A foreboding tower stood near the entrance of a tunnel with no name. It watched over Orion: the room of stars. Though a millennia had passed it stood tall whereas the buildings around it fell to ruin. Likely due to the vast swath of quartz crystals that had long since ensconced it and the ceiling above. At the base of said column of brick and mortar grew a gemstone different from all the rest. Rather than being a semi-translucent hexagonal prism it was an opaque ovoid, and it wasn't just any old outcropping of crystal— it was hollow. Life quite literally stirred within it!

Kavya shifted, becoming conscious. The soft light filtering down from above caught her chrysalis just right it as it wobbled forward and back ever so slightly. Up 'til now it had been blocked by her neighbors, rendering her chrysalis a pale gray eerily similar to her ashen complexion. Said egg of sorts briefly shone with varying shades of blue and purple before settling back into place. Desperate to escape the growing pressure of the thin, unyielding shell pressing in on her body from all sides, she shoved against it with her oversized forepaws. Her chrysalis wobbled forward again, this time tilting precariously over the lip of the nook it was tucked in roughly a foot up in the air. Spider webbing cracks began to spread across its surface. Unaware of the ledge she was set to tumble over, she tried again, straining with all her feeble might to try and break free.

Success! Well, sort of. The force of her shove was just enough to pop a small hole in the shell, giving her a brief, blurry glance of the lay of the land while tumbling over the edge of the quartz lip. Her chrysalis shattered upon impact with the hard ground below with the sound of breaking glass and a wet splat, strewing shards of glimmering blue rainbow gemstone haphazardly around the dazed gembound, who had landed on her back. Too startled to move at first, she instead took her first, shaky breath. Then wiggled, rolling over. Which left her a little winded. It’d taken some extra effort with how big and heavy her gemstone saberteeth were. She therein took a deep breath, mewling for help, distressed and overwhelmed. Her large, round ears pinned soon after, iron colored eyes looking around in confusion. What was that noise? Where had it come from? She mewled again. Oh, it was her. Okay.

The gator, being somewhat of a regal figure now that he was fully grown, had began to wander. He had been in hiding for a long time, at least what felt like it. The piebald creature walked on small legs, carrying his long body that would surely trip someone if they didn't see he was there. Though.... He was too bright to camouflage for anything.

A familiar light shone in the cave. And then the sound of something breaking, shattering into the ground. The lizard's eyes flicked in that direction, and then his entire body moved in a slow turn. He was much more accustomed to moving slower on land. Stalking, waiting for things to come to him rather than moving to find things himself.

When he spotted where the sound came from. Elias raised his head and made a low bellowing sound that was almost a growl before moving closer to the small.... thing. It had teeth that protruded from its mouth almost like his own, but different. Sliding closer, he nudged the feline with his nose.

@Kavya