Electric Storm, Electric Storm, Electric Storm, Don't Cry Baby
Tawny furred paws traveled through the muddy passage from Cetus down into one of the numerous pathways of the tunnel system. Leaving the home of her den wasn’t exactly a common feat for the feline but it occurred often enough that after 16 cycles Selena had learned this particular passage fairly well. In truth, she had not planned to travel away from Cetus on this day. It was a rare thing that can cause that specific fancy to enter her mind. But this was a day unlike the others. Today the entirety of her body and mind was on edge. A strange, almost electric feel to the air had started up recently and now buzzed around her. Normally when she wasn’t hunting she simply rested at her den. But today, the strange energy made her restless. The bobcat simply couldn’t stay still. After tossing and turning on top of the flat slate of stone that formed the roof of her den, she found herself wandering through Cetus. And now she found herself travelling outside the large cavern and into the tunnels. The misty fog was seeping out but much thinner at this point. The mud was drying by the occasional breeze that occurred here. Selena paused just a little outside of Cetus and shook off what mud remained on her paws. Deep salmon colored nose then lifted up and sniffed deeply into the air. For the moment, at least, there didn’t seem to be much in the way of danger currently. The fur bristled along her shoulders and then she slowly started forward again, seemingly unable to stand still for more than a moment or two. Speech Thoughts Tags: Notes:

Faelen had been waiting for the optimum time to leave Cetus and begin searching for Mercurius. The moment that magicka surged through the air, and the faint sound of singing started, seemed like the perfect time to do so.

Since he was already close to the tunnel that led out of Cetus, the lion angled that way and picked up his pace. He unknowingly followed in the pawsteps of a much smaller feline. Had he not been so preoccupied with the strange sound in the air, and his worry for his friend, he would have picked up the recent scent trail that the stranger left behind.

It wasn't until the spotted figure finally came into view that Faelan realized he wasn't alone in his idea of leaving Cetus. He doubted that the other Gembound was ultimately headed where he was, but they were heading in the same direction as him right now.
After a moment's consideration, the lion decided it would be best to have friendly company, rather than a cold stranger stalking at his back or side.

"Hello!" He called out, trying to keep his voice as light and welcoming as possible. For all he knew, this could be another one of the Children. If that was the case, then they were allies, and he didn't want to scare them away.

@Selena

"speak"

Electric Storm, Electric Storm, Electric Storm, Don't Cry Baby
The bobcat was unfocused, allowing their paws to take them aimlessly down the passageways. They had no real destination, no real goal. Only movement for movement’s sake was her aim. Movement and mental distraction. Selena had become a bit less skiddish of nature by forming a sort of relationship with the small bat known as Zeno and occasionally talking with them. But the magic of the air that tickled her senses put her at a slight unease. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it was new and uncomfortable in it’s constant presence. Not to mention that Selena knew very well about magic and the way that it worked. It was from this distraction that she didn’t realize she was being unintentionally followed until a loud voice boomed in the caverns, bouncing around her. A startled yowl escaped her maw as she leapt up and spun around to face the newcomer. It was a feline, similar to her, but larger. Much larger. And with a large mane around his neck. Fur stood up instantly, claws coming up and ears flattening in traditional manner of meeting a potential threat. It was typical of Selena to respond to newcomers intensely, either seeing them as potential prey or predators. But there was a bit of curiosity at play as well. She had never met another feline before. It was interesting to see another of her family, though it was a much larger one than her. That was concerning. He seemed nice enough though. He said hello instead of pouncing on her, after all. She inwardly scolded herself for her folly in not being better alert. Still, perhaps this creature, much like Zeno, wasn’t a predator to her. At least that would be beneficial right now. At easily twice her size, the bobcat didn’t have much of a fighting chance against the larger feline. “Uh, oh, hello,” She responded awkwardly. Her tail twitched with her anxiety. No words followed, simply waiting for him to continue and make his intentions known. Speech Thoughts Tags: @Faelen Notes:

The startled yowl that the smaller feline let loose wasn't the response Faelan had hoped for. In fact, it was the one he had avidly hoped would not happen. Especially since he had guessed, correctly, that it would be followed by a very angry, or scared, looking Gembound that stared him down with hackles raised and claws out.

Everything that he had imagined he would say to the stranger once they turned around abandoned him, swept away like dust on a gust of wind. Faelan stared back at the other Gembound, uncertain of their own intentions and capabilities. In these caves, physical size did not always mean that someone was stronger than someone else. Magic proved just as powerful, and potent, a weapon against large Gembounds as it did against smaller ones.

Finally, the stranger seemed to deem him trustworthy of a reply. They definitely sounded scared, which he hadn't intended and had no true wish for. The very fact that they had decided to reply though meant that the lion had a chance to prove himself. He didn't want to be seen as a scary, looming beast. After all, he had met real beasts, and they didn't all have sharp teeth and claws.

"I am sorry for startling you, but I didn't want to seem like I was sneaking up on you. I am heading this way too, and just wanted to make myself known." Faelan kept a steady tone despite the erratic pounding of his heart. He shouldn't feel so anxious over meeting a new Gembound, but he did. He'd met more new Gembounds in the recent past than he had whole life, and yet, it hadn't gotten any easier. There was still the possibility, in the back of his mind, that they could be like that goose and moose he had stumbled across.

Thoughts of that awful pair faded in the wake of a soft chiming sound. It was the same sound that Faelan had heard in Cetus, and all the way here. However, it seemed louder now, like he was close to its source.
The lion rotated his ears slowly, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from exactly. After a moment, he tilted his head back and spied the shining side of a unique gem a few tail-lengths up the wall. Strangely enough, the sound seemed to be coming from the gem.

@Selena

"speak"

Electric Storm, Electric Storm, Electric Storm, Don't Cry Baby
It was strange. The larger feline almost seemed as awkward and anxious about this meeting as Selena herself did. Why would a larger beast like himself need worry upon meeting someone half his size? Then again, she knew of small cave rats who had quite a bit of fight in them before going down. But with his size and mane protecting his vulnerable neck, that didn’t seem nearly as likely. It was slightly perplexing trying to understand others. It was more perplexing, however, that Selena had decided to starting trying to do so instead of simply fighting or (more often than not) running away. The large feline responded back with no hints of malice or aggression in his tone. His words and intent were simple enough. Just passing by. She lifted her head, sniffing deeply to confirm that there weren’t others of his kind lying in wait for her to lower her guard. It would appear that the lion was alone and, for all intents and purposes, telling the truth. The bobcat took a few deep breaths. With effort of mind she urged her fur to flatten and her claws to return. Tuffed ears remained back but were not flattened against her skull at least. “Sorry,” she started, “I’m not use to … uhh … friendly encounters,” she tried to explain. The words sounded as awkward out loud as they did to their mind. She internally groaned. Things were much easier before she decided to start trying to make “friends” and simply avoided everyone. Fortunately, the lion seemed distracted by something. Green eyes went to his ears and watching them flick. But there was no one else in this part of the tunnel. At least, no one she could smell. Was someone masking their scent? Ears lifted, trying to catch whatever it was that he was hearing. There didn’t seem to be anything …. There! Selena paused, catching the sound of a strange almost singing like noise. But from where? The bobcat turned her attention back to the lion and noticed him looking … upwards? She followed his gaze and noticed the strange looking crystal embedded in the wall. She took a hesitant step closer. “What’s this now?” she mused to herself. She hadn’t heard of a singing crystal before nor had she seen this particular gem type before. “How strange. I haven’t heard of crystals that made noise before….” She shoot the lion a quizzical glance, curious if perhaps he knew more about the strange object. Speech Thoughts Tags: Notes:

Faelan's brow furrowed thoughtfully as he studied the strange gem. The point that he could see obviously wasn't the entire gem. If he had to guess, the rest of it was probably nestled into a crevice in the wall. He was just seeing one piece, which was fine. It was just enough to go along with the plan that had just occurred to him.
His idea was interrupted by the other feline's voice though. They commented that they had never seen a gem that made noise before, which Faelan nodded his agreement to.

Then, the memory of the dark green gem in Polaris hit him like a lightning bolt. The lion immediately stilled as he recalled that he mostly certain had seen a gem that made noise before. However, he didn't remember the sounds that it emitted being anything like what he heard now from this new gem.

"I have seen such a thing before, but I am not certain that it is the same as what I saw." Faelan finally said. He kept his gaze on the gem as he spoke, only turning his ears toward the stranger.

After a moment of consideration, the lion slowly stepped up to the wall where the gem was. From where he stood, it looked like he might be able to get the gem if he just reached up.
As soon as he reared back on to his hind legs and placed his forepaws on the wall though, he could tell that that wasn't going to happen. He stretched his gem-bearing paw up anyways, just to try, and found that it came at least a few paw-lengths short.

Faelan slid back down and landed on the muddy floor with a squelch. He didn't seem bothered by the mud that oozed up over his paws, or the layer that had dried on his legs. His eyes, and mind, remained on the strange new gem.

@Selena

"speak"

Electric Storm, Electric Storm, Electric Storm, Don't Cry Baby
Selena simply watched as the lion stretched up to try and paw at the gem as though it was simply a cat toy and not a new mysterious object. Though as interesting as the gem was, his words were equally so. He had seen a gem that made noise before? She was reminded of the conversations she had had with Zeno. It would appear that by self-isolating herself she had missed out on quite a number of experiences. Not all the strange occurrences, though, as meeting the strange painter many cycles ago had taught her. But her own pawful of experiences did not seem to amount to nearly as much as the others had. This being a good or bad thing was still yet to be seen though. Green eyes watched as the lion lifted up onto his hindlegs, stretching his paw out as far as possible. She hadn’t really noticed the gem previously but it was hard not to now. A beautiful orb of blue embedded in his massive paw. Its shape was much simpler than hers but very stunning in the low cavern light. Unconsciously she sat down and scratched lightly at the back of her neck where her own prehnite stone rested, long legs stretching out about her neck in a strange star shape. The lion returned back to the ground, focus remaining on the stone. Not that she could blame him any. The stone was very perplexing and nature and she too was curious about it. Cautiously she stood back up and slinked closer to it. It was much too far for her to reach it. Tail flicked in focus as she wondered how to get at it. “Maybe you can jump at it? Or find a bone or stick to poke at it?” She mused softly, turning her head to look at the gem at another angle. There wasn’t much in the way of sticks in this area, but it would be only a quick jaunt to travel back to Cetus to secure one. It would have to be very sturdy to not break against the rock however. That may not work at all. More tail twitching occurred in response to her circling thoughts. Selena didn’t even realize how relaxed she had become around the lion. Having her attention diverted from the fact that she was interacting with someone to that of tackling a good distracted her away from her anxieties. This had a clear problem and just needed a clear solution. It was something malleable that could be conquered. This was concrete unlike the insubstantial nature of conversing and mingling with other gembounds. Speech Thoughts Tags: @Faelan Notes:

Faelan was too preoccupied with the problem at hand to notice the smaller feline's approach. He sat, as still and silent as the rock beneath his paws, and stared at the strange gem upon the wall. The only indication that he was alive, and at least somewhat aware of his surroundings, was the movement of his ears.

The small, round ears were all that turned toward the bobcat whenever she spoke. The suggestions were not bad ones, the lion thought, but they were less effective than others he had already thought of. A bone, or stick, would be too flimsy and could break under any amount of pressure. Jumping was just as precarious since he couldn't guarantee how high he could jump or consistently achieve a certain height each time he jumped.

The more he considered it, the more Faelan thought that only one, almost certain path remained. Magic.

What he was thinking of should be simple to achieve, since it was something he had done several times before. He'd never tried the spell exactly how he intended to use it now, but he wasn't afraid of doing so. Too much had happened recently for him to be scared of a trivial thing like a potential, small, rockfall. The fact that his companion might mind such a thing happening was only briefly considered. It got pushed to the recesses of his mind though, along with all other thoughts that weren't the wall, and the gem.

Faelan pictured what he thought the rest of the crevice in which the gem nestled looked like, in particular, the smooth edges of the gem's sides. Whenever he imagined the gem cleaving from the rock a second later, he felt the magicka within him swell almost immediately. He released his breath in the same second that he heard the sound of rock splitting apart.
The distinct sound was accompanied by the sight of a crack opening up in the wall in front of Faelan. It began at the bottom edge of the crevice where the gem sat, and it ended just a foot or so above his head.

It happened so fast that Faelan wasn't sure what to make of it at first. This was not what he had intended to do. However, the longer he stared at it, the more potential he saw in it. Perhaps his paws could fit in there now. If so, could he possibly climb it...

@Selena

"speak"

Electric Storm, Electric Storm, Electric Storm, Don't Cry Baby
When no answers came to Selena’s musing, she too became silent. She was not at all still like the lion though. Her tail continued to twitch and she occasionally shifted her weight while sitting nearby. While it wasn’t nervous energy, she was still abuzzed with energy at this difficult conundrum. There had to be a solution to it, though. The thought was barely had when a sudden crack was sounded. The bobcat at once leapt to her feet with her fur standing on end. It took a moment to figure out what it was. But there, just below the shimmering stone, was a large crevice newly formed. Ears immediately went upright in surprise at the sudden rock formation. The strange humming also appeared louder somehow. A quick glance towards the lion told her that he wasn’t really surprised by the crack though he was intrigued. An eyebrow perked at this, wondering if somehow, he was involved with the crack forming in the stone wall. Green eyes narrowed as she looked him over. “Were you …. Never mind.” She shook her head. Whether or not he was involved in it’s creation meant little. What was important was that it was there now. Selena turned back to the stone wall to look over the new crack and the crevice where the crystal laid. She too joined in thinking over the new options the crack gave. Like the lion, she too wandered about being able to reach inside of it. It would be tricky but should be doable. With a glance and a nod towards the lion, the bobcat moved forward towards the crack. Hesitantly she stuck a paw into it. While the lion’s paw would have just barely fit, her smaller one had more room. A wide grin appeared on her maw. “Nice! I should be able to get to the crystal now I think…” And with that said, the feline hoisted herself up with a low grunt. Fortunately, bobcats were suited for climbing though it wasn’t usually after humming gems. Stretching out her front paw she could just barely make it to where the crystal was. A low growl in concentration escaped her maw as claws began to dig at the stone. A bit more … a bit more. “Tink tink tink” Down the crystal dropped from the wall, bouncing and rolling before coming to a stop near the larger feline. The humming was much louder at this point now that the crystal was free of its rocky entrapment. Yet it was much louder than she would have expected from that alone. Ears swerving, she realized that there were now two humming sounds instead of just one. “I think there’s another one,” she announced, looking over her shoulder before returning to the ground once more. “It’s a bit too far for me to reach, though.” Speech Thoughts Tags: @Faelan Notes: Now we can each get a crystal. ^_^

-Selena is exiting thread now-