It was a quiet night at their Resting Place. Many of their herd were wandering, travelling, or out doing something and so only a few of them remained behind, mostly those who rarely left regardless. During a time such as this, so silent and open Shadowed Moon felt himself drawn once more into the darkness. Letting his hooves carry him out into the night he found himself wandering the swamp, something that he hadn't been able to do recently, with their search for a permanent home, and so many new members of their herd to get acquainted with. It was nice, following wherever the moon took him, searching for that perfect spot.

For a while he just wandered, enjoying the breeze, going no where in particular. Simply taking in the sounds, scents and sights of the night. Eventually he found himself following the spots of moonlight peaking through from above the trees. Going from one light to another his path became more intentional as the buck started heading toward a less dense part of the forest. As the trees thinned, the moonlight began to fill more of air around him, barely held back by the trees. Continuing forward he began to look around, searching for the clearest area he could see. Eventually, he spotted it. Trotting in that direction he approached the clearing, finding a moonlit hill. The clouds had cleared up some time ago, leaving nothing to block the moon from sight.

Carefully stepping through the mud up towards the grass, he finally found his way to his destination. Stepping up out of the wetness surrounding his hooves Shadowed Moon found his way to the top of the hill. Rubbing his hooves on the grass a few times, he watched the grass as it shifted under him, sparkling in the moonlight. Looking back out over the swamp his eyes followed the reflections of the moon along the ground below him, shining through the leaves. Finally, he looked up into the sky and sighed happily.

The moon, full and bright above him, seemed to shine in welcome, bathing everything below it including the buck. His blue-white coat accepted it's glow, making him feel surprisingly warm despite the chill in the air. The kimeti had always felt at ease in the moonlight, however, tonight there was also the hint of something, a memory. He pushed the vague sense of discomfort away and settled at the top of the hill, folding his legs beneath him. However, the thought didn't disappear. The... dream? Vision? that he had had so long ago now seemed to be flitting back into his memory. Shadowed Moon still didn't know what it was, or what it really meant. He'd pushed it to the back of his mind, but now, after all this time, he couldn't stop thinking about it.

The buck sighed. "I wish I understood more about what that was..." He mused to himself.

@Owlsomniac

Unknown to the buck, this particular clearing is one that Hush, herself, has often taken to visiting at night, lately, as it lies relatively close to her den. Not that this has been much of a concern for her, since her ascension - she finds she enjoys travel more than she used to, and especially at night when the moon is there to light her way.

Tonight, however, is special. The moon is as full as an unfurled flower, and her heart feels at peace under its gentle light.

Of course Hush senses his presence, even before he mounts the hill. Her sense of hearing is greater in this form, though as a mongoose she is far more interested in the way the cool grass feels under her pelt, and the sweet fresh scent of earth and air, than she is about some stranger.

She scuttles after a cricket, the tall grass shimmering and rustling at her passage, briefly, before going still again.

Idly, her ears twitch at the buck's voice, something in his tone twinging at the zikwa side of her, drawing her curiosity.

Hush edges closer, still mostly hidden, her dark body blending well into the shadows the tall grass casts - except for two small glowing red eyes. She chirps at him,a questioning sort of sound, but for now comes no closer.

A strangely familiar chirp draws the bucks attention from his musings. Shadowed Moon tilts his head, scanning the grass around him. He would normally check the trees as well however with how far away they were, and how close the noise was, it was clearly on the hill with him. Continuing to scan the slowly shifting grasses for the mongoose, he knew it had to be one, after all, there were three among his tribe one of which was his own, he also listened to see if the creature chirped again. Searching for the creature was a welcome distraction from his thoughts, which seemed to be going nowhere. After all, he didn't know enough to figure it out on his own.

Eventually, he noticed a pair of small and glowing red eyes. Smiling, he kept still, avoiding moving closer or shifting to much. After all, small creatures, especially skittish ones like mongooses, tended to scamper off at the first sign of movement. Well, most of them. His own had practically jumped onto his face the first time they'd met, so even he knew things like this weren't static between different creatures. Still, no harm in being careful. He didn't want to scare off his visitor, and there was a pleasant difference in talking to an animal verses a kin. The lack of judgement, it was almost like talking to oneself, just having an audience. It also gave a different feeling than just musing out loud.

"Hello little one." The buck smiled again, speaking softly and gently. "Seems I'm not the only one out and about this evening."

Shadowed Moon slowly pulled out a hoof and patted the ground next to him, settling the grass slightly. "Don't worry about me, you can come join me if you like." He smiled again, pulling his hoof back in after motioning to the spot a few times. "I don't mean any harm, and would quite enjoy a conversation partner." The kimeti added almost wistfully.

@Owlsomniac

Hush, in her mongoose state, still retains some semblance of her normal thoughts, but that are more distant. She is more driven by instinct, like this, more naturally curious, more bold.

So, when the buck gestures for her to move closer, there is only the usual flicker of wariness in the background. Curiosity wins over, and she hops forward and circles around the grass before the buck for a few moments, before curling up and turning her face toward him. Her eyes glow red, as do the marks on her face, and there is an intelligence in that gaze.

Hush settles in to listen. She has always enjoyed a good story.

Shadowed Moon is pleasantly surprised when the mongoose hops right over, spinning around before plopping onto the ground. It reminded him again of Evergreen Berry, his own surprisingly friendly mongoose. A chuckle escaped his lips as the watched the creature curl into a ball before it turned it's glowing eyes to him. A pause passed over the buck, as the eyes watching him seemed... different than he would have expected. "Well... you seem like a good listener." The buck let out a breath, glancing at the sky again, his mutterings sounding much more serious. "I appreciate it." Watching the sky, glancing at the intent gaze of the mongoose before him, the buck gathered his thoughts. Thinking and speaking were structured very differently after all. Plus, he had to really think to remember the details, it had been quite some time since the original event.

Taking a deep breath, the buck started. "Ba- back when I was young." Shadowed Moon stuttered a bit, he felt a bit awkward, saying all this out loud. After all, he'd never spoken to anyone about it. "I encountered a group of kin, which isn't strange in itself," He added quickly, "what was strange was what we all felt. Or, well, they felt." The buck scrunched his face a bit. This was harder to describe than he thought. "They had all come out into the swamp," He continued carefully, trying to find the right words. "in order to follow... a feeling. Or a dream, for some. It was strange, many different kimeti all following a... discomfort. A feeling. They didn't know what it was or why, but they all felt something was amiss, good or bad." Shadowed Moon paused again, looking up at the sky. "I didn't feel it... well yet. That's the part I'm unsure about." The buck sighed again. "If it'd felt it, or dreamed it than I would have been able to speak to them about it, but after we met, and parted to search the swamp, I fell asleep. Well, I was suddenly quite tired, seemingly out of nowhere, so when we parted ways I returned to sleep."

This time the buck's pause was surprisingly long. He glanced at the mongoose again, feeling a bit of relief it wasn't another kin... yet it's eyes seemed to stare right through him, so he felt a bit embarrassed. "I had a dream. A strange, yet intense dream. It... felt like more." He added, obviously unsure of himself. "It sounded like what they had described, a message, a vision? I saw the moon in the sky, yet it didn't meet the swamp. I could not see it's reflection, and when I went to search for it, feeling like something was missing, I thought I saw a hint of light-" the buck practically vomited the words before suddenly stopping, almost mid word. "Then... it was gone. I mean, I woke up." Shadowed Moon chuckled slightly. "It's probably nothing, but, the dream touches my mind now and again. A fragment of a memory, like, I was missing something." Tilting his head, the buck sighs. "I've never talked to anyone about this, so I just don't understand. I have some ideas... I suppose but I don't have anyone who would know for sure."

Shadowed Moon sighed again, smiling at the mongoose. "Maybe saying them out loud will help."

@Owlsomniac

A story about the moon? Hush's ears twitch a little, and suddenly the buck has her full attention. Her tail stops twitching and she lies still and quiet, watching him curiously. Her zikwa self feels very near the surface of her thoughts, now, but she holds back from coming forth. The buck seems nervous, and she doesn't wish to startle him, or stop him telling the story. For now, she'd rather listen.

Sometimes, she knows very well, there can be some truth to dreams. Maybe if his story turns out to be interesting enough, and she thinks it may, she will offer him some of her own thoughts - but first, she must listen. Then she will know what to do, if anything.

@SerinaNight

It felt strangely like he was talking to someone, but it was also like he was just talking to himself at the same time. Shadowed Moon still felt a bit embarrassed, after all, talking to seriously about a dream from when he was young was going to be a little awkward regardless of who or what he was speaking to. However, it was nice to finally get it off his chest. Shifting a bit, he continued. "It felt like... someone was trying to fell me something? Like..." the buck paused, an odd look on his face. It felt so pompous to say something like this, "...like The Swamp was speaking to me?" His grimace remained for a moment before he sighed, and then said wistfully. "Maybe it was the moon...?"

Looking back at the mongoose he shuffled his hooves a bit, watching the creatures breathing for a few moments. "Regardless of what, it didn't feel just like a regular dream. It felt like... not quite like a warning." Shadowed Moon seemed thoughtful, like he was trying to decide how to explain it. "It was more like, just information. Something was going to happen, it wasn't bad, but it felt like I needed to know, so I could prepare. Because what was going to happen could be dangerous, but there was such an element of mystery, like not even the dream knew what would happen." The bucks tail was swishing back and forth, and he seemed frustrated with himself. "It's hard to explain..."

He signed, "Plus, I'm not even sure it was an... event I was being warned about. It could have been something related to the whole swamp, it could be related to my friends or family-" The buck seemed to cut himself off, shaking his head. "It could even have been about me. Maybe about... who I am? Changing? Or..." The buck smiled, thinking about something. Shadowed Moon was quiet for a moment, clearly lost in a happy thought, and a blush took to his checks, shining through his pale fur. "...about a special moment that will always be with me..." Staring at the moon for a few more moments, feeling the wind in his fur, the buck turned back to his little listener, coughing awkwardly. "Sorry, I got a bit distracted." He said, mostly to himself, as though to bring himself back to the topic at hand. "It was either something I needed to watch out for, or something I needed to do. Perhaps, even something I needed to tell someone." Shadowed Moon pondered wistfully.

"Well, I hope it's not that one." The buck added with a chuckle, "if so, I certainly failed on that front."

@Owlsomniac