The continued search in a different area

She sorted through all of the stronger stones, moving away some of them and pushing them to the corner of her cave, alone with the weakest as well. The strongest stone and ten of the stronger stones she put back in the bag, to give to the Merchant later on. She'd probably stop back in later, if she found more stones that she was going to keep.

There was a small cleft at the bottom of the wall that she shoved the stones into, careful not to push them in too forcefully. She wanted them hidden, in case someone decided to come snooping in, but she didn't want the wall to break them or get them stuck either.

Once she was satisfied with her work, she moved a couple of rocks over to cover the crack, arranging them until it looked fairly natural.

She stepped back and tried to imagine that she was a stranger. It certainly just looked like part of the wall. She nodded, pleased with herself, and turned back to her bag. She slipped her legs into the straps and shrugged the bag back on her shoulders, marching right back out of the cave to continue her search.

Wilder trotted out of her cave, glancing back one more time before continuing off in a direction she hadn't gone just yet. She knew of a place that might be good for rock hunting - a small puddle near the crystal river with a small collection of plants and trees and rocky outcrops.

She made her way over there, the trip not taking too long, no longer then twenty minutes. When it was in sight, she sped up her pace until she was pretty much running to the water's edge. Immediately, she began nosing through the leaves of the small bushes around the edge of the water. They were dry, tough plants, but she eventually found a stone wedged between a couple of branches. She carefully lifted it out, feeling for magic and being pleased by the strength of the magic she could feel inside.

She turned away from the plants for a moment and stepped towards the puddle. She was sure that someone would have dropped a gemstone in the water. Hopefully they would, at least. She huddled herself down at the edge of the water and gazed inside, her eyes moving around to try and find the glimmer of a gemstone.

Something caught her eye and she immediately leaned forward to look at it better. But it was too far away so her neck stretched farther and farther, her paws shuffling towards the edge. Suddenly, she felt her footing slip and with a small cry, plunged into the icy water.

Immediately, she lashed out, trying to find the shore. It wasn't very effective - she'd never learned how to swim. She tried to keep her face above the water as she struggled and lashed around, trying to get out of the relatively small little pond. It seemed like an eternity before her paws scraped against dry land. Immediately, she reached forward, digging her claws into the ground and hoisting herself out of the water.

The air touching her soaking fur had her chilled in seconds. She shivered and crawled away from the edge of the water, so cold that she could barely think. Her teeth chattered and her wet fur was puffed with fear. She looked around, her eyes wide, for somewhere dry to shelter and she settled on a shallow hollow between two rocks.

She shook herself out the best she could before settling down in a dry spot and sending magic into the air around her. It began to heat and she sighed with relief as it soaked into her skin. It wasn't much, but it felt nice and it would dry her quicker. And, of course, keep herself from suffering from hypothermia or something.

She sat there and waited for her fur to try and for the shivering to stop, losing herself in the merciful warmth.

Wilder has found a number of stones. The first is a raw chunk of deep violet Alexandrite, a rich, dark magenta purple that seemed almost blue in certain lights. This stone once belonged to a Fledgling (+1) Russian Don domestic horse.

The second stone is a glittering light yellow-green Chrysoberyl whose facets seem to send the light they catch dancing across the stone. This gem once belonged to a rather ironic Pupil (+2)-level hybrid of predator and prey: a jaguar, and a Neumann's gazelle.

The third is a shining black stone that seems to absorb all light cast at it, almost ominously. It's a beautiful Jet, once belonging to a Pupil (+2)-level hybrid of a common Mole, a Longhorn cow, and a Cheetah.

The fourth is yet another stone once belonging to a Pupil (+2)-level Gembound. This one is a Star Rose Quartz, but it's raw, so that the typical pale star is not visible on its surface. Instead, this rough hunk of gem is pale and clean pink, like poultry meat, glittering even as if wet. This Quartz last belonged to a strange creature that someone resembled a massive alligator, though its head was more triangular vertically, like that of an iguana or other lizard. Its eyes were situated at the front of its head, round and intense like an owl's, and like an owl, its entire body was covered in soft, gray feathers. A pair of horns twisted back from its head, though not as long as a gazelle's or so--more a pair of goat horns. This creature had only a single pair of limbs, short and sturdy, ending in round, uncloven hooves.

The fifth gemstone is a raw Pearl, sparkling a very, very pale peach-pink--white in certain lights, its color only visible on close inspection. This pearl once belonged to a Lesser Egyptian Jerboa of Pupil (+2) magic level.

The final stone, the master (+3), is a rough, dark pink chunk of Spinel not unlike Wilder's own gem in coloration.

By the time Wilder felt herself warming up, she realized that she'd had enough of this. With a great sigh, she heaved herself to her feet. She had enough gemstones for the Merchant and others were sure to have stones for him as well.

Once she was feeling up to the journey, she stepped out of the little hollow and trotted away towards the tunnel that would lead her back to Orion, and then back to Canis. Time to see what the fruit of her trials would be.

*exit