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Cinder felt a sense of exhilaration that radiated from the depths of her bones. It felt like her entire being was trapped in a fount of excitement, and for the first time in her still relatively short life, the doe felt awfully alive.

This was it. She had dreamed of this day for so long, ever since childhood. It wasn't that this day, in particular, was any sort of exceptional achievement. No, this was a day that countless noulicorns experienced. Getting a gift from the Grandfather Tree was but a rite of passage, proof that she had finally joined the ranks of adults all helping to heal the world. That in itself wasn't that special.

But the implications certainly were. For Cinder, this day was the opening of a gate that had barred her from her dreams all her life. Finally, she felt free, released from the prison of ineptitude that had been her childhood. Today was the first day of a long uphill climb toward Ascendancy, and receiving her first gift signified the start of it all.

Everything would be different now. Her dreams of earning her own set of wings was this much closer.

Cinder skipped through the Homewood, humming a quick tune, holding herself in as poised a way she could as she near one of the watering holes. She was an adult now. She had to act it.

wc 232

One minute, she was humming away, completely immersed in her own little world to excitement and joy. The next, she had been bumped. The unexpected collision sent Cinder toppling off her feet, and before she knew it, she had landed in a tangle of limbs with the world above her head.

"Oooof..." she said slowly, disentangling herself from her own legs. "That was a surprise."

The doe managed to get her feet beneath her as she peered about for the source of the collision. Her amber eyes landed on another doe, similar in age to Cinder herself, looking quite distressed. She coughed out a laugh and picked herself up, shock beginning to dissipate as she took in her new companion. Cinder had been ready to fight for a brief second, ready to give the intruder a tongue lashing, but seeing this new doe and her obvious contrition made all her feisty anger vanish like smoke.

"Don't worry about it," she reassured the other doe once she'd stood up again. "You didn't do it on purpose! What were you dancing to?"

sc 232 + 180 = 412

The expression on Cinder's face brightened as Kachina spoke, and before long any possible insult that could have lingered from the bump had evaporated. The bay doe's experiences - and current mood - seemed to match Cinder's own so perfectly that it was hard not to feel her own excitement amplified.

"My humming started your dance?" she said, thrilled to know that she had had such a positive impact on the other noul, who seemed like something of a free spirit. "Isn't that lovely."

Cinder herself wasn't necessarily prone to whimsy, but she did have very strong and often sudden desires. It wasn't quite the same as being free-spirited, but she could understand a bit of it - or at least, thought she could.

"My name is Cinder. What a coincidence, I've also just come from the Grandfather Tree!" Her ears perked and she watched Kachina expectantly. "What did you think of it all?"

wc 232 + 180 + 151 = 563

"Thank you!" Cinder said, trying to hide her surprise. She'd never gotten such a compliment before, and she couldn't help but notice how kind and open Kachina was - qualities that she could learn from, perhaps. Cinder loved company, but she had been known to be a little more guarded, more... singular in her ambition. There weren't many who understood it, and the doe had learned not to share it too often.

"I have the gift of Vivify, with the ability to Cleanse!" she said eagerly, still feeling the thrill of standing under the Grandfather Tree, looking up into its branches and waiting for the touch of magic on her soul. What an experience. "What about yours? You wouldn't happen to be... also a Vivify, would you? You seem like you might be. You're just so... kind."

The doe nodded thoughtfully as Kachina spoke about her experience, and a smile came to alight on her face as she listened. "Yes, I see what you're saying. I can definitely relate," she said, imagining it all happening again with that contented smile. "Mine felt similar, I think, except instead of the smell of flowers it felt like the wind carried this... promise. It was like the wind itself was excited for me."

"No kidding!" Cinder said, grinning in response. What were the chances! Two young does, both with the same gift. The Grandfather Tree must have seen something in the two of them, and with a lucky twist of fate, they'd managed to find each other right after their respective quests. If that wasn't a sign, Cinder didn't know what was.

She bobbed her head happily, pleased to have made a new friend, who might be able to go through this journey through learning and growing with their magical gifts with her.

"I'm an only child," she said with a laugh. "Although my parents seem to be considering more, now that I'm less of a handful for them. They couldn't handle the potential of having two of me at the same time." Cinder was more than aware of how difficult she must have been to raise. So many questions. So many demands. So many requests to follow them and learn and better prepare herself for the day when she could go to the Grandfather Tree, receive her gift, and throw herself into helping heal their society. The doe had never been apologetic for who she was, but she bore no small amount of appreciation for her parents' endless patience. "How about you?"

Cinder had been thinking along the same lines, wondering what the Grandfather Tree had meant by sending someone to her who seemed to similar and yet so different. There was much to be said about having someone who understood, and much to be learned from a good friend. Maybe Kachina was right. If Cinder was being honest, she would have to admit that she'd had a handful of superficial friends in her life - the kind that one would meet in or around high society - but she'd never been sure how real those friendships were.

She grinned and nodded happily. "I think you're right," she said in agreement. "The Grandfather Tree must've known it."

Her face took on a thoughtful expression as the topic turned to siblings. She had always wondered what it would be like to have one, but being the role-driven nouls her parents were, they had wanted only one foal while they focused on advancing themselves as well. The doe thought their system had worked decently well - her parents hadn't had to sacrifice everything they thought important just to raise her, and yet they had still done what she considered to be quite a good job of parenting.

But it was a little lonely sometimes, being an only child.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Cinder said with a shake of her head. "I might soon understand what it's like to have a little brother or sister, anyway. It might be a bit of an adjustment." She wondered if she'd be close to a hypothetical younger sibling. She'd never really known how to act around foals, but maybe it was a learning opportunity.

"Huh. That sounds... interesting," she said curiously as Kachina began to talk about the wind. That uninhibited sense of whimsy was something she was quite unfamiliar with. If tasked with imagining it, Cinder had to admit that she struggled a bit. But seeing Kachina dance about, the doe suspected that it could be quite enjoyable. "I don't think I've ever tried, to be honest."

"I would certainly try!" Cinder nodded thoughtfully. She had wondered in the past what it might be like to have a sibling to ally with against the parents or the nannies. What shenanigans could they get up to? But thinking back, the doe had to concede that growing up as an only child was probably the best route for her. The competitive nature that fueled her every move and desire might have meant that a similarly aged brother or sister would become a nemesis rather than a friend. And that would have been a shame. She was different now, though. More mature, or perhaps simply more able to understand that a young foal was not her competition. It was a lot easier to fully love something that didn't seem like a threat in any way. "Maybe it won't be so hard after all."

Taking care of a little sibling was probably like dancing on the wind, if she thought about it. Just a new thing that she'd never tried before. The doe smiled. "You'll have to teach me next time," she said. It was rapidly approaching time for her to be home. She still hadn't broken the news about her gift to her parents, who were no doubt eagerly awaiting her return.

"Mine as well, I'm sure," Cinder agreed with a nod. It had been a long day for them both. "I'm so glad we met. Next time, for sure."

She seemed a little surprised by the hug, a little stiff at first, but relaxed after a moment's brief hesitation. Her family was not a touchy one, and hugs were not something she was too used to. Still, it came as a pleasant surprise.

"Have a good night!" Cinder said happily, turning toward home. She had known that today would be exciting, but meeting a new friend had been beyond even her expectations.