[ORP : Evolution Event] Songs of the Crystal Caverns

A soft slate grey glow surrounded the hatchling(Melazalee) then shaded to a light lavander and finally white as the glimmering surrounded her shifting form. When it dissipated after several gleaming moments the lu'rhyn's kid form was revealed!



((Everyone please feel free to have your 'rhyn respond as you wish! The next stage of the Cavern hunt will be prompted within the next 36 hours. Until then consider the RP free form. ))

His focus pulled away from the wondering spider when the wise elder called the blue doeling, Melazalee, to come forward. Lew'Siffer watched as she studied the different stones and eventually honed in on one in particular. The young ka'rhyn looked around at the others gathered about. Arjuna still sat humming his song, seemingly oblivious to what was now happening, and Krešimir was licking a forepaw and running it over his ear. The others of his coterie looked to be covering the spectrum of absorbed in the humming like Arjuna and totally distracted like Krešimir. Looking at the ones he didn't know, he saw much the same thing.

Lew'Siffer looked back at the lu'rhyn, he was just in time to see her shrouded in a grey glow. What was this? His confused expression turned to one of wonder as the glow changed color and her form became blurry. Soo cool, he marveled. As the glow dissipated the larger form of a kid revealed itself. So THAT's how it happens.

He looked over at the wise le'rhyn adult and wondered who she would next call forward. Oh, he hoped it was him!

Wisteria smiled benignly down upon the hopeful little ones. Her gaze rested perhaps a little longer on those who obviously heard some (if not all) of their song and at last she sent to them all.

This is how we find our song...
When the c rystal sings we harken to it's call. Now we shall journey to the crystal cave wherein you will all find the stones that you crave. Listen well as we go, stray not into drifts of snow. Choose a partner with which to seek so that none will fall prey to a cavern spider's teeth!

She crouched forward with the nd of the final sentence and her eyes shone brightly as did her horn, illuminating all of the little hatchlings who would be going into the cavern.

Now hop quick! It is time to go.


And with the elder le'rhyn bounded down from the sending stone and swiftly toward the northern edge of the grove into the forest beyond.

Sensing the disturbance somewhat late, both Rani and Kaled looked up in time to catch the last glittering white flash of the lu'rhyn doe's evolution. 'Woah! The youngest of the two sent to his sister excitedly, still staring at the now much-larger kid. 'Do you think that'll happen to us?' The diamond doe looked over at her brother and couldn't help snorting, not daring to answer. If his eyes went any wider, surely they'd fall right out of his head! But she had to admit, seeing it first hand... It was quite amazing. Hopefully it wasn't as uncomfortable as it looked though.

As the doe hoped fervently that the change was quick and painless, as her father had told her, the elder who had stood before them moved forward slightly and sent a quick address to all the gathered hatchlings. The soft glow from her horn fell over them all, warm and welcome, and then suddenly it was time to leave! Quick as a flash, the doeling bounded after the surprisingly quick-moving le'rhyn, eager not to be left behind. Her brother paused before following, shooting a goodbye glance to the adult buck who stood patiently in the clearing. Gallifrey's sending was warm, as was his smile. 'Good luck, little one. Be sure not to let your sister run headfirst into trouble!' Grinning a little, the young jy'rhyn nodded before leaping away to follow the group.

At the very tail of the movement sat the tiny blue-grey form of Darakesh, but for the first time this day he was eager to move. If he could place himself within the centre of the group he'd be safe! And maybe be able to find a partner to protect him from cave spiders too... The ka'rhyn shook off the thought. Even if he didn't have a partner, surely he'd be safe in the caves. He'd been told that only hatchlings could fit through the entrance, after all...

Watching the procession move out, Saluki huffed silently, deprived of her fun. She moved to leave, but halfway through turning the dark doe paused. She was sure she'd just seen a familiar black-striped-purple hide amongst a bush just inside the clearing. (Sheakohl) Her eyes narrowed, then widened in renewed malicious glee. With slinking movements, the doe moved as close behind the buckling as she could before making herself visible. 'Well now, who have we here?' Her voice was dripping with predatory joy, the accompanying grin showing off her large canines to their max.

Kevrit, the sound still ringing in his mind, watched the young doe evolve. He was not overly surprised; he hadn't expected to evolve that easily! When Wisteria called them to move out, the ma'rhyn buckling was one of the first in line. Oren followed, keeping his eye on the others. The elder doe had said find a buddy, and he didn't think she meant one of your own coterie sibs, unless there were no others free.

Taking a bolder approach, Navlon set himself in the middle of the group, and moved next to a little ka'rhyn buckling (Darakesh). Hi! Want to be my search buddy? My da is a ka'rhyn, like you, but he is the only one in our whole coterie. I am Navlon.

Evquevan glanced at Ichtevat, who started to follow the group. The ma-rhyn joined him, and they both stayed a little ways behind the hatchlings. They wanted to be there for any who evolved, but at the same time, didn't want to get too involved in the process.

Fiachra opened her eyes when she heard Wisteria call the lu'rhun doe up. She watched in fascination and horror as the other doe began to glow and glimmer and then changed before Fiachra's eyes. She looked from Melazalee to Deja and back to Melazalee.

Deja saw the look that Fiachra gave her and just nodded. She didn't think it happened exactly like that, but she was pretty sure it wasn't too different.

Aria still sat at Deja's feet, awed by the whole process.

Fiachra began lashing her tail, this time meaning she was deep in thought. She had to find a buddy? She looked at Aria, and sighed gustily. No, she wouldn't do. She looked carefully around her, at the other ti'rhyn hatchlings. Who would be able to keep up with her? Who would want to fight a cavern spider with her?

She spotted another ka'rhyn buck, that had been very attentively watching the evolution of the lu'rhyn doe and he looked familiar. She stomped over to Lew'Siffer and sat in front of him. She sent an image of his brother, Jelani and then sent an image of Deja, and the two of them making faces at each other. She sent a memory of the outside of the Caverns and tried to send a hopeful vibe. She then trilled and did a flicker of her tail that clearly said, Follow me. She hoped he would understand and agree to be her buddy, otherwise she'd have to figure something else out.

She looked at the other two bucklings that were with him and wonder if either of them would understand what she was asking.

From their nearby posts, both fathers held their breath as the first of the hatchlings evolved. They flicked their ears and made soft sounds of delight for her. Kyl sent warm feelings of encouragement to the pair from his coterie. Ah now you see what it's like! It might look scary, but it's not. No pain, though everyone feels it in a different way. It was then that Wisteria moved forward to sing-song the next phase to the youngsters. Cern was very nervous for his daughter, but managed to send her a reassuring Good luck, love! before she found her partner.

As Melazalee was called forth, all eyes came to rest on her. Enyl's memories of her own evolution swept over her, and she found herself trilling softly with the thought. Meanwhile, both Vikyl and Lucasta opened their eyes wide, staring with open mouths at the spectacle before them. Oh, sister, you never told me it was like that! It looks....so scary! Vikly sent, shocked. Casta had a similar look on her face, and her ears had gone flat, slightly trembling. However, Melazalee did not seem to find it at all uncomfortable, and when the strange light faded, she sat looking simply amazing in her new form. It's all right; as you can see, no pain at all! Enyl's sending was confirmed a moment later by Kyl'kage, and the two relaxed a bit. The young ja'ryhn now grew serious. I can't go with you into the cave; I'm too big now. But Ill go with Da and Cern to wait for you when you come out. she promised.

Wisteria became the center of attention once more as she called the hatchlings to move out. Find a buddy, she had said, and the trio suspected she meant not a friend you already had. Something in her tone implied they should seek new companions. Casta and Vi exchanged a nervous glance. Much as separation unnerved them, they understood the need to make new fiends, and so, with an agreeing nod, parted ways for the time being.

Looking around her, Vikly's gaze came to rest on a soft green pu'rhyn hatchling (Aria), who sat in awe at the feet of another, of a gemkin she'd never seen before. Um, hello. My name's Vikyl. Would you like to go with me to the cave? She held her ears forward with a smile, hope in her eyes. Casta was slower to move, not really looking for a buddy. She wasn't going to pick someone; if no one wandered over to her, she'd go this one alone. Oh I really hope I don't have to! But everyone's pairing up so fast, what if I'm left behind!

Krešimir had quit grooming himself and watched in wonder as the evolution took place in front of him. Well, that was sure interesting. He listened with interest to the elder's instructions then looked over the gathering, noting some hatchlings pairing up while others simply took off in pursuit.

At the call to head to the cavarns Lew'Siffer looked around, a bit bewildered. But. But couldn't he just listen to this song that had been mentioned and do this changing here and now?

"Choose a partner with which to seek so that none will fall prey to a cavern spider's teeth!"

Wait. What?

Arjuna opened his eyes, blinked a few times, and looked around, dazed. What had just happened?

"It is time to go." Huh?

Lew'Siffer was processing things, himself, when a dark ka'rhyn doe (Fiachra) planted herself in front of him. Blinking her into focus he watched her as the images played in his mind. Correctly interpreting her tail flick, he gave a shrug and followed. Yeah, she was a doeling, but maybe he could tolerate her for the caverns trip.

The song in Arjuna's head still played, trying to pull him back, but he -knew- he needed to focus on what was going on here and now. Finally, things clicked. They were heading to the cavern. Giving himself a shake, he set out with the others in time to see another jy'rhyn (Kaled) pause to look back. Catching up, he shared a look with the other young buck. Hi, I'm Arjuna. Would you mind if I tagged along with you in the caverns? he asked.

Moving down the trail with the others, Krešimir found himself along-side a mottled golden-brown le'rhyn (Eman). Somewhat tentatively he sent, Um, do you have a partner for the caverns?

Aria was more than surprised when a beautiful black go'rhyn doe (Vikyl) introduced herself. She sent a quick look at Deja, who nudged her with one of her many paws.

Oooh, yes, I'd like to be your buddy. Aria quivered with delight and stepped away from Deja. I'm Aria, and this is my sister-kin Deja, she grew up not too long ago. I think she was with your sister-kin when she did. Aria nodded toward Enyl as she mentioned the other doe. Are you ready, Vikyl? I'm a little nervous, the little pu'rhyn confided to her new go'rhyn companion.

Fiachra was unsure of how to further communicate with her new partner, Lew'Siffer. First, he was a buck, but he was ka'rhyn, so that meant he would understand her desire to hunt more than other 'rhyn might. It would be best if she actually conversed with him, rather than sending the tide of images and chirping and flicking her tail at him. At best he would ignore her actions and at worse he would leave her alone, which she really didn't want at all.

Tentatively she sent to Lew'Siffer, so only he could hear. I'm Fiachra. I've been to the caves once before and there are spiders there. Would you like to hunt them with me, while we look for our gems? She tried to not seem to excited, but there was a thrill running through her and she couldn't wait to actually get going. She hoped that Lew'Siffer was the adventurous type!

Lew'Siffer's interest perk up at the mention of a spider hunt. Maybe this doeling wouldn't be so bad after all. Shakuru was fun that way, too, and sometimes Spektrill tried with varying levels of success; but this Fiachra seemed to be a ka'rhyn after his own heart!

The only thing better than hunting spiders is chasing snapping lizards, Lew'Siffer sent with some eagerness. Oh, and I am Lew'Siffer. So what are the caverns like? One of my brothers went and he came back all full of himself and lording it over the rest of us. He can be a real pain. Do you have any brothers or sisters? Is that one you showed me a while ago your sister? Lew'Siffer suddenly realized he had been chattering and abruptly stopped, somewhat embarrassed.

Zari'Umil was in awe of the evolution she had just witnessed. She couldn't wait for it to happen to her. She bounded up to Rani and sent, "Hi I'm Zari. I need a partner for the caves, would you like to partner with me?"

Fi'atrilari shook her song from her mind and quickly hurried over to the only other hatchling she saw with the willow's whisper mutation (Kaled). "Hello, ummm, I'm Fia... W-would you like t-to be my partner?" She sent tentatively... She had never spoken to a buckling other than Korvan before.

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Shadrach was what the family referred to as "pokey", he denied it and said he was curious. And as usual, he was far behind the rest of the family. He was focused on the grass and flowers just inside the clearing, only becoming curious of what was going on the at the base of the tree when Wisteria called the lu'rhyn doe up. He watched from his spot, next to a nearly de-petaled crocus, as the doe shone and glimmered. He watched her carefully, noting the colors in the light about her, and how she acted afterward. If this was what was involved in becoming a kid, perhaps he should find his own gem in the caves.

He hopped up to the group of hatchlings and sat quietly, wondering if he should approach someone to ask them to be a partner or wait and see who would need him. It was nice to be needed and since his sisters were very capable of taking care of themselves, even Aria, he often didn't get to have that feeling.

Fiachra wasn't surprised when Lew'Siffer began chattering away about hunting. She listened and waited until he stopped, not noticing his embarrassment. I've never chased a snapping lizard, but it must be fun. The part of the cavern I was in was very dark - I couldn't see anything and I found a skin in there that almost tripped me. I have a sister and a brother, and an adopted sister. The one you saw was my sister. She was embarrassed that she found her crystal before me, because she had planned to follow me and keep me company. Her crystal is a lot rarer than mine, but I guess she was more in tune with it. She rattled away at him, comfortable to be talking to someone that seemed to understand.

Shortly after turning away from his goodbyes, Kaled was approached by another of his gemkin, though this one's brilliantly white fur was in stark contrast to his own natural hues. The other buck introduced himself as Arjuna, and with a small smile the lop-eared jy'rhyn opened his mouth to huff a reply but before the sound could leave his mouth a small voice fluted into his mind. Surprised, the buck turned to find a small, green-horned doe looking up at him with hopeful eyes. The little 'rhyn was obviously shy, and Kaled's face softened in understanding. He shot the other jy'rhyn buck, who had admittedly asked him first, an apologetic look before replying to 'Fia' with a warm smile.
'Of course I'll be your partner, Fia. My name is Kaled, it's very nice to meet you.'

His sister was also surprised to see another doe approach her (Zari), about her age, with markings like sunlight through leaves. She seemed energetic enough, and with a wide smile Rani nodded. 'Sure! We can definitely be partners. My name's Rani-' The diamond doe giggled to herself. 'Our names both end in 'i'! That mean's we were definitely supposed to be together.' With a self-affirming nod, she leapt toward the front of the group, keeping an eye on her partner to make sure they were still together.

Ears tucked against his head, Darakesh realised something very quickly. He did not like being in the centre of the group. It was loud, and pushy, and to hard to move. Quietly, he tried to work his way out of it, moving slowly toward to back of the group. As he did so, he noticed all the others walking in pairs and worried a little. Surely they'd still let him in, even if he couldn't find a partner? Before the young buck had a chance to start to truly fret, however, he noticed a large white buck (Arjuna) who still looked relatively unattached. Heading himself in that direction, the Ka'rhyn looked at the considerably larger Jy'rhyn hatchling somewhat awkwardly.
'Hey. Um. If you, uh, if you don't have a partner yet, d'you want to run with me?' He flicked his tail spastically back and forth, a sure sign of how uncomfortable he was. 'I mean, you don't have to or anything. I know I wouldn't want to. Uh, run with me, that is. I'm sure you're really cool.'

After listening to the you doeling (Fi'atrilari) stammer so uncertainly through her invitation to Kaled, Arjuna had a moments' worry that Kaled would feel obliged to decline her offer in favor of his. He was relieved to see the apology cast his way before the doe's offer was accepted. He sent the brown buck a happy, Don't worry about me, and began to move off when a blue ka'rhyn (Darakesh) approached with obvious nervousness. Ah, yes. He remembered seeing this buck under the wisteria, jumping every time petals fell upon him which they did with unnatural regularity. The small fellow's nervousness spoke to Arjuna's instincts to protect. What do you mean 'not want to' run with you? Of course I will run with you, Turning toward the caverns to continue their journey, Arjuna went on, As for being cool, Lew'Siffer and Jelani would argue that. They say I am about as exciting as a stick in the mud! Personally, I don't pay them much attention since they are usually looking for trouble. Here the young jy'rhyn let out a rumble of amusement, remembering some of the interesting predicaments that pair got themselves into.

Zari let out a chirring sound much like a giggle and wiggled happily as she followed the diamond doe (Rani), "Yes! It must be a sign, Definitely. I'm so excited! Are you?" Zari mentally chattered as she tried to keep pace.

As the hansom buck (Kaled) moved aside to answer her, Fia noticed another buck behind him (Arjuna). She had no idea how she could have missed him as he was larger and very white. Her eyes grew wide realizing she must have just taken his partner, but before she could stammer out an apology he was approached by a blue ka'rhyn (Darakesh) asking to be his partner. Fia was very relieved that no harm had been done by her lack of awareness. "Oh! Th-thank you!" she sent to Kaled, "I'm very s-sorry to but in. I h-hope I won't l-let you down."

Vikyl's eyes lit up happily when she was accepted. Great! Ooh I can hardly wait to see what the cave is like. Da and my sis said it was dark in places, but there are some special rocks that glow inside, too! Or maybe....maybe they were plants...oh I can't remember, but who cares? This is so exciting! She could not, in fact, sit still, and was shifting her weight from side to side on her paws. Pausing for moment, she glanced around for Casta. Her coterie mate was still unpaired, she saw. Though not surprising, given Casta's solitary nature, it concerned Vi, all the same. ~Surely she'll be all right~ she thought; then, to Aria again, So what do you think about all of this? I feel like I've been waiting sooo long to grow up, and my sister already has, so I feel left out, kinda. She shrugged, realizing she was probably sending too much again. That made her feel self-conscious. She half-smiled, and looked away, a little embarrassed now.

As she was looking around, hesitating as usual, Lucasta's eyes fell on a newcomer to the group. He had arrived just a short time ago, alone, and hopped over to them. Gradually, Casta began making her way toward the diamond buckling (Shadrach), while trying not to look as if she was doing so. When she was close enough to be noticed, she sat down and began idly munching on a fallen flower, glancing over at him briefly, then looking away again.

In her excitement, Rani found herself leaping faster and faster without realising. It wasn't until she looked back and saw her partner (Zari) struggling to keep pace that the doe slowed, taking a deep breath to try and calm herself. With a wide smile, she nodded to the other doe. 'Oh yes! I so hope I find my stone today. I can't wait to be big, can you?' Ears perked, the diamond hatchling let our a light huffing laugh before falling into step beside her companion-for-a-day, chattering away aimlessly. 'There aren't many other hatchlings in our coterie, but sometimes my da' takes us to go and visit the neighbouring warren and they have lots of hatchlings there. If I was bigger I could go and visit myself, and not have da' trailing after me everywhere!' She shot an knowing look at the other doe. Parents.

Her brother was still considerably further behind in the group, more concerned with staying close to his nervous partner than getting ahead. Kaled was grateful that the other buck had held no ill-feeling towards the small desertion, and was now walking along leisurely with his smaller companion (Fia). 'Don't be worried, Fia. I'm sure you'll do marvellously!' He flashed her a warm smile. 'Is this your first time travelling to the caves?' Attempting to make conversation, the jy'rhyn couldn't help thinking of another little doe he knew that had come and gone several times without growing. By choice, he reminded himself, not too worried about finding his own hearthstone.

With a small smile, Darakesh looked up at his new partner (Arjuna). 'Thank you. Most 'rhyn just laugh at me for being so...' He flicked his eyes over the bushes outside their romp nervously, still unable to feel safe. 'Paranoid.' He finished quietly, returning his gaze to the ground in front of him. Listening distractedly to the thudding of the paws around him as the other 'rhyn spoke, the ka'rhyn almost flinched when the buck let out a loud rumble of laughter. Quickly thinking back to what was said, he let out a slightly amused snort of his own. 'What a stupid thing to do. Looking for trouble…' He muttered, shaking his head. 'They'd be better off avoiding it. Trouble always seems to come when it's least wanted or expected.' Unable to relax, the hatchling's eyes flicked from tree to bush to ground, quickly zoning in on anything that moved before assessing the threat and moving on. Almost as an absentminded sidenote, the buck added, 'Oh, my name is Darakesh, by the way. You can call me Dara, if you want.'

Sheakohl was too preoccupied watching all of the other 'rhyn in the Grove to notice Saluki approach; she was right on top of him when she hissed a "greeting," and Sheakohl scrambled to turn and face the only-distantly-familiar voice. His ears flattened against his head and he bared his tiny, useless teeth as menacingly as possible at what certainly felt like a threat. His tail lashed behind him but he was still crouched low to the ground, and with an angry glance upward, he uttered, "Amsh Sheakohlsh." He immediately went silent, well aware of how stupid he sounded when he spoke.

"We need to get you matched up with another hatchling," Melazalee interrupted what she viewed as his normal funk, with a careful nod to Saluki; she had taken it upon herself to help Lindele now that she was "older", and while she needed some time to adjust to her new form, she felt she ought to be able to handle one of the hatchlings, at least. Lindele was busy with Lava and Kusha, who had almost immediately fallen back asleep amongst all of the bright and delicious plants and warmth of a multitude of 'rhyn bodies filling the Grove. So, it was her duty to make sure Sheakohl kept up with everyone.

Mel nudged the Seraphinite buck along with her muzzle, shoving him forward and toward the now-departing Wisteria and group of following hatchlings. She picked a hatchling out of the group - this one just felt like the best choice, to her - and carefully insisted that Sheakohl approach Oren. With a grimace, the buck did so, and, looking wholly "out of his element," he spoke to the young lu'rhyn buck carefully.

"A-amsh Sheakohlsh. Yoush wantsh to groupsh wifsh me?"

Meanwhile, Melazalee had been almost too preoccupied watching Sheakohl interact with his peers - finally! An attempt at being normal! - to hear the soft clattering noise ahead. It was only as they moved closer that her ears perked, reacting even faster than her mind. She had to tether herself with the thought that she was still looking after Sheakohl, lest she race forward to try to discover the noise's source. Instead, she asked: "Does anyone hear that?"

((I was having a hard time figuring out who was partnered to whom, so I wrote up this list and figured I'd post it so the work doesn't go to waste; maybe it'll help others...

?Navlon? x Darakesh x Arjuna
Lew'Siffer x Fiachra
Aria x Vikylana
Fi'atrilari x Kaled
Zari'Umil x Rani
Lucasta x Shadrach ?
Krešimir x Eman ?
Sheakohl x Oren ?
Lava and Kusha x ???
Rowara x ???
Kevrit x ???

Star, do Lava and Kusha need a single partner, or two partners, or what..? I guess with the number of hatchlings, a single partner would be best?))

Navlon froze in the middle of the group for a moment, when he was completely ignored by the buckling he'd approached. He'd never had that happen before; usually, his unique appearance caught others' attention, and at least caused comment. His attempted partner having chosen another companion, the go'rhyn moved out of the mass and looked for someone who still might need a partner. As he glanced around, he noticed something odd; a set of very sleepy twins (Lava and Kusha), still back at the grove. An adult seemed to be attempting to rouse them, so he turned back. Maybe they could use a partner. ((If I am taking too much liberty here, let me know, and I will change it ))

Oren glanced at the buckling who approached him, noting the slightly odd quality to his speech. Sheakohl was an unfamiliar gemkin to him, so maybe it was a mark of his type. It didn't make him impossible to understand, so the lu'rhyn decided to ignore it. I am Oren, and I would be glad to be your partner! Are you looking forward to finding your crystal? I am. He flicked his ears, as he heard an odd sound. Do you hear that?

Kevrit would have been content to go through the caverns alone, but Wisteria said to get a partner, and mentioned cavern spiders. He wondered a moment if cavern spiders were so much more dangerous than the average spider, but since she had warned them, she at least thought they were. So he decided to look for an unpartnered hatchling. His musing over cavern spiders seemed to have kept him distracted longer than he thought, and almost all the other hatchlings had been paired off already. Hmmm, he thought. This could be a problem. He started to look for one of his coterie sibs; surely they wouldn't mind him joining their partnership. He had just spotted Oren, and was about to move his way, when he noticed a lone ma'rhyn doeling (Rowara). Changing directions quickly, he moved towards her, speaking as he approached. Hello, I'm Kevrit. Would you like to be my partner for the search? He was so intent on finding a partner, he barely noticed the sound that had caught several others' attention.

It seemed the buckling was too absorbed in his own thoughts to pay Lucasta any mind, but that was all right. She had a habit of that herself, and, leaving him to his thoughts, she began to move around the group again. She happened to stop next to a lu'ryhn buckling (Oren) and catch his question, Do you hear that? Instantly she paused to listen. Just on the edge of her own hearing was an odd sound, a clattering. Her eye widened, she glanced at the buck. I do hear something! I wonder what it is?

((((Star, do Lava and Kusha need a single partner, or two partners, or what..? I guess with the number of hatchlings, a single partner would be best?))

They don't need a partner, they are already partners. <3 Unless you -want- one in which case it's all good...))

Aria's eyes widened as Vikyl chattered. I'm very excited!! I heard it was dark too, but I didn't know there were glowing rocks. Do you think anyone's crystal glows? That would be amazing to see a glowing crystal and have it sing. She was all a quiver, so Vikyl's shifting was completely unnoticed. She did watch as Vikyl looked at one of her sisters. My adopted sister grew up too. She's different now, but not too different. I'm glad she grew up before me. I think it makes it a little less scary! She confided.

Aria noticed a sound over to the side, a soft clatter and went on alert, she immediately sent to Fiachra and Deja, There's something in the bushes!

Fiachra's eyes widened and she crouched down ready to stalk. She turned to Lew'Siffer, My sister hears something in the bushes, maybe we'll be hunting sooner than we thought![i] She grinned up at him, her canines gleaming. [i]I wonder what it is!?

Deja went quiet, completely still. Aria said there was a sound, not what it was or where it was coming from, other than the bushes - there were a lot of bushes.. She listened, hoping she would catch the sound that the pu'rhyn doe alerted them to.

Shadrach almost didn't notice the little le'rhyn doe (Lucasta), until she moved away. Then he heard Oren ask if anyone heard that and then Lucasta asked too. He listened hard, edging forward, almost next to Lucasta. [i]Do you know what it is?[/b] He asked, looking where the two hatchlings were looking. He decided to take a sniff, just in case there was an odd smell around that might alert them to what was making the sound.

Um, do you have a partner for the caverns?

Since Arolaah had seen them off from the grove, Eman had been tentatively hopping along after the rest of the hatchlings, wincing at every bit of snow. When a heavily marked ma'rhyn buckling(Krešimir) approached, the young le'rhyn tried to look more hearty than he felt. He lifted his chin and gave his horn a little jut toward the sky as he shook his mane. I do not. Would you like to be partners? I am not sure my nest-sister is at -all- interested in being mine. He rolled his eyes and wrinkled his nose in the direction of the night-fur'd ma'rhyn doeling(Rowara).

For her own part, Rowara was completely oblivious to the exchange. She was already several hops ahead of her brother despite the cold and she stopped, turning to set her gaze upon the other young ma'rhyn(Kevrit) who sent to her in query.

Would you like to be my partner for the search?

There was warmth and welcome in her sending and she gave her small antlers a little dip of greeting. I would like that very much Kevrit. My Coterie call me Rowara. Her ears flicked and she paused a moment in mid stride, dipping her nose closer to the snow-patched ground and concern marked her tiny perfect features. Do you feel/hear that? in the ground? Rowara's sending word for feel and hear were one as it meant both at the same time...

Indeed, as Rowara sent to Kevrit, the noise would increase by three for those of keen hearing and the sensation would triple fold for those of earthen kinship.

Ahead of the trooping hatchlings, Wisteria had paused and was looking to the east, pale-bright eyes shining toward the east and the now rustling bushes there.

Quick now little ones! Spread out into your pairs! If you don't have partner, find one now! A flock of clacking creepers are almost upon us!

((The clacking creepers will be upon us by Monday evening, everyone has until then to confirm partners & either hear/sense their approach and/or realise that something is coming due to Wisteria's alert & the reactions around them.))