Hang the Moon had never thought her travels would take her to such an interesting place! The sea was something she'd heard of from other kin but it wasn't something she'd ever thought she'd see for herself. The trek had been long and arduous, but she'd somehow made it to the sandy shores of the ocean.

She found herself spending her days simply staring out at the endless water. She'd tried drinking it but was quick to discover it wasn't palatable and was probably the source of the smell in the air. Still, it was fascinating to watch. The water rose and fell as the day came and went, there were creatures she'd never seen before scurrying and swimming around the shallow pools left behind in the rocks when the water went out. The sunsets were spectacular and the night sky was so easy to see over the vast water. She could see herself getting lost in time here, spending far too much of it this way.

Perhaps she'd stay for the summer months, she thought to herself as she wandered slowly along the edge of the sand where the waves washed up, occasionally soaking her hooves before they ran back to the sea. Her plants had been doing well on their own and she'd planted them in very strategic spots where water was always available to them. It would be a good test to see if they could survive on their own for a while without her weekly tending.

Yes...a nice rest here would do her well. And once the chilly air began to blow, she'd return to make her harvest.

Errant Thought was thoroughly pleased with his surroundings - he'd never been to the seashore before, and while the breeze was...frankly disastrous for his locks, there was a certain tang in the air that was spectacular...and there was something almost mesmerizing about the repetitiveness of the ebb and flow of the waves as they lapped at the shore. Watching a small crab try to drag an even smaller piece of debris into a hole in the sand, he smiled slightly, wondering if there were any kin who lived in the area - and if so, what were they like?

Picking his way along the beach, there was almost a delicacy to his movements (honed by many, many hours spent trying to avoid getting tangled in one's own locks). Carefully stepping around the small creatures toiling away in the sunshine, he stopped moving and took a moment to enjoy the way the sun dappled the surface of the sea. Giving a small toss of his head, he turned back toward the beach, and noticed another kin, who was also walking close to the shoreline. With a flick of his tail, he began moving in her direction with more purpose.

"Hello!"

He had waited to speak until he was close enough to not need to yell, but hoped not so long as to seem rude. "The water is lovely, isn't it?"

The greeting pulled Hang the Moon from her thoughts and she glanced down the beach to see another kio making his way towards her. She'd never seen such a long mane and tail before and it was both mesmerizing and a little silly to see him moving so carefully due to just how long it trailed down. Once he was close enough she gave him a little smile and nodded at his question.

"It is," she agreed, gazing out over the sea again. "I never thought there could be so much of it...I'm used to the Swamp, with ponds and bogs. You can see the other side. I wonder if there's another side to this or if it just goes on forever." She paused for a bit in thoughtful contemplation before remembering she wasn't alone. Looking back at the male she gave another small smile paired with a laugh.

"Sorry! It's quite distracting. Your mane and tail are lovely," she added, deciding a compliment might smooth over being slightly ignored for a moment.

"I'm Hang the Moon."

Vashtya wrote:

Bobbing his head slightly in agreement, Errant looked out at the water, then back at Hang the Moon. "It's the same for me! It also smells so different...and unfortunately, tastes much worse." At this, he makes a face. "If only it tasted as fresh as it looks..." he looked a little bit wistful as he said it, as if contemplating just what that would taste like.

With a shake of his head, a move that shifted his blond locks to half cover his face, he looked a little bit embarrassed by the compliment. "Ah...thank you for those kind words! They can be quite...inconvenient at times, especially in rough terrain."

"Are you new to the area too, then?"

Lutz wrote:

"Oh...yes, it's strange that it's so salty!" Hang the Moon agreed. The salty air had been curling her mane and tail a bit at the ends, giving her more volume over all. She could only imagine what the other kio's mane would get like if he was here for a long time!

"Yes, I've only been here a few days," she agreed. "I was passing the time traveling and won't be here for too long, but I think I might make the trek every summer. It's so nice here...I wouldn't mind learning how to swim or studying the plants here more." She was sure there were plenty of new plants and sea life she could use in her healing, she just had to find someone knowledgeable about it.

"Where do you usually spend your time? I'm generally back in the thick of the Swamp."

Vashtya wrote:

"It is, isn't it? I wonder what makes it that way..."

"I'm new to the area myself - this is one of the more beautiful places I've been, visually, though..."

He cocked his head slightly, smiling. "I originally come from the plains, but I don't tend to stay in one place, as a rule - there's so much of the world to see, and kin to learn about the world from..."

"Did you say you study plants? What does that involve?" he asked, intrigued.

Lutz wrote:

Hang the Moon nodded as the other kio mentioned he came from the plains. Her adoptive father had found her egg just on the border of the swamp and the plains, and being a kimeti he took her in onto his side of the invisible line. She knew her kind originated from the plains but she had yet to travel there herself, though she certainly wanted to.

“Oh, I’m a healer,” she said with a small smile. “So plants and their healing properties are pretty important. I wouldn’t say I’m a plant expert…not by a long shot. But the ones that I can use to numb pain or help heal wounds I’m pretty knowledgeable about. But just in the area I’m familiar with, so seeing all these new places is exciting because there must be things the kin use around here to help their injuries.”

“Vashtya” wrote:

"Oh, that's amazing!" he exclaimed. There was something so impressive about those who dedicated themselves to healing, and the knowledge needed to continue to improve at it. "Is it something that you learned to start with from another kin, or have you learned largely by your own trial and error?"

With a small cough, he stopped himself from bombarding her with further questions, looking thoughtful for a moment, and then, almost tentatively continuing: "I'm not sure if it's helpful, and while I did not want to approach and disturb them, I think I saw a pair of kin the other day, and they seemed to be using a plant that they collected from the salty water to wrap an injury - I don't know if that's useful, or if there's anything special about it, but..."

Lutz wrote:

“I always wanted to help other kin and healing seemed to be the best way to do that. Most of what I’ve learned I learned from others,” she said with a nod. His next statement made her ears perk up with interest.

“That could be… do you remember where you saw them doing it? Maybe they left some behind.” She could see what it was, maybe experiment with it in the future. Did it have to stay wet to be useful? Or was the drying process some sort of method to adhere the sea plant to the kin for some reason?

He nodded, motioning with his chin in the general direction. "It was over there somewhere...I'll go with you, and see if I can spot any of it..."

[FIN]