ORIGIN

Ahlf looked bewildered at the idea that Shane Go could not understand them. How could anybody not understand "shiny"? Shiny was the perfect explanation to describe the exceedingly obvious, glowy, shiny, bright items all around everywhere! "Shiny! Shiny! Big an'..." What was another word for shiny? Darn! "Glow thin'! On th' wall!" Ahlf tried to use their paws and tail desperately to point at the bright objects high on the wall Shane Go was in front of, not even particularly caring which one they aimed at, as long as Shane Go got the (incredibly obvious!) message. Eventually, Ahlf decided it would make it especially clear if they wandered right up against the wall and pounded it with their tiny kitty forepaws while mewing directly up and the elevated shiny things.

Yes. There was no way anyone could miss this blatant and clear direction! It was so... so blatant! And clear!

@Shango

Ahlf watched Shane Go approach, now neglecting the slimy dampness of the world around as they became far more curious about whether or not their companion would understand. It came as a minimal surprise when Shane Go nudged at the kitten's underside. Ahlf felt like it was an invitation so they latched on tightly, unsure of what would happen next, but hoping it would have something to do with the plan.

Then Shane Go moved, and Ahlf tried to hold on. It was slippery so Ahlf instinctively unsheathed their tiny kitten claws for better traction. Shane Go then approached the stone wall, and indicated a shiny up above. Ahlf squealed with delight, nodding wildly to confirm that yes! Yes! Shiny shiny shiny! They wanted the shiny! But they didn't want to put that in words right now so they just squealed and mewed it. Apparently, they were called "rocks". "Crystals". Shane Go seemed to be really bad at deciding which name for something was better.

So Ahlf helped. "Cr...ocks," Ahlf said, creating a portmanteau of the two names Shane Go had desired. It was like a compromise! In Ahlf's opinion, it was a most successful compromise, as the term they'd coined sounded new and enticing, and, no offense Shane Go, but a little bit better than the other two.

More happy squealing and mewing erupted from the little feline as Shane Go once again asked for confirmation. "Yes! Yes! Shinies... crocks!"

@Shango

Ahlf was a bit surprised at Shane Go's sharp insistence that they call it "rock". Perhaps Shane Go felt really, really proud of the name decided upon and wanted it to be used. Ahlf still liked "crock" better but hey, Shane Go was trying to help Ahlf, the kitten wasn't about to rain on Shane Go's parade. So they tried saying "Rock." That didn't sound bad! They might've gotten it right this time!

Shane Go further expounded on the many kinds of rocks there were. Black, and grey, and crystal-- wait, crystals were rocks? Ahlf blinked a bit. They had thought Shane Go was just being indecisive about what to call the shinies on the wall. Had that not been the case?

The next act of Shane Go reaffirmed in the cub's mind that Shane Go was indeed just being indecisive. First Shane Go told Ahlf to get back down after they'd practically insisted they get up, and then Shane Go called rocks "crystals" again! Ahlf was just going to call them crocks, this was getting ridiculous. Not out loud, of course, Shane Go didn't seem to appreciate that.

So the kitten got back down and watched as Shane Go analyzed the wall for a moment. Usually watching someone stare at a wall would feel like watching paint dry, but Shane Go made it look so full of anticipation, as though potential energy was crackling all around. Then, that potential energy got converted. Ahlf observed, with genuine awe, Shane Go's flying leap and clutch onto the wall. Maybe Shane Go had traded away naming skills in order to do that.

Shane Go had made it up to a crock, it appeared. Ahlf didn't exactly know what was meant by "DON'T LISTEN!" so they just looked up at Shane Go and cocked their head slightly to the side. Then Shane Go said "it", whatever "it" was, might be too loud. Ahlf was even more confused, but kind of understood? They focused on their ears. It felt like loud things came through the ears. So maybe Ahlf had to block their ears-- TOO LATE, a flaring light snapped into existence near Shane Go and slammed against something. The boom it produced was indeed too loud, causing Ahlf to instinctively give out a yelp, sink to the ground, close their eyes, and bury their head (and ears) underneath their paws.

They didn't see the rest of the thunderous light show, but they did hear a muffled and scattered set of clacks and one or two faint plinks after it was over. The adrenaline rushing through the kitten was a bit intense, they hadn't expected any of that to happen. They were actually a little... well, no, more like extremely afraid. The fear quickly grew, like waves sloshing against the walls of their brain, incrementally increasing in size and strength with each impact, until the brain was flooded. All that liquid fear seemed to surge forth through Ahlf's mouth in the form of whimpering and quiet, pitiful mewing. The fear jolted around throughout their body causing it to shudder and shake softly. It filled their lungs, making it hard to breathe, and weighed down their paws, making it hard to move.

They stayed like that for a moment, landlocked and silent, in a curled up position, not knowing what to do. They had heard Shane Go's question, but had no means of responding. Not right now. Hold on.

@Shango

Huddled up on the ground made it impossible to see Shane Go come to the kitten, but eventually, once most of the adrenaline rush simmered down, paw steps could at least be heard. And then a question. Ahlf wanted to respond, but couldn't find a way to do so. They tried shaking their head a bit but it probably just looked like more shivering. This was making Ahlf really upset, and they didn't know what to do.

The feeling of a soft touch did more than could be expected. Everything in the tiny kitten seemed to release and relax when that little touch finally landed. Some kind of magic must have happened, but Ahlf couldn't have known. A mild sense of strength and vigor came creeping into them, pushing away thoughts of fear as a gentle wave brushes over a storm. In response to whatever sorcery had been used on them, Ahlf's own ability, Fauna Cleanse, acted up in an almost exact imitation. Like two waves in sync building on each other, the torrent of fear was slowly cast off. Ahlf blinked a few times and licked their lips. "Ah-I'm... I'm ok," said Ahlf, slowly realizing how many times they'd falsely interpreted every phrase that began with 'I'm'. That was fine though. They felt better now.

Slowly raising to their wobbly paws, Ahlf looked at Shane Go through foggy eyes. "R..." A sniff. "Rocks...?" Ahlf said, expecting some permutation of an explanation. "H-heard 'm..." Ahlf had heard them fall, but hadn't remembered the directions. That sucked. This sucked. Ahlf didn't like this, they liked crocks. This was getting in the way of touching the crocks.

@Shango

Shane Go responded to Ahlf's sniffed query about the crocks by saying 'I'll bring you' and then... wait what was happening? What was going on, what was Shane Go doing?! Gentle jaws clutched the kitten's tiny scruff and their paws left the ground! Ahlf couldn't really do anything in this position besides give a surprised mew. It wasn't like they were going to stop Shane Go if this was how Shane Go planned to "bring them".

As they-- well, more like just Shane Go-- walked, Ahlf could feel the sway of Shane Go's trotting, and hear the clacking of their companion's paws on rock. It was interesting being above the ground, moved entirely by the power of someone else. Ahlf had never experienced it before. Is this what being Shane Go felt like? Well, Ahlf could never quite feel like Shane Go, because Ahlf was better at naming things, but that was alright. At least Shane Go was good at blasting rocks and jumping and being tall. Ahlf wouldn't mind being able to do that as well.

Ahlf was set upon the stone and Shane Go directed Ahlf's attention by nuzzling a shattered crock. The kitten's whiskers quivered a bit as the impulse to touch a crock overcame Ahlf. This is what they'd been wanting since they'd first set eyes upon those glowing shinies! To touch one! And now several were here, right in front of them! And my, how they had suffered to achieve it! But first, Shane Go seemed proud of the blasting of the crystal off the wall, which Ahlf would assume was the intended definition of "stormed". Ahlf decided that, as a thanks, they would cheer Shane Go on. "Yay!" they said, and then quickly waddled up to a fragment of crock and, with a sense of great accomplishment, booped it with their own nose. HECK YEAH!

Even though they weren't glowey anymore, they were still the exact thing Ahlf had aimed to touch in the first place, and now they had, so it counted, right? Right! Hm... but something still felt off. It had taken a lot of effort, but those were really just pieces of crock on the ground... was that really cool?

Ahlf pondered for a moment what to do with the crock fragments now. They kind of wanted to keep one. The more they looked at them, the more the desire to take one became stronger. It was as though that light had stored the whole memory of the little adventure in each of them. Ahlf felt extremely indecisive -- but wouldn't it be cool to just have a piece of a shiny? Would it, even if it wasn't shiny? -- and the argument was going on for too long, so Ahlf impulsively reached out for a shard, not knowing how sharp it would be. Before they could land a paw pad, however, Shane Go burst out something about a BIG CRYSTAL.

Ahlf stopped and turned around, eyes glowing almost like the crocks all over the walls in this room. "...Big cryssal?" repeated the kitten. Excitement rapidly captured them and brought them back to Shane Go. "BIG cryssal! We go!" The kitten began to bounce softly on their paws. Big crock, big crock, yes yes yes! So cool! Any previous dilemma was pretty much immediately forgotten.

@Shango