She wanted to see Bartos....no, she needed to see them. She was always cold and lonely here, kept like a prisoner even when Vazi was away, always worrying that they would show their anger if they noticed her missing. She often took walks to the neighboring tunnels just to escape the suffocating loneliness of the Orion cave, but it wasn't enough. She had explored every inch of the derelict buildings, seen every nook and cranny that even vaguely interested her. Clover needed to wander, needed to see her cubs, needed some comfort...and Bartos lived here, and she knew where. She wouldn't take long, just travel the quick jaunt up to their home up in the cliff side and say hello, perhaps let out a few of her grievances. She needed someone who would listen to her.

With a few looks behind her every now and again just to make sure Vazi hadn't come back from whatever they were doing, she stood at the base of the cliff shelves and quietly called out their name, hoping they were home. "Bartos, Bartos, my friend, are you there?"

"This is how I speak."

He'd been lost in a dream. Sometimes, they felt more real than the strange life the cat led. They felt like they were what life should have been, and not the isolated cold that it was now. Dreams where he was with friends, the Gembounds from the wedding, and they were in a place he'd never seen before, but a place that always felt home. Dreams that he knew their names and what they would say, and they were in the grass, and in his dreams he didn't care about rocks or structures or building things, he only cared about the way he was loved, and the sky.

The sky. He never knew what the sky was. There was an inherent answer deep within him, luke a secret that had been embedded in his core. A secret he could only unlock and experience in his subconscious. His dreams, that was where each figment of a memory unraveled and reveled in its truest nature, brightest, clearest, it was the only place those memories were new and distinct again. Memories that existed beyond his memory. Dreams of dreams. The sky was but a lie his ever learning mind had crafted, or so he'd thought; but deep down, he wondered if it was real. If maybe he had seen it before in some journey predating his birth. Maybe it was hardwired into him through the benitoite. Maybe the answer lay in the stone.

If that was the case, then the cat feared his answer would be lost to the ages. Faelon held a stone like his. They were brothers, two halves of a whole, and Bartos wondered if instead his brother saw visions of a journey. A journey with no destination - that was Bartos' secret. Alas, his truth would never come. He chased it while his friends sat in the grass, and he sat too, staring. Learning. Watching fickle nebulae spin blue thread in the cosmic maw above as stars twinkled, their light shifting and dancing away from him. Clouds occasionally drifted past.

Bartos, it whispered. He furrowed his brow and rolled to his feet, and the sky suddenly felt vaster, closer. His eyes swallowed it whole and it gripped him, he was lost in oblivion - Bartos, the voice echoed endlessly. Her voice was but a quiet recollection in the back of his mind, enveloping him in darkness until he felt the light of the cave lights press against his eyelids. He was suddenly so aware of where he was, and he desperately gripped the images burned in his skull, the memories, the sky, but as he opened his eyes it was gone. In its place was his den and his hoard of gems and a voice quietly beckoning him from below, solidifying a once fluid believe that his real life was a distant afterthought - no, the dream was, the dream of the dream. Bartos rose and slowly peeked his head over the ledge where he beheld the pristine doe, and he grinned down at her, albeit with some still sleepy confusion. "Oh! Hi Clover," His words broke through a yawn and his voice near instantly brightened. The cat withdrew from the ledge, lazily descending the narrow path towards her.

(537 words)

This song is breaking my heart right now ;A;

"Oh, did I wake you?" She asked, seeing them yawn and shake off the vestiges of sleep. "I apologize."

Clover took them in, their easy happiness to see her again, the easy way they came down the narrow path to reach her, and her heart warmed, relaxing in her chest, like a unclenching fist. She looked around once more just to see if Vazi was anywhere around, and moved closer to the base of the cliff, looking back to her clever cat. "Bartos," She said softly, "I...I really needed to see you. I have something to tell you."

"But first, let me say how much I've missed you," She laughed quietly, watching them move. Vazi wasn't around, right? She could at least exchange pleasantries, know how they've been doing. "It's felt like an eternity since the wedding. Have you found more crystals? Have you explored more?"

"This is how I speak."

Her apology was met with a lazy smile, then a slow, quiet laugh dripping form his jaws like syrup. "No, its okay." The cat answered, peering over the ledge at her as he made his descent. "I like this dream much better." His long, fluffy tail twitched and flicked behind him, bobbing with each sluggish step that gained velocity as the sleep ebbed away and excitement took its place. Before long his paws touched the dusty earth, cold and unchanged from what he usually knew. He moved to her, light roving purring almost immediately sparked inside of his chest, meeting her legs while his ears held her words. The first part made his heart leap, the second part made it fall. It sounded like a warning. Having woven through her legs, the cat parted from her and turned to face her again, cocking his head.

She backtracked, drawing back on more positive vibes that led the cat to gaze bashfully at the floor, twisting back his ears. "I missed you too." He said, peering up at her before absent mindedly sitting. The questions made him jump back to his feet, and he took a step back towards the path, smile even broader. "Yeah! My collection's grown, and I have this really cool thing-" He started, flicking his gaze up to his cliffside home. From down here, he couldn't see much more than the ledge. "-its a glass lens, I got it from this big shadowy creature in one of the tunnels. I mean... I still haven't explored much beyond Orion and Pisces, but I'm getting there." Bartos answered, looking back at her, then back to the cliff. "Do you wanna come see?" He invited, forgetting about her warning.

@Clover

"I like this dream much better," They said, and she felt happy at that, smiling and laughing. "How flattering," She replied, a coy flirting note in her voice, "I wonder what kind of dream I am."

She stood still while they wove through her legs, and she loved their purring, feeling the sweet rumble of it as they touched her. They stood before her and told her about this interesting new gift they'd been given. "A glass lens? What does it do? Does it have a story too?"

A wave of almost nostalgic excitement coursed through her at the thought of storymaking, for the chance for a lovely audience and just a small portion of happiness in this bleak place. Why not? Vazi wasn't here, was he? Sometimes they were gone for hours at a time; surely she could be with her lovely clever cat for just a little while. She needed a long hug, needed their warmth, their comfort.

"Of course, Bartos," She said, letting herself have just this moment to be herself again. "Lead the way."


"This is how I speak."

A deep throated chuckle welled itself up from his chest and Bartos found his mind wandering. What kind of a dream would she be?

She would be flying through the air, but not at a speed that was frightening. It wasn't too fast that the wind would whip your face, nor was it too slow that you were suspended in the air. You would soar, dipping and diving as you pleased, wings careening left and pitching right and flapping every so often to keep the body afloat. Gentle thermals would carry your body along as though you rode on the surface of a glistening golden ocean - the waters, they sparkled as though they were made of pearls in the sun. The breeze caught the waves and a gentle spray would dampen the toes, collect on the whiskers, tickle the nose. But it wouldn't be salty. It would smell fresh, like... like flowers. She was a dream of everything gold and glimmering.

He thought briefly to describe it to her, but he feared he wouldn't be able to synthesize his vision into words. So he only laughed, letting cobalt eyes fall to his paws. He lingered, afflated by the whimsy of her out loud wonder, then wavered his tail as she voiced her curiosity. "I think it's a telescope lens." Bartos answered thoughtfully. "I took it up to the tower with Quintus - the lion at the wedding, the one that wasn't getting married. We played with it and looked at the ceiling, and we saw... We saw so much!" He gasped, feeling excitement stir as he remembered his adventure in the tower with his lion friend. He lacked the framework to set the lens up here, having left it back at the tower, but maybe he could arrange something for her to look out of...

Bartos was already making his way back up the trail, looking over his shoulder to make sure that she was following. "I'll try to set it up so you can look out of it! Maybe you'll see something you can tell a story about!" He suggested as he walked the steep path, going slow as he recalled how carefully she had to ascend the trail the last time she had visited.

@Clover

She waited for a reply but all she got was a thoughtful chuckle, like they had come up with something but teased her with not saying out loud. With a purse of her lips, she looked at them and wondered what kind of dream Bartos would be.

It would be...warm. She would feel completely at peace, feeling no need to rush or get up, with a soft fire going right near here, sweet crackling music to her ears, in this lovely stone fireplace. She would have a wonderful creamy soft blanket draped over her and underneath her, laying there in her den, rich fabrics that weren't dulled and torn with age all over the walls, fascinating stitch work telling stories to her that she could remember hearing even if the details escaped her. Little wisps of light would play around her, giving a soft warm glow to everything, and she would have this indescribably sweet taste in her mouth, like she'd had something perfect earlier.

And the ceiling....even in the dream she would link the sky of Orion with Bartos, knowing she'd never separate the two in her mind. But it would seem incredibly far away, an endless vast sky, and she would question where her den ended and the stars began, and she would always look up, her breath caught in her lungs, this thrill of glory and perfection and peace keeping her there.

The idea formed in her mind like a blooming flower, slowly giving her more and more details, and she wanted to describe it to her clever cat, wishing to see them blush and fawn over it, but Bartos had already moved on to telling her about the lens.

She grinned, forgetting about Vazi entirely for the excitement of her friend, and she followed them up the trail. "It sounds like you already have one, Bartos," She teased. "So what does the lens do? Is it magic? Does it allow you to see what can't be seen?" She said lightly, her eyes on the narrow path. "What did you see up there?"

She didn't know if she actually spoke to another lion at the wedding, but she did remember seeing one there, a very young one.

"I'd like that, Bartos," She replied, wondering what this lens even looked like, that it would have to be set up to see. But she supposed they would stop at her clever cat's home first, and she remembered how dark it was, so she called gently and easily to her magic to cast a gentle light as she walked. She didn't want them searching for it in the dark. And when she called, it came so easily, like a breath. It was so easy, being around her friend again.

"This is how I speak."

The cat uttered another low chuckle, he couldn't help it; he did have a story, but he couldn't tell them as well as her. He didn't like to listen to the sound of his own voice so much as he liked hers. They continued up the path and he took slow, cautious steps, whisking his tail behind him. Begging her to follow. "It's not magic. Not as far as I can tell. It's just a big round glass disc, but its kind of convex. " He began to explain, remembering its features and how they had set it up in the tower to gaze at the sky. "It's allows me to see things that are far away. All those twinkling lights, you'd never know what they are from down here." He added, casting his gaze to the ceiling where the quarts crystals cropped out of the rock. Veins of glistening translucence. Distant stars in the dark.

Bartos had reached the ledge, delving into his alcove. He had paused to turn and look back, to wait, only to see her light gently touch the shadows that usually occupied the ledge. They bled away, returning to the safety of their crevices and holes, far corners in which only dust collected. Her light was warm and sweet, much like the dream - glimmering and gold, all that was her. Bartos' smile broadened as she spoke again. I'd like that, Bartos. His heart warmed. "Ahh - let me see..." He turned away, nosing through his collection. Debris were scattered across the ledge, but in an organized fashion - piles of different chunks of rocks. Thick sedimentary rocks, small shining crystals. The lens wrapped in a burlap cloth. He dragged the cloth to the overlooking ledge and unwrapped it, prompting the lens up with his paws.

Then, he focused. He sank into his mind, into his being. He summoned what he could.

Post-Roll Edit:
Chunks of metal grated against the ground; those stored in his alcove sparked to life, clattering over the rock. They crawled through the dust towards him, and small pieces in the shattered buildings below began to vibrate in their long forgotten bastilles. They were thin railings, or chunks of armor; small shivs of plate metal and blades since discarded. They each began to close in on the cat, towards him, his paws - he leaned back onto his haunches and gently guided them, propping them up against one another as they collapsed beneath the lens and surrounded it. It a gnash of rusty metal, the skeleton of a stand came together. It cradled the lens between two metal arms, and it was a little short, but it served its purpose.

Bartos jumped on his paws, wriggling his tail behind him excitedly. He ducked his head down, taking a look. The distant ceiling was clear and sharp, it's details like the night sky. The cat wasn't sure his smile could get any broader. He turned towards Clover again and stepped back, quietly gesturing for her to look.

@Clover

She loved the sound of their laughter, low and enticing. It made her want to nuzzle into the fur around their neck and kiss them, and it made her warm all over. She listened to the rumble of her cat's voice, wishing they would go on and on about their lens, picturing its shape in her mind. She had no idea how a piece of glass might allow one to see far distances without magic, but surely Bartos would know.

Clover looked up along with Bartos up at the ceiling and squinted her eyes. "Are they not stars, my friend?" She asked, looking from the lights down to her cat.

She followed them into their little home, ducking her head, smiling as she saw their collection scattered around, her gentle light making them glimmer and shine. They were glorious, each in their own way, and they each pricked her interest, from the stone with the wavy stripes on them to the lovely glittering crystals. But they were here for something else, she knew, and she watched patiently as Bartos opened up a certain special something near the edge of their home.

Settling down on the ground comfortably, her legs tucked beneath her, she watched with a sweet smile as her beloved cat focused on showing her something magical. Their honesty and their affection for her was everything she needed right now to make her feel herself again.

What happened next just stole her breath away, and she half-grinned and half-laughed in awe and wonder. Small pieces of metal came from the corners of the home, dragging through the dust like small soldiers called to battle, her cat the clever general standing them to formation. From the battlements below they answered, flying to the call, following Bartos' whim, creating a stand to hold up the valued glass they so rightly valued. Happiness spilled from the cat in waves and waves, and they stood back to let her look through it up to the sky.

"Oh Bartos," She said, her eye as wide as it could possibly be, "If I thought you were amazing before, that was nothing compared to this. You're amazing! I- I -" She laughed. "I'm speechless!"

Gently she rose, taking the few steps to Bartos and their precious glass. Before she looked through it, she dipped down and gave the cat an immodest kiss on the cheek, murmuring, "Thank you. You make me so happy, Bartos."

The she turned to look through the lens, and again, she was blown away. The sky was opened to her in crisp detail, and she knew that the sky wasn't littered with stars, but crystals. "What are they? Are they perhaps Gems up there, sleeping? Oh, I do hope not. I wouldn't want them to fall. How did they get up there? Is it like a sea of grass, only with crystals? Perhaps they think that we down below are their sky, with our city and our strange adventures....what a strange perspective! Oh, I'm feeling dizzy just thinking about it," She looked away, laughing, then looked again, sighing. "They are beautiful, aren't they?"

"This is how I speak."

The cat's grin slowly broadened as he made room for Clover to peer through the telescope. Her laughter was contagious, and he found himself laughing along with her, light and jaunty and so so in love - he was about to say something when he fixated on the image of the pale deer again, and whatever words lingered in his throat just as quickly ebbed away in favor of reverent silence. Then she drifted near, and her kiss was like a blossom of fire ripping through his very being. It wasn't painful - it was soft and warm and fuzzy, comforting him to the brim. His lips sealed in another proud smile and he couldn't think of much else to say, but it was probably better that way. He didn't want to ruin the moment saying something dumb.

He watched as she beheld the sight of the ceiling up above them. The cat traced her gaze upward, where he couldn't see the specific details of the crystals, but he knew they were there. He knew by what expanse they dappled the ceiling, so far from the disaster of the world below, so safe, so sound. So pristine and perfect. Like her. His heart murmured, it palpitated, it begged him to move and do something, but he was rooted. "They are." He agreed after a moment, having listened to her deliver all of her thoughts of what they could possibly be. "When I first saw them, I thought of you." The cat would later admit sheepishly, keeping his eyes pinned to the ceiling. "They're so... unreal... and flawless. Like they aren't even a part of this world." His voice wavered, drifting quiet intonations through the peace. "Maybe we can go up there one day. We can be a part of a different world... just to visit."

@Clover