"Now, do you have a favorite?"
"I didn't think subjective truths like favorites mattered so much to you," Guitian laughed. It was easier to tease Dilahi now; they'd spent so much time with each other as of late. He knew where Dilahi's prickly bits were, and conversely, where they didn't mind being prodded.
"You're right," Dilahi said. "But...the things that are important to you do matter."
Guitian wasn't sure what the correct response to that was. It seemed intense. He'd always wanted someone to feel intensely about him, but he'd expected that it'd be -
"Creatures like me are called familiars in the Homewood," Dilahi explained, whacking their tail against Guitian's shoulder a little crossly. "We can talk, but we don't receive gifts. What we do have, though, is the ability to bond, and I'd like to bond with you."
It seemed strange that Guitian's first response was, "Are you sure?" He had confidence enough in his skills, but he'd learned quickly that he and Dilahi had vastly different areas of interest. It was true, though, that they worked well together, and that there was nothing he wanted more than to help Dilahi's work along.
"Very," said Dilahi. They darted into a small corner of their den - one too small for Guitian to give chase. This was normal; they stored all sorts of things here. And of course they returned quickly. Holding, now, a bundle of very familiar flowers. "There's a ceremony. We'll need plants that hold meaning for each of us, and somewhere isolated, where we can build a cairn. But - "
"Does it really need to be my favorite?"
Guitian hadn't come from the Barrens entirely unprepared. Of course, he'd found little use for what he'd brought, but he'd carried with him, all this time, a bundle of goods from his home, which Dilahi had never asked him about. At the little shake of Dilahi's head, he felt a smile spreading over his face. "I've brought....from home."
He unwrapped the bundle, at long last, now. He'd eaten through some of his supplies on his way over, of course, but he'd never had cause to use any of this, here. And the plant he had in mind was no edible. "It's quite toxic," he warned. "But - there aren't always vivifies around. The leaves can be used for healing, and the wood itself is excellent in crafted goods."
"That does seem appropriate," Dilahi mused, and they looked at each other for only a few more seconds before Dilahi was scuttling over to pack their things.
--
The ceremony didn't need to be in the Barrens, Dilahi explained. Anywhere safe, where they wouldn't be disturbed, was fine. But they and Guitian had both liked the idea of using the Barrens. That was where Guitian was from, after all.
Of course, Guitian wasn't from this part of the Barrens. But it seemed unreasonable to go all the way home, when there was still much to learn here. He picked a shelter on the route to the Grandfather Tree, feeling satisfied when the tug in his heart eased. This was right.
They assembled the cairn quickly. Dilahi directed most of it, and they placed their little plum blossoms and then Guitian's leaves inside. "We should plant these at our place, when we're done here," they murmured.
"You'd know best," Guitian laughed. He left it to Dilahi to light the fire, too; he was not nearly as facile with flint as they were.
There were a few minutes of contemplation, confusion. The plum blossoms smelled incredible, of course, and the more herbaceous scent of the mountain laurel leaves felt strangely grounding. It was toxic in too high a dose, though, and Guitian worried - for a scuttle scale, it'd be too much, right? Well -
Well, he needn't have worried at all. The world turned from dry and hot to blue and terrifyingly cold. "Dilahi?" he called, but as he opened his mouth water rushed right in, and he felt himself scrabbling helplessly with his hooves for purchase.
Where was he? He burst above the water with a sizable amount of panic. He was from the Barrens - of course he'd never learned to swim! He could see the dark little body bobbing on the water. Dilahi was more competent in the water, but the strength of these tides was more than a match for their small body. "Stay calm!" Dilahi called. "You can float, Guitian - I know it."
It was strange, that they were so calm in the face of certain danger, and yet the confidence had Guitian obeying blindly. He stilled his limbs, and followed their next directions, to kick more rhythmically, and drift to the left, where a gnarled tree stuck its branches out over the water. He didn't need instructions here, reaching out with his teeth to grab on. It wasn't him that needed to talk, anyway, and he felt tiny hands snagging on his tail.
A success. Dilahi kept climbing onto his back before they kept talking, though. "I'm ready now. Just keep heading toward shore - you've got the strength for it."
Guitian made his way over, feeling relief when his hooves found purchase on the muddy banks. Dilahi's grip was strong, so he didn't see a point in warning them that he was about to heave. It took, shamefully, a few tries - the water was powerful. Eventually, though, the front half of his body made it over the shore, and he released the branch, watching it swing wildly above him for just a second before taking the time to reposition his hooves, too, for a better grip. He certainly had better leverage now, and he could push himself up easily.
He got another foot ashore with some hassle, which made the last one more trivial. He was on sturdy ground now, even if he was nearly unrecognizable with mud. "Are you all right, Di?" he asked.
"I'm doing well," Dilahi said, and Guitian heard laughter in their voice - a panicked one.
"What's - ?"
"We avoided a long drop," said Dilahi. "Go look."
Guitian's head swiveled, only to find that the body of water they'd just exited ended only twenty lengths away. He picked himself up, getting to his feet steadily - his body still felt heavy with water, though it dripped out of his fur quickly. He walked over to see the water dropping sharply over a cliff, splashing cool mists out over a pool below. It was beautiful, now, but it was a danger that he and Dilahi had only just avoided. "You're amazing, you know," he said to Dilahi as the dream vision faded.
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