Deep in the Fern Trench, hidden by the abundance of plants, lay a small bright green chrysalis. One may not even notice as they walk by, thinking it to be another odd looking plant. But this green stone held life, freshly ready to emerge from the darkness. The small body inside wiggled and squirmed. The annoyance of the tight enclosure drove it to strike out against the walls.

Crack!

A grey paw broke free of the tight space. Then another, and another. After three paws were out, the chrysalis shattered into pieces. The small being inside sat up and shook her head. 'Where am I?' She thought, looking around. But all she could was unfamiliar to her. Eventually, she stood, shaking her entire body. Being wet wasn't something she liked. The wet goo from the chrysalis flung from her body.

@Kin-Kin

Kin-Kin had left Polaris for the first time in quite some time. After helping to hide the orb, she'd been given a task by the other two canines, and so had set out to find one of the ancients to figure out what it was. If she remembered rightly, the old stag had last been seen here in Eridanus- so before swinging by Orion to check on the kings, she'd decided to swing by Eridanus, to see if anything had changed. She'd heard whispers that something strange had happened here, and she intended to find out what.

As she padded along the well-trodden path towards the eyes, Kin-Kin's ears twitched to a familiar sound. Here? And now? What luck. A grin stole across her face. Her recent interactions with Huckleberry had made the she-wolf feel a distinct sense of loss for the good old days, when she proudly and boldly helped the young in the caves to find their talent for magic. The canid changed course to follow the sound, and soon found the remains of the shattered chrysalis- and the newly-hatched gemling sitting among the shards.

Her soft glow lit up the emerald of the leaves around her as she stepped out of the undergrowth, tail swishing to adjust her cape, and held her head high. First impressions were everything. Her violet eyes glittred with pride. "Hey, kiddo! Welcome to the world."


" speech "

@charki

The small cat looked up at the creature towering over her. She wanted to run, find the nearest spot to hide, and stay there forever, But she stayed, frozen in fear in the shadow of the greater being. Her eyes were wide in terror as they locked with the other's.

Finally, calm and kind words soothed her. Charki calmed, but still made sure to stand in a defensive pose if anything were to go wrong. "What are you?" She questioned, not intending to be rude, but being rude. She took the time to examine the animal. It looked nothing like her. Its fur was a pale, sandy color while Charki's was grey with darker stripes across her whole body. Its eyes were a deep shade of purple while Charki's were green. It was much taller than the small cat, and definitely more intimidating at that. Charki looked back to the creature's eyes, awaiting an answer.

Kin-Kin halted as soon as she noticed the gemling bristling with fear, and after a moment’s hesitation, sat back on her haunches, leaving a gap of a few feet between them. If the cub so wished, it was plenty of room to take off and simply disappear into the forest. She probably wouldn’t have followed; after all, she wasn’t here to babysit.

She grinned as the young one posed her question, and offered a wink before answering. She’d never been greeted with that question before. "I am a demigod, and a master of light," she offered mischievously, with a glint in her eye. "Oh, but I’m also a wolf. Kin-Kin’s the name- don’t wear it out." She swished her tail before curling it around a haunch- all the while, grinning wolfishly.

Her gaze flickered over the little creature. "And I can see that you’re a cat. Do ya have a name, kiddo?" she implored.


" speech "

@charki

Charki tilted her head when she heard the wolf's response. A demigod? A master of light? The young cat's mind swirled with thoughts of how the wolf could control light, and what a demigod was. After finally being pulled out of her thoughts by Kin-Kin's question she answered. "I am Charki," she spoke, holding her head up proudly. In all honesty, it was just a word that she had made up on the spot. There was no meaning to it, she just liked how it sounded. "But you can call me Char for short." Charki smiled at the taller being before posing another question, "What all can you do with the light?"

Kin-Kin nodded, ears flickering in a brief moment of thought as the youngster chose her name- Charki. An unusual one, to be sure- but what was a normal name around here? There weren't really any rules. "Charki. Not too long, not too short. Catchy. Suits ya," Kin-Kin said with a wink, pleased to see that the young one appeared to be more at ease.

The young one's question brought a grin to the golden wolf's face, and Kin-Kin shook her glowing coat, preparing for a lightshow. "Light is an element of beauty and grace. I can create wondrous shows and marvels like nothing you've ever seen. Or... I can take it away, and make the caves dark. I can create things that aren't really there, or hide things that are. With light, you can do just about anything, so long as you believe you can." She paused to savour a long moment of grandeur, as the golden glow around her began to split itself into an array of rainbow colours- a subtle, but beautiful display.


" speech "

@Charki

Charki smiled proudly as Kin-Kin approved of her name. And then she couldn't help but be amazed and watch in wonder as rainbows began sprouting out around the wolf. This was something that Charki would've thought to be impossible if it wasn't happening right in front of her. The young cat wanted so badly to do that herself. She decided right then and there that she wanted to be just like Kin-Kin. Charki would train as hard as she could to master magic and perform spells just as the wolf did. She knew it would be hard work and it would probably take a while, but she was willing. However, Charki was also just a little bit impatient. The youngling decided to try it now. She focused all of her energy to do whatever she could...

And to Charki's surprise, something actually did happen. Though, it wasn't rainbows like she expected. Instead, a tiny plant sprouted up right in front of her. She sniffed it curiously. It smelled just like any other plant. Charki was confused but fascinated. What else could she do?

Finally, she looked back up to Kin-Kin. "Can you teach me the way of magic?" she asked. Her head tilted to the side in a curious way as she awaited what the wolf would say. She hoped she would say yes, Charki wanted to master magic so much that her heart raced at the thought.

@Kin-Kin

The newborn's wondering silence told Kin-Kin everything she needed to know, and everything she wanted to, too. She grinned, allowing the rainbows to flourish for a while before the light ceased to refract and she allowed her golden glow to return to its ordinary brightness. She watched as the youngster appeared to focus- with almost immediate results. Kin-kin tilted her head, looking at the little plant curiously. The young one seemed equally fixated, although she couldn't quite make out the expressions across the youngster's face. If Kin-Kin could wager a guess, she was confused- had she been expecting a rainbow of her own? "Plant magic, huh? Nice," she grinned. "I ain't seen that kinda magic in a while."

She flicked her ears at the young one's question- a familiar one, but a welcome one all the same. She didn't even have to consider it, offering a nod, and a beaming grin. "Sure, kid! Ya won't find a better teacher anywhere in the caves. You can do anything when ya put your mind to it." She paused for a moment, thinking of where to start. As she did so, she raised a paw before pressing it into the earth at her paws. "Let's see here... Light is my speciality, of course, buuut..." The ground creaked softly as it compressed and changed- and when she once again raised her paw, she revealed a small, green gem.

"I've also learned a fair bit of earth. You might learn some light magic some day. My point is, the possibilities are endless."


" speech "

@Charki

Charki couldn't help but allow a giant smile form on her mouth from Kin-Kin's response. Maybe one day she could teach magic to others too. Unfortunately, Kin-Kin seemed to imply that Charki wasn't likely to learn light magic, at least not as soon as she thought. This dampened her mood, but only a little bit, magic was magic. And she didn't mind plants, she actually loved them, so mastering in plant magic wasn't so bad. Although, the young gemling was still sad that she couldn't make rainbows whenever she wanted.

Speaking again, she asked a question, "When do we start?" Her smile was back and her voice was laced with excitement. She hoped Kin-Kin would say "now," but "soon" would be fine as long as it was actually soon. Looking back up to Kin-Kin, she again stopped talking and focused on her to await a response. Hopefully a good one.

"Anytime, kid! I ain't too busy," Kin-Kin glanced briefly out in between the lush green trees, peering off into the forest. She had come here with a purpose in mind; but the stag could be anywhere by now. It was cycles since she'd last heard whispers of his presence here. For all she knew, he could have left long ago. She hadn't caught a scent yet; but she hadn't been here long. if he was anywhere close, she'd track him down eventually. A lesson or two for the kitten couldn't hurt.

"Okay! Startin' with the basics. Magic comes in a whole host of kinds- elements- and everyone has one that they're best at. You can learn elements outside of your usual magic type, but we're all born with some kinda speciality. Mine- light, obviously- you, plant. There's also fire, water, air and earth, lightnin', uh, mind, energy, animal- and-ah- " she paused here, tilting her head back as she thought. "Fungi, I believe. Disease. Pretty sure that's all." She swished her tail in concentration. "Unless anythin' strikes your fancy, there's no need to remember 'em all. But knowing how a new element works makes learnin' it a whole lot easier."

She paused to let it sink in. "With plant, you'll be able to do some pretty neat stuff. Growing flowers, making fruit, controlling the forest to its roots. With time, you'll be able to make things just as pretty as my lights. But plant magic is some powerful stuff, too- if you're into that. I ain't judgin'."



" speech "

@Charki