Wake up...

The words disturbed the absolute silence. Stirred the slumbering soul that peacefully caccooned within the safety of the only world this soul had ever known. A deep purring resonated within the turqoise stone that rested just barely visible on the side of the steep decline of the riverbed. A mind slowly awoke as the strange purring only intensified. Her once home. Her very own dreamland was growing too small, too uncomfortable for her growing body. Paws moved and kicked out, almost desperate to be stretched out and released. Small cracks began to spiderweb across the bottom of the Turqoise stone.

Nothing the little kitten did seemed to free her from the confinement of her home so for a moment she lay motionless, still purring just the slightest. Rocks and dirt tumbled down the steep side of the riverbed, tumbling down until they rested on the riverbed floor. More cracking peirced through the silence and eyes popped open wide within the stone. A muffled cry escaped the stone, this time hind legs kicked out again. Striking against the stone and causing a loud shattering sound as the stone gave way. Shards of the turqoise went spiraling down to the riverbed floor and along with it a small ball of fur went rolling along with it. A terrified cry rung out as the kitten finally hit the floor and skidded a few feet away from where the shards of her home now lay scatter.

A long tail flipped around anxiously as small rounded ears twisted and turned listening, but the only thing this kitten could hear was her own terrified cries echoeing within the silent area. It was dark. So dark she couldn't even see the toes on her paws and panic began to arise within the freshly born gembound. Amaria scrambling around, desperate to stand. Yet, every time she got even a single paw beneath her, her legs wobbled and she was quickly losing balance. Her tumbling around trying to get on her feet went on for a good while until she finally gave up with a now annoyed cry. Her chest heaved with desperate breaths as her eyes moved and blinked quickly, trying hard to see anything she could.

She could just start to make out small glowing orbs littered around a ways away, but they were too small for her to figure out what it was. "Aaaam..." The little feline nearly whined as she kept looking around. Her body seemed to be shivering as she lay curled up having given up trying to stand up on her paws. At least that's what she assumed they were. Just as she was about to close her eyes to relax a sudden noise, just barely heard, caught Amaria's attention and her body stilled completely and her ears pushed forward. She squeeked, the sound mashing with that of a little growl.

Post Roll Edit:

A strange flash caught Amaria's attention and her eyes quickly diverted down towards where her tail was wrapped up against her side. She blinked in surprise as she saw a strange stone embedded into her tail. A strange stone that was giving small flickering lights. She looked up and much to her surprise the area just a few feet around her was suddenly just barely visible to her and she gave another strange little squeek as she looked around almost in awe at the fact she was suddenly able to see something that wasn't there a moment ago. She could just barely make out the shards of stone that resembled the one on her tail just a few feet away from her and almost insantly she began inching closer to it on her tummy. Sharp little kitten claws gripping at the ground as if to help her scoot along. The noise that had once drew her attention was now forgotten.

Back in the core, Leon felt most at home. Even though he had witnessed the spire lash out against the fisher, zapping him and sending him flying only to churn out a massive thunder storm up ahead, Leon still felt a tug towards this place that made him feel like he belonged. He feared he would lose that feeling if he were to live in the waterfall room with Makyna and Cancer, and yet... would he rather be in the room that made him feel at home, or with another Gembound that did the same? It required some thought, and so off he went, back into Polaris where he could think about his future.

Only he realized that he wasn't alone with just his thoughts. A loud crack rang out through the darkness of the cave, stealing away his attention. Leon had nestled himself up against a patch of tall, glowing crystals, finding comfort in their dim light. The sound was something he could not ignore, however. It sounded distinctly like shattering, which was a sound usually following the emergence of another Gembound. Leon had, in his short time, witnessed the hatching of quite a few Gembounds - he was beginning to think of himself as an expert on the matter. Maybe this one could use his help, too.

The bear rose and lumbered after the sound, following it to where it originated - the riverbed. However peering around, he couldn't see anyone within the immediate vicinity. The dim glow of the crystals did little to reveal the new creature. Leon narrowed his eyes and peered over the ledge, and thats where he saw the young cub - similar to Makyna - sitting in the bottom of the riverbed. "Hey!" He called down to the cub, concerned. "You shouldn't be down there, its dangerous!" Of course Leon, never the sort to abandon those in need, went ahead and tumbled down the ledge towards her anyways.

Life is precious.

Ky had been back in Pisces settling down into her new home. It was nice to feel like she belonged somewhere and Cancer made her feel quite welcome. She honestly just wished that he and Leon had gotten along better, that would make her even happier! Alas, she was finding out that life certainly was not that simple. Some things went the way you wanted and others didn't. So long as she could be friends with her Leon though she was happy.

Now she was heading out of Pisces. While she had grown used to the chill she certainly didn't mind going out to fluff her fur and explore. It was nice to have a home base but even nicer to explore and see new things. For a while she had looked for her bear buddy but couldn't find him. Thinking he must have gone out already she set off on her own down a trail she'd been down before.

Her paws were light and her head was full of the joyful things she might find. It was as she thought of these joyful things that she thought of her powers. The ability to see things and possibly the ability to move things with nothing but a thought. It was then that she noticed a rock in her path, a tiny one but a rock nonetheless. She stuck her tongue out of the side of her mouth as she concentrated on it, trying to tap into her magic to budge it a few inches.

It was a success! A tiny success but one all the same!

The rock flipped over and Ky gave a whoop of excitement. She had to show Leon! Wouldn't he be proud that she'd discovered a new power! She picked up her rock and her pace to a trot, whether it was by luck or fate she saw a familiar fuzzy brown shape in the distance. A smile formed on her face as the familiar glow of happiness that settled in her belly at Leon's mere presence came into being.

What was he doing though at the edge of the riverbed? A frown formed then a panicked cry as she saw Leon tumble over the side. "Leon!" Her legs pumped faster to a run as she threw herself over the side. Easily she landed on paws at the bottom with no injury as she continued to run. Only to find why Leon had tumbled down.

There was a new gembound! This one resembled her and Cancer!

Happy that Leon wasn't hurt and excited at another feline she ran forward to greet them both. "Leon! You found an other! Great job!" She said gleefully as she made her way to his side. The lioness couldn't help herself, being at his fuzzy side pressed against his warm coat was the best feeling ever!

Now she looked over the new one with interest in her blue eyes as she said kindly, "Hello, welcome to the world. Do you have a name?" She always found the best way to deal with these new ones was to talk to them and get them used to words. She looked up at Leon now, wondering if he would introduce them or add to her words.

"Speech." || "Thoughts."

table by lisa

words: 542
tagged: Amaria, Leon
ooc: ---
muse: 6/10

A large yawn escaped Amaria as she simply decided to nestle up around the shards that had settled around where she had fell. Her wide deep blue eyes peered around slowly, a bit of curiosity slowly creeping up on her. Her tail flicked up, before falling right back down and right as her tail hit the ground a medium 'tink' was heard. The sound startled her a bit, causing her to jump forward before her head swung around to see what had caused the noise. "Ooh," She mewed to herself as she quickly brought her tail closer to her and brought her paw up to swat at the shiny on her tail.

Amaria's attention was quickly pulled away from the stone on her tail by a loud 'Hey!' and for what seemed like the millionth time in the last five minutes the poor little kitten jumped right out of her fur. She landed ungracefully on her paws just a few inches from where she had been sitting and her large eyes seemed to grow wider as she watched a dark shadow start rolling down the top of the room she seemed to be in. She didn't have enough time to react to the now somewhat visible lump of brown in front of her before another sound was calling out and Amaria could feel the fur along her back start to bristle up. A loud thump made the newly born kitten mewl out but it was quickly followed by a terrified hiss. She couldn't see that far out from her, but she tried. She needed to see what was coming at her.

Post Roll Edit:

Her breath hitched in her throat as sudden light exploded around her and she was able to see everything that was around her. The lights above where she was seemed to grow even brighter and she was able to perfectly see the things just a few feet away. She was correct in assuming that one was a brown ball of fur, but the other newly entered creature thing was not quite the same as the other. A bit of her fear quickly waned from her and she finally began to settle down and took a hesitant step forward. Her curiosity was growing by the minute. Her rounded ears pushed forward as the light colored thing that looked similar to her began to speak to her.

"...Have a name?"

The question made Amaria tilt her head to the side. She felt like she should know what a name was and for a long moment she remained where she stood absolutely silent. Finally excitement perked within her and her tail flicked up. "Aahmia," She grinned only to frown instantly. No, that wasn't it. "Aaaahmaia," She tried again only to shake her head at herself as she looked up towards the ceiling of the room as if lost in thought. "Amaaa...ria," She brightened at this as she quickly drew her gaze down to the other feline and ball of fuzz with a wide grin showing her sharp little kitten fangs. "Amaria! Name!" She mewed happily as she gave a curt nod as if to confirm her own words. "You...woo...who," she began slowly only to have to feel like she needed to correct a word she had spoken before looking at the two with the utmost curiosity, her eyes seemingly glowing with excitement.

Very soon after he galloped down the dusty ledge, he heard a voice call out his name. The sound made the fur on the back of his neck stand up and instinctively he glanced over his shoulder to peer in that direction, only to stumble over his paws and tumble onto the ground. "Oof!" He grunted, landing on his rump. The bear shook his head and looked back - he was sure he had heard Makyna call his name, so where was she? Narrowing his eyes, he continued to survey the ledge until he saw the lioness lunge over it and stick the landing nearby. Ah yes! There she was!

The bear grinned widely as she came running over. "Yeah!" Was all he managed to say before Makyna's attention shifted to the little feline. Leon scrambled back onto his paws and turned to the hatchling, watching her as she struggled to come up with an answer to Makyna's question. He listened, quiet, as she tested sounds on her tongue. Eventually it came to her and she had decided: Amaria was her name! Leon grinned and clapped his paws together. "Amaria!" He repeated, testing the name himself as he always did. "My name is Leon, and her name is Makyna." The bear answered, looking to Makyna and gesturing to her with his paws.

He wasn't too comfortable sitting here in the riverbed, however. He always felt it was kind of dangerous - he felt vulnerable, even. Who knew what could come traipsing down the gulley, or along the ledge? He would insist that they got out of the riverbed, soon; not quite yet. For now, the bear grinned down at the little cub and watched her curiously.

Life is precious.

Makyna watched with interest, a smile of encouragement forming on her lips as she waited for the other to realize her name. The little feline tested several sounds on her tongue before deciding on a sound that she liked the best. Amaria. That was a pretty name! "You have a pretty name, Amaria." She said after Leon tested "Amaria" out for himself. She heard the question from the little cat but figured that Leon would answer, he was the more talkative of the pair. Just as she figured he answered with both of their names. The lioness gave a toothy grin when her name was spoken.

So, she'd found another cat like her and Cancer. What if they could bring this one back to Pisces with them? Wouldn't that be cool? She would be another friend living at the falls that they could take on adventures! The thought excited her immensely and she turned to her bear friend. "Leon, do you think we should bring her back to Pisces with us? Do you think she would like that?" There was plenty of water and fish for her to eat plus others to help her learn about the world. If she didn't like that sort of life the little one could always leave when she got older.

"Speech." || "Thoughts."

table by lisa

words: 216
tagged: Amaria, Leon
ooc: ---
muse: 4/10

"Leeee-on," Amaria tested the name for herself as she rolled back to sit on her haunches now that she was sure these two things weren't going to harm her. "Mak...a..," Trying on the other name Amaria faultered in her words and gave a very displeased expression. Her tail flicked and thudded back against the ground, once again causing a strange 'tink' noise. She ignored it this time however as she set her soft blue gems onto the similar feline creature. "Maky," Without realizing it just yet, Amaria grinned as she was finally able to say the name. Even if it was wrong.

Her head tilted to the side as the somewhat bigger cat turned to the big brown fur ball. That fur ball sure did look awfully warm. Her ears twitched as she stared at Leon for a good few moments before she rose to her paws and trotted right over to them. She looked them both up and down as they seemed to speak amongst themselves before she saw something that was furry. She squeezed in between the two, almost completely crouched in her stance. Her eyes followed the moving tail without blinking and before she even realized it her butt was beginning to wiggle. Within a moment afterwards Amaria sprung from her spot.

Post Roll Edit:

Laughter escaped the newborn gembound as her paws quickly grasped the tuft of fur at the end of Makyna's tail. She landed on her back as she playfully bit and chewed at the end of Makyna's tail. She wasn't really concerned what the two were talking about as it was not directly pointed at her, so for now she supposed she would just get a feel for what all she could do. And attacking a tuft of fuzz seemed like the best idea she had since she tried to see even more in the dark. Little growls and mews escaped her as she preoccupied herself with wrestling around with the oh so dangerous tuft of fur.

The bear watched the little cub curiously, listening to her test out the two Gembounds' names as well. When she finally managed to say Makyna's name - half of it, at least - Leon grinned and chuckled. While Makyna asked about taking her back to Pisces, Leon thought on it, but most of his attention lingered on Amaria as he observed the babe suddenly drop down and stalk Makyna's tail. He couldn't fight back the spout of laughter when the cub attacked his friend's tail and started wrestling with the tuft of fur on the end of it. Once his laughter was subdued, he glanced up at Makyna and tilted his head. "Well, she seems to like you already. I don't see a problem with bringing her back to Pisces." He answered through a grin.

It would be a lot safer than leaving her here in Polaris. Who knew what kind of creatures she could encounter? Not that Leon had really met anybody that was notably dangerous, but still. He'd come to learn that life wasn't as safe and fun as he initially thought it was. "Either way, we can't leave her in the riverbed." He added and slid down onto his stomach, stretching his nose out towards the cub. "Hey Amaria, do you wanna come with us? We have lots of other Gembounds for you to meet!"

Maky? Well, it was close enough! The lioness grinned and laughed along with her friend. "Close enough, right?" It was like a nickname. Her first nickname actually and it was fine with her. The lioness watched Leon, waiting for his confirmation or rejection of her proposition. His gaze fell to the young feline and the female wondered what she was doing. Her own gaze fell upon Amaria as the cub began stalking something. What was that something? Makyna turned to see what she was stalking... only to find out exactly what it was when the cub pounced right on her tail!

The lioness flinched as the cub began to play and chew on the tail. While it was a little uncomfortable it wasn't anything that would make her round on the cub. The end of her tail was mostly fuzz anyway. The corners of her mouth twitched upwards and she laughed. This one surely was cute! Not wanting her to grow bore the lioness whisked her tail away from the girl and to the side before swishing it back again like a toy for her to catch. Now the leopard cub had a moving target! "I think she's more interested in my poor tail!" The lioness laughed.

He was right though. The riverbed was no place for a young cub. She looked back at Amaria and nodded her head in agreement to Leon's words. She added, "Yeah! I bet they'd love to play with you too!"

___________________________________________________________________

words: 246
tagged: Amaria, Leon
ooc: ---
muse: 5/10

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

The bear began to speak and Amaria's attention on Ky's tail seemed to fade off. The little kitten rolled up to her paws and bounced right on over to Leon, ending up placing her paws right on his outstretched nose. A broad grin stretched over her muzzle and she nearly wiggled with excitement. There were more gembounds? It sounded way fun and adventurous! Her attention was pulled away when Maky began to speak again. Ammy only turned her head around to look at her as her small tail swished about. "Yeah!! Can go!" She happily mewed before she turned around and looked at Leon curiously.

She was much smaller than both of them. So maybe if she were to hitch a ride from one of them then they would get to where they wanted to take her much quicker. Without realizing it, Amaria's rump wiggled as she readied herself. With confidence, Amaria pushed against the ground from her back paws and bounded upwards towards Leon's head. She scrambled around before she managed to scurry all the way towards his back, just where she noticed his own gem embedded into his shoulder. She awed over it for a moment before she circled around a few times and soon settled down just between his shoulders. "Can Ride here? Faster maybe?" She said out loud thoughtfully looking to Leon and then to Makyna.

OoC: Sorry it's so short ;w;