[Comm] The Way to Gather Gems

Starlight stood tall, sniffing the air. The faintest whiff of rainwater in the middle of a dry spell let her know the humid quarry was near. The curled-over tree on the trail granted further affirmation that Starlight was on the right path, for Starlight herself had rammed it over with a stout headbutt many years ago to mark her discovery. 

Another pachycephalosaurus followed behind, an eager helper for the strenuous task that await. Snowcap was enthusiastic and wouldn’t take no for an answer as soon as he heard that gemstones await the two dinosaurs, although Snowcap could not describe what gemstones looked like nor what they were for, but Snowcap, proud to show off his knowledge, declared, “They’re absolutely delicious; that’s a fact!”

And so Starlight guided the youth towards the cave. The entrance was subtle: a long, flat boulder weathered by rain pointing towards what appeared to be a mass of untamed brush. But the secret was that past the brush, a dino might find the water that trailed unabated into a tunnel. Starlight hesitated, but briefly. She was not as small as she once was, nor as confident in her ability to catch her footing if she tumbled into the narrow tunnel. Yet as she peeled the overgrowth apart, revealing the cave to her understudy, Snowcap’s eyes themselves became gems, and Starlight knew she’d better accompany him. 

The entrance itself was the tightest squeeze, and following a fight between Starlight’s helmet and the cave’s ceiling (which the ceiling won), she entered a realm of crystals where the faint excursions of sunlight that slipped inside reflected off a million microscopic glints. 

Snowcap, too, glittered with excitement as he entered the world of gems. 

Starlight waved an arm pointing further into the cave. 

“The most obvious gemstones have been taken from this place long ago,” she said whimsically, neglecting to share that this ancient pilferer was, in fact, herself. “But within these caves, you can find treasures larger than your own skull.”

Without waiting, Snowcap stampeded down the cave’s layers. He emitted a loud honk of excitement. A perfect, apple-sized gem was embedded into the wall. Starlight was sure it hadn’t been so exposed before or she would have nabbed it herself, but she was glad that Snowcap’s first visit to the tunnels was rewarding. 

“Headsmash the wall,” Starlight said. “Not too directly; you don’t want to damage the gem. Hit just under the wall, make it rumble. The gems, you see, want to be freed.”

Snowcap nodded vigorously, and then he sillily nodded his head against the rock wall, gently at first, but with increasing force. Chuck. Chuck. Chuck. Chuck. Chuck—crack, crumble! The gemstone rolled down the sloped rock wall until it stopped at Snowcap’s talons. 

Starlight nodded as Snowcap trilled triumphantly. 

“You will learn how to efficiently pry out the gems without breaking them,” she said. “But it takes practice.”

A clumsy clutter of rocks rolled out from somewhere near the entrance as another dinosaur entered. Starlight glanced over warily while Snowcap found a more difficult, but even larger gem, to try out for. A mossy styracosaurus bumbled into the fray with its shield lowered in embarassment, and Starlight simply scoffed, ignoring it for the time being. 

“Urgh!” Snowcap cried out. “That–gem–is–tougher–than–my–head!”

“Hey, hold up!” Starlight exclaimed as Snowcap flung himself headfirst into the gem. 

It was only barely peeking out of the wall, and for the fact that Snowcap’s aggression hadn’t already loosened it free, Starlight knew it was much larger than it appeared. “That’s enough ramming for now. Let’s use our heads.”

Starlight observed the tantalizing gem. She leaped against the wall, striking above it. The cave groaned and crumbs flickered out, but the grand prize before them was stuck. 

“I already tried headbutting around the gem!” Snowcap declared. “It didn’t work. I have to hit the gem itself!”

“Meaningless!” Starlight berated. “A broken gem is worth nothing. There is only value in whole specimens.”

“A gem in the wall is worth nothing, you mean,” Snowcap argued. “C’mon, even if I only get part of it out, that would be better than not having it at all. Let me just –”

Snowcap backed to the far end of the cave, and then galloped towards the hall, his skull in jousting position. The top of his skull was then crashed down by Starlight’s cheap over-head smash from her more developed cranium. Snowcap crumpled to the ground with a defeated, “Oof.”

“Now then… It may take some time, but I’ve never encountered a problem that couldn’t be solved with enough careful headbutting,” Starlight mused. 

“If I may,” interrupted a squeaky sound. It came from the timid styracosaurus. “What if I try to drill around it with my horn?”

Starlight paused.

An interloper? What if they wanted to keep the gem for themself? But she gazed down at Snowcap’s dazed body–still, but only for the time being. No doubt Snowcap would once again try to pry the gem out his own way if given another chance. 

“Very well,” Starlight agreed. 

With a delighted purr, the styracosaurus bounded against the wall and jutted her longest horn into the nook between the gem and the rock. There was a loose part, a hole somewhere inside the wall the gem wobbled against, and it echoed a teasing, hollow response as she wiggled the gem up and down. Her movements seemed practiced.

“Hold the gem up,” Starlight requested.

 “Like this?” the styracosaurus questioned, holding her pose. 

Starlight reared back and smashed her skull into the wall. The styracosaurus leaped against the shock of the impact, but then, the gem pried out. It dropped straight down and stubbed the styracosaurus’ toenail, and it howled in shock.

“Thank you for your help, young one,” said Starlight. 

But the helper was too wounded to respond. Feeling guilty, Starlight went on, “Why don’t you bring that with you, to commemorate your usefulness?”

The styracosaurus shook her head. 

“Thanks, but I’m alright!” she exclaimed. “After all, my own collection of gems is full. See you around!”

Starlight stared at her and tilted her head.

“What do you mean? What do you mean by that?” she asked.

But with that, the horned herbivore strutted off on her way out of the cave, leaving Starlight in the dark.