The tunnel was quiet. It was sometime in the morning-- at least, the underground equivalent of it-- and the cave lights were slowly brightening to compensate. Water dripped from short stalagmites. Tunnel Runners curled away in tiny crevices along the wall. Dust settled on ancient carvings. And, tucked away in a bend in the path, a gleaming emerald slumbered under a fine layer of dirt.

What's this? It shook, ever so slightly, and then twice. The blossoming light illuminated two tiny paws, pounding against the crystal. And their owner, a little kitten huddled inside, was pissed. She'd just gained awareness and she's welcomed by being in a crystal with no air?! What kind of sick game was this? Granted, she didn't know what "crystal", "air", or even "pissed" even meant, but her point still stood.

Finally! One more shove and a tiny crack opened up in the stone. A little push and the siamese came tumbling out, head-over-heels, onto cold stone. Fluid seeped around her and then the chill of dank air hit her fur. She hissed. First nearly asphyxiating in a stupid rock, now this? Barely a few seconds of being alive and she already wanted a refund.

The molly slowly picked herself off the ground on clumsy, dark feet and looked around. There wasn't anything around her, it seemed, except dangling strings of lights and damp rock. How disappointing. Was this it? Shouldn't there be, you know, more things in existence? She waddled along in vague annoyance until she saw it-- a gangly deer-thing. Something about it ticked her off ('Is this the only thing around other than me? And why does it look so stupid?!") so, in a fit of wet kitty anger, she skittered right up to it and screeched, tiny claws flailing threateningly. How dare this creature be so... whatever it was?!

@Madhukar

The Tunnel Runner paused, ears sweeping toward the tiny thing. It was... too small? Probably, to cause it harm; but being a flighty prey creature, the deer would take no chances.

It stared for a moment, then turned, in jerky movements, and clattered off down the tunnel and away.

@Twisted

Yet another excursion, against Madhukar's better judgement, into another tunnel. She really didn't want to keep leaving Eridanus but she just kept pacing to and fro between that room and the next, and as such this particular tunnel was worn constantly by her own paw steps. It never seemed like a particularly spectacular journey; no, it actually got more boring each time it was taken. Madhukar was even considering adding it to the list of places that needed bugs. The carvings on the wall didn't even have to be covered up, although who knew what path the plants decided to take in their growing. Maybe all that belonged here was a flower patch or something. Madhukar had no idea, she really needed to learn a thing or two about gardening.

She kept thinking to herself as she paced through this unspectacular tunnel until... well, until something funky did happen. A screech, and then something came running. Was it the wiggler again?! No, that was not the sound of wiggly paw steps. This was... something different.

Madhukar pressed up against the side of the tunnel as something came running past, similar to another thing she'd seen in her birthplace. Or, well, it seemed similar. She couldn't really get a good look at it, but the way it moved was reminiscent. Fearful, but graceful, but those rock-like paws looked oh so dangerous.

Once it passed, the kitten moved down the tunnel. Whatever had screeched hadn't sounded particularly intimidating. She felt like investigating was something she ought to do if she wanted to keep this tunnel and the rooms it tied together safe of nuisances. Who knew, maybe that was the screech of a brat she knew and she could get a rematch!

It wasn't. Actually, it was a little more surprising. Something that looked... a lot like Madhukar herself actually. Smaller, but with a similar form, same fuzz. Her posture seemed to indicate... annoyance. Madhukar could completely understand that. But what was it annoyed at? Madhukar looked around. The carvings? The... rocks? It didn't make sense. "Hey!" she called out to it, casually approaching. "Why you yell?"

She didn't feel particularly afraid of this creature. It looked a lot like her, and besides, even if its looks were deceiving, Madhukar knew a thing or two that might be able to keep it in check.

@Twisted

Expletive warning! I mean it's in the title but-

The strange beast stared her down with far too many eyes before bounding away swiftly. The kitten puffed her chest out in pride. 'Take that, stupid thing!'

It struck her that she had, to her knowledge, chased away the only living thing beside her in the whole world. For a moment she felt bad, but that quickly faded away. So what? She's perfectly fine! No need for other, stupid-looking creatures! She could reign over this whole tunnel-thing by herself! Of course, she didn't even know who or what she was, or where she was, or even that she had a gem, but that could all come later. Declare yourself queen of everything first, ask questions later.

The newborn siamese was just about to pad the other way when something started skittering up behind her. Her back arched in annoyance. Was that stupid deer back for more? She spun around, tiny paws flailing in defense, when--

Huh. Just a cat, like her. She didn't really know what a cat was, of course, but she was little, and fluffy, and had funny patterns on her fur. While most people would immediately be awed by a tiny kitten, this kid was not. Here was this stranger, ruining her alone party!

The siamese opened her muzzle to hiss, when it suddenly struck her that she could actually understand what the other was saying. 'Words.' That was... new, to say the least, and she suddenly sheathed her claws and stared at her, thinking of this situation. Words, not just hissing. How many words were there? She realized she already knew a few, but were those all? This (stupid) creature had spoke to her, so it was only polite she spoke back. Now, to find the exact, new word that can describe exactly how she was feeling...

"..Fffuuck!" The word squeaked out of her little kitten mouth. She smiled like a little kid with candy and tried again. "Fuuuckk yooouu! Stuuupid!"

Someone needed to give this kitty a lesson in politeness.

@Madhukar

Aha. Ahaha. AHAHAha...

Do you want to know what I'm laughing at?

Alright, I'll explain it.

Madhukar watched as this kitten, this creature that looked like her, turned around to face her. She knew from her own signs of aggression and defensiveness that this other being probably did not feel so great, was probably feeling a bit feral in this time. She could've related. She could've. But then, it spoke.

And she understood it. By some miracle. Or rather, by some curse. Aha.

And she did not like it.

The last few times Madhukar had actively tried to electrocute someone had ended with the storm breaking down on her. So this time, she'd try something a little less vile and a little more... intimidating.

She leered at the foul-mouthed brat, and opened her maw, and attempted to line it up just right.

A yowl erupted from her maw, and, although it was slightly offbeat, a thunderclap sounded off from above their heads. It wasn't perfect. The echo wasn't superb, it probably didn't even meet either end of the tunnel. But this was a personal moment, you know? Just between Madhukar and this nasty-spitting thing. And if that would be enough, Madhukar wasn't going to complain.

If that wouldn't be enough, then obviously Madhukar was.

"DON'T SAY THAT TO ME!" she urged, explosive rage crackling in her tone. This was not a suggestion, nor was it a lesson. It was a demand. And the thunderclap above would serve as her warning. That is, if the thing was intelligent enough to take it as one.

@Twisted

Twisted had an odd sort of prideful look on her face after she spoke. This was... new to her (well, everything was), but she felt she'd do "wonderful" things with this ability. How many more words were there? Hopefully (stupid-)kitty over here could help her out. She didn't really consider the fact that people were less inclined to help you after you curse at them, but whatever.

What happened next caught the siamese off-guard. The torbie glared her down, and yowled-- 'That's not so impressive, I bet I could do better--' and then a massive, sonic kaboom came flying over her head. To the average onlooker it may have been loud but not jarring; to a newly born kitten with ears never used before, it was deafening. Her hackles pricked up and she squished backwards, ears pinned and mouth contorted in a weird grimace. What was that?!

A painful ringing continued in the cat's ears as she vainly batted at them. The other yelled something she could only barely hear over the conundrum-- something, something, don't say that? Well, that's another phrase she just learned. She was tempted to go right back to spitting curses ('Maybe give her a good scratch to tell her who she's messing with,'), but something in her said she didn't want to get hearing loss at the age of 0.

The nameless gembound lowered herself back down, hissing incomprehensibly under her breath, and looked Madhukar in the eye. "Fiine," she growled, like a toddler who's just barely putting up with this. She looked around the cave with a vague look of annoyance. "...Whoo are you. Are you the... only one beside me?" The words were new and fresh on her tongue. She didn't say them like a question: it was a demand, high-pitched and unseasy but still a demand, which was rather hilarious considering her current situation. 'Stupid,' she mumbled in her head.

@Madhukar

The look of pride did not contribute to quelling Madhukar's wrath. She ground her teeth and bared them at the tiny creature before her. It looked so small and young-- had it been BORN this way?! How many gembound were just... LIKE this???

See, THIS is why this tunnel, and every other stupid room in these caves, needed some gosh darn bugs. If every one of 'em had something Madhukar wasn't inclined to be pissed off by, then interactions like this wouldn't be so absurdly unbearable!

Her blast hadn't been the best, but it appeared to work marvelous WONDERS on the other creature. The posture change was all too deliciously obvious. Madhukar's expression of rage flipped upside down into a wicked, toothy smirk. Ah, her magic was often times incomprehensible to her, but it certainly could rain down a bounty of good on her life when it so desired. Soon enough, it would be under her control. Then she'd never have to deal with inane and foul-mouthed hooligans like this one.

In an attempt to make sure the other creature fully understood her magical statement about how she was, in fact, a force to be reckoned with, Madhukar focused in on her left leg. She tried to keep her pride from consuming her thoughts as she traced, in her mind's eye, a path for a spark to jump about.

The spark decided to punish Madhukar for her pride by striking her nose. All it left was a tingling sensation that sent Madhukar's eyes twitching. Her wince might've been... painfully noticeable. She elected to shake just a little and pretend that nothing at all had happened. She would not let the chaos take this moment away from her again!!

The creature submitted itself to Madhukar's whim, even if its tone was unpleasantly demanding. It asked who she was. HAH! "Madhukar!" she barked back her response. 'You better remember the name, and everything it can do!' "An' no." The little brat didn't really ask for much more explanation than that, and it hadn't behaved well enough to get one unsolicited. So Madhukar moved on with her own interrogation. "Who are you?"

@Twisted

The kitten couldn't help but smirk a little through the pain as the other shocked themselves. Sure, this little kitty managed to practically rupture their eardrums minutes after being born, but still. Hilarious to see them get fed their own medicine.

She shook her head, trying to get the ringing out of her ears. The other had spoke-- "Mad-Hoo-Kar" was her name, apparently; 'Too long. I'll just call her Mad.'. Mad continued speaking, confirming she was alone and asking about her. She didn't respond immediately: her mind was on what she had just done moments before. She shock of screaming at a deer, meeting someone new for the first (second?) time, and then immediately getting her hearing blasted meant she wasn't able to fully appreciate what she did. The whole loud-noise-and-zap routine wasn't something cats typically could do... right?

She decided to try it out right then and here. Still without answering Mad's question, she looked down and shuffled her feet, willing for a boom or spark like she did. Several moments passed, and nothing happened. She grimaced, annoyed. She'd just have to figure out how the torbie did it later.

Of course, what were they talking about again...? "Who are you?" the kitten had asked. Honestly, she didn't really know herself, but she was too deep into this weird insult war to ask. The siamese gave a know-it-all snort and said, pointedly: "I'm a cat." "Cat" was also a new word to her, but it seemed to refer to both her and Mad accurately.

Wait. Oooh. She meant a name, like Mad-hoo-kie, which was also brand new information. She turned her head and looked herself over for roughly the first time. Ivory, downy fur... tiny black paws... Creamie? Blackfoot? Better-than-Mad? Her gaze drifted down to her tail, and she realized with a start it didn't look like Mad's dappled one at all. For one it was black, but it was also crooked, curled around itself like a corkscrew. Something best to be investigated later.

"...Uh, I dunno and I dun' care. Call me something stupid. Curlytail or whatever."

@Madhukar

She really had to stop sabotaging her own wins.

Well it wasn't HER fault that all her opponents were too incompetent to harm her themselves, so they had to get all their satisfaction out of her doing it for them!

You know what, you're darn right. But you should still stop electrocuting yourself.

I'M TRYING!!!

The idiot before the kitten decided to completely misinterpret Madhukar's question-- and Madhukar's narrative uses the word "decided" here because in her mind, you had to try to be that dumb, there was no natural way of being it to that level. Anyways, this other creature declared that it was a cat.

So it thought it was being clever, eh? Well, so had Madhukar before she electrocuted herself. Time for "the cat" to taste the rainbow feel the pain.

By the time The Cat had realized its mistake, it was too take. Madhukar almost spoke over it, a smug smirk dancing its way back onto her lips. "Alright, The Cat. Stupid enough name an' I din't even hafta make it for you." She could play cat and mouse. It's a pretty weird game when The Cat is actually the mouse, but she could play it.

Her gaze glinted with challenge, her smirk bolted to her muzzle. Her tail twitched, tick tock tick tock, as she waited for her opponent's next move.

@Twisted

The siamese watched Madhukar's actions through narrow, green eyes. This dumb kitten over here was acting all high-and-mighty with her flashy boom-noises and whatnot. Well, she'll show her! Not now, her ears were still hurting and she couldn't figure out that weird magic she did, but someday. Hopefully tomorrow. Next week.

Ah, looked like Stupid-Mad was talking again. And naming her... The Cat?! The. Cat. She was just about to go on a hissing tirade about how stupid that was, until she remembered she specifically asked for a stupid name. Oh, well. The Cat would have to do.

"Fine, 'The Other Cat'," The Cat hissed, though a bit less aggressive than before. She noticed Mad twitching her tail, and swayed her crooked one even harder to one-up her. Her tiny kitten head looked around the tunnel. It didn't strike her until now, but this other kitten had to have come from somewhere. But where?

The Cat padded past Madhukar, ears still pinned from the deafening thunder, and looked to the rocky bend ahead of here. "Where did you come from? How far does this tunnel go?" Her tail was still wagging, and she made sure to hit her in the face with the crooked tip. "I bet it's real stupid. Idiot-land. That's where you came from, huh?"

@Madhukar