[FIN] Surveying the Land (Rain / As the Sun Burns)

[space crawfish]

It was warm today, even in the shade of the willows. Mid-afternoon sun filters down through the treetops, casting dappled shadows over the spring. Soft moss tumbles over gray stones, marked only by cloven hoof prints. The ground is coated in patches of green velvet. Even the trees are growing moss on their gnarled roots. A partially finished wasp nest is constructed in the boughs of the largest tree, but there's no brood inside of it. The owner, decked in yellow and black warning stripes, busies herself with packing more fibers onto the structure. A mound of dried grasses is tucked into the space between tree trunks below the nest. It's almost like the insect built the nest as a shelter, both for her and for her companion. There's an outline of a kin-shaped body pressed into the bedding along with a few wispy white hairs. Even without the glyph carved into the bottom of the tree, it's obvious that someone lives here.

...

Rain half dozes comfortably on a large, flat stone perched over bubbling dark water. Her coat is still slightly damp from the morning. Not like she can complain. If anything, it's helping keep her cool.

Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By My Silence]

The sweet smell of fresh water filled the white bucks nostrils as he lifted his head, eyes closed in bliss as the warm air blew through his mane. The traveler had reached yet another river, a small stream that fed his beloved ocean. It was lovely, mid-day sun sending shards of glittering lights as the crystal-clear water chuckled around the rocks. Small eddies swirled, carrying bits of leaves and a stick or two. Fish leaped, their bravery as bold and as fleeting as the flashes of their scaly tail fins.

He smiled, remembering a story his Kio-Father had told him as a colt, about how fish only showed their true colored when they flew, then hastily hid them away once the water enveloped them.

With a light splash, Watch continued upriver, letting the water lap at his ankles, spraying his coat with crystal droplets. A few tail lengths ahead, the swamp became more evident, its touches leaving behind trails of moss and lichen. The sun sent bright dapples along the grasses, the air held the songs of birds and insects, all singing to the sound of a bubbling spring near by.

But one sound in particular makes his ears p***k up immediately. Insect. Large. Threatening? He didn't know. Watch stepped off the bank and wandered closer to the trees, unaware of the cloven hoof-prints he was treading on, too intrigued to notice the obvious signs of life.

"What...What is that?"  

[space crawfish]

Nest walls and neat rows of hexagonal cells, some finished and others half completed, drip from the branches of the old tree. It's so organized and crisp that it's almost... neurotic. It's a massive nest, but the chambers are unstained by the feet of other wasps. It's being built, but nothing is living it it? Persimmon packs on more chewed fibers, smoothing them and adjusting them until it is just right. Although it looks like she is completely absorbed in building, she watches the buck approach with her faceted eye. As he gets closer, her motion slows. He doesn't look threatening. The wasp carefully crawls down the tree trunk to get a better look at him, chittering to herself. Closer, closer. Her insect steps take her into view, and then sunlight plays off her warning stripes. Black eyes meet red eyes, and her antenna vibrate with curiosity. He is white and blue like her Kimeti is.

The sound of muted footsetps stirs the doe from her half dream. Footsteps? A visitor? A visitor! She lets out a deep breath and glances over at her new guest. A Kimeti... male... good looking. She hasn't seen him around before. He... doesn't seem to know that she's here? A puzzled look crosses her face until she sees Persimmon, treading out carefully to greet him. Ah, that might be why. She's quite curious about him. Rain smiles to herself, watching for now to see how he reacts. The doe hopes the wasp doesn't scare him off.

Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By My Silence]

As the massive stinger-equipped insect came into view, Watch's danger-sense sent shivers throughout his body. He'd never seen one this large in his travels, and it was probably dangerous, but his overwhelming curiosity kept his hooves planted where they stood.

After a moment or two, he noticed that the enlarged wasp was, of course, not flying at him stinger first buzzing a tune best suited for death. In fact, it wasn't flying at all, but crawling, skittering, what ever it is bugs do with their legs. His fur started to smooth back down, his ears slowly perked back up and as the wasp grew closer and closer, his dove into the details of its being, a dangerous move that could seriously get him hurt one of these days.

Bold yellow, bright as the center of flowers yet dusty too, like the pollen that hangs on them. Those stripes so bold against the black, even more intensified by the sun glittering off the jewel-like wings. And those eyes... He wondered briefly how stories would be told from the perspective of those multifaceted orbs.

"You're beautiful," The white buck said the words before he even knew his mouth opened, but he meant it all the same. Dangerous, terrifying, but beautiful.  

[space crawfish]

Persimmon's head tilts when he speaks, eyes unblinking. What a strange noise they make. Could she understand? Did she know? There's no way to tell. He looks like her Kimeti, but he smells likes far away places, like sunlight and marsh and strange fruit trees. Her insect brain decides that no, he is not dangerous. Just curious. She takes one careful step at a time on slick black legs, closer, closer, closer. There's a long pause as she looks up at him, working the remaining pulp for her empty nest in her jaws. Considering what to do. One hooked foot reaches out to touch the feathering on his lower leg.

Rain watches quietly, surprised and pleased. When the wasp touched him, she held her breath. Would he bolt? Persimmon likes him. She's starting to like him, too. He's not afraid, and she smiles. It's time to step in now before her big friendly bee does really scare him off, especially if she tries to groom him. Now that can be a little unnerving at first.

"I think she likes you."

The doe stands and stretches, shaking the sleep out of her eyes and turning to face her guest. She tries to hide how nervous she is, but the flick of her tail betrays her. Her voice is warm, her expression genuine. She doesn't get too many visitors all the way out here. Especially not good-looking visitors. Who happen to be good with animals.

"Her name is Persimmon. She won't hurt you; she's very friendly."

Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By My Silence]

Watch did just as his names suggests, staring wide-eyed at the giant wasp with awe and unhindered curiosity. His head mirrored that of the insect, tilting, trying to understand. The wasp reached out to touch him, and, without really thinking, he offered out his foreleg to the reaching leg, unafraid.

The sudden voice, however, made him jump slightly. His ears swiveled faster than his head, searching for the owner of the voice. His eyes, red under the even redder lids, met those of pale blue. A few tail-lengths away stood a Kimeti much like himself, only female and dressed in a long, spider-silk mane. Watch opened his mouth to speak, but words failed him for a moment. He stops and smiles warmly before trying again.

"You think so? I'm glad. I think it would be somewhat horrible if she didn't," He chuckled and lowered his head politely, "The Swamp calls me As the Sun Burns, but most everyone else calls me Watch. Wonderful to meet you, Persimmon," He nods and smiles at the wasp, "And you too, um...? What are you called, if you don't mind my asking?"  

[space crawfish]

As the Sun Burns. How curious of the Motherfather to give a name like that to a kin who has been painted like flowing water, down to the sweep of his mane. She takes in a breath when she sees the red of his eyes. Such an intense color, like the ripest fruit. Ah, but her manners.

"Watch, it is a pleasure to meet you." She smiles and bows her head in return, flicking her ears to get her hair away from her face. "I was named Raining Underwater, but I am called Rain for short. And you have already met Persimmon." The doe smiles and the wasp picks up her head, like she knows she's being talked about and doesn't like that one little bit. Rain has to have small laugh at the creature's expense. "We live here together, her and I. Many kin are afraid of her, but she is really quite friendly. Thank you for not running off."

Rain takes a couple of steps back and lowers her head, giving her guest a better view of the area she calls her home. It's quite scenic and looks comfortable, but it doesn't seem like any other kin live here. There's only one set of footprints and a small but adequate amount of dried food tucked into a hollow above her bedding.

"You must have traveled a long way to reach this place. Please make yourself comfortable."

Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By My Silence]

Watch holds her gaze, observing how her hair falls and her tail dances when she laughs. It was a very pleasant sound, her laugh, like water cascading, bubbling over water-smooth stones. She made it very difficult not to smile.

"A beautiful name for a beautiful doe," He grinned, his own tail flickering, "As for running, while there is nothing I do better, having been raised by the Kiokote of the Plains, it isn't some I do when something interesting catches my eye. It's both a blessing and a curse." He laughed deeply at that.

Watch nodded at her offer and settled himself by the pool at which Rain had been sunning by. He gave a smile and a sigh as the sun stroked his fur. With a flick of his tail, he invited her to join him.

"Indeed I have, my hooves haven't been still since I was about as big as Persimmon. I've been following the water ever since I laid eyes on the Great Ocean."  

[space crawfish]

Ah, what a charmer he is! A coy little smile passes across her face. And quite handsome, too. Her ears pick up when he mentions Kiokote. She has had no contact with the runners and is quite curious, with how athletic and elegant they are rumored to be. How fortuitous that she could host such an interesting guest.

"I have heard a few songs about the Kiokote, but I have never been lucky enough to meet one." His second compliment does not go unnoticed.

Rain settles down on the sun-warmed stones close to the white and teal buck, close enough to be familiar but far enough to be polite. Unassuming but suggestive. A calculated distance. The sun feels warm and she half-closes her eyes, enjoying it for just a moment. Persimmon climbs back up into the trees above with a full crop of more chewed plant fiber, busying herself with her building, but her black eyes watch her 4-legged brood.

"... I have also heard many songs about the ocean, carried over the stream and the swamp." She pauses for a moment, thinking about her dream. Deep black blue water... waves on the surface? Was it the ocean? She looks over at the buck and does not hide how intrigued she is. She has heard the journey is difficult and dangerous.

"Do you plan to go there?"

Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By My Silence]

Watch's smile broadens as the doe with rippling fur settles near him. Her excitement triggered his own; He had not yet participated in any of the Sunchaser's ritualistic story sessions, always fearing that he'd bore the other nomads. But this doe... She looked as if she genuinely wanted to know and that pleased him greatly.

"They're a wonderful people, the wind-runners. Competitive, strong, and beautifully graceful with their small hooves. My mother is half Kio, half Acha, the sand-skimmers, and is painted like the ever-open sky high above the plains." He smiles fondly, almost sadly, as though he missed her, "My father is like that of the desert sky; simple, yet painted, pale with bright spots of burning sun. I very rarely see him and, honestly, he's nothing but my sire to me." Watch shook his head and raised it proudly, "No, my father, the one who raised me is a wind-runner who can run faster than the wind and snatch birds of prey from the sky! A true gentlekin who kills only when necessary and will wait until the world ends for my dear mother to finally realize how perfect they are for each other." He said with a chuckle.

Watch paused at her question and stared off into the distance, watching in his minds eye as the stream they lay by met with the Great Ocean.

"I have seen the Great Ocean. It has been in my sight since the day I left home, it is my guide, my compass. But that is not enough, you see." He looked at her with determined eyes, " I wish to see everything that the water touches. It is my dream. And though I haven't gone far, I've only been traveling for a few moons now, it has lead me to some of the most amazing things," He smiled and looked her up and down, The most beautiful, too."  

[space crawfish]

His descriptions paint a vivid picture in her mind, one of painted bodies in motion under a clear, cloudless sky. It matches with the rumors and whispers she's heard about the athleticism of the plains runners, and she can't help but steal a glance over at him when he mentioned his mixed heritage. What would certainly be scandalous for some kin is most intriguing to her. She wonders if she can see it in the flow of his water-and-sky Kiokote mane or if she's just fooling herself with wishful thinking. She listens quietly and respectfully to his tale and thinks, briefly, about her own parents that she never knew. There is no pang of loneliness or remorse in her chest, only curiosity that passes as quickly as it comes on.

"Ah ha! I hope your mother soon sees what a good buck he is! He has raised a fine son." Rain smiles, mostly to herself. "Thank you for sharing the story of your family with me. My birth parents I did not know...." Her voice trails off for just a moment as she lifts her head to look into the tree behind her for her companion. Persimmon's bright carapace make her easy to find. The wasp pretends not to notice, but Rain can tell that it's just pretending. "... but her black and yellow face is in my earliest memories. What made her choose this life over her sisterhood, I don't know."

His compliment catches her off-guard, and the dark insides of her ears flush with the littlest kiss of pink. Oh my. Her eyes meet his, only briefly, before she looks down and smiles. The red of his eyes is so intense. The doe leans closer almost imperceptibly, but it's difficult to say whether it's on purpose or done without thinking. Ah yes, what a fine son he is.

"You have been traveling for a very long time. You have many stories of strange and far-away lands, and I would be delighted if you wished to share them with me. If you would like... you are welcome to stay here to rest until you continue your journey to see the ocean." She looks up again when she voices the invitation, seeking his face for an answer. What was said is perhaps not as important as what was left out, implied by its absence. Stay here with me.

Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By My Silence]

It was Watch's turn to listen now, and he did so patiently, intrigued. Curiosity flooded him as she spoke of the parents she never knew. He wondered of the genes those kin-- Kimeti, he suspected from her beautifully sculpted jawline and the brightness of the swamp-light in her eyes-- must have been gifted with. As she offered the trade, his stories for shelter, his eyes never left hers. All the time, wondering. Then, finally, he spoke once more after a long pause.

"Story tellers have but one currency. I will stay as long as I have stories to tell, but only if you tell me yours in return." He smiled softly, curiosity gleaming in his eyes, "Whether or not you may think it boring in comparison, you have lived by water for longer than myself and I wish to learn its charms, its secrets. Agreed?"  

[space crawfish]

"Ahh, Watch, you drive a hard bargain!" The doe laughs easily, playfully. She's tickled pink that he not only accepted but did so with such a nice clause attached. The end of her tail twitches, betraying her excitement. How lucky she is!

"I would be delighted to share with you what I know. Perhaps I shall teach you how to dive and catch fish as well? Only as long as you don't mind getting a little wet!"

Blinded By Silence

 

[Blinded By My Silence]

Watch gave his own playful laugh and, with his long tail, flug the droplettes of water it had collected when he dipped it in the river.

“Wet! I don't mind getting wet so long as you, Miss Rain, do not laugh at how my fur dries!”

Oh, he was having so much fun already! He'd never been so happy to stay in one spot. Alas, as the thought came to him, his smile wavered. He could not stay forever. He had a dream to chase, a sun to follow. Watch bade the grin to return, however, and it promptly did so. After all, the time they did have would make for a wonderful story in its own right.

“Now, tell me,” The white buck grinned, “What would you like to hear?”  

[space crawfish]

Rain laughs and holds up one of her strange little hooves as a promise. "I will not laugh at your fur, oh no, as long as you do not laugh at mine! What I can't promise is that somebody won't fuss over it!" Persimmon and Rain exchange glances, and the doe chuckles to herself. The bug knows she's being talked about and looks indignant for just a moment before returning to her building. What ungrateful 4-legged brood!

She asks for tales of his tribe, runners over the vast and alien plain, stories of endless rolling hills and clear skies. She asks for the words the wind carries in the desert and the music that plays in flank-high prairie grass. In exchange she offered the whispers from deep waters and the verses flowing through the streams, the riddles from the beak of the clever Kingfisher and the murmur of Kimeti long since living underwater.

Parts of the water here are quite deep and cold, and the doe graciously warned the buck before he jumped into it headlong. She shows him how, with a little practice, to close up his nostrils so he can dive unimpeded. It requires not a small amount of silly-looking scrunching and wiggling to get the motion right, but the pale doe is a patient teacher and only laughs a little. The fish themselves are an entirely different matter, little more than flashes of silver as the sun catches on their mirror scales. It will take longer to become proficient at catching them than just the space of an afternoon.

Nonetheless, their sweet flesh is shared between two hungry kin and one hungry wasp, and just as predicted, the fussy insect demanded that the buck submit himself to her fastidious ministrations. Tiny knots and snarls are gently pulled loose by black jaws, and locks are separated by insectoid claws. Perhaps this is how Rain keeps her own mane and tail clean (by doing nothing at all). Persimmon clicks while she works and her Kimeti coos back, sharing a language they have perfected over many seasons of living together. How peaceful this is, two tired bodies together, but part of her knows that it is only ephemeral. Tonight it matters not.

Blinded By Silence