Her head was achy and her body thin and bony, but her spirit was unrivalled adamantine. Although she still didn't want to go, talking to their two kids had undeniably lifted a weight from her chest and Destiny's Pawn was excited to finally spend some much-needed time with her family before the very end. She felt just a little bit more prepared now... and even if fear still clawed at her and the pain never left, she'd just have to shoulder on. She was strong! She'd always been strong. And she'd proven to herself that she wasn't entirely useless.

She just hoped that her mate would be there to see her off; in recent cycles, Destiny had spent so much time just floating in the river that she'd barely seen her mate, but she wanted to change that before she left the world behind. She really, desperately wanted to change that. From where she'd been lazing on the bank in the mud, she began to clamber her way up toawrds their den, her head so heavy with quills that her bill almost dragged on the ground.

"Firaaaa! D-d-darlin'! The k-kids are taking me on a journey! A lovely family trip! You're coming with us, right? I'm really excited to see the world again! O... or at least... um... y'know." a cackling laugh escaped her bill as she struggled to work out if her mate was in the den at all. Maybe she was out hunting somewhere. She pressed her bill into the ground just past the entrance to try and feel the vibrations of the leopard's heartbeat. "I know I haven't... y'know... been around much. Just b-been sleeping and floating in the water. B-but we can make up for it, can't we? I've missed you."

@Fira

Fira, or… whatever was left of her… was an absolute wreck. Her fur hadn’t been properly groomed in cycles, her usually vibrant green eyes were dull, and she was thinner than she normally would let herself get. Too long had she been lying around, never doing much other than providing food for herself and for the kids, and checking to make sure Destiny hadn’t drowned in the river while she’d been napping or something. They hardly saw each other anymore. And Fira didn’t really feel… alive… anymore. And she wasn’t entirely sure what to do about it. She hadn’t even had the energy to go talk with the family last time.

And now here was Destiny, dragging herself, heavy head and all, to the den entrance. And Fira just couldn’t ignore her ever-cheerful tone, even while it made her sick and angry and made her want to vomit. How in the ever-loving hell did Destiny power through everything so well? Here Fira was, wallowing in her own misery, and that platypus was as happy as a fucking Gemling! She sighed, grit her teeth, turned herself around to face the light of day, her eyes narrowing in the process, and ground out, “Yes, I’m here, Destiny.”

And that was all she said.

Words: 213 @Destiny

Destiny raised her head slightly as she heard that soft voice responding... and almost immediately, warmth lit up in her chest as she didn't quite seem to catch the dull, dead tone that had infected her mate's underused chords. "Fira!" she gasped. Slowly, she raised her bill from the earth, and hobbled into the dark, the rainbows glittering upon deadly spires vanishing as there was nothing for them to reflect.

Her little flippers pitter-pattered in the dark as she felt her way forward, gradually feeling the tunnel open out into their sleeping chamber. And there she found her way to the warm patch of moss, her breaths rasping and heavy even from the small journey she'd made from the outside world. Finally, she felt her bill gently bump against something soft. She was unable to snuggle close anymore due to how large the spires had become... and the terrible phenomena was almost drawing her life to a close.

"I'm happy t-to see you again," she said, moving so that she could lie beside her much larger mate. She slowly let herself flop down onto her belly with a sigh of relief, legs splayed in all directions. Her breaths slowly began to even out, but her head was pounding, and so she remained silent whilst she waited for the pain to die down. Destiny didn't understand the feeling that swelled inside of her now... Love... confusion.... and yet, so odd. She'd never been in such an awkward situation before. She hadn't expected their reunion to be like this. "....Uh... Um... I'm sorry..." that was all she could think to say; the platypus could only hope that it would help make things better.

@Fira