Lacking the Animal Meta instinct, Aislin couldn't quite understand Jaska's feelings of utter success at his kill. But his enthusiasm literally burst from his face, contagiously so. Aislin had to smile back. [b]"I can't say I've tried raw deer before, but you must have been so fast to catch it! That's impressive, Jaska."[/b] 

The moment she brought up the exploration Jaska shut down. Well, not literally, but he wouldn't meet her eyes. In a mumbling tone he said something about having the freedom to do what he wanted, but Aislin knew there was more to it. It sounded like he had a falling out with the other kids already. She remembered when that was her constantly back in grade school. Kids were just so cliquey, sometimes it was only luck that got friends. 

A twinge of relief reflected behind her eyes when Jaska perked up to the mentioning of cave exploration. She acknowledged the fact that kids have beautifully short attention spans, Meta or not. Whatever bothered him before was forgotten briefly as he heartily declared he'd lead them there. He was even up for some competition. [i]"Alright, race ya!"[/i]

Jaska took off through the tree branches, Aislin quickly gliding after him along the jungle floor. How he moved was very fascinating to watch, a mix of quick claw work (that likely left the meanest scratches on the bark) and aerial assists. This was the first time Aislin had really seen Jaska's wings at full length. The speed he could get out of them was crazy as he leaped off each branch. 

Aislin's movement wasn't nearly as fancy, or even as fast. She could gain good speeds using the world like a longboard, leaned forward as the bubble effortlessly rolled inches above the ground. But she could only go as fast as she could connect to the new earth under foot. Reckless speeding up didn't allow the animation to really take root in new dirt, dissolving her power just as quick. 

Jaska's top speed was out of her reach, but for the most part she could keep up with him as they darted through the foliage. The forest trembled in the aftermath as they raced each other through trees and around huge rocks, not as concerned with where they went as much as the journey there. Keeping Jaska's flying monkey moves in the corner of her eye, Aislin was able to enjoy the jungle they flew by. Rosebushes passed them by, as well as fruit trees bearing little oranges. At one part the trees opened up to a clearing with babbling spring water flowing downhill. At another Aislin swore she saw a mushroom the size of her head. But after a good amount of time, they stumbled across something promising. 

The side of a cliff face was littered with large holes that descended deeper into the darkness, and a smell of cool humid air drifted up from their openings. Aislin grinned from ear to ear the moment she saw it, slowing down and stepping off her bubble as it merged back into the earth. [b]"Jaska, you led us right to the caves. We made it!"[/b]

Jogging up to the nearest entrance, Aislin gently put a hand against the stone wall and leaned her head in, trying to spy how quick the floor dropped. Some openings had ladders leading down, others with steps built into the side. It looked steep, so as long as they took it slow Aislin was sure they'd be fine. 

Smiling again, she took another gulp of lush cave air, drinking it in. [b]"Ah, can you smell it? I bet some of these cave systems have underground springs. Maybe even hot springs, if the Academy considered it."[/b]

Aislin gave the little Meta a wink. [b]"Ready for some real exploring?"[/b] Picking the entrance with the only solid set of stone stairs, Aislin began making her way down. Her hand was glued to the wall as the other side of the stairs held a darkness that gave no indication how far the drop was. But after a thirty-second walk the stairs plateaued out to a small ledge that gave more breathing room from the edge. The various holes of cave entrances from above shone down, illuminating the ledge. Beyond that Aislin saw the path split off a couple ways, and she turned around to wait for Jaska to join her in the cave. He should probably be leading them through this too; she wasn't much for navigating.