Rift prowled at the edge of his garden, concern lacing the eyes hidden beneath the bark-like mask. The strange white fungus was…persistent. He wasn’t familiar with it and none of it sparked any long forgotten memory, but it smelled of danger. And danger had no place here, not anywhere near his tree or his lush paradise. He had found a way to set up a bit of defense on the edge of the clearing, maintaining a ring of young plants separated by a few feet of space from the rest to soak up the spreading infection, and when it dared to crawl even an inch closer, the plant was uprooted, cast into a number of holes he’d dug in the earth, and quickly replaced. It was tedious work, and the death of each sprout hurt him deeply, but it was necessary. How would he otherwise keep this place safe from that sickness?

He spotted one young fern almost completely overcome with the white mold and carefully dug his claws into the soft earth, pulling it out by the root, and casting it to the nearest hole. His attempt to replace it, however, came up short when no new sprouts emerged in its place. He frowned and pawed at the ground, trying to move around whatever seeds or pollen had landed there, wondering if they were too deep to reach.

A cracking sound took his attention, however, and he stood up, ear twisting towards the noise. Was that a chrysalis breaking?

Concern deepened, but laced with curiosity and excitement. He had never met a young gembound just newly emerged! He would be the first face they would see!

He started forward, pathing his way through the jungle around the cobwebs of white and patches of foul rot. He quickly came upon the sound - right next to a stream was the shattered remains of a blue chrysalis and a young cat standing in the water.

He crouched by the edge of the water and let out a small chirp. ”Hello! You just hatched, right?” It was a stupid question, of course it had just hatched, it was absolutely tiny! But in his excitement for the new life, he simply couldn’t think of any better icebreakers.

As the kitten approached, Rift lowered his head. In part so that he could be more on the same level as the little guy but also because he wanted to give it a good sniff. It smelled like…kitten. And like wet earth, but in a nice way. Like how the stream smelled. Fresh, and new. And very wet. His eyes slid over the blue stone on her forehead. It looked like calm water, bubbles rising to the top and slowly expanding. It was lovely and he wondered if that was Her - water, in the way that his gemstone was the light through the trees.

That pairs well with plant magic. it was an unconscious thought, but he couldn’t help it. For the most part, he’d been a line for a while now with nothing but hazy memories and his garden to occupy him. He could never truly be bored, not with nature all around him, but he couldn’t help but think it would be nice to have someone else.

Her question actually gave him pause. Would she be big? He couldn’t really remember a time that he was that small. He’d simply come out like this and hadn’t grown since the time he’d hatched. But he wasn’t going to put her down or disappoint her - how cruel that would be!

”I’m sure you will,” he purred warmly. ”You just have to wait a bit, and stay safe.” His head raised a bit and he looked around, seeing white streaks through the trees. A frown creased his expression. But he quickly pushed it away - no need to upset the kid. ”I’m Rift, by the way. Do you…have a name?”

Rift smiled. Wow, kids were really cute! This one was eager and jovial and so full of energy! He already felt a strong thread of affection for the little guy, a persistent purr rising in his chest. She even seemed to like getting her fur wet - personally, Rift wasn’t a fan. His fluffy pelt would feel heavy and cold for the rest of the day if it got wet, but the kitten didn’t seem to mind.

He tilted his head, a little taken off guard by the question. Oh…him name her? He had never named anyone before, not even himself. He had woken up knowing his own name. Was that not the same for everyone? Was it just another of his oddities, something he’d forgotten?

His eyes flicked to the gemstone on her forehead. It almost looked like a dewdrop. A single droplet of rain or a fleck of water. His mind started flicking through watery names - River, Rain, Dew, Lily, Stream, Splash, Drizzle….oh, that one was good! But just a little more different, unique, and he had it!

”How about…Mizzle! I think that’s cute, do you like that name?” It had taken him less then a minute to think of it, but he still felt proud of himself for coming up with something unique. Like a little gift for her!