Aithne
The young gembound had only just hatched out of the chrysalis. She was still a bit shaky on her legs, and had not mastered the art of movement yet. She was curious, but also very weary to see all the rooms the large cave had to offer. So she explored, her raven colored body scurrying between rooms as quickly as she could, while taking in what most had to offer. She was really unsure of herself or her purpose. Most things hadn't yet been explained to her, and she felt as though she was just thrown out into the cave to fend for herself. Still, she moved on.

It was then her white tipped toes stepped onto a branch. It cracked under her weight, causing her to startle and step back. Her eyes darted upward in alarm, and she glanced around the room. Her breathing slowed as she realized she was alone, or appeared to be. Her blue eyes scanned the floor of the room, taking note of all of the mosses that threatened to grab her and pull her deep within their abyss. At least, that was the way it felt to her. The black wolf took a deep breath, stepping forward with one foot after another, slowly, trying to avoid the mosses as she came across them.

"Aaah!" she exclaimed as her paw got wrangled in some of the moss, causing her juvenile body to fall. The more she wrestled the more tangled she became. She panicked. They're coming, they're coming, she thought as she tried to get herself free. It was nearly impossible. There was just too much moss surrounding her. A soft whine left her lips as she realized she might need help to get herself out of this predicament.

Calm down, she thought to herself. You must get a hold of yourself.

Wolf

Kin-Kin had been wandering for quite some time. She was as contented as ever, of course, but bored.

Since her little stone-hunting venture had been a complete flop, she'd found herself quite stuck when it came to finding other things to do. So she wandered. Briefly, she'd tried to scent out Imperia, hoping to fill the time with a friendly sparring match or two; they'd never been very good at civilised conversation.

Her sword clinked softly in its crystalline hold against her foreleg, its weight a comforting prospect. She wasn't afraid of Eridanus; she never had been. But from her experience, it always seemed to be the place where things went wrong. Especially when you glowed as brightly as she did.

Case and point; Kin-Kin's ears pricked upright to the sound of a small cry. It was a young voice; perhaps a newborn. Moments later, she trotted forward, weaving in amongst some trees as she picked out the source. Her golden glow lit up the dewdrops like diamonds and shimmered against the leaves.

Finally, she happened upon the source; a black pup, struggling where she lay.

"Hey, Kiddo! 'Sup?" she greeted, lightearted and soothing, as she padded forward. She nosed softly at the offending mosses and lichens that appeared to have the youngster snared. "Need a paw?"

She raised a paw, then pressed int into the earth. Her glow subsided as the magic went elsewhere. And then the earth beneath the pup reformed, lifting her up on a gemstone plinth, and out of the offending mosses.

" speech "

@Aithne

Aithne
The pup continued to struggle, wrapped so strongly in the moss as it seemed to only tighten around her young body. Her whimpering also continued. She hoped that sometime soon someone would come to her aid. She stopped as what sounded like a bird call sounded above her. Her ear twitched. Were they calling for other birds? Maybe to eat her? No, that's crazy, birds don't eat pups. Or do they?

Aithne continued in her struggle, more feverishly this time. Her calls also grew more intense. She needed help; carnivorous birds and other strange animals were after her! It was then the pup heard a couple twigs breaking. Something was getting closer, and closer. Aithne stretched her neck as far as she could, attempting to place her bright blue eyes on the subject.

It was a rather petite, sandy colored wolf. Aithne's eyes grew wide. Was she here to help? The pup blinked at the female's greeting. What's up? As if being stuck in a killer moss pile wasn't enough. "Yes p-please," Aithne's voice shook as she spoke. She watched as the female nosed at the moss, and then suddenly, the earth beneath the pup moved! Finally, she was out of the moss!

"I knew you were going to help me, I just knew!" she exclaimed, jumping down from her earthly pedestal. Her blue eyes featured a child-like glow as she stared, awestruck, at her hero. "Thank you so much! Wait, how did you do that?!" She could hardly contain her excitement as she spoke, her lines coming out rapidly and almost seemed to run together. This was something she had not yet learned to control.

Wolf

@Kin-Kin

Kin-Kin's eyes lit up at the young one's words, her excitement, her enthusiasm. It had been so long since she'd met a newly-hatched gembound that she had forgotten just how much joy it brought her. I've missed this, she thought privately, as she examined the pup with her bright blue eyes and grey-touched underbelly. "Do ya have a name, kid?"

Kin-Kin chuckled at the young one's joy at being free, the sound pleasant, and warm. Her golden glow swelled about her once more, lighting up her fur and shimmering in the crystal around her foreleg. "This? It's just a lil' thing called magic! Earth magic, to be precise," she began, smoothly. She paused after this, taking a moment to consider; it had been so long since she'd boasted, since she'd taught, that it was almost difficult to find the words. "Have you ever used magic before?"

She slowly settled back on her haunches.

" speech "

@Aithne

Aithne
A smile touched the young pup's lips as the other gembound seemed pleased with her reaction. It was so good to see that there are good gembounds in the world, just as Aithne had always thought. It's just a big scary world, full of good people. Or so she hoped. Something about this wolf seemed otherworldly though; the glow that seems to always be coursing around her. What was it? "I'm Aithne," the pup said, eyes still glowing with excitement. "What's your name?"

The smile returned as the wolf chuckled. She was so pleased to have her come along. Maybe she could play, and teach her all about this scary world! Maybe she could take her under her paw and show her the way, Aithne's thoughts ran rampant. Aithe's blue eyes caught sight of the crystal hiding around the wolf's foreleg as her body glowed. "Wow! What's that? Can I have it?" the pup asked with innocence. "It's so pretty!"

The pup sat on her haunches, eyes returning focus to the gembound's deep purple eyes. Her head tilted in confusion. "Magic? What's magic? Can you give me magic?" the pup asked. The pup's thoughts began to run wild again. She jumped up, bouncing from side to side on white tipped toes. "Yes, magic, you can give me magic and then I can be a superhero like you!" she exclaimed. Maybe if she were a superhero, she would be more confident. Confidence is good, right? This wolf certainly seemed to know her way around the cave without fear. The pup stared deeply at the wolf in front of her. Oh, how she wished to be just like her when she grew up.

OOC// Sorry for the bad post >.< Muse is low today lol

Wolf

@Kin-Kin

Kin-Kin's grin broadened as the young one asked her name. Before answering, she offered a small wink. "The name's Kin-Kin. Demigod and Master of Light!" She introduced, straightening up, and squaring her paws grandly. No sooner had she done so than the pup had moved on, however.

Pups, the she-wolf thought to herself in exasperated amusement as she raised her foreleg to give the young one a better view. The blade clinked softly, glistening in her golden glow; held firmly in a tendril of crystal wound around her foreleg. "This is my sword," she explained patiently, with a small chuckle. "I can use it to protect my face as I defend myself. I think it might be a lil' big for you, though."

As the youngster continued, Kin-Kin settled back on her haunches as she waited for her excitement to cool off. "Everyone has magic, kiddo! I don't need to give you any," she said, once the pup had finished. "Everyone's magic is different, too. Wanna give it a shot?"

" speech "

@Aithne

Aithne
"Wow," the pup exclaimed when Kin-Kin revealed their name. It was certainly a name worthy of such a hero. This hero was unlike any she had ever seen before though. She glowed. The pup blinked and stared in awe as the female explained the sword around her foreleg. Her smile faded for a minute as she realized that meant she wouldn't be allowed to have it, and Kin-Kin had said it would be too big.

The pup's blue eyes got round again, "I have magic? Yeah, okay! I'll try." The youngster took a deep breath and strained her face, holding it in. She tried to will something to happen; she wasn't sure what, but something must happen. Nothing. The pup gasped, and took a few rapid breaths. She had nearly caused herself to pass out then. "Let me try again," she said, taking another breath, this time concentrating on feeling the environment around her and the flowing of magic. She felt a vibration in her toes, working its way up her body; she kept her concentration. She wasn't done yet.

Finally the young one took another breath, obviously becomming frustrated. "I can't do it! Please, Kin-Kin, please teach me how," the pup whimpered. She wasn't sure exactly how Kin-Kin could help, but she hoped there were some kind of tricks to get it to work. The pup seemed to be forgetting something.

OOC// Sorry for it being short.

Wolf

@Kin-Kin

Kin-Kin's tail twitched; the closest motion she'd allow to a wag. She grinned wryly, tilting back her ears, and basking in the pup's awe. As the pup paused, and focused, Kin-Kin waited expectantly, remaining quiet. "That's it. Try not to think about it. Just feel for it, see?"

She raised a paw, and gently tapped a claw against the gem on her chest, gleaming with a soft blueish hue in her golden light.

She shuffled her paws, glancing away for a moment as she thought about how to continue the lesson. Caves, it's been a while, she thought a little wistfully. Se was nudged back to attention as the young one continued. Ah. Yes, that's a good place to start. "...Try again. Magic can be finnicky. Sometimes it's just a 'lil stubborn. Sometimes it just doesn't work. It happens," she offered calmly.

By way of demonstration, the she-wolf closed her eyes, and pressed her paws into the dirt. The earth compressed, leaving in its place a shimmering bluish jewel.

"See? This one seems about your size."With a wink, Kin-Kin nudged it a little closer to the pup, its faceted surface glittering beautifully. It wasn't a weapon, or really anything useful; but it could perhaps be made into a necklace one day, and the she-wolf knew that young ones often appreciated the little keepsakes, along with the show that went with them.

" speech "

@Aithne

Aithne
The pup listened to the wolf. She surely seemed to have experience when it came to magic. Aithne still hoped that one day she would have the same knowledge. She was glad this wolf was trying to teach her; it was something she needed, instead of feeling completely alone and just as though she had been thrown in the middle and forced to fend for herself.

The pup sighed as she requested her to try again. She was right. It was her first try. Magic doesn't always happen with the first try. Although, Aithne was really hoping it would. But, it takes practice. Lots of it. The pup watched as the she-wolf stuck her paws into the dirt, a jewel left in its place. The pup offered a smile. At Kin-Kin's words, Aithne stepped closer, blue eyes gleaming over the jewel that was now hers to keep. "Thank you!" she exclaimed, finding a new source of energy. "I can do it, I know I can!"

Closing her eyes, the pup began to focus on the environment around her again. Her fluffy white tipped tail wagged gently as her confidence grew. She knew she could do it, she knew she could. She felt the atmosphere drawing towards her, first in her toes, and spreading upwards throughout her body. And suddenly... the pup felt refreshed. She could still feel the magic as it poured throughout her body, willing to bind to her will. The pup smiled again at the she-wolf, paws still vibrating with a magic surrounding her. The pup closed her eyes again, willing the magic to stop. And it did. "I did it! Did you see, did you see?" the pup said, bouncing from side to side again in excitement. "I could feel the atmosphere coming to me, and then I didn't feel thirsty anymore! I don't know how it happened exactly, but that's cool!" The pup's tail was still wagging, at a slightly faster rate than before.

Wolf

@Kin-Kin

Kin-Kin seemed pleased by the young one's response to he gift, however small. As expected, the gift filled the pup with a new sense of vigour, and she quickly settled down to try again. In response, Kin-Kin nodded expectantly. "Go on, then," she encouraged with a small wink.

Kin-Kin waited as the pup renewed her efforts, subconsciously finding her gaze trailing back down towards the jewel, so beautiful, and new. There was a lot she could do with it to make further demonstrations, if this effort were to fail, to keep the little one's spirits up; she knew that newborns' attention spans tended to be short, and easily upset by failure. Many of the tokens she made were imbued with further magic that made them glow; an even more impressive trophy, even if it was small.

With such an enthusiastic student, such a little demonstration could go a long way.

Kin-Kin felt the air around her wet nose dry out, and her ears pricked, her attention turning back to the situation at hand. She glanced at the pup in momentary surprise; she had been so prepared for failure that she hadn't thought about what would happen if she actually succeeded!

The pup's reaction, a moment later, confirmed her immediate suspicions. "Not bad, kid!" she praised, after Aithne had finished explaining. Kin-Kin considered. So the magic had been to do with... thirst. That must mean she was affiliated with water magic. "You must have a thing for water magic, in that case. Pretty cool, right?"

The she-wolf had little experience with water magic, herself. But it, combined with the Aithne's nature, was enough to bring a sense of nostalgia to Kin-Kin's heart. It was the element of an old pup-friend, one she hadn't seen in many cycles.

The two had played together in the earliest days of discovering their own magics, when Kin-Kin was still young, and shy, and inexperienced.

How times had changed.

Kin-Kin looked up, shaking off the thoughts and returning to the matter at hand. "Do you wanna try again?"



" speech "

@Aithne