Season of Love Raffles...DRABBLES

[subducting]

A DRABBLE ON THE THEME OF PET LOVE!
Kin Name: Star Sea
Drabble: Empty Space found Star Sea right when she needed her.

Her restless hooves had taken the spindly Zikwa far from the tunnels of her home and into the swamp, above ground and into the open. It was a baffling experience, full of strange sensations. Star Sea felt exposed at first, fearing the many dangers the unfamiliar world presented, and missing the familiar comfort of the safety of the mass of rock and stone around her. Everything could see and hear her here, and it was frightening.

Empty Space was scared too. Star wasn’t familiar with many animals other than cave worms and bats, but the small creature was clearly in pain when she had first found her, hearing the pitiful whining through the swamp and being drawn by the heartbreaking noises to investigate. She had discovered the then-young eaglehound, sporting a painful looking torn claw. It took a lot of patience to earn the creature’s trust- several days of leaving food, waiting, gradually edging closer- until she could try and ease a little of the pain.

Both kin and hound had grown a lot since then, but their bond only strengthened over time, and Empty Space paid Star Sea back in multitudes for her kindness long ago.

A DRABBLE ON THE THEME OF PASSIONATE LOVE!
Kin Name: Trace the Stars
Drabble:“Tell me again,” pleaded Trace the Stars, fluttering his eyelashes coyly. Shines Like Silver rolled his own eyes, and Trace feigned hurt, drooping his lips and letting his tail trail sadly on the ground. When no compliments appeared to be forthcoming, he draped himself dramatically to the floor.

“You’re ridiculous,” said Silver, nudging the prone buck before him. Trace bounced up happily, eyes sparkling with humor. “Yeah, but I do it so well,” he protested, grinning broadly. Silver was smiling in spite of his teasing, and he nudged Trace gently. Once again the purple-and-teal buck was on the floor, his legs in the air as he gasped. “You’re too strong, Silver!” he was beaming. Silver snorted. “I’ll show you strong,” he threatened mischievously.

A moment later something solid fell on top of Trace and he squawked indignantly. “You’re so melodramatic, Trace,” said the older buck matter-of-factly, from on top of him. Trace wiggled into a more comfortable embrace, pushing his head fondly under Silver’s for a moment. “You love it, though,” he mumbled into his beloved’s wispy beard.

The rumble of agreement was enough to tell Trace that he did, in fact, love it.

A DRABBLE ON THE THEME OF INFATUATED LOVE!
Kin Name: Lingering Night
Drabble: Lingering Night was in love with the time between day and night. The special moments that belonged to neither.

It was then that she first saw the doe, on the opposite lake shore to the place where Dark Moon Rising and her group lived. Standing in mist rising off the water and illuminated by a firey dawn, Lingering thought she must be dreaming already, the sunlight burning an image into her sleep. She looked frequently for the doe, but it was always at the end of night, when the nocturnal kin settled to sleep.

She tried staying up later, her eyes burning with the effort and the lids dropping over them without her permission, but she had to try and get another glimpse. But the doe was never around for long- it seemed she came to the lake infrequently, to take drinks in the early morning, but she was never there for long. One time she looked across, and almost certainly caught Lingering’s eye, but the kimeti was at the edge of sleep and couldn’t be sure.

Not until the day she woke at dusk, later than usual thanks to being up well into the morning, and was greeted as she left her nest by her vision, cast differently in shades of evening, and wearing a reverent smile.

“I’ve finally found you!” the doe sighed happily.

A DRABBLE ON THE THEME OF LOST LOVE!
Kin Name: Star Sea
Drabble: Star Sea left so much behind when she came above ground.

The friends and family she had known her whole life, however young she had been at the time. She hadn’t known that, once she went to the swamp, she would never leave it again. Or maybe she had. The hardest goodbye had been to her grandmother. The old Zikwa had been the first to accept Star Sea’s desire to travel, and had walked with her a ways down the tunnels, their sides touching.

“You must always trust your judgement,” the old doe had said, her voice a whispering murmur up and down the rock walls. “It is what has led you to this choice. It will lead you from here to where you need to go, too.”

Star Sea sighed, dipping her head. She was determined to experience the world outside, but she knew for sure she would never see her grandmother again. The doe was too old, too frail, like the deepest of roots that has grown thin at the tip. Even her movements were stiff and slow. Star Sea hated to leave her, but she knew her future lay far away from her home.

She would remember her in every hoofstep she took after they parted.

A DRABBLE ON THE THEME OF REKINDLED LOVE!
Kin Name: Thunder Rush
Drabble: Thunder’s hooves had carried her in a great arc and she had arrived back at where she had started, all those years ago- a place a part of her heart had never really left. When she was young, she had always admired Night and Day. The zikwa was as different from her as it was possible to be- confident, springy, commanding. Thunder adored everything about her- when they were fillies, she was like a shadow to her friend, and in turn Night and Day was her protector and confidante.

When they parted ways, Thunder Rush hadn’t expected to see her again, and her tongue weighed heavy at the cusp of adulthood with all the things she hadn’t said, all the things she had since wished she’d said. Over time the regret had lessened, but it never truly went altogether.

And then here she was. Night and Day before her, as amazing as ever. Shyness was locking her jaws closed, and all she could do was blink like a startled filly. Night and Day was seemingly surprised as well, albeit she got over it a lot quicker. She sauntered over, the calm, almost amused confidence edging over her features as she smiled. Thunder felt a rush of anxiety. What if they weren't friends anymore? What if Night didn’t feel the same way?

“Well, shall we pick up where we left off?” asked the zikwa, flicking Thunder with her tail.

A DRABBLE ON THE THEME OF BLOOMING LOVE!
Kin Name: Vine Keeper
Drabble: Vine Keeper loved her plants. It had started as single vine- a vital herb her herd needed to survive a deadly plague. It wasn’t glorious or beautiful, but the small, fuzzy leaves staved off the illness and protected them. Her family and friends accepted the bitter leaves, but didn’t understand her fascination with them- or her growing affection towards them. She earned her name for fending off the disease and being resolute in her watch, but when she began talking to her garden, eyebrows were raised.

Vine Keeper didn’t care. The plants that grew in the mountains were hardy and determined, and she had to admire them for that. Her vine was joined by tiny flowers that kept their heads close to the ground and small mosses that survived on the dew in the frozen mornings. And all the while Vine Keeper talked to them. She told them how proud she was of them and how well they were growing. She scolded the shrubs for hogging the light and teased the vine about it’s jealousy of her newer plants. And above all, she told them how she loved them. Her precious blooms, that persevred, just like she did.

A DRABBLE ON THE THEME OF SELF LOVE!
Kin Name: Trace the Stars
Drabble: “I mean,” the teal-and-violet kimeti buck was gesturing at his reflection in a pool, puffed like a peacock and twice as smug, “How could ANYONE not be enamoured by my splendid form? Surely I am without compare in the swamp...” Trace trailed off, glancing around, before continuing to stare fondly into the still waters, admiring his reflection. He turned this way and that, lifting his legs, flicking his sinuous tail, bending his head to see his tall, branching antlers. The pool rippled silently back at him, which he took as agreement.

He chuckled, shaking his head at himself. He wasn’t truly so bigheaded, but Trace the Stars had a confidence that leaked into every aspect of himself. The confidence came from an enthusiasm for life- the swamp was huge and wonderful, and even when Trace came across those who didn’t quite get him, he always managed to find another kin to talk to soon. In any case, Trace’s true self love came not from an appreciation for his looks- stunning though they were- but from the knowledge that he tried hard to be a positive force in the world. From his friends to his family, he gave as much time and company as was ever asked.

A DRABBLE ON THE THEME OF NO LOVE!
Kin Name: Ferns at Dusk
Drabble: Ferns lifted his fore-leg and shook it disdainfully, his features prickling with ill-disguised annoyance. A couple of delicate blossoms detached and drifted to the damp ground, their pink petals quickly vanishing under a dark hoof. Snorting, he lashed his tail, his eyes glittering darkly as he observed all the other kin from the shadows. A festival of love indeed. It was all so shallow and vapid- so self serving and transparent, the relationships and connections so fleeting an pointless. Kins sought one another for no reason other than to not be alone- as if being on their own was so terrifying.

Maybe he was just odd, but for Ferns, the holiday was less of a chance to find someone special and more to observe. He watched the dance of relationships, the bargaining that took place behind meaningful glances and tossed heads, the words left hanging in the warming air. Love, Ferns had decided long ago, was nothing more than a tool. Some used it to acquire power, or admiration, feeding their pride with other kin’s words. Others took it and filled an empty hole within themselves, or poured it out like wounded birds bleeding from their chests. And no matter what, at the end of the day, it would always come back to that. It was a transaction. Nothing more.  

[Ruriska]

A DRABBLE ON THE THEME OF REKINDLED LOVE!
Kin Name: Only Dreaming
Drabble:

It didn’t matter how long it had been, Only Dreaming sometimes woke up with a name on her tongue. An old love, someone she’d been close to and then drifted away from. Someone she’d had children with, had laughed with, had spent days beside. It always ended but she had a flame for them in her heart always.

All it took was a single spark to make it bloom once more.

Sometimes it was her dreams; they’d appear there, a phantom of their real selves, and remind of her the good times they had had. Sometimes it was a smell. She would be walking along and a certain scent would reach her nose; a deep inhale and she back in the past, with a warm body by her side. A rekindled love.

She would think of these bucks with such fondness and long for them, a love in her chest that burned suddenly bright. Where were they? What were they doing? Were they happy? If she could find them again... would they welcome her?

Only Dreaming loved her solitude and always sought it out in the end but for a little while it was nice to love and be loved.

A DRABBLE ON THE THEME OF INFATUATION LOVE!
Kin Name:Fey
Drabble:

Love was fun but it never lasted.

Fey tasted infatuation like sweet honey on her tongue and a thrill in her bones. She floated from one to the next, sometimes the admirer and sometimes the admired. She loved to woo, to flirt, to play coy. The bat of lashes, the subtle laugh that echoed in their ears. It was charming to see them stumble over their hooves and words, to seek her out with such delightful needs.

When it was her turn, she relished the butterflies in her chest. They were so active, making giggles bubble up in her throat. She loved finding someone strong and handsome or dainty and sweet, someone new to moon over and recite poetry about. They would spend days together, lost in each other, enjoying the game and hiding their blushing until they could not hide anything anymore.

Then once it was done, the infatuation had reached its end, they would both move on and Fey would seek the next lover. Such fun was to be had. Under starlight, with gentle quivers up your spine. When the world was gone and the only thing left was the source of your ardour. When your mind or theirs was filled up entirely.  

[Ruriska]

A DRABBLE ON THE THEME OF BLOOMING LOVE!
Kin Name: Nose-in-the-air
Drabble:

Nose-in-the-air stared sullenly at the little patch of dirt that was refusing to do anything for him. He’d been diligent, so desperately careful with every bit of water he carried over to dribble across his special seeds. He’d been ever so diligent in keeping the weeds at bay, pulling them up with a tug, careful not to disturb the soil too much.

Except the weeds were the only things that were growing in his sad little garden. Even if this was an expected result, considering his woeful life, it was still depressing. So he moped sadly around the area, waking up every morning to check to see if his flowers seeds had decided to sprout.

All he’d wanted was to have something nice to show Last Night when (or if) she ever returned. He missed her, felt a little less every day without her. But she was too important and too in tune with the flow of the Swamp to ever remain. But he’d wanted a flower to bloom, to display it for her proudly and say, ‘look, I’ve done something good, I’ve contributed something nice.’

That seemed impossible now.

He was always such a disappointment.

It was only after he’d moved on, finally wandered far away, did something begin to grow. Tiny bright pink flowers waiting for a longed for lover to return.