[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... ncert3.png[/imgleft] As Fish traveled through the Swamp, spreading the word of the planned expedition, there was one kin she wanted to approach in particular in... well, literally any shape other than her eagle form. She knew that the doe she was seeking was less sensitive than she had been– she'd been working so hard on processing what had happened to her and acclimating herself to bird shadow and the soaring of overhead avians– but that didn't mean fish wanted to scare the poor girl. She could deal with eagles on her own terms. So instead, she walked, Totoma large, approaching the flat slate stones by the river where she knew Strange Creature could be found. She waited by the water's edge. Her friend came here to bask with an entire troupe of scaled companions every day when she was around. She'd be here, and she'd find Fish, and then Fish could tell her about her dream. She could talk about what she'd seen, and see if she wanted to come along.

She probably wouldn't. But after everything that had happened, she deserved to know that there was another obelisk and that there would be kin going there. She could make up her own mind, but she at least deserved to know.

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft] Strange Creature was used to sharing the basking rocks. There were lots of other kin who used them- her friends and family, and their scaly companions. Warmed by the sun, the ancient shale boulders could heat you to the core, and stretching out on them in the sunlight was as close as you could get to pure insensate happiness. You could lie down, watch the water, and let waves of heat roll over you like the sun-kissed tide. Your worries would be swept down the river, out to sea. Having the rocks to yourself was great, but sharing them was fine, too.

But she didn't expect to see Real Big Fish on her basking rocks. She hadn't seen the Totoma in a while, not since she'd spent a heavy afternoon weeping into her fur after working on her... eagle problem. It was a welcome surprise, to be sure– the Totoma was a friend, and she was always happy to see a friend. But the look on her face told Strange Creature that this wasn't just a social call. That kind of anticipation? Something was up.

She picked up the pace, the sundry reptiles following her hastening to keep up. (Well. Some of them. Certainly not the tortoise.)

Fish was beaming as Strange Creature approached. "Strange Creature. It's been a while. You and the... damn that's a lot of lizards, you and the entire population of reptiles in the Swamp been ok?" She was sure they had been. She'd kept an ear to the ground, even if she hadn't actually been in this part of the swamp. Strange Creature could be delightfully- or heartbreakingly- conspicuous, and in many senses of the thought, no news was good news.

Reaching Fish, Strange Creature gently touched her muzzle to the Totoma's. "We had a rough winter, but things got better in the spring. They always do. Visited the tar pit to get a heat slime, which has been extremely useful, and the... the eagle problem," she said, her voice dropping in volume without even noticing. Some days it felt shameful to speak of, her phobia. Normal kin didn't have to have someone helping them at all times, didn't need to have a cadre of tiny dragons watching the sky for them. "The eagle problem's been ok. I've been coping. You helped. A lot. Is that why you're here? To check on me? If you uh, want to turn into an eagle again, I bet I wouldn't even run away screaming."

"It's wonderful to hear that you're well, but that's not exactly why I'm here. It's tangential, though. I wanted to let you know- I wanted you to hear it from me- there's another one. Another obelisk. I had a dream, and there's going to be another expedition. I'm going; I'm taking kin down to the caves. I'm not saying you should go, but I am saying that if you wanted to go, you can. You can stay by me the whole time if you want, but you don't have to go. I just- I thought I should tell you. You deserve to know." Fish laid it all out and as she did, she got a sinking feeling that perhaps maybe this was the wrong thing to do- that perhaps it would be kinder to not tell Strange Creature, after she'd been so traumatized the first time. But it also seemed like it was a fair thing to do. She'd hear about it, and at least if Fish was telling her, she could be there for her, to support her if it triggered something in the poor Kimeti's psyche.

Strange Creature nodded solemnly, taking in what Fish had to say. Another obelisk, another expedition. "After everything I've been through, you..." she trailed off, the spark of anger and fear dying quickly. "You didn't come here to invite me. You just came here to tell me. I understand." She did. She did understand. She knew this to be a kindness. Fish had helped her, and in this helping the two of them had come to understand something about her mental state. She could deal with things, almost any things, if she knew about it in advance. If she had time to prepare, she could brace herself and be ready. It was like how she'd practiced with the kin who could take the shapes of birds, and how she could move freely with her dragon friends watching over her. They were an early warning system for anything that might pass overhead. This... this was just that. She was quiet. There was much to think about.

Fish chewed the inside of her cheek as Strange Creature seemingly turned inward. "I thought if you knew, it would be better. If you heard it from me, it couldn't sneak up and blindside you. I know that you've wanted to push yourself, and I know how far you've come. But I also know that sometimes you want to push yourself too hard. Only you can know where your head is at. So I wanted to tell you. If you want to come, you can stay un-"

Under my wing, she was about to say. In the proverbial and literal sense, possibly. But given what had happened... that wasn't a great metaphor to use.

"With. You can stay with me."

Strange Creature nodded slowly, still not saying anything. "I've got a lot to think about. Thank you for telling me." The world had gone temporarily dull as she thought. A whirl of emotions played in her head, but they felt slowed and less vivid that they'd normally be. There was a sort of emptiness in the pit of her stomach. She really did have a lot to think about.

Fish nuzzled the top of the Kimeti's head and turned to go, but stopped when she felt a tug at her neck fur.

"Could you stay with me now, just for a bit? It's the best time to bask, and I'd like the company. If you've got time, I mean."

Fish smiled widely. "Sure thing, kid." They hauled up on the rocks together, the Totoma holding space and the Kimeti thinking silently. They were quiet and still, but the environment around them moved and sang. The water lapped at the stones, the wind shook the trees, and the world kept turning. Life, as it were, went on.

She'd join it soon enough. Strange Creature just needed time to think. But for now? She just needed to sit with it. Knowing that there was another obelisk, knowing that there would be another expedition, and not knowing what this would bring to the Swamp... that was enough for now.

---

The sun was setting when she woke up. She didn't remember falling asleep, and the comforting shape of the Totoma was gone. Instead, her tortoise was cuddled up to her. She didn't feel abandoned, or alone; instead, she felt a weighty solitude pressing on her. She knew she was on the precipice of a serious choice, and she'd have to make it by herself. She had the information she needed. There was an obelisk in the lands below. The caves, from whence came the Zikwa. They wouldn't be alone down there, certainly, but who knew what would be down there?

With a start, she realized that was part of what was weighing on her so heavily. She wanted to know. She wanted to know, and that was the crux of it. She couldn't put the obelisk out of her mind- it's why she went the first time. Her curiosity was a driving force, and it was part of how she defined herself. Part of why she'd tried so hard to recover from the first expedition was because she couldn't stand having that taken away from her. She'd fought tooth and hoof to get that back- and already she could feel it tugging at her, even if it meant risk.

Oh, what a choice she had. As the sinking sun turned the water scarlet and orange, she looked at the creatures gathered around her. Her dragons flitted about, and the little rattlesnake was curled up a respectful distance from everybody else. She thought about what she'd done for a different snake, the risk she'd taken to get the heat-holding slime from that wretched tar pit. That had been horribly dangerous, but she'd deemed it worth the risk- and it had paid off immensely. Because she'd been willing to do something dangerous, she'd been able to provide heat for those who needed it. She'd saved lives. Some kin would call them small lives, but to her, they meant everything. Risk could come with reward. Would that be the case, if she went?

Would she be able to live with herself if she did?

Would she able to live with herself if she didn't?

She had much to think about.

(677 RBF, 1017 SC)