Paws much too large for their body trotted along not far from the walls of Pisces, She had told Comet where she was going and as it wasn’t as far as Pegasus she had agreed to let her come. She was here to explore with both of her older siblings permission of course. She wasn’t like her sister Mary, wandering off twice without telling anyone. Of course she had done it because she knew they wouldn’t let her go alone to Pegasus and she had been adamant on going alone. As Adonia walked leisurely along the wall her bright blue eyes watched everything that she passed, her rounded cream colored ears caught the distant sound of the waterfalls.

The little creamy gold colored lion cub made her way deeper into the new cave as she walked along the wall. She hummed softly to herself, a lilting little tune. The brilliant red garnet button on her forehead twinkled softly in the light of the orbs above. After sometime as the girl made her way deeper into the area she found herself now walking on soft grasses and mosses that covered the rolling grounds. As she walked along the girl’s eyes spotted something not far away. It was glittering and shiny in the orb lights and the closer she got to it the more beautiful it became.

Coming upon the cluster of gemstones a single one in the center large enough to contain a small body stood in her path. Curiously the girl began to walk around the gemstone formation, as she did the light caught the gemstone just right and she caught a shadowy figure within the gemstone. It was then that the girl realized she had found an unhatched chrysalis. ”Oh my.” She breathed surprised as she studied the chrysalis. She knew what it was as hers still stood in the house she lived in. The girl continued her circle around the chrysalis with a warm smile falling into place on her muzzle. Coming back to the place she started the little girl took a seat in front of the chrysalis. ”Hello little friend!” SHe greeted the chrysalis eagerly knowing that it contained a new life. ”Are you going to hatch soon?” She asked the chrysalis curiously.

@Amberfrost

For a short while the chrysalis sat still, unmoving in the dim lighting. The refracted water from the falls nearby twinkles lightly on it, casting rippling reflections on it when the light hits it just right... It’s downright beautiful.

Maybe the creature inside could sense somewhere nearby- perhaps it was waiting for someone to discover it. Or perhaps the lion cub has impeccable, outstandingly lucky timing. Regardless of the true reason, it doesn’t take away from the simple fact: Maybe 10 minutes after she asks, the creature inside the green crystal starts to twitch, and hairline fractures streak across its surface as it starts to hatch. Within moments it cracks and chips open, revealing inside a small, bright-amber colored kitten with a silver stripe and tiny brilliant green crystalline wings poking out from its shoulders.

She sneezes as she blinks open her eyes, taken aback by the sudden world of color and sound she’s been spawned into. A sniff of the air tells her someone is nearby and she attempts to find her paws, stumbling awkwardly over them as she eventually turns to find the face of the lion cub who seems almost as young as herself. “O-oh- hello-!” She chirps in a surprised tone- she has no idea what to expect, and she’s already found someone! Or maybe they found her, by the way they’re sitting. The wonder and uncertainty make her tilt her head to one side, tall ears flopping over to the side as she blinks up at the cub. “... Who are you?”

Adonia sat for the short time staring at the chrysalis. It was absolutely magnificent, the way the water gently beaded down its surface making the stone seem to shine and glitter in the light of the orbs above. It was a sight that held the young lioness cub in rapted silence. Though the silence was soon broken as her acute ears caught the soft sound of stone cracking. Then before her very eyes, the chrysalis began to crack and chip away piece by piece. The lioness cub stood up and backed away an inch or so to allow the creature inside the chrysalis room to emerge. She remembered how not too long ago she had unceremoniously tumbled out of her own chrysalis.

The girl watched as goo began to leak from the chrysalis and she waited with baited breath to see what would emerge from the brilliant green chrysalis. Looking at it reminded her of her brother Sun’s eyes, they were the same brilliant green color as this chrysalis. Adonia inhaled sharply as the chrysalis revealed a feline not much smaller than herself. Though it was a beautiful amber color with a white stripe and tiny gemstone wings. Her own crystalline blue eyes fell on the feline creature who sneezed as they took their first breath. A warm smile fell into place on the cub’s muzzle as she gently placed herself closer to the kitten in order to steady her a bit.

”Hello there, welcome to the world little friend.” She greeted in a gentle yet sweet voice. She backed up once the kitten had steadied themself and sat back down not far away. Then the kitten asked who she was. ”My name’s Adonia, but my friends and family call me Nia. Do you have a name yet?” She asked her friendly demeanor shining through.

@Amberfrost

The tiny feline blinks a couple times, watching Adonia’s movements with her little nose twitching. After a few moments her ears twitch and she mimics the other’s movements, sitting down among the fragments of her busted chrysalis. She perks up again at the question, but seems to have to think about it before answering, opening and closing her mouth multiple times as if contemplating the answer to that.

”I... uh...” She goes quiet for a few more moments, mentally reaching for a faint instinct in her head. Her eyes light up as she catches it- and the answer comes to her in a flash. It’s the one thing that just feels certain right now. ”Amberfrost!” She exclaims a bit suddenly, her paws flashing forwards in excitement as a smile appears on her muzzle. ”I-I think, anyways! That’s what... seems right to me. A... Adonia, yeah? ... Do you mind if I call you Nia too...? It sounds pretty..”

Amber says the last bit sheepishly, like she’s afraid the answer will be no, or that Adonia will get upset. She’s.. new to all this, but she feels like she likes saying ‘Nia’ more. “I-it suits you,” She adds after a few heartbeats, tone nervous..

@Adonia

Adonia kept the warm smile in place on her muzzle as she observed the newly born kitten. She was not much unlike herself, other than in color. She had to admit the kitten was very cute. A soft giggle left the girl as she watched the kitten mimicking her movements. She had been nothing like this when she had been born. Rather she had boldly found her feet and quickly approached her elder sister with great interest. Adonia sat patiently waiting for the kitten to culminate the words they were trying to form.

Finally the kitten spoke up with a few unsteady words to her. Then she fell quiet again and Adonia tilted her head to one side curiously, as she waited for the kitten to form the name she was intended. Adonia straightened as she saw the light burn in the kitten’s eyes. That was when she knew she had finally come to a decision. The lioness cub let out another soft laugh as the kitten leaped forward and blurted out her name. ”It’s nice to meet you Amberfrost. Can I call you Amber?” She asked sweetly, wondering if the kitten would be alright with her giving her a nickname so quickly out of the chrysalis.

Then the kitten was talking and asking if she could call her Nia as well. Adonia nodded eagerly and smiled brightly. ”I don’t mind at all, as long as you can call me your first friend!” The girl offered gingerly as she leaped to her paws, her tail wagging like a happy canine. A habit she had picked up from her wolf older sister. ”Your name is really pretty too Amber!” She gushed over her new first friend that wasn’t a sibling.

@Amberfrost

The uncertain look was swiftly swept from Amberfrost’s face when she hears that- and it’s immediately replaced by a wide grin as her ears perk up. The excitement makes her jump to her paws, making a little happy dance of bouncing between her four paws in an excited manner. “Yeah-!! Yeah, that’s completely fine with me!” she squeaks, her own tail flicking back and forth in her joy.

“I’d be honored to have you be my first friend!! I think! Is that like- happy together? Because that’s what I am right now- and you seem to be too-“ She rambles on a bit before she realizes she might be talking too much- to which she quickly closes her mouth with a look of surprise. She’s not used to the whole ‘talking’ thing. Clearly.

”... Is that talking too much?? I feel like that might be talking too much- I don’t really know- this is all so new and just- what even is all this?!” She’s referring to her chrysalis by now, having turned around in to look at it, jumping over the fragmented sections. Eventually she sees her own reflection in the crystalline substance and blinks at it, surprised to see that it blinks back. She whacks at it with her paw and jumps back, startled by it again mirroring her movements. ”And uh- what was that?? It moves with me- it’s weird!!”

@Adonia

Adonia beamed as she was given the okay to call her new friend Amber. This was her first friend outside of her family. Of course she loved and adored her family, but she needed friends that she hadn’t inherited from being born. A bright smile spread across her muzzle as she looked at Amber. ”Thank you!” Adonia squeaked out excitedly, she was beyond thrilled with everything happening right now.

Adonia leaped up bouncing in a circle unable to contain her joy. She had made her first friend! They were friends now! Her and Amber friends! This was an absolutely wonderful day. First she had gotten to go on her own adventure, then she got to watch a new gembound hatch, and now her and that gembound were now friends! What could a better day be? This was absolutely the best day of her life! Though she was only a few weeks old herself that didn’t really matter to her.

”Yeah that’s what being friends is! It’s being happy being together and enjoying each other's company. At least that’s what big brother told me.” The girl explained readily also giving her source for how she had acquired this knowledge. It wasn’t something that she had instinctually known, friends had to be explained to Adonia and she knew now what they were and what they meant. ”It also means someone who will always watch your back and help keep you safe.” The girl continued enthusiastically, wanting her new friend Amber to understand what it meant to be friends.

A light laugh left Adonia as she grinned at Amber. The little kitten was so talkative it was nice to not be the one doing all the talking for once. ”No Amber, you’re not talking too much. In fact I quite like it!” The little lioness admitted happily that she enjoyed Amber talking.

As Amber began asking about her chrysalis Adonia smiled. ”That’s your chrysalis, that’s what you were born out of. Every gembound has a chrysalis that matches their gemstone that they are born from. I learned that from my big sister!” She explained again giving her source as her older sibling. A soft laugh left the little lioness as she watched Amber’s reaction to her own reflection. ”That’s your reflection, it's not alive it just shows you you back.” She hadn’t asked about that one, she had figured that out on her own after flipping a bowl of water over on her own head due to the same reaction to seeing herself in the water.

Adonia watched Amber for a few more moments before thinking. She had been starving after she had hatched. Tht brought her to think that AMber was probably very hungry herself. ”Are you hungry Amber?” She asked sweetly, she wasn’t a very good hunter but she would try and catch something even a couple mice for Amber.

@Amberfrost

Hearing Nia speak up again caught Amber’s attention, and she looks up from her reflection to better face her for the explanation. Or she’s simply easily distracted. She makes an “o” shape with her mouth, though seems uncertain as she looks back at the chrysalis.

She came from this?? This weird gooey mess and sharp hard things? It was kinda hard to believe... but then she notices the reflection of her wings, and twists her body to look at her own. So that’s what that weird feeling around her shoulders is... neat! It IS true they perfectly match the color of the crystals... and she has no reason not to trust her new friend. After all, they’re friends! She’s gotta be telling the truth. What else is there to tell?

As if on cue, as Nia asks if she’s hungry, Amberfrost’s stomach lets out a loud growl. The kitten jumps a bit at it, blinking in surprise. That noise came from her?! ”Uh-! Now that you mention it- yeah, I think I am!” She exclaims, sitting down awkwardly to press at her own belly. It hurts. That must be why- yeah, that sounds about right! Hungry! Man, she’s finding all sorts of things out already!

... ‘I’m pretty lucky to have someone find me before I even came into this world,’ she realizes with a start. What if she’d emerged and found no one? It’d be so confusing...

”... It makes my stomach hurt... How can I get rid of it? I can get rid of it, right?” she asks, kneading her paws into the ground. She REALLY wants to get rid of it.

Seeing Amber’s uncertainty Adonia stood up and walked over to the smooth side of the chrysalis so her own reflection would appear. The girl lifted a fore paw and placed it on the surface so that her reflection was touching her own paw. ”See, if you come over here you’ll show up next to me. It can’t hurt you, it’s not even real, just an image.” She explained with a warm sweet smile, in an attempt to sooth Amber.

Adonia watched for a moment as Amber took her time to process having come from the gemstone chrysalis. She seemed to handle that far better than comprehending seeing her reflection as something not real. She would help to guide her new friend as much as she possibly could. Though she hardly knew much herself, she could always take Amber to meet Renny and her family. She was Sure Sun and Comet could teach her so many things.

As her rounded ears caught the loud growl of Amber’s stomach, Adonia couldn’t help the small giggle that left her. Mostly amused at Amber’s reaction to hearing her own stomachs protests of hunger. The little lioness offered readily to her new friend.

A soft chuckle left the little lioness as Amber poured on more questions. She really liked it, having someone just as curious as herself. ”Yes you can get rid of pretty easily. I don’t know if you’re like me, but I can eat meat and fruit thanks to my daddy. But I think you’re more like big sister and need meat so I can hunt us some mice.” She explained happily ready to answer any question she could that Amber threw at her.

@Amberfrost

The reassurance from Adonia seems to help her- Amberfrost seems to settle a bit at the explanation, her fur smoothening out as she starts to understand more. She doesn’t understand how it’s possible- but at least she gets that it just is.

She tilts her head to the side at the explanation- meat and fruit? She hardly knows what those are. Clearly this cub already knows a goood deal more than her. How odd- yet also exciting, to meet someone with vaster knowledge! She nods along regardless, trusting that Adonia knows what she’s doing- because Amberfrost sure doesn’t.

”Do you think I can help? In uh... hunting? That’s to get food, I think, right?” She asks, eyes wide and curious. She barely knows what it entails- but she at least wants to try to not make Nia do all the work!

@Adonia