The crystal was still giving her that tingly feeling as she held it, but something was definitely different. She could feel as the tingles merged with the smoother energy that now sat inside her and was subsumed by it. It felt like the crystal's energy was helping her recover faster, and perhaps increasing her energy-strength overall? She wasn’t sure just yet, but it seemed good.

The thinker’s scent interrupted her thoughts surprisingly quickly. She had barely left the cave when she smelled them. She was a good distance from where she had left them before.

I guess they didn’t wait.

Not that she’d really expected them too. It confirmed her theory that just willing the thoughts at people wasn’t going to be a winning communication strategy. She needed an alternative. Making the gibbering noises was out, for the moment at least. Maybe with a lot of practice? She didn’t have high hopes.

What did that leave her with?

There had been other components to the communication she had witnessed.

Their facial movement was part of it. Their faces showed at least where their focus lay, which was similar to other creatures, but there was more to it. They had many interesting ways of moving and contorting their faces, which clearly had some meaning. She wasn’t sure about what though.

Thinking on it more she realized that her… former… siblings had also shown some rudimentary communication this way as well, what with the baring of teeth, scrunching of the face, or hissing. Nothing complicated, but in a way, they were telling her to go away or move out of a desired spot. She hadn’t really thought about it as the proper transmission of thought because the understanding had just been instinctual, but it really was, wasn't it? It had communicated with her on the level of instinct rather than thought, but that didn't make it any less true communication.

Maybe… they had had some thoughts… just simpler?

She… really didn’t want to consider that right now.

This instinctual knowledge probably wouldn’t be as helpful with the thinkers, given that they were very different from her in their physical forms. She’d already figured out that baring of the teeth wasn’t necessarily hostile with them, despite her feeling like it was.

Their limb movement was also involved. Specifically when the female had indicated in a direction with her foreleg (or perhaps she should call it an… arm? It wasn’t like she’d ever seen the thinker walk on it.) and the male had gone over to the spot indicated. It was clear that the gibbering (perhaps she should categorize it differently, it wasn't simple noise and she was sure it was communication at this point.. perhaps speaking? or talking?) had played a part in the instruction, but she had been able to understand that the limb pointing indicated a direction. Or a location. Something like that.

In a way, that specific part of the thought had indeed made its way to her through the gesture, even if the rest of it, contained in the gibbering somehow, did not.

Well, she could move her limbs and point them at things. Could she communicate anything with just that? She could contort her face too, but wanted to better understand the expressions before she tried too much on that front.

She thought about her options.

What would I be able to understand, if only through gestures?

Maybe relations? Like, if rocks were pointed at, she would think about rocks, and if a spot was pointed at afterward… perhaps she would think they wanted her to move the rocks to the indicated spot? Or perhaps it could mean that she would find more rocks over in that location.

The scent was getting fresher as she thought. She was starting to get closer. Her heart was beating faster in excitement as her mind raced.

Perhaps I could point at legs and then somewhere else to tell them to move there? Or maybe they would just think there were legs over in that direction…

She realized there had been another type of gesture too, when the female had offered her its food.

She had held the food and extended it toward her, and the intention had been decently clear.

She could do that one too!

Although she didn’t want to give them the crystal. It was her crystal. She just wanted to show them the crystal.

Maybe she should go hunt something and give them that! She could offer them food in return for what she’d been given!

She decided to do just that before their meeting.