Chiku watched the stars above her, tail curling around her paws in an almost delicate manner as she hummed softly. It wasn't often that the Neuvoston Jäsenet was still, and this was one of those rare times. The only things that moved were her chest as she breathed, her throat as she hummed, her eyes as she scanned the sky, and the tip of her tail. It was a still night, but...Chiku did not mind that. It gave her time to sort out her latest set of visions. Visions involving two creatures that she'd not yet met, but seemed...close to her. Stopping her humming and sighing, the sandy female shook her head, then turned her vision to her side as someone approached her. The two leotahs smiled at one another, and the newcomer to the spot sat beside Chiku.
“Hello Chiku! I hope the night is treating you well?” Chiku giggled and nodded.
“It is, Fuu! Thank you for asking.” She'd have to sort out her visions later. She wasn't one to ignore a fellow coalition member! It helped that the purple leotah beside her was a friend. “What of you?” Fuu-penda grinned.
“Very well! Thank you for asking! Felt in the mood for some stargazing, and this is one of the best spots...” Chiku made a noise of agreement.
“It is. Hey Fuu...what did the stars look like from next to the sea?” The male made a noise of surprise. He hadn't expected that question.
“Well...they didn't look much different. The differences were in the things I heard and smelled, really.” Chiku tilted her head in curiosity.
“Oh? How?” Fuu chuckled and leaned into her.
“Well...the air smelled a lot different. Full of salt and sea-smells. And you could hear the ocean as it came in and out. Soft, gentle noises that would lull a creature to sleep.” Though he loved his new home...he missed the ocean. He missed the beach sand between his toes, the salt in his fur...he missed his mother and brothers. Even morbid Ten. “What about you? What differences were there where you were born?” Chiku giggled, shifting a bit to better support his weight.
“Well...it changed a lot, since the group I was part of was nomadic. We had a set range, but...we moved around a lot. And as we moved, things changed. Sometimes we heard frogs at night, other times crickets. Sometimes even both! In some areas, we could smell water heavy in the air. In others, we smelled nothing more than fresh earth.” Talking about it...made her realize just how much she missed the Arba'sehemu. She'd been born there, raised there, taught little ones there...She'd loved the pride with every fiber of her being.
But it had fallen apart. Even with new blood, it hadn't been able to survive the trials of rebuilding after the devastating war that had torn it apart before Chiku's birth. And now, her family was scattered to the winds. A bit fitting, considering they were Air Nomads. But she still missed them. Her Momma and Isi-papa and Njalo-papa were probably all still together. She couldn't imagine the three of them apart. Not ever. And Badai was with her, in the Koti.
But what of Theluji? What of Aang and Maluuni? One of their cubs, Gyatso, was in the Koti as well, but...what of their other two? Pasang and Malu. Chiku shook her head, getting a questioning look from Fuu. “I'm fine. Just...missing the past. Or at least parts of it.” Fuu nodded.
“I understand. I miss the Simbafutaji. And my brothers and sisters. And my mother.” He smiled sadly. “On the one paw, I miss them all and miss where I grew up and miss all the little familiar things. On the other paw...had things not happened as they did, I wouldn't have met you, my friend. I wouldn't have found this beautiful place, and the creatures within it.” Chiku opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. Her nose scrunched up as she thought, taking in Fuu's words.
And then she nodded, things falling into place in her mind.
“Yeah...that's how I feel. I miss things and creatures...but I have friends here now. I have a home here now. I have a favorite spot to watch the stars from, and a favorite place to sun...This place is becoming just as full of memories and creatures I know and places that smell like me as my birth pride was.” Fuu grinned and nudged her a little.
“Exactly!” The nudge hadn't been expected by Chiku, and her balance failed, sending the two toppling sideways in a fit of laughter and indignation. They lay on the ground laughing for a few minutes, the sounds finally fading and then stopping all together. The two friends looked to one another, an understanding reached. The past was the past. They couldn't help how things turned out...but they could help make sure the fate that befell their prides did not befall the one they now called home. Fuu got up first, moving to help Chiku.
“We won't let the Koti die. We'll make sure they live. That the coalition continues on.” Chiku nodded, grateful for her friend's help in getting up.
“Right. They'll continue on. And grow. So long as we keep helping them and encouraging them, I've seen them grow. Grow and prosper.” She grinned. “So long as the world sees those like us as strange, instead of a symbol of love going beyond boundaries, the Koti has a place in the scheme of things.” Fuu made a noise of agreement, and turned his head to the stars once more, to the beings beyond earthly worries.
“We are a safe haven, a place of peace, of acceptance.” He prayed that maybe, one day...his mother might find the coalition. His mother, and his siblings, all of them.
And next to him, Chiku hoped for her family just as fervently.
