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Word Count Cera Jellybean Amachi 397
Word Count Euryale 296

Euryale was tired from the return trip, the desert had been hot and dry. There was still sand stuck between her snakes and caught up in her feathers. While the adventure had been fun she couldn't wait to jump in the cool wet salty sea. The journey home would take them more than a week with lots of mother daughter time. Surprisingly they brought home more than just themselves…

“Mom, they're still following us. Do you think they'll follow us all the way home?” Cera said looking back. A group of scorpions scurried trying to keep up with them. The first night when they woke there was a group of venomous arachnids cuddled up on them. It was a bit alarming at first but every night since they'd started to get used to their new friends.

Euryale shrugged, pausing her walk to get her flute out. Her tentacles worked their magic on the holes while her snakes danced to the music. The scorpions drew closer and one by one they climbed on to Euryale and Cera’s backs lightly dancing back and forth. Euryale kept playing for a bit as they continued traveling, until her tentacles started to tire. By then the scorpions were asleep.

Cera jumped a little at first, she was still a bit fearful of the scorpion's tails still and their scurrying legs felt unnerving. After the initial shock of them crawling on her Cera calmed down and watched them. The scorpions swayed back and forth to the beat. “I think they might be fans of your music, I wonder if that's why they are following us?.” Cera said. Somewhere black and others were a pearlescent blue.

Euryale put her flute away carefully, as not to wake the sleeping scorpions nor her now sleeping snakes. “It’s also possible whatever that liquid was that you drank also changed their opinions on as well. A scorpion lovepotion of some sort. Whatever it may be we’re too far from the desert now to leave them here, might as well take them home with us.

The rest of the journey was mostly uneventful. Cera had set a moderate pace and they stopped often to explore unique things along the way. The babbling brook fed by mountain snow melting was particularly refreshing. Sometimes the scorpions rode on them and other times they matched behind them. Cera imagined how others would react to their strange caravan but she wasn’t overly worried about what others might think. On the ninth day they reached their shores.

Cera raised her head into the air taking in the refreshing salt smell. “It smells like home.” Looking over she saw her mother take off at full speed, surprisingly fast for a pony that is built for swimming. Cera was tired and felt no need to race to the ocean. She walked with the group of scorpions to the sandy beach and watched them instantly start playing in the sand. Almost like they missed their sandy home and were happy to have found something so familiar in an alien world.

The smell of the ocean filled Euryale’s senses. She could smell it and taste it in the air. Her longing for the sea over took her and without a world she started galloping towards her favorite place. She hit the sand at full speed, kicking it high into the air, before hitting the rocky shoreline. She dove into the ocean and didn’t look back at her daughter.

Cera watched as her mother disappeared into the waves, already far out to sea. “She’s not coming back tonight.” She said aloud to the scorpions, who continued to scurry about playing in the sand. One of them had found a shell and was holding it high above his head. “It’s nice to have you guys as company. Moms need for the sea can sometimes make her forget things on land.” She said with a sad smile. “Mainly me…” She thought to herself, trying to shake the thought away.

The call of the sea pulled Euryale further and further out in to the ocean. Everything disappeared as she was once again engulfed by the cold watery depths.

Word Count 267

Gouyenisi had made a home under a large traveler's fir. The wide evergreen held a large void space under its needles, perfect for getting out of the elements. The sky was an ominous white color, snow was going to fall tonight. Gouyenisi's ears twitched, there was a distant *hoot, hoo*.

“Kwatoko must be on his way back.” Gouyenisi thought to herself. She finished clearing fallen needles leaving the soft dirt ready for sleeping.

Kwatoko dove in from somewhere above. “Brrr, it's getting cold,* hoot hoot!* I'm glad the wind doesn't make it in here easily.” He hopped around cleaning up the needles he loosened by his entrance. “Cactina's outside. *Hoo hoo* If you could push open a door for her? I'm sure she'd appreciate it.” He flew up to one of the low branches.

Gouyenisi smiled and pressed her body against the tree, opening a door of sorts. Snow had started to fall already and the air outside was much colder. She bowed slightly as Cactinia entered. “I'm glad you decided to join us. The weather tonight looks to be cold and wet.” She let the brush door close behind her.

“Thank you,” Cactina took a few cautious steps inside. “It is quite nice in here.” She said, twitching her tail back and forth before gracefully climbing the old trunk of the tree to join Kwatoko on a low branch. “A good retreat from the winter…” She trailed off and started her cleaning routine.

Gouyenisi curled up and idly watched the strange pair. The sun went down quickly, leaving the tree dark so Gouyenisi went to sleep.

The weather is turning but mother nature has one last hurrah in store - it seems she has mustered up a blizzard that's blown down from the mountains and over the majority of the Kawani lands. This is highly unusual for this time of year, it seems winter was not ready to let go! How does your soquili fair in this blizzard? Do they see the signs early and manage to avoid it completely? Do they seek shelter in time and wait it out? Do they find themselves stranded and in danger? Do they fend for themselves or do they help others around them?



Word Count 1,703
Aurelia - 320
Gwyneira - 1,000
Nadya and Naomie - 258

Aurelia and Gwyneira had been traveling for about a week. When the sun was up, which was never as long as they would have liked, they trudged through the snow up and down the mountains one by one. Traveling this time of year was slow and hard. At night they slept in various camps, most of which were set up in natural caves. Caverns were easy to warm and already warmer than the snowy mountains around them. They were comfortable and the preferable winter camps.

Last night Aurelia got to sleep in her first cabin, built skillfully out of lumber from the forests around them. It was a cold night, she learned why they had been sleeping on the hard cave floors. It was better than being in the snow outside but not by much. They got up well before sunrise that morning to get a move on.

”Gwyn, is the snow usually this bad this time of year?” Aurelia asked while trying to keep her head down, the wind biting her face. It seemed colder today than it had been. “Before we left I was starting to see snowdrops blooming. They are the first signs of spring but this weather is worse than it was at the longest night festivities.” She put her head even lower and pushed herself to move forward.

Gwyneira had transformed into her polar bear form, pushing through the snow with ease. She tried to set a pace that Aurelia would be able to keep up with. She could move faster than this but she didn’t want to lose Aurelia in the white world around them. She could have slowed down too, making it easier for Aurelia to keep up with her but when it’s this cold it’s best to keep moving. “No, it’s not.” She yelled back to Aurelia. She could hear a wolf in the distance howling. “Unfortunately, I think you’re going to experience a northeaster! We need to seek shelter, this is only the beginning of a really bad night!” Or longer, she said to herself. She had called these mountains her home long enough to tell when it was time to shelter in place. In fact she knew yesterday when they were setting up camp that they shouldn’t travel today but unfortunately sheltering in a cabin for a storm like this wasn’t any better. She transformed back to her horse form to lift her lantern higher. She could barely hear someone yelling up ahead.

“Nadya! Naomie!” A small voice yelled. “Where are you!” Whoever it was they sounded worried and scared. Another voice chimed in, ”Mélanie, we need to find shelter!” A voice of reason.

Slowing down Gwyn spoke closely to Aurelia’s ear. “Aurelia, I hear someone small up ahead and they sound like they need help.”

Aurelia tried to nod her head but she wasn’t certain if Gwyn could tell that’s what she had done. She turned herself towards the sound and followed close to Gwyn. ”I can’t wait to get out of this cold,” she thought to herself. ”What poor souls are out here with us?

Following her ears Gwyn soon found two little mice shivering in the snow. Her blue lantern lighting the snow around them. “You guys look a bit lost,” she lowered her head close to them. “Do you need a ride?” She half asked, already knowing the answer.

Out of nowhere the world started to turn blue. Lucilla shrieked when a large white bear head appeared right before her. Once her heart started beating again she realized the shifter didn’t mean her harm. “Yes, miss. We lost our horse friend and I fear we’ll die outhere without shelter soon…” The shifter lowered her body down inviting the two mice up.

”Thank you…Miss Shifter.” Mélanie said, shivering. She climbed up quickly and buried herself into the warm bear fur with Lucilla. It took her a moment to realize there was another horse with the bear shifter, an Angini of all things. ”How odd is that?” she thought to herself.

Gwyn started moving, setting the pace once more. “There is a cavern campsite not too far from here, that's where we were heading!” She shouted over the wind. “Hopefully we can find it in all this snow.” She said to herself.

It took a lot longer than they expected but eventually they found the cavern. The snow was coming down and piling up higher than any of them had ever seen, including Gwyneira. Luck for them the previous occupant had over stocked the wood as they would need it. The group moved as far back into the cave as they could, this campsite had more than one room space. This time Aurelia set up the fire pit just like Gwyn had taught her. The two mice sat still watching the larger horses work. The two of them were worried.

”Do you think Nadya and Naomie will be okay?” Mélanie asked Lucilla, ringing her small hands worried.

”She’s resealent, I’m sure she’ll be okay.” Lucilla lied to herself out loud.

”You have a friend lost in this?” Gwyn asked the two little mice while Aurelia started blowing lightly on the flame she had started in the firepit. “Once we have the fire going I’ll hang my lantern at the entrance. It would do none of us any good wandering out there looking for them but my lantern is visible for miles. If the storm thins she should be able to see it.” Gwyneira tried her best to smile without looking scary. After all mice are small and many shifters would love to eat them as a snack. “My names Gwyneira, Gwyn for short. What about you two?”

”I’m Lucilla and this is Mélanie.” The calmer mouse said. “Nadya and Naomie was being chased by a wolf when we were thrown off.” Lucilla said, shivering at the thought. “I hope the snow breaks soon…”

The fire was going strong and the large space was already starting to feel warmer. Aurelia could feel the cold already starting to leave her. She had been listening to them talk as she stoked the fire. It was the first time she had made the fire from start to finish and she felt an odd pride in something so simple. Gwyn had been a good teacher and survival skills had never seemed as important as Aurelia now realized they were. “The fire will help some as well,” she walked over to join the three other travelers. “If there are any holes the smoke should escape and help show her a safe place. I’ll go ahead and hang the lantern at the entrance.” She said, picking up Gwyn’s glowing blue lantern.

The door to the cave was smaller than most but someone had placed a metal ring in the opening. Aurelia hung the lantern from it and stood watching it to make sure nothing was going to happen to the lantern. Gwyn seemed rather attached to the item. She found herself silently praying for Nadya and Naomie. ”Please find your way back to us..”

That night they took turns keeping an eye out. The mice told stories to occupy the time, or perhaps to avoid thinking about their friend. Somewhere out in the cold Nadya and Naomie sheltered in place through the worst of the storm. They had found a small traveler's tree, just big enough for one.

”We were lucky it was just one,” Nadya said, trying to make conversation. She couldn’t hide her nervousness.

”Always the optimist, but you're right. If it had been a pack of wolves I doubt we could have scared them away.” Naomie twitched her tail and moved her front paw in circles. “Do you think Mel and Lucy are alright?” She asked her other half.

Nadya grimaced at that thought. She’d been trying to avoid thinking about it. When the wolf attacked their two mice, friends had been thrown somewhere into the snow. The storm was so bad she couldn’t find her way back and had no choice but hope they had found somewhere safe just like she had. Nadya’s tail curled up next to her.

”When the wind slows we can go out and see where we are. Hopefully it’s not far from where we lost them.” Naomie smiled at her sister trying her best to look sure of herself. “For now though, let’s try and get some sleep. We will need our energy when the storm slows down. There’s also no moon tonight, so I doubt we will be able to see much till sunrise.” Naomie laid her head down, waiting for Nadya to join her.

Nadya laid down with her sister, resting her head on Naomie’s. “I know you're right, night night hun.”

”Night luv,” Naomie purred. The storm outside shook the tree. The void where they were laying was starting to fill with snow falling through the pine leaves. It would be a cold night.

The wind never slowed that night, snow piled up at the door and blew into the cavern. They took turns watching the entrance but Gwyn chose not to wake Aurelia when it was her turn again. The front of the cave was warm enough for her. Her lantern admitted warmth and kept the snow far enough away to still glow outwards. It was sometime shortly after sunrise that Gwyn could hear voices outside. They sounded like they were fighting over the dangers of entering a cave they didn’t know. She began digging at the entrance, clearing snow into the cave. When her head finally cleared the snow she was shocked to see a single horse with two heads standing over her. “Naomie and Nadya I presume? Lucilla and Mélanie neglected to describe you being…joined.” She said awkwardly, gawking a bit more than she meant to. “Come on in. I’m sure your friends will be relieved to see you”

The mice were overjoyed to be reunited with their friend. Nadya cried and Aurelia watched, unsure what to say. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. They sat around the fire, telling stories. Stories about their pasts. Stories about friends and family members. Stories about places they'd visited. Some of the stories they told were myths and legends. They spent hours talking and even more time listening. The storm didn't break by the time the sun set and the group was forced to stay until the mountains cleared enough for travel. By the time the storm broke they were the best of friends and knew more about each other then possibly anyone else they knew.

Word Count 398
“Consider…a…what?” Isidore stuttered, obviously surprised by Cranberry’s question. He didn’t step back or look angry, so Cranberry continued.

“A Surrogate.” He said slowly. “I’ve been hanging out in a cave nearby to wait out the cold snap and happened to see Ayane swimming. I was going to say hi but then I saw her companion.” Cranberry swishes his tail. “The little koi fish, your and Ayane’s daughter. If I’m not mistaken.” He made sure to speak kindly as he didn’t want to anger the lizard. “The way Ayane spoke to her was only the way a mother speaks to a child. Then one day I saw you teaching the koi how to jump. In a way only a father could. The two of you must have been blessed by the spirits…” Cranberry watched Isidore intently. Suddenly he found the lizard’s body language hard to read.

Isidore took a few steps closer and layed down on the warm beach, eyeing Cranberry Sunset carefully. ”How do I know he isn’t a past lover coming back for a fling?” He wondered to himself. ”Would it be so bad if it was just a fling that produced shells? He doesn’t look like Ayane’s normal type…then again neither was I,” He sighed. “Aiko, and you're right she is our daughter. A happy surprise neither of us ever expected.” He grasped a pebble with his fingers and looked at it instead of Cranberry. “Do you often spy on people from afar?”

Cranberry smiled sheepishly looking down at his hooves. “No, normally I don’t,” he paused, “but I’ve been trying to think of a way to repay Ayane and I didn’t want to interrupt her with Aiko or with you. There just hasn’t been a good moment to swim up to her. The one time I tried she shot off into the ocean at top speed before I could get her attention.”

Isidore was still looking at the pebble in his hand, small and blue. Oddly shiny for these islands. “I’m not saying yes and I’m not saying no either…” He trailed off, finally setting the stone down to meet Cranberry’s eyes. “But I would be willing to discuss it with Ayane. And if she reacts poorly to you being here, be mindful she is faster than most things in these waters and I’m sure she’d beat you in a fight.” His eyes were serious.





Word Count 293
The chill in the water had subsided a little and Ayane went full out after she left the river. Twisting and turning through the water at top speed she left the comforts of the islands. Aiko had practically sprinted off as soon as she landed after the third waterfall. No good bye or even a look back. Ayane was so proud of how mature she was becoming. It wouldn’t be long before things would change from the three of them, back to just the two of them. One on land and one at sea, never really a part of each other's lives. She dove down deep into the water, letting the darkness engulf her.

She could feel the changes in water as she descended and she went down far enough for it to be uncomfortable to stay at that depth. The islands were teaming with life in the shallows but once you left the shore line life almost completely disappeared. The world was large and empty out here, even more so as you went deeper. A part of her missed it that way and another part already wanted to return to the shoreline.

She stopped really swimming and idly toyed with the current around her. Ayane let her mind wander, she really did want the wishing star to return this spring. "It would be nice," she spoke softly to herself, "to show a mini me around the depths of the waters." She let the current push her harder, moving her back towards the island. "Perhaps it's time to talk to Isidore about it. I'm sure he'd be happy to have another water bound child."

When she returned to the shore she was surprised to see a familiar looking lamp sitting in the sand.

The snow has finally melted from everywhere except the mountaintops. Flowers and plants make their final push through the soft ground as it finally defrosts to bloom and sprout; leaves return to bare branches. Green and warmth are returning to the Kawani lands. Warmer days have melted frozen lakes and the snowmelt coming down from the mountains seems greater than previous years (perhaps credited to the blizzard). New rivers and streams are being created from this snowmelt and lakes and rivers are widening and rushing.

How does your soquili react to the changing landscape? Do they stake claim to one of these new bodies of water? Does the creation of a new stream put their territory at risk? Do they have to relocate?



Word Count 1,301
Aurelia - 967
Gwyneira - 334

After all the time Aurelia had spent with Gwyneira it was hard to leave her to continue on her journey. The blizzard had hit suddenly and left them stranded in the mountains for far longer than Aurelia ever could have imagined. In the end Gwyn's joke about how long it would take to cross had come true, something they both found extremely amusing. Although it was perhaps safe to leave sooner than they did, Aurelia had spent a little over a week in a cave with Gwyn and their fast friends Mélanie, Lucilla, Nadya and Naomie.

During that time everyone talked and told stories around the fire. Some were of family or friends, others were of myths and legends but the ones Aurelia found most helpful were of places. Places she would soon need to travel through. Places that would be dangerous to walk as the snow began to melt and flood the lowlands. Places where herds would happily kill her if she strayed into their territories.

Yesterday she said her goodbyes to Mélanie and Lucilla, two very outspoken mice, as well as goodbyes to Nadya and Naomie. The mice and conjoined twins decided it best to weigh in the cave till Gwyn returned from walking me to the edge of the mountains before continuing to Hawthorne Crossing. Today she would have to say goodbye to Gwyn.

"Do you remember the stories of the flock?" Gwyn said gruffly surveying the lands below them. The clouds were just a little bit hazy making it less then optimal for explaining the dangers that Aurelia might face as she continues.

The stories around the campfire about them had given Aurelia nightmares but she nodded all the same. "They claim the pass there," she nodded in the direction to her right, "and along the banks of that river." Again she nodded in the direction to her right. "I think you called it Big Grove Forest?"

"Big Oak Grove, but yes that's the area. Whatever you do, don't cross that river until you can see the ocean. Unfortunately avoiding the Flock is the easy part." Gwyn fround.

Aurelia stomped her hooves nervously. "That's the easy part", she thought to herself.

'We got several more feet of snow this year, a lot more than normal. That snow will melt and that water will go somewhere..." she trailed off giving Aurelia a stern look. "Water flows down and follows the path with least resistance. Those rivers are going to be ragging when you go to cross them. The lowlands will be swampy and flooded. The flock will probably retreat to the high ground but you still have to cross without entering their territory or tempting them to come find you."

"What about flying?" Aurelia asked, thinking back to some of the stories she had heard. She wasn't a stallion but from a distance they might not be able to tell that. "Now that it's not snowing, flight is again a possibility.

Gwyn had completely forgotten about Aurelia's wings, she gawked at them as if she had seen them for the first time. Her breath showed sharply in the air, a cold cloud mist formed in front of her. "That does make it easier." She shook her head at herself out of embarrassment. "Assuming you're up for it, I would suggest flying far to the south, keeping the small mountain stream on your left and flying slightly away from the Flocks stream on the right. When you reach a large body of water, then and only then, travel towards the ocean and follow the shore and island hop. If the trade winds aren't too strong yet you could even cut across the ocean but be careful of flying low over bodies of water. Something under the surface would happily have you as a meal." She said jokingly, thinking back to some of the story's Naomie had told. "But seriously, when you get back, come find me." She picked up her blue lantern. "I'm easy to find afterall."

The two of them said their goodbyes and Aurelia was on her own for the first time in her adult life. She stretched her wings and effortlessly stepped off of the side of the mountain and started gliding down. Her wings were stiff and tired from the cold and Aurelia didn't fly often when she lived in Hawthorne Crossing. Not many of the soquili had wings in the village and it always felt rude to fly when others couldn't.

The air was getting warmer as she got lower, making it easier to flap her wings. It felt good to feel the sun on her back and for the first time in months be comfortable outside. The world below looked odd. The little stream that was etched into the earth hard grown. The water ran fast and muddy causing turns in the river to flood. The shape of the river had changed, cutting itself off in spots. Looking back there was a large waterfall cascading from the mountains she was flying away from. The peaks were still white, as if nothing had melted. ”I see what everyone was worried about,” Aurelia thought to herself. “It has just barely begun to melt. How much more will flood down into the plaines?” That’s when a bigger worry hit her, “What about Hawthorn and the valley?” She wondered aloud. “They are surrounded by mountain tops…and all that snow…”

The rest of the day she flew in silence, trying not to think of Elysia and the others she had befriended in the valley. Her wings weren’t very strong and still felt sluggish from the cold winter weather. She had to stop often. By the time the sun was setting she didn’t seem to be that far from the mountains she had crossed, still white capped and harsh looking.

While she had been traveling, and particularly during the final days of the blizzard, Aurelia had practiced making fires and learned all she could about edible fauna and how to survive on her own. But despite all the lessons Gwyn had given her and all the stories she heard from Naomie and Nadya that first night was cold and wet. Oddly Aurelia didn’t find herself getting upset and cursing left and right but instead resigned herself to sleep uncomfortably under a rocky overhang. It was wet and it was cold but it wasn’t freezing, which was a step up from crossing the mountains.

It took Aurelia 5 days to reach a large lake. With each day she flew she felt stronger and stronger. She found herself needing to rest less and able to fly faster than the days before. Her wings were starting to ache from the exercise and the lake looked like a good place to rest before turning towards the ocean. From overhead she could see how much the little stream had spread out. What once was a single stream or perhaps two, was now dozens of small ones spread out over miles. Everything between the streams was nothing more than marsh land. It was a strange site. Then again everything outside the village seemed strange now. It had been many years since she had been to the lowlands.

Aurelia landed and found a nice spot on the dry side of the lake to set up camp. There were still several hours before sunset and it was nice to relax. Aurelia really wanted to bathe in the lake but the river(s) had left the water muddy and murky, so instead she chose to warm herself by the fire and lazily watch the sunsetting over the miles she had yet to travel. “Maybe there is more to life than just the yearly harvest.” She said softly to herself as a purple hue overtook the sky, just before night."

Word Count 998
Ayane - 472
Cranberry Sunset - 317

When she returned to the shore she was surprised to see a familiar looking lamp sitting in the sand. The bright gold color glinted in the sun. It had been several cycles since she had seen it but there was no doubt in her mind who it belonged to. "What is that conniving a** h*** doing here?" She stated plainly and loudly, looking the beach up and down to see if he was anywhere within earshot. The surrounding water didn't stir.

"Where's Aiko?" Isidore asked, avoiding acknowledging her question or commenting on her language. He greatly hated it when she used words like that.

Still eying the water suspiciously Ayane's voice changed to a sweeter tone. "I finally let her spend the night upstream. She's mature enough to have time with the other koi without her oversized mer mother watching over her." She remembered how quickly Aiko had swam upstream without looking back. Turning she smiled at Isidore. "She's growing up so fast." Her eyes turned back to the lamp. Frowning, she asked, "Was Cranberry here by chance. I doubt that a little..." she bit her lip, "seathi would let it out of his sight again. I returned it once and I would rather not have to do so again."

"I'm sure Aiko's enjoying her koi time. That group of fish are always so sweet to her." Isidore began playing with a rock on the sand. "Cranberry Sunset stopped by and left that here so you'd know he was serious..." He trailed off awkwardly.

"Serious about what?" Ayane asked, concern starting to creep into her voice.

Isadore met Ayane's eyes, "Ayane, wouldn't it be nice to have a mer child? Or even a seathi child should that be the way the shells roll?" He kept his voice kind and chose his words carefully.

Cranberry peaked his head up out of the water and carefully watched the two. While at first Isidore was skeptical of his intentions over time the lizard had relaxed and seemed open to the idea. He couldn't see Ayane's face from where he was swimming but her posture wasn't as overtly aggressive as he would have expected.

"Of course I would. It's been wonderful raising our daughter and I would love to share all the mysteries the ocean has to share but I'm not sure what that has to do with Cranberry..." She tried to decide what he ment. The wishing star usually made an appearance but that wouldn't have anything to do with that puckish seathi.

"Sometimes Ayane can be a little thick" Cranberry thought to himself. He waited patiently for Isidore to give him a sign it was safe to come out. He didn't want any broken fins today.

Isadore sighed. "Gods help me, he thought to himself. Looking her in the eyes he responded bluntly, "Hun he's offering to be a surrogate for us. You know," he paused. "A sperm donor."

Ayane's face showed a mix of reactions. First understanding, then disgust, followed up by contemplations. Her body fully relaxed and started fidgeting, caught off guard by the ‘offer’. Her brain was still trying to process what exactly that meant when Isidore shouted.

”Cranberry, it's safe to come out!” Isidore’s voice traveled surprisingly far.

”I was kinda hoping she would have more time to consider it before coming out,” he thought to himself. “But I guess this will do…” He swam up closer, cautiously keeping distance between him and Ayane. “It’s been awhile, Ayane.” He gave her his best smile, still a little fear showing on his face.

Ayane watched him out of the corner of her eye, most of her attention on Isidore. “Is this something you want?” She asked her love.

”Yes, I would love some more kids swimming around or even running around the island with me.” He gave Cranberry Sunset a careful look. “While I’m still not keen on it being him,” turning he added “No offence.”

”Non taken,” Cranberry responded out of habit, not overly concerned about the comment. Ayane still hadn’t fully acknowledged that he was there so instead of adding anything to the conversation he held still and held his breath.

”But he did have some valid reasoning behind it, so if it’s something you're open to I would back the choice whole heartedly.

Ayane turned to look at Cranberry. "And this is something you offered without wanting anything in return?" She gave him a long look.

”Of course," he paused for a moment looking back and forth between the odd pair. "You once did me a huge favor and helped me," he pawed his hooves in the direction of the lamp. "And when I happened upon you and your daughter I realized there may be something I could do to return the favor..." He was unsure how she would react. Her body didn't tense. She didn't smile or frown. Instead she just looked straight through him. No, she was looking straight into him. Judging his soul and if his actions were truly as simple as he said.

Ayane swished her tail back and forth, unable to decide on something so weird in the moment. Turning she looked at Isidore one last time. His eyes were kind and had a hint of wanting in them. Looking back at Cranberry she gave a half answer, a stall for time. "Tonight is the full moon, come back at the new moon and I'll have an answer for you."

"Why the new moon?" He asked.

"Because if I do decide to go through with it I don't want to see your smug face." She said meanly. "Oh and Cranberry, your lamp stays here until I decide." she hissed under her voice. "Because if this is one of your sick jokes I can promise you will never see that lamp again..."

He took one last longing look at his lamp. "Of course..." Slinking away he left the two of them alone, a little hurt by the new moon comment.

Word Count 271

The days passed slowly while Ayane considered her options and everyone could feel the tension. The atmosphere was cold and prickly. Aiko felt it the most and understood it the least. She had no idea what had gone on while she was spending time with her friends but when she returned she found everything a bit off.

“Mom, did something happen while I was gone?” She tried asking her mother after a few days had passed.

Ayane grimaced at the question, unsure how to actually respond to it. ”Yeah hun, my ex showed up and offered to impregnate me and your father and I are considering it.” she thought to herself. Obviously that wasn’t an answer she could actually say so she shook it away. “No, why do you ask?” She turned her body away from her daughter so as not to make a face.

Aiko’s tail twitched. ”That’s mom’s lying voice, what is she not telling me?” she splashed around a bit nervously. “I don’t know, you and Dad aren't talking much and keep giving each other glances when you think that the other isn’t looking.” She paused watching her mother for any twitch that might give her away. “And Dad’s been repeatedly cleaning a golden lamp. What’s that…” but she couldn’t finish asking What’s that all about? before her mother dove and leapt out of the small cove. “Something definitely happened." She mumbled to herself.

Ayane wasn’t in the mood to discuss her past, Aiko didn’t know what she was like in her youth and she never wanted her to know.

Her daughter was sweet and innocent after all...



Word Count 362

Cranberry Sunset didn't dare go near Ayane, Isadore's, Aiko or their island. He feared Ayane's wrath and his prized possessions' safety. As the new moon approached he was surprised to spot a familiar koi poking around the coastline. The koi was so distracted looking for something he didn’t even notice the seathi swim right up behind him.

“Capsaicin, what in the world are you doing this far from the rivers?” Cranberry said, startling his friend.

Flopping Capsaicin sunk down into the waves, his heart beating a mile a minute. “Cranberry, do you have to scare me like that?” He playfully sprayed some water at him. “If you must know, I met a cute young koifish and she said she lives somewhere along a small island. I was just swimming by to,” he paused with a smirk, “pay her a visit.” He made no attempt to hide the meaning behind his words.

“I see, and what does this little koifish look like that has caught your eye? Does she have a name?” He asked, trying to sound only half way interested. “Please don’t be Ayane’s daughter.” He pleaded silently to the spirits.

Capsaicin swished his tail and stared up at the sky. “Cranberry she is as pale as the moon and just as graceful. She really knows how to dance with the water. Somewhere in all the fun I never managed to get her name though..." He trailed off, still searching the shoreline for a pale tailfin.

"So, you're here for a tail-fin-call?" Cranberry sighed, fairly certain that this was going to be a problem.

Acting hurt Capsaicin responded cooly, "She's the best I've ever had and I don't think I can move on without more." He made some profane body movements.

Cranberry sunk into the water despairingly trying to figure out what to do now. “I know where she’s at and her name is Aiko, but I need you to do something for me before I will tell you where to find her.” Carefully, and leaving out some of the details Cranberry explained what was going on and why Capsaicin would need to wait a few more days before seeing her again.