The marten continued to look up at the older gembound, her curious stare bright and innocent. He seemed to be... surprised? Taken aback? She could not tell, but yet his jaws remained parted in a soundless gesture. Then his smile returned, and she felt a fuzziness inside her. Although the little kit did not understand very much yet, she knew that it felt good when she made another creature smile.

She heard that sound once again, echoing through her mind like an ethereal whisper. Name. Name... Name? What was her name? Xin was Xin, but what was she? Did she have a name at all? Something was resting on the tip of her tongue, the edge of her conscious.

"My name is..." She paused, trying to grasp the lingering thought that taunted her mind. Did this question even have a definitive answer? "V... viii.. vih-veee... vii-veee-eer... v..." She huffed in frustration. It was as if her name was clearly stated in her head, but refused to be formed into words.

Her tiny ears flicked back as she plopped her haunches down onto the stone. She muttered to herself, trying again, "Vihhviv... vivivee, ee... ee..." An exasperated sigh escaped the conflicted young kit. She turned her head back towards Xin. "I... think I'm just Vivi for now."

@Xin

Xin listened with pricked ears as the other marten spoke. He waited patiently as she struggled to say the name, wondering how complicated it was. As she continued to struggle, he found himself giving a silent giggle. Her struggling was oddly funny. It was only another reminder that she was still just a newborn. Either way though, she'd still speak better than he. He could think, in both his and other's heads, but he couldn't actually make a proper sound.

As she finally came to a name, he nodded briefly in acknowledgement. Vivi. It was a nice name. Simple, like his, although perhaps not the full version of what her name actually was. He attempted his spell once more, even if to just say that he liked her name. However, nothing seemed to happen. So he gave a quiet sigh and smiled at her, hoping that at least was enough.

---

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: @Vivirra
notes: here

She watched as Xin gave her a nod in response. The older gembound seemed like he wanted to say more, but instead she received a soft sigh and a smile. Vivi giggled, realizing that she probably sounded silly. "I'll get it eventually. I just have to keep trying." Her chest puffed out slightly with the determination of a child.

But before she could try to utter another syllable, a sense of awareness washed over her. She was surrounded by darkness on every side, closing in on her. Visibility was nigh impossible except from inches away. Trapped in by the shadows... yet she didn't feel trapped. She felt warm and safe and... fuzzy. Xin's fur was so very soft and plush.

The young gemling felt a different kind of fuzziness too. One that she felt from within, tickling her insides. All of that rush and excitement that had surged through her veins was beginning to slow down. Her limited source of energy had been spent, begging her to succumb.

In a manner that was far from regal, the little one plopped down on the floor, resting her chin on the ground. It was colder than before, but her side still brushed up against her companion's thick fur. Inside her tired body, her mind was still at work forming new wonders and possibilities. It strained her neck to look so far up at the bigger animal. A murmur escaped her lips. "Are there other creatures out there?..."

@Xin

Xin's smile increased at her words. He watched as she stayed beside her, until eventually plopping down onto the floor. He blinked in surprise, smile disappearing, but didn't move. She was still pressed up against her, which was still nice. He smiled again and began to think about what she said. Other creatures? He had met a few. Not a whole lot, really. At least, not that he had interacted with. He had seen many, but mostly ignored them.

He wondered if he could manage to speak this time, and was pleasantly surprised to feel that feeling in his throat. "Yes. Lots of others. You're the first I've seen that looks like me, aside from one who looked very similar, but had wings. She had been the first ever I saw." He paused, thinking about her. It had been a while since then, and he hardly ever thought about her. He looked down at Vivi. "She was nice, but not everyone is. I was once attacked by someone, and...only just barely managed to escape." He repressed a shudder at the thought.

---

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: @Vivirra
notes: here

She blinked slowly, fixed on the marten that towered above her. Yet again she heard the sound of his "voice" as it smoothly resonated in her head. So there were many others that resided in these caves... How many, she wondered? Apparently, though, there were very few like her. What were the odds of running into her one equivalent out of the many creatures in this world?

These many questions lazily floated around her mind as her words tried to voice one of them. She softly mewed, "What was she like?" This first individual he spoke of was nice... so that probably meant she was like Xin in a way.

However, the mention of unkind creatures was odd to her. The young kit was easily imposed upon, and as of now all she had known from others was kindness. But the idea of there being cruel gembounds who could and would attack her did bring Vivirra some fear. "That wasn't very nice of them..." She frowned. "...I hope none of the people I meet are like that. I hope they're all like you." The sleepy little marten purred, wrapping her tail around her body as she slowly curled into a ball.

@Xin