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The Zikwa turned to look at the Obelisk glowing brighter, too. "A Zikwa, huh...and a Kimeti..." he muttered, the words sounding foreign in his slack mouth. He paused. "I'll go try that, you seem to know things. I'm From Beyond." He inclined his head, then turned and headed towards the westernmost stone, and stood on it, looking expectantly up at the Obelisk.
He had never been so invested in anything, or around as many kin. While he could see the Obelisk plainly, he couldn't help but watch how the others interacted, formed groups, seemed to be comfortable with each other.

His heart ached in sympathy for the doe's obviously unpleasant memories. His own dream had been significantly less traumatic - all he could really remember were feelings of... drawing inwards, or growing smaller; remembering, but also forgetting. Maddening, but obviously not on par with Half Truth's suffering. He thanked his lucky stars that he had had so soft a nightmare.

Motes couldn't offer her anything but knitted brows and a solemn shake of his head. "I don't know. That's what we're here to find out, I guess, isn't it?"


His attention drew back again to the obelisk, as it glowed brighter once more - and then past it, to the doe standing atop one of the surrounding stones. Restlessly, he wandered over that way, peering intently at the markings on that stone, and overheard her talking to - probably the most interesting looking zikwa Motes had ever seen, but that was a secondary concern. Maybe even third or fourth on his list, at this point, honestly.

As the zikwa left, Motes stepped forward and cleared his throat. "I didn't mean to listen in, but - I think you must have the right of it," he said excitedly. "The northmost stone is definitely a cheetah! Looks just like mine, running full tilt after some morsel or other."

"If the northern stone's a cheetah, and that one's a bat... then maybe the southwestern one's an eagle? It kind of looks like a sitting bird..." Half Truth called after Motes, trailing after him because she didn't know what else to do. "But I don't think the other one looks much like a sand dog. I haven't seen too many sand dogs in my day, though..." She'd seen eagles, though. She'd known a few Totoma who'd had them- always so serious, those Totoma. "I didn't get a good look at everybody here- did any Totoma come with us?"

Spark of Life blinks, confused, then steps back down, looking toward From Beyond. "Maybe only certain kin are supposed to step on certain stones," she called out, looking around at the others. "I'm clearly not supposed to touch that one," she said awkwardly, and took a few steps away. "Do you have any ideas?" She walked up to him shyly, and Orb Sparks flew down from the tree he'd been sitting in to perch on her back again.

"Ooh, yes," Soothe said eagerly, remembering the stone. "I'd have thought the southwestern one a sitting dog, and the last an eagle, myself, but..." She gave pause, though, when From Beyond stepped up onto the stone she'd indicated, and then the obelisk dimmed. "What else might they be? I'd been so certain..."

She was certain the glyphs had some significance, if it wasn't the one she'd initially thought. But she liked familiars!

"That makes about as much sense as anything," Half Truth said, nodding. "Perhaps it doesn't matter who touches them, so long as they're touched in the right order. I can go to the one that I thought was a sand dog, and then after you two touch the crane and the cheetah in order, I can touch it... and we'll see what happens. If it's wrong, I'll try the one you thought was a sand dog." She went to the eastern stone and waited for the others to interact with their stones. Only after that happened would she press against it.

Rolling Mist hurried to follow the others but he had become a little tangled in some overgrown vines which, seeing as he was a mute and couldn't call for help, caused him to take quite some time in untangling himself. At least no one had seen his horribly embarrassing debacle. Shaking the last bits of leaves from the soft fur about his hooves he trotted swiftly to where everyone had gathered. Finally reaching the others he stood back and watched as they explored the strange stones. And that was when he noticed it. The Obelisk. His eyes locked onto the large stone like he had no choice in the matter and, considering how the object had tried to bend his will once while he slumbered, he swiftly broke eye contact with it out of unease. He remembered his dream well and seeing the obelisk now caused a shudder to course its way through his body. He was unsure how he felt about this object and seeing it here in the waking world, sitting before him like an ominous message from unknown forces, he wasn't quite sure he wanted to move any closer. A kind of fear coiled within his chest not unlike a serpent. He remember the feeling when he had awoken. It was like a sickness had overcome him, a dread, a rot. It left a bad taste in his mouth this object and he felt that in some way it would bring no good to the swamp.

He was being a silly Colt. Why should he be afraid of a big stone? Furrowing his brows he gazed at the clearing, at the souls gathered here. If so many had heeded the call it couldnt be that bad. Then again something whispered to him, a feeling which turned his guts to rock and caused his heart to flutter wildly in his chest. Part of him wanted to back away, distance himself from this monster, perhaps try to get the others to do the same. No, he was overreacting. It was a stone. Just a big, black stone. He wanted to say dead but he simply could not bring himself to do so. It seemed far from dead. Perhaps not alive in the literal sense of the world but certainly, what, concious? That was silly too and yet he couldnt find another word more suiting. Straightening himself he took a few steps forward, a little shy around so many new faces and it wasn't like he could introduce himself. With a grimace he stepped up to the first stone closest to himself which was at the very top of the obelisk and, from what he could tell, looked almost like a kin hopping over something. Moving carefully backwards the ghostly male breaks into a sprint. As he gets closer, and with a good bit of power behind pushing off the ground, he sails clean over the stone. Luckily his usual clumsiness abandons him and he lands with relative grace on the other side before quickly turning to see what happened.. if anything.

Motes grinned up at the doe on the southeast stone. "We can always try that after, if this doesn't work!"

As he'd proposed, Motes dashed to the northmost stone - only to narrowly avoid getting landed on as another kin leapt over it! "H-hey - watch it!" he stammered to the grey and white buck, most of the fur on his back standing on end.

Legs shaking only a little, Motes clambered onto the northmost stone.