The vast green room was asleep, the bubbling water muted as condensation formed on the slick walls patched with moss. A drop fell here and there, a pop as a cave's tear fell upon a leaf and rolled slowly, slowly to the ground. It smelled like green. It smelled like darkness breached with light, filtering the shadows and beckoning the life to reach towards it. It smelled like the cold Earth, soft between toes and hiding infinite micro-organisms in the crevices of the grains. It smelled like a new day.

A creeping vine clinging to a far wall shivered as the surface behind it moved. Dirt fell, revealing a dull orange gem. As it moved again, more dirt fell. Piercing the silence, a sudden crack echoed from the gem. A piece of it tumbled to the soil below. Inside, a creature stirred. Long legs with softened claws scraped and scratched at the confines of its cell, the cell that had held its life within for what seemed like ages. It had been gestating within, given life from the walls of the cavern. Given life from the stones.

A rasping rumble emanated from the stone. It was citrine, a yellow colored quartz with deep orange hues. It glittered as the life within moved. Another rasp, what sounded like a bark, broke the silence. The life kicked at the cell walls and sent small shards of the gem to the ground. A three toed foot hung out of the hole it had created with its force. It paused, feeling the cold air surround its freed limb. Did it want to know what that freshness felt like in its feathers?

More silence followed. The creature inside huffed, as if all its energy had gone into that single action. Closed eyes rolled, a soft beak pressed against the citrine barrier. Out there was life. Inside was warmth, and gentleness. Muffled dreams and the unknown. Out there, it needed to know to survive. This was the first choice Kiskimmet would ever make, and the odds were stacking against them. As they leaned against the broken wall of its birth gem, a web of cracks spread upwards. Leg still hanging freely in the open air, a sudden burst of energy made the creature's heart beat faster and its limbs strike out. It shattered the remainder of its confines, and slid from the citrine chrysalis to the ground.

A lump of downy feathers in the dirt, the bird was unsure what was next. Their head lay horizontally on the ground, their legs tangled beneath them. Their wings were outstretched, as if they had flung themselves from the wall and fallen flat to the earth below. With a short intake of air (their first breath!), Kiskimmet opened their eyes and began to look around. This now was their world.