ORIGIN

After hearing the cave-wide announcement of the competition offered to them, Kin-Kin had made haste to bound out of Polaris with her eyes alight with glee. She knew a great opportunity to make use of her skills when she saw one, and she was itching to get her paws on the reward. She knew that for now, spellcasting in Polaris wasn't an option, and this was where she'd been told to meet them, and so it only made sense to practice here.

Her eyes flashed with pride and greed, her fur flowing with sparkling light even more dramatic than usual. She'd had an idea, and one that not only made use of her skills but in her humble opinion, easily put her leagues ahead of everyone else. Kin-Kin heard the great flutter of wings above her and as she looked up, she saw one of the great beasts that had challenged her swooping in overhead. Kin-Kin chuckled, her eyes following the ancient gembound until they were long gone.

Then Kin-Kin stretched, planting her paws firmly apart from another, and focused on driving all of her magickal energy into the ground.

The ground contracted with a sound of creaking, cracking glass, her glow fading into darkness as her magic was put into another means. When the she-wolf finally dropped her nose, she was looking at a grubby little crystal; it was something, at least, but certainly not anything special.

Kin-Kin cast the unsatisfactory crystal out of sight, where it clattered away into the darkness.she moved then to a fresh patch of ground and prepared to try again.

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Kin-Kin felt her glow steadily returning, and the failed gemstone certainly hadn't managed to sour her mood. She grinned wolfishly even as she gathered her thoughts and her magic. Kin-Kin felt the power surge causing her fur to stand up on end, magic rushing into the ground. through her bowed muzzle. When the she-wolf looked down, though traces of tiredness tugged at her limbs, she felt triumphant as she saw, sitting in a hollow in the earth, a yellow-gold citrine stone.

The wolf gently took her prize into her muzzle and carefully set it aside. She could probably carry one more in her jaws without it being too gross if she tried. Perhaps even two more, or three... Kin-Kin stretched her legs carefully in preparation. Perhaps it would be better to go on until she tired.

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Carefully, her glow slightly dulled, Kin-Kin moved to yet another spot where the ground was rocky and whole, placing the citrine aside so that it wouldn't be affected or otherwise ruined. She again began to gather her magic until her glow became dull, and proceeded to prepare for yet another spell. She dropped her head and pressed her muzzle to the ground.

Again the ground receded into a small crater, creaking and cracking sounds erupting. the ground no longer touched her nose and gave way into another small, grubby crystal. Still a glint of yellow flashed within. Kin-Kin tossed it aside to where the other one lay as well. Kin-Kin didn't move very far this time, keeping the hewn earth situated to one small area.

Kin-Kin was beginning to grow tired, but she had to try at least one more.


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For perhaps the final time, Kin-Kin set the pretty gem aside and widened her stance. A shudder ran from her nose to the tip of her tail and she pressed her wet and twitching nose to the ground. She brightened slightly, sucking in her breath, and then transferred the magic into the earth.

Creaking, cracking, a soft groan. The crystal she created was small and white. The she-wolf pawed at it with her claws, pulling it easily out of the dirt. Unsatisfactory. The she-wolf sighed quite heavily. The second of the grubby stones she'd tossed aside were yellow, she supposed with a sigh.

One more try couldn't hurt. She was the Magickal champion, after all, and it had been far too long since she'd had a good, long training session. Kin-Kin lay down on the ground for an intimate focus on the earth, and prepared for one final try.


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For the first time, Kin-Kin felt like she'd pushed her boundaries. She concentrated until she felt like hours, not minutes, had passed. But groping for the magic was like grasping for thin tendrils of mist. She yawned widely, and stood with a stretch. Kin-Kin had one stone, at least, and it gleamed prettily in the light of her meager glow. Maybe two, if she went back and found the other one. She'd just have to make more later.

Overall, this trip had been more stressful than she'd hoped for it to be, but at least she'd gotten something out of it. Kin-Kin stretched, picked up the best gem she'd made and then padded off into the shadows and picked up the grubby gem that had a yellow glisten. She stretched and trudged off towards where the ancient gembound had descended.

-exit Kin-Kin-

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