[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... uncert.png[/imgleft] Genre: Choose Your Own / Horror  |  Rolls: 9 (Moon), 7 (F Zikwa), 2 (Hate)  | 790 Words

Jester wandered into the small clearing with a bundle of foals and fillies, and smiled at all of them before plopping himself down and nestling into a dry, warm spot. "Wanna hear a scary story?" The little group looked around at each other and then one cynical, sarcastic foal raised a brow and sneered.

"You don't look very scary. I don't think we'd take anything you said particularly seriously."

Jester only cocked a brow and smirked. "Oh really? I guess you've heard all the stories then, particularly the one about the zikwa doe and the moon." He swirled some snow under his hoof and shrugged then, staring down at it and hiding his smirk.

There was a small quiet, and then a filly at the back squeaked, "What zikwa doe...? I don't know any scary stories about zikwa, just confusing past legends."

Jester looked up then, trying to be as serious as could be, and then tipped his head. "You've never heard that one? Interesting. Well, if you want to hear it, I guess I could tell you, before the event is over and all." He paused a moment and then pretended to stretch. When no one answered him, he settled back down and then continued. "Hmm. Okay, well. Back before the zikwa had come out of hiding and joined the rest of us on the surface, there was one particular doe who had managed to find the entrance to her cave, and enter the world.

"She had no idea what other kin were, and no one knew the zikwa. She was blind, you see, one of the ones with skin over their eyes, and it was night. She was drawn out by the bright glow of the moon, the only thing blind zikwa can see. She thought the moon was just a large and intimidating zikwa, but when it didn't answer her calls as she tried to communicate, she slowly grew more fearful. After a while, she grew afraid, and simply attempted to sneak back into her cave as if she hadn't come out, but grew lost. Fireflies had come out that night, things she'd never seen, and she found herself following the strange, magic blinking lights until she'd strayed so far from home, she didn't think she'd ever get back.

"She wandered into the wrong kimeti's camp that night, one who was known for occasional murder, and was extremely territorial. The second he noted the strange thing in his part of the swamp, he hated her; he didn't know anything about her, nor did he care. He didn't even particularly know what kind of kin she was, nor did he think to ask her. The sound of his growl spooked her, but this particular kimeti had no glowing markings, and she could not see him. She turned and attempted to run, but was so unused to the brambles and vines of the wild surface, that she tripped and fell along the way. The last thing she knew was a loud STOMP, a thud, and a sharp pain before she faded away. It wasn't until morning that anyone else had found her while the buck was away.

"No one could place what kind of kin she was, and a few rumors ran around that since she was blind, she was part bat. This scared more than enough for them to gather a small group of salamanders, and build a big fire; throwing what was left of her on top to burn that night, to erase all traces she existed. That's when they noticed something strange.

"The moon had rose that night, but it was muted; the light was drowned out as if it were showing through a veil, and appeared more like a very dark, glowing grey than a bright, friendly white. The kin looked up at it, and slowly, it raised its odd veil.... it was the blind zikwa doe's massive eyelid, and she was peering down at them. The kin that had gathered that night vanished. No one knew where they'd gone, and no one's heard from them since. Some say the moon then turned red, others say it was simply white. Shortly after, the zikwa actually emerged from the underground, and since she had scared so many, the kin on the surface did nothing but show absolute respect, out of fear.

"Of course now, we all know better. Zikwa are no different from the rest of us," he laughed, watching the tiny kin's wide eyes jerk up toward the sky, then back to each other. "Although, since no one really knows what happened, it's entirely possibly. Better watch who you pick on," he joked, and then rose to his feet to leave this thought to linger.