Thomas was still overwhelmed by his loneliness. After his departure from the travels with Gabriel, he wandered closer towards The Crystal River. He had no goal other than to observe the color hues and glows that came from the water and surrounding plants. Polaris was so beautiful and he couldn't get over it. I'm glad I'm finally here.

Thomas felt a sudden wave of energy. He was unsure what it was and so his head began to twist and turn in attempt to figure out where the feeling had come from. Nothing came from his almost frantic head turns and so he began to walk. First he headed closer to the river: nothing. Then he turned and walked back to where he came from. At first the energy got stronger, and then it began to fade again. Thomas stopped in his tracks suddenly and stomped a hoof. Finally his eyes rested upon the same structure that had mesmerized him before: The Spire.

As he moved closer towards the mountain of blue, glowing crystals, the energy within him began to feel stronger. It felt as though something was nudging from inside him; trying to attempt a gentle escape. Thomas was confused and soon stopped to look up at The Spire. He didn't want to get too close, for he feared that the feeling would become worse.

Weird.

talk // think
tagged; @Kin-Kin
notes;

Kin-Kin had gone back to lying in her den for the first time in cycles. Whilst she enjoyed talking to others, it could be exhausting sometimes, especially young ones. And so, she'd settled down, crossing her paws and laying down her head, and dozed. The she-wolf didn't know how much time had passed when she awoke; but the lights were still out, and there was a new scent tickling her nose. Sniffing deeper, she could tell that it was a cervid of some kind, and a young one at that.

Her den was close to the base of the spire, yet some distance away from the crystal river; far enough away that the Golems rarely bothered her. Of course, it helped a lot that the magic forever crackling around the spire would always be greater than the magic always beaming from her fur. What better way to keep out of one's sights than by hiding behind a more obvious target? A smirk crossed her face as she slowly began to get up, all her energy restored. Her spine gently clicked as he stretched out her forepaws ahead of her, and twisted her head on its vertebrae. The wolf looked back at herself... Was she appropriately groomed?

Ter fur stuck out in some places, but nothing too extravagant. She was still presentable. Of course she was presentable! it was impossible for her not to be, in a way. Kin'Kin would have to settle down and groom properly later, for now, she simply shook herself- golden fur flying in all directions. Her glow brightened slightly. With one last yawn, Kin-Kin slid her blade into its sheath on her foreleg, and padded out into the cave beyond, just in time to see a figure making their way up towards the spire.

The wolf approached, tail swishing calmly from side to side.

"Hey, Kid! You all on your own?" she called, coming to a halt a short distance away, her glow illuminating the world all around. Her crystal blade refracted that light into rainbows dotting the hill.

" speech "

@Thomas
OOC: sorry about the long wait, it's been a really busy week D:

Thomas was entranced by the energy that came from the pile of glowing crystals. He had no idea what the formation was formally called nor what it was there for. As he got closer, he knew for sure that the energy was coming from the mountain-like thing. The young elk stopped in his tracks and observed the crystals. He was quite distracted when the sound of a unfamiliar voice startled him. Thomas turned around as fast as his bulky body would allow him to.

He was confused at the gembound that stood before him. It was a wolf who seemingly glowed. A glowing canine? Thomas had never seen a creature glow as if it were natural before. Without much thought, the young elk moved a few steps closer to the wolf; his over sized hooves clacking against the ground with every move. "I am alone," he replied as he came to a halt. Thomas looked the she-wolf over again before perking his ears. She glowed; he was intrigued. "Why do you glow?" he asked bluntly. "I have never seen another living creature do that before."

Thomas relaxed his perked and tense muscles as he waited for the canines reply. He wanted to seem comfortable around her, for he assumed that being relaxed allowed everyone around him to also feel relaxed. It relieved tensions the elk believed. He even took some weight off his hind right leg. If the wolf were suddenly to decide to attack, Thomas surely wasn't ready to flee. And so he simply hoped that she had pure intentions.

talk // think
tagged; @Kin-Kin
notes; Thomas does not yet know of his magic, so he doesn't know that he can "glow" as well.
ooc; no worries! It happens to all of us!

Kin-Kin wasn't surprised by their clarification. Most younglings these days were left to wander, even fresh out of the chrysalis. The wolf remnisced back to her own cub days, when she to wandered these great halls so alone and afraid. How long ago that had been...

"Well, this place can be dangerous for a kid on their own... lucky for you, I'm here now," Kin-Kin told them, settling back on her haunches. She spoke... mostly the truth and as she spoke, motioned with her muzzle towards the riverside where golems tended to roam. True, Kin-Kin hadn't personally had any run-ins with the things, but they often carried gemstones with them, presumably stolen ones. Was she getting soft? Perhaps... the wolf hadn't met many who weren't young ones in recent cycles, so experience was beginning to sand down the edge of her asshole side. That being said though, this seemed like one of the curious ones, who she could likely milk for their praise. If they turned out to be easy to aggravate, then she might be able to have a little fun.

But they spoke of her glow! And of course, that was Kin-Kin's cue to be their 'savior'. "I'm glowing because of magic, kiddo," She told them proudly, looking back at herself fondly and using her tail to slightly shift her cloak. "Have you learned about magic yet, kid? It's what flows through all of us. Especially me. I can do anything with magic." Her glow brightened as her pride grew.

"...And someday you might be able to as well."


" speech "

@thomas

Thomas looked at the she-wolf with perked ears and a look of confusion on his face. He had no clue what magic was; nor that he possessed some of his own. He became intrigued by the canine's words, and it could be seen all over his features. His now attentive gaze and loose stance. The young elk was now completely focused on the concept of magic. "It can't be too dangerous," Thomas said as he recalled her earlier words about the caves. "I have made it this far with nothing but a small companion. I have remained untouched."

The young elk looked the she-wolf over again. Something about her choice of words seemed cocky to him. He was unsure if he was simply overthinking her attitude or if there was something wrong. Thomas brushed the thought out of his head and looked the wolf back in the eyes. "I have never heard of magic before." His tail twitched and as he began to ponder the ideas of magic.

How does it work? Do I have it? What is it?

Thomas began to ask non-stop questions at the canine. "What can you do?" he started. "What can I do? Can I do anything?" Now excited, the thrill of learning new things was etched across all his features. His eyes appeared to shine and his ears were perked higher than they had ever been before. Thomas was beyond intrigued.

"talk" // think
tagged; @Kin-Kin
notes;
ooc;

Kin-Kin snorted slightly at their words. "Alright then, wise guy... how many fights have ya won?" her brows perked slightly. "I'm assuming none, and I'm assuming ya haven't been in any either, 'cause I can't smell blood on ya. You're scott-free so far but you don't look that old to me either." She sniffed them curiously, trying to tell what kind of magic they possessed, but was unable. She was able to catch a canine whiff on their hide, however... which must have been that companion of theirs.

She grinned at their noting that they'd never heard of magic before, puffing out her chest and standing tall. "Oh, Goody! You're in for a treat, kiddo. Lemme show you what you're missing." Kin-Kin's eyelids flickered and she bowed her head in concentration, trying to summon something beautiful to show off just what she could do.

In moments, the golden light radiating from her pelt had become a lightshow of flickering flames, rising from her and then fading away into the air.

"You can do all sorts with magic, but everyone specializes in something... I can't tell just by looking atcha, so why don't you give it a go?" Kin-Kin winked at them, curious to see whether they'd succeed.

" speech "

@Thomas

Thomas was more than startled by the she-wolf's sudden change of tone. He jumbled some words in his head before finally coming up with something to say. "You're right, I haven't been in any fights. I've never come across another gembound with an intention to harm me." He stared long and hard at the canine. Thomas was starting to become aware of her odd (to him) behavior. To the young elk she seemed easily aggravated and overly tense.

Maybe someone caused her to be that way?

Thomas watched with a close eye as the wolf began to create dancing light around her. He was intrigued, but he remained somewhat on edge. "That's amazing," he couldn't help but say to her. The elk watched as the light-show faded away into the darkness. He was busy staring upwards when the she-wolf suggested that he try. Thomas shot his gaze back down to her and began to develop a obvious nervousness.

"I suppose so," he said as he began to mimic her moves from before. He lowered his head and closed his eyes, concentrating on something he wasn't sure was even there.

Thomas would have missed his success if it weren't for the burning pain that began to creep up his hind right leg. He opened his eyes and turned his head sharply to look down at his hind. With his head turned so it was parallel to his side, he started down at the small flame that licked at his fur just above his hoof. He almost let out a cry but bit his tongue before he was able too.

I will not give her more of an opportunity to make fun of me.

The elk looked back up at the she-wolf and fought against the pain. It wasn't too bad. Eventually the fire faded and Thomas somewhat smiled at her. "That wasn't so bad," he said. He was defiantly going to leave out the part where his leg felt like it was now made of ash.

"talk" // think
tagged; @Kin-Kin
notes;
ooc;

Kin-Kin nodded slightly. "I thought as much," she said, slightly gentler this time. "Lemme tell ya, kid; magic might well save your life some day, when it comes down to it." That wasn't a lie, either. Magic had many, many uses, and not just in fighting. Her own allowed her to see even in this darkness. "This darkness, for example. with my magic, seeing is a breeze, and I can even light the way for others."

Kin-Kin's chest puffed out in pride as they commented on the lightshow she'd just given them. The grin on her face revealed pristine white fangs and her deep purple eyes sparkled with glee. "Isn't it? I've trained my whole life for this." Kin-Kin told them, her words matter-of-fact. It was true to an extent; Kin-Kin really had been training for a long time, but her interest in magic was certainly more recent than her interest in becoming strong.

As she watched, Kin-Kin waited patiently for them to try their magic- soon enough, a familiar scent caused her wet nostrils to twitch with the familiarity, but also the sharpness of it. Ash- Kin-Kin knew now what type of magic they possessed, and her eyes lit up with knowledge. "I know what your magic is now..." she began, a glimmer in her eyes. "Your magic is destructive and unpredictable, but all the better for defending yourself. Fire. That's what it is. You'll do well with that, I imagine."

She nodded in their direction, as usual taking all the pleasure in teaching a young one about magic.

" speech "

Thomas thought about how much magic could offer him. The she-wolf was right; it could one day save his life. He liked the idea of having a power at his disposal to defend himself. He was an elk, and like all other cervids, the only defense he possessed was a powerful kick or headbutt. Thomas had no claws or fangs, just hooves and teeth meant for grinding leaves. But with magic, he had so much more.

"You trained your whole life?" he asked. "It must have taken you a lot of practice to get that good." Thomas' tailed flicked as he tilted his broad head slightly to the side. "Hopefully one day I'll be able to control magic like you can." He stopped for a moment. His gaze wandered beyond the wolf as he began to think.

What if she can teach me?

Thomas looked back at the she-wolf. He was fire. The elk really had no idea what fire was like before he tried the spell. At least know he had some sort of knowledge of it. Fire was hot, it hurt and it made things smell absolutely horrid. When the she-wolf said his magic was destructive, Thomas shuddered. He pushed away the thought that his power could hurt others and the elk somewhat smiled at the canine. He thought that perhaps he should introduce himself before asking her to train him in anything. "I'm Thomas, by the way."

"talk" // think
tagged; @Kin-Kin
notes;
ooc;

"Well, you could say that. That, and, well, I'm naturally gifted." Kin-Kin said, smiling as she basked in their enthusiasm. "But y'know, my gift wouldn't shine through without helluva lotta practice." As they wondered about what the future held, Kin-Kin smiled, her own expression optimistic.

"Well, if ya keep pushin' and ploddin' on, I'm sure you will be. Who knows?" Kin-Kin left that little seed there to give them hope and pride, and plant a seed that might spark later on. Kin-Kin knew she could teach them; she had taught many young Gembounds before them. Teaching the newcomers to the cave was a favourite pasttime of hers, it meant infinite excuses to show off.

Oh! the young one introduced themselves. That was another cue for her; one to bedazzle them with the knowledge of exactly who it was they were facing. Kin-Kin cleared her throat and stood tall. "Ahem! Thomas! You stand facing the Magical Champion of the caves and Demigod of Light. The name, of course, is Kin-Kin! Don't wear it out!"

Kin-Kin puffed out her chest, glow radiating bright from her golden fur.



" speech "

@thomas