Moonstone Quarry maybe you're just like my mother, she's never satisfied.

Kinusi moved throughout the quarry. Bold as brass and softly humming under her breath. In her maw was a beat up fur skin, full to the brim with herbs she had found in the local prairie lands. It was nice to be of use again. To find things that could heal an ailment or ease a cough. She had begun to understand implicitly why her father kept a garden. It was hard to hunt the herbs some times. 

She did a little jig in place as she walked. Her tail whipping around in delight. It was delightful today. The sun was shining. The air was nice. She had found herbs. It was a good day.

snagging!

solharr watched her dance.
not from far, but not so close as to break her rhythm, not until the hum in her throat reached him like sunlight, warm and unbothered. she was light. not like snow or ash—light like flame. and that was rare, here, where the wind often howled with grief and the stone remembered blood.
he moved then, not with the weight of a king, but as a man—just a man—drawn by the scent of herbs and something easier than duty.
you bring joy with your steps, kinusi, he greeted, low and rough-voiced, but not unkind. the quarry is better for it.
a pause.
have you found what you need? his eye flicked to her bundle, then back to her bright face.

Kinusi did not realize that she was being watched. Why should she notice it, when this place always watched. There was always this feeling of someone or something keeping a close eye. But it was not a bad feeling. Just a quiet one. 

She laughed as his words met her. Bright and unbothered and kind. What a compliment. Thanks. She grinned then sharp toothed and open. She could be mad at him, should be really. But what was the point. There was no need for darkness and pain to always win. It blocked out the sun. 


She smiled then like a wolf with a secret and nodded. Laying her bundle to the ground and pressing it open with a  quick flit of her nose. 

Elderberry for coughs and colds, Sage and Rosemary and feverfew. Wild anise good for sadness, stomach issues and can help ease inflammation and the like, but also tasty to chew on. Mint for sore upset tummies.

his eye warmed to her grin, cragged and bright like a cliff face kissed by light. it softened him, in that quiet way she always seemed to manage—never by force, never by expectation. simply by being.
he stepped near as she laid the bundle down, gaze falling to her findings with the care of one who knew how to listen, even in silence.
you’ve gathered well, he said, low but true. the gods must favor you today.
a pause, then a flicker of something else—a rare glint of humor beneath the gravel of his voice.
and mint, solharr added, one ear canting forward. for the pups who chew everything.

He smiled with his eye. This leader who was quiet and solitary. But Kinusi liked him none the less. 

Kinusi had been born into a broken world and she had decided early on to put it back together a little at a time. And she did. She made sure she carried joy with her like a candy bar.

She made a soft pah noise. They always favor the bold.

She nodded. Yes and I have some hoof leaving too for little teeth. Nasty sharp little things. Be careful or they'll pierce your ears.

solharr huffed a quiet laugh, the sound low and rare—one of those brief, thunder-warm things that came not from jest, but from a place of quiet regard.
i believe they already have, he said, and gave his ear a flick as if to prove her right, though no pup had yet gotten their teeth in him.
his eye watched her, that strange girl who carried laughter like it was sacred. a creature who had not surrendered to the weight of the world, who did not wear grief like a badge but set it down gently, folded, somewhere behind her.
you are good for this place, he said, simply, with the honest ease of a man who did not waste words.
and then, after a pause, softer still:
stay with us, kinusi. this quarry is stronger when you are in it.

Kinusi shook her head. You lie. That is not pup's teeth suh. She tilted her ears and snorted. Eyes dancing in delight. There was something lovely about shared laughter. It warmed you. It made you feel belonging. 

Kinsui preened a bit and then chuckled. I am good for anything I set my mind too. In case you haven't noticed. But thank you. I appreciate the sentiment.

She blinked surprised. I planned too. But I mean maybe the wind will take me where it will. She teased him softly, sweetly and then shook her head. I have no immediate plans to go anywhere. Guess you're stuck with me.