As they ventured deeper into the cave, Ava was struck by its vastness. However, instead of the darkness she had anticipated, the cave was filled with a soft, ethereal light. This gentle illumination didn't seem to emanate from any cracks or openings but rather from the mountain walls themselves, which glowed with an otherworldly radiance.
"It's so beautiful, Amon," Ava breathed, her eyes wide with wonder. "I'm not mistaken – the stone wall is shining." She reached out to touch the glowing stone beneath her hand and observed that not all the stones were luminous; only those with a layer of white on their surface emitted this soft light. Intrigued, Ava used her stone knife to pry off a small piece of the glowing stone. Holding it in her hand, she confirmed that it indeed emitted a soft, white light.
"It's amazing – the stone is glowing," Ava exclaimed. "Could it be that the stone formations have some kind of luminescent or phosphorescent properties?"
Amon looked at her with a mixture of confusion and curiosity, asking, "Ava, do you know why it shines?"
Ava smiled, "I don't know why it glows, but from where I come from, there are certain things in nature that glow." She went on to explain, "Luminescent things can shine without generating heat, while phosphorescent things shine after being exposed to the sun and absorbing the sun's heat."
Amon's eyes widened in admiration, "Your people are amazing – they know a lot of things." Ava's smile faltered for a moment as she remembered that she was now in the beastworld for good and was a part of the Sun Gold tribe, which didn't possess this knowledge. She decided to let it pass, doubting she would encounter anyone from her there again.
Ava's excitement grew as she imagined the potential uses of these luminous stones. She envisioned creating lamps for her home at night, which would be especially useful for the females whose eyesight wasn't as keen as the beastmen's.
As they turned a corner, they were met with a breathtaking sight. In the center of the large cave lay a circular water pool, approximately three and a half meters in diameter. The soft light from the walls danced across the pool's surface, creating an ethereal ambiance. The entire cave floor was covered with a thick layer of white, grainy crystals that sparkled like snow.
Ava's curiosity got the better of her, and she knelt down to investigate the crystals. They didn't feel like ice or sand, and upon closer inspection, she realized they looked familiar. Picking up a lump of crystal, she put it in her mouth, and her eyes widened in surprise.
"Amon, come closer – look at this," Ava said, holding out the crystal for him to examine. Amon's curiosity was piqued, and he carefully studied the crystal, but he couldn't quite place it. It wasn't until Ava popped it into his mouth that his eyes lit up with recognition.
"Salt?!" Amon exclaimed, his voice filled with excitement. "Ava, is that salt?" Ava nodded enthusiastically, a wide smile spreading across her face.
Long before Ava came, both Amon and his friend Aden, didn't bother to eat what they thought then was sand, and if Ava did not come he never would have bothered to try it. So naturally, he didn't know that these crystals were the salt they wanted. The realization dawned on Amon that this discovery would change everything for their tribe. They would no longer have to embark on long journeys to the sea to trade with the merfolk for salt, and the females wouldn't have to live on raw blood during times of scarcity.
Ava's excitement began to calm down as she walked over to the edge of the pool, gazing out at the crystal-clear water. She wondered if this could be a salt spring, recalling her knowledge of hyper-saline lakes and ponds from her previous world. She thought of the Dead Sea, where people couldn't sink due to the high density of the water. Ava's curiosity got the better of her, and she threw the stone she was holding into the pool.
"Wow, the stone didn't sink!" Ava exclaimed, her eyes wide with wonder. The density of the water was indeed higher than regular water, and Ava's mind began to whirl with the possibilities this discovery presented.
The dim, ethereal light of the luminous rocks in salt cave flickered softly against the crystalline walls, casting shimmering reflections across the still surface of the saline pool. The air was warm, tinged with minerals and the faint crackle of energy from the salt lamps embedded in the rock.
Ava stood at the edge of the pool, barefoot, her fingertips brushing the cool surface. The water was unnaturally clear, almost glowing from the minerals suspended within it.
"They said it's so buoyant you can't sink," she mused aloud, glancing back at Amon with a mischievous glint in her eye.
Amon stood a few steps away, arms crossed, clearly unsure. "Still. It's a cave pool full of salt., a person may still drown"
Without further warning, Ava stepped forward and jumped in.
A splash echoed off the cave walls. Amon's heart shot up into his throat.
"Ava!" he shouted, rushing to the edge.
But before he could even finish the thought, she surfaced with a wide grin on her face, floating with ease.
"It works!" she called, laughing. "It's like lying on air."
Amon didn't hear the words. His panic had already taken hold. All he saw was her head dipping under the surface and resurfacing—too casually, he thought. He didn't wait. He dove in after her, skin skirts and all.
The cold rush of the salty water hit him hard, throwing off his balance. He surfaced near her, eyes wild, arms reaching out.
"Amon?! What are you—?" Ava started, shocked.
"You—You jumped in! I didn't know you could—" His voice faltered as his hand brushed her shoulder, the two of them bobbing awkwardly on the surface.
Their bodies drifted together in the oddly weightless water. In his frantic movement to steady them both, Amon slipped slightly—his head coming too close. Their faces aligned in a sudden, unexpected way.
Then, accidentally, his lips met hers.
It was barely a second—an unintentional brush of mouths as both their eyes widened in disbelief. They broke apart instantly, water rippling between them.
"I—sorry—I didn't mean to—" Amon stammered, looking away.
Ava blinked, stunned and breathless, her fingers touching her lips as she floated. "It's... fine. I mean, it was... an accident"
They both went silent.
Only then did they realize: they were still floating. Perfectly still. Weightless.
"We're not sinking," Amon said, almost surprised.
"Told you," Ava whispered.
A long beat passed. The cave echoed with the sound of slow-dripping water.
"We should, uh... probably get out," Amon said.
"Yeah. Probably."
They swam—more like drifted—toward the edge of the pool and climbed out in silence. Amon's soaked animal hide skirt clung to him. Ava tried wring out her skirt without undressing, trying not to glance in his direction. He didn't look at her either—at least not directly.
Both stood for a moment, dripping and flushed, caught between confusion, embarrassment, and something else neither could quite name.
The salt cave around them remained quiet, the water calm once again.
Of course! Here's the **narrative continuation** of the story in the format you described, expanding on the earlier scene with **400+ words**, starting from when Ava and Amon leave the hidden cave:
Afterwards, they both left the hidden cave in silence, the air between them thick with unspoken thoughts. Amon trailed just a step behind, still wringing out this skirt, while Ava kept her gaze ahead, pretending not to replay that accidental kiss over and over in her mind.
Once they returned to the tribe, Ava headed straight to the bird farm. The sun was high now, and the birds were chirping noisily, fluttering about as Kael tended to their feed.
Ava didn't waste a moment. She walked straight up to him and thrust a small dried sample of the white crystal into his hand.
"Taste it," she ordered.
Kael raised an eyebrow, amused by her sudden intensity, but obliged. He tapped the edge of it with his tongue—and immediately paused.
As if something clicked, he grabbed Ava's arm with rare urgency. "Ava, this is..."
"Salt," she said firmly. "This is salt."
Kael's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, and then—almost like a dam bursting—he fired off questions without pause: "Where did you find it? How many? How did you even come across this? You..."
Seeing Kael, usually indifferent and detached, nearly bursting with excitement made Ava shift uncomfortably, she has only ever seen him angry. She pressed a hand to his chest. "Kael. Calm down. Calm down. I'll tell you everything, just... slow down."
She pulled him to the shade of a nearby tree. As if flipping a switch, Kael's demeanor returned to his usual composed self. Ava sat with him beneath the canopy and spoke in a hushed but eager voice. She described the hidden saline pool in the cave, the strange glowing stones embedded in the walls, and the effortless way the water could float even a full-grown man. Her eyes lit up as she talked about the idea of using the luminous stones to light homes at night—no more smoky torches, no more wasted oils.
Kael listened intently, and when she finished, he smiled faintly. Wordlessly, he pulled her into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder.
"It's good to have you," he murmured. "You're so smart... The Beast God must have favored you, your always discovering such good things."
Ava didn't respond at first, leaning into the comfort of his embrace.
Later that afternoon, the two of them—joined by Amon—set off to inform the shaman and the tribe leader. As they made their way through the village outskirts and toward the forest, they ran into George and the hunting team, returning from a successful hunt. A strange long eared animal was slung over his shoulder and a bundle of fresh game on his back.
"Where are you headed?" George asked, falling into step beside them.
"We've got something to show the elders," Amon said with a rare smile.
Curious, George handed over the game to the other beastmen and joined them.
Kael and the others followed Ava and Amon through a winding, narrow path that twisted through mossy rocks and thick undergrowth. The terrain grew more rugged, more secluded, it was clear this wasn't a place the tribe ventured often.
Eventually, they arrived at a jagged outcrop, where Amon reached behind a veil of vines and revealed a narrow entrance, half-hidden by time. One by one, they slipped inside.
What awaited them in the darkness was otherworldly—the glowing salt cave, bathed in natural light from the crystals, and the still, gleaming pool at its heart.
Kael, George, the tribe leader and even the stoic shaman stood silently for a moment, awestruck.
And beside them, Ava and Amon exchanged a glance—brief, uncertain, but charged with something neither of them yet had the words for.