[Jaykobell]

Kami actually answered his question — which had been more of a rhetorical one — and while Enric didn't fancy emotions, he could tell Kami felt genuine care. To be truthful, Enric thought Kami's ideas were foolish. Yes, Enric was a Spider, so saying Kami had never met one wasn't true; but Kami had never met the primitive ones, that ones not even a regular Spider wanted to meet. Not because they were equally powerful, but more because they were pests and extremely annoying. Without replying to Kami's answer, Enric just turned back around and started walking again. No use in discussing the topic further, since the squirrel, personally, had nothing to add.

"What?" Enric asked when he turned back to Kami, hearing his comment. Moss? "Er. Yeah, there's moss. Just keep walking," he said — or more like, "ordered" — before heading off again, not even checking if Kami was following him or even if he wanted to ask anything else to the squirrel. As they continued to walk down the passageway, the temperature kept dropping, and the walls were still changing, vegetation creeping up some more on it. Eventually, Enric and Kami reached a small opening, the end of the passageway...

The little opening lead to another cave. Multiple little paths went down towards a small grassy clearing. Nearby, a loud waterfall was gushing down, thundering on the small lake below. The water was a bright blue and crystal clear, and the grass had small flowers. The temperature was a nice comfortable mix between Spring and Summer: not too cold, but not too hot. Stuck within the walls, many different gems littered the cave walls, shining with countless colors. It felt like a little paradise, only hidden in a cave on a snowy mountain...

Without so much of a word, Enric started going down one of the many paths that lead to the clearing. He eventually turned around, however, to look at Kami. "Not a word to anyone," he hissed at the boy before continuing down his way towards the little grassy field.

[Kodai]

As the two approached the end of the tunnel, Kami could hear the waterfall, but when they got out of the tunnel and stood on the edge of the little paths, he was amazed by the beautiful scene before him. Who would ever have thought that a grassy clearing existed inside of a cave on a mountain covered in snow? He was overcome with a strong desire to run down the paths and stand in the middle of it all, to take it all in, but before he could get a good momentum, Enric suddenly stopped to give him a warning. Nearly tripping, Kami managed to catch himself before he tumbled down the rest of the way and nodded vigorously at the squirrel. "No no, Iss won't tell anyoness! Iss promise!" Obviously this place was a great secret.
Going the rest of the way down, Kami went to the edge of the lake, peering into the water and staring up at the waterfall. As he gazed upwards, he more clearly noticed the gems sticking out of the walls, which made the entire place sparkle. "Ohhhhhhhh..... That's beautifulss... ...Iss wonder whatss they all aress; there'ss so many typess..." Eventually he pulled his gaze from the gems and sat down beside the lake, again looking into the water. Maybe he'd even spot a fish or two in there?

[Jaykobell]

While he didn't trust Kami to really keep the secret, Enric had to admit the kid seemed to be honest, at least. Maybe he really wouldn't say anything.

"Who cares?" he asked when Kami wondered what types of gems the stones were. Who cared? They were just stones for decoration. They lit the cave so it was never really dark, so they served their only purpose. Enric didn't need to know what they were.

As Kami looked into the lake, Enric was headed for it, too. Some fish could be seen swimming underwater, some of them jumping up and splashing back down. Enric tried to catch one of them that jumped up, but missed it by a hair. He hissed at the fish in the water, his fur bristling, before he plunged head first into the water, the top half of his body completely submerged underwater. After some struggling with the fish, Enric eventually emerged with a prey in his paws, a wiggling, slippery fish. The squirrel used his tail to keep the fish still, and as he headed for the clearing, he turned to Kami. "And don't you dare beg for my food," he warned, narrowing his eyes at the boy. He wanted fish, he just had to catch his own. And if he didn't like fish, well, tough luck!

[Kodai]

Having grown used to Enric's irritability and sarcasm by now, Kami didn't pay much attention to when the squirrel gave a general uncaring reply to his question about the gems. He did, however, watch Enric attempt and then succeed in catching a fish, giggling softly to himself when the squirrel hissed at the gathered fish in the water. "O-Oh! Of course notss," he quickly replied when Enric warned him not to beg for any. "Iss wouldn't takess your food awayss, especiallyss when you caughtss it yourselfss." Kami looked back into the water at the remaining fish, feeling slightly hungry himself but not willing at the moment to kill one. They were wild creatures and deserved the chance to live, and he wasn't in dire need of a meal right now... If the storm outside lasted longer than anticipated, though, that could change. "...Isss there other thingss than fish heress?" he asked. "Surely you wouldss get tiredss of fish every dayss, and you'ss not a carnivore... ...Iss don't thinkss...."

[Jaykobell]

As Kami spoke (or something) Enric got busy squeezing into a small den. It was more like a pile of rock than anything else, but there was a small entrance, just big enough so Enric could squeeze in. After a little bit, he came out of the hole with a few branches. He brought them over to the edge of the lake, where the grass was slowly turning into soil, before ending into a lake. He preferred to make fires there so the grass wouldn't... catch on fire or something.

He settled the wood down, still holding the fish with his tail. His ears tweaked when Kami said he wouldn't pick Enric's food, especially since the squirrel had caught it himself. "Well, at least you know some manners," he mused as his markings started to glow softly, just as they had back inside the cave earlier. He snapped his little fingers at the wood, but unfortunately, nothing happened. Enric tried again, but once more, the wood refused to burn up. The squirrel quickly got irritated at the whole thing, barely noticing that Kami was still talking. "What?" he snapped as he turned to Kami, fur bristling. This seemed to be a common thing with him. "No, there ain't anything else. You think there's anything to eat on a godforsaken mountain? Huh?" he asked before trying to ignite his branches again, failing a third time. "Let me tell you that if I could find some nuts or fruits, I freaking would! I wouldn't have to light a damn fire every damn time I want to eat damn food!" His tongue certainly ran wild when he got angry.

Fortunately for Enric, after a few more tries, his magic worked and was enough to light up a small campfire. Then, he picked a spare branch he'd kept aside to stab the fish with it, and which he held into his tail over the fire, so the fish would cook. He sat down and crossed his legs, putting an elbow on his thigh and resting his head in his palm, seemingly pouting from all the trouble his magic had given him. "If you don't want fish, then tough luck. Go catch yourself an iceberg or something," he added sarcastically after he'd calmed down... a little bit.

[Kodai]

Poor Enric. He really didn't have much luck making that fire, which cemented Kami's idea that this squirrel had ice elemental powers. A white squirrel with light blue markings, living in a cave on a snow-blasted mountain that could create ice walls and icicle spears? Yeah, it seemed highly likely. Noting Enric's agitation, Kami fell quiet and thought about what the squirrel had ranted about. No nuts or fruits... That was a shame. Naturally, Enric was right -- why would there be such trees on the side of a mountain? -- but it looked as if the climate in this hidden cavern would be able to support them. The trick would just be finding a nut or seed and getting it here before it died... But it didn't seem that Enric was particularly interested in leaving his cave, so it seemed likely that he would have to eat fish and light fires to cook them for the rest of his life.
Finally Enric got around to holding his fish over the fire, and made a comment to Kami, who blinked. "Huh? O-Oh... Iss will... catch one laterss," he replied, though his voice didn't sound so certain. Even if he did become hungry enough to try to catch one, how was he supposed to catch it? He didn't have teeth or claws like an animal, he didn't have a net or rod, and his spiritual weapon was a bow, which would be extremely difficult to kill a fish with... Perhaps... he'd have to resort to the only method he had which would guarantee a catch... but... he still couldn't decide if that method was the most humane... or the most cruel...

[Jaykobell]

Enric kept the stick tightly wrapped in his tail, the fish hanging from the stick above the bright fire. He knew it often took forever for the fish to cook, however, since his magic was extremely weak. Still, it didn't keep him from cursing at the fish in his mind. Stupid thing. Why wasn't it cooking any faster?

And then Kami replied to his comment, and while he didn't really care if Kami starved or not, he did notice he didn't seem sure. "Whatever. I'm not going to catch any for you," the squirrel emphasized, staring at his fish again. Why wasn't it cooking?! He already knew he wasn't going to eat until a little while, but every time. "You're always all alone in the world," he added after staring at his fish for a bit. "You get supposed friends, and then when they don't feel like being your friends anymore, they just dump you," he hissed angrily, frowning at his fish. "So from early on, you better learn to fend for yourself, and how to survive alone. You're going to need it."

[Kodai]

Kami frowned a little at Enric's comments. It was sad that the squirrel felt that way... was that why he was so bitter? Because he hadn't found anyone that could be a friend to him? Maybe he had been terribly betrayed once when he was younger and hadn't been able to recover... "That'ss not truess," he said quietly, watching Enric cook his fish. "It iss truess that iss good to know how to survivess by yourselfss... but iss not truess that you'ss always aloness... ...Not inss all casess." He became quiet again and looked at the fire. It didn't seem to be cooking that fish as quickly as it should have if it had been a normal fire. Was there a way he could help? But then, would Enric even allow him to help? Perhaps it would be better to just sit... Kami couldn't think of a way that he could make a fire, anyway, as he didn't have any flint. ...He could possibly try to make it spontaneously combust, but that just seemed to be a poor idea.

[Jaykobell]

As he waited for the fish to cook, Enric felt more and more like just throwing the thing back into the lake. But what was the point of that? The thing was already dead and impaled on a stick. It would get eaten up by the other sea pets down there, and then Enric would miss out on his lunch. A sigh. Whatever, he would have to be patient.

At Kami's comments, Enric almost laughed. "Psh, look who's talking. I found you freezing in a cave, about to get eaten by a Bruma, and that's what you tell me?" the squirrel asked as he turned around to look at Kami, while his tail still held the stick over the fire. "Where's your own 'friend,' then? Is he busy having fun while you're freezing your butt here? And you just said 'not in all cases,' so you're admitting I'm right." There was a pause, muffled by the crackling of the small fire. "I get it," Enric added after a while. "You're one of those disillusioned kids who thinks life is all rainbows and joy and unicorns."

[Kodai]

It didn't seem that Enric's words rattled Kami as much as they could have, though he did look pensive and slightly concerned when the squirrel asked where Kami's own 'friend' was. "...Iss dunnos, truthfullyss. We wass separated when we came heress. He'ss probably wonderingss where Iss am, or searchingss... but if we'ss landss apartss, then... well, he won't findss me right awayss, obviously..." He sighed lightly and then fingered the choker at his throat. There was a strange sort of stone attached to it in the shape of a drop of water which glistened and sparkled as if it were exactly that. That was impossible, though, since water couldn't hold form outside of a container... right?
To Enric's last comment, Kami said nothing, only giving a knowing sort of smile. Perhaps the boy did appear to be that sort of kid on the outside, but if the squirrel only knew what he had experienced... If he knew, perhaps he'd better understand why Kami was this way. Or perhaps it would only confuse him further? Either way, Enric didn't know the entire truth right now, and that is why Kami smiled at his comment.

[Jaykobell]

The fish was slowly starting to cook now, and this excited Enric's stomach. Kami would probably hear it rumble from where he was, as the squirrel licked his lips with delight. So very close. "You honestly think he'll search for you?" Enric asked Kami passively as he stared at his nearly-cooked fish. He had to refrain from twitching his tail, or else he might drop the stick or lose the fish or something equally unfortunate — and frustrating. "So what you gonna do? You gonna hog my cave until your buddy comes and find you?" Enric asked, turning to Kami now, to distract himself from the tasty fish. "When things get tough, people run away. They don't go back to search for their 'friends.' You're a 'friend' until you're useless to your 'group of friends.'" For every emphasis, Enric had made the finger-quote sign, emphasizing "friend" as much as possible. As he was speaking, he noticed Kami smiling there, and it bugged the squirrel. "Why you smiling?" he asked the boy, not paying much attention to his clothes or his accessories. What was so funny?

[Kodai]

"Yuss, he'll search for mess," Kami nodded, then added, "He'ss not just my friendss. He'ss my brotherss." Maybe that would make Enric believe him when he said that Kaamil would definitely look for him. As for staying in the cave... "Um, wellss... Iss will leavess when the blizzard diess down..." It was obvious that the squirrel didn't want to put up with his company any longer than he absolutely had to. Then Enric asked about why Kami was smiling. The boy should have guessed that Enric would notice and get irritated by it. "Oh, isss nothingss," he shrugged it off, still fingering the stone. "Isss just... you dunnoss me, isss all." He laid back on the grass and stared up at the sparkling ceiling, giving a light sigh. Kami did seem a lot more thoughtful at the moment... was Enric's personality starting to get to him? Or was he just being nostalgic?

[Jaykobell]

Enric rolled his eyes as Kami insisted. How gullible was this kid? Even when Kami clarified that the "friend" was actually his "brother," it didn't change Enric's opinion. "That still doesn't assure he'll come to rescue you," the squirrel answer, gesticulating his small paws. "Family's no better than just 'good friends,'" he added, again using his paws to use the "quote end quote" emphasis. Family was all fine and dandy... when they actually cared. Even then, you just never know. That's when you realize who is a friend and who isn't. It was as simple as that.

Enric replied nothing when Kami said he would leave after the blizzard had settled down. He just made a small "humph" sound. Would the kid even reach a forest or a beach or something? He was dressed for summer, not for exploring a snowy mountain that was prone to blizzards, especially at this time of the year. But oh, wait, snowy mountains were always prone to blizzards.

Enric looked back at Kami and raised an eyebrow when the kid said, "You don't know me, is all." What the heck was that supposed to mean? "Yeah? You expecting me to know you after an hour?" the squirrel asked irritably, turning back to his fish instead. "Yeah, you take a snooze. Then I can eat in peace."

[Kodai]

The boy didn't reply to Enric, deciding that it was pointless to try to argue with the squirrel. It seemed that Enric was the sort that was so firmly rooted in his opinions that nothing would shake him short of seeing the evidence with his own eyes -- and even that was probably pushing it. Well, they'd all see what would happen when Kaamil finally found him. Maybe Enric would even lose a little of his edge. That might be hoping for too much, though.
Exhaling lightly, Kami brought a hand to the choker's stone again. Perhaps it was time that he tried to gain a slightly clearer understanding of just what was going on. Clasping his fingers around the droplet, the boy closed his eyes and began to focus, which was easy to do in the quiet of this cave. After a few moments, images began to flash in his mind. A tree-lined path... A fancy-looking house... A man with slightly long russet hair and unusual eyes... An odd fox-like creature... Opening his eyes, Kami breathed a light sigh of relief. Kaamil seemed to be in someone's company, and it did not feel like he was in any danger at the moment. "Isss good," he said to himself softly.

[Jaykobell]

It seemed like Kami had finally given up on talking to him. Enric didn't mind the silence, and he simply went back to his fish. At this point, only the white noises of the cave were resonating. The waterfall was crashing down, some fish were jumping up from the water, the tiny lake rippled softly, the fire crackled as Enric cooked his fish... No words from either of them. And really, the squirrel didn't mind. After all, he was used to the loneliness. Kami could just suit himself for all he cared.

After a few minutes, the fish was finally ready. Enric brought the fish closer to him and blew on it, some steam flying away from the fish. The smell made Enric's mouth water terribly, and the squirrel took a huge mouthful out of the fish, the bite barely fitting in his mouth. So delicious! Even though the idea of eating nuts and fruits suited Enric better, he'd gotten used to fish. Cooked just right, he could actually enjoy the taste. This improved the squirrel's mood a little bit, now that his stomach was being filled with delicious food. As he was eating, he heard Kami mumble something to himself, and Enric rolled his eyes again. "And I got one who talks to himself! Just my luck."