After some time of walking carefully, the Serval found himself at a new place, unlike anything he had ever seen before. This room was filled with water. He could feel his fur stand on end. Water. A room filled with Water. He didn't like water at all. It clung to his fur and made him cold. This room was pretty warm, though. Perhaps the water would also be warm. He didn't much feel like finding out, however.

Zevruu looked around. Waterfalls seemed to pour in from walls, and there were many islands in the water. The roof was massive, and dotted with specks of distant light.

He walked carefully along the edges, hoping that he wouldn't fall in. He didn't like this place, but he wasn't really sure how to get out either. So he continued walking, holding the stone in his mouth tightly. He didn't want to drop it and lose it in the water forever. At one point, his paw slipped and he started sliding toward the water. He yelped out of fear and dropped the stone. It skittered close to the edge, but didn't fall over. Zevruu dug his claws in, and managed to hold on. He shakily got up, grabbed the stone, and moved as far away from the water as possible. He crouched there, eyes wide, paws shaking.

Oh. Of course she would find herself in a room full of water. Why wouldn’t this happen after her near-drowning incident with Destiny? Why did she always have to go to the super dangerous places? … Okay, that was kind of unfair, considering she hadn’t explored all that much since hatching from her chrysalis. But that’s why she was here. It was in her nature to go exploring. Instead of turning back at the flooded Tunnel M, she decided to slosh forward, cringing at the feeling of water swirling around her legs. How was she ever going to learn to swim if she was too scared to try again?

At the entrance of Fornax, amidst the non-scent of water, was another very faint smell, hard to pick up because of the water blocking it. But it smelled like… Cat? Because of the mist in the air, she couldn’t pinpoint the Gembound’s exact location, so she sent out a Spell Cast, and it succeeded. She could feel the pounding of the creature’s heart nearby, and angled herself in its direction, calling out, “Hello?” Her sensing spell had told her that he was all the way on the other side of the room. Had he swam across? Ick. She’d wait for a response before attempting to traverse the water.

Words: 218 @Zevruu

Zevruu was still crouched as far away from the water as possible when he heard someone call out, presumably to him, since he hadn't seen anyone else. He looked around, and saw a yellow figure on the other side of the room. So he wasn't alone here. He hoped they hadn't seen him nearly fall into the water.

He rose, and slowly walked closer to the edge. He was still a good distance away from it, but no longer pressed up against the cave wall. He set the stone down, pressed a firm paw on it, and opened his mouth. H-Hello?" He tried to speak loudly, but his voice was still rather quiet. Was he going to have to swim to the other side? He sure hoped not. But he figured one of them had to. He decided to wait and see what the other would do. Maybe there was another way for them to meet without having to swim. Not that he really wanted to meet the other.

"Speech" l 'Thoughts' l @Fira

Okay, so there was someone there. And they had responded in kind. Good. So now came the next part. Fira remained as far from the water’s edge as she could, and finally pinpointed the yellow Cat on the other side of the room. “Would you mind telling me how you got over there?” she asked, calling loudly so that he could hear her. “I mean… I can go away too, if that’s what you want. Either way.” Fira really didn’t care. Whether or not she conversed with others was usually entirely up to them. She could be as quiet as a mouse if she wanted to be, and, honestly, talking wasn’t her forte.

She stared out across the expanse of water. She had been just born when this room had opened up, and she had not been there, so she had no idea that it was a new area of the Cave. Only that it was new for her. All new areas were treated the same way — with curiosity, and caution. So she sat and looked around, not daring to put a paw in the water just yet. It was too deep to see the bottom, and she had no idea what might be hiding in the depths. Of course, this was a rather stupid reason for not swimming when she thought back to her river incident in Polaris. She liked to believe that maybe she was smarter now.

This water seemed calmer, though. Not like a fast-flowing river. It moved, sure, but not nearly as quickly or violently. Still, she didn’t want to go throwing herself into it. She could see rocks jutting up out of the water here and there, though, so if she needed to swim, at least she could take breaks if need be on the islands.

Words: 302 @Zevruu

Zevruu blinked. How did he get over here? He was exploring, and next thing he knew, he was here. He didn't really pay attention to how he got here, he just did. And he didn't really like it. He flicked an ear. Did he want the other to come over here? Not particularly, but it also seemed rude to just make her go away. Besides, how was she even to get over here? Neither of them seemed like they wanted to swim. Sure, the water was calm and fairly still, not to mention it seemed like it was warm.

"I-If you want to come o-over, then alright. There, uh, might be a place where you can c-come over without swimming,"he called out as loud as he could to the other, hoping she could hear. He didn't like speaking as it was, and calling out to the other? That was just terrible. But they had to communicate somehow, right? It still seemed kind of rude to just leave anyway.

"Speech" l 'Thoughts' l @Fira

OOC: Ending this old thread!

Fira looked around the room, squinting her eyes in an attempt to concentrate. That’s when she noticed the small ledge that made its way around the room. Bigger Gembounds would have a hard time standing on such a ledge, or those with less grace. But Fira was a Feline, so it should be fairly easy, right? She pressed herself against the wall, watching the water and her footing simultaneously. She was beginning to understand that hatred of water that all Cats (except tigers and stuff) seemed to harbor naturally. Still, she was glad she had at least some kind of understanding of swimming now. She needed all the skills she could learn if she was going to survive.

Eventually, when she was about halfway around the room, she looked back up at the Serval. He didn’t seem particularly happy. “You sure you want me to come over there?” She was giving him this chance to back out of his social graces. He could take it or leave it... And when he didn't reply for a loooong thirty seconds or so, she shrugged, carefully turned around on the tiny ledge, and went back the way she had come. Without a backwards glance, she disappeared from the room, content to leave the Serval alone if that's what he wanted.

Words: 170+ @Zevruu