ORIGIN

After a long and rejuvenating nap, Kin-Kin was back, and ready for another crack at finding golden stones. But the wolf was determined to ensure a more fruitful harvest this time around. And so, before she began, she wandered the nearby cliffs for an area that was filled with rocks and stones of varying sizes. She combed the land until she found a secluded little alcove, knowing that not only would stones be easier to compress into gems than the earth beneath her paws, but the less likely others came to bother her, the more she could focus on the task at hand.

So, Kin-Kin settled on a small ledge overlooking the city, scattered with rocks and boulders, some of which looked as though they may once have been part of a larger building, and others which had long been worn down into smooth pebbles. With a grin on her face, Kin-Kin settled by one of these rocks, closed her eyes tight, and set to work. She placed a paw on the stone's crooked surface and felt her magic focus.

The she-wolf felt the stone shrinking and shriveling beneath her paw, and only when the creaking sounds had stopped did she finally open her eyes. Her smile faded somewhat, brows furrowing as she saw the result. Another pale quartz gem, speckled with dirt and impurities. Kin-Kin sighed and cast it over the edge of the cliff with her paw, hearing it clatter away into the dark.



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Kin-Kin drew over the next stone with her paw, this one a smooth pebble roughly half the size of her skull. It was fairly heavy, and the more she looked at it, the more Kin-Kin felt that it would make a good gemstone. Kin-Kin settled back on her haunches, took several deep and even breaths, and then dulled her glow. She wanted to waste as little magic as possible, putting as much as she could into forming a nice, pristine yellow gem.

Kin-Kin placed her paw, once more, against the pebble, feeling its surface beneath her sensitive pawpad. Then she let her magic flow into the object, imbuing it first with a soft glow. Kin-Kin felt it creaking and compressing, its surface receding away from her paw and becoming glasslike. The she-wolf soon opened her eyes and looked down expectantly. The gem she saw, whilst imperfect, was at least golden. She pushed it aside to give to the bird-creatures.

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There were a few more stones in the near vicinity, but none of them were small enough to bring to her. Kin-Kin approached one brick roughly the size of her skull, and settled down. This time she lowered her muzzle and gently touched it to the rough surface of the rock.

Once again, she heard the creak and crackle, her sensitive, wet nose felt a shudder run through the stone, and then it became smooth as glass. Opening her eyes, Kin-Kin blinked several times, squinting as hard as she could in the hope that a sliver of gold would materialize... and then over the cliff it went with a harsh butt of her muzzle.


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Hearing the clattering echoes of her previous effort fading away into nothingness, Kin-Kin arose and stretched. She was feeling a little worn by now, but she wasn’t too tired. Her training was beginning to re-assert itself again. The she-wolf coolly spproached another stone. She had a good feeling about this one.

This time she lay down on her belly and grasped the rock in both paws. The glow inside of her dulled as it poured into her paws and then the stone. A promising creak and crackle, and she felt the stone recede and become glasslike under her grip. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by the sight of a lovely yellow gem that brought a grin to her muzzle. Still smiling, Kin-Kin pushed the gem towards the growing pile of her successes.


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Filled with vigour from her success, Kin-Kin grinned beoadly as she approached the next stone. This time, she hopped attop the brick with both forepaws. She felt its rough surface, getting a feeling of what the magic was about to do. Then she poured all of her light into it through her paws.

The stone crackled and shrivelled remarkably quick from her touch, causing the wolf to hop back onto all fours. With a creak and a cravkle, Kin-Kin produced another golden gem. She pushed it towards her pile with eyes lit up.

That made three: she was on a roll, now.


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With her efforts seemingly being rewarded more frequently, Kin-Kin hastily pulled over the next stone, her tail wagging excitedly. She put both paws on its surface, focused her magic... and when she heard the telltale creak, the wolf focused harder, fangs bared in a grin.

Another creak... and then the rock shattered into sharp splinters, one embedding itself deep in her pawpad. The rock mustn’t have been the right kind; Kin-Kin saw that crystals had begun to form inside, but had not finished. The wolf grimaced as she decided that that would be enough for one day as she hooked her teeth around the splinter and yanked it out of her soft pad.

Kin-Kin shuddered and a small whimper escaped her. She licked the injured paw for a time, lapping until the bloodflow had stopped. She put her paw back on the ground, but the sharp sting made her reluctant to put any weight on it. She picked up the three yellow gems she’d made, and then limped off back to Orion.

-exit Kin-Kin-


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