[PRP] Too Bright! (Sun-Cursed x Hang the Moon)

[HuniPi]

Despite being born in the swamp, near-pitch darkness was the only thing the young acha had known upon hatching from her egg. She had stumbled about in the darkness, her first instance of light being the glow of creatures and plants. Dim and soft, it didn't provide much in the way of light usually, but it was enough for someone who didn't know better.

She didn't know when or how, but at some point, a glow more intense than anything she had ever seen before emerged in the sky. When this happened, the acha foal was alone and was quite far away from any shade or cover. The sight of the large, glowing ball was beautiful, mesmerizing, she couldn't take her eyes off it.

But then she had to because it burned her. She hadn't been expecting that. Not at all! The pain took her off guard and she couldn't stifle a shriek.

((sorry this took forever to post!))

[Lutz]

The ever changing darkness and light was something that would have worried Hang The Moon if she'd not been involved, but considering she as was responsible for this whole ordeal (partly, she'd played a very small but willing role, but to her this was all her fault) she was just about sick with guilt. It was better than total darkness some had argued, but the strange, too-bright light that was static in some places and jumped between darkness and light in others was unsettling to her.

She hoped there'd be a solution for this, but for now it seemed it was just the way life would be. She didn't like it, but what could she do other than wait and see if something came up? Creatures more powerful than her were playing a game and she was simply a pawn, waiting to be told what to do next. It didn't sit right with her but she felt helpless all the same.

A cry dragged Hang The Moon from her thoughts, the voice young which concerned her. She trotted through the brightly lit area to try to find the source, and when she did she gave a soft 'oh!' of surprise. A young acha was trembling in the full light of the sun, still making noises of pain. She was instantly by her side to shield her from the light. That was the only thing she could think of that was hurting her but she checked in quickly to be sure.

"Oh, are you all right, little one? Is it the light? It's very bright, if you stay still you can hide from it in my shadow."

No worries!

[HuniPi]

The acha had half-buried her face into the soil out of instinct. Confused and in pain, she didn't know what was going on or why it was hurting, why it was still hurting even if she wasn't looking at the big, awful thing in the sky. It took her a few moments of whimpering and twitching before a cool wave washed over her as a concerned voice asked if she was alright.

The foal sniffled, tears trickling out of eyes screwed shut. "I don't know. It's never been this bright before."

Without realizing it, she had curled up into a small ball, trying to hide in the comforting shade of the unseen voice's owner. Some patches of the young acha's skin looked raw, as if suffering from mild burns even if there was no sign of any nearby fires.

Can this be a naming event for Sun-Cursed?

[Lutz]

The foal was very young, too young to have been born before the whole darkness and 'bringing back the light' incident. The darkness was all she had know and now she was thrust into a world where the sun returned - far brighter than it ever had been in the past - at random times. No wonder she was so disoriented!

But the raw skin along her body made Hang The Moon's heart tremble. The sun was literally burning the young acha, her fur far too short and fine to protect her yet. The thought of her being allergic to the light never crossed her mind, only that the young foal was in pain and that she had to try to help.

"Then let's move to the trees," she urged softly, leaning down to nudge her nose against the acha's leg, making sure to miss any of the raw spots. "Then the shade will be more plentiful and I'll be able to help you feel a little better. Can you stand?" She didn't want to move much more than she already had as she was creating the safe shadow for her young charge, but if she couldn't walk on her own Hang The Moon would need to get creative.

"If it's too bright, little one, keep your eyes shut. I'll keep you in my shadow and get us to a safer place."

Sure! That's fine with me!

[HuniPi]

The acha foal couldn't do anything more than huddle closer to the source of the shade. "I think I can try," she whimpered, carefully squinting between her eyelids. From within the shadow of the older doe, the light that flooded into the foal's eyes was considerably dimmer and she was able to blink through the tears. "I can see the trees, but can we go slow?"

Her small ears were pressed flat against her head, angled forward as if they could somehow stretch far enough to shield her eyes. Her vision was... strange. "U-um, why're there icky blobs coming towards us?"

<3 Thank you!!!

[Lutz]

"Yes, we can go slow," Hang The Moon murmured, keeping her head low so she could hear the weak voice of the foal. The question made her pause, though, and she glanced forwards towards the trees. There were no icky blobs as far as she could see and for a moment she was puzzled as to what the young acha was asking. Then it clicked.

"Don't worry, there's nothing in front of us but the trees and the shade," she said gently, taking slow steps to match the foal so she remained in her shadow. "I think the sun might have left some spots in your eyes. That happens sometimes if it's too bright. They'll go away." She hoped, at least. If the acha was this sensitive to get burns from the light she was worried her eyes might be equally at risk of being injured.

"Almost there," she said. "I'm Hang The Moon, little one. I'll stay and help as long as you'd like. Do you have family around here?"

[HuniPi]

"I don't know." Was the only answer the acha foal could give. Did she have family? She'd been alone since hatching from her egg. Try as she might, she had to admit to Hang The Moon that "You're the first kin I've met."

Even though it was by her request, the pair's movement towards the shade was agonizingly slow for the acha foal. She kept her eyes closed tight, relying on the kindness of the doe guiding her to the safety of darkness. When she could feel the cool sensation of the trees finally cover her, she dared to risk a peek.

The light was dimmer here, much to her relief. "Thank you," the foal said meekly, still keeping low to the ground, afraid to stand as if gaining height would put her in danger of getting close to that bright source of light. "Why is that thing so bright? What is it?" she asked, maybe if she knew more about this dangerous thing she'd be able to survive it.

[Lutz]

Oh dear...the first kin she'd met? Hang The Moon couldn't help but think of how she herself came into this world, abandoned for one reason or another by her parents but welcomed into the world by a loving buck who stepped into the role of father perfectly. She felt an instant kinship to the young acha and, while she didn't think she'd fill the role of a mother for her, she knew she wasn't about to leave the poor thing to figure out the world on her own.

"There we are," she said gently as they reached the shade, leaning down to gently nuzzle the young acha with her nose, careful of the irritated skin. The question made her glance back towards the bright patch they'd moved from, squinting just a bit in the bright light.

"It's called the sun," she said gently. "It's usually not quite so bright, but things are a bit strange right now. Usually it's a softer, gentler light. It usually is out in the daytime and gone in the night, replaced by the moon which is much dimmer. But...as I said, things are a bit strange right now." Day and night were still messed up, with patches of darkness and light roaming around the swamp rather than cycling through like normal.

"Hopefully things will return to normal soon, though. Now, let me see if I can find some herbs for your skin." She began to look around in the immediate area, looking for a specific plant that she could grind up and put on the foal's wounds. It would certainly sting a bit at first but it would help heal the burns rather than just leaving them.

[HuniPi]

The foal continued to sniffle, raising her head and eyes struggling to make out the older doe. "Moon? Can you stay with me for a bit longer? O-only if you're okay with it," she said apologetically. She didn't want to be alone, even though her skin still stung and smarted. She could only stand to open her eyes just enough to be able to see Hang the Moon. The idea of being alone in her current state scared her even if she felt bad about bothering the doe.

I totally forgot to reply I'm so sorry!

[Lutz]

The quiet, pained voice made Hang the Moon pause in her visual search for a helpful plant, her gaze tracking back down to the foal. Although she clearly was in pain, perhaps the idea of being alone hurt more than the burns on her sink.

"Of course, little one," she said gently, shifting to lay down beside the sore foal to her know she wasn't going anywhere. "I'll stay here as long as you'd like. And once you're ready, maybe we can go look for something to help you together?" If she let her little companion rest a bit she may find the strength to walk with Hang the Moon as she looked for the plant.

"But for now don't worry about anything but resting, okay? I'm right here," she added, leaning in to gently nuzzle the foal's nose which was, thankfully, unharmed.

No worries!