[Imgleft]https://matope-swamp.com/images/phoenix ... uncert.png[/imgleft] It was a crisp summer dawn, the longest time since the intense rays of heat had touched the surface. It was the one time in summer where Clear Sight could breathe easy on the surface, as fog filled the air, steaming off of trunks and rocks that had collected dew overnight. She had made a long trek in the dark to reach this place at this time, working her way through dark underbrush to arrive at a small pond with the entrance to a cave. She carried in her mouth an offering for the one she was seeking, a small bundle of wildflowers. In her belly she carried her first children, and a sense of joy and wonder for who they might be.

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... ncert2.png[/imgleft]There it was again. That nagging. No, nagging wasn't the correct word. Too negative. It was like the call of the ocean, tugging and pulling at his heart. The echo of a voice his crane-shaped mind simply couldn't understand. With it came a pang of guilt. Why didn't he heed it? Go... home? He shook his head and fluffed up his feathers, preening his salt-stained wings.

He was afraid of what he would find.

But then, another pull, a pull he was thankful for, stirred him. A mother. He stretched up his long, feathered neck, his crest rising as he tilted his head. That call he would heed.

The flight was not as long as he would have expected. On large white wings, he glided over the thick canopy of the Swamp, drinking in the landscape before him. He knew this bend and that, where that river led and that lake fed. There was a flicker of longing, for a singular river bend with a Hallow tree, but he left that feeling with the clouds as he tipped his wing and banked, dipping down beneath the Swamp's heavy boughs. Focusing on the Mother's Call, he found himself settling in a shallow pool in a bright ray of sun. He blinked his sunset eyes and watched the barer step into the misty grove.

'Welcome, young one. Your Call has been heard.' His thoughts entered her mind like a gentle wave rolling over the sand.

@Kaluna Skunk

Clear Sight spun around at the sound of a voice, expecting to see a kin but instead was met with the sight of a tall graceful bird, a crane had landed nearby. The sound hadn't really felt like it came from any direction but rather from within her.

Could this be really happening? This crane couldn't be talking to her....could it?

Of all the things odd things she had seen and heard, the tormented voices of the fallen and the various fates they had met, somehow this shocked her the most. She was dumbfounded and filled with hope at the same time. She had heard that there were kin would could walk as animals, perhaps this really was happening.

Even as she had made her trek here, she has had her doubts about whether or not any of the stories were true, and even if they were, would her call be answered? But it had been! Now, there was hope for her offspring to not carry her....well...gift.

She sat down with a sign of relief and turned her eyes to the crane who had greeted her. "Hello....are you...?" she stopped mid sentence, doubting herself for a moment, was she just talking to a bird right now? No. This was real, she could feel this creatures knowing gaze, this was no normal bird. And of all the strange things she had experienced, she knew the world could be more than it seemed. "Are you here about my concern for my children?"

She now wondered if, assuming this really was one of those magnificent kin she had heard of, would they think she was disturbed because of the things she heard and saw, would they really be able to help her avoid her children sharing her fate?

@blinded by science

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft]The crane stood tall and opened his wings wide, lifting his head to the sky. In a flurry of feathers and a gust of sea spray that had no business in a grove so far from the ocean, the feathers became fur, stained with salt and silver. A stag stood before the cave-born now, but despite his weathered look and ancient eyes, he smiled at her warmly and spoke.

"Yes, young one, I am." His voice was like waves on sand, rough and soothing. When he shook out his mane, sand fell, "The MotherFather heard your Call and her winds bore me to you. What is it you seek?"

@Kaluna Skunk

Her eyes grew wide with wonder as the bird before her became a magnificent kimeti, bringing with it the comforting feeling of the ocean.

"Oh WOW! Hello!"

She shook her head trying to comprehend the situation and compose herself.

"Well you see, I am soon to be a mother and I am very worried about my children. All my life I have seen and heard things that others have not. Disturbing things, and I have felt compelled to listen to and help these appirations, which I have come to believe might be the spirits of kin who have died. My mother told me of the same kinds of visions that she had and I am concerned that my children share this burden."

She paused, her voice shaking as looked over his face attempting to discern his reaction.

"Are the stories true? Can you help?"

@Blinded By Silence

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft]Watch chuckled softly and dipped his head in greeting, "Hello," he parroted, sharing a patient smile as he listened to her worries. As she spoke of her troubles, that smile faded and a pensive look settled on his aged face.

It was common to worry about one's children, he thought with another flash of guilt. He shook it away, focusing on the doe before him. He had never heard of someone baring such a gift, at least not anyone unkissed by the Swamp's blessing, that is.

"I see," He said after she finished, "To be so sensitive to such things, you must be very special indeed."

There was a pause. This was a Calling that was far more complex than any he had heeded before. He eyes to the skies, silently asking the MotherFather what he should do. The wind shifted, salty like the sea, and he nodded.

"Normally, there is a trade. A story for my gift. That is the way I have always done this, but," He nodded again and looked at her knowingly, "I think it is my turn. I will give you a tale that holds a special place in my heart. I hope it may ease your troubled mind, as it did my own, so long ago." Watch shifted, settling in. There was a sequence in which he told his stories, a ritual, one might say. He moved from the pool and eased himself into a dry, sunny spot, gesturing for the doe to follow. He crossed his legs in front of him and groomed his shoulder while he waiting for her to settle, carefully choosing his words. And then, he began.

'There once was a fish, of silver and blue,'

As Watch spoke, his eyes shone brighter than the reddest of suns, an eerie mist wafted down from them like a fog. This same fog fell also from his lips, thick and heavy, as though it mimicked the weight of the meaning behind the story. It pooled and moved and before the doe could make sense of what exactly was going on, rivers were formed. Around them bloomed trees full of foliage and fruit, but between the rivers was emptiness. One of the rivers ran between himself and the doe and from it, a beautiful fish leapt. When it landed, it splashed the doe with fog water that twinkled brilliantly.

'He had spent his entire life in the rivers of the world, bound to the waters that gave him life and carried him in their gentle currents. As a young fish, he was strong and independent. He longed to see every inch of the world he lived in. That was his purpose, as a fish, one he was proud of. But, as he grew older, he began to realize that there was more to the world than the water.'

His glowing eyes watched as the silverfish flickered this way and that, his travels gilding the rivers in sterling. He watched him, remembering those days well.

'He met a bird, a snowy bird dipped in a blue so clear and clean it made him ache.'

And suddenly a beautiful songbird lighted on the shore. It tittered softly to the fish and he felt a pain in his heart stronger than anything he had felt before. He swallowed, struggling a moment.

'He had seen her many times in his travels, always staying here at the same bend in the river. At long last, he finally spoke to her.

He said, "If I had wings as beautiful as yours, I would travel the world and see everything it has to offer."

The beautiful bird tilted her head and replied, "Why don't you?"

"It is my destiny," He replied, a saddened longing in his voice as he gazed into the skies, "I am but a fish. This is all I can do."

"We are given the gift of life. A gift with which we do the best we can. Everyone is born to their own destiny, but whether they fulfill it or not is their decision. I am but a bird. But I choose the earth over the air. Why not choose the air over water?"

The silverfish was stunned still for the first time in his life. He had always moved, always with purpose. Could he simply choose to walk away from destiny itself? He was afraid. Doing so would mean giving up everything he had ever known. The thought of his journey, of how it would end like every other fish's tale would, swimming, spawning, death, repeat, it scared him. He did not choose to be born to this life. But maybe just maybe, he could decide to do with it what he wanted.

And so, he dove deep into the river, spreading his fins. He turned and beat his powerful tail, launching himself into the air with a glittering splash. For the first time, he flew and saw the world above the water and it filled him with such joy.'

There were tears now, but he blinked them away and blew the rivers and mist away with a heavy sigh. He shook out his mane and smiled.

"What I mean to say, little one, is that our destinies are not set in stone. They are given to each of us by the MotherFather alongside the ability to decide what to do with it. The silverfish, his case might not be the same as yours, but, perhaps with a little change in perspective, you may one day see your ability as a gift rather than a burden. Use your experiences to teach your children, to guide them, should they be set on the same path as you and your mother. But let them choose for themselves whether or not they listen to the voices of those past. Do you understand?" His voice was soft, gentle and his eyes held a sad wisdom as though he spoke from experience. He did truly hope that his story helped her. It had helped him, in different ways.

@Kaluna Skunk

[Imgleft]https://matope-swamp.com/images/phoenix ... uncert.png[/imgleft]
Transfixed, a shiver went down her spine and her fur stood on end. A sense of purpose and understanding washed over her. For the first time in her life, the thought crossed her mind that she might be exactly the way she was supposed to be. And to her children, they would be too. She was too dumbfounded to speak, images of the fish and the bird swirled in her mind as she attempted to make sense of what she had just experienced. She had this longing too, to be free of the water that flooded her mind, to leap into the unknown with excitement instead of fear. Now inspiration and ambition joined the mix of emotions she was feeling: she too could be like this fish and find herself unbound by the world she once knew. Her eyes met those of the kimeti buck who had shared his story with her, trying to find a way to express her gratitude. As she opened her mouth to speak tears welled up in her eyes and the words got stuck in her throat. "Thank you.....thank you for sharing your story with me and for coming to me in my time of need." Suddenly she remembered the gift she had brought: it seemed so small now but fetched it anyways and set it before him. It was a little bouquet of wildflowers she had gathered while contemplating her journey to this place. Soft blues and vibrant red, the little blossoms almost matched the hues of his fur.

@Blinded by science

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft]There was a sigh of relief as he watched her reaction. There was so much more to storytelling than most would guess. Conveying tone and lesson through the words and actions of unknown characters, it can be difficult to convey what one means. But seeing that not only did she understand his story, but relate and take something away form it, that pleased him deeply. He hoped that it comforted her.

As the Sun Burns felt his heart swell at her gratitude and when she lay the flowers at his hooves, he felt tears prick his eyes as well.

"No, little one, thank you. Here," He craned his neck, nuzzling his nose into the wing of the Crane he bore. He plucked a single feather, long and pure white, "Take this and with it, my blessing. May your children be strong enough to ride whichever currents are thrown their way and wise enough to look beyond the waters in which they are born."

He bowed deeply to her, something he had learned from his not-father many years ago that he had taken on, and stood tall. He looked to the skies and hesitated.

"I may be a bird, but," He smiled and flashed her a wink, "Today I choose the earth. Be well and take care."

And for the first time in ages, he walked away instead of flew. He was going home.

@Kaluna Skunk