ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Lonely Only
Preference List: Night, Candy, Slug
RP & poem: Lonely Only had been lurking at the fringes of the gathering. He had been trying to catch motes but he always seemed to fall short. At the topic of family, he smiled ruefully and beneath his breath, he spoke

A family is warm and together,
A presence felt right from the start.
It can form by blood or between strangers,
Closing the distance in one's heart.

A family is made and found,
Either with great ease or at a huge cost.
It can make one feel safe and sound,
Such a pity that mine was lost.

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Illuminating
Preference List: Ray
RP & poem:

Illuminating shuffled forward, thoughts of her family strong in this eternal night, as if she had been returned to the caves. And so she said,

“Before the sun, my family was my warmth,
deep below, side by side, over and under,
bodies together, sharing breath and life,
my heart is tied, shared, offered, aching.
Now they are a memory, a reminder,
that I am never alone, never forgotten.
I am the feeling of warmth from long ago.”

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Left Untended
Preference List: Ray
RP & poem:

Left Untended had been keeping to herself so far but her family was big and worthy of a poem:

"My love for my family is like a bramble,
Wild, rambling, covered in thorns but
they still sustain me, with the sweet taste,
of hard earned berries.

My love for my family is like bamboo,
Ever growing, straight and to the point,
Sometimes too much, overgrowing, unstoppable,
and yet nourishing at the roots.

My love for my family is like a garden,
full of life, competing for soil and light.
Together we are beautiful, blossoming, wild,
the only place I belong."

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Tremor
Preference List: Ray
RP & poem:

The Kiokote doe was all darting eyes and shuffling hooves, her voice at first too soft to hear and then got louder, slightly panicked with each new line:

"Family is teeth.
It’s fear, it’s running.
It’s eyes always watching.
It’s inescapable, terrible.
It’s run and keep running.
Don’t stop, don’t look back.
One day, today or tomorrow,
He’ll find you."

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Most Wanted
Preference List: Leaf, Night, Lioness
RP & poem:

Most Wanted felt himself want to shrink up. A safe poem. A safe poem about family, great. Okay, well. He'd say what he knew.

Family is a pair of kin
who don't owe you at all
who leave you in a thicket
not there for the long haul.

Maybe all the other kin
found friends who'd keep them right
or somebody that loved them
and watched their back at night.

But all that's when you're wanted
when you got something to give.
When you're hungry, cold, and tired
it's enough to try and live.

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Innards
Preference List: Leaf, Night, Lioness
RP & poem:

Innard considered the subject with careful fondness.

A wonderful result
not unexpected
but who could predict
each iteration, unique.

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Ends in Stars
Preference List: Leaf, Night, Lioness
RP & poem:

Ends in Stars looked into the warm and flickering fire, and began his poem with uncommon gentleness.

My loved ones are a shadow.
I lost them in the dark,
but where it's bright I found them.
We never were apart.

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Dominant
Preference List: Ray, Lioness
RP & poem:
Dominant wasn't someone who really cared for poems, nor did he have much by way of a normal family. But he figured in the spirit of the thing, he'd say something. He thought about it for a while, frowning to himself uncomfortably, but he finally spoke up.

"Family is something that happens to kin.
Warmth and affection, a group to belong in.
They sing it in songs and they tell it in tales.
Endless value placed upon whence someone hails.

But some of us were born in the mud and the chill.
A rancid festering pool, in the valley of hills.
Memory hazy, I forget all my past.
Abandoned, exiled, into servitude cast.

I waited for those who might never come.
Knee deep in mud, emotionally numb.
Parentless, I found a Harbinger mother
Who whispered me tales of a secretive other.

But I do not remember that warmth and that rest.
That warm security, a comforting nest.
All of my life I've been all alone
Tearing tar stained remains from wretched jutting bone.

So family to me is something I crave
As I slink here in shadows, an obedient slave.
But I think if I had one I'd be at a loss.
What use are they now that I'm almost the boss?

Still, sometimes I wonder when I feel melancholy
If things might have been better with a family's bright folly.
If only my memories informed me and helped me out more.

But all I remember is the smell of a boar."

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: I Always Come Back
Preference List: Ray, Lioness
RP & poem:

I Always Come Back loved performance, and sometimes he simply couldn't help himself. He was coaxed out of the shadows by the fire and the promise of a captive audience, when he speaks it is with a grating rasp.

Once upon a time a family I lost.
Their pieces all asunder
I wandered this forsaken swamp
And I began to wonder

What is a family if its all in bits?

Did you know..

If you twist a limb one way, you'll find that it fits
Into tangled carcass all held together
With snarled up innards
And hollowed out leather.

There's a spark in the world and it lives in the heart
And you find it in there if you tear them apart.

I want to remove it, hold it here in my teeth
Dig down to the matter, find what lies beneath.

My eldest betrayed me, and my love he is gone
He ensnared him with words and turned him to hate
A beautiful mind and a beautiful pawn.

Its not too late,

What is a family if its been all shattered?
All of them ruined, dead or scattered.

I will hunt them

through the swamp

through stars

through the nether

And when I find them, I'll change them, I'll bring them back home.

I will put them back together.

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Protects The Plants
Preference List: Night, Arrows, Leaf, Space, Candy, Slug, Lioness, Ray
RP & poem: Protects is pretty shy but she wanted to do something to bring the sun back because her garden needs the warmth and light to survive especially now as her family is preparing for the cooler months.

"Poems about family? I guess I could do that. Anything to ensure the sun returns."

Her voice was a bit quiet at first but she mustered up some strength to project her voice so everyone can hear.

"Family can be small like a seed
Or as large as a mighty tree.
Foals grow as lively as a vine
And float away like a leaf.
We rest every winter
And grow every spring
Family can be made or be found
As long as they are around
To keep your heart warm in the darkest cold."

With that she sat down and waited to hear the next poem.

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: I Will Work Harder
Preference List: Slug, lioness, ray
RP & poem: "Family?" Will's ears perked up. The only thing he loved more than his garden was his family, and proud father he was, he was prepared to speak about every single one of his beloved children. He knew them all quite well- the buck never forgot a birthday.

"This darkness is oppressive and weighs heavy on my soul,
I worry for my garden in the darkness and the cold.
But I can find some solace when I think of what I hold
Dearest in my heart- my kids- my darling honor roll.

First came Do Not Argue, practical and stern;
I Shall Not Want did follow, with To Ashes my boy burns.
Stand Fast on High is strong- for justice this son yearns,
And the twins, Thanks and Welcome, showed me I had much to learn.

Toil is so diligent, though she’s but a tiny thing.
Dawn’s Work is steadfast, like a robin on the wing.
Break of Dawn’s an early riser, just like the birds that sing;
Diligence is diligent, to her naming dream she clings;
And Formed From Clay is faithful, like each year’s return of spring.

Dies-Well and Fares-Well are bright and optimistic;
Love-Well is a dreamer, and something of a mystic.
Live-Well too thinks all the best, you’ll never see him twisted.

Be-Not-Proud heeds not her name; she keeps her head up high.
Calls the Storms is wild and free, wherein the woods he lies.
Field of Innocence’s sweet songs are soft romantic sighs;
I’ll Save Myself’s her own hero; you’ll never hear her cry.
And then there’s soft Even-In-Death; in deathless dreams, he dies.

Treat You Better’s sweet and just, a happy, merry lark;
Dogged Determination’s bite is worse than his bark.
Fallen Leaves appreciates life’s every little spark;
Mission Solitude treads softly; he never leaves a mark.

Thanksgiving is a blessing, the founder of the feast;
But kinder still’s her brother, my gentle Go In Peace.
Good News is exuberant, talks a mile a minute at least;
Hope-Still keeps his faith in love like the sunrise in the East;
And Fight the Good Fight fights her fights and wins them all, her battles never cease.

Fortitude and Prudence keep the fire in their eyes.
The Service of My Love sees something far beyond the sky.
Kindly is a treasure too fair and sweet to try,
And Yield Not To Temptation is a stronger buck than I.

There’s nothing simple whatsoever about my hunter Simple Gifts;
Her brother, Press On, also is keen of eye and swift.

Echoed Answers sings, and his siblings answer him.
Root Wall is inspiring; my children look to him.
Chant and Songs of Earth lift their voices in a hymn;
And Promised Land, my little girl, is a quiet, hidden gem.

Will The Circle Be Unbroken has promises to keep;
Fight with Faith and Be Courageous bolster each other; you’ll never see them weep.

Then we get a clutch whose names are full poetic lines;
Thankful Foxglove had a dream implying a dangerous life.
Sown Among Thorns had a rocky start, but he has grown up fine.
The Last Agony won’t share her dream and hides her hurt inside.
In The Loam We Sleep rests among the whispering pines;
Kind Nightshade’s name is friendly fire, with poison she aligns.

Viper in the Garden is the kindest little snake;
Deliver Us From Evil is a promise hard to make.
Few kin are stronger of heart than Wrestling Until Daybreak;
Paradise Lost, in contrast, is a lesson in heartbreak,
And Screech Owl is a lonely soul, haunted but awake.

Father is a troubled lad who smiles with sharp teeth.
Deny Me Three Times is big of heart and also big of feet.
Betrayed With A Kiss is guileless, so innocent and sweet;
False Witness is a sharp one who doesn’t miss a beat,
And Do Not Fear is fearless, will face down any beast.

Honest Work’s a toiler, working hard while keeping pert;
Rich loves the soil, and you’ll find him in the dirt.
Flood-Given is the river’s gift, this I will assert.
Summer Lark is bright, light-hearted, and alert;
Family Values takes after me, my heart so full it hurts.

I’m so very proud of Thornwood, who helps whenever asked.
Rambling Rose is a rover; it’s been some time since we saw him last.
Mustardseed started small, but soon his siblings surpassed;
Unwaking Waters is a champion who will never be outclassed.
Burn Away Regret forgives, while learning from the past.

When I need help with the zucchini, kind Life’s Work volunteers;
Next Life looks ahead, facing down his fears.
Lifetime is an old soul and wiser than her years,
Life-Long’s a great weeder and helps make mint disappear,
And Life and Limb will risk himself for whoever he holds dear.

And that is all there is for now, though there may come others;
I confess, I’m not poet enough to do justice to their mothers."

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Reaper
Preference List: Slug, Lioness, Ray
RP & poem: Reaper was a hard kin to get along with, but one thing was certain; she loved her family. And listening to other kin talk about what family meant to them, her initial assumptions- that they were all idiots and didn't know what family even meant- were proved mostly correct. Listen to them blather on- how could Father think that there was anyone here worth bringing into the fold? None of them were good enough to follow him, and she bristled at the thought of it. Not a one of them really understood how important family was- although that rabbity fellow with the long golden ears came pretty close to understanding. Clearing her throat with what sounded more like a snarl than a polite "ahem," she spoke her own piece on what family meant.

"Family is everything, a part of you that's
Deeper than flesh
Deeper than bone
Deeper than the blood running through your unworthy veins.

Family is the only thing that matters, the only thing you can cling to
In the fire
In the Flood
In the storm that's coming that will sweep everything away

Family is the foundation of anything worth doing
A life worth living
A life worth saving
A life worth surrendering, if it comes to that

Family is something you're born to, but it's more than that; it's
Something you take,
Something you make
Something you sink your teeth into and don't let go

And sometimes your family doesn't know they're your family, sometimes you have to tell 'em.
Sometimes you have to go out and get your family, taking them from their unworthy old life and elevating them into something new.
No sir, not everybody gets to be family.
Not everybody deserves it.
Not everybody can handle it.
Not everybody survives it.

But when you're family, nothing can touch you.
It's like Papa said when I was a filly, all full of love for my family.
One thing is worth defending.
One thing is worth dying for.
One thing is worth living for.

And that's family."

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Strange Creature
Preference List: Slug, Lioness, Ray
RP & poem: Strange Creature had her own ideas about what family were, and she had to admit that recently...ish they'd changed. Part of that was that she was simply spending time with more kin. She'd had kids- actual children- of her own! Twice! And that blew her mind, because she'd long thought that wouldn't be in the cards for her. But she had ten wonderful children with two very wonderful co-parents, and she'd fought hard to get to that point. It was kind of funny- not ha-ha funny, but that sardonic, ironic funny- but the worst experience of her life had in many ways led to some of the most wonderful. She'd made her peace with never being able to get over the eagle- but she had certainly gotten passed it and progressed to a place where she was more comfortable. She was pushing herself, pushing the boundaries of what it meant to be her- and that meant that the way she thought of family changed, too.

"Family is the warmth that radiates like the sun,
An unbridled feeling that's hard to pin down.
It's hard to say where it begins or ends- where does the sun's light begin or end?
Even when it's dark out, you carry the memory of the light with you.

But to put a definition to family is hard; it's slippery, like a frog.
Also like a frog, it changes. Families are amphibious; they look one way, then another.
They change, like a snake changes its skin, or a chameleon changes its colors.
Who your family is, who it isn't- this is a boundary easily broken.
And who your family is can be surprising.
It's not always kin, not always who you'd expect.

Family is a feeling worth taking risks for;
It's worth it to feel that warmth, and to know that they know you care.
Family is a feeling that when you close your eyes at night, it doesn't go away.
Family is the first thing you know and the last thing you know.

And for me, I always knew my family would be unconventional.
I always knew my kin wouldn't be Kin, but they'd still be my kin.
That's changed, but at the end of the day, I don't go home to a herd,
I don't lay down with others of my kind.
I've always been more comfortable with a colder kind of kin-
But if rattlesnakes can have best friends,
If vipers can look after each other's young,
If tegus can forego food for attention,
If crocodiles can carry their babies so gently in their mouths that not a one gets eaten,
If tortoises can remember their friends for years on end,
If monitors can cooperate with each other and feed each other,
Then who's to say that my love goes unreciprocated?
Who's to say they don't think of me kindly,
As family of a sort?"

For Strange Creature, family was about fourteen or fifteen kin, twenty reptiles, and one animated pile of slime that radiated heat to keep her scaly friends warm in the winter. It might not be a... normal definition of family, but it was her definition, and that's what mattered.

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Dark Moon Rising
Preference List: lioness, ray, slug
RP & poem: Dark Moon Rising’s expression was for the briefest moment pained. She shook her head and a smile was hauled onto her expression as she mused for a moment.

A scattered cloud of light
They shine throughout the night
Bright and fierce and smart
The shine within my heart.

It was a short poem, and the doe, usually a calm and composed leader, slightly choked the end of the last word off, and slunk into the darkness of the swamp. If anyone was watching, they’d catch a slight shine to her eyes as she left.

ME AND MY FAMILY!
Kin Name: Get in the Water
Preference List: lioness, ray, slug
RP & poem:

Get in the Water was almost enjoying the darkness. Something about slipping through the water in the pitch blackness made her feel the salt water blood in her veins, and she gave a lethal grin as she stepped forwards, dripping, to present her poem, in a silky, singsong voice.


You know my sisters, they sing on the tide
You know my brother, in coral he hides
My mother, and mother, they lurk in the depths
In sea and in river, in silence they crept

Think not you’ll escape us, there’s nowhere to run
The tide’s coming in now, your time here is done
For we swim the waters, of swamp and of shore
And like the sea’s tide, we come back for more

It’s beautiful really, in the deep quiet calm
Trust me, I promise, you’ll come to no harm
What wonders await you, down there below
Follow my family, see what we will show