Chaos and Change: Eyes of Stars' Story

Chapter Five

Umax might have been-- cheerful? Well, he was that, but that wasn't what he was thinking. No... no, it was excited. He might have been excited about hatching-- about bonding-- and about making a new friend who, like his brother Beacon, would love him and accept him and, best of all, want to have fun with him. He might have been excited about all that, but his new bond was... something more than excited. A lot more.

::Hyperactive,:: Beacon suggested privately, sounding fondly amused.

That fit. Yesinal was very hyper! She was actually bouncing as she led the way away from the Destiny, bouncing with each step. Umax almost wanted to giggle at her-- just as he almost wanted to bounce along with her. He wound up doing both, grinning up at her with good cheer and barely-suppressed laughter and then breaking into a bouncy trot that made Beacon chrrrrr at him in protest, clinging to his sparse mane with all eight feet.

::Well, hold on faster, then!:: Umax countered. He had a feeling that he'd gotten that wrong, but Beacon didn't bother to correct him, and Yesinal either hadn't noticed or didn't think it worth commenting on.

"Did you have enough to eat?" Yesinal asked, looking over her shoulder at them. "You just let me know if you're still hungry, we can stop by a restaurant or something before we go home-- oh, I can't wait for you to meet Eyes of Stars! It'll be so great, we're a whole kret now!"

There was a wave of discomfort from Beacon, which made Umax turn his ears back with concern. Umax really didn't have any idea what a kret was, but he did remember a vague impression of this Eyes of Stars-- Yesinal's other bond. Just like him and Beacon, Yesinal was bonded, too. Eyes of Stars, actually, looked a lot like he did, only less spider-y and more... cloud-y. With feathers and lots more hair and lots less eyes. But they were the same color! And both rather unicorn-y, like Umax and Beacon's father, Muse.

::We're all right,:: Beacon answered for them both. ::And what is a kret?::

The word did call up a couple ideas, now that he'd heard it in his head instead of just aloud. Those images came from that instant-that-didn't-really-feel-like-an-instant that he and Beacon had taken to decide on and then form their double-bond with her. It seemed like it was a family, but it also seemed like it was a bond-- like what he and Beacon had, maybe?

"It's something my people do," Yesinal explained happily. "We all bond up in groups, four's about the usual, and we stay together like that forever. Or, well, as long as we can, cuz sometimes people die and then you have to find new members for your kret, like Hivele has to do, but that's really kind of sad and since I just met you, let's not talk about that."

Beacon held back from commenting that she was the one who brought it up, though Umax could sense the thought skittering across his mind. ::Okay,:: he said himself.

Yesinal stopped short and spun around to nuzzle the back of his neck-- surprisingly careful of where Beacon was holding on. Her muzzle was so big it could have squished him without even realizing it! ::Well, maybe not that big,:: Beacon sent.

"I'm really glad you wanted to bond me," Yesinal was saying earnestly, and a little-- nervously, maybe? Aw, no, shyly. Sounding earnest and shy at the same time was kind of cute. "You seem really, really great-- both of you."

::So do you!:: Umax told her cheerfully right back. He wanted to say more, but he really wasn't sure how to.

Beacon came to the rescue. ::I believe you and Umax will get along famously. You are both adventurous and energetic.::

::I woulda said 'rowdy',:: Umax snickered, making a nickering sound that he guessed was... well, a snicker!

Yesinal was wriggling happily and beaming down at them both. "Oh, I hope so! I hope you'll get along-- what was it, famously?-- I hope you'll get along famously with Eyes of Stars, too!"

Again there was that odd unease from Beacon, which this time made Umax stop and swish his tail unhappily. Yesinal noticed, too. "What's the matter?" she asked, green eyes wide.

::Nothing,:: Beacon said hurriedly, skuttling higher on Umax's neck, to balance on the back of his head and pat the end of her nose with one tiny foot. Hand. Whatever the bottom of spider-legs were called. ::I'm sure he's a very nice person.::

"Oh, he is," Yesinal nodded immediately. "He's kind of shy, though. He worries about a lot of stuff, you know, stuff that he really shouldn't worry about because it's all cool, but he does, and... yeah. He's really nice, just worries too much," she summed up finally.

Umax felt a little glazed trying to keep up with the speed of her voice. At least, being bonded, he could sort of follow her train of thought instead, though that was kind of confusing, too! Maybe that was why she summed it up, because he looked glazed, too. Was glazed even the right word? Well, it was good enough, he supposed.

"Anyway," Yesinal continued, perking up again. "We've got to meet Hivele, he's waiting at the hotel, and then we can go home!"

::Can't wait!:: Umax said with a grin.

~~~~~

Curling up on Eyes of Star's back, between his wings, after he'd helped her through dinner and helped her get clean, the little saashiyovi hatchling didn't think she'd ever been happier. The fact that she'd only been hatched for a few hours, and thus hadn't had many other experiences of happiness to compare it to, didn't mean how happy she was now was any less profound.

But it had been a long day, and hatching was a lot of work. She was very sleepy, now, after hatching, bonding, eating, bathing, and all that.

"Are you sure you want to lay there?"

But her bond was worried about her, so maybe she couldn't sleep yet. She pulled her muzzle out from among his feathers and blinked owlishly at him. He had his neck arched awkwardly so he could see her out of one glowing, white eye. She uncurled and wriggled out to the edge of his wing, reaching out to pat his cheek.

::Be fine,:: she purred. ::Love 'Stars!::

"Love has nothing to do with whether I change you, little one."

::Change good?:: she asked.

"Sometimes. But even good change isn't always wanted."

::Won't mind,:: she said, and yawned. ::Sleeeeeeeep?::

The hopeful croon made him chuckle softly, at least. "As long as you aren't surprised if you wake up orange instead of green, or something. I'll try not to jostle you."

::Orange pretty,:: she commented, then crept backwards to his back again and turned a few circles there, patting down mane and folded feathers into a more pleasing bed. She rambled as she did so: ::Green pretty, too. Black pretty. Pretty like 'Stars. White pretty. Sleeping now....::

He started walking, a slightly rocking gait to the small saashiyovi on his back. "Before you drift off, little one," he asked gently, "do you have a name?"

::No.:: Was that bad? ::'Stars pick?::

"Do you have a preference?" he chuckled softly, nickering with it. She liked that sound. It was reassuring. Maybe it wasn't bad that she had a name, and he was just surprised. Was it normal to hatch with a name? 

::No. Yes? Like you. Like 'Stars. 'Stars pick....::

"Like me, hmm?" He walked a few more steps while he thought, and the hatchling was halfway asleep by the time he suggested, "You like stars, and you like daytime... Star of Day?"

::Star of Day,:: she murmured sleepily. ::Is good. ... Sleeping now.::

"Yes, dear," Eyes of Stars finally gave in, and let her go to sleep at last.

Chapter Six

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