[PRP] The Aged And The Young (Rising From Beneath x Star Dasher)

[doomsayer]

Rising From Beneath found that he enjoyed strolling through the shaded mud of the swamp's mangrove trees ever since he and his kin emerged from the dark tunnels in winter. Nothing compared to the cool, squishy texture and temperature of perfectly wet mud slightly coating his hooves as he walked around observing the lifestyle of kin here on the surface.

Life in the above is so much different from the one he knew of in the below. No massive beasts lurking in the darkness waiting to eat you in two bites. No hidden pitfalls where you can slide deep into the earth and never be able to climb back. No hidden poisonous moss or ceiling mushrooms that will make you see things and then possibly kill you after prolonged exposure. He had survived much, and he is happy to not have to put up with it now that he is old and slow.

His walk takes him to a group of younger kin who seem to be mingling with each other. He looks on curiously.

[Muffinsbaby]

Star Dasher had gone about his usual run, the exhilaration never fading each time his hooves pounded against the dirt. Though the disappointment of remaining on the ground was also ever present, a longing set bone-deep to play among the stars in the sky, to jump from one twinkling light to another, to get stardust tangled in his tail.

The ground did afford him, however, the ability to meet others. To share in their passions and listen to their stories. He had come across one such group and was actively listening to them now. His ears twitched and his grin grew along with the speed and tone of a young buck relaying an adventurous tale. As prone as he was to wander, so, too, was his attention span, and wander it did. Enough to have him notice a lone soul skirting the edge of the party. Not close enough to intrude, but not far away enough to suggest avoidance.

Curiosity peaked, he called out to the stranger, "Good evening! Would you care to join our odd gathering? Perhaps share a story or two?"

[doomsayer]

"Oh!" He responded with some shock as his frills receded a little.

"Well, what a nice young buck you are for entertaining the presence of an old buck like me. I was just having a nice walk you see when I saw this gathering. Personally, I thought it was some sort of mating pool I heard you young ones participate in up here on the surface. But if it's stories you're sharing, I have many to tell. Mostly about the depths and the dark that lay beneath kindred feet. Each conferring lessons about survival and priorities. If you're all open to hearing tales like that from someone who has experienced too many turning of the seasons such as I, well I am certainly glad to share them. I am Rising From Beneath. What is your name, young one?"

[Muffinsbaby]

"I am named Star Dasher, and one day I shall race among the stars again." The acha took a moment to look up wistfully, as if gazing upon a beloved, before shaking off the feeling and returning his attention to those present.

"And nonsense!" Trumpeted Dasher, "Age merely means more experieces and stories to share! You look as if you are made of the very same material as the caves you speak of. I am itching to hear what all you have to share."

[doomsayer]

"Ah, yes. An astute observation, young Star Dasher. Many of my lineage do share the appearance of subterranean walls and floors. That leads me to my first story."

He walks to the group of younger kin before he continues, "In the darkness of the caves, kin are far from the apex predator. Large insectoid creatures with pitch black chitin; huge furry creatures with hundreds of legs and mandibles that can cut a kin clean in half; as well as monsters without shape or form which can only be described as living darkness--dwell below the surface. All these monsters pose a real and significant danger to the Zikwa and other kin who find themselves living down there.

My kin have had a bloodline lasting many, many generations, and as a consequence of this, we have developed a natural camouflage against the predators of the region. My coloration and markings allow him to stick flush to the walls of the subterranean caves and become hidden in it as the monsters do. Though it has no use now up here in the peaceful lands of the swamp, it is always important to remember the efforts of those of the older generations so that the new generation do not repeat their mistakes and have the opportunity to learn new lessons and make new advances to pass on to future progeny.

Such is an important lesson for all of us to take note of."

[Muffinsbaby]

Dasher hung on to the zikwa's every word, fascinated to be learning about the underground world he has never experienced. He turned melancholy for just a moment and murmured, "It must be lonely not knowing the stars are watching over you."

It only lasted a moment before he was back to inquiring, "What are these creatures called? Are they thinking creatures? Do they demand of the kin that live among them? Do they not have a sense of smell? Are those of the cave cold as lizards are?" He peppered the poor buck with question after question, seeming not to take a breath in between, the excitement palpable to every sense.

[doomsayer]

Rising From Beneath smiled at the inquisitive buck. He welcomed the barrage of questions. It was healthy for younger kin to seek out new knowledge and sate their curiosity. And what is the purpose of those who were here first other than to pass on to those who are here now and later what little they've learned about the wide world?

"They are called many things. The Others. The Monsters. The Underdwellers. It is believed that they are highly intelligent beings because of their abilities to set traps and create hazards underground, but there is no proof that they go beyond their instincts to feed. I haven't heard of anyone ever being able to speak with one, lest survive a direct encounter, so they are not the kind to make demands. They do have a sense of smell as one thing we have discovered is that they are repelled by the scent of certain plants. It is unknown whether they are cold blooded as we are too weak to be in a position to really study them, but it has been observed that they do disappear during the cold seasons like other hibernating animals."

"These things are as much a mystery to us tunnel kin as they are to you surface dwellers. And the threat they pose to all of us is very real. It is one of the many reasons I have opted to move up and out here to the swamp. The difference in diet and amount of exercise that one gets between these different environments no doubt creates a significant physical difference between those who reside in each."

The old buck pondered on the energy of the young ones and wondered if, eventually, his stay here in the swamp would also re-energize him.

[Muffinsbaby]

To Dasher these creatures sounded both terrible and wonderful. A danger, yes, but the mystery was alluring all the same.

"Welcome to the outside, if no one has said so since you arrived," he beamed, "I can't even imagine the changes that you had to go endure. Coming from the desert was different enough for me. Less open space to run, but so much more to discover. Plus, the stars here are the same as anywhere."

He looked up and smiled, his eyes turning clouded as he began to imagine, knowing the stars watched even if he couldn't watch them back. "I once ran among them. Others say it was a dream, but it felt so real. The stars are beautiful and dangerous as well. They can kiss you just as easily as burn you, tease as much as they comfort."

He trailed off in silence for a moment before he asked what was most on his mind, "How do you dream in the dark?"

[doomsayer]

Rising From Beneath gave the young buck a gentle look. "Thank you. My brothers and sisters emerged here together during the previous Winter Market festival and we were met with much fanfare. But I don't believe anyone has actually welcomed me so warmly to this new way of life."

He looked up as well, pondering the truth and omen that kin's dreams contain. He did not doubt that what young Dasher believed may be true. Dreams hold power that can sway reality, so who is anyone to say that what happens in them was not real? "Very few of the Zikwa have the chance to see the stars. In some rare territories in the tunnels, a shaft opens straight up, letting the grandeur of the night sky into the depths. I myself have not seen them until recently, on the night that we emerged."

Looking back down to the mud at their feet and into the young buck's eyes, Rising From Beneath's expression became dour before he answered Dasher's question. "Dreaming in the dark is very different from dreaming here. Sleep itself is sometimes lost in the tunnels, what with constantly having to be aware of your surroundings for anything trying to kill you. Sleep is rarely ever deep enough to dream in a Zikwa of advanced age. Dreaming is a young Zikwa's game-and unless one is possessed of a truly magnificent imagination--even the dreams of the Zikwa are those of darkness and what happens in it."

He exhales slowly, an expression of both his sadness over the lifestyle he left behind and his relief that this new way of living has afforded him more. "But now my dreams are more vivid. Light, and color, and sounds, and smells, and tastes beyond those of I have ever encountered in my youth. And for that I am glad."

[Muffinsbaby]

Dasher felt devastated for those still left underground. He couldn't imagine a world without light, without color, without hope, and desire, and joy. The caves sounded like everything he wasn't. He did seem to perk up and be satisfied to learn of his new friend's improvement since emerging to the surface. They joy and spark returned to his eyes and features as his sorrow seemed to be forgotten. Excitement filled him once more as he began to shift, almost impatiently, from side to side.

"Come, friend, it's time for someone else to have a turn to share a story," he chirped and turned to the group that he'd been neglecting to include, "Who's next?!"

Fin