[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft]To say she was nervous was something of an understatement.

Hidden Love had never been a very social creature, spending more of her time chirping along with her furby as she hunted down game than she did with other kin. She was accustomed to learning the ways pets and other creatures of all sorts communicated, but had never been so sure of how it worked for kin- at least, not up until recently. And unlike some of the other Acha, this meant she didn’t exactly have a big tribe to pawn her babies off on the minute they hatched- leaving her alone to take care of them until they could make it in the swamp themselves.

Perhaps she should find some help in teaching her spawn to be more... social. There was only so much room in the swamp to be a loner, of course. Not all kin could have their own little corner to sulk (or talk to themselves in the guise of venting their problems to their misbehaving longfurby). It would be for the best if her babies had some stability in their lives that didn’t revolve around the migration patterns of hares and other prey.

If she hadn’t been a desert dweller, she was sure the longfurby draped across her entire body would have been unbearable in this heat. But regardless, she kept on wading through the swamp, not so sure of what she was looking for, but with the strange feeling she needed something to help give her clutch the best chance she could offer.

The feeling of going home was itching at her mind, a tickle at her spirit towards finding her love. It wasn’t as though Half Truth would doubt her in their time away. Her lady love knew of her dedication, her love. Time apart didn’t change that. So when she felt the pull, the urge to go see another of the swamp’s children, she followed. Roses in Bloom closed her eyes, drew a deep breath, and felt her form take on that of the swan. Then she was off, flying through the trees.

It was a little later she spied the acha, flapping her wings and coming to a stop. Again she returned to her own form, letting out a sigh of relief. She offered a smile to the acha, trotting up to her.

“Well, hello there! How are you faring, my dear?”

(She hadn't intended to be left behind by the expedition, but at the same time, Hidden Love wasn't a supremely adventurous kin. She was just as happy staying right at home in the swamp as she would have been risking her life on a journey.)

The acha dipped her head a bit to the mare with a smile of her own. "Oh, um... well enough, I suppose?" She couldn't help but glance aside a bit even if it could come across as disrespectful, as she was unused to prolonged eye contact.  Though she'd put in all this thought into finding someone to help her clutch, she hadn't put as much thought into what she would actually say herself, somehow.

Hidden Love shook her head. "No, um, I'm- I mean, I'm looking for something. Or um... someone? Anyone? Well not like, anyone-anyone, but uh..." There were many thoughts in her head, but not enough space in her mouth to say them all at once. She tripped over her words painfully, still unable to quite sort it all out.

@Moonstone Dazzle