[PRP] Reading Into Things (Sun-Cursed x Cosmic Traveller||Wayward Son)

[HuniPi]

Sun-Cursed had heard there were kin who were given the gift of special sight by the MotherFather. It made the young acha wonder if she were one of these gifted kin and whether there was a way to access these visions without needing to suffer through the pain of the sun.

After she decided on a temporary den, she instructed some of her more responsible familiars to watch over the others (looking at you, Caught in the Act specifically). She asked them all to be on their best behavior, that she wouldn't take too long but they should still forage for their own food if they ever got too hungry. She'll return to the den soon, sooner if things proved more difficult than she initially expected. Some of her familiars would be joining her for protection and assistance.

She didn't know where to go specifically but there were rumors of a kio who wandered through the swamp sharing her visions. And wouldn't you know it, said kio was nearby! Sun-Cursed didn't want to miss this chance, and if it turned out their means of calling up the visions could not assist with the acha's condition, well, at least that was one lead she could cross out.

-----

The feathered serpent was glad to be allowed to roam with its master. Lingering too long in any location felt too suffocating for Heartless and Sun-Cursed wouldn't let them eat any of the smaller vermin that followed after her. At least out here, they could hunt to their heart's content. And speaking of hunt, a delicious-looking moth caught its eye and the serpent instinctively began to stalk it.

I finally began the thing!

[doomsayer]

He sees her change the place she would stay again. She always moved about, finding places that offered an abundance of shade and cool temperature. He had been watching her for a long time. Like him, she avoided the sun. She would sleep during the day and wake when the sun was low in the sky. He realized that it hurt her. When it did, he wanted to hurt it back. It did not hurt him, he simply just was not raised in it. He wanted to shield her from it--from everything she was running away from.

He lurked in a shallow pit underneath the shadow of a nearby rocky overhang. A perfect view of her new temporary home. Except today she was leaving her pets behind to fend for themselves. It looks like she is planning to go far. It seems like she might be gone for a long time. He can't let her be alone. He has to follow her, if only from the shadows.

A flash of memory.
Absolute enveloping darkness. The smell of blood. The nudge of creatures far bigger and odder than him.
The voices of those who took him in when he was young and helpless echo in his head;
"We are not like them.
You are not like them.
They will detest you.
They are weaker than you.
They will condemn you for what you have had to do just to survive."

He wants her. But he can't just appear to her. She would detest him. She would condemn him. But he can't help but want her nonetheless.

Sticking to cover, he trails her movements, his golden markings rarely reflecting into her eyes whatever small amount of sunlight they catch. Yet he makes sure to stay in her blind spot. Just as innocuous as the shadow at her feet. All the while viewing her with longing.

[HuniPi]

Sun-Cursed was normally too focused on keeping to the shadows and trails that had overhanging outcrops or plants, and now trying to find any traces of the rumored Kio her attention was certainly too scattered to realize she was being followed. Any instinctive feelings about another presence was ignored, believing it was just one of the familiars she brought with her keeping its distance to hunt or forage.

"If I were a Kiokote, where would I roam here in the swamp?" she murmured to herself.

There was rustling nearby and the acha immediately turned towards it.

Her feathered serpent was busy trying to catch a purple giant moth. Despite Heartless' best efforts, there was something almost effortless about the way the insect managed to bob and weave out of the reptile's reach. She didn't know if she should encourage her familiar to keep trying or to suggest it find something else when she noticed the tracks near her familiar were those of kiokote.

"Heartless! Can you help me follow these?" she asked, lowering her head to see if there was any scent she could try to follow. Maybe this was the kio she'd heard about, or at least she could count out this area.

[doomsayer]

So she's looking for a particular Kiokote.... He's been following her long enough to know that any repeating interactions between Sun-Cursed and other kin were usually because of circumstance, or at the behest of the other kin who have permanent dens she would visit. Her seeking someone out on purpose was not something she typically did.

His blood started to boil with jealousy as his mind raced about what she could probably want with this kin she was seeking. A childhood friend? An old lover? Someone who could care for her and love her like he wanted to? He would hurt them. Tear them limb from limb. Drink their blood.

He didn't realize he was already letting out a long and low growl before he saw her ears perk up, most likely hearing him. Immediately he dashed to another source of cover. He had to keep his emotions in check! He could not show himself to her, this was not the time!

-----

Adrift's wings in the low light reflected a shade of purple, but as the day would give way to night, so would her shade come closer to that of the starry sky.

The Feathered Serpent trying to take a bite out of Adrift seemed determined to catch her, albeit with the clumsy movements of something used to hunting less intelligent prey.

The acha that followed close behind the serpent seemed to be preoccupied with the tracks that Adrift's master left behind. Perhaps this was a visitor? With her master's new clutch in her care, Adrift was sure she wouldn't mind an adult visitor to talk to.

So Adrift flew just close enough to the ground to keep the Feathered Serpent's interest piqued while she slowly and methodically guided them to the rock formation that her master and her master's children currently called home.

[HuniPi]

Sun-Cursed needed to be strict and forceful with the feathered serpent if she wanted it to at least listen to her. So while she was loathe to be mean, she had to bring out her rarely used firm-and-stern voice "Heartless, please pay attention."

The serpent was unaccustomed to the intonation its master used, pausing to glance back to make sure it was indeed the acha giving the command. Heartless' eyes blinked slowly, even when it swore it scented another kin nearby. Perhaps it belonged to the owner of these tracks? Its feathered visibly puffed up, instinctively trying to warn any lurking predators while also keeping the moth within line of sight.

Strange, Sun-Cursed could have sworn Heartless was listening to her request in finding the source of these hoof prints, but the serpent still tried (and failed) to snap at the moth. Was it trying to herd the flying insect towards somewhere it could land? But the tracks were leading this way and was it just coincidence that the moth was still here?

It was only until they came under the canopy of the trees did the gleam of starlight dusting the moth's wings became apparent. Thanks to her halo, the reflection was nothing short of breathtaking. "Oh, you're so pretty! You have the night sky on you, like Lights..." she remarked, recalling her own starry tanuki.

The deeper she went into the underbrush, the more apparent the markings on the moth became. And it was an entrancing sight. So much so that she momentarily forgot about why she came here in the first place. The moth changed its route, forcing the acha to backtrack if she intended to keep following it. The insect was deceptively fast in the shadowed canopy, and Sun-Cursed called out "Would you like to join my little family? I'll make sure Heartless stops trying to eat you."

[doomsayer]

Adrift knew the Acha following the feathered serpent was beckoning to her, but she did not understand the doe's body language enough to acknowledge her. What Adrift did pick up was that something else was following all of them from the shadows. She felt a looming malevolence watching the Acha doe's every step.

Adrift decided to take a more indirect route--one with less places to hide to see if whatever lurked in the shadows would still dare to follow. She would not bring such a threat to her master and her master's children.

The sun had set and only stray rays still illuminated the landscape before the light of the moon would conquer the world. She will lead the feathered serpent and the Acha doe to her master's den before nightfall.

-----

She changed directions. She was traveling through a bare plain that had less and less foliage for him to hide himself. He blamed the damned insect for leading both her and her pet on this pointless chase.

He could not risk being seen. He needed to give them a wider berth and follow from much farther. If in case he would lose them, it would not be for long. Her scent was etched in his mind and her glow would lead him to her. He only needed to bide more time.

[HuniPi]

Sun-Cursed travelled on, completely unaware that she was being watched, too fixated on the beautiful moth fluttering in a unique pattern of flight. She was only able to keep following the moth in such an open stretch of land because the sun had gone down enough that the light would not hurt her. However, she soon realized she'd completely lost the original trail!

She immediately scanned her surroundings, chiding herself for getting distracted so easily and almost, almost thought to turn around and go back to where the tracks were. But then she scented in the wind a stronger version of the kin's smell that faintly lingered in the recesses of soil.

It seemed fortune smiled upon her! Or... or perhaps this was the rumored kiokote who foresaw their encounter? In her excitement, she picked up the pace to trot after and her feathered serpent managed to keep apace. She didn't have that much longer to walk before she came upon a den that she at first didn't think was a den.

If it weren't for the moth, she might have completely passed it by. But she had to make sure it was actually inhabited and decided to give a tentative greeting "Hello, a pleasant evening."

[doomsayer]

The first thing that would greet the Acha doe would be the sudden tumbling of 2 Kiokote foal, each sharing the same wing and bone markings, but featuring differing shades of grey and purple on their hides. Then, as though from out of nowhere, 4 other young kin chase after them, ensuing in a rough and tumble roughhousing around this open den marked only by a circle of pebbles on the ground to show its edges.

The next thing she would witness would be the exasperated shouting of a Kiokote doe with a hide as starry as the moth she was following.

"Beat! Comm! Stop rolling with each other! The rest of you please, settle down! It's time to sleep! Mother is expecting a visitor!"

It takes while before the Kio is able to round up what looks to be a large clutch of six offspring, clearly winded from herding them around.

Taking another moment to catch her breath, Cosmic Traveller finally looks in the direction of the Acha doe and speaks directly to her, "Hello! I've been expecting you. Please, come in. Make yourself comfortable."

[HuniPi]

"O-oh!" Sun-Cursed gasped, awkwardly stepping back and away from the younglings so as not to get in the way of their... fun? She wasn't sure. She'd been all alone growing up, only when she had fully grown was she strong enough to travel far and been able to meet other kin. Maybe if she had brothers or sisters, perhaps the sun would have been kinder to her.

Heartless' first response was to rear up to its full height and bare their fangs at the encroaching creatures. Only when their master gave soft calming murmurs did its hackles lower, but not their guard. Never their guard.

When the kio doe who was the splitting image of the moth came into view, Sun-Cursed's mouth fell open. She was expected? Oh, oh, she definitely found the one!

"Thank you," she began, gesturing for the feathered serpent to stay outside to stand guard. "If there's anything I can help with, I'll certainly do my best."

[doomsayer]

Her response to the acha was a kind smile.

"Thank you, but it's alright. They're all a bit rowdy at this age, but they've all tuckered themselves out at this point. Give them a little while and you'll be hearing a chorus of snoring."

More importantly, it seems you've finally made it. So far I've only seen your glow in my dreams. I am happy that you turned out to be real. I am Cosmic Traveller. This is my family. What brings you to our den?

[HuniPi]

Oh where does one start? Sun-Cursed first introduced herself, though she was hesitant to share about her complicated relationship with the sun, she instead explained "I heard rumors of kin who could see things most don't or are unable to see. And I may be one of these kin but I unfortunately am only able to access these visions after I am hurt."

Her tail swayed agitatedly behind her, "I was hoping that perhaps you would know if there was a way I could avoid the whole getting hurt part even if I wish to "see"?"

[doomsayer]

Cosmic was suddenly concerned. She sat Sun-Cursed to the side of her den that faced the open plains.

"That is unfortunate to hear my dear. Although I won't say that I have what you call this ability to see--to this day I am still unsure if they are just delusions. But my dreams show me things and sometimes those things come true. Throughout the years, I have learned to make waking dreams, and I've discovered that touching othe kin while inducing those waking dreams sometimes shows me things specifically about them. That is a more accurate summation of what I experience.

I'd like to help you, but I can't claim to completely know if any of it is even real at all. But I don't mind talking to someone who might be going through the same. If you wouldn't mind sharing, what exactly do you experience and how has it occurred?"

The sun was fully set now and the moon was starting to drift to the highest point in the sky. Cosmic's children, as predicted, were already snoring sounds asleep.

[HuniPi]

It shouldn't have come as such a surprise to Sun-Cursed that Cosmic Traveler didn't have the exact same "gift" (or "curse") as she did. But it was still a bit of a disappointment that she didn't find the kindred spirit she was hoping for. The situation wasn't a complete loss, though. As she settled in, she explained a little bit more about her situation. "When I first came out of my shell, it was to darkness. It was apparently when the sun disappeared. And so when the days became bright, I stepped into the light for the first time in my life. I burned."

She said quietly, eyes staring into the distance as she remembered that intense heat and pain. But the light, the world in light, it was so beautiful that the pain was almost worth it. "I started to see things. Shapes, figures, strange things of shadow, ill-defined forms but creatures nonetheless. I never understood what they were. What they meant."

[doomsayer]

Cosmic didn't fully understand what Sun-Cursed described that she saw, but to the former it sounded like beings of the grey that are rumored to inhabit the spaces in between.

"What we see is very different from each other, but I think what you see might be related to the things that have been said to lurk in the obelisks. They are widely accepted as dangerous beings that do not follow conventional logic and the fact that you see them as a result of feeling pain only tells me that you becoming aware of them may pose a danger to you. Have any of these strange creatures of shadow actually interacted with you or affected anything around you after you caught a glimpse of them?"

[HuniPi]

The obelisk? The thought never once crossed Sun-Cursed's mind. She had only heard of them but had never gotten the courage (or desire) to actually look into these mysterious structures.

"No, I don't think so? I lose sight of them after a while, but while I could see them it was as if they were overlapping on things." The idea that these visions were actually capable of seeing her in return, she was going to have to pay far more attention to these things in those unfortunate moments. "I've never been to any of the obelisks, perhaps going there could offer some hints on my condition."