I can't find Arwen.

It's not incredibly dangerous, for I'm sure that Mother and Father have their watchful eyes on my paler twin, but I am lonely and wish only to find her. Life is still strange and new for me, for I do not know of the sun, or the sky, or the changing of seasons above the cavernous system I was born in. Darkness and artificial light are all I know, but I am in luck, for being born so late in autumn I might have been easily stricken with sickness for all the storms that rage on in the ice and snow of the lands I should have been born in.

So today I wander, green-gold eyes observing all that is around me, tiny hooves clicking on the stone below. I still find the noises enchanting, and occasionally I will stop and tap at them playfully, smiling and snorting at the tinkling sounds that come from each of my movements. As soon as I grow bored I move on, flicking my cocoa ears and yawning softly. Where is Arwen? I'm growing frustrated the longer I search for her, but I am only upset in order to try and conceal the nervousness that is swirling inside. I can't quite remember where Mother and Father were, and I don't know how to get back to them. I'd been exploring the caves on my own for a while today, but I'd never strayed this far before. It was common for my family to move about the caverns, but I'd only wanted to find Arwen. I had to keep a brave face though, if I didn't what would Arwen think of me?

"Allo?" Speech was still a little strange for me, but I called out nonetheless, peering into the lights ahead. "Wennie?" I move forward a little more, feeling a little uncertain, but there's a form moving about in front of me and suddenly I hop forward on tiny, lanky limbs, thinking it to be one of my family members. "Mommy!" I call happily, only for a voice that is definitely not Mother's to call out the name of someone that certainly isn't me or Wennie. I come a little closer, ears out to the sides of my head, and stare up at the unknown lady a little fearfully. Would she be nice? I wondered where Talbot was, flicking my fluffy little tail nervously. Maybe I should leave...but I was still really curious about this new person. Mother and Daddy never really let me explore much, so I hadn't met anybody else before. I'm sure they would be okay with it though!

"Allo!" I chirped, prancing up to the lady with over-exaggerated steps that I hadn't quite gotten under control. Such long legs were so hard to make work! It was rather annoying sometimes, but today they were doing what I wanted, so I wandered up to peer at the pretty grey lady with the strange, beautiful objects in her hair.

Even though it's not mommy, the pretty grey lady is just as...well...pretty! I don't have too many words in my vocabulary just yet, but it's a word I hear often enough to remember. The lady turns and smiles at me, and I wiggle closer, happy to be acknowledged and given attention. I loved my family, but with Papa always off doing something and Talbot never wanting to play for too long, sometimes mother became very fretful and Wennie wandered off without me. It just wasn't any fun without more people! But the grey lady with the pretty dangling things in her hair seemed nice, wouldn't mother be so happy when I told her about my new friend? That thought sealed the decision for me, and I stared up at her with my green-gold eyes, smiling without an ounce of hesitation.

She doesn't move, but I don't mind, because I move enough on my own. Mother says I'm a handful, but I think she's silly. I'm much more than a handful! I'm growing every day! How dare she say I'm so small! I'm pretty sure Arwen and I were still the same size too! But I'm brought back to the real world when the lady speaks, and her voice is soft and kind, a lot like mother's. I flick my ears and smile as prettily as I can, because mother always tells Wennie and I to put our best smiles one whenever people come to visit us. Something about newborns being interesting, wherever it is we live. But I know nothing else aside from these glowing caverns, so I don't see what's so special about the outside world mother and papa keep speaking of. I'm not sure I even want to see it.

A cooing sound comes from my throat as I stand in awe, watching her mane tumble down like a waterfall, a cadence of tinkling music in my ears as the trinkets I have no name for click together. "Ahhh, pretty!" And I'm so excited I can't help but dance in place, swishing my fluffy little tail and bouncing to and fro, trying to get a better view of the eccentric baubles. My cocoa nose reaches out to try and tap at one of them, bouncing back immediately whether I touched it or not, wondering if it would touch me back. Was it alive?

Of course my play has to slow for a moment, and I tilt my head at the pretty lady with a curious look. "What's an 'abbit?" I coo, somewhat confused but taking it as a compliment. "But I wanna be an 'abbit!" I chirp, and I bounce around until I realize...oh wait. Hadn't she asked me what my name was? I feel a little embarrassed but I stop with a click of my tiny hooves and look back up at her with a grin. "Asch! What's yours?" That's a sentence I have perfected, despite how young I am, with all the visitors of something called the Basin that come to see Arwen and I. Mother is adamant we say it back correctly, if only to be polite, so I oblige. "And what're those?" I poke my nose towards the pretty objects that continuously catch my eye, eagerly expecting them to somehow magically make more noise, because how was I to know what they were or how they worked?

The lady's laugh is pretty, it sings in my harks and makes me smile further for her, the sound drawing forth even more happiness. Everything about her is pretty! I don't know any other words for how to describe her, pretty is about the furthest I can go. But I don't think she minds, her face is warm like Papa's, and her pretty things in her mane must surely be a sign that she's nice! After all, why would mean people be pretty? It's simply preposterous! Mean people are ugly, and gross. Nice people are pretty and...pretty. I really need another word fore pretty. But I can barely remember to figure one out later, because she's talking in her pretty, pretty voice and I'm entranced. I stop moving all at once, the rest of me swaying like it wants to keep going, and I stare up at her to hang on every word. The mystery of these rabbits! But they sound soooooo cool. I bounce up and down, excited by this news, and grin so wide my cheeks ache. Well they can just hush because I don't want to stop smiling.

"I wanna be a rabbit!" I squeaked in my little voice, intrigued by the idea of them. Can you play with them? How big are they? Are they as big as a horse? Bigger?! Oh how badly I want to see them, to quench my curiosity! Maybe they would be my friends! But I am saddened when she tells me that I cannot see them, that they cannot come to where I am. "Then I wait!" I cry, determined to find these majestic creatures called rabbits. But I suppose it's okay, because she tells me her name, and even says she'll call me rabbit! I cannot help but to swish my fluffy tail and preen in joy at this discovery.

"Yes! Call Asch rabbit! Forever!" Forever isn't something I really understand but I like the way it tastes. Do words have a taste? Now I'm really curious! But she keeps me from blabbering random words with the pretty music that comes from those glittering, colorful shells. So unique in a world I've only known to be dark. And my eyes go wide as she explains them. Memories? In physical form? It's hard to grasp, but then she laughs and says that's what they are to her. I'm still confused, but I don't want to appear stupid, so I nod my head along anyways. But oh the words that come from her lips! They are beautiful and foreign to me and I long to know their meaning. I want to taste their beauty, roll them along my tongue, let others hear the syllables I cannot find more enchanting.

"Shee...seaaa sells. Shells. Sea shells. But...what's an ocean? A beach?" And I stare at her with wide eyes and eager features, unable to help the shifting of my hooves as I dance from side to side. I just do not know she likely expects for me to not know these things. And then, impossibly, she offers me one! My mouth gapes, and my eyes go wide like big gold coins. "Really?!" I squeak, and my bouncing intensifies. Oh, if I could have just one of those gorgeous things! Maybe I could be as pretty and interesting as her too!