Somewhere along the grape vine, Kin-kin had heard a rumour. That there was something looking for powerful stones. And whilst the idea rubbed her slightly the wrong way, curiosity had soon gotten the better of her, and she had slunk off to find some stones of her own.

She sniffed at the earth until she noticed the faintest glisten, then with careful paws she dug it up. Then, reaching down within, she held her breath and tried to work out whether there was anything inside.

There was nothing special about the stone, no matter how hard she narrowed her eyes and strained to find something. So after a while, she kicked it away. It was lost with a quiet plop into the crystalline waters of the crystal river, and Kin-kin continued her search without giving it a second thought.

Soom she uncovered another, and closed her eyes as she focused all her energy in on the gem.

She focused, ears twitching, eyes closed until... with a siver of excitement, she felt it. It wasn’t a powerful sense by any means, but it was there, and it was significant enough to send a prickle over her fur. Kin-Kin grinned, plucked the gem in her teeth and set it aside, before trotting a short distance away as she continued her search.

This next one was lying above the earth, only half buried. It came loose with only the slightest nudge of her nose. And then she settled, ears perked, and felt for a trace of magic.

Yes! There it was!

She felt the magic speak to her, loud and clear. With a spring in her step, Kin-Kin picked up the gem and carried it to where she’d left the other. She didn’t want to risk accidentally giving it life, so she left it there, and then hastily backed away.

After taking a moment to glance around, ensuring there was no-one around, she trotted away, soon coming to a halt and looking around. The next one took longer to find, perhaps because of her reluctance to venture too far away. When finally, she did so, she bounded up to it and rested her nose to its cold surface with haste.

Kin-kin strained, feeling for the telltale traces of a life once lived... but after a while, she let out her breath and stood upright with a slight twitch at the edge of her jaw. Things were going so well.

But no matter.

Kin-Kin disposed of the empty stone quickly, with the slightest touch of her nose sending it tinkling down the riverbank and into the water. And then she plodded on, to the water’s edge, wondering curiously if she might find a gem in the shallows.

And there! Something glistening beneath the surface. She waded in up to ger knees, reached out with a paw, and felt for it with magic.

Kin-kin felt the faintest flicker, the slightest trace. There wasn’t much there, but it was something, at least, and so, after only brief hesitation, she sucked in her breath, folded back her ears and plunged her head under the water. Then, she stalked back to shore and allowed herself a quick shake before trudging back towards her small stack of rewards.

After dropping it with the others, she shook herself off fully, her sodden cloak slapping against her back upsettingly. She cringed.

She’d need to find some air-user later; maybe give herself a blowdry.

But before that, she had more searching to do. It didn’t take long to find the next, lying nestled in a small cluster of pebbles. Growing more confident now, she flicked her ears forward and searched for its life.

The Fledgling (+1) gemstone discovered by Kin-Kin is a sparkling yellow Topaz, which once belonged to a strange but beautiful creature. In general appearance and size it was as a shining, white-scaled snake, perhaps a few feet long. Yet its face was doglike, with floppy, dog-like ears, its eyes set apart like a chameleon's and capable of independent movement. It had four doglike legs, taloned like a bird's, and a short, furred white mane around its neck. A row scales of its back were hard and thick, providing strong protection, like armor.

The first of the Pupil (+2) gemstones is an oval, pink-red, shining Star Ruby with pale lines heading out from a bright center. The previous owner was a four-way hybrid of black Spanish Fighting Bull, an Aardvark, a Tufted Deer, and a Banteng.

The second of the Pupil (+2) stones is a sparkling Alexandrite with facets that glint either a dark, dim violet, or a dim blue-green depending on how the light catches it. This stone once belonged to another white-scaled creature, about the same size as the first, though with a more lizard-like body and reptilian face. Dark eyes to either side of its head mark this one as an herbivore, and all four feet end in small claws. Another white mane lies around this one's neck, as if both perhaps shared an ancestor.

The third and final Pupil (+2)-level gemstone is a rough, clay-orange Jasper gemstone once belonging to a very large creature, perhaps the size of a moose. Its body was birdlike and heavy, with a long, elegant head and billed beak, like a swan or a goose--though its body and broad wings were covered in short, dark purple fur. All four feet were scaled, ending in blunt claws. Its eyes were small, dark and round, almost beady in appearance.

@Kin-Kin

the she-wolf stepped back to admire her little treasure trove of newly collected stones, tilting her soaked head slightly and letting out a shiver. It was good, she thought, for a first try. But she didn't know, honestly, if it'd be enough. She felt the magic in these stones, but none of them jumped out at her as being particularly strong.

These stones might work better as den decoration, or just stocked away somewhere for later use. Ah well. She'd ask whoever was looking if they were alright, and if not, then she'd stow them away. Kin-Kin gave herself a last shake, then cast her gaze around to see if she could find one last stone.

There!

A glisten of gemstone sticking out of the ground. Kin-Kin rolled her shoulders, padded forward, and dug it out before she felt the magic fade. She dropped it back among the others.

Kin-Kin was proud of her little haul. Now she just had to find somewhere to put them. Kin-Kin padded along the riverbank, looking for a bare patch of earth where she could begin to dig, and then, careful not to get mud on her cape, began to dig into the earth to create a hollow, wincing whenever her golden coat got flecked with brown.

She kept digging until there was a hollow just big enough to fit her head and shoulders, and then, just as she scooped out one last pawful of earth, felt something hard scrape against her pawpad. Could it be...? or was it simply a pebble?

Kin-kin pawed it free and reached out.

But, rather than the faint pulse of magic she was expecting, Kin-Kin instead felt a sharp jolt almost like a lancing pain. The hairs along her neck stood on end and then, to her surprise, and disgust, the stone simply shattered into an array of tiny shards. Lips tightening, Kin-Kin sighed,and began to clear the shards out of her makeshft den.

That was enough for today.

With a flick of her tail, she trudged away to pick up the other stones and transport them back to her hoard.

-exit kin-kin-

The final stone is a small, pearlescent chunk, lopsided but shining a pure and pristine white. It is, perhaps fittingly to something pearlescent, a Pearl--and once belonged to a Pupil (+2)-level hybrid of Malayan Tiger and Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat.

@Kin-Kin