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Kin: African penguin
Name: Snowstorm
Dream or Story: It was white. He floated in a weird sort of non-space, his hooves barely seeming to touch the ground, for the ground was soft and slipped away easily beneath him. His vision was white... he could not see anything around, though- a flicker of grey-blue, and he turned, moving slowly as if in stuck in muddy swamp swill- but the stuff around him was powdery, and sifted away.
Everything was white, but he could see movement.
Swirls, like ripples in water, but it was in the air. Moving white flakes, all around him, like leaves that had grown soft with age.
Snow.
His conscious mind provided the word, that rare event in the cold season, and suddenly everything began to quicken.
The floating white snow began to swirl around him, and he was swept away in a flash of nothingness as if in a great flood.
Storm.
His vision cleared in a great flash of light, and he woke with the warm glow of knowledge making his heart soar. I am Snowstorm.

Kin: Two
Name: Warm Wishes
Dream or Story: Pleasant, warm wishes for good health, family, and good dreams for all.

Kin: Magellanic
Name: White Ice
Dream or Story: Ice thicker than a kin's belly takes on a color of its own, a pure and simple shade of white.

Kin: doe twin
Name: Ice Crystal
Dream or Story: Sometimes, in the depths of winter, an ice crystal is born. A shard of cold, hard, glittering light that reflects the colors of the winter landscape around it and threatens to harm those who are unwary of its sharp edges. Soon, it will thaw, but while it remains hardened to the world- be careful. Be wary. You just might get hurt.

Kin: Fairy penguin
Name: Soft Sigh
Dream or Story: That sound you make when you think no one is around, and breath just gently wafts from your lips.
A soft, gentle sigh.

Kin: buck twin
Name: Ice Shard
Dream or Story: Sometimes, in the depths of winter, an ice crystal is born, and a piece falls off. A shard of cold, hard, glittering light that reflects the colors of the winter landscape around it and threatens to harm those who are unwary of its sharp edges. Soon, it will thaw, but while it remains hardened to the world- be careful. Be wary. You just might get hurt.

Kin: Emperor
Name: Stand Tall
Dream or Story: Raise your head up high, arch your shoulders back, lift yourself with pride- and all will be alright.

Kin: African
Name: Surfperch
Dream or Story: I dreamed of fish, flopping at the water's edge. Silly creatures, they threw themselves at the beach, and for what? And then I was one of them, and I saw myself at the beachhead, and I lay in the sun gasping- and I still didn't understand the futility of it all.


Kin: Emperor
Name: Waddle
Dream or Story: Crossing the ice is hard, so don't laugh. Sure, the way I move is funny, keeping my legs stiff as I can and sort of rocking to waddle my way across the slick surface. But I don't see you coming back with fish, do I? I don't see YOU feeding your family with winter's bounty.

Yeah, that's what I thought.


Kin: Fairy
Name: The Coldest Stars
Dream or Story: Night settled in on her shoulders, cloaking her in frost. At first, the icy tendrils twinkled, singing like stars. She shivered, relishing their beauty- and as she shut her eyes, but before she breathed her last, she noticed the way they hung in the air about her. Cold, cold stars, shining like eyes.

Kin: Doe twin
Name: Icicles Are Dangerous
Dream or Story: She was eager- always eager, even as a tiny child. Eager to prove herself better, stronger, faster- eager. She wanted to fight everything- her siblings, her parents, her friends, animals she met, random trees... it was never malicious, but simply the yearning desire to butt her head against all obstacles and test her strength.

So when winter came and the trees and overhangs bore the twisting, shining sheets and points of ice, well, she was determined to fight those, too. "Icicles are sharp," said her father. "Be careful."

"I'm not afraid!" she insisted.

"Icicles are unpredictable," said her mother, "and your armor's not done growing."

"I'm not afraid!" she insisted.

"You can't fight ice," scoffed her brother. "That's stupid."

"I'm not afraid!" she insisted, and sprinted into the nearest tree with her head lowered to show him exactly how not afraid she was. With a massive cracking sound, several large pillars freed themselves from their woody perches. A massive column of pointy ice crashed near her, quivering in the ground. Several more followed, tiny flechettes of ice that stung as they hit her. She tried to dance away from them, but the damage had been done- dozens of cuts, and she knew she was lucky none of them were serious.

"Icicles," she said gravely, a trickle of blood dripping down her face, "are dangerous."

And that did it, they were her enemy whether they knew it or not. Look out, frozen water. She's coming for you.


Kin: Buck twin
Name: Catch-Hare
Dream or Story: He found it good to be clever and strong- strong only got you so far, really, if you had a real challenge to face, and so being clever could give you the edge you needed, a real leg up. He could be cold and calculating when he needed to be, and that was something he reckoned as a real strength and advantage.

Take, for instance, when you were hunting hares.

They were fast little things, quicker than he was, and far too much effort to run down. Annoying, really- but tasty, and nourishing.

So when you hunted hare, it was best to do it in pairs. Here she came now, his sister, lumbering and bellowing and generally scaring the life out of the hopping creature. Good, that's what he wanted to see. She was coming right at him, driving the hare- and when he brought his foot down and picked up its limp body, he smiled at the metallic tang of success. Winter was here, and with it came the pressing need for survival.

And he was really, really good at survival.

Kin: Egg two
Name: Snowstorm
Dream or Story: the dream was white and cold, and that's all there was to it.

no- there was more, there was speed, whirling, excitement.

lethal, but beautiful, and that sense of fast strength- well, that was worth it.


Kin: Magellanic
Name: Coldstone
Dream or Story: She knew she was dreaming because she was lying in a cave of shimmering ice, belly pressed to the frozen granite beneath her- but she felt... warm. cozy. loved.

Kin: Magellanic
Name: Wait for Me
Dream or Story: Everything was so familiar, the smell of salt in the breeze, the gravel underneath his feet.. her. One look and he felt a lifetime of love and adoration, saw their children and their children's children. It was cold, yet he felt warm. Her voice calls out, 'wait for me', and so he did.

Kin: Twin Doe
Name: Swims with Ice
Dream or Story: The twins liked the water. Even in the most frigid of temperatures you could find either of them wading in some body of water, big or small.
It started out as simple kicking in the water and turned into a technique. One that she would go on to teach others even though she has failed time and time again to teach her brother. She can't tell if it's because she isn't good enough at it, or he's just too lazy to humor her.

Kin: Twin Buck
Name: Floats like Ice
Dream or Story: The twins liked the water. Even in the most frigid of temperatures you could find either of them wading in some body of water, big or small.
The boy, however, was much more.. lax in his methods. He would stay so still one might think he was a dead body in the water. Often handy for playing tricks.

Kin: African
Name: Plunge
Dream or Story: The feel of the wind on his face as he ran pass the lower swamps. Heading for the cliff nearest the deepest water, he pushed faster. Soon, he plunged into the water, making a splash to wow the others.

Kin: Emperor
Name: Egg Watcher
Dream or Story: Curious the first time she seen an egg, she sat and watched it. After the baby inside broke free, the young doe went and found another egg to watch. Soon she had a collection of eggs around her that she would watch. The eagles were happy along with some of the acha and kiokote as they all had an Egg Watcher for them.

Kin: Two
Name: Wild Run
Dream or Story: The ground under her hooves, the wind in her mane. This was her Wild Run through the sand and water.

Kin: Twin Doe
Name: Water Splash
Dream or Story: No matter where she went, if there was water, she was splashing in it. Sometimes she would splash up fish, other times it was to cool off the rest of the group she was with.

Kin: Twin Buck
Name: Ice Breaker
Dream or Story: The ground was frozen and his herd needed water. He searched everywhere for water, but only found the ground covered in ice. He could hear water, but not see it. Lifting up high, the buck dropped down hard on the ice, breaking it. Water erupted out and he kept breaking the ice to give more water.

Kin: Fairy
Name: Frosty Nightwish
Dream or Story: After the last vestiges of sunlight fade from the winter sky a shooting star reflects on a frozen lake.

Kin: African
Name: Take a Dip
Dream or Story: When the sun is hot and the rocks burn your feet, you know it's time to take a dip in the water.

Kin: Emperor
Name: Rock-hopper
Dream or Story: Rock-hopper always liked to jump. She got quite good at it too, making sport of jumping streams and banks for cheap thrills. One blustery fall evening she heard a peculiar sound while she was out gathering food. She happened across a juvenile totema stranded on the wrong side of collapsing outcrop. The colt was injured by falling debris and was definitely not climbing back out of it. Rock-hopper a then unnamed young adult easily bounded across to the other side without a second thought. Unfortunately the loose ground began to rapidly give way. With great precision she scooped the kid up and leapt back across the widening gap, kicking off a shifting boulder to make the last couple feet.

Kin: egg two
Name: Sea Pebble
Dream or Story: Like a sea pebble, she is strong enough to face the crashing waves.

Kin: Magellanic
Name: Slip Slide
Dream or Story: "Yip-pee!" the young Zikwa shouted happily. Whether it's a muddy hill or snow covered slope they always take the shortest route. Slip sliding all the way down.

Kin: doe twin
Name: Birdtalker
Dream or Story:
Birdtalker always loved the birds. She would often sit for hours admiring them. It is plain to see that they are beautiful, however for Birdtalker they are much more than pretty creatures. Their songs warm her heart and her penchant for their imitation melts the hearts of others. At first she used her song purely for entertainment, but it became so much more when shared. She would sing for the lonely, the ill, and the sad. Her commitment to caring in this manner is what had earned her this name.

Kin: Fairy
Name: Little Blue
Dream or Story: Little blue boy slipping down into the big blue.
How long can you hold your breath?
One, two..

Kin: African.
Name: Cold Feet
Dream or Story: "Be careful," they warned, "the water's dangerous," they said. He walked forward without fear. He waded into the icy cold water and walked a short while further until his strong teeth enclosed around a mongoose's patch of neck fur. Coming out of the water with cold feet, he shook himself dry and brought the injured mongoose back to shore, back to safety.

Kin: Egg Twp
Name: Snowfall.
Name: The first flake melts upon your skin, but when many gather and fall down at once, it becomes a snowfall. Be careful when travelling.

Kin: Twin doe.
Name: Ice Crusher
Dream or Story: The ice was her favourite. She liked to play rough with her brother, jumping from one icy rock to another. But when it got in her way, she would crush the ice into smaller pieces and carry on with their fun. The crushed ice, served as small cold treats for the thirsty ones passing by.