[PRP] I See [How Quaint/Eye in the Dark]

[Gl!tch~]

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft]
It was a bright place, this swamp. Rumors circulated in the underground, but the songs of the above still paled in comparison to the sting of sunlight in one's eyes. How Quaint was still getting used to that every morning. She was still getting used to the colors of dusk and dawn, the winds, the rain. And there were even more stories of seas of sands and slopes of snow. A very big world loomed much more than any cavern.

But she was born for this, no? Her last step on the great journey was to see in the way her bretheren could not. What with her many eyes. It was destiny, then, to leave the caves below and join the ones who lived above.

She had met some of the zikwa who had come before, and those born to the overlander zikwa. Even without the caverns, they were still blessing souls to continue on their journey to the final oneness. Even if they were separate from the larger family below, they did not seem to be punished for ending their isolation.

Less for her to worry about as she made her own way, with greater purpose.

But now that How Quaint was tasked to see, it was a great imperative to find things worthy of her sight. She only had so much time before she joined the final oneness, herself...

And so now all she could do was look for signs, and continue on her quest through the swamp as daytime settled. She put aside time to watch the beautiful dawn, but that was all she could spare before trekking on through the mire.

@luxluna

[luxluna]

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/images/blue/eyeinthedark_uncert.png[/imgleft]

Eye in the Dark's morning was not off to the best start. He was meant to find his brother, but somehow one or both of them had lost the path, or gotten separated, or otherwise foiled by the vastness of the swamp. He trudged on, with trepidation in each step.

With the wet ground, his hoofprints sank in and vanished, making it impossible to retrace his steps. He paused momentarily and began to panic: was he any closer to finding him, or was he even farther, or had he been going in circles the whole time? Eye took the time to wallow in both mud and misery as he contemplated. Aside from the fauna of the swamp, he was alone.

Or so he thought, until his ears perked up at the sound of daintier hoofsteps. Was it the Acha he was looking for? Summoning his courage and resolve again, he picked himself up and trotted in the direction he'd heard it.

Approaching, he found himself skidding to a stop as he realized it wasn't his brother ahead, but a Zikwa. He'd seen these mysterious kin before at festivals, but he hadn't had a chance to meet one. In fairness, he hadn't met many kin he wasn't related to. Zikwa though, he only knew from stories passed from kin to kin. Was this before him a swamp hag, or a hero, or someone who would send him on some kind of journey? Unsure how to proceed from here, he stopped in his tracks, awkward as ever.

@Gl!tch~

[Gl!tch~]

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft]

It was taking her some time to get used to the sounds of movement within the swamp. They were all very different from the echoes in the caves below. That, mixed with the winds, the birds, and so on. A lot to keep track of. For a moment she was not sure whether to pay what she heard any mind, but then a dark blur passed the corner of her eyes. She turned to look, knowing enough that bushes did not move so.

While she had many eyes, they were no stronger than eyes used to dim light, if any. The shape she had seen no longer moved, and did not glow like a kimeti or fellow zikwa. It also did not have as bright a flank as many others that resided in the swamp. But it did not seem to pose a threat like the creatures she heard rumors of. And if she squinted, she could swear that she saw its legs ending in hooves.

"Have you been following me?" How Quaint asked, not about to cower just because she could barely see any details of the figure before her. All she could note were the eyes, and what seemed like streaks of water down its flanks...

@luxluna

[luxluna]

The sense of panic set in yet again as the strange kin before Eye addressed him. "I- no, I- I'm sorry!" he blurted, completely unprepared for the situation. He bashfully stepped forward. Now that he could get a better look, he realized that the Zikwa had many eyes. This was a surprise to him, as he'd heard they often had no eyes at all. Maybe Zikwas could be born with any number of eyes? His mind went errant with images of kin with sets of two, three, four, more eyes.

Reeling his mind back to the present, he dipped his head apologetically, trying not to stare too much at the slender and... elegant? kin. "Have you seen, uh, any other kin out here? Specifically an Acha, horns like mine, a little lighter in color?" he inquired, trying not to stray from his quest. If this was what was happening to Eye, he could only imagine what kind of situation the even more timid Mumble could be in.

[Gl!tch~]

The moment the kin before her started stuttering and apologizing, How Quaint focused less on his words and more on what he might be.

Even up close, this kin was still mostly a shadow as far as she could see. She could see some shapes a little better, such as horns that looked much different from that of acha or kimeti. A strange tail, but something like one would find on a kiokote. There was, perhaps, a mane? A beard? Not a kimeti, not a zikwa. Too broad to be an acha, from what she could tell, even though the horns made her wonder. And the stories of totoma made them sound absolutely gargantuan.

"Hm." She continued to stare, until she belatedly realized that he was asking her a question. Something about an acha?

"I have met other kin, though on different days and at different times. I have not, however, seen anything like those horns before in this lifetime, so I suppose I have not seen the acha you are looking for."

This presented a new experience, and she was never one to ignore such opportunities. "Do you need assistance in finding this acha? Granted, I am zikwa. But if this acha is lighter-colored than you are, perhaps I will be able to see them somewhat easier than you, for as far as I can tell, you are but a living shadow and I am still dreaming."

[luxluna]

Eye straightened his posture as he made the connection: the kin did have several more eyes than he was accustomed to seeing, but this was still a Zikwa. He'd heard that their blindness was a hereditary result of living underground for ages untold. It made sense that one wouldn't rely much on sight in total darkness.

"I don't, uh, think I'm a dream," he replied, once again sounding almost apologetic. "I am Eye in the Dark." It had finally occurred to him how difficult his dark fur would be to see in the murky swamp. His tail began to swish from side to side with the nervous energy he was accumulating. This kin spoke confusingly, and he was still uncertain whether this was friend or foe.

"Are you... are you lost too?" he asked. If the cave story was true, this one was certainly far from home.

[Gl!tch~]

"Lost?" she echoed. The zikwa looked up and around, to the shadows and shapes around her, and the sounds of the birds and cranes and leaves and branches. "I am right where I am meant to be." She turned her attention to the kiokote again. "Eye in the Dark. How fortunate to have dreamed such a literal name in this life. I was dreamed into being How Quaint, myself. Now then. I believe you did not answer my question."

[luxluna]

Taking that response to mean that the Zikwa called this segment of swamp home, Eye's heart began beating a little harder. He'd wandered into someone else's territory and found himself being intimidated by the owner. The combination of meandering response and blunt return of focus was confusing to the awkward buck. His tail still swept the air behind him, but he had to do something, say something.

"I, uh, if you wouldn't mind that is, could you help me?" He was no longer making eye contact with the Zikwa, but he was unsure if that would even be noticed. "I might have lost him. Or I might have lost myself, I don't think I know this part of the swamp," he admitted. "But if you know the way around here, that would. Help," he concluded, feeling foolish and unsteady.

[Gl!tch~]

A straight-forward task, then. She did not mind those. Some days the zikwa preferred not realizing what she was set to accomplish until she had achieved it. Some days she preferred letting it stay a mystery for other zikwa to unravel once she returned to the caverns (and that day would be when the Ache lifted from her bones, she was sure. Why would they be gifted the ability to leave yet not one to return? If they had left the swamp before, they could do so again, once worthy).

Maybe something interesting could even happen along the way. It wasn't her role to hope for any such thing, however. She was supposed to experience, for good or for ill; for interesting or for boring.

"Very well. We shall see if he is meant to be found today."

The zikwa began to walk off, confidant, in a random direction. The swamp would provide.


@luxluna

[luxluna]

Standing in a stupor for a moment, Eye's mind kicked in again and he followed the Zikwa, trotting to catch up. He was lost in his swirling thoughts for a time before he realized how strange and uncomfortable it must be to take this trip in silence.

"Is this your space? I'm sorry for intruding, it's just, like I said, I got a little lost..." he trailed off again, berating himself internally for continuing to repeat himself. "I just, I get kind of nervous when I'm in unfamiliar situations." His voice had dropped to a mumble by the end of his sentence, uncertain of just about everything at this point.

@Gl!tch~

[Gl!tch~]

"That is an interesting way to think of it," she said after a moment.

Then, she caught herself. "It being a space I claim as my own, I mean. I consider my nest to be mine, but other than that... I try to not grow attached. I will not be in this swamp forever, and to claim pieces of it seems unnecessary."

She considered further.

"Though I suppose if the zikwa ever fully return to the swamp, I may wish to settle somewhere someday. But who is to say? As it stands, no, I do not make any claims to this area. You have not done anything you need to apologize for, as far as I am aware."

The zikwa began to consider the possibility that maybe this kiokote needed more than just assistance finding his brother.

"Life is a winding path of the unfamiliar. To go on boldly is to make that life meaningful. There are times when we may question our actions, but dwelling so is stagnation. You must move forward, even if your heart hesitates. You are not as lost as you may think."

She thought herself to sounding very smart, but didn't stop to think if her words made any sense.

@luxluna ack