[Event] Origin's Fourth Anniversary: Stock Exchange

It began with a chittering, and grew into a soft scratching, which in turn became a series of loud cracks and mutters. Within minutes, a small group of strange goblin-like creatures had emerged from a newly-tunneled hole in the cave floor. They were short--barely the size of a raccoon, perhaps; there were ten in total, covered in short, dense, sometimes-fluffy fur. They wore furs, leathers and rags, and jewelry here and there. They were keen-eyed, and their voices pierced Polaris' air, audible from quite a ways off.

The scrappy, ragtag band wandered into Polaris, and there they began to set up shop: a tiny tent of ragged leather and a teensy table covered in small, ceramic jars, and various pouches, sacks and vials.

Then, chattering amongst themselves in their own strange tongue, they waited for others to arrive to view their wares.

From away in Polaris Wilder could hear the voices scratching and squeaking. Ever curious, the cat headed towards its source. She hadn't heard anything quite like that noise before and, as she approached, she was delighted to find a tent that seemed to be just her size and a number of strange looking creatures mulling about within. Without hesitation, she pushed into the tent and began admiring the many things they had for sale.

"Wow! Hello! I'm Wilder!" She stopped every so often to sniff things, his whiskers twitching without stop and her tail straight behind her, careful to not knock anything down. "What do you want for things? How do I buy them?"

What was that?

As time went on, Skeena found herself becoming more and more like Mother. She couldn't remember the last time she left Canis, and more often than not could be found fussing with the bones in her hidey-hole.

But something had her wandering out--she couldn't be a hermit forever, after all, as apealing as it was--and finding her way to Polaris. Her precious bone was, of course, clutched in her palm, leading to her awkward, limping scurry as she kept her paw wrapped around it.

She still didn't know why she felt so attached to the bone, but it was hers, and she went nowhere without it.

Her ears twitched, picking up on voices, and she perked up her ears at the sound. What was that, she had never heard anyone talk like that before! And she had to know, so she bolted forward, approaching the tent and the table and the black cat Wilder that had her fur rising on end Bite it shred it end it it will harm you all but she shook her head and sat back on her haunches a bit of a distance away, looking at the incredibly odd creatures.

"What is this?" she asked, ignoring the voice snapping in the back of her head to rip tear kill end it.

"We trade gifts," one of them responded, at first. "You must give them to another. That is how it works. Trades. Mutuality."

The strange creatures then chattered among themselves--as if they were coming to some decision regarding payment.

"Stones," one decided, his voice stern. "Red ones."

"And gems," another added decisively, sweeping a pawlike hand through a black-and-pink mohawk of fur.
A grizzled one to the left went on--"Sticks can be useful."

And another--"Plants."

More voices chimed in. "Soil, for planting-" "Water works." "Feathers, beads--" "Leaves and seeds." "Pieces of bone!" "Metal is useful." ...and on and on, naming all sorts of items from throughout the caves.

The Trading Caravan is now requesting... err, anything at all... for... whatever it is they are trading. It's probably very interesting, maybe.

Wilder's ears perked when one mentioned that they wanted gems. "Oh! I have a gem! A cool one! It's nearby, let me go get it!" She turned and bounced out of the tent, not noticing that Skeena had entered, and bounded off towards her little cache further in the cave. She'd put the little treasure that she had gotten some time ago with Squick there. She hadn't left it with the Bonebound only because they already had a lot of gemstones and she was scared that hers would get mixed up with it.

She dived into her little cave and snatched up the claw-shaped fire opal and turned to sprint back to the traders.

It didn't take her too long to get back. She ducked into the tent again, carrying her gem in her mouth. She set it in front of the one that had mentioned gems. "What can you give me for this?"

"You want... lots of things." Seraphim shook her little tail, feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of items they listed. She dipped her head apologetically and looked at them with sad, blue eyes. "I don't have any of those things but.."

These poor creatures. She pitied. To ask for all this, they must have none of this at home.

She stretched her neck forward and shook her glimmering mane."-but I can offer the hair of my mane and tail, if that will do." Seraphim did not know what use her hair had for them, but she thought it similar fur. She also offered to collect these things for them, although she warned a few of these items she did not know of. "What are beads? And how does water "work"?

One of the creatures was quick to pick up the claw-shaped fire opal Wilder offered. Three of them gathered around, examining it, muttering, one peering through a thick glass monacle to see it more closely.

"It is worth two," one declared.

"That is worth at least three," a second protested.

The first harumphed. "Three, then," it conceded. "It is worth three. Are you willing to sell it?"

They then turned their attention to Seraphim. "Yes, hair is good! -For threading beads." "And sewing." "And decoration." "And reinforcement." The group chattered all of this rapidly, slipping closer to see more clearly the foal's mane and tail, though they didn't touch. One withdrew a small pouch, and poured a number of tiny beads into a furred palm. They were worn, and of different materials and colors: smooth wood, polished onyx, streaked red clay, and more.

"These are beads."

"Water works. We can drink water." "Or water plants." "Plants also drink water," and this was added in a wise and informative tone. "For the hairs, we offer one for five." "Yes, five hairs is worth one." "Exactly one."

Wilder didn't know what "three" was supposed to be, but considering that she had absolutely no idea that the gem she had found all that time ago had any kind of life in it, it sure sounded like a good deal to her! "Yeah, I'll sell it!" Even if it did have life, she assumed that every gem she ever picked up had some potential for growing into new creatures. After all, she hadn't seen anything that would tell her otherwise.

She looked over at the others that were around and smiled wide at Skeena. Once again, clueless about the hybrid's dislike for her, since she hadn't actually done anything to garner her mistrust, she lifted her tail and waved it. "Hi Skeena! Come and say hi! They are nice and they will trade things!"

She turned back to the rodents and picked a rock off the ground. She held it out and let her magic flow into it. A moment later, it began to glow a soft pink color, strong and bright. "How about for this? I can make more too!"

They... traded? The hybrid tilted her head, snorting curiously. They wanted gems, and stones, and sticks. Plants and soil, water (water?), feathers and beads, leaves and seeds. And bone!

She could get bone, and plenty of it! For a moment, she contemplated--would Mother be mad at her? Bones were precious, she knew, but maybe just a shard? So she nodded, and whirled about, darting away to retrieve something to bring back to the things.

Technically, it was a bone.

Skeena didn't much like the bone she had found--it was small, only about as big as her head, but big enough. It was held in her teeth, and she had to drag it, leading with her hind quarters.

Her fur bristled at Wilder's words, and she was grateful that her mouth was full, so that she didn't have to respond, as she didn't have anything kind to say. Skeena wasn't a rude Gembound, never really had much rude to say--that was The Other's job, after all--but it would take her time to craft a polite response for the Shit-Cat.

Finally, panting, she set the bone down near the creatures. She took a moment to catch her breath, tilting her head to pop her neck, asking, "How much for this?"