<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/ZQc7Deq.jpg)</div><strong><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;">Rin</span></strong>(https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=337368.msg16018996#msg16018996)<br/><strong>Time:</strong><em>Year 1, Long Sunsets</em><br/><strong>Tags:</strong><em></em><br/><strong>Actions:</strong><em>Storytime!</em><br/><br/>Rin was very interested to hear the story, but first she had some work to do. Or finish rather. She'd been working on it for quite some time now, ever since the little leggies the mortals had couldn't escape the bigger legs of the bigger mortals. She had consulted with some of the animals, including the babyphants and they'd agreed on it. So she'd set about tunneling. She burned so incredibly hot, that the rocks didn't have time to go from solid to liquid, they went straight to gas. Spun and wriggled and tunneled. It might have been easier if she'd chosen earth way back when forever ago, but she made due. Near the mortal encampment she hollowed out a giant boulder first, and then tunnel tunnel tunneled all so deep and strong. Any little mortal would know where it was, but obviously the bigger mortals wouldn't think to try and move a boulder to reveal a secret tunnel. Scampers had offered advice on how to make it so the tunnel was sturdy. It went a ways, but not too far because she knew the little mortals couldn't go TOO far.<br/><br/>Then, from the special places she and some of the animals gathered she made a larger tunnel, big enough for babyphants to fit through, which was more then enough room for even the chubbiest of chinchillas to get through should they desire. The babyphants had helped her mask the tunnel with leaves and vines and such. She nuzzled them each in turn, always so helpful. The new tunnels lead to a cave she had discovered long ago, in her explorations. However, tonight, with the realms so close she could do more. She burned in waves and waves, focusing the heat in special ways, in a giant circle around her. It expanded and licked around, making little walls, and a large area. Normally fire was temperamental but tonight it obeyed her every whim. Support walls were left in place, some thinner and some thicker. She spent time making the floor of it smooth and flat. On some of the thinner walls she burned them in that special way she knew, turning them into shiny walls. They were a bit knobby and bumpy and so if you looked at something through it it looked funny. She called the silly shinymathings. She made special little tunnels inside the cavern that would slide down a little, and larger ones for the babyphants to slide down. It wasn't quite as large as the tippy top slide, but it was still fun for a few seconds. In the center she funneled out a little pit and lit a fire. It would keep the cool cavern warm, but she made it special fire. It would never ever ever burn anything that was still alive.<br/><br/>There was plenty of space and plenty of fire so Rin thought for a minute, and added another pit. She smiled and wriggled around happily as she did. This would be a fire for understanding. It had the same rules as before, but she coaxed and talked and nudged the lazy fire inside to be more agreeable. Until she had it juuuuuuuust right. She convinced the fire, which like all truly fantastic things understood all languages, that when someone (be they a babyphant, a bird, or one of the little mortals) told a story, or an idea, it would take shape in the flames. A way to tell and share, even if they couldn't truly understand each other they could always understand this. That one, even with her bolstered abilities, took a lot out of her and she almost slept through an important night.<br/><br/>She had made sure that the little mortals knew the rules for when it was ready. They couldn't go all at once, becuase then the biggie mortals would go looking and find them. The little wrigglemonsters were too little to go, so they couldn't go yet. And they had to be nice to every animal that chose to come there. She made sure the babyphants knew the same rules too.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>She had just finished up making the cavern when she realized she was late. Or almost late. She zipped too and fro and found her way back to the grove. Once there, she stopped to pick one of the corn ears and settled the little kernels in front of her. She'd discovered a neat trick before and heated them up until they went pop and jumped about, leaving fluffy white nibbles for her. Perfect for Blossom's story time.<br/><br/>She nibbled and watched Blossom who looked sad, like the Wise old elephant had when she had left. But this was a different sad. She certainly understood getting distracted of course when Blossoms did, she'd gotten distracted quite a bit herself before. She pondered Blossoms request to not ask again...she wanted to learn things, she dearly loved learning, but she dearly loved Blossoms too..<br/><br/>"If....if you want to share you can....but....the little mortals...they aren't like the big ones. Maybe....maybe if I Know why they make Blossoms unhappy I can help the wigglers not make mistakes when they turn into bigger mortals? Like...like teaching the little elephants..."<br/><br/>Rin spoke almost shyly. She was still just a little spirit, even with all the changes she had gone through. Who was she to tell Blossom, so smart and nice and fantastic, what to do. She nibbled nervously on a piece of fluffcorn, her wings fluttering a bit.