Speech // thought

Ignita found her young son, Iskandor, practically absorbing his book like his life depended on it.
"Iska, my love, we have an important job to do." She urged him as she nuzzled his soft ear. Trying to distract him from his reading. It was a delight to see him so absorbed in the knowledge.

"Come, we have a new place to discover!" She bent and kissed his crown adoringly, then flicked her head over her shoulder for him to follow her. She had a feeling his strides would one day overcome hers.

She led him to the storage den and gestured to the shelves.
"Let's grab a lantern, a snack, and a rucksack, I don't know how dark it is down there!" She mused as she grabbed the rucksack and let him pack it with some jerky. She set off to lead him to their new territory, Caves of the Past.

As she approached the nearest cavern entrance she turned to her blue eyed son with a mischievous knowing smile,
"What kind of resources might we find in here you think?" She asked.

Iskandor’s ears twitched eagerly at his mother’s nuzzle, her touch pulling him out of his book with a reluctant but curious lift of his gaze. Huh? Ignita’s promise of a new discovery made his eyes gleam with excitement. “Okay!” Closing the book gently, as if sealing a precious thought between its pages, he rose, nearly matching her stride with a surprisingly determined pace to see what she had in store for him.

As they reached the storage den, Iskandor’s sharp blue eyes swept over the shelves, lingering on the lanterns and rucksacks. He picked up a lantern with careful jaws, handing it to Ignita before turning to the jerky with a small, thoughtful tilt of his head. With almost reverent concentration, he placed the snacks into the rucksack, making sure everything sat neatly, the way she had shown him before.

–

The cavern loomed ahead, its dark entrance like a gateway to a world brimming with mystery. At Ignita’s question, Iskandor’s brow furrowed in thought, his gaze growing intense as he considered the possibilities. The boy tilted his skull slowly, eyes moving high above his mother’s head as he wondered.

“Mmm… maybe gemstones?” he mused aloud, a spark of wonder in his young voice. “Or old bones… or, or herbs that only grow in the shadows. I read about plants that need no sun to grow. Some of them evolve properties that allow them to glow—biolumiii-nescence!” he added with a slight song in his voice, glancing up at her, his little chest puffing with pride over the tidbit he’d just shared.

He adjusted his grip on the rucksack with growing determination, nodding toward the cave as if already envisioning himself navigating its depths. “Shall we go find them, Mama?” he whispered, his voice a blend of anticipation and awe.

"Speech"

Speech // thought

A smile ever present as he trotted next to her. Ignita adored his eagerness, his delight, his anticipation.

"I love a good gemstone!" Ignita mused, They could always use more sources of the stones! She led him inside and immediately spied the strange markings on the walls. She let him finish his thought about the plants and nodded emphatically! If they could find something with luminescence they could have a resource to try and find a way to use it!

"Ohh! If we find old bones, I wonder if they'd be from the two-legs that made these marks! Look at this! You see this mark here? The round head, standing on two feet, not four? That's a two-leg. A human. Here it's holding a spear aaat..." Hm... she couldn't recall what type of creature it was, it had an extremely long neck and four legs, "Some kind of creature I don't know yet! A long time ago humans walked this planet. Nearly every trinket we have is originally made by them. They were like big monkeys that knew how to make and do everything! They wrote most of the books you're reading!" She said and nosed his cheek lovingly.

She didn't want to overwhelm him all at once. This wasn't why they were here! Though she loved finding these amazing ancient pictographs. She could tell him how old they probably were when he was taught a bit more about the concept of time.

"We shall find... Whatever we can! Collecting some bones, gems, or glowing plants! Which way should we go?" She asked with a swish of her tail as they came to a fork in the paths. She lifted her nose to scent for any danger down either path. They had cleared a bear out a while ago, but another could have easily tried to wiggle its way in. So far she could only smell dust and cavern pool waters.

Iskandor's ears pricked forward, hanging on every word as his mother shared her knowledge. Humans? The very thought thrilled him—creatures who walked like them, but different, intelligent enough to create tools and even books! His gaze darted between the strange, faded marks on the walls, eyes alight with wonder at the idea that they told a story from so long ago.

"Big monkeys that made everything… I wonder why they aren't here anymore." he murmured, more to himself. The concept was thrilling, and he imagined what it might’ve been like to watch these two-legs create and explore their world. As well as what had led to their downfall. The drawing of the spear-wielding figure was fascinating, and he leaned closer to examine the mark’s curves and lines, trying to picture the creature they had hunted. "Maybe we'll find a relic of theirs…" he whispered with a shiver of excitement, half-wishing to stumble upon something truly ancient.

At her question, he paused at the fork, his eyes scanning both paths thoughtfully. "Hmm… let's try the left," he suggested, his voice brimming with barely contained excitement. "I think that's where the glowing plants might hide—deeper, away from the light." he added, stepping forward and glancing back to see if Ignita agreed.

With each step, he felt the cool, quiet embrace of the cavern walls. He took in the smell of damp stone and still water, the sounds of their breathing and paws filling the echoing silence. He kept his lantern held high, casting soft beams across the walls, hoping each shadow might reveal some hidden artifact, a gemstone glinting in the dark, or the pale shape of bones etched against the stone.


"Speech"

Speech // thought

She heard her son muse quietly to himself, wondering what had happened to the humans long ago.

"Despite all my studies, I haven't figured that out yet." She admitted. Ignita always wanted her children to believe that they could learn something new, no matter how old or knowledgeable they were. She wanted to instill a thirst for endless knowledge that drives them to understand the world around them. To help them shift perspectives and see the world through another's eyes. Empathy and forethought were pillars of her teachings.

She smiled at his whispered voice about finding a relic, yes that could be a wonderful result to their adventure here! They were here to scout out the tunnels and search for a resource.

She watched his brilliant shining blue eyes consider the options. A bright smile stretched her lips as he gave a solid answer and a solid reason! She nodded and allowed him to take the lead, the lantern was about to come in handy while she carried the rucksack. The flickering light cast shadows over the cavern walls. Something caught her eye that made her pause.

"Iska! Come with the lantern, my Love, look!" She had stopped over a strange image on the wall. If the lantern was closer to the left of the image the legs of a wolf would be outstretched. If the lantern was on the right, the image would show the wolf's legs together. If the lantern was swung back and forth over the painting, it looked like the wolf was running!

She put the lantern down, her own tail swinging back and forth! "Iska! It's a moving picture! Fascinating! I've never seen this before!" Her excitement bubbled forth like a wellspring of awe. But this wasn't what they were looking for!

"Let's keep this in mind, maybe is a good landmark to navigate with. Have you found anything yourself, little Love?" She asked, returning to him the lantern.