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"Dog? Really? I know Fix isn't one for hunting," Rouge finally spoke her thoughts as their erstwhile companion bounded away, introduction floating back towards them on the wind, "but how very Fix it is to keep an otter as a pet - and call it 'Dog'! They're nothing like dogs, they're perfect swamp-prey - why, I've killed a million of those since I've gotten here, like I did back in the desert with f-" she cut that particular thought off mid-word, suddenly recalling the fluffy fennec curled around its owner. 'Hm!" she changed the subject abruptly instead, picking up Fox's last statement, "you've been having those dreams too? Blood on snow and all that? I've been quite enjoying them, really!"

"The hopes for a story, of course," she grinned. The cold evaporated at the warmth of seeing her brother. She had always adored him; the muse often suggested because they were such a direct contrast to each other. Although she loved all of her family -- that she knew -- he was her favorite. The cheerfulness she exuded was often an annoyance that her grandmother tolerated while it was utterly lost altogether on her father; Sunlight Journey was the perfect medium.

"And did you see, brother? I have my own eaglehound now! A pup from grandmother's own! Isn't it lovely?" she asked as she nudged the hound towards the red buck to be viewed. The hound whined in discouragement though the doe paid it no mind. It would have to learn to be friendly, at the very least towards her family.

She had barely allowed him to give the dog any attention before she was speaking once more. "What brings you out here, brother?"

Sun gave a short cheerful look to Little before shivering again. "Of course." Sunlit Journey rather admired his sister's ability for storytelling."So what's the focus of this story?" When she mentioned the eaglehound, Sun took a moment to look it over, it had a nice mesh white with some black. As she asked about his reasons for coming out to this snowy hillside, he turned his attention away from her hound, "You know, I've just been having this urge to make an adventure around these parts and it happened to get the better of me."

"A gathering at the north, of course," it was really rather obvious, "but it could change. One never knows what will happen, you know!" And the muse was such a thing of fancy and whimsy.

All the exuberance seemed to fade, the pink doe was so firmly fascinated in his words. Thoughtfully, she placed all the word into her mind to examine later. Once she was quite sure it would be remembered, the calm seem to slide from her like melting snow. "Everyone seems to be feeling a pull or having dreams that prompted to come here," she nodded, "though no one has a clue why..."

Wood Spider blinks at Meets-the-Sea for a moment, impressed by the doe's train of thought-- and then must shrug, as her smile broadens. "Well, I'm not exactly sure -- I dreamed of the cold and of snow, so I came up this way, but I can't speak for Longstride. He seemed content to hare off into the unknown just after the Swamp spoke to him," meaning his ascension, "but Swamp knows where he's gone. Perhaps we'll see him."

After a moment her ears flick forward, and she shakes her hair out of her face -- nosing forward, she touches Meets' side as gently as a newborn foxbun: "--oh! You're expecting again?" Her voice is soft, and she blinks up at Meets for approval, "And you've come all this way!"

-*-

Beetleshell considers the acha for a moment and then nods, once; for the first time her somewhat serious expression lights up into something interested and appreciative. Fix is rapidly breaking down all the walls of awkwardness around Beetleshell. "Yes, and very loyal. He follows me around." A moment after, she adds, "Scares many kimeti away. Nearly as big as you! Could carry you off." And then, somewhat terrifyingly, she smiles -- but adds, "I have small insects, too -- beetles, and a slug. Slug would freeze solid."

"So just the gathering here in the north. Your not here with anyone this time?" Sunlit Journey enjoyed it when she told stories centered around a single buck or doe. She would always put so much detail into their character. Sun's sister began talking about everyone's reason for making their way to the north. He took a moment to wonder about it himself, "It very well may be the Swamp convincing us to come here."

"Salt," returns the doe, "and it's... well. You know. Hello."

-*-

Fix chooses to focus on the positive, as is his wont, and not on the fact that a giant wasp could swoop down and make off with him for dinner.

"Slugs!" he cries. "Do you know they're my favourite thing about the Swamp so far I think (besides you I mean), I haven't seen ANY where I came from, and they are so... great! They're all frilly and slow and sometimes I wish I could just be like a slug all day and eat and sleep and go all slow from place to place, no hurry at all. I hope your slug doesn't freeze solid, I'd like to meet it one day. Maybe it could teach me to be like a slug."

For all his claims that he'd like to live the life of a slug, he fairly dances as he speaks, feet uneasy and never idle, head tossing to punctuate his enthusiasm.