gently introductory spelunking

[pleasantsurprise]

"I have found," Kanim announces to the small princesses (although they are getting taller) at their next group lesson with him, "a cave that I think even Carinna will like. It has not the least bit of hazard or inconvenience anywhere in it. It's very small, we'll probably be able to see all of it this afternoon, and it doesn't have a name yet as far as I can see, so we can pick something to call it while we're there."

"What is in it? Caves always have hazards and inconveniences," says Carinna warily.

"Harmless plants and creatures," Kanim says, "two springs, attractive crystal formations, a small maze, things like that - I will leave the specifics to be discovered, it's more fun that way, don't you think?"

"I think so," agrees Kiawen. "As long as you're sure Carinna won't be bothered!"

"Quite sure," says Kanim, "and if she is bothered we can always nip her out of there, it doesn't distort space or anything tricky like that."

"Okay," says Carinna decisively, "then I guess we can go to it."

Comments

[forgefires]

"I don't know! It is hard to see its characteristics, because it is on my head!" she giggles.

And she reaches up carefully to pick up the bat-thing off her head and hold it in front of her. It snuggles into her hands.

"Aww, look," she says delightedly, "it's got four little paws and a little fluffy tail. It's like a... rabbit... bat. A rabbat? No, that sounds weird. A bunnydragon?"

[guessguess]

"I like rabbat!"

[forgefires]

"I don't think I do."

She pets the fluffy pink thing anyway. It goes wheep.

[guessguess]

"It doesn't really have bunny ears, anyway," agrees Kiawen.

Eventually they have located, named, and - they think - exhausted the species population of the Gentle Cave, put all their creatures back, and gone home.

[pleasantsurprise]

Kanim goes to tell Bella about the cave. "In addition to being extremely cute, it's got this anti-injury field that I figured out after a bit of looking; I don't know how robust it is, but even if a piano bear decided to bite you you wouldn't get bit."

[thaumobabble]

"Interesting. I wonder if that's duplicable - did you find a source?"

[forgefires]

"We were wandering all up and down the crystal maze and we didn't find anything that said 'Look at me! I'm a mystical artifact!'," says Tanalin. "But maybe Kanim saw something. Did you?"

[pleasantsurprise]

"Nothing screamed it. The cave is very self-contained - none of the animals or plants in it have ventured out - could be related, or not, I'll make another trip a while later and see if I can pin it down with more data points at different times of day."

[forgefires]

"Can I go with you?" says Tanalin. "I want to see the fluffbats again."

[pleasantsurprise]

"Sure, all three of you can come when I go back."

[exactlyright]

"Thank you," trills Carinna.

[forgefires]

"Yay! Fluffbats," beams Tanalin.

[guessguess]

"And we can figure out why they don't leave, and talk to Cricket, and bring home animals, right?"

[thaumobabble]

"I suppose so. I don't think Cricket would hurt your pets if you acquired them, although he might find it irresistible to scare them."

[forgefires]

"They don't seem to scare very easily," says Tanalin. "I guess living in the Gentle Cave will do that."

[thaumobabble]

"If they never encounter anything scary, I suppose so. But you probably weren't batting them with your paws and hissing menacingly."

[forgefires]

"True."

[guessguess]

"I hope you figure it out, I'd like to have a piano bear."

[exactlyright]

"I want a poof."

[forgefires]

"I am definitely a fluffbat person," says Tanalin. "They're so fluffy and flappy and they make that little 'wheep' sound when you pet them!"

[exactlyright]

"Poofs glow. None of the other kinds glow."

[guessguess]

"They're all cute, I just like the black and white on the piano bears. Everything else in all those bright colors would be weird to keep with you all the time, it wouldn't match everything you might wear."

[forgefires]

"I think I am okay with having a fluffbat that clashes with my outfit sometimes."

[guessguess]

"Well, I guess we won't argue about who gets a particular critter."

[pleasantsurprise]

"Assuming we can figure out how to remove them comfortably from the cave."