What is Truth?

For several nights since Copernicus has left, Nalae has continued to watch the stars high up in the tree that is part of Samantha and Acera's home. Acera has tried talking to her friend about her beliefs, but has a bad habit of reminding Nalae of contradictory facts concerning the odd felitaur and her views of the "Creators". Worried that she might be losing her friend, she seeks out her mother, Samantha, one evening.

Acera pads into the main house at the base of the tree and chitters, "Ma? You still up ma?"

Samantha is working at scrubbing out one of the larger pots. "Yes, I am. What do you want to talk about, dear?"

Acera looks up at her mother with a miserable look on her muzzle and chitters, "It's Nalae ma. She's...I don't understand her ma, every time I try ta talk to her bout those "Creators" of hers, she gets upset with me!"

Samantha looks up from the pot, and hmms. "I see."

Acera sighs, "What do I do ma? She thinks that winged fella, Copernicus, is a creator. That he goes up to where her dead brother went, and that he's some kinda...god or somethin."

Acera is looking very confused, worried and upset about all this.

Samantha frowns. "This could cause problems, yes. Especially if she starts trying to get a 'lift' with them."

Acera blinks, "Ma? I wanted ta visit up there with em. Copernicus said to ask ya first before he came back. Nalae thinks if you go up there...ya never come back! That ya die up there."

Samantha nods. "I meant she might ask them to take her to her dead brother. Something they can't do, of course."

Acera ohs and nods, "Yeah. She told Copernicus to say hi to him, and he said he can't as he's still alive."

Acera snugs her mother's side and sniffles, "Ma, I like Nalae a lot. Just talking bout this stuff though is gettin her all upset at me!"

Samantha hugs her daughter back, and nods. "I can see that. I suppose I'd better see if I can clear things up. Though I'll admit that given what she's been through I can see why she might think that way."

Acera sniffles some more and snugs, "I jus don't wanna make her mad at me, but she doesn't make any sense sometimes. And she looks so sad when I...when I remind her of things."

Samantha says, "Such as?"

Acera wipes her nose and chitters, "Well, that he tol us that all the stars are suns too, just like the folks in Haven say. And then I asked if you had to be born a creator and she said no, they just are, but that Copernicus fella said his mate was going to have kits soon! That bothered her too."

Samantha nods. "All right."

Acera chitters, "Can ya talk with her ma? I didn't make fun of her, honest. But just talking bout stuff gets her upset."

Samantha sighs, nodding. "Sounds like I'd better."

Acera snugs Samantha's side again and chitters, "She's way up near the top of the elder tree again, lookin at the stars."

Samantha nods. "All right. You mind helping finish off the pot?"

Acera shakes her head, "No, it'll give em somethin to do while ya talk ma."

Samantha nods. "Good girl. I'll be back down soon."

Samantha wipes her hands off, then pulls off her apron and hangs it up before heading out to climb the tree.

Acera meanwhile slides a stool over and stands on it so she can get some leverage on scrubbing the pot, feeling a little better.

Nalae has been sitting up on a rather wobbly branch at the top of the tree. It bobs softly beneath her weight.. Her eyes are cast skyward, searching the stars..

Samantha climbs up the tree, long years of practice at the routes offsetting her advancing age.

Nalae glances down as Samantha climbs up towards her. She carefully makes her way down to a branch that might support both their weights, and waits for the squirrel to reach her.

Samantha clambers up onto a branch, hanging onto one branch with one foot while her hand holds another to keep her steady. "Hello."

Nalae says, "Hi..."

Nalae smiles at Samantha faintly.

Samantha leans back against the trunk of the tree, looking up. "Beautiful night, isn't it?"

Nalae nods a little bit, looking back up at the stars. "Yeah.." She idly scritches at the branch.

Samantha hmms. "You've been spending a lot of time up here lately."

Nalae fidgets a little. "Just watching the stars..."

Samantha asks, "Looking for anything?"

Nalae shakes her head.. "Just looking.."

Samantha sighs. "You seemed... very interested in our visitors."

Nalae ohs quietly. "I.. well.. I think they must be the Creators.."

Samantha says, "As in, those who created the Universe? I doubt it... advanced they might be, but they seemed as surprised as us at the meeting."

Nalae fidgets a bit. "But they came down from the stars.. an' one changed shape right in front of me!"

Samantha shifts her weight a little, then takes her hand off the branch and rubs her hands together. "We've known that there were people from the stars here for a long time... some say that on this world we're all descended from star faring folk who lost their way back, or were killed. It's been an occasionally raging discussion for some time whether we should try to call them, or try to build a starship ourselves..."

Nalae says, "I.. I don't understand..."

Samantha places her hands behind your neck. "Well, I told you I didn't think you were from this world, didn't I? That I couldn't find anyone around here anything like you. Since I've been here all along, you must have somehow traveled between worlds. Some form of magic, perhaps."

Nalae swallows a bit. "Well.. maybe.. but, I mean, someone could maybe just have carried me here while I was asleep..."

Samantha shakes her head. "From another world? You probably come from one of those other worlds out there, around one of those other suns that are so far away they look like points."

Nalae shakes her head a few times. "I.. don't understand... the world isn't out there..."

Samantha pulls herself up to be closer to Nalae. "There are many worlds out there... as I said, on this world, we always knew that some of us were from out there. Some of our ancestors crossed between the stars, and stayed here. We just never knew why they didn't come back."

Nalae moves in closer, swallowing a bit. Meekly, she murmurs, "The Keeper told me.. those are the glimmers in the eyes of the relatives that've left us.. watching over us..."

Samantha smiles sadly. "Very poetic... and certainly, those who have died may still watch over us, but the stars don't change enough for the number of people who have died." She sighs. "I have seen far too many deaths in my time, and no new stars."

Nalae sniffles, pressing her forehead close against Samantha. "I.. um.."

Samantha slips an arm around Nalae's shoulders. "Yes, dear?"

Nalae sniffs. "Sorry.. I.. it's just.." She swallows a bit and rubrubs at her nosepad. "I'm.. jus' so lost... nothing's the same.."

Samantha chitters softly. "I know, dear, I know..."

Nalae just cries quietly, snuggled in. "I.. I d'no what I'm gonna do now.."

Samantha strokes down your back gently... "We'll just have to find a way."

Nalae nods a little bit, sniffing. She gently clutches at your sides, eyes tightly shut.

Samantha keeps stroking down your back, just letting you get this out.

Nalae continues quietly crying for a minute or two before falling still and mopping at her eyes with the back of one paw. "Sorry," she murmurs.

Samantha smiles. "Nothing at all to be sorry about. You've been holding that in for a long time."

Nalae looks up at you, swallowing a little bit. "Thank you.."

Samantha smiles. "I know how comforting it can be to have some things that you're sure of, but if you keep hanging on to them it can keep you from growing. You have to be willing to admit that your beliefs may be wrong."

Nalae fidgets uncomfortably. "But.. but I'm not sure about anythin'.."

Samantha nods. "I know. Once the foundations have been knocked away, we just have to start building again. And Acera and I will both be here to help you."

Nalae nods softly, sniffling, and snuggles in again. "Thank you..."

Samantha chirrrs again, and hugs Nalae back.

Nalae manages a feeble chirr, then looks up at you. "Acera's probably mad at me..."

Samantha says, "Well, not really mad... frustrated, yes."

Nalae nods a little bit, rubbing at her nosepad. "I'll.. have to apologize.. I guess.."

Samantha smiles. "It would be nice, yes."

Nalae nods faintly, lowering her eyes a bit. "I'll.. go do that.."

Samantha says, "You want me to come with you?"

Nalae pauses a moment. "Do.. do you want to?"

Samantha shakes her head. "I think you should do this by yourself, but I'll be there if you want me."

Nalae nods slowly. "I'll.. do it myself.." She carefully moves out of Samantha's embrace and gingerly begins to climb down the trunk of the tree, being extra careful during the first few meters of the descent, so as not to shake Samantha's branch too much.

Samantha hangs onto another branch to stay steady, watching as Nalae returns to the base of the tree. She then sits down, and watches the stars for a while herself...

Acera has finished with the large pot and is putting the other dishes away now.

Nalae quietly scales down the trunk of the tree and steps into the house. "Acera?"

Acera chitters from inside a closet, "Over here."

Nalae pads over to the closet and peeks inside. "Acera?"

Acera is balancing on a stool as she slides the large pot onto a shelf in the closet, when she's done she looks down and chitters, "Yeah Nalae?"

Nalae fidgets a little bit, her gaze drifting down towards the floor. "I'm sorry, Acera... I mean.. for how I've been actin'... I'm jus' so scared.."

Acera blinks and chitters, "Does this mean..you're not mad at me anymore?"

Nalae blinks, then shakes her head several times. "I wasn' mad at you, Acera.."

Acera hops off the stool and snugs Nalae, "I wasn sure Nalae. I know I kept saying things that upset ya."

Nalae pulls in tightly, sniffing. "It's.. it's just scary..."

Acera frowns slightly and nods, "Yeah, it was easier for me I guess, cause I was so young, but I know what it's like to be lonely, and..I didn' wanna lose you."

Nalae rubs at her nosepad a bit, snuffling. "Me either... you an' your mother're all I got, now..." She wipes at her eyes with the back of a paw again.

Acera snugs, "That's all I got too. Hey, wanna go out and hunt tonight, or do somethin?"

Nalae nods a little bit. "But.. but you got family..." Considering, she says, "Maybe.. I dunno.."

Acera snugs Nalae, "You are part of my family now Nalae. I always wanted a sister, not my dopey brother."

Nalae blinks at you slowly, a little smile appearing on her face for the first time in several days. "Really?"

Acera nodnodnods, "Yeah, course. Who'd want a dopey brother like Ankhl, when ya can have a sister like you."

Nalae gives you a little hug, sniffing. "Thank you.."

Acera holds Nalae close and churrs, "Nah, thanks for being my friend Nalae. C'mon, lets go outside and do something, K?"

Nalae nods softly, smiling at Acera. "Okay."

The two little mustelids go out to raise a bit of mischief as Samantha watches over before bed. Finally, they curl up next to each other in Acera's room, with the door tarp removed of course. Acera, just relieved that her friend isn't upset with her, nods off quickly. Nalae is able to see the vast expanse of stars arrayed across the night sky, and, just for a second, sees the glowing trail of a meteor as it burns up in the atmosphere.

Nalae stares out at the stars for a few minutes, her eyes misting up. Turning, she looks back over at Acera and snuggles in close against her new sister, squeezing her eyes shut. After several minutes, she finally drifts to sleep.