One evening turns into night. Dawn comes, then passes. Evening comes again, and that also passes. Apparently Niamh was a lot more tired and worn than she knew as she slept through all of it. No more dreams, thankfully. Just silence. What finally gets her to take up is that after more than a day of not eating, her stomach is complaining, loudly. Also, egad, does she need to pee.
Before trying to stand up, Niamh first checks what sort of legs she has, in case the deer-form hadn't worn off. It would certainly matter where she went to pee, after all. And probably what should have for breakfast too, if she can manage that.
Niamh is greeted by the most adorable little deer hooves when she checks. The hooves themselves have even been painted pint. With sparkles. Apparently Noboru was bored.
Next, she starts working down from the top, by trying to move her ears around.
They ... jingle. And she feels a bit of weight hanging from them. Judging by the movement and weight, yeah, deer ears.
"Bells?" she wonders, and shakes her head to try and get the jingling again, before focusing on her field of view and if she can see her nose.
Yep, little bells, on chains, feels like. It's not uncomfortable, just a slightly swaying weight. Focusing her eyes is a bit harder, but once she does, she sees a dark tip a couple inches out. Ugh, yeah, she's got a small muzzle at the moment. Wiggling that nose feels a bit weird, though, weight there that shouldn't be.
She knows the tail must already be there, checks her arms and torso. Not having hands will be awkward.
She thankfully has hands ... mostly. Two thicker fingers and a thumb on each. Each tipped with with a hoof-nail of course, and ... painted the same pink as her feet were. Torso is just weird and thin, a chest that bows out from a slightly altered rib cage; humanish-breasts, though reduced above. And if she feels along her lower belly, she can, er, find the more cervine nipples that are there and just hidden in the pelt.
"This will be awkward," she says, to get used to how her tongue and voice work. Luckily, she can use her regular ceremonial drape, since she just has to get her head through the hole and tie a belt. But first she has stand up. She holds her arms out to try and keep her balance will standing.
Talking is weird, longer tongue makes for a bit of practice on how to reform words. At first she mostly sounds like she has a stuffy nose. Getting up is a whole other trial in itself. Having hooves is like walking on the tips of your toes, permanently. Unless Niamh has had some ballet training, getting onto them makes for some very wobbly legs. And at points, wishing she had a long tail for better balance.
At least her arms work predictably, so she can use the wall to keep from falling over. She tries to 'kneel' back on the futon, so she can try to get her garment on, since bending over to pick something up is well beyond her at this moment.
It takes a few tries (she fell on her butt several times) to kneel with hooves, but eventually she does manage it. Onto the garment, over her head it goes ... and catches it right on her muzzle. Ugh. Looking upward would have helped with that. Something else learned, anyway. But, at long last she's wearing her sacred robe. It also looks a bit like a bedsheet.
The belt rope is the next challenge, as she's never tried to tie it using just two-fingered hands, not including the thumbs. She's now in a bit of a rush, as getting up the first time really made her bladder think it was going to get emptied, and now it's more urgent.
Blargh, tying things with less fingers is hard! It takes three tries before she manages to get it to knot, and stay knotted. And by that point she almost feels like she's going to explode.
She uses the wall to help her stand up, and tries to slide the door open. Hopefully the hallway will let her build up some speed if uses one hand for balancing against a wall.
So far, so good! Of course it begs the question ... where is she going?
Well, outside of course, to the outhouse. She should be able to get up to speed, and bounce off one of the cherry trees to course correct.
Egad, is that an ungainly run, a lot of stumbling and bouncing. It does allow her to discover her arms are long enough she can actually run on all fours for bits. And she manages to make it to the outhouse. The urge is even worse, though, as it always is. The closer you are to a place of release, the more intense the sensation. Nature is cruel that way.
Niam grasps at the door to get enough grip to open it! She doesn't try knocking first.
Small mercies! It's vacant! Only a few feet now and she can find relief. The urge, though, nnng, can she make it those few feet?
Deer are supposed to be graceful, Niamh keeps telling herself, since there's going to be a spin around and then flip up the back of her garment maneuver before sitting down. Necessity is the mother of something though, so she makes the attempt!
Success! In the nick of time! She's not seated for more than a few seconds before the urge is met and pressure starts to abate. It also teaches her a few things. One her sense of smell is a lot better, because she can smell it and it's quite pungent and very much 'doe'. And two, she learns that anatomically down there, she's far more doe than she is human right now. Which makes relieving herself feel funky; nothing is quite in its usual 'place'.
At least now that she isn't dealing with the urgency of the situation, Niamh thinks she can try to be human again. But then she wonders about the bells and nail paint. How are the bells attached to her ears? She needs a mirror, or another set of eyes. Miyuki must be up and about by now.
Or she could try by feel. And yes, it's possible Miyuki might be up and around. Of course, so would be Noboru, and probably on the torii gate. Of course, does she dare try to talk to him or is she going to look for Miyuki instead.
She does try to feel things out with her fingers. Her hard-tipped fingers. She can barely feel anything because of the size and thickness of the nails though. So, the best course of action is to.. lean out the door and call for Miyuki first. If she can manage it without sounding like a bleating deer that is. So she wobbles to her hooves and goes to the door.
Hurray! She manages to actually enunciate correctly and call out for Miyuki. Without honking, in fact. Of course any reply does take a bit. When it does come, it starts with a knock on the door, then an ask, "Why are you hiding in there? DO those of the west like to live in places of bowel management?"
Niamh opens the door enough for Miyuki to get a good look at her. "Your brother is overly fond of pranks," she laments. "Can you take these ear-bells off so I can try to change back?"
"Why would you want to do that? You look fine and if you change back you won't be able to talk the path to the Mountain," Miyuki comments, her head tilting a little to the right like a canid might. She's currently looking human, though.
"How.. do you mean to see the Tengu?" Niamh asks. "Did Noboru tell you what happened?"
Miyuki nods. "We are to travel the Path of the Gods to their Mountain for an audience with the Elder there. Only those borne of the wilds and serve the Gods can use that path. Humans cannot. We can of course take a regular road, but it would take a couple weeks to reach the Mountain," she explains and gestures to Niamh. "Did I not make it at least bearable to be a little more like us?" comes the question, completely with ... wow, Miyuki does know how to pout and look sad.
"Wait.. did you add the bells and paint to me then, and not Noboru?" Niamh asks, trying to narrow her big eyes. Could this be Noboru in disguise?
"Of course. He said you would be embarrassed if he were working with your naked body while you slept," Miyuki points out.
"Are you upset with me?" Niamh blurts. "I haven't slept with Noboru you know! And.. Tengu don't like bells do they?"
"Tengu like shiny things," Miyuki points out. As for the rest, well, Miyuki looks even more confused. "Of course you haven't slept with him; I could smell it if you had," she points out. "Though if you did, it would be your choice to do so. Why would I be upset?"
"Because.. you.. liked me first?" Niamh grasps, since she was sure Miyuki seemed upset by the idea before.. unless she was being messed with! "Umm.. do I actually have to pray to any specific gods to take this trail?" she follows up with, trying not to look too foolish.
Miyuki shrugs a little. "Well, as I have been told, it is more natural to like those opposite of you in gender. So, I should not begrudge such things if you prefer him. Especially when compared to a scarred ugly thing like I am," the kitsune says a bit cooly. "And no, you do not need to pray to any specific god. You would be going under the auspices of the forest God, of course, given your ties to him."
"You aren't ugly though!" Niamh says, responding to what to her was the most important part of the conversation. "I made love to you.. before I upset you.." Will she ever understand foxes? "When do we start? I haven't eaten in awhile.. or should I just graze along the way?"
"You got revenge," Miyuki points out and holds up one finger. And ... that's all she says on that. "It would be better to eat before leaving; there is nothing edible along the Path of the Gods," she answers of the question. "And you do not have to go. I just ... thought you would want to, so made you look a bit more like an emissary."
"Noboru suggested I go to learn about the process," Niamh says, still puzzling out the revenge remark. "Being able to create a zan-paku-to for my own needs would be.. very useful. What should I eat?"
That earns a quizzical look. "What do you want to eat?" Miyuki asks. "You've been in our kitchens and know generally what we tend to have on hand?"
"But.. do deer eat rice?" Niamh asks. "Or does it matter at all what I eat, so long as I can keep it down?"
"I ... do not think it matters as long as you can keep it down," Miyuki replies. "But I am not a deer."
"I've fed deer flowers, but I think the closest thing in the kitchen is the tea," Niamh says. "Or bread or seed-cakes? I guess I should just go to the kitchen and see what.. draws me."
"You should. Especially if you decide to stay as you are now permanently," Miyuki agrees. "Can you, uh, walk okay?"
"Not easily.. eh, permanently?" Niamh bleats. But she does try to step out of the outhouse without grabbing on to anything.
"You could just remain like this," Miyuki points out as she moves closer, "And give up on being human. Why is being human so great?" Without asking, the kitsune takes Niamh's arm, lifts, it and puts it around her shoulder for better balance. "Other than having to fend off the occasional lunar rabbit, you would likely find the life pleasant."
"It would make doing my work awkward," Niamh clains, and leans on the kitsune as needed. "My bloodline work, I mean. And I really don't like ticks."
"Humans get ticks too," Miyuki points out as she escorts Niamh along, to the kitchen presumably. "And why would it make your bloodline work more difficult?"
"Because I'm supposed to deal with spirits sealed in artifacts," Niamh claims. "Humans almost never allow talking deer into museums and private collections, you see."
"That's silly. We're far more trustworthy than humans are," Miyuki claims. "And we look and smell better. Yokai that is. Humans stink."
"You still found me attractive though, as a human," Niamh claims. "Or was that just because you know I wasn't completely human?" She starts sniffing to see if food is already being prepared. "You've barely met any humans."
"You're obviously not entirely human. Any Yokai can tell that," Miyuki claims. "You look better like this. I think so, anyway." It does smell like there is some food prep going on. Something slightly fishy, and of course rice. They're now passing through the corridor to the small eat-in section of the kitchen.
"Deer like to eat rotting human flesh," Niamh notes, as she smells the fish. "At least, that's what my local Yokai claim."
"They eat any rotting flesh," Miyuki counters as they enter. There's just one of the temple staff there, and doesn't bat an eye at a deer-thing being led in. "We have rice balls with fish ready," the staff claims. "I'll take care of it, you need not worry about us," Miyuki says, to which the staff responds, "Of course Honored Messenger."
Niamh can't help but try to get the staffer's scent to see if she can tell if they are human or not.
Human, probably. The staff lady; clearly still a teenager, and probably one of the townsfolk, bows and slips out. Miyuki deposits Niamh near the table and chairs. "I assume you prefer to use the table," she says as she foes to check on the prepared foodstuffs under a cloth, "But if you prefer the floor, let me know."
"Table is fine," Niamh says, as she tries to get her legs arranged properly for sitting.
It's weird using chairs with hooves, you don't really have the same sort of articulating feet to position. But after a bit, she somehow manages to find a way to position them. It's also about them Miyuki does bring over a small box full of hand-rolled rice balls with some sort of fish paste in the core, from the smell of them. Also a small container of what is soy sauce. The salt smells really good.
Niamh licks her nose. Then realizes why it's hard to talk.. she's missing her upper row of teeth. It's just a hard pad. She's seen deer eat though. She just to be careful when chewing and to try not to slobber too much. She's also reaching for the soy sauce with her trotter-hand.
Miyuki sits, and stares, unblinking. Is she trying to make things uncomfortable?
"Did you already eat?" the grumble-stomached deer asks, as she does her best to handle things with her limited dexterity, especially in her eagerness to sauce her balls.
"I'm debating eating," Miyuki replies, while staring. "You know, you don't really need hands."
This causes Niamh to pause and look at Miyuki. "You want me to eat like an animal because you want to eat me, is that it?"
"What makes you think that?" Miyuki asks, deadpan. Gah, she's still staring.
"Because you're still staring like a predator," Niamh says. She does use her expanded field of vision to watch Miyuki while trying to pick up a rice ball with both hands.
Mityuki licks over her lips. "Nonsense," the kitsune claims. Now she's leaning in closer, and still staring.
Using her tongue to try and handle things, Niamh trice to cram the rice-ball (with soy sauce) into her mouth before it can fall apart. Taking bites is really difficult for her at the moment.
Miyuki leans in closer. Gah, she's now an inch away. "This is for messing with me," she whispers now that she's that close. She follows up by licking Niamh right inside her left ear. "If I were to eat you, the way I would do it would have you begging for more," she murmurs, then sits right back, looking smug.
Blert? Rice sprays out, and the ear flicks uncontrollably. "Mffing w'yoo?" Niamh tries to ask afterwords, with her cheeks still full.
Miyuki places a finger on Niamh's lips, just under her nose. "Yes, messing with me. Now we're even," she says, simply. "But I wasn't joking when I said you looked good like this."
Niamh looks lost, which isn't all that unusual, and figures it must be the estrus thing. But, being 'even' is probably the best outcome, since she was expecting reprisal. Although this probably does mean Miyuki was upset with her over that night. She chews slowly so that she won't choke while swallowing.
The kitsune withdraws her finger and gets up to clean up the recently expelled rice as if nothing had just happened. Niamh's ear still feels wet on the inside, though. "It does get lonely here," she points out, "Being the youngest by far." Young ... yeah to a kitsune 75 or so is young. "And being ugly doesn't help," she continues. "Not that the bunnies care much, but the Prince, eh. He's nothing much to look at. His sister, though, she's fun to spend a night with," the fox opines. "She just doesn't ... stop." What is this? The Yokai Intimate Review?!?
"Mmm-hmm," Niamh goes, reaching for the next rice ball. So, she's considered less problematical than a Moon-bunny girl. That's not bad is it? "Did I go too far?" she asks.
"I'll decide after the next time," Miyuki non-answers. Of course. Since when does a fox ever give a straight answer.
Niamh still keeps her eyes on Miyuki while she finishes eating, except for when she licked the spilled soy sauce from the plate. At least her stomach isn't complaining anymore.
At some point when Niamh does blink, suddenly Miyuki is right there, practically nose to nose. "Boo," she says, and grins. Except it's a grin that stretches far wider than human mouths should. Gah. Foxes. "Feeling less worried?"
Because of how her legs are tangled, Niamh doesn't fall over, but looks terrified. "After that?" she manages to ask. "No!"
So of course Miyuki sits in Niamh's lap. Well straddles it and drapes her arms over Niamh's shoulders. "Why not? Are you scared of me?" she asks, just before leaning in and licking along Niamh's elongated jawline. "Am I not nicer than my brother?"
"You both like to mess with me," Niamh bleats. "I never know what you're actually thinking."
"No?" Miyuki asks, right before kissing her. Of course it's not a normal kiss; that's too easy. Niamh gets to feel Miyuki's jaws shifting and elongating as she sort of muzzle-locks with the deer-Nimah. It's at least brief before she withdraws and winks. "Good. It's more fun when we can't be predicted," she claims. Back in she leans, and sniffs, then giggles. "Four days," she says in an ominous sort of tone ... then she's sliding back out of Niamh's lap, and goes back to utterly normal activities, like taking away the used plate.
"Four days.. to get up the Tengu mountain?" Niamh asks nervously. It's easy to sound nervous as a deer.
"Nope, that only takes a day my the Path of the Gods," Miyuki replies. She starts sweeping a bit. "By the way," she adds, "It was hard finding a decorative nose clip in the shape of a moon that would fit you." Well, that answers what the odd weight was.
"The moon?" Niamh asks. "Wait.. are you going to offer me up to the moon bunnies or something?" she demands in a higher voice.
"Of course not. That would be silly," Miyuki claims. "You pray to the moon, thus the moon was fitting."
"I pray to the goddess of the moon, Cerridwen," Niamh corrects. "And the god of animals, "Cerrnunos."
"There are many gods of animals," Miyuki counter-corrects.
"He's the first one, though," Niamh insists.
"I mean, the one humans worship," she corrects.
"Better," Miyuki says and nods in approval. "And you really need to relax more."
"Then you wouldn't find me as much fun though, would you?" Niamh counters.
"No, it would mean I get to be even more creative," Miyuki claims.
"So do you like to torment me because I'm human, or because I'm Yokai?" Niamh asks, brushes loose bits of rice from her lap. She'll need to try and get up again soon. Maybe going on all fours won't be so bad.
"Because you are you," Miyuki answers and shrugs. "And are not yet my brother's pet."
"I'm not a pet!" Niamh insists. "You don't even have pets! That's a human thing."
"Don't we?" Miyuki asks. "The humans here worship us. Does that not make them our pets?"
"Of course not," Niamh explains. "Did you breed them to worship you? Or to perform specific tasks? Humans domesticated themselves, so you can't take credit for it."
"Actually ... " Miyuki begins, "We have been cultivating this village for centuries."
"I'm not from this village," Niamh points out. "And the locals still gave me dirty looks for being associated with Noboru."
"No, they give you dirty looks for being a foreigner," Miyuki corrects. "But they tolerate you because of us." It's also about then Noboru walks in, on all fours. He yawns and stretches. "Are you two awake and ready yet? Done making up? Done ... making out?" he asks.
Niamh jingles her ears. "Are you coming with us?" she asks Noboru.
"Of course. I am the primary invitee," Noboru points out, "You two are my vassals and servants." So Miyuki throws a dirty rag on his head. "Oh go snuggle your tails," she retorts.
"So we should talk you up to Tengu Princess, got it," Niamh says.
"Oh, I already intend to spend some time with her. I haven't seen her for a few centuries and I can safely say, cloaca are enjoyable," Noboru comments and grins at Nimah. "Ew! Gross! Gah!" Miyuki complains as she proceeds to thump him on the head with her broom! "See? It's not just you I tease," he asides to Niamh.
"I guess Miyuki and I will have to team up against you then," Niamh claims, and boldly tries to stand up on her own. Maybe she was just wobbly before from hunger.
"See, the main thing you have to watch out for with Tengu is getting a bit of egg on your face," Noboru counters, still grinning. Miyuki is now beating him on the head, harder. "Shut up!" she whines.
"Or Ten-goo?" Niamh counters, and risks taking her hand off her chair after rising.
"That you get when you lick them in just the right way," Noboru says without missing a beat. Now Miyuki starts hitting Niamh with the broom too.
"No, no!" Niamh pleads, immediately getting knocked over. "I fell on my yookie," she then complains.
Miyuki does stop, but it's mostly to ask, "What is a yookie?"
"It isn't a cloaca," Niamh replies.
Noboru snorts. "We'll be leaving in ten minutes. Meet me by the main Torii gate," he says, smugly, and saunters out.
"He is such a pain," Miyuki comments. At least she's just leaning on the broom now and not hitting anyone with it.
Niamh gets all for appendages under her, then asks, "Miyuki? Does it look silly if I walk like this? And do you think my ceremonial garment will get dirty if I do, or should I tuck the ends up under the belt?"
"Not that silly. Maybe a little? I'll be going on all fours; it's just easier to travel that way," Miyuki answers, shrugs. "Why go with clothing at all? she also asks, "But if you must you should do some tucking, yes."
"I'm usually only naked in nature when it's familiar nature," Niamh claims. "But mainly because the belt makes me feel safer and more in control of my energy."
"And you don't want to show off your yookie to Noboru?" Miyuki teases.
"That also, yes," Niamh claims. "So whichever manner would be the most frustrating for him."
"Good luck figuring that out," Miyuki says. Finally, she stores the broom away and walks towards the door out. About half way she drops to all fours as her own clothing sort of dissolves away as her body contorts, pops, and makes scary sounds as the human goes down to a four-legged white fox with lots of markings. "Anyway, we'd best get going. The Tengu are much more serious and formal than we are. We need to stick to schedules," she calls back. "See you at the gate." And ... the fox is gone.
After tucking her tunic as quickly as she can, Niamh hurries after on all fours.
Sadly, it is actually easier to walk on all fours. It's not even uncomfortable on her neck. In short order, she's approaching the main Torii gate where Noboru and Miyuki already are. He's grinning and she just looks ... irritated. So, yes, it's not just Niamh he teases. "Come on, offer ... I mean Niamh!" he calls over towards her. "Move those hooves!"
Niamh sticks her tongue out and then prances over. "Yes, yes, Oh Mighty and Generous Lord Noboru!" she says, without any sarcasm.
"Very good, You're learning," Noboru says without any sense considering that a joke! "Well, we enter the path of the Gods by simply waling through this gate. I've already opened it, so ... you just need to step through. Don't linger too long, though. It could cut you in half if you take too long and it closes." And with that lovely warning he walks through the center and immediately disappears! A moment later Miyuki does the same and is just as gone.
Niamh jumps through after the kitsunes, since that feels more natural than walking in this case.
There's sort of a flash and then the land around Niamh is completely different. Well, it's completely gone, really. It's like she's now standing on a path made from a cloud. It feels solid enough, at least. And she can look down over the land far below as if she were flying above it. There are places in the distance where parts seem to arch off and go down to other places. "And this is the Path of the Gods. It interlinks all the shrines of all the Gods in our country," Miyuki explains. "It's usually used by the Gods when they have their yearly gathering to discuss matters of import. It's open to the messengers too, as a way to move quickly between the shrines when times require it. Anyway, the Mountain shrine is a bit of a walk, but we should get there before sundown."
"What's this.. path.. like at night?" Niamh has to ask, as she tries to keep to the center of the cloud.
"Beautiful," Miyuki answers as the three begin to walk. "The celestial constellations come alone and dance overhead as the other stars swirl and glow," Noboru adds. "And don't worry, you can't fall off. You can only leave at the designated links. Of course it wasn't always like that, but some of the stuffier Gods were tired of those that were throwing rotten fruit and old fish off the path at the human villages. After the great fish storm that caused great consternation at one of the larger shrines, the Gods erected walls. You can't see them, but they are there."
"Mother tells me they couldn't get the fish stink out of the storeroom where you were stockpiling all the dead fish," Miyuki remarks and gives Noboru a pointed look. "Hey, it only lingered for a decade," is Noboru's only response.
"Were there any other suspects?" Niamh asks. "Or did everyone realize it was a kitsune?"
"Nothing was ever proven," Noboru claims. Miyuki just rolls her eyes.
"I wonder if your parents have ever scolded you," Niamh says, and trots.
"Only when caught," Noboru quips. Onward they go. It's rather an interesting view. Villages can be seen from here, but people are much harder, they're mostly tiny spots.
Niamh has never seen anything from this sort of perspective, so does spend most of her time looking down. The rice fields in particular fascinate her. She's never seen farming that involved flooded fields before.
And how methodical they're laid out, with both religious and practical orientations to them. "You seem to be getting more used to being as you should be," Noboru notes as he glances over to Niamh.
"This isn't how I was born, so it isn't how I should be," Niamh counters. "It just expands on what I can do."
"How do you know you weren't born as that? Do you remember being born?" Noboru points out.
"No, but my parents do, and I think my mother would have complained by now," Niamh says. "You were born as foxes, weren't you?" she asks.
"As kitsune, not normal foxes. Celestials are always kitsune born," Noboru answers. "And are you sure your mother doesn't have the same form?"
"My mother's line doesn't carry the fey blood," Niamh explains. "Her's is the more sorcerous one, but she doesn't perform any magic."
"That you know of," Noboru points out. "Parents always have secrets from their children."
"She's taught me some natural medicine," Niamh says. "It's not like they can keep from getting into trouble, so why hold back any secrets."
"Parents always hold back things. Sometimes out of embarrassment. Others out of simple necessity. Don't assume you know everything about them," Noboru points out. "He's right on this; your parents had a life before you too, and I doubt you know everything about it," Miyuki adds. "Not saying this is good or bad, just the way things are. It doesn't make them any less your parents."
"I'm still fairly confident I was not born as a deer and then turned human later," Niamh insists. "I'm only a deer now because of my initiation with the Horned God, not necessarily my fey blood."
"Fair. You might have been born as a hagfish," Noboru remarks, and Miyuki snickers.
"No complaints about being overly slimy as a baby either," Niamh claims.
"Birth tends to cloud parents' memories," Noboru quips.
"Oh give it a rest," Miyuki finally mutters. "She doesn't want to be one of us."
"It's probably a lot easier for Yokai to pretend to be human than for humans to pretend to be Yokai," Niamh suggests.
"Only because you don't try," Noboru says. Miyuki just hits him with her tail.
"What? You want her to stay, don't you?" Noboru asks Miyuki. Miyuki's response to that is to just want ahead in silence.
"I'm walking on all fours," Niamh points out. "Unless by 'trying' you really mean mating with you?"
"You humor, you don't embrace. You don't want to experience," Noboru points out. "You're fixated on a mental image you have, instead of being what you are in the moment."
"I'm not here to embrace anything," Niamh points out. "I'm trying to help my family. That's always going to be my main goal. You'd do anything for your family, Noboru."
"But I also don't ignore the chances life throws at me to step beyond, or have new experiences, either," Noboru counters. "You can do more than one thing at a time."
"I'm only human at heart," Niamh says. "I thought I could, but right now I can't."
"You are you at heart. Everything else is trappings," Noboru counters.
"Well, the me that is me is limited," Niamh says. "If nothing else, I've learned that much. I couldn't even draw energy from the forest without Miyuki's help." She starts trotting faster, to keep up with Miyuki.
"You're just young. Younger than Miyuki is, and she's a child," Noboru corrects, gently. "Just don't pass up what life may offer you. Most only ever regret the things they didn't do, not the things they did."
"After my parents are saved," Niamh says. "Noboru, it's all I can do right now just to keep moving. If I stop, I don't know if I can start again. I just.." She seems to be having trouble saying more.
"And that's why you have friends. To kick you in the butt and distract you when you're feeling overwhelmed. You have to admit, you don't think about all the troubles when you're around us," Miyuki comments. She nods ahead, towards a mountain in the far distance. "And that is where we are going. Just be polite and respectful to them once we're there. You don't have to worry about any of them making passes; they're not like that. Formal and dignified. Also dangerous. Angering one Tengu is the same as angering all of them."
"Like crows," Niamh says. "I know how to be quiet and respectful, and like this they shouldn't find me distracting. Except for the shiny bells and nose jewelry, riiiight?" she asks Miyuki.
"Right," Miyuki agrees. "And the date with Taakiko that was their request for allowing the meeting."
"Then why try to make me seem masculine by painting my hooves pink?" the doe asks, and shakes her ears. She'll never understand foxes.