[PRP] Moving Woes (Sun-Cursed x Smoldering Ember)

[doomsayer]

Smoldering Ember took all morning cleaning up his mangrove root den and pushing all his things to one side of the interior so that he could make room for Sun-Cursed and her familiars. The rear of the den would still be for his food stores which he made sure to remind himself to boast to her about when she arrived later.

From previous experience, he knows that her bunny is a little rambunctious and her feathered serpent can be quite overprotective of her. Beyond those two, she's warned him of a few other smaller creatures under her care, numbering about a dozen or so in total. It seems a lot, but he has a spacious area under the mangrove roots and he knew that he would be happy just to share it with someone.

Regardless, that many critters would definitely be a chore just between the two of them, so he decided to bring his own familiars. Night Strike and Grove Guardian came to him without needing persuasion or taming. It was like they felt they belonged with him and he just let them stay. In between the both of them, they could hunt enough food to feed even him. More often than not, he would be forced to give away food they hunt because it would be too much for the three of them and he would no longer have any space in his food stores. Now that Sun-Cursed is moving in with her menagerie of little friends, he's more than confident that he can keep them all fed properly at least.

Night Strike is used to outrunning fast prey; today her job is to chase down any of Sun-Cursed's more wily familiars and herd them back to the group during the move. Grove Guardian is large and imposing. Almost the size of a regular sized kin himself, today he's going to use his size and reach to make sure the all of Sun-Cursed's critters travel in a manageable group.

With both of his own trustworthy familiars with him and ready to do what needs to be done, he was sure that this move would go smoothly.

Arriving at Sun-Cursed's most recent temporary shelter at about sundown, what greeted him was a lean-to of sorts made of old tree trunks covered in large leaves. The ground around it is lousy with tracks and drag marks and there seems to be a small hullabaloo happening inside.

He comes up to just in front of what he assumes is the entrance and calls out, "Sun-Cursed? I'm here. Are you ready to head out?"

[HuniPi]

The ruckus coming from inside the lean-to were not made by kin, but instead were of thumping stalks against a tortoise shell. It wasn't anything particularly violent, the rhythm was more akin to someone waiting patiently and using their limbs to drum away the time. Skittering out of the way of the descending spiky stalks was the crab. As the three slowest of the motley crew of pets and familiars, they were often left behind while their faster and more agile counterparts accompanied Sun-Cursed while she foraged.

Not every familiar would venture forth, the tanuki, the cheetah, and tea dragon were all content to laze about until they were specifically called. While the tiny birds and humblebee roosted among the tree branches above.

Normally, they were allowed to roam and wander of their own accord but today the acha had herded them in one place and gave them strict instruction not to stray too far. Something the bunny ignored and simply scampered away, prompting the feathered serpent's hunting instincts.

Sun-Cursed had sighed in frustration at the bunny's disobedience but she couldn't stay too mad at it. After all, she wouldn't have been able to reunite with Ember were it not for Caught in the Act. She was worried though that tonight would be the night Heartless finally catches Caught. She was going to need help in reigning the feathered serpent, which was why she brought the lion with her.

----

Sun-Cursed had to pick up her pace, she'd lost sight of both bunny and serpent. Her lion was doing his best to help her maintain both scents but something kept distracting him. "Did you find one of them?" she hoped aloud, though she doubted it. When Caught or Heartless didn't want to be found, they didn't want to be found.

[doomsayer]

She was worried. It was unusual of her to gather her little pets in one place. On a regular day, she would just let the useless ones go about their day roaming pointlessly until it was time for them to retire at her side. Those that had worth to her hunted with her. Watched over her as she traveled. Those had worth. Those he would let her keep. The rest he might just feed to elder brother.

The bunny and the serpent were missing. The bunny was mischievous and often caused her problems. The serpent he did not particularly like as its instincts were often able to detect his presence. It would be no loss to if they did not return to her.

But she is saddened by their absence. She head out to search for them, but she was not making any headway. He saw them rush out the other way. She wouldn't find them before the sun rose at this point. She was unhappy. It showed on her beautiful face. Even in sorrow, her glow framed her downcast expression with ethereal beauty.

He could not take it. He will find them. He will bring them back to her. He will see her smile because of him, even if she would not know.

-----

Following the bunny was easy. It's tracks left a deep imprint in the dirt. Funnily enough, the serpent seemed to figure out the same. When he appeared to both, the bunny froze in fear--an appropriate response--but the serpent showed its fangs. It was defiant in his presence. No matter. He would beat it into compliance.

-----
Dropping the creatures off, he saw that she had a guest. A large, handsome guest. This one would not treat her the way she is supposed to be treated. She is mine! This one cannot have her!

He tosses the beaten feathered serpent right outside her tent, glaring at the bunny to enter and let her know they were back. He would slink back into the shade, watching as his rage mounted at this new unknown Kimeti.

[HuniPi]

After almost half an hour of fruitless searching, the acha decided to return to meet up with Ember. Once back, she invited him in as she began to dismantle her shelter, adding that it was just easier to do it from the inside. As she nipped at vines and dislodged branches, she explained that she would have to return again tomorrow to fetch two of her familiars. "And yes, it's Caught in the Act and Heartless at Best. I wish I had named them something different now, they might have been more better behaved, otherwise."

She tried to joke despite sounding very apologetic, "I know I was even the one to give you the time but I honestly thought I'd be able to get them all sorted out by this time."

Then she heard a thud coming from outside. And she couldn't help but notice how her lion's hackles were raised and was about to rush outside when the wayward bunny dashed inside to hide behind Sun-Cursed, trembling and quaking in utter terror.

Stepping outside, Sun-Cursed gasped in horror at the sight of her injured feathered serpent. "What happened here?"

[doomsayer]

Smoldering Ember followed closely behind Sun-Cursed as she stepped out. Seeing her feathered serpent beaten on the ground, he scanned to the surroundings to see if the culprit was still nearby. It was curious that her lion hissed in warning of something it perceived but neither Guardian nor Strike showed any sign of an intruder being nearby or picking up anything with their own senses. Seeing nothing and no one out of place in the immediate vicinity, he helped Sun-Cursed gather Heartless at Best into her shelter and ordered both his own familiars to keep a lookout outside in case anything else happens.

"Looks like these two got into a bit of trouble. We wouldn't want anything like that following us around for the move, so I think it's best we wrap things up around here and get moving as soon as we can. I'll carry Heartless. Strike and Guardian will help you keep the rest in check."

He then proceeds to join her in dismantling her shelter to quicken their time of departure.

[HuniPi]

Heartless could not put up any resistance when picked up even if it wanted to. It was too tired to hiss in pain and the last thing it saw was the comforting glow of its master's halo before it slipped into unconsciousness.

"Thank the MotherFather that whatever it was it spared Heartless," Sun-Cursed breathed in relief after confirming that her feathered serpent was simply knocked out. She turned to the kimeti buck and gave him a grateful smile before saying "And thank you, Em, for being here." She quickly went back inside to finish dismantling the lean-to.

----

It was Moving in the Dark and Love and Affection who kept watch alongside Strike and Guardian, though the lion kept trying to catch that scent again. He had never scented anything like it before, but the malice and danger was unmistakable. He didn't want it getting anywhere near his pride and he hoped whatever it was had lost interest now that Heartless was incapacitated.

----

Once ready, Sun-Cursed was doing everything she could to ensure there would be no further set-backs. The slower familiars were being dragged along on flat boards of wood and while it did cut into their travel speed, it was still faster than being left to move at their own pace. "Nothing like this has happened before. This area is definitely not as safe as I first thought it was," she says to Ember, once again flashing him a bright smile of gratitude. "Your offer came at the perfect time."

[doomsayer]

The concern on his face was glaringly obvious. He thought he had an inkling as to the danger and instability of her nomadic lifestyle, but something going around and hurting her familiars was just a step away from whatever it was going around to hurt her.

All he could do was look her in the eyes and say what he truly felt. "I'm glad I got to you in time. When we get to our den, you won't have to deal with any of these things anymore. I promise you and your pets will be safe with me."

-----

The rest of their trip was uneventful, thankfully. Though they hit a bit of a delay causing the evening darkness to be deeper than anticipated, Ember found traversing the swamp much easier in the presence of Sun-Cursed's gentle glow.

Some of her pets got a little stir crazy during the long walk, but nothing they did was beyond Night Strike and Grove Guardian's capability to reign them in.

Eventually they arrived in front of his little dugout den underneath a tangle of mangrove roots. He smiled wide at Sun-Cursed and gave a look to her pets as well. With a spin in place and his best attempt at a showy voice, he said; "Welcome home!"

-----

He made sure to follow them from afar. The larger male Kimeti was taking her and her pets into the swamp. She looked to be willing to go with him, but he's sure this cur had manipulated her into going with him in some way.

He wanted to snatch her away, but he couldn't get too close lest her other pets become aware of his presence again. The two of them laughed and talked as though they had known each other for such long time. But only he truly knew her. Only he could have her!

He shook his head violently, trying to calm the beast within him. She would only despise him if he took down this large Kimeti friend of hers now and claimed her for himself. No, he needed to wait for the right time. It will come eventually. For now he will follow and watch her from a distance, as he always has. And if this friend of her harms her in any way, such an act would be his last.

[HuniPi]

A Few Days Later

Steals Kisses couldn't believe it! Her best friend wasn't where she last saw them! There was neither hide nor hair of the orange haloed acha or her many little companions. No no no, this will not do! Her best friend would miss her something terrible and it pains her to even think of being missed.

Kisses wouldn't let that be. She couldn't allow her best friend to be in such distress for such a long time. She would grace her best friend with her presence soon! She would first have to find her but that was easy enough. Steals Kisses just had a knack for these things. Of course it meant she'd have to wait for sun-down. It was easier to find glowing things in the dark after all.

And who knows, maybe she'll actually get confirmation that the mysterious lurking beast was real and not just a figment of her imagination...

----

Sun-Cursed and her familiars were adjusting well in Ember's den. Even her feathered serpent had regained its usual sass and spunk, though the bunny remained constantly terrified of the shadows. She felt bad for her familiars and kept reassuring them that they were safe now and that no one would find them unless she or Ember wanted them to be found.

"Yoo hoo, Sunny-Bunny~"

Sun-Cursed blinked in a mixture of disbelief and the tiniest bit of concern. She knew who this other kin was but she didn't think she'd informed them of her move. How did she find her? More importantly would Ember be alright with this sudden visitor? She tentatively approached the kimeti buck to ask, "Em, I think I might have a guest? If you'd rather I keep things private, I can meet up with her a bit away from here."

[doomsayer]

Smoldering Ember was settling down after a day of hard labor, having just soaked his aching muscles in the nearby tributary. It was around sundown now when Sun-Cursed approached him about a visitor. He was happy to meet one of Sun-Cursed's friends. Certainly one who lived a lifestyle like her previous one wouldn't have had many kin that would bother to track her down from the different far flung location they would have met.

His fur still somewhat moist from his late day bath, he smiled at the acha and said excitedly, "OH! Let them in. Like I've said before, this is your home now too and I want you to treat it that way. Besides, I'm interested to meet one of your friends. I feel that I may have inadvertently taken you away from some of them by having you live here, so I welcome any of your friends to come over."

-----

Watching her as she lived with the large Kimeti in her new, more permanent den was quite difficult for him compared to when she lived alone in her usual dark and secluded areas. He has had to resort to perching on the low hanging tree branches for sufficient cover and to make sure he would be out of sight of the others that lived in the area.

Tonight, of all nights, he heard the familiar trill of another kin that has been occasionally showing up in the company of his Sun-Cursed ever since the former had met her. This brown and black acha doe was a little too clingy with her, a little too open about sharing affections.

After one of her more intense visits, he decided to follow her around and found that she was like that with every kin she met. He also swore that she picked up on his presence more than once. Just for that awareness, she was a risk. But today, in this situation, he was quite interested with how the Kimeti buck would deal with her intrusion.

[HuniPi]

Sun-Cursed was relieved to hear Ember was alright with the visitor. While she was still settling in well enough, she hadn't fully adjusted to the reality that she had a permanent place to stay and return to should she ever find herself wandering off.

"I'm glad, although I have to let you know that Steals Kisses gets cold very easily. So she may stand or lean in very close most times." This warning was said with full sincerity on Sun-Cursed's end. It never occurred to her about sharing in physical affection outside of being comforted from any sort of ails and hurts.

----

Steals Kisses managed to track down her best friend (or one of her many best friends) and was pleasantly surprised to find the orange acha's new abode was quite pleasing in size, location, and comfort. Already she began searching for where she could carve out her own little nook for those times she would visit. And it was through this investigation that she couldn't help but sense that presence again.

Was it a large, undiscovered animal? Oh how scary! And exciting. It would make fantastic fodder for sympathy and would fuel excuses on how she couldn't possibly go it alone with such a danger roaming these parts. But she couldn't help but notice that she only sensed this creature whenever she was gracing Sun-Cursed with her presence.

Could it be? She could have sworn she spotted movement in the shadows of the trees.

Before she could ponder on this further, she noticed the glow from the corner of her eye. "Sunny-Bunny~" she greeted, prancing up to the other acha to nuzzle against the other doe's neck. "You suddenly disappeared, I was so so so so worried something happened to you. Why'd you go and make me worry like that?" The chiding was a mix of whining and worry, for whom exactly Steals Kisses kept that rather close to the chest.

----

"Sorry, Kisses, I'll explain more inside. Um, I'd like it very much if you'd let me introduce you to my den-mate." Sun-Cursed didn't know why she was so worried about the other doe's reaction. Steals Kisses all but dashed into the den to meet Ember but it was a good sign in her opinion. In the cool darkness, the orange acha smiled as she presented the other doe "Steals Kisses, this is Smoldering Ember. Em, this is Kisses.'

[doomsayer]

Initially Smoldering Ember didn't understand what Sun-Cursed meant when she said that her friend got cold easily. Though the weather had been misbehaving recently, his den always kept a comfortable warm temperature in the cold and a cool temperature in the heat.

It was when the black and brown acha immediately got into his personal space as Sun-Cursed introduced her that he understood. It wasn't about temperature at all. This friend of hers was one of those very friendly kin who didn't mind making physical contact with others they were just meeting for the first time.

"Oh..kay! Well hello Steals Kisses, it is a pleasure to meet you." Ember takes a half step back to make some space in between them.

"It's really nice to meet one of Sun-Cursed's friends. Would you like something to eat or drink? We have much to offer." His mother always taught him to feed his guests, no matter how awkward he felt at their first meeting.

[HuniPi]

Steals Kisses had kept as close to Sun-Cursed as she could even while squeezing through the entrance. But when she laid eyes on Smoldering Ember she found herself marching straight on up to him to get a much closer look at him and to give him a much closer look at her. "Oh a good long drink would be ever so appreciated," she says, batting her eyes up at him. "I can see how my little Sunny-Bunny could have just upped and left without so much as a word to me. She must have felt very, very well taken care of."

It wasn't jealousy in her voice. In fact she sounded downright impressed and very pleased with these developments. She turned to the other doe, "You're right, Sun-Cursed, it is generous of him to let me stay for a night or two." And before the other acha could say another word, Kisses continued "The kin I usually stay with for safety is off on some journey for the time being. But I promise it's only for a night or two."

----

Sun-Cursed was about to remark how she hadn't said anything about Steals Kisses staying. But the other doe did have a need for shelter and it wasn't all that unusual to have the other acha drop by and spend some evenings together. "W-well, it's still up to Em if it's alright with him." She gave the buck a pleading look, asking him to let the other doe stay temporarily.

[doomsayer]

After just re-affirming with Sun-Cursed that he wanted her to treat the den as her own home, it wouldn't make sense for him to say no to having one of her friends over. And if Steals Kisses really was in need of a place to stay because of her current circumstances, turning her away would be against his own personal principles.

Though her forwardness made him feel slightly awkward, she didn't give off any signs of being a threat, so he really didn't have any grounds to decline her request. With no logical reason to say no, and with Sun-Cursed giving him that pleading look, he surrenders, saying, "This is her den now too, so any friend of Sun-Cursed is welcome to stay as long as you need."

[HuniPi]

Steals Kisses did not miss the shared look between Ember and Sun-Cursed (she'd argue you had to be blind or purposefully ignoring things to miss it) and immediately saw all the fun things that she could do here. She wasn't lying about her stay being temporary though she could have exaggerated some details.

"Oooh thank you Emmy~ I promise you'll barely know I'm here~" she crooned up at the kimeti before giving him a warm nuzzle with the top of her head, angling her neck to keep the pointed tips of her horns away from any soft areas. It was brief but deliberate and as she turned to skip towards Sun-Cursed's side, her tail brushed against Ember's leg.

It wasn't a strike or a flick. It was an equally deliberate contact between doe and buck but it was just as quick as her nuzzle.

[doomsayer]

Now that Steals Kisses was here, Smoldering Ember was acutely aware of his maleness. He had been told by older bucks as a young foal that when his parts reacted, the desires that come with them are only natural. But most of his life, he had ignored and pushed back all signs of these desires as he had always thought that acceding to them would cause more problems than they were worth.

He had not entertained any of those biological reactions when they spurred around Sun-Cursed. She was his friend and he would never betray her trust or needlessly complicate their friendship by letting his parts overcome his better judgement.

For Steals Kisses though, her demeanor and her subtle physical contact had brought the desires to the forefront. She was Sun-Cursed's friend, so he would also conjure every bit of his will to ignore these stirrings--even if Steals Kisses' words and her actions seemed to purposefully spur them on.

He hopes Sun-Cursed won't be leaving the den for very long tonight, or at least that she would take Steals Kisses with her when she does. Otherwise, he anticipates that it will be quite an awkward evening.