A rumbling cacophony of stone grating stone roared through snaking cavern tunnels. The stone bullets' path took a new course as the ground beneath it cliffed, sending it through open air. The whistling of wind, subtle from a distance, turned to a screeching howl as the projectile flew ever closer. Its mighty race to the bottom reached its crescendo when it found ground again, the explosive sound crashing against cave wall and rolling through tunnels.

The silence left in its wake was broken by a gentle sound. A knock.

The occupant of the stone container didn’t acknowledge the knock. It paid the sound no more mind than it had the apocalyptic concert that proceeded its arrival. Not until the words came.

“Nobody but you can open the lid. Push your arms out in front of you.”

Arms? Did it have those? The mysterious voice received no response as the one it addressed was lost in wonder and confusion.

A new voice chimed in.

“It’s an idiot. You’ll have to get used to them if you intend to welcome the newcomers. You have to make use of what little it knows.”

This voice spoke faster, its words coming out curt and quickly. Entirely unlike the last voice whose words came out measured and with ease.

“Remember the feeling from sliding in the caves, being shaken and thrown around. Cause that movement yourself. Focus on going forward and recreate that feeling.”

And recreate it did. Disappointing one voice and meeting the expectation of another.

“It's just shaking around.”

“That’s all it takes. Give it a moment.”

The occupant rattled as it smacked itself against the walls of its confines. It pressed against the left side and threw itself into the right. Against the right side and into the left. Eventually it came to the conclusion it was missing an element and pushed against the bottom, springing right into the lid.

With a resounding pop the lid came loose and the two waiting onlookers pulled it off, made aware that the rattle method of opening could only accomplish so much.

For the first time the occupant looked and perceived the world around it. There was no light source in those dark caves but its' hollow eyes didn’t need one. The cavern was large and shaped like an imperfect dome, its walls rough and jutted, colored by grays and browns. The ceiling seemed beyond its reach, so far above that the new skeleton couldn’t make out its details. Before him were two skeletons, exactly alike in looks and shape.

A rough voice spoked first.

“It’s curious, that’s a good quality. It’ll make your job easier.”

“My job? I thought you were going to help me get started?”

“As far as I'm concerned I’ve done all that I can. All that either of us can. Your the one who said it's worth trying to teach the newcomers, the work you do from now on belongs only to you.”

It put a hand on the more idealistic brothers' shoulder.

“Good luck Natus.”

With those parting words Natus was left with the coffin and it’s leering skeleton. Natus watched his kin leave through one of the entrances to the dome like cavern. Turning away Natus addressed his thoroughly uneducated new arrival.

“Lets begin with your name. All of us have a name, it’s how you tell who you are. I am Natus."

Grabbing the lid Natus turned it to show its owner.

“Can you read this?”

The outside of the lid wasn’t like the inside that the young skeleton was familiar with. Instead of the smooth, pitch black surface of the inside, the exterior was a normal, rough, grey stone. Unardorned except for the plaque carved with one word, a word that the skeleton read back with ease.

“Naive.”