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Entrant Usernames: Starrydance & Shaddaling
Kin 1's Name: Maple Heart
Three Personality Keywords: Hopeful, Devoted, Shy
Short Personality Blurb:
Too shy to speak her true feelings, Maple Heart gives her all to others. Patient with wandering speakers, cloudy headed dreamers, and ponderous talkers, she sidesteps other relationships for her heart is devoted to Wild Fell. Thinking he loves her not, she mopes around the swamp with wistful sighs.


Kin 2's Name: Wild Fell
Three Personality Keywords: Steady, Big Hearted,
Short Personality Blurb: Keep this to a paragraph at most.
Not the most elegant speaker, Wild Fell is cautious and halting, slow to finish a sentence in order to not offend. At times words fail and he can blurt things out in order to evade a truth, afraid of rejection. He has a large and soft heart, wanting to provide help to all the denizens of the swamp. He is steady in the face of physical danger and mostly in the face of rising tempers. At times he can fall apart around Katie because she is Katie and the most beautiful creature in the swamp.
Closest friend, best friend
Entry:

Maple and Fell were familiar sights on long walks around the swamp, friends since they were young together. It became quite the gossip, her glancing at him wistfully - and he too tonguetied to ever speak his heart.

And as they stop under a great fruit tree one day in the heat of summer, bearing juicy mangos, Fell stops and out of desperation, Fell says “'Maple, Maple there is a spirit in this tree and I love her.”


Maple was stunned, staring at him as the hope faded from her eyes, “A… a tree? What about this …. tree?”

Fell replied, “Well, she is stunning and strong and always there for me, what is there not to like about her?" For these are traits that he sees in Maple and loves dearly.

Staring at the tree, and back to her friend, Maple Heart just nodded sadly, "Well, then, we shall have to walk here every day then...."


"We shall," Fell replied and pondered if he should have proclaimed his love to a different tree. If he had proclaimed love for a maple, would his Maple had understood that he had spoken about her?

Each day, Maple faithfully walked with him to his tree, eyeing it with rather a tinge of jealousy! However - Fell was her dearest friend, and if this was his choice - she was going to support him.

Fell looked at the tree, and plucked two mangos, giving one to Maple and keeping one for himself. "Maple, I love this tree. She always provides for me." He proclaimed, for Maple had always been there to provide for him as he provided for her.

Almost feeling like kicking the mango tree, Maple sighed and nibbled the sweet fruit, nodding to him a bit mopily.

"I am glad she takes care of you so...."


"That she does," Fell replied, and eats his mango, at lost in how to proclaim his love to Maple. When both finish, he takes Maple back to their den and picks her flowers, so she can have sweet dreams.

The next day, Fell and Maple walk back to the tree and he says, "Maple, I think I met my life mate.”

Eyes shining with wonder, Maple asks with a heart full of warmth, "Yes? You think so? Is it m...ah... the tree?"

"Would you be upset if I said it was the tree?" Fell questioned, wondering if she would say what he hoped to hear.

"The.... heart wants what the heart... wants." Her tone turned syrupy sweet, trying to be supportive and yet despair washed over.

Fell swallowed, seeking the words lodged in his throat. “Maple... Maple, it, it is really you. I want you to be my life mate. But, he couldn't get the words out of his mouth and simply nodded, agreeing. "The heart does want."

Heaving a soft sigh, "I understand. Well... should I ... leave you... two alone?"

Fell looked at the tree and shook his head, turning to Maple. "No, let's go home."






A few nights later as they finished their walk, a grumbling storm was brewing! The night, and day after were full of lightning, thunder, and a downpour of fierce rain!


They stayed in the den till the storm had passed before stepping out and headed toward the tree.


Coming around the bend first, Maple spied the tree and gasped, "Oh no! Oh no! dont look!"

"Maple?" Fell question, confused, and stopping at his close friends request, concerned at her tone. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh! oh no! Im so sorry...."

"Maple?" Fell stepped forward and looked out at the wreckage of the tree. "Ooh." He wasn’t sure what to say.


Walking up to it, nosing along it. "Oh poor thing, your love!"

Fell walked around the tree, pausing to nibble at some leaves and then walked around it again. "Ooh." What should he say?

Watching him with wide tear touched eyes, she sighed sadly, "What can we do? Surely we can... I mean... oh indeed..."

"Maple, it is okay... it happens." Fell walked over to her and coughed, trying to find his words. "I'm.... just glad it wasn't you."

"We can do something... surely..." walks around to it see if somehow it could be lifted, saved, clearly upset that his tree has fallen.

"Maple...everything I said... it was really about you." Fell called out, words rushed and pawing sheepishly at the ground.

Blinking over the trunk, "What? What was about me?"


"That you are perfect and always there and provided for me and I love you." Fell said, words tumbling out in a rush. “I love you.”

Staring at him, she stammered out, "You dont love a tree?!"

"I just said that because I wanted to make you jealous because you weren't hearing my hints about loving you." Fell proclaimed.

"But... but I love you?!"


“You do? I wasn't sure! Well, if you loved me outside of being friends." Fell perked up slightly.

"Of course I do! Why else would I put up with a wild idea of a tree mate?!"

"I don't know?" Fell said, confused and sheepish. "It was sort of the only thing I could think of."
Fell coughs. "I... I am glad, Maple. That we finally got to say how we both feel.”

And then Maple and Fell became true mates and explored the swamp together helping anyone in need.

And everyone lived happily ever after!

Entrant Usernames: Ryuukishin, xxx Yuki Bear xxx, -Diamond-Elephant-
Kin 1's Name: Splits the Surface (Mermaid)
Three Personality Keywords: Detached, pragmatic, steadfast

Kin 2's Name: Take My Legs (Maiden)
Three Personality Keywords: Self-sacrificing, fretful, affectionate

Kin 3's Name: Find the Pearl (Foam)
Three Personality Keywords: Wistful, dreamy, melancholic

Entry:

• PURIFICATION
  Surface set alight the gathered clump of milkweed, using their borrowed salamander’s fire. “For hope—“
  
  “—in misery,” Pearl finished. And hope indeed they would need, for they asked the impossible.
  
  “May the area be purified,” Take announced, when the scent grew strong enough to send the salamander scuttling to its cave, her head bowed.
  
  
• MARK
  The three worked in unison, putting nose and hoof to the damp earth; they orbited the burning milkweed, rendering a circle. They were so close that Pearl’s tail brushed against Split’s cheek, and their steps so practiced that the end of all three's arcs touched the start of the other’s in the same moment.
  
  “Let this area within this circle be marked,” Take said, stepping back, “as sacred.”
  
  
• REQUEST
  “We love each other greatly,” Take began. “But we cannot do this on our own,” Splits added, a frown upon her features and a determined light in her eyes.
  
  “O’ MotherFather, we ask for a child to call our own,” Pearl called out, and though her voice betrayed her uncertainty at first, by the end of their request, it rang strong and true.
  
  
• SACRIFICE
  “I ask that our child be healthy.” Three scales, freshly pulled from Pearl's back, are placed neatly into the center of the circle beside the milkweed.
  
  “I ask that our child know the warmth of our home.” Tufts of Take's mane are placed near the center, cut from her body earlier that day as she made to gather supplies for their nest.
  
  “And I ask that our child have fortitude.” The long body of a caiman is added, circling the scales, fur, and milkweed. It took three days and three nights for Splits to fell it, and the effects of the struggle was marked on them both. A worthy trade, she thought. One life for another.
  
  
• BIND
  “And now, we give blood to link us to our child,” they said in unison, heads raised skyward. “So that there is no doubt that it is our own,” Splits added as they each closed in on the circle.
  
  Pearl held her head directly above the offerings, blood dripping from her muzzle from a bitten tongue. It was a small price to pay. Splits' side was already scored from her battle with the creature, and she reopened the wound to let the blood fall free. That will do, she thought. Take gave more, dashing her hoof against her leg and watching as blood gushed forth into the center of the circle. The pain is worth it, and she would have given it all if that was what it took.
  
  
• SEND
  Soon the blood was so great that it slid from the center and began to fill their circle. Take left, and returned a moment later with a young crane resting on her back. Its wings were overly large and clumsy, and one could see signs of a recently healed injury upon one shoulder.
  
  “We have mended you as best we can, friend,” Pearl said. “Would you do us this favor, and fly?”
  
  The crane blinked down at her. It had not flown since they found it, and they had never practiced; they knew that once it left, it would never come back.
  
  For a moment it seemed as if they’d fail: first the crane did nothing, and even when it made an attempt it could not gain lift, no matter how hard it flapped. On the third try, however, it finally rose to its full length, and took wing.
  
  “Our message flies to the MotherFather now.” They each stepped back from the circle, heads bowed low.
  
  
• CLOSE
  “I thank you for listening, whatever decision you make,” Take said, giving her mates an affectionate look. She broke the circle with a hoof, departing first.
  
  “Thank you,” Splits said simply; she had nothing to say that had not already been said. What will be, she thought, will be. She made another break in the circle, and was the second to depart.
  
  Pearl said nothing but instead lingered a moment, watching their handy work with pale eyes. Please, she prayed, her heart full. She made the final break and turned to follow after her loves.

Entrant Usernames: Minsuil, thyPOPE, Amorpheous

Kin 1's Name: Song Without Sound
Three Personality Keywords: Naive, Stubborn, Somber

Kin 2's Name: Feet Without Hooves
Three Personality Keywords: Complaisant, Distractible, Optimistic

Kin 3's Name: Soul Without Body
Three Personality Keywords: Deliberate, Self-Possessed, Merciful

Entry:

Seekers of knowledge, listen closely, for if you bend your ear to the sea and listen to the mangroves as they touch the water, then you will hear a whisper of how to grasp knowledge from the MotherFather. But first you must pay the price, for no knowledge comes freely.
- The Writing On the Yarrow Bark

Before the price can be paid, the battle fought, the knowledge won, these offerings must be found and a special item for each, a symbol of the knowledge sought:

• 1 clear crystal of any size to represent the concentration needed to facilitate learning
  
• 1 smooth pebble with a natural hole in the middle to represent the years of patience and study needed to acquire knowledge
  
• 1 shark’s tooth to show willingness to represent the fight for understanding
  
• 1 seed, 1 living plant, and 1 dried plant to acknowledge the cycle of knowledge and understanding
  
• 1 hollowed-out-gourd filled with sea water gathered during the full-moon of the winter solstice to placate the MotherFather for the theft of knowledge

Having gathered the objects needed for the spell, the three does meet on an island, in a pond, in the center of the swamp.

"So we've come," said the first, and she placed the river stone with a hole in its center down on the ground."

Yes," said the second, "we have." And she dipped the clear crystal into the gourd with the sea water, and placed it atop the stone.

The third, without speaking, held the sharktooth in her mouth and bit down so it cut her lip. She let a single drop hit the crystal, before she passed it to the first. The first did the same, and passed the tooth to the second, and the second did the same.

They placed the plants - one seed, one living, and one dried - around the stone and crystal.

And so they began, chanting in unison:

”Oh, MotherFather, watching all around,
Guardian of the light, love your children and
Forgive us for wanting more than we have been given.
We stand now in supplication.”

Each dipped a hoof into the gourd of water before continuing:

”Oh, twelve starborn, watching from above,
Impart on us, that which we seek,
Knowledge true, clear and bright,
Make that which was weak in us strong.”

Turning their faces towards the stars, they paused, then each took out the object they had brought.

The first brought a conch shell, carrier of wind-song:

"MotherFather, the first sound and living song,
Grant me and my ears knowledge
So that I may know the meaning of sound."

The second brought a frog with a line down its back, caught between water and land:

"MotherFather, the gliding crane and biting mite,
Grant me and my heart knowledge
So that I may know balance between compassion and overinvestment."

The third brought a bone, cleanly broken, severed but ripe for healing:

"MotherFather, the distant moon and hidden maker,
Grant me and my soul knowledge
So that I may know how to move on."

Each let another drop of blood fall onto their objects before chanting together:

“Night wrought and hoof fought,
Bring knowledge that we sought to know.

Teeth caught and blood bought,
May knowledge not lay us low.”

So it was done.