I'm so infinitesimal; any

[Lumi]

I'm so infinitesimal...

What exactly is she doing here?

She’d come to Nerine for a change of pace, to try and finally grow up, to leave her family and start building a life of her own. And what has she done so far? Nothing worth noting, that’s for sure. Explored some caves, ogled the wildlife, spent a lot of time as a stoat … 

Certainly far less than her new homeland deserves. 

Her parents probably wouldn’t be very pleased to hear of how little she’s done. While Weir and Eira are not the most active kingdom members themselves, they at least interact, get to know their neighbours. It would probably make them a bit sad to hear that their eldest daughter spends her days holed up in the outskirts of Nerine, alone.

So, she’s trying to make a change. And today she’s finally kicked her butt into gear and marched back to the more central part of the kingdom, where she knows most of the residents spend their time. She can see no one yet, so she lingers at the water’s edge, trotting in and out of the rolling waves, and happily watching the creatures that hang in and about the shoreline. She giggles as a crab (Carcinus aestuarii!) skitters away from her stomping hooves, and gasps when she spots a dark head watching her from the water (Monachus monachus - her father would love to see that one!). Someone will be along soon, she has no doubt, but in the meantime she is perfectly happy to enjoy the natural world around her.

[Heartfire]

show them the joy and the pain and the ending

She has not done much these past several days beyond curl in the small cave she had made hers and tend to her children. As it turns out, motherhood is difficult. Far more so than she had anticipated. Of course, it does not help that she has two children, rather than the usual one. Certainly that would be enough to keep anyone frazzled.

So she does something she has never in her life done. She hides and she recovers. It is difficult work birthing twins, and she feels no guilt in taking some time for herself. Besides, the rush of hormone-fueled emotions birth seems to bring has left her world a bit akilter. There is no guaranteeing what her reaction might have been in those days after giving birth. She could definitely not guarantee that it would have been pleasant.

But finally comes the day when she is feeling a bit more recovered, a bit more her old self, and she finds she simply cannot bear remaining so close to this small cave a moment longer. It had, in the span of a few minutes, become a prison rather than a sanctuary. So she gathers her days-old twins and introduces them to the world. Or at least, to their home.

They are returning from a brief excursion when an unfamiliar form skirting the edge of the water catches her eye. She had made a point of finding the residents of Nerine, and if not meeting them in person, at least discovering what she could of them. This one seems to have escaped her notice. And a quick peek shows her just why she had not noticed her before. Apparently, she has the ability to shift into a creature that could easily escape almost anyone’s notice.

But Heartfire is not shy, and she has no qualms about making the acquaintance of even Nerine’s more introverted residents. As she nears, two blue forms trailing her with dragging feet and weary expressions, her gaze fixes upon the chestnut mare with the glimmering black locks. She does not worry overly much for her children in her home; she is quite capable of protecting them. Still, a quick word from her sends them a short distance away to curl up on the sand as she gives them leave to nap for a time.

”I have not seen you before,” she offers by way of greeting, halting a comfortable distance from the other mare. ”I’m Heartfire.” The unspoken inquiry hangs in the air, a silent invitation for the her to offer her name in response.

heartfire

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i filled up my senses with thoughts from the ghosts

picture c Petrova Julia.N