Kin-Kin knew that she was to be the greatest magician that the caves had ever seen, if she wasn't that already. And if she wasn't already, she would set out to become that. It had been far too long since the wolf had found an enclosed corner all to herself and practiced magic, strutting her stuff all to herself so that next time, she would be even more prepared.

sniffing around to make sure that she was alone (although she wouldn't be opposed to an audience all the same) Kin-Kin found a small alcove surrounded by crumbled buildings. Several crystals jutted out from various angles, perfect for seeing her reflection and the light bouncing back at her. But there was plenty of space here.

A grin growing on her face, Kin-Kin settled back on her haunches and dropped her head to her chin, ready to begin.

Just like always, the wolf's golden fur lit up.

---

Next up, the wolf wanted to practice a few little tricks she'd picked up Namely, creating crystals, as she had a couple of ideas on how to make the blade she carried all the more beautiful. The arrogant bird she'd spoken to, whilst they hadn't gotten under her skin, had encouraged her to be all the more impressive. Slowly she rose up onto all fours, putting extra care into making her every motion elegant, even the slightest movement came with a swish of her tail and a blink of half-lidded eyes.

She glanced across at one of the crystals, checking to see how she looked.

Perfect, as always.

She grunted in satisfaction. Placing her paws squarely apart from one another, she lowered her nose so that it was almost touching the ground. Summoning crystals had never been easy, so she supposed it was best to start small, creating tiny crystals first before going onto larger constructs like her blade, as successful as that endeavor had been.

The light in her pelt flowed down towards where her paws touched the earth, as her magic drained into the ground. The she-wolf felt a surge of power and a twinge of leaden tiredness coming into her limbs as the light within her body faded away. But she wouldn't stop now.

When she opened her eyes, Kin-Kin found a small blue gem gleaming at the tip of her nose, nestled like an egg in a slight hollow of the earth.

Her muzzle broke apart into a wolfish smirk.

---

Kin-Kin lowered her nose slightly, nudging at the small crystal she'd created almost tenderly, like a mother would a newborn cub. It was warm to the touch yet rapidly chilling as the magic drained from its smooth surface. That's the nicest I've made yet! she thought to herself, surprised. It seemed that starting small really was the way to go. She wondered curiously if there was a way to make this tiny gem even more magical, and an idea quickly struck the wolf.

She wondered if she would be able to pour her own light into this stone and make it glow like she did. As tired as earth magic made her compared to light, Kin-Kin had to admit that the reward was far greater. After all, you ended up with a beautiful trophy to show for your efforts!

And when combined with her magic... Kin-Kin felt a thrill of excitement riding down her spine. She'd never tried to make anything glow before. Well, she had, but... that had been more of a showoff in front of someone, and it hadn't really come to any kind of fruition. Kin-Kin had to remind herself not to try anything new when there was an audience present. Though it would seem that magic was somewhat of an instinct to her; and many of her fleeting ideas would become reality if she just put her heart and soul into looking for it.

She was stubborn, in that sense.

With that in mind, Kin-Kin lowered her nose and pressed it to the smooth surface of the gem she'd made.

---

Once more, Kin-Kin felt the surge of power within her, and the gem upon her chest lit up for a moment. But the wolf wasn't paying attention to that- all she had eyes for was the crystal she'd made. It lingered quietly for a moment... and then, lit up with a soft blue glow. That was it. She'd done it! The beautiful crystal, created with her magic, now glowed with her magic. Kin-Kin wondered if she'd have a use for something like this in the future; and decided that she would. Somehow.

Perhaps she could end up making some kind of new decoration to embellish herself at some point. Or give them to little Gembounds who looked up to her. Ah yes, they'd love that, wouldn't they?

Kin-Kin felt a sudden pang as she craved that sort of companionship again. Whether she'd admit it or not, Kin-Kin loved it when young ones looked up to her. Perhaps the fact came from the same source as her vanity, but was it really a bad thing? As fun as Gemlings were to make fun of at times, they really did stroke her ego in the best possible way.

Kin-Kin was growing weary now. She resolved that she would leave this place soon and go to find someone else wandering the caves... But first, she had to rest. this little corner she'd found amongst the wreckage felt safe enough, enclosed from all angles and only visible from the sky. Her eyelids were drooping, and she wandered over to the very corner of the ruin, curling up there behind one of the reflective crystals and looking at herself.

She didn't want anyone to find her, though; not in this vulnerable state. Not only her life but her reputation was at stake! With her ego fizzling in her chest, the wolf focused, one last time.

As the shadows gathered all around her, it was that surge of fabric that finally sent her toppling into the thick and welcoming folds of sleep.

-exit Kin-Kin-

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