Sleepiness pulled at the cat's limbs, still, even a full day after waking up. It felt like forever since she'd been out and about, having slept away the time (and stress) in her chrysalis. She couldn't piece together what had ended up happening before her slumber but the after-ghost of distress and hopelessness still plagued her mind. But it didn't matter...not anymore. She found it strangely easy to not think about it and focus on the present. Time had passed - a lot of time. New caves she'd never stepped foot in before, but had obviously been here for some time, judging on the amount of foot traffic going through. A quick question to a passing gembound confirmed it - the stranger hadn't even been alive when these caves had opened, and a glance had told her they were full grown by now.

Which meant chances were, whatever she'd been stressed about before didn't matter anymore. All her problems were in the past and they'd stay there. It wasn't a permanent solution, but it let her feel calm for the first time in forever. It let her wake up and feel optimistic, at last. Perhaps this was her chance to start over, make a life worth living instead of one marred with mistakes and ignorance.

Right, ignorance. A flaw she didn't intend on repeating. Trusting freely, knowing nothing about her surroundings, not taking the time to think. That was the first thing that was gonna change. The (not so) new caves were the first place to start. She trotted from one to the other on her stubby little legs, taking the time to look at each, get a feel for what they were like, before moving onto the next. Just to be familiar with them.

An old, familiar fire was alight in her chest. Exploring and adventuring...she hadn't done it in so long! Learning new things had always been an invigorating, stimulating experience. She'd missed it dearly. But here she was, exploring caves she'd never seen before, interacting with people she'd never met, and the light in her eyes, for once, wasn't fake. It was truly and completely real.

The cave she stopped in to take a break was so different from some of the others. A structure, a lot like the structures in Orion, but this one wasn't collapsing and destroyed. It was whole and polished and beautiful!

A younger Wilder would have run right up the steps and burst in to investigate, but she knew far better then to do that now. If she would be trespassing, she'd be putting herself in danger. She could put others in danger. Better to be careful then to rush in. Besides, if it was known knowledge not to go in, how would she know?

She drifted towards the river running through the cave, padding along it the edge, taking in the rest of the cave as she walked, before leaning forward to take a quick lap at the water. When she paused, she realized that there was someone else not far away, also leaned over the edge, drinking from the river. She froze for a moment, but then relaxed. They didn't look aggressive, even if they were larger then her, and they probably would have come after her already if they were going to.

Okay, I don't have to be THAT paranoid. She forced herself to loosen up, eyes lighting up in a smile as she padded over. "Hi! Sorry to bother you, but do you live around here?"