Xireidi's mind reeled as the forces of magic in his head still clung to his consciousness like an ancient demon that had found its mark. It was disorienting, to say the least, to have one's thoughts take such a drastic turn. It didn't quite feel alien though, it was like he was the one making the thoughts, except not. His subconscious perhaps? He didn't like the idea that he really thought like that but suppressed it all the time but that seemed to be the most right explanation.

The pup backed away from the object that had started this whole thing and looked up at Kin-Kin, blinking a few times to try to shift his own thought process.

"You're right." he agreed with her nervous statement, "Magic seems really hard for me. When I tried it just made up some kinda story."

Arrogant wolf is just trying to look impervious and I'm actually buying it?

Xireidi barely even caught the golden wolf's next words from the shock of magic thoughts leaking out without him meaning to. It was only a whisper in the back of his head, and the tendency toward such thoughts felt extremely unstable, but he had definitely unlocked something with that spell.

Of course I am, he responded fruitlessly to himself, trying to get a grip again, Kin-Kin is a friend now, and if she doesn't want to talk then she doesn't have to.

"You can do more stuff?" he asked aloud, hoping that his tone managed to cover up the uncertainty he felt inside, "Do you mean like more powerful magic or are you super good at fighting or running or jumping or something?"

"The words I speak"
The thoughts I hold
And the self I keep hidden away

I'm not sure I really want to practice magic if mine makes me mean. the pup thought darkly to himself as he sat quietly. Sure, he could see the use in magic that let him observe events unseen, but what good would it actually do? He could even see a potential use for the thoughts the magic had unlocked; after all, he was probably just a tad bit too trusting. Even so, he didn't think he really wanted to define himself as a magic user. Especially if his brand of magic would end up being useless to defend against what was to come.

Xireidi tilted his head a bit as Kin-Kin lowered herself to his level, giving him a close look at her facial features. Was this what he'd look like when he got older? Beyond that there was also the mystery of the cloth attached to her person, like a cape or something. Was that common in here? There were so many questions and possible explanations going through the young pup's mind.

The questions, though, stopped as the wolf in front of him began to glow with a radiant golden light. It seemed to strain her slightly but aside from that the spell was woven so masterfully he imagined she had practiced it longer than he could even comprehend. This cemented one fact in the impressionable youth's mind for certain. Not all magic was the same, and not all magic should be treated the same. Kin-Kin likely possessed a pure form of magic, full of grace and beauty. Did that mean that she had an inner voice that emphasized appearance? That would certainly explain a thing or two.

His magic, on the other hand, was one of mastery over hidden truth. With it he could strip away false pretenses and bring to light what might have stayed in the darkness. That's what made his magic thoughts so snide and cruel- it was stuck in a world where deception was the norm, even on day-to-day levels. No wonder it had clashed so thoroughly with the personality of his new friend.

With that revelation just about all of the pup's anxieties about the previous experience washed away. The thoughts had been a side-effect, and not one to fear but one to expect. The sense of relief probably showed as he grinned wide and, despite himself, yipped a short note of approval at Kin-Kin's bright display.

"That looks really cool!" he followed up with, remembering to use actual coherant words.

"The words I speak"
The thoughts I hold
And the self I keep hidden away

The pup ceased his jubilations and sat there with a smile plastered on his maw. Even if Kin-Kin had just been putting on the old ackamarackus it was a fun display of glitz. It also seemed like showing appreciation would be a great way of getting on the good side of a strong light-magic user. Despite her magic being mostly show he might be able to exploit her trust and utilize her actual strength later.

Xireidi slowed his breathing a bit in attempts to regain focus. The thoughts were troublesome, but he'd learn to live with them, not let them drag him down.

"That'll be fun to see. I'll try to get stronger by next time we meet!" A half-truth; he had no intention of training up his secret-shattering powers, but he could become impressive in other ways even if he wasn't showering down a rain of glitter.

A noise far off into the distance caught the pup's attention, causing him to raise and ear and snap his head toward the source. He wasn't quite sure what was causing the chirping, but curiosity was piqued and something in his instinct told him that would be a good way to temporarily sate the empty feeling in his stomach.

"Thanks for fun show, and good to meet you Kin-Kin." the pup addressed gleefully, "I'm gonna go see what that noise is, then try to get stronger so I'll be ready for next one."

He yelped a happy goodbye as he turned around quickly, stumbling onto his chest for a second, and started clumsily running off in the direction he had heard what he'd eventually understand to be crickets.

-exit Xireidi-

"The words I speak"
The thoughts I hold
And the self I keep hidden away