Sun-Cursed, for the longest time, had always been alone. Even as a young foal, stumbling about in the darkness, she hadn't anyone to rely on. No sibling, no parent, just herself in a swamp missing the sun. It was only through pure luck that when she discovered her delicate constitution, she hadn't been alone. She often shuddered to think what would have become of her had the kiokote Hang the Moon not been nearby.

Sun-Cursed was grateful to the older doe for her help and healing. Now that she'd gotten older, she would sometimes seek out Hang the Moon just to show that the acha was surviving, that she wouldn't be here had it not been for the kio. In her nomadic days, it was simply a matter of timing and again luck that Sun-Cursed and Hang the Moon were close enough in vicinity that they could meet up.

Now that Smoldering Ember had invited her to stay in his den, she would have to seek out the older doe. And with the recent events, she needed the advice of someone removed from the situation. Which was why, tonight, the acha had to reassure her den-mate that she may not be back by morning, depending on how far she would have to travel.

Lutz wrote:

The night was fairly dark with a small sliver of a moon to light the way, but Hang the Moon had gotten so used to working at night lately that it didn't bother her much. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness well and she relied on other senses to help her figure out where she was if the tree coverage blocked out the starlight.

It was on one of these dark paths that Hang the Moon found herself slowly being able to see better. A dim glow was coming from up ahead, the gentle blue light reaching her hooves amid the trees and bushes of the swamp. She recognized that glow without hesitation and a little smile crossed her muzzle as she moved forward, ready to greet Sun-Cursed. She had no idea why the acha had suddenly started to glow but it seemed to be an after effect of the events during her birth. Some other kin that she'd met had also had the little halo of light around them, barely visible in the day but quite easy to see at night.

"Good evening, Sun-Cursed," she said once she drew closer, rounding a small bend in the path that allowed her to spot the younger female. "You certainly are easy to find at night."

HuniPi wrote:

Sun-Cursed initially tensed upon hearing the sound of approaching hooves, but breathed a sigh of relief when the familiar form of Hang the Moon rounded the bend. In her presence, the acha felt like she was a little foal again, in a good way. It wasn't that she felt inexperienced or helpless, but that she could relax and that things would work themselves out now that the older doe was here.

Her smile widened and the faint glow of her halo seemed to shimmer brighter, "Hang the Moon!" she greeted and happily trotted closer. "I'm so glad to find you, it feels too long since I saw you. So much as happened and I have so much to tell you! Oh, but how have you been lately?" She asked, both not wanting to be rude and also genuinely keen to know how the kiokote was doing.

Lutz wrote:

Hang the Moon gave a soft chuckle as Sun-Cursed greeted her. The acha was always a welcome sight to see, considering how they'd first met. Hang the Moon had been so concerned for the little foal but clearly Sun-Cursed had grown into a very capable doe.

"I'm doing well. Learning a lot, traveling a little to find out new healing methods...I've been busy," she responded, her tone pleased and content. She'd been a much different doe when she'd first come across Sun-Cursed, still insecure and nervous about a lot of things. Now, though, she'd come into her own, found her niche and what made her happy in life, and she was thriving because of it.

"Go on then. Tell me everything," she said with a smile.

HuniPi wrote:

Sun-Cursed listened in rapt attention, her already high opinion of Hang the Moon getting even higher. It definitely confirmed to Sun-Cursed that she made the right choice in coming to her for this much needed advice or maybe a diagnosis. "I've been traveling too, well, not traveling excatly more like I kept moving around. During winter market there were these slices of darkness throughout the swamp and I met someone during then. And then we met again afterwards as our proper selves. He's a kimeti and he's been very kind and helpful. Oh but there were other kin I've met too but this kimeti makes me feel... different."

She was nervous and anxious as she shared her situation with Hang the Moon, but it was the happy nervous sort. She didn't know what caused these feelings, or why she felt the way she did. She barely even knew when she noticed it. "Is it something I should be worried about? Am I sick with something?"

Lutz wrote:

Sun-Cursed's enthusiasm bubbled over as she spoke and Hang the Moon followed along as best she could. When the other doe mentioned meeting a buck, however, she knew just what might be on the young female's mind. Certainly finding a special someone could be exciting but for one still exploring the world and learning about herself, Hang the Moon could see how it might be confusing.

"Not with anything that I could cure," she said with a little laugh to hopefully keep Sun-Cursed's spirits up. "But don't worry, it's nothing serious. It just sounds like you might care for this buck as more than a friend. Are you happy around him? You feel safe and appreciated?" Perhaps she could ease Sun-Cursed into realizing her feelings...if that's what they were. From the otherwise happy body language Hang the Moon couldn't imagine that this buck was a danger to her younger friend.

HuniPi wrote:

Sun-Cursed's brows knitted together in confusion at first. What did Hang the Moon mean by liking someone as more than a friend? But as the older doe began to ask for more details and go into the finer distinctions about her feelings for the buck, the acha started to feel her heart race and her cheeks grow warm.

"Um, I do feel all of that with him, yes. Not that you don't make me feel safe or that I can't come to you for help," she babbled, "And he also carved a space for me in his den after he found me distraught." Sun-Cursed didn't want to go into details about that either. "But he's so kind to everyone. Even to my other friends he'd just met. What if, what if he doesn't feel like I do? What if my feelings make things difficult for him?"

The thought of upsetting him or even making things uncomfortable for him didn't sit well with Sun-Cursed.

Lutz wrote:

Sun-Cursed reaction was all Hang the Moon needed to see to understand that yes, her young friend had a crush. Perhaps it was more than that, but for now she'd keep her thoughts to herself on the matter. Clearly Sun-Cursed was a bit worried about all this so it wouldn't do to further her anxiety.

"Well, thank you," she said with a gentle smile. "I'm glad you feel that way about me. But it's different, isn't it?" She knew Sun-Cursed would be able to look at how she felt about this buck and how she felt about Hang the Moon. There might be fondness there for her, but it was certainly of a different kind. Perhaps more like a parent or a sibling rather than attraction.

"He sounds very kind," she agreed. "How long have you know him? And how long have you felt this way?" Sometimes feelings could come and go so she didn't want to advise Sun-Cursed to talk to this buck if it was still a brand new thing. Giving it time would hopefully help.

HuniPi wrote:

Sun-Cursed had to think hard. She had such a nebulous grasp of time at the start, marking its passage through how many familiars she started collecting. It was only later, when she befriend (or was befriended by) another acha that time changed from "before a given amount of familiars" to actual days.

"I feel like I've known him quite long," she began a little hesitantly, "And he is very kind and warm. He'd protect anyone who needed protecting, and I think I started to feel different about him when he'd help find shelter for me when I got caught out in the open when the sun was at its highest."

She shuddered in fear at the memory, grateful to have been rescued and that only her tail suffered the worst of it.

Lutz wrote:

Hang the Moon waited as Sun-Cursed thought back to her past with this buck. It was adorable to see her so eagerly excited and she hoped she'd be able to give her friend some advice that Sun-Cursed found sound. As she spoke again, Hang the Moon gave a little nod to show she was listening. As Sun-Cursed shivered slightly she stepped forward to give her cheek a reassuring nuzzle with her snout.

"Having someone around who cares is important, whether or not you have feelings for them that might differ from what you're used to," she agreed as she pulled away. She could understand now why Sun-Cursed might be worried that he didn't return her feelings. If she felt special for being helped but he helped everyone...that could certainly be nerve-wracking.

"You said you've been staying with him?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. "Does he let anyone else stay as well?" Perhaps she could figure out a few more details about the nature of the friendship Sun-Cursed had forged before offering any sort of advice.

HuniPi wrote:

The gentle presence of Hang the Moon was as assuring as it was grounding. The kiokote was definitely helping Sun-Cursed get her thoughts in order and letting her be vulnerable without fear of judgment. "He'd let my friend, another acha doe, stay with us while she was in the territory of his den."

And while he had said he was happy to let Steals Kisses stay because she was Sun-Cursed's friend, the glowing acha still couldn't help but feel like he'd have let Steals Kisses stay even if she was a complete stranger to both of them. That was just the impression she had of Smoldering Ember. He was kind to fault, almost.

"But that was temporary and she was with us for only a few nights. I thought she would have stayed longer but," her stance became awkward, almost a little ashamed, "I kind of felt happy that it was just me and Smoldering Ember again. Does that make me a bad kin?" as she met Hang the Moon's eyes, her ears drooped in preemptive disappointed of herself.

Lutz wrote:

As Sun-Cursed went on, revealing more of her emotions, Hang the Moon chuckled very softly.

"Oh, certainly not, dear. If anything it just confirms to me how you feel about him." A little jealous of their time and space together, it seemed. But Sun-Cursed didn't have a bad bone in her body as far as the older female could tell. "That is very kind of him to offer for others to stay but it may be a good way to approach the subject of how you feel to him should you wish to." She almost wished she could meet the buck first to try to get a read on his own feelings but that would be encroaching a bit too much, she felt.

"Does he do other things for you that you've noticed? Things that he didn't do for your friend while she was there?"

HuniPi wrote:

Sun-Cursed didn't need to think too hard to remember all the lovely things Smoldering Ember had done for her, big and small. She found herself smiling just at the memories and the smile widened as she relayed them to Hang the Moon. They ranged from making sure there was enough bedding for her and her familiars, to saving her portions of any caught game that were her favorite, to defending her from any nasty neighbor's temper. "And just. Being there."

She looked helplessly at Hang the Moon, "Did you ever feel like this for anyone? What did you do?"

Lutz wrote:Sorry for the late reply

Hang the Moon listened as Sun-Cursed spoke, each word seeming to bring even more joy to her. The older doe smiled slightly as she nodded along, letting Sun-Cursed know that she was listening despite the younger doe talking for quite a few minutes uninterrupted. Finally she seemed to be done, ending with a simple yet profound statement.

The question drew a little shake of Hang the Moon's head. She certainly had a deep love for her found family and there had been kin she'd crossed paths with that had caught her eye and made butterflies dance in her belly, but none had quite a hold on her as this buck seemed to have on her friend.

"I can't say that I have," she admitted. "But I've heard of plenty of other bucks and does feeling a similar way. I don't think it's a bad thing or anything to worry about," she added gently. "My only advice I can give is to let your heart guide you. In my experience, your head often tricks itself into thinking terrible things." Indeed, Hang the Moon had come to find that her insecurities had been what had held her back from the life she wanted to live. Her heart always yearned to help others and by giving in to those desires she had overcome the obstacles holding her back.

HuniPi wrote:No worries!

The young acha lightly nuzzled against Hang the Moon, both a reassurance to the kiokote doe's experience and a show of gratitude for her advice. "Thank you for listening to me. I promise to act on these feelings and let him know about it." Sun-Cursed didn't want to assume the worst but it wasn't exactly out of the realm of possibilities that "If he doesn't feel the same way," she chewed on her lower lip, "Can I come to you again to talk my feelings through?"

Lutz wrote:I think we can wrap up