Two figures, each one followed by a familiar, could be seen approaching the tall, glowing structure. "Look over there, Dear One, that's one of the Obelisks I was telling you about!" the kimeti doe, Heart and Home, said in nervous excitement. It felt too long since she traveled to the caves where the Zikwa lived and the urge to visit familiar but distant places hit her with an undeniable force. It was obvious that morning that this was the day she was going to call in the promise a certain Totoma made about accompanying her.

"Over there. Obelisk." Her kincaller echoed, perfectly mimicking Heart and Home's inflection and pitch in between chirps and trills.

The Totoma buck, Forward by Choice, nodded in acknowledgement before turning his gaze towards the Obelisk. Though he sideeyed the kincaller warily, still unnerved by how the large bird could switch between Heart's voice and its own birdsong without missing a beat. But he held his tongue and instead kept close to the kimeti doe, committing the details of their surroundings to memory. While he knew Heart had asked him to accompany her because she enjoyed his company, she had used the excuse of her tendency to lose her way when inviting him, so he figured her could humor her pretense.

When they reached the obelisk, Honor the lion seemed hesitant about approaching and would turn to Forward for instruction.

Noticing his familiar's hesitation, Forward asked "How are we meant to use it for our journey?"

"Oh! We just go through it. I know it sounds unbelieveable but we'll end up in this strange grey land where we'll hear, see, and feel things. I don't think it's going to be the same things I saw the last time I traveled but it could be? I know I'm not explaining it well, but if we stick close together, we should be able to keep on the path and not get lost."

Heart and Home sidled up to press herself against Forward, looking up at him as if to say she had complete confidence in their success. "Although we could tie Honor to us, make sure he doesn't wander too far. I don't want to just leave him behind."

Forward nodded, he was going to take her lead in this situation. After giving a few commands to the lion to allow Heart to secure a leash, the pair of kin and their respective familiars stepped forward into the Obelisk.

Their childhood best friend.

Even though Heart and Home had gone through this strange space between spaces before it didn’t mean she was comfortable here. The lack of colors, the lack of logic was eerie and disorienting to the kimeti and she had to make sure she wasn’t alone in this gap between land and time.

She glanced around and saw rather than heard the pink kincaller flying close by and gave the bird a nod of approval before turning to the other side. It was difficult to miss the large totoma buck keeping pace with her, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"I don't recall how long it was when I traveled the first time around, but we just need to stick to this path," Heart said, gesturing to the colorless road the pair was walking on.

It was concerning for the totoma buck that he was in a strange land and that he could not fully trust his senses here. The sights, the muted sounds, it set Forward by Choice's teeth on edge. Heart's voice sounded so far away despite the doe being so close to him he could feel her fur brushing against his every now and again.

Was she really beside him or was this just a trick this realm was playing on him? He could feel the tug from Honor's leash and gently but firmly kept the lion to heel. Despite Forward keeping his focus on tactile sensations more than sounds, he still noticed when Heart's words trailed off.

"Is something wrong?"

Heart and Home was filling in the silence with her chatter when she caught something from the corner of her eye that made her stop in her tracks. It was an acha doe. One she had not seen since they parted ways long before Heart settled in the swamp.

The acha doe was dancing in place, as if beckoning for Heart to join her in one of their old games of dance-tag. Had she not heard Forward's voice she might have strayed off the path and likely gotten herself lost.

"If you can see that acha over there, she looks like a childhood friend of mine. I don't believe she's really here. This place is going to try to keep us here." Heart had to force herself to look away and keep her gaze straight ahead, "We shouldn't linger for too long."

Wordlessly, they continued on.

A kin who has passed away, back from the dead.

It wasn't certain how long they traveled in silence where not even the normally talkative kincaller said a word. Though it might just be that their sense of hearing would be untrustworthy for however long they were here. Regardless, Forward could tell that Heart wasn't entirely herself, not since they saw that acha.

"Are we likely to run into kin from our past here?" Forward asked, trying to get Heart to think of something other than that phantom acha.

Heart gave his question serious consideration. "I can't be too certain, sometimes it's places that hold meaning to you. But if one of my dearest childhood friends could suddenly appear, we might even run into someone we'll meet in the future."

Forward smiled to himself, glad that she didn't sound so somber as she spoke. But the smile didn't last long before it was the totoma's turn to suddenly stop dead in his tracks. But unlike Heart and Home, Forward instinctively tensed as guilt and shame twisted his guts into knots. He'd desperately wished the kin standing in front of them just a few steps off the grey path wasn't who he thought they were.

Memories he'd buried came rushing back. An ambush at night. Blood on snow. Assailants too many to count. Fallen kin. Orders to keep her safe interrupted by screams. Blood on fur, on hooves, on horns.

Heart picked up on her companion's discomfort immediately and positioned herself between them, bright smile and friendly demeanor at the ready to disarm any possible hostilities. She didn't speak, however, choosing instead to study the outline of a totoma doe until features became more and more defined the closer they moved.

The lion snarled at the interloper, hackles raised and fangs bared.

Bright green eyes glimmered into existence on the totoma doe's face and words seemed to just slip into both Forward's and Heart's ears. "I shouldn't be surprised to see you still alive and well, Totoma. You always were good at surviving. Though I can't say the same for those you've been tasked to protect."

The totoma doe turned to stare directly at Heart and Home. Green eyes narrowed at the kimeti doe before she continued "I wouldn't be so quick as to put my faith in a kin far more concerned about saving himself than his charge."

Heart and Home didn't miss the undertone of mockery in the phantom doe's warning and felt anger and outrage bubble up to the surface of her skin. The kimeti maintained her composure as she flashed a smile that did not reach her eyes at the other doe then turned to Forward, nuzzling at his side comfortingly. "We still have some ways to go. The path stretches on."

Forward by Choice could not shake himself out of his daze. Not until he felt the gentle pressure on his body and the warmth of another living kin was he able to wake. The totoma doe was still there but less tangible, less real. And with the coaxing from the kimeti doe, he managed to march away. The memory of the totoma doe's death was still on his mind but unlike Heart and Home, he did not volunteer information on the totoma's identity.

He braced himself for questions he didn't want to answer but none came. Puzzled, he stared at Heart until she noticed and just said "I know you'll share with me whatever you wish at your own pace."

He felt the warmth and trust in her words and the tension coiling in his muscles melted away. "I'm grateful." Someday he'll tell Heart about the doe, who she was to him and how she died. Perhaps sooner rather than later.

Themself, walking along beside them, telling a story.

The pair continued onwards, the kincaller flying above, the lion stalking close by. In normal circumstances, Heart and Home would have normally tried to strike up a conversation again, but these were not normal circumstances. She knew better than to be uncomfortable in the silence here of all places. So it was startling to suddenly hear her voice chattering on as if there wasn't a care in the world.

Blue eyes darted to her left where the sound was coming from and saw her reflection. Wait, no, not a reflection, the kimeti doe beside her was not mimicking her exact gait and pace. It was a duplicate of herself trotting casually and talking about the time she got so turned around in a vast, open plain.

It's actually very funny considering there was next to nothing there. I had no good point to focus on, which admittedly was also very scary.

Heart felt her ears grow hot in embarrassment. Was this how she sounded? Like a complete, clueless idiot who couldn't even tell her left from her right? She forced a smile on her face despite the humiliation gnawing at her and simply nodded, letting this duplicate of herself prattle on. The kincaller suddenly perched atop Heart and Home's head, its beak opening and closing as if trying to mimick the shape of this phantom-Heart's words.

Forward by Choice chided himself for not noticing that they had a third sooner. But he caught the distortion in the voice, knew immediately which one was the kin he traveled into this space with. He nudged lightly at her, reassuring her that "I'm here."

When she stared up at him, he was surprised by the look in her eyes. Why did Heart seem so embarrassed? Was it something her double was saying? But it was just something she'd done and lived through, it was no different from their usual conversations. "I recall you've shared this story with me before."

Hearing this, Heart attempted to hush her duplicate but was ignored. She seemed tempted to step off the path to physically silence her other self but Forward gently nipped at her to stay. "It's alright. I like the sound of your voice. It's comforting to listen to you talk."

Heart and Home felt the warmth change from embarrassment to affection. "Really?"

The totoma buck nodded with nothing but honesty.

His serious demeanor helped ground Heart and helped her see this duplicate of herself in a better light. It still made her feel a slight tinge of self-consciousness but with this comfortable silence from Forward, it didn't seem all that bad.

And finally, they saw a light in the distance. The scent of caverns reached their noses. And soon, they emerged from the strange space between spaces and arrived at the zikwa caves.

"We're here!" Heart breathed in relief. "I'm so excited to show you all the strange wonders here."

Forward simply smiled down at her. "I await in anticipation."