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1stMoon: Waxing Crescent

A basket of fruit made its way around the fire, the beginnings of the morning's meal. Given some time roasting, even the peel would serve a role in keeping them fed. Avi glanced to his side, where the basket had arrived at Hana and Iris's position. The capybara made certain that her sister's fruit was skewered and ready before taking her own portion from the basket and passing it to him.

The otter held her stick tight, straining to hold her meal steady over the flame. "L-Like this?"

Hana put a hand to Iris's shoulder. "Yes, very good. See? Just a bit of practice and this'll be easy for you." She looked to Avi as her smile grew.

He chuckled, then reached forward, lifting Iris's stick a bit further from the flames. "She's right, you know. Maybe you'll catch up with the boys soon."

He looked to their shared log. While Cress sat there, attention drifting to anything but his stick, Milo's focus remained undivided from his fruit. The maned wolf stared with rapt attention, making oddly precise movements as the fruit's colour changed and warped in the heat. When one side grew darker, he'd squint and adjust so the lighter side took the brunt of the flame.

The mouse blinked. "Well, er. Maybe not Milo. Goodness." He got his portion skewered, then lowered it to the flame.

Hana giggled, reaching for her own stick and lining it up with the fruit's center.

She stopped. Her ears perked, and she dropped the stick. She brought a hand to her stomach for a moment, then glanced around, her posture stiff. "Excuse me a moment. I'll be right back." She stood, then walked toward the slope. As she passed Avi, however, she leaned in close, whispering in one of his round ears. "Just something from the clinic. I'll be fine." With that, her walk became more of a jog, making her way down the plateau.

Iris waved to her sister, and Ferrah looked up from her cookingin time to notice the capy leaving. She glanced to Avi and raised an eyebrow, but he shruggedin return. As he refocused onhis food, though, a fragrance tickled his nose. Spices? Something sharp and sweet, at least. Did something unusual fall into the fire? Well, no matter.

That enkindled scent would sort itself out in a moment.

*

---

*

The morning meal continued apace. By now, the others had almost finished their fruit, and Avi only had one section of peel left to take care of. And yet, the seat next to him and Iris remained empty. He shook his head, then rose from the log.

"What, you too?"

He turned to the tigress and crossed his arms. "I'm just going to check on her. She should've been back by now."

She huffed, waved him off, then returned to working her way through the fruit.

Making his way through the village wasn't much of a jog. Entire sections passed by in moments. The clinic was at the far edge of the outskirts, sure, but what was keeping her?

As he neared his destination, he slowed to a walk, and something curious hit him: that nose-tingling scent was back again, and it lingered this time. Breathing heavily from his jog, he had little choice but to savour it, and its intricacies danced through his head. Spicy, sweet, maybe a bit bitter. The scent of a rare treat, stirring memories of sipping cacao in the Skygrazer village square. The mated couples it was made for sharing their cup, their friends and families celebrating their future happiness, even a few people suddenly offering to share their drink, an informal proposal among the tribe. Everything from the flavour to the emotions permeated his being, and it all served to stoke a comforting flame in his chest.

He blinked, and he found himself already at the curtained entrance. He shook his head, smacked himself, then continued with a clear mind. As clear as it could be when the scent kept forcing its way up his nose, anyway.

"S-Skies, I..." A voice came from inside. Hana? Her breaths came heavy, and her words were strained at best. "Was it always this intense...?"

Without thinking, he brushed aside the curtain, and the aroma nearly smothered him. What once weaved memories and phantom senses together now whirled about in a thick miasma, and he coughed as the smell went so far as to itch his throat. "H-Hana?" When he finally adjusted to the fog swirling in his head, he opened his eyes. There on one of the clinic pallets laid Hana, panting and seeming to burn up in ways the intense sunlight had never caused for her.

Even then, her ears perked and her demeanour brightened when she saw the mouse. "Avi? You're here, I was--no, I mean... I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." She tried to stand, but her knees gave out, and she stumbled forward.

His tail went stiff. "What are you talking about?" He tried to step back, but his paws wouldn't budge.

She righted herself, then glanced to the side and fiddled with a curl of her hair. "Springweed. I got so focused on everything, the work, the little ones, the new company, I... I forgot to gather any, or check our supply. I even forgot it was in the destroyed granary, not here. Better location for something so common, usually." She giggled, but her posture wavered. "So here I am. Heat in full bloom. Unsure what to do. I can't go anywhere when it's this overwhelming, so... I've just been a nervous wreck."

His ears pinned back. That flame in his chest began to grow cold, being steadily replaced by jolting spikes. "It's fine, t-this'll be fine, I'll, I'll go gather some, brew the tea, quick as a--"

"N-No, wait!" She lurched towards him once more, this time seizing the quivering wrist hanging limp at his side.

"Hana?!"

"I-I don't..." She nearly stumbled again, then looked him straight in the eyes. "Please. I don't want to be alone like this, it's--it's nerve-wracking, like a pressure is building in my chest and could burst any moment, but seeing you?" She smiled with a familiar warmth. "Everything feels right when I'm with you. So please... Don't go? Someone will find us. You don't have to go..."

His body refused to obey him. The fragrance of spices he partook in readily moments ago became tinged with fear, morphing into the stench of hot ash in his nostrils, then finally a pungent smell he wished he could forget.

Screaming from the clinic pallet. Panic as the other doctors barked out orders and new complications arose to confound them every moment. Even he had been yanked from his usual duties of maintaining the medical supplies to dart around as fast as his paws could carry him. Bandages here, a poultice there, more water, damp cloths, anything they could think of. And the smell, that smell! The longer he continued his duties, the used bandages just kept piling up in the trash heap, choking the room with a metallic stench that heralded what was to be the result of all these efforts:

A newborn pup without its mother, and a family without their daughter.

"Avi?"

He blinked. His breaths were staggered. What he needed, and no more. He glanced down, and not only did Hana still have a grip on his arm, but his tail had wrapped around her wrist. Again. The flame in his chest died. No burning, no fear; only an empty void.

"Please...?"

He narrowed his gaze at her. "No." With his other hand, he reached out to his tail, tensed his fingers, then dug his claws into it. The stabbing pain got the damn thing to retreat, at least. "This is what your heat wants, Hana. This isn't your fault."

Several emotions flashed over her face in a frenzied blur. Frustration, worry, maybe even sorrow. No doubt another effect from her condition.

"I'm sorry. The longer I stay here, the more likely it gets that one of us will try something unfathomably stupid, thanks to the addling scent. And let me be clear. Even if that were acceptable in the slightest, I refuse to put your life in danger, Hana."

The blur of reactions settled on fear, and her eyes went wide. "What? W-What are you--"

He crouched down to her. As he held her gaze, he brought his free hand to the one she'd clamped over his wrist. "I've seen it, dear. Twice. There's a simple fact that anyone like you is beholden to." He gestured toward her abdomen. "A pup doesn't care how young you are when it's born. It won't be any smaller."

Her eyes went wide. Her free hand came to rest on her stomach, and she averted her eyes from him. When her grip finally slackened, he pulled his wrist free. She stood up, then tottered back to her pallet, collapsing as she reached the bedding. With a groan, she spoke. "Fine. Go, then. Just... Go. Please."

He shook his head. "You won't be alone. I'll send Ferrah here to watch you, along with some water. You've probably noticed by now, but the heat's left you dizzy, and it's even worse when you already experience bouts of faintness. It's dangerous in this state." His paws moved at last, carrying him back to the entrance. "So don't worry. Ferrah will keep you safe, and I'll have the tea ready before you know it."

Once the curtain swung shut behind him, his legs quivered. The numbness fell away, and he scrambled forward until he collapsed in the sand. At last, only the sea breeze invaded his nose. Every breath served to dispel the fog he'd suppressed, cleansing his mind of it. When panic and unnatural contentment finally fell away, he sighed. He rose to his knees, gazing off at the village. A tiny otter girl caught his eye, though, darting from building to building.

And she soon saw him too, closed in at full speed, and slammed into his chest, heaving as tears fell from her iridescent eyes. "Is Hana okay?!"

"What? How do--"

"W-Where's my sister?! Where, where! Wheeere...?" Whatever remained of her question, her sobbing cut it off. As she pressed deeper and deeper into his chest, soaking him in tears, he wrapped his arms around her and held tight.

"She's okay. She's just in heat, alright? Heat." He combed his fingers through her hair. "I can fix it, and Ferrah will watch over her. She's going to be okay. She isn't in danger. Hana is safe, Iris."

Though her crying quieted, tears continued to fall as she whimpered and squeaked. Avi sighed, scooped her up, then began the walk back to the fire pit.

Iris's sobbing announced their presence before they could get close. Both Tai and Ferrah stood from their seats, the former running to meet them.

"Whoa. What happened with her? And where's Hana?"

The tigress soon joined them. "Wondered where the little shrimp ran off to. She just bolted all of a sudden."

Avi shook his head. "Iris was worried about Hana, that's all. Poor thing's panicked herself. Ferrah?"

"Yeah?"

"Head to the clinic, please. Hana's in heat, and it's making her anxious. I'll be back once I've got some springweed tea brewed for her, but I need to go forage for some first."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Wait, we didn't have any? Not even a pinch?"

"Not unless you count whatever was among the granary's debris, no. So, will you?"

Her gaze narrowed further; still, she started on her way. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I will. I've got a thing or two to say to her."

He raised an eyebrow at that, but brushed it off and turned to the panther. "Tai, can you watch Iris?"

"Sure thing. Alright, c'mere, then..." He took her into his arms, then headed back to his seat by the fire, holding her close and soothing her as the mouse had. That taken care of, Avi retrieved his satchel, then headed to the jungle path.

"Hm? Where're ya goin'?"

He stopped in his tracks and turned around only to find both of the boys at his tail. Cress in particular got right up close.

"Just getting some springweed. I'll be fine."

The bat tilted his head. "And how do ya know where it is?"

"Do I need to? It's common enough."

"Don'tcha need it in a hurry, though?" He flexed an arm, and with it, a wing. "I toldja I can find whatever ya need, didn't I?"

Avi tilted his head. "Cress, I hardly think that--" Thoughts of the heat-stricken capy flashed in his mind. How every moment was another filled with burning, dangerous urges, not helped by her existing condition being made several times worse from her body running wild. He sighed, then shook his head. "Fine, then. If it gets us the herbs quicker, you can come along. Alright?"

"Yeah, yeah! Just watch, you'll see!" Cress bolted for a tree, shuffling up it with practised ease.

Milo darted close behind him, but stopped at the tree. "Cress, wait, maybe we--"

Before the maned wolf could finish, Cress leapt from the upper half of the tree and unfolded his wings. With practised ease, the boy glided through the jungle, weaving between the trees until he was almost out of sight.

"C-Cress, hold up!" Milo ran after him, but the foliage held him back as the bat climbed another tree in the distance.

Avi pressed a hand to his cheek, then sighed. He shouted into the jungle. "That may be fast, Cress, but please be careful!"

A distant confirmation, however dismissive, rang through the trees. The boy didn't slow down for a single moment. Tree after tree, glide after glide, he scanned the jungle floor in every direction. Soon enough, the dense bushes were too much for Avi and Milo, and the bat glided out of sight.

The boy's ears pinned to the sides, and he seized Avi's hand and dragged him along with renewed fervor.

"Milo, please, wait a moment!"

"No!" His fangs clenched as he continued yanking Avi's arm. "I need to find Cress! If I don't, he might... H-He...!" He came to an abrupt stop, raising and turning his ears. Even as he gave his all searching, the boy's hands quaked.

Avi held back the urge to lean down and comfort the boy, instead following his example. He scanned the sea of trees, ears pivoting and flicking, picking up any little noise they could. Soon, he isolated the sound of claws skittering up a tree, then a leap. The faintest sound of wooshing followed, and then--

A thunk resounded through the trees, just to their right, and with it came a pained groan. Avi squeezed Milo's hand and pointed. "Over there!" The two made their way through the jungle once more, sweeping aside bushes and swerving around trees, until a less dense area came into view. One with plenty of smaller plants at the base of a tree, not to mention a certain bat laying on his side and clutching his snout.

"Cress!" Milo let go of Avi's hand and sprinted faster than he had during the whole search. The boy skidded to a halt, then knelt at Cress's side, hands seeming conflicted between reaching out to the bat and trying not to make things worse.

Avi flipped open his satchel, procuring bandages in an instant. He joined the boys, then moved Cress's hand from his face, revealing a scrape. At least his muzzle wasn't bent. "What did I say, Cress?"

Instead of words, the boy responded with a chuckle. His other hand shot up, clutching some bluish-green leafy herbs. "Toldja. I'm great at this." His puffed-up mood was cut off by a wince as the mouse applied the bandages.

"I'd prefer you didn't get them so recklessly, Cress. And we still need..." His gaze drifted to the rest of the area around the tree. "...more?" Everywhere he looked, stalks with teal bases and azure-tipped leaves grew. Almost a little spring of their own making. When he finished his ministrations, he set to work gathering the herbs. Plenty here for numerous moons, let alone a week's supply. Maybe more than that, with only two that needed the suppressant.

His ears flicked, and he turned to see Milo just about tackling Cress. "D-Don't do that!" The boy squeezed ever tighter. "You always do this! Never listening!"

Cress wriggled in the hug, but still returned the gesture. "What? I'm fine!" He pointed to the bandage on his snout. "This means it'll be all fixed, see! Like nothing happened!"

Milo pouted at that, then buried his face in the bat's chest. Aside from a few more grumbles from him, neither of the boys said anything more.

Avi chuckled, then went back to gathering. That little bat would be trouble of some sort, surely. Still, he had a stalwart companion watching over him. Perhaps that would keep things in check.

*

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*

The tigress approached the clinic, her muscles tense. When she reached the curtain, she pulled it aside, then hooked it around a jutted-out piece of wood, leaving the entrance wide open. She marched inside, keeping her nose covered until she could better adjust to the stifling smell.

The heat-stricken capy greeted her with an apathetic stare and a roll of her eyes, not even attempting to move from the pallet. Ferrah didn't offer her much better, just a wry chuckle and a waterskin tossed her way. "Drink up. I think you'd rather be able to sit upright when Avi gets here with the tea."

With a grumble, Hana downed almost the entire skin in one go. She set the rest next to her and went back to moping.

"Strange, though, ain't it?" Ferrah leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. "Two weeks, and neither of us thought to check the springweed. I assumed it'd be here instead of the old granary, but hey, that's my bad. Can't say I've been thinkin' straight since I've been stuck here, either. You, though?" She bore into the girl with a glare. "Quite the little slip to forget that. Especially with a family of only girls. Now, how did that happen, I wonder..."

Hana threw that glare right back at her. "Just say it already."

"Gladly. And since the kids ain't here, I think I'll speak my mind a bit." She let out a snarl. "Do you think I'm fucking stupid, kid? Avi may be willing to pin this on an accident, but I'm sure as shit not. That little plan of yours nearly got you killed, not to mention probably dug up some old wounds for Avi."

The capy's glare faltered, and she shrunk back. "I... I know. He said as much. On both matters. I know this was stupid, okay? I get it."

"You damn well better." She snorted. "I get what you're after, kid, but this? Way too soon, with him at least. You want your first that bad, huh?"

The girl's indignation returned in full force, a roaring blaze lit behind those eyes. "Oh, don't you dare treat me like I don't know anything about how to--" The fire snuffed out as her eyes went wide. Somehow, her ears grew even more flushed, and she proceeded to bury her muzzle in the bedding before unleashing a muffled scream.

That earned a hearty laugh from Ferrah, and she let her tension ease a bit. "Knew it. So. How long ago?"

Nothing but grumbling in response.

"Hey, come on, now, I ain't askin' for nothing. It's give and take here, get it?"

After one more long groan from the bedding, Hana lifted her head with a huff. "Fine. Tai and I were at each other's throats even more when we were younger, but that didn't stop us from realizing we were each other's only option for figuring all this out. I was twelve."

"See, was that so hard?" She chuckled. "Besides, same here. The age, I mean. I wasn't starved for choice like you, but I still got curious. A trader's kid, in my case. His dad came to do business, then they both stuck around. Knew him since I was eight, one thing led to another, and we figured some things out like you two did. Just a shame he grew up to be a bit of an ass, hah!" Something twinged in her mind, and she brought a hand to her tourmaline necklace. She glanced down to it, then looked away. "I... I think."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Ferrah jolted, then shook her head. "N-Nothin', don't bother wondering." She snapped her gaze back to the capy. "Besides, you sure you get what this plan meant? That was a messed up thing to do, not to mention lucky. Just what were you gonna do if my heat was before yours, huh? I never mentioned my cycle."

The girl shrank back again. "I'm s-sorry, okay? I wouldn't have just left you to deal with Tai, I swear."

"Oh, it's not me you'd need to apologize to." She smirked, then flexed that log of an arm. "He'd get every bone in his body broken if he was dumb enough to try anything like that. Now that, that'd be a bit much for you to be putting him through, eh?"

At last, mirth peeked through the fog of gloom and frustration as Hana chuckled. "Yeah... Yeah, it really would be."

"Good to hear you get it. And really, give it some time before trying to chase something like this again. You ain't grown just yet, kid."

The room grew quiet, save for the occasional panting from Hana. No telling how long the two of them stayed there without a word, but after a while, sniffling began to replace the panting. Ferrah raised an eyebrow, and when Hana's eyes met hers, she rolled to face away from her.

"You alright there, kid?"

The girl scrunched into a ball, sniffled yet again, then answered. "It's not fair..."

Something pulsed in Ferrah's head, and her breath caught. She reached up to clutch her necklace again, rubbing it between her fingers. The more the words echoed in her mind, the more the world began to fall away, until she found herself staring somewhere all too familiar. Somewhere she might never see again otherwise.

Bushes in the treeline, a little ways out from the Skygrazer village. Night had since fallen, though the dark was little deterrent to her. The same went for the pair of feline cubs nestled under a tree, the girl burying herself in the boy's chest as she punched the ground, again and again. She'd been crying for a long while, if the boy's soaked chest fur was any indicator.

"It's not fair...!" She gave up punching and switched to clawing at the dirt, leaving a flurry of crisscrossed marks as she heaved and sobbed.

The boy just sat there, holding her close. Not a word left his lips as he rubbed the girl's back, his own breathing shaky.

"S-She finds a mate, does the whole stupid ceremony thing, and now, I--I don't even matter to her anymore!"

"That's not... I mean, you know she cares more than that. She's your big sister, of course she does."

She raised her head from his chest, looking straight into his eyes with her own tear-stained ones. "Then why won't she talk to me! I haven't gotten to really talk with her in days! Every time, she just goes on doing whatever she's doing, some dumb homemaking crap, or just swooning over the guy! She even forgot I was there once and started gossiping with some other lady doing the same stuff! Does that sound like she cares?!"

The boy's ears pinned back and his eyes kept flicking away, though he tried to meet her gaze again each time. "I... Um, I-I--"

"She was the only one who I could tell about all I've been learning watching Dad work, a-and now..." Her fangs clenched. "Now she's no better than our parents! Who even cares anymore?!"

His ears lifted, and he looked her in the eyes without hesitation. "I do. You've been doing great, you know? Better than me, anyway. Even at lifting."

She flinched back, and the tears slowed. "That's... I guess." She leaned back into him, giving the faintest hint of a nuzzle. "Hmph. What's so great about a mate, anyway? It's like she can't think of anything else, so what's the big deal?"

He seized up. His comforting grip against her tightened, then softened again. After a while spent like that, he finally found the words. "Ferrah? I don't know what's so great about all that either, b-but..."

She raised her head, eyes meeting his once more.

"If you really wanna know, then maybe we could--" He swallowed hard. "We could find out? If that would help, I mean. Would it?"

For the first time that night, her eyes shone from something besides tears, and determination worked its way back into her. "Yeah... Yeah, Terik! We'll figure out whatever stupid thing she loves so much! We will!"

And with that, she pressed the boy further against the tree, and shoved her muzzle to his.

Her surroundings melted and blurred again. The world became a swirl of mixed paints, then allowed itself to return coherent shapes to the world. Now back in the clinic, the most important of those shapes at the moment lay sniffling on the pallet, and Ferrah's heart lurched and roiled. She darted to the girl, crouching next to her. "Hey, come on. You don't have to leave it at that."

The girl's ears perked. She shifted a bit, glancing over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow.

"Look, whatever it is, the tea's not gonna fix it, let alone seeing Avi again. So you let it all out, right here, right now, got it?"

She glanced to the side, but didn't turn away. Instead, she clutched at her upper arms and sighed. "Fine. If you really insist on hearing me spill my guts in the worst of ways."

Her heart finally slowed its thumping pace. "Oh, I asked for it, alright, so go ahead. I'm listening."

Hana laid on her back, continuing to avoid meeting Ferrah's eyes. "Things were fine, you know? Iris and I, we had our little family. Even with some of the village being less than welcoming to her, it was a good life. We couldn't dream of anything better." Her eyes clenched shut. "And then in just one night, almost everyone we knew and loved was gone. We had nothing. I got focused on surviving and looking after the others, but what then? What about after we stabilized? What in this empty, abandoned home would be left for us?"

The capy gave a smile, but she curled up even tighter. "And then he showed up. Someone from a world we'd never been. A kind soul to my sister, which wasn't exactly common. And, er..." Her eyes opened, then fluttered a moment. "It certainly didn't hurt that he's adorable, and a bit exotic. I'd never even heard of a mouse before. The more I look at him, the more I see something I can look forward to in this place. A little future of my own." The smile grew fragile. "So imagine how it feels to be treated like a child. Like he would never consider it. Like I couldn't possibly want that. You know what he said when I tried to get him to stay? Certainly not that I had any part in that request..."

The tigress sucked in air through her teeth and cringed.

Her eyes flicked to Ferrah's. "I know what I want. And to wait four years for that? That's unbearable."

Ferrah jolted up. She tilted her head, then flicked her tail. "Wait, what? What do you mean, 'four years?'"

Now it was Hana's turn to be surprised. "Hm? Isn't that... Don't you have coming-of-age around nineteen or so? That's when the last one around here was."

Something tickled in the pit of her belly. It grew and grew, working its way through her, until it emerged from her throat with a hearty laugh; she nearly doubled over. Wiping a tear from her eye, she refocused on the stunned capybara. "Oh, not a chance, kid. Indulge me a bit. What was the poor sap like?"

The girl blinked slowly, then brought a hand to her chin. "It was Milo's uncle, Panu. He was always getting scolded, especially for taking things he shouldn't just to study them. He, um... He still does that sometimes. Even got beaten bloody over it by Cress's mother once. Bit of a slacker, too. They had to drag him to any sort of work until a year before he came of age. Why?"

She tried to suppress another laugh, and failed miserably. Once she collected herself, she clutched at the stitch forming in her side, then worked through the words. "Oh, that's a fuckin' treat. Didn't think a place this small would have a late bloomer! But yeah, no. That numbskull probably took until nineteen to come of age because he took his sweet time growing up. It takes a head full of rocks to get held back from coming of age after your eighteenth lunar year. Skies, most people come of age at sixteen or so! Whether it's sooner or later depends on how the elders judge you. Or, well, the adults in general, in a place this tiny."

The girl sat up so fast that she stumbled. "Wait, really? You're serious?"

"Damn right! And hey, if you somehow hit your Blossoming at eighteen without being evaluated as being of age? They go easy on ya, if you're at least trying. Getting held back's a feat in and of itself."

"And a Blossoming is...?"

Her ears perked. "They didn't go over that, either? It's when it's safe to have cubs. Or pups, in your case. Guess it was since he wasn't at any kinda risk of getting torn in half, but still. That's also when you can be more open about a relationship in a bigger village." She raised a finger. "Not everyone can keep track of who's of age. Even if someone's been evaluated, if they're young enough they haven't had their Blossoming celebration, that looks real suspect, ya know? In a place as small as this, though, people just go for it. Everyone knows everyone here, so no one's gonna miss someone coming of age."

Hana's eyes went wide, but they soon narrowed at Ferrah instead. "It can't be that simple, can it? That's great, but... But how is that going to work here?"

The tigress shrugged. "Well, Avi sure ain't gonna evaluate you, so that leaves me. And let me be clear on that." She leaned in close, lowering her voice. "I've watched over him since he was Iris's age, so until I can believe you'll do right by him? Not a chance."

The girl deflated, melting back into the pallet. "And I take it that'll be a while?"

"That depends on you, kid. Consider it time to get to know him better. It hasn't even been a moon, ya know?"

Even as she curled up again, a trace of a smile shone through. "I... I can live with that. Hearing him talk about his old life was refreshing. I wish I could slap his father in that cloud dream or wherever he said the dead go, though."

Her eyes went wide, and her body went stiff. Despite the effort, she leaned forward. "Did he really tell you?"

"Hm? Well, yes. Quite a bit, actually. His parents, your little family, the woman from the feast, those sort of things."

Her mind reeled. She stood there, just blinking. "Avi, he's... Those sorts of topics stay buried. Even I haven't heard more than a peep about 'em since we were little. And you're saying he spilled all that?"

"Yes...?"

Ferrah took a deep breath, then glanced off to the side. "Then I'll tell ya this: whatever you're doing, you're doing_something_ right."

Hana sighed, then further relaxed into the bedding. "Alright. Thank you, Ferrah." Her ear flicked. "Even if it'll be a long while yet before I can pursue this properly."

The tigress stood, took one more glance at the girl, then headed back to the far wall. As she reclined against it, taking everything in, one thought stood out in her mind:

"Might be sooner than you think, kid."

*

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*

The panther ran his fingers through the exhausted otter's hair. A short while ago, Iris's sniffling quieted down, and he found that she'd fallen asleep in his lap. Shortly after that, Avi and the others returned from gathering the herbs, and Cress sported a new bandage from the trip. Not uncommon for the boy, admittedly. Though, Avi working on the tea and Milo fretting over Cress didn't leave Tai much else to do but keep his charge comfortable.

"Nn..."

His gaze flicked down to her. She wriggled in her sleep, facing who-knew-what in her dreams. If only his protection could extend to wherever people went in slumber.

The girl batted at his chest, then pulled her hand towards her face, groping around her nose. "N... N-No..." She shuddered. "B-Bad... Smell..."

He shook his head, then continued his little scritches and rubs. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Shh. You're okay. The smell's not here. It's off in the clinic. Just rest, okay, Iris?"

With the water set to boil and the tea leaves arranged in a cup, Avi soon joined him. The mouse's brow furrowed, and he clenched his wrist. "No respite even in her sleep? Poor thing."

"Better than being stuck in her waking thoughts, if her sobbing was any indicator."

Avi sighed. Given a moment, he leaned in, humming a delicate, swaying tune. His fingers moved with a purpose, tugging Iris's doll back into her grip without disturbing her directly. He then pulled away, allowing the tune to fade to a close.

In the next moment, the girl jolted, and her eyes flew open. She held her doll close, but otherwise was still. "Where's...?" She looked around the plateau until Avi cut in.

"The girls are at the clinic, remember? I'm making the tea now. It'll be fine, Iris."

Without so much as glancing at the mouse, Iris hopped down from Tai's lap, then ran towards the edge of the plateau.

The panther shot up. "Iris?" Both he and Avi ran after her, but she stopped long before the drop. She stood there, her green locks swaying in the breeze. Tai crouched down to her, watching as she stared off into the distance. Somewhere in the outskirts, maybe?

A tap met his shoulder. "If she's alright, I'm going to keep an eye on the water. Let me know if anything else happens, alright?"

He nodded. Avi smiled, then returned to the fire pit. As for Iris, she took a sharp breath, then began to move at last. A somber aura seemed to emanate from the girl, and she reached her hand to a spot just below her neck. She clenched her fingers in place, over and again, then looked down at her hand, inspecting it. Whatever she was looking for, she gave a tilt of her head, then resumed staring out over the village.

Tai raised an eyebrow at that, but he ultimately decided to sit beside her. She'd be done soon, probably. Far from the strangest thing she'd done. Her own little quirks, some might say.

And if those quirks helped ground her after being a trembling mess? Well, all the better.

*

---

*

1st Moon: Waxing Gibbous

Page after page, Avi leafed through the shocking stash of notes and knowledge in the clinic. As he scanned the most recent one, a drawing caught his eye: a likeness of the same berries he'd seen on the path to the waterfall pool. He scrutinized the notes, taking in every last detail he could about the strange new plant, and of all things? Pain relief. The leaves, ground into powder, made an effective relief from stubborn aches if used sparingly.

He smiled, set the pages down on the table, then turned to the rest of the clinic. It had come a long way from that first week here. Not a scrap of debris to be found, the palletsand tools cleaned and neatly set up, and every supply short of the unfamiliar ones restocked. Those strange, new ones like the powder would come later, after familiarizing himself with everything Kanna had committed to parchment.

The children had called her the village doctor, but that had to be an understatement. Or, more likely, their lack of a comparison. Everything he'd ever learned as a medic was here in these pages, along with plenty he hadn't had the chance to practice, eventechniques and medicines he'd never heard of in his entire life. Whatever background had gifted her this knowledge, it being isolated in this unknown coast was a waste. At least now he had the chance to follow the path she'd laid behind her.

The entrance's curtain shifted. A curious sight, a single fluffy ear and an eye peeking around the entrance. Avi tilted his head as he leaned back against the table. "You can come in, you know, Milo."

Without a word, the visitor slipped through the curtain and padded over. The boy, for whatever reason, stood before him and stared.

"Was there something you needed? Or maybe I should be asking if there's something Cress needed, knowing him."

The boy shook his head.

Avi's whiskers flicked. "Then...?"

"Teach me."

"P-Pardon?"

"Teach me." He pointed to the supplies. "I wanna know how you make people better."

The mouse took a step back, scratched his head, then analyzed the pup. No matter how hard he looked, nothing gave him the answer he was looking for. "Why?"

"Why not?"

"No, I mean--what brought this on, Milo? Why now?"

Milo's eyes flicked away at last. Where once there was nothing, now body language began to seep through, starting with wringing his hands. "Cress."

Avi crouched down to him, then took those fidgeting hands in one of his own. "You shouldn't have to worry about that. I'll be around to patch him up if anything happens."

The boy's ears pinned to the back of his head. "No you won't."

"What?"

"People aren't always there. You're here, and I'm here, and Cress is off at the beach. Hana and Iris are by the big hut, Tai and Ferrah are fixing another hut,butmy parents are... A-And Cress's parents, they're... They're not..." He shook his head, though his tail still hung low. "People aren't there. But I'm there with Cress the most, and he gets hurt the most. So I should make him better when he does, because if I'm there and I can, I will."

Warmth pulsed in Avi's chest, along with a faint tug at his core. He reached forward, then pulled the boy into his arms. "Alright, then. I'll teach you. Just in case, alright?" Instead of a response, the maned wolf grumbled and tried to wriggle out of his grip, to which Avi chuckled before releasing him. "Ah, sorry."

Milo backed away, then worked to smooth out his fur. When he seemed satisfied, he gave a huff, then turned to Avi again. "So what now?"

With a smile, he pulled a box from the shelf, retrieving a roll of bandages from it. "How about we start with how to apply one of these, hm?"