[center][h2][color=F0E68C]Asteria[/color][/h2][/center] [hr][hr]

Her sister nodded. Her ratty squeaking seemed to convey agreement. [i]Odd.[/i] As Asteria led them the way they had come into the chamber, back through the burrow and out into the wider cave proper, she considered this issue. Her Mother had never “spoken” or at the very least, Asteria didn’t remember recognizing any of her sounds as holding meaning the same way language would. But her sister had understood her. Was that simply because they were both Dire rats? Even if the other rats had lower intelligence than her previous human identity provided [i]her[/i], they were still the same species. But perhaps there was such a thing as a monster tongue with which she could not only convey ideas to other Dire rats, regardless of whether they would comprehend the complexity of what she might say to them, but also communicate with the other monsters. It was a shame she hadn’t tried to do so with the lizard, but it hadn’t exactly given any opportunity to do so. Perhaps she would simply make more of an effort to try speaking properly with her sister…

As for the cave itself, it offered several opportunities. There was a very distant light, which Asteria assumed led to the cave’s exit, but the light from there was small and steadily disappearing as the night time progressed. Somewhat closer was a fire, but the numerous goblins she could see around it were an obvious sign of danger. Goblins were surely the most dangerous predators of the cave, for they could use tools and therefore advance in a way the rest of them couldn’t, not yet. That fire was to be avoided for now. There were a scant few bluish crystals here and there and Asteria had the impression that there had been more before, but she couldn’t be entirely sure as she hadn’t paid much attention to them when her survival had been her focus. Well, her survival still was her focus. But now, she also wanted to know more about this world. 

Asteria intended to head towards the lake, but as it so happened, she passed a certain crystal cluster, in front of which was a male Dire rat. He stared at the crystals intently and Asteria found his behaviour peculiar indeed. He also smelled familiar, but she wasn’t certain whether he was also a sibling of hers or not. She looked from her sister towards the male rat and back again. Asteria observed him with as much intent as he used to stare at the crystals. Was he…a mentally unsound example of their species? Or did his purposeful inspection of a foreign object indicate a higher than average intelligence as far as Dire rats were concerned? Asteria was a bit regretful right now that she had not tried ascertaining what the regular Dire rats were capable of, which she supposed she could have done by observing her siblings while they were all in the nest. However, she could still rely on her sister and this strange male Dire rat to provide her with some basic information. Once she ascertained the male was done with whatever he had been doing, Asteria approached, hoping her sister would recognize her desire to socialize with him and would follow her cue. Carefully and with purpose, she tried sounding out [color=F0E68C]“Sib…Sibling?”[/color] She looked from her sister towards the unknown male. Her question was obviously intended for the male Dire rat, but Asteria wondered if either of the rats would understand the verbal communication she had attempted.

[@Searat][@Jobst]