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Blue Streak squeaked and hopped, all four hooves leaving the ground for a moment, before she skittered around to face the newcomer. "Oh, wow," she breathed, eyes huge. For once she really was speechless -- much the same thing that Re-Wind was thinking went through her head. A real live Acha!

She was so awestruck that for a moment she just stayed quiet, listening to the exchange between the Acha and the red doe. Evidently annoyed by her fillylike gawping, the foxbun on her back pinched her ear, and she jumped a little again -- but it seemed to have unstuck her voice. "Do you find it really hot out there or is it nice sort of like the Swamp's weather is? I heard there's a lot of sand and wind and that it's really dry but it's also pretty and golden and not full of trees and water like it is here and I think it sounds nice to have room to run and breathe," breath, "is it so?"

Whistles Twice smiled, happy to be included. "This is exciting, isn't it?" he said, looking around the clearing excitedly. "Painting will be fun!" the buck looked down at his white flanks. "I'm pretty much a blank canvass." He smiled down at Silent, eyeing the filly's gentle swath of orange-red. "I bet you'll look lovely too, little one."

Walks Without Rhythm's face is not normally suited to intense expressions -- he doesn't usually wear such open emotions on his face, and relief is rarer still. When Meets-the-Sea approaches him with the squirming brown mongoose clinging to her back (Pillar still scared out of his tiny rodent mind at all the commotion going on), he blinks -- smiles broadly -- and then hurriedly tries to compose himself, stamping one hoof in the water. When in doubt, attempt to act gruff. He chides the mongoose in a brusque voice, "You could have been killed. And here she risked her life for you -- come here," he says, as the mongoose chitters at him, leaps off of Meets-the-Sea (without so much as a backwards glance!, the ungrateful thing) and clambers up onto the back's broad, smooth back. Slide's expression softens. "You should not have. You could have been killed."

But at her laughing, he pauses, and one side of his mouth quirks up. "But I suppose that it was fun, all the same." Slide does not run -- or run quickly. But if the kimeti and kiokote had gone in for a test of endurance, he would have beaten all of them.

Catching Fire was momentarily awestruck by Rouge's poem -- so much that, for a moment, he actually sat still, weaving and swaying in time to the rhythm of her words. Oh, she'd be the ample-haired kimeti's match alright; as the poem ended the acha grinned broadly, strikingly, and then danced on his back hooves for a moment. "--oh, again, again! Surely you have another poem in you, Rouge, it's been awhile since I've heard one!"

After a moment his rock (a river-pebble he'd fished up from somewhere, not that he actually remembered where) was bouncing off of his nose, his horns, even his tail -- as if it was a bubble, something lighter than air. "Or you," he said, nodding to the dark buck, who merely blinked his glowing eyes. Catching Fire cut him off before he could even speak: "You, with your beautiful glowing eyes!"

Eclipse coughed, looking momentarily put out, and then canted his head, mustering up all the dignity he could manage. "A moment, please. I need some time to properly appreciate the poem put before me," and inwardly rolled his eyes at the acha's pouting. Were they all like that? Finally, Eclipse tossed his hair back, looked at Forgotten Feathers (not to be outdone by a mere newcomer), and composed a poem:

"Gentle white feathers
Led astray: oh, fickle breeze!
But not forgotten." There. Short but sweet.

Tomorrow wove her way over to Ochre and the others, nosing curiously at the turtle shells full of pigment. Her curiosity was piqued, and she almost, almost dipped her nose in one bowl, but pulled away at the last moment. "I'd love to see the two of you all painted up," she informed Whistles and Silent, breath whuffing over the paint as she lifted her head. "I think you'd look wonderful with all sorts of colors on you."

* * *

Searching nearly pranced as he watched the color be painted onto his coat, though he tried to force himself to stand still. He did so like how it looked, brightening him up and making him look just a little flashier. The only way it would be better would be if his twin sister, Drowning at Sea, could be painted to match. But she wasn't there, unfortunately. "I don't mind waiting," he agreed cheerfully -- but then there was a kiokote addressing Glow, and Searching blinked in confusion. What was going on?

Delighted and light on her feet, she felt alive. They were singing about her, about us, about her and Forgotten Feathers! Oh yes, the heavy hitters have arrived. Perspective, she got some. The pink acha rivaled the brightness of flowers found here. And that voice-- that acha definitely became more attractive with each passing line. When that song drew to a close, a new acha spoke up. Bingo. Rouge was Sugar Tits' name.

In record time, the spotlight changed to a buck of dusk colors. They weaved a concise offering for the white doe. That damn smile never once left her face. Like small diamonds they beamed good intentions like they were supposed to. With Forgotten Feathers in tow, she sauntered to the fore front in an unassuming are and began,sans the dancing:

"What goes up, must fall down.
Corners fractured, our sky fell
With it went the moon, all round.
Sad creatures sought to yell."

Albatross turned to give Forgotten Feathers an honest encouraging smile and stepped back for her friend's time to shine.

Snow-Blind couldn't hide his excitement. "Excuse me for just a minute." He did his best to run- an awkward stumbling gallop- while still looking composed.

He stopped in front of the black doe and tried his hardest to look smooth.

"Hello, there beautiful, enjoying the games? I just finished the last race. No big deal, so tell me about these mushrooms."

If he had voiced the bulk of his thoughts Speak Softly would have found it all very confusing. As it was, she simply nodded and gave him a bright smile. Being lost wasn’t a bad thing as far as she was concerned. As long as you could be found by those who weren’t lost for a chat.

Speak Softly stood, her ears perked forward and her gaze focused intently upon the cat. She listened; one hoof tapping the ground thoughtfully in time with his mrows and yowls. She clearly thought it was brilliant. Magnificent! Even better than the tiny Acha. This one had no words so she could make up whatever she wanted.

“Cat…” She announced once Guide had finished. “You are very talented! We should show somebody else!” She looked about, turning on the spot to spot someone she could harass. What, where was everyone? Oh, they were all over there.