The gemstone that had laid dormant in Tunnel K for some cycles was extraordinary to look at. Warm browns with opalized streaks breaking through the swirling wood-like patterns and perfectly opaque, not even a shred of light making its way through to reveal what was inside. Maybe that's why it was so easy to spend so much time in the chrysalis. Maybe that's why the cycles had passed it by without it noticing. The other one had noticed the time. It had drifted here often, both to visit the Altar, and to watch the gem it had buried there to grow.

But it had stopped growing some time ago. The child was ready to come out, yet it did not hatch. It slept on in darkness as Regalia grew more and more impatient every day until, at last, it stopped bothering to check.

This was most likely a blessing for the child, to never know the one that gave it life.

Now, however, consciousness at last was blessing its mind. Eyes slowly peeled open to see nothing but darkness. It didn't panic or think about it much - after all, it did not know any better to expect more then darkness from this conscious world. Only when it tried to stretch out a body that was beginning to cramp from its curled position to it even notice the walls around it. A paw bumped into the side of the chrysalis and its ears flicked up. Instinctively, it tried to breathe in and realized that it couldn't - all there was around it was fluid.

Ah. It better get out of here then!

Paws pressed harder against the chrysalis walls, claws sliding out of its paws to scratch at the gemstone. Weak from cycles of waiting for its contents to do this very thing, the wood opal began to crack and, a second later, the wall gave way and the creature was sliding out onto the cold stone floor of Tunnel K, wrapped in a thin, dense blanket of glittering smoke that immediately began to expand

At first, the light was blinding and it squeezed its eyes shut, turning away, whining unhappily. As it did, the nebula that swathed their body finished expanding and settled around their neck, paws and tail, colors shifting slowly and lights dim with displeasure. The child hid from the light for a moment, eyes slowly "cooling off", but a moment later it grew too curious of its surroundings and glowing eyes opened to just a squint. It's head began to turn back and forth, looking up and down the tunnel for anything of interest, but...there wasn't really much. It was barren...but more then that. It just...didn't feel right here. Even its gaseous mane stood completely still. Its ears folded back, and it crouched, golden wings pressed close to its body, feeling fear for the first time in its life. It did not like it here.

@Calamity

It traveled almost aimlessly.

What more could you expect of a creature so new? So passive. It's other mind- it's only companion, for lack of a better term, was ravenously curious. Eagerly drinking in whatever feeble sensory input Calamity managed to collect and send through the link. So, though it would've been content to stay put- possibly forever, until it got buried by time- it continued forward. Wandering, and noting it's findings back to Verdant.

Empty. It thought to Verdent, There's nothing. None of the normal shuffling. Only dark. And cold. I do not want to stay here.
So, it intended to move quickly through the tunnel- gliding along inches above the ground as it always did. It's shell was partially contracted as it cautiously made it's way through the tunnel.

A loud cRACK! made it's shell snap shut like a fearful turtle's, and curiosity (likely more Verdant's then it's own) made it slowly open back up again, core straining to find what had created the startling noise.

A creature. It had legs, and paws, and a tail, like many creatures it had seen. Wings, too. But what intrigued it the most was the gas coiling, billowing around it's neck, its tail, it's paws.

It was talking.

A creature! It talks! I talk back! It thought, sheer delight filling it at the thought of something, however vaguely, like itself.

It's core flashed with Greeting and Excitement, a loud, chaotic hum rising up that meant similar things. It bopped gently, drifting within a few feet of the cub- as if just remembering not to overwhelm them- core still flashing with Friendliness and Happiness.

@Arcturus

The feline shivered where it was, feeling a chill run deep into its bones. The air in here was uncomfortably cold and its fur was still covered in amniotic fluids. Gaseous mane quivered under its unhappiness and it thought, right then, I really don't like being unhappy. Lights across its mane trembled and dimmed, displaying the child's discomfort. It should leave, but it almost felt scared to move. What if it went the wrong way and there was something bad? What if it did something wrong and the tunnel made it hurt? It wanted to leave but it didn't know if it could.

But then there was a loud crack, so sudden that the cat let out a loud hiss and jumped - quite literally jumped about a foot in the air - with surprise, head immediately snapping towards the source of the sound. Was it a monster? Was it a cave-in, a rockfall, something worse, something that would end its short-lived life here?

No. It was...a rock.

Well it looked like a rock, but it assumed that it wasn't actually a rock when it suddenly started moving and opening up, light spilling out from within. And the feline, who would find no true family within the caves save for a little black cat it may never meet, met a light-bearing kin within moments of stepping from its chrysalis. Nobody else in the caves would understand its odd light speech, save for this one rock that flashed greetings and joy.

But it wasn't thinking about the impossibilities of meeting this thing, nor of the fact that this could be the only thing that would understand its lights, but only feeling relief that it was a friendly creature and not some horrible monstrosity. It stood and padded lightly forward, purring softly and flashing its own lights, the same Greeting and Happiness that Calamity was displaying. It added on, with a questioning twinkle, What?, referring, quite directly, to the orb itself. Meanwhile, it stretched its neck forward curiously, intending on sniffing the rock-like exterior of the creature.

@Calamity

Belatedly, almost an afterthought compared to the excitement happening before it, it thought to verdant Something. Big something. Your Right. It send through bits of what it was seeing- glimpses of fiery red and orange- before turning it's attention back fully to the cub.

The purring was returned with a rumble of it's own- though similar to a microwave or some other alien machinery than a purr. Still, it was happy, and affectionate, and happy that it had found connection. Someone it could truly talk to. Tendrils of it's core- less bright and far less hot streaks of gas- reached forward to investigate. Acting much like whiskers, they'd brush against Arcturus and, being made of gas, it was unlikely the cub would feel much other than the barest tickling sensation.

Calamity smelled like dust, ozone, and hints of plant life courtesy of the sprouting greenery attempting to grow on it's shell.

At the cub's question, Calamity fell silent. Pondering how to answer the question. Finally, it came up with the only word it knew to describe such creatures.

Stars It replied, You, and me. We're Stars.

@Arcturus