[FIN] On the Edge

[SerinaNight]

Shadowed Moon listened with a smile to Mourning Fog's explanation. It seemed most of them came here for the same reason. Watching Mourning Fog he could tell that the other buck was contemplating the same thing he had been. It seemed he wasn't the only one who didn't have the strongest connection to the swamp.

As Cold-Blood answered the question he smiled and nodded, the scuffle he heard was explained. He did however wonder why a buck would attack the doe. He couldn't fathom the idea of attacking another for just a disagreement. It seemed wrong to him. Well, all kimeti were different, just like Cold-Blood's snakes.

As the doe asked her own question Shadowed Moon grinned sheepishly. "I actually answered that with my previous answer. I was sleeping." He laughed to himself before continuing. "I've been drawn to the moon since before I left my sack. I find myself the most comfortable around the edges of the swamp on any hill bathed in moonlight." He smiled, his sheepishly look left on his face. "I can't really sleep anywhere else."  

[[.Lady of Shalott.]]

Rabbit was increasingly troubled by the other's revelations of feeling the Wrong too. Cold Blood seemed to have the most feeling for it, but it seemed to at least nag the others in the back of their mind. Troubling, indeed.

"My dreams, too, have become troubling," he replied, unsure of the relevancy at this point. "I have left my companions to venture out this Strangeness."  

[Darkmoon Dancer]

She listened to all of the answers, but was still not satisfied. None of this eased her emotions any. The predator and herself had had their own encounter, and that was theirs to deal with and remember or forget, but she could understand that the others came out to investigate.

She nodded at Shadowed Moon. He said everything felt normal to him. "True, you did say that. So you do not feel anything amiss, then. Perhaps there is just a calling to some, or perhaps, for that matter, some of us are just feeling something that does not exist. It is all possible." She looked around the group again, but she noticed that the pink buck had more avoided the question than anything.

"Mourning Fog, is it? What of you? Do you sense the Wrong? Or are Rabbit and I feeling something that does not call to all kimeti, and perhaps only to our minds?" She figured that her and Rabbit may be uneasy for other reasons, that coincide with the Swamp's influx of wanderings, but she wanted to see what he had to say before making any decisions.
 

[SerinaNight]

Shadowed Moon realized he may have gave the doe the idea her feeling may have been wrong. He shook his head, he had not intended that. "My connection to the swamp is much smaller then most others. It's the moon that I'm most connected too. Don't doubt yourself because of my failure to connect with the swamp..." He looked a bit sad.

Glancing up at the sky as Cold-Blood directed her question to Mourning Fog he looked for the moon, smiling as he saw it. It was beautiful tonight. Well, at least Shadowed Moon had a connection to something. That was good. He also was good at connecting with others which could be good too, since they often connected him to other things. Like the swamp. If they knew something was wrong he could worry about it too.

Maybe he should pay more attention to the swamp, since it was where he was born. He wasn't really sure how to connect. Maybe he had sleep so close for a reason, so he could meet them and learn more. He'd have to ask Rabbit or Cold-Blood about how it felt, so he could learn to pay more attention. Learning from experience and others was a good thing to do when you could.  

[[.Lady of Shalott.]]

This was troubling. Was it something that only a few kimeti who were attuned to the swamp, or was it some disease, spreading throughout the population.

Watching Shadowed-Moon smile at the moon, Rabbit thought that maybe he was connected to the swamp. He was born to it, and had never left. He felt it's heartbeat in his hooves, and felt it's pain right now.

"The Motherfather is worrying me. I hope it does not last too much longer. Maybe this is just a hiccup?"

 

[SerinaNight]

Shadowed Moon looked at Rabbit, he was mentioning the swamp. Nodding a look of worry moved across Shadowed Moon's face. "I wonder what we should do..." He said softly to himself. How could they find out what was really going on? He didn't want to interrupt Cold-Blood so he turned to Rabbit.

"Maybe later we can go and look around. Follow our feeling to see if we can find something... wrong? Not wrong? Figure things out or something..." He wasn't being to loud but he was being loud enough the others, not including Rabbit who he was talking too and could obviously hear him, might be able to hear if they were paying attention.  

[elufae]

Mourning Fog's brow furrowed as the doe spoke. When she directed her question at him, his head perked up to look at her in the eye. "I..uh.." he stumbled over his words, unsure of himself now. "I've never heard the swamp like some others do..I mean, I feel something but..I can't be sure. It's..never happened before.." he said shaking his head.

He listened to Shadowed Moon speak of his connection to the great orb in the night sky and looked up absently at it. Almost every kimeti was connected to the swamp. Connected to something, like Shadowed and the Moon. But Mourning Fog didn't feel any sort of strong connection. It made him feel detached. Alone.  

[Darkmoon Dancer]

She nodded once more at Shadowed Moon, more sincerely this time. She had not meant to insult him or make him look a liar or an outcast, she merely accepted what he said to have been all that he had needed to say. She guessed that not every kimeti divulged necessary information when they spoke, and made a note to herself to keep this in mind in the future.

"Yes, Mourning Fog, I understand. There is something.... different. Something that has been stirred, perhaps too early, or at the wrong time in a different manner. But is there really anything we can do? Other than wait and see?" The doe did not think so. If something were to happen, then it would happen. "Mother Swamp's will, will be done. We just have to hope we are over-dramatizing the scenario, if you ask me," She knew this sounded contradictory to what she had said earlier, and so added for clarity, "Not that I think these signs are null and void. They mean something, but I think I shall not be dwelling on mine."
 

[SerinaNight]

Shadowed Moon nodded. He felt tired all of a sudden, he really wanted to go lie down and sleep again. All this talk of worries about the swamp was beginning to get him down. He needed the comfort of a moonlit hill and a nice nap.

Forcing himself to repress his yawn he smiled at Cold-Blood. Her smile finally seemed sincere and it made him quite happy to see her being less awkward. He would have to make sure that next time he specified things like that, so not to cause unwanted problems.

"Maybe we can all pay attention and see if we are pulled to anything, see if we can come across what may be causing this." He paused, looking up at the sky and laughed to himself. "Though I doubt I will be pulled anywhere useful, since I'm feeling quite tired all of a sudden. Not sure why, I was pretty awake a moment ago." He pondered the situation, maybe he was beginning to feel...?  

[[.Lady of Shalott.]]

Rabbit just shook his head. He had been traveling for a long time, searching for the wrong, and it was everywhere. Sometimes it felt like the source was at the very spot he stood, and other times it was elusive, like it was just ahead.

"The source of the Wrong, whatever it is, is bigger than any kimeti, I think. Hopefully it is just a passing thing, and we will only be troubled for a short while," he said to both Shadowed Moon and the rest.
 

[elufae]

Mourning Fog looked to each of them with a troubled expression. Was Shadowed Moon looking sleepy? Perhaps it was late, yes? But all this talk of the swamp changing had the pink and lavender buck worried. And Rabbit's words..bigger than any kimeti? Although it calmed him that it could just be passing, Mourning Fog couldn't help but think of what could happen. Catastrophic events? He sidled back and forth in nervous anticipation. His movements agitated Sunwing, who nuzzled the buck in an effort to calm him. Remembering his companion, the buck calmed and looked to Cold Blood and Rabbit, who seemed to feel the swamp the best out of all of them.

"So...what do we do? Just..wait?"  

[Darkmoon Dancer]

The doe had been having... dreams... that much was true, but she was not about to share the details of such with others, as she thought that everyone would have a different opinion on what her dream meant. She felt better sitting down to look at the happenings of the swamp and mulling over the signs herself. As far as she was concerned, her dream was a sign of some sort of change, and a rather ominous one at first, but she was sure it was going to end well. What else could the crane symbolize in her dream?

She shook her head also, and replied calmly, "My dreams have always ended with cranes, the soul symbol of Mother Swamp. So I have no fears as to what is in store. I think it may not look good at first, but it will work out in the end. In all essence though, I do not believe there is anything we can do but wait. So this is what I will do. Now if you will excuse me and my companions, we will be on our way. I believe that Shadowed Moon has the right idea," she nodded at his yawn, implying sleep, "May the Swamp smile upon you all." And with that, the mysterious huntress turned and left the company that had practically made her itch. Not that they were a bad group... she just... wasn't comfortable with so many kimeti in the same place at the same time.

She was off to find a nice boulder to lie on, planning to look out onto the sandy expanse beyond the swamp's borders once more. Perhaps her next dream would be more revealing than her last.
 

[[.Lady of Shalott.]]

"I agree," added Rabbit to Cold Blood's statement. "The best any of us can do is wait this out, whatever this is." Bowing good-bye to the remaining kimeti, Rabbit turned around to find a place to rest.
 

[elufae]

Mourning Fog was disheartened by their answers. But would he act if he could change the swamp? What could he do? Deciding they were right, he bid his own farewells and returned to his home but could not sleep that night.  

[SerinaNight]

Shadowed Moon nodded with another yawn at the doe's idea of sleep. Normally he wouldn't be so rude around company but he couldn't help it. For some reason he was just so tired he didn't really care. Bidding the others farewell as they left he wandered back over to his moon lite hill. The light was still lingering. He smiled and settled down to sleep.

Shadowed Moon was by the edge of the swamp, staring into the mucky water. Despite the moon being high in the sky there was no reflection beneath his gaze. Something felt strange, normally the moon often came to touch the Swamp during it's nightly journey. Was something wrong? As he stepped into the thick muck to search for a reflection he thought he saw a glimmer of silver light.

Opening his eyes slowly Shadowed awoke from his dream with confusion. He had never had a dream like this since his naming while deep inside his sack. Had he experienced what the others had? Despite the idea that he may be sharing the worry he couldn't help but feel hope. The glimmer of light had lite his spirit and helped calm his worry to the point of peaceful sleep. He closed his eyes again and began to drift back, wondering what it all meant.