heavy and once light and agile body now bulky and powerful.

He stood up, perhaps a bit too suddenly, and nearly fell over from the dizziness of doing so. But he managed to stay standing. As thirstiness overtook him, Sprig carefully proceeded to a nearby puddle, getting used to this new gait. But as he bent down to lap the water, his eyes widened in shock. He looked completely different from what he remembered. He looked like... his dad. Although Sprig had never met him, he knew enough from how Aristotle was described by his family. The mane, everything, though his eyes still shone with a certain immaturity, as he still hadn't had the time to fully mature.
Then the thoughts of where his family actually was came. Especially Adonia, his sister. Was she okay? Was she worried about him? But it had also been a while. He knew of her dream to be something like an adventurer one day, and perhaps that's what she had done. Sprig had a feeling he would not be seeing her for a while. One day, perhaps, he would see her again. Then she would tell him all about all the things she had seen. And he could show her all the things he had invented!
He had an idea. Perhaps it was time for him to leave this area too and find new things to use in his inventions. And that way he could also meet other gembounds who could perhaps teach him crafts. This seemed fitting, and he felt excitement course through him. Of course, he would not wander too far. This cave was still his home after all.