Argggghhh... Soooo many questions! The black doe rolled her eyes and snorted at the young foal that was following her. He had shown up long before sundown, and just now the fiery globe was threatening to disappear completely behind it's closest friend, the horizon. Without looking back at him, she said, "If I explain this to you, will you leave me alone, you little flea-infested furball?" Now, she knew she was not being very nice to the little one, but nothing bit into this one's skin! His questions just kept coming!
As expected, he grew all excited and responded with, "Oh, yes, please Last Whisper! Please tell me!" And so as she continued to walk, she began telling him the story of the voices in the wind, a little something like this:
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"Long ago, when the Swamp was brand new, and the creatures in it were just beginning to explore and meet each other, there were only a few Kimeti about. Each Kimeti was just starting to find his or her purpose, and they were only beginning to understand Mother Swamp and her weird and wonderful work.
"Two of these first Kimeti were named Fate and Folly. They were siblings, brother and sister, alike in looks, but otherwise complete opposites. They fought and they bickered and they argued, non-stop. Day in, day out, it was nothing but contradicting opinions between these two young ones.
"One day, they ventured past the borders of their territory, where they had never set foot before. You see, they were young and they had always stayed close to home, always stayed within reach of a relative so that should anything happen, there would ever be someone to keep them safe from harm. But not that day, oh no.
"It was a dark day, starting off with a dim sunrise, and continuing with an increasingly cloudy demeanor. More and more clouds invaded the sky as the morning turned into afternoon, and by then they had gathered so thick that it began to rain. Large, heavy drops of rain fell from the sky, pelting any who were foolish enough to leave cover. Fate and Folly were this foolish.
"By afternoon, they had realized that something was wrong. Something was very unfamiliar, and something was definitely very wrong. They threw insults at one another, blaming one another for the wrong, but only when a sudden thunderclap sounded did truth hit. They were lost.
"The two foals continued on their way, whatever way that was. They walked, they ran, and when they got tired, they sat down until they were ready to keep going. They tried re-tracing their steps, they tried calling out for help, they tried everything. Nothing could help them find their way.
"Had the two foals simply calmed down and stopped to work together, surely they would have found an easy way out, a path perhaps, or a stranger walking by. But all that the unfortunate pair could do was bicker and banter, which only led them further and further into the darkest patches of the Swamp, and closer to the shadows that threatened to push in on them as the day wore on.
"By evening, the foals were starving, stomachs growling in anger and hunger. They were no closer to finding home than they had been at lunch time. The only thing that seemed to be changing around them was the weather and the light, both of which only got colder and darker with every passing minute, with lightning striking close-by and shadows hissing at them, trying to reach them and pull them in.
"All day, the pair spent in argument, and not once did they think of working together to get home. This angered Mother Swamp. She had created the Kimeti so that they may work together, so that they may live in harmony in the swamp without fear or worry, but she saw then that she had been wrong. It was not to be, and so she worked her magic on this unfortunate duo, and made an example of them so that all Kimeti would know her wrath and make an effort to work together instead of against one another.
"Mother Swamp's punishment was an everlasting one, but she was merciful. She let the siblings live out their life, in one last chance at salvation, at finding their way home, but upon the time of their death, she transformed them. She made them ethereal, made them ghosts, and gave them immortality in this form. They were doomed to pace the stretches of the swamp for eternity. They were Lost, but now they were wards, and travel through the marshes arguing, whispering, moaning, groaning. They are the Voices in the Wind, they are what guide and confuse us, they are what agree and dispute us in those darkest of times. They are the shadows that speak to us in moments of panic. They are the Lost Fate and Folly, and they haunt us all."
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As the story progressed, the little foal began getting more skittish and jumpy. Last Whisper couldn't help but grin at the small one's actions, hoping that eventually it would rid her of his company.
The story drew to a close, and after a moment of complete silence from both parties, the foal simply stared at the doe that had told the story, and then glanced around nervously all around him, double, triple checking that there was nothing there. Out of nowhere, a sudden rustling behind the pair ensued, and this caused the foal to tuck his tail under and tear forwards, screaming for his momma. In mere moments he was out of sight, but still audible. He was headed for home, no doubts there.
Last Whisper chuckled to herself as she curled her tail back up around her leg. She needn't have flicked that rock backwards to cause commotion, but she had really grown tired of the little pest. Now it was time for her to begin on her midnight rounds, starting with that mudpool where she had heard Fate and Folly last.... What was it they had been bickering about? Oh yes... 'Alone.... Not Alone.... Have to get out... Have to leave...' Or something like that...
