Rift staggered into the tunnel, his ear ringing and his head pounding. He couldn't handle it anymore. Polaris was so loud. He needed to get away from that storm and from all the commotion. There was too much. It was just way too loud. He didn't know why this was happening, he didn't know why everything was so loud in his ear. It was probably because of the large stone hanging out on the back of it, but he didn't really understand. What he did understand is that everything was too loud in his right ear and he couldn't move it like his left so he couldn't cover it. That was so annoying and that was such a pain.

He didn't really know where he was going. His head hurt so bad and his ear was pounding. He didn't notice what he was doing until he banged into a wall. The impact was so loud in his ear and he yelped with pain as he tumbled away, every bump of his ear against the ground sending more loud sound waves into his ear drum. Finally, he stopped moving and just lay on the ground, shivering as his head spun and pain laced the entire right side of his face.

Without really meaning to, his entire body relaxed and magic seeped into the ground, touching seeds planted deep into the earth. With all the moisture and the magic combined, small sprouts started to push their way out of the dirt, emerging into beautiful young plants. Rift didn't notice at all, as his eyes were squeezed shut and he was trying to block out every sense to keep his poor ears safe.

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

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Of course, he didn't really notice it until the leaves had brushed his noise. A strange feeling collected in his nose and, a second later, he sneezed loudly, which he winced at as the sound reverberated loudly in his ear. But then he opened his eyes and had other things to think about. He was surprised, shocked, and completely flabbergasted at how the plants had gotten there. They hadn't been there a minute ago, had they? Then again, he had been pretty delirious. They could have been there and he hadn't noticed.

But, no, he wasn't that stupid. He had seen the cave in front of him and they certainly hadn't been there before. As he thought about how they may have gotten there, he remembered the strange feeling in his paws as he lay on the ground, winded from his fall. Maybe that was it? Was it magic? Did he make that happen?

He decided that he needed to test it out. He concentrated on the memory of the feeling, trying to call it back and bring the magic forth again. He saw green, beautiful, flowing green, serene, yet energetic and completely, mercifully, silent. He smiled at the warmth that he felt, the warmth of life and the gently caress of nature. This was his magic, this was what he could do. He shut his eyes and enjoyed the memory for a second before he directed it to his paws, letting it flow into the ground.

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

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There it was again, that warm, wonderful feeling. He felt the leaves as they tickled his legs and knew that the magic had worked. He slowly opened his eyes as the magic faded and admired his work. The sprouts were small and young, but they were there. They were real and they were totally silent. Yet he felt nothing but love coming from them. Love for the one that had pulled them from the ground, love for the one that loved them back.

He laid down next to them and nudged the closest leaf with his nose. It was soft and it smelled good and it flopped really funny when he let it go. He stuck out his tongue and licked it, but pulled back at the revolting taste. Okay, he couldn't eat it, but then again, he didn't want to. The plant was his friend, right? Why would he want to eat his friend? No, he wanted to protect his friend. And he wanted more of them.

He stepped away from the plant and focused himself again, all concerns for his ear completely lost. The magic was there again and he let it run through his body and directed it towards the ground. Hopefully, more friends would emerge.

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

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He wasn't really sure what was going to happen if he failed the spell, but he certainly didn't expect the sudden explosion as all the seeds beneath the dirt combusted at once. The dirt flew into the air and settled, opening a large hole in the ground that Rift suddenly found himself floating above. In a heartbeat, he was falling and then slamming into the ground, all the wind knocking out of his lungs. But the pain in his chest was not the pain he was focused on. The explosion had completely ruptured his ear drum and there was no a sticky red liquid running down the side of his right cheek.

Tears formed in his eyes as he pawed futilely at his ear. At least he couldn't hear anything anymore.Wait a second, that's not a good thing! What if I'm deaf? Well, at least it won't be painful anymore. But I need my ear. I need to fix this.

His first thought was his friends. But one quick glance showed that they had been uprooted and buried in the dirt. What else could he do? He couldn't very well shove more dirt in his ear. If there was a hole, then he'd fill his brain up with dirt. He shivered at the thought. There was only one thing to do. He needed to use the spell again. He sighed, trying to calm his nerves as he focused again, trying to call forth whatever seeds were left underneath the overturned dirt.

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

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He prayed, hoped, begged that the spell worked, but when he opened his eyes, there was nothing before him. Growling with frustration, he scrambled across the destroyed dirt and onto ground that was untouched, very aware of the dripping blood running down his ear and a ringing that was starting to become a nuisance. Maybe here, in dirt that had not experienced his magic yet, would he find a solution to a very urgent problem.

Once again, he focused the magic and sent it into the dirt, praying that his friends would return to him.

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

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Rift breathed a sigh of relief as a plant emerged from the ground, larger then the ones he had brought forth before. For a moment, he had been scared that the plants had abandoned him and he would have to solve his bleeding ear on his own. However, here they were, joyously flourishing before him. Whispering a small apology, he quickly striped off a few leaves and brought them up to his head. He wiped away the blood from his face with the first and the second he pressed against his throbbing ear. He pulled off a small flexible twig, along with a few more leaves and fashioned a small 'crown' out of the greenery. It still hurt, and there was still ringing, but he was relieved that he no longer felt any blood running down his face.

As he looked back at what he had done to the poor ground, he sighed. It was so ugly. Maybe he could make it pretty again? But he was hesitant to attempt another spell. What if he messed it up again and everything went out of control? He could destroy the cave or even die! But he shook his head. No way he would let it happen again. He had to at least try, that was all he could do.

He focused one last time, although he was beginning to get dizzy from all the magic he was using, and sent the magic into the ground, anxious to know if he was about to blow up the tunnel again.

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

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It worked, he felt the leafy plant against his leg, but when he looked at the scrawny little thing, he was disappointed. He wanted something better, something grander before he left. He couldn't flood the cave with this tiny little thing (no offense plant you're beautiful). If he wanted to at least try and fix his mistake, he needed something better, perhaps more effort on his part. Or maybe better seeds.

He moved to another part of the cave, on the other side of the hole and found a good spot where he found energy bursting just beneath the earth. This could either go very good or very bad (or something in between, who knows). So he focused again, one last time, panting with the effort, and did everything he could to get as many plants as possible to emerge from the ground.

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

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It took a few moments, what with all the plants he was trying to bring up, but finally, the magic caught and the first of the plants emerged from the ground. He looked down at the healthy juvenile plant as he kept the magic going. With a joyful bounce, he took off, each pawstep a small spark of magic that brought another plant rising to the surface. None of them were as successful or big as the first, but it was something among the ugly mess he had made.

Rift didn't know anything could be this fun. Every step was life, every step was a new friend. He laughed, his voice loud and jovial, and he didn't care because he couldn't hear it in his right ear, now that he had blasted it. Maybe I don't need my ear after all? It was a decent thought - now that his ear was out of commission, he felt a lot better and more free. But still, he had a feeling he would need it later, so he decided to let it heal.

After a little while, he felt like his work was complete. Besides, he was exhausted. Calling up all those plants was horribly hard work. But the ground looked much better. While there was still chunks of debris everywhere, most of the ground was covered with specks of green as plants shot up from the depths of the earth. So many friends, so much life. He stood there and watched, thoughts churning through his head as his young brain tried to process everything that had just happened and the meaning of this sight before him. But it was so overwhelming that all he could do was cry with happiness. He cried before his creation and his tears watered the earth and he cried more because the meaning of this was so incredible that he could not handle it. He had never been happier and he wondered if he would ever be this happy again.

He turned away, still crying, and walked away, barely paying attention to where he was going. Why would he need to care? Wherever he went, if he could create life, he would be happy!

*exit

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

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