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The sun is high in the sky as the black zikwa doe makes her way through her daily routines. She leaves Prim in the cave to do what the giant worm does best -- tidying up the dirt and bits of debris that might have gotten in during the night. Some kin might find the caveworms to be frightening, but Hush has found that Prim, at least, is very quiet, clean, and even gentle, if not exactly the most cuddly of companions.
Her thoughts wander a little as she makes her way to the stream just around the bend from her den, to check the stone half-circles she's left there to trap fish for her meals. She steps into the water delicately, downstream of her traps so as to not startle the fish, and eyes each of them carefully until a flash of silvery scales catches her eye. Pleased, she steps forward and, in a flash, has the wriggling creature caught in her mouth. She tosses it onto the bank, and is about to snatch another when a twig snaps to her left and she freezes, before jumping nimbly back onto her side of the bank, tail curled around herself for comfort as she peers around a thick tree.
A flash of startling blue and she blinks her eyes, head tilted slightly to the side as she regards the newcomer. Another Zikwa -- though certainly not her father, or her sister, or any other Zikwa she's familiar with. She watches quietly from her place behind the tree to see what this newcomer might do.
The fish continues to struggle weakly on the bank.
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Heartbreak managed to untangle himself from the sharp brambles slowly, mumbling something under his breath, and a couple of sharp protests before stumbling up to the water for a drink. This part of the swamp was completely new, and he'd lost his way hours ago. The sun was a little harsh on his eyes, but he preferred it to the dark when in an unfamiliar area. He sighed heavily, took a few large quaffs of water, and then stepped back to shake his thin mane in the sun. His feet hurt, he was hot, tired, hungry, and above all, thirsty. The water felt cool in his throat.
The air smelled good, and he caught the scent of another zikwa on the air rather suddenly. He flicked an ear, and then turned his head around, curiously, only to find nothing but trees in every direction. Odd. He flicked his tail, uncertain if he was trespassing now, and ducked his head a little at the lack of greeting. "Sorry," he said aloud, and then eyed where he'd come through the brambles uncertainly. "I'll scoot on out of your way now, I... didn't know," he said, and then took a few steps back.
The brambles now seemed almost intentional. How dumb could he possibly be, and cringed. Stumbling onto someone else's territory in the swamp was a hazard, and almost everywhere belonged to someone, it seemed. A few times now he'd been chased out. This one didn't seem aggressive, given they hadn't come out to scare him, but he could definitely tell since they were close and hadn't spoken, that he wasn't exactly welcome, either. Back through the sharp sticks, he thought with a quiet sigh.
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As the zikwa squeezes his way through the sharp brambles along the edge of the river, Hush becomes aware of the slight, metallic, tang of blood in the air. It's not a heavy scent, which means he's not badly hurt, but he'd obviously been scratched by the sharp thorns.
She notices immediately when he picks up on her presence as the breeze shifts, even before he speaks -- the way he tenses, and moves to step back, suddenly wary. Somehow, that, even more than his quietly spoken words uncoils some of the tension that had begun to tighten along her spine, in her joints, as she'd been poised to flee if necessary. It's not as though she couldn't, or wouldn't, fight if cornered - her mother had, after all, been quite fierce, even if Hush herself hadn't exactly inherited most of that inherent ferocity. She'd rather not, though, if she could simply run and hide herself in the underbrush.
Her thoughts had wandered again, and the male seems about ready to leave, just as quickly as he'd come -- back through the brambles, no less, and she winces a little in something like sympathy, can't help herself, really, despite not knowing him at all. He doesn't seem like a threat....
"...Wait," she calls out, voice soft, but carrying easily over the water. She hesitates another moment before stepping out the shadow of the large tree, her tail still curled around her, thick and comforting, her stance unsure, a little awkward. "You... are you lost?"
After all, though she isn't exactly a well known kin, by any means, mostly due to her utter lack in habits of socializing, she does tend to keep the area maintained and marked enough that those nearby are aware that this area belongs to someone. She can only surmise, then, that he is new to the area. A wanderer, perhaps? Or... one of those Zikwa from beyond the swamp.
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Heartbreak flicked an ear at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, and internally winced at his intrusion again. If only he'd known someone nearby when he'd originally left the dark caves. He squinted a little in the light, and noticed a beautiful doe step from behind a tree, a thick fluffy tail wrapped around her legs. He gawked a moment, then tipped his head carefully to the side. She looked... rather frightening, to be honest. Her voice seemed to not match her appearance, and he was thrown a loop on how to respond. Instead, he concluded answering her question was faster, easier, and less likely to offend. Being attacked in a strange place was the last thing he'd needed right now...
"I am, actually," he began. "I left the caves a few days ago, being attracted to the trees and general atmosphere of the swamp. I was also interested in meeting new kin, aside from my own kind here, since we've heard lots of tales of kimeti, but never actually seen one. But when I got lost and tried to go back... I couldn't. Something hurts... like an ache. So I've been wandering hoping to find a little tribe or settlement that I could speak with about it. I took some directions, but... well here I am," he sighed, inspecting the torn fur of his legs.
He dripped a little blood down his legs. He hadn't even noticed the brambles had cut him that badly, and it stung something awful. He became self-conscious and eyed her shyly while he looked away, awkward and embarrassed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to dump that on you. The easy answer is yes, I am. I'm trying to find a herd that could maybe help me out. Or maybe you can? Is there a reason I can't seem to leave?"
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Her ears perk forward as the other begins to speak and he seems... nervous? The words coming close together and almost rambling and she finds herself relaxing further. The fact that he seems even more nervous than her eases her own discomfort and-- did he say he'd come from the caves?
A spark of excitement lights up inside of her, and she steps out further from behind the tree. Her movements are graceful, and fluid, and measured enough that she hopes she doesn't startle him more than he seems.
Once he finally stops, she considers him for a moment, and tilts her head, "...Well, I've only known one other who wasn't born to the swamp. Though I've heard of more who have come." Again she pauses, hesitating as she considers him further. But he doesn't seem to be a threat.
Satisfied, she continues, her voice still soft, but carrying, "My father would know more but he travels often. He was also born in the caves. They call it the Ache. No one who is from here, or comes here, is able to leave without feeling it. No one is sure why." It's a little sad, she supposes, for those who can't go back to their homes. She wonders if this buck will miss his. He'll have to make a new home of the swamp, now.
"Do you have a name?" There's a slight warmness to her features as she asks, almost teasing. Not quite a smile, but it's clear that she means it as some sort of invitation.
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... He didn't even give his name. He sighs and bites a lip. "How silly of me. Yes, my name is Heartbreak," he starts, and considers his awkwardness. She seemed to be interested in where he came from, judging by the way she seemed to loosen her stance a little. Had she not seen the caves? Has anyone here seen them? He'd always assumed those who were on the outside started in the caves, and went out, but now he supposed that was silly. They would have had offspring outside of there, and had whole families on the surface by now... Childish points of view, he supposed.
He contemplated on what she'd said about the Ache. Oh no... if others had felt it and were unable to return, would he be trapped here now as well? He'd already felt the effects, a strange yearning and it consumed his mind. It even seemed to feel like a physical pressure on his body to hold him in place the farther he got from the swamp. "I uh, I'll have to look into that maybe a bit later." He didn't want to think about what that meant anymore, and supposed he'd may as well get comfortable for a while to give himself a few days to think.
"Travel seems like something your father and I have in common. I can't sit in one place long," he said, seeming a little sad. "But if you'd like me to stay a while though, I uh, I can. You seem a little curious of home and I'm actually rather curious of here," he said a little more perkier, and chuckled softly to himself. Figures he'd get himself lost and then unintentionally banished from home. If he'd listened to what his parents had said, he maybe wouldn't be in this situation. In fact, he was wondering what they would think when he didn't return home any time soon. What a mess.
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Poor buck. She could tell her words upset them, and while she certainly didn't want that to be the case, there was no helping it. She's yet to hear of anyone leaving the Swamp, except for a few legendaries...
"I'm Don't Make a Sound, but you can call me Hush," she puts in quietly. Her family had given the nickname to her when she was still just a filly, and it had stuck.
"I suppose... I wouldn't mind if you stayed for awhile. It's been some time since I've spoken to another zikwa, and I'd be curious to hear about your home. Um... if you want to talk about it, that is." After a moment, she shifts, stepping out from behind the tree fully, and takes a single step closer.
"If you're hungry, we can share," she nods toward the fish she'd caught earlier, now lying still on the bank of the river. "There are berries near my den, too, if you like."
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He shyly scratched his ankle with a hoof and noted she'd seemed to soften a little. Hopefully he didn't scare her so much now, but then again, his family had always been shy and careful. Maybe it was a zikwa thing, and he was just a blundering idiot. "Ah, um it's okay. I'll eat some berries though, I'm not much of a meat-eater," he chirped, hoping not to offend her. "So, uh, hmmm. Home. It's dark, at least in the cave I lived in. Having eyes doesn't necessarily matter there, so there isn't particularly much to talk about in terms of seeing anything, but the sounds of the echoes was something I'd known the whole time growing up, and it's strange being out here in the still quiet. And the bright light, goodness... I don't know if I'll ever get used to it. I'll be honest though, I love the color and gigantic things. Trees? I think I heard the word trees. There's so much to learn. For instance, I'd always tasted and felt water, but never saw it. Now that I can see it, it looks like invisible, warping air anyway," he chuckles, checking out the water. So much to see now. So much to understand. He'd traveled a bit and heard words for things he'd been familiar by touch for, so he knew some basics, but there was still a lot he didn't know yet. If he was truly going to be out here forever now, at the very least, it would be interesting! "Any particular questions you have about it?"
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Hush only nodded slightly at the other buck's words regarding the fish, though she herself moved to pick it up, before leading him near her den, where she dropped it on a waiting pile of fresh leaves. There, she nodded toward the berry bushes around her den, which looked well cared for, and had plenty to offer.
"I suppose this must all be very different," she couldn't imagine being in a place so strange that trees were a novelty. What it must be like to see things in such detail, with the sun shining. Exciting, certainly, and perhaps a bit frightening?
"Well.... I don't know what I'd ask. I think it would be hard to describe a place that's so dark. Though... if I may.. what made you want to leave?"
