Wilder thought that getting out of that particular tunnel would get her to a place at least semi warm. She thought that she'd been following warmer air but it had only gotten a little less freezing. This room was chilly...and loud. There were so many waterfalls that Wilder didn't know where to look! The cave was simply prolific with water! Slamming down into crystal pools, throwing up water and mist everywhere. At this point she was beyond the point of caring about how dry she was. She was already soaked - what was a little more?

Besides, she was getting hungry. She'd never fished before but it couldn't be too hard, could it? She picked a relatively peaceful pool and sat down at the edge, spying a silver fish in the water. She raised a paw as it swam closer and, perhaps a little enthusiastically, swiped down to catch it. Her clumsy lunge missed her target and the force she used put her off balance and she found herself toppling into the water with a loud cry.

She tumbled headfirst into the pool and was engulfed by cold, clear water. Terror made her limbs go wild and she splashed around, trying to keep her head above the water, crying out for help whenever she could.

@Indelia

Indelia had done a lot of wandering. She'd met very few other gembounds, however. And as a very social creature, it was starting to have an effect on her. She wanted someone to talk to! She'd been walking these caves for a few cycles now - she was almost fully grown. She had to go and meet some others.

So she went into a cave...and immediately regretted it. It was wet in here! And so, so cold. Her fur fluffed up in an attempt to block it out, but it did very little. She huffed in annoyance but continued walking. Surely there was someone else in here that she could talk to.

And then she heard it. A splash, coming from nearby, followed by cries for help. She looked around and spotted where the sounds were coming from. She frowned but walked over. Was she expected to help the other? She didn't even know them! Then again, if they drowned, then she'd never get to know them. So she planted her paws beside the edge of the pool as best as she could and reached down.

Unfortunately, with the cat splashing about and moving so much, she couldn't get a hold on her. She growled in frustration. She was lucky she didn't fall headfirst into the water herself! "Stop moving so fast!"

Speech. Thought.

@Wilder

Wilder didn't notice the other cat trying to pull her out of the water - she was too lost in terror, crying out whenever she could, doing her best to keep her nose above water. But she did hear the voice and she knew that someone was nearby. She didn't hear what it was saying, but she stopped thrashing enough so that she could look over and see the other feline. Desperately, she reached out with a paw when she wasn't paddling to keep herself afloat. It waved fruitlessly in the air but at least it would be a lot easier to grab her now.

@Indelia

Finally. The cat had stilled at least somewhat, reaching a paw out. This should make it a lot easier to grab a hold of her. And Indelia did. It took a few tries, but she was soon able to lean over and sink in her teeth carefully into fur and flesh before she started hauling the black cat back. It was a good thing the cat was younger than her - there's no way she'd have managed to get her out of the water if she was even the same age as her.

With the cat safely out of the water, she took a moment to look her over. Completely black, with a pink gem near her eye. The color seemed to match her eyes almost perfectly and was a nice pink color. Well, she could appreciate that much at least. She couldn't judge the other cat about anything else though, not until she spoke.

"Who are you?"

Speech. Thought.

@Wilder

Wilder felt teeth bury into her fur and she closed her eyes, waiting for it all to be over. She didn't want to feel so cold anymore she didn't want to feel all wet. But then she was lying on the bank, body coughing up all the water it could muster. She was shivering again, both from cold and from fear and she looked up at her savior.

She stopped, blinked. Looked again. It looked like her but...not black. Was this another version of her maybe? Was this someone trying to copy her? Could other people do that? Copy other creatures and make themselves look like others? She continued to stare, probably a little longer then normal before she realized that the other cat had asked her a question. "Oh! Uh, I'm...Wilder! That's right! Thank you! Yes, I should say thank you!" Once she finished speaking she heaved in a breath. Her body was still recuperating from the water and it was hard to speak much.

@Indelia

Indelia frowned as the cat didn't respond for some time. She wondered, briefly, if they were even able to speak. But she had barely just started to think that when finally, the black cat spoke. Her frown seemed to only increase. She knew the other was young, but really...shouldn't she know her manners by now? For one, you don't spend a lot of time saying nothing after someone asks you a question! And yes, you should say thank you. She scowled.

"Alright, Wilder. I'm Indelia." She stayed silent for a brief moment, eyes narrowed. "And, honestly, hasn't anyone ever taught you any manners? When someone asks you a question, you don't stay silent for a while! You respond. And yes, you must thank someone if they just saved your life."

Speech. Thought.

@Wilder

Wilder's face split into a smile. Well, as best a cat could smile. She'd never heard of someone called Indelia before! It wasn't her, then, it was someone else! And someone else that could be a friend! How amazing! She seemed to suddenly forget her weariness as she shot to her feet and bounced up and down with excitement. She was so happy that she'd met a new friend and her new friend had saved her from water! "Wow, hi Indelia! Sorry about that, I'm a nice kitten I promise!"

Her eyes gleamed with happiness and she completely failed to contain her excitement. "Yes, thank you thank you you saved my life! Yay, Indelia saved my life!" She let out a meow of glee and twisted in a delighted spin. "I'm friends with Indelia who was super brave and awesome! Yay!"

@Indelia

Indelia blinked as she noticed Wilder smiling widely. Why was she so happy? She let out a slight mew of surprise as Wilder shot into the air, bouncing up and down. She chuckled at her words, though it sounded too condescending to really be genuine. "That's right - I did save your life." She lifted her head high in the air.

When Wilder said she was friends with Indelia, however, her eyes narrowed. She didn't really know if she wanted to consider the black cat as her friend. She'd barely just met her, and she clearly didn't even meet her standards. Maybe she could, though, with a little work...But, with Wilder clearly praising her...she couldn't exactly bring herself to say such.

Super brave and awesome? That certainly sounded good to her. So she didn't say anything, instead soaking up the praise.
Speech. Thought.

@Wilder

Wilder didn't really understand that there was a difference between condescending chuckles and genuine ones. So she assumed that Indelia really was laughing at her jumping around and it made her even happier to know that she'd made her new friend happy.

A strange urge came over her to press her cheek against the other cat. She had a feeling that it meant friendship and trust, both of which she and Indelia had, surely. So she bounced right up to the other cat and tried to rub the side of her cheek against the underside of Indelia's chin. "Friendly friend! ♥ Thank you friend!"

@Indelia

Indelia stiffened slightly upon feeling Wilder press her cheek to the underside of her chin. She couldn't help the slight growl from slipping past her, though she didn't stop the touch. She instead simply narrowed her eyes, looking down at the black kitten. Maybe she would have to saw a few things to her...

"Alright, Wilder. I don't know if I'd consider you a friend just yet. And you certainly can't do...that to someone you've just met." Her tail flicked. "However, while I may not consider you a friend, you've definitely got the potential to be one. You just...well, you could learn a thing or two." After this, she shot her a dazzling smile. "Luckily, I'm willing to teach you."

Speech. Thought.

@Wilder