Moving on

Tempest Trotted swiftly towards the shore south of the Gumtree Hollow, large and empty herbalist bag slung around her neck. Hopping over a small driftwood log and making her way through dense, wind whipped bushes, the hind found herself on the beach. 

The dunskin doe was about to begin looking for shells to add to her collection when suddenly in the distance, she spotted a familiar grey pelt--Paris. On closer inspection she did not seem her usual outgoing self, in fact she seemed quite distressed. Concerned, Tempest cantered over to her friend with a frown, tilting her head slightly as she stopped in front of her. She hadn't seen her all day, as the stormy doe had disappeared for more than a couple of hours.

"Hey, are you alright?" Tempesttook a tentative step closer.A breeze shifted the mane covering her eye, revealing an old scar.

Paris was furious with what had just happened, seeing her parents after they had just up and left when she was born. How could they just show up like that? I mean they didn’t really show up, I found them spying on me… Have they been spying on me my whole life? Why didn’t they come back sooner? 

In her fury, Paris glanced up, and seen Tempest headed her way. Whew okay, put on a happy face. “Oh hey Tempest! Yea I am just fine and dandy! How ‘bout you?” Paris replied, and smiled. But Paris didn’t think she was pulling off the happy face, because of her fury, maybe she won’t notice. Paris’ thoughts took over her mind again, and she started pacing, her head growing hotter with the second.

Tempest stood up straight, looking over Paris who was obviously facading a good mood,"Hmm, yea, nice try but I know you better than that. What's bugging you?" She snorted with a hint of humor, this wasn't like her. Another concerned look painted itself across Tempest's face as Paris began to pace.

This was getting very strange,"Paris....?" Tempest waited a few moments but was only replied to with silence. Sighing, she blasted Paris in the neck with a gust of wind to get her attention,"PARIS! What is the matter!" The doe had grew tired of this foolishness.

“Pft it’s nothing….” Paris replied not even believing what she was saying. Paris continued to pace back and forth, with a million and one questions running through her mind about her parents. She then felt a gust of wind and quickly looked at Tempest. “Ok! Maybe it is something! Let’s just say I got a blast from the past! I was happily practicing my magic this morning, and seen something disappeared from the corner of my eye. I got curious and went to check it out. Then guess who was in the bushes!! My parents that left me! They were spying on me without even the slightest hello. If I hadn’t of gone over there I would have never thought it was them. Maybe I shouldn’t have even gone over there! Then I wouldn’t freaking be like this!” Paris said with fury.

Woa. The doe's eyes widened in shock, Paris actually found her parents. Who were spying on her. That was a little more than odd,"....Wha-...Well what did they say? I thought they left you for good!" Tempest hadn’t ever saw Paris so angry. Memories of that fateful day on Sorghum flashed through her mind. Paris bawling for her parents, herself desperately trying to find them to no avail. They were so young... How could any parent do that to their fawn? And now after all this time, they are caught spying on her. SPYING! Why wouldn't they just come out and say hello at the very least? Ignoring her would have been better than this.

Tempest paused fir a moment, eventually sighings,"You know what?" Her voice was low but level in temper,"You don't need them. Forget about them, all they ever did for you was abandon you to let the thylacines determine your fate." she put her tail lightly on Paris's shoulder,"Whatever they said, it doesn't matter. You have made a life for yourself without them, and I know you can continue to make a life for yourself without them."

 “I thought they left for good too! They were like ‘honey don’t do this’ cause I was getting super mad, but then I just went off on them. Telling them how I really felt, then I stormed off.” Paris replied, remembering what happened. But no matter what happened, the day that Paris met her best friend and sister, was what was supposed to happen… fate. 

“You are absolutely right! If they want to be in my life, then fine, but I don’t need them. Never have, (well maybe when I was a lot younger), never will.” Paris said getting a vote of confidence. “Thank you for being my best friend, Tempest!” Paris said hugging Tempest.

Tempest chuckled, accepting the hug,”Ah it's no big deal.” Upon backing away, Tempest noticed a white shape in the sand next to Paris’s hoof. Gently sending a breeze into the sand, it revealed to be a fragment of a sand dollar. Smiling, Tempest gingerly picked up the shell, tucking it away in her pouch.

“Hey, I was out here collecting shells, if you want you can help me and finish that magic practice you were doing? Might help you relieve a bit of stress?” Tempest’s eyes squinted as she smiled.

As they pulled away from the hug, she watched as Tempest got the shape that appeared to be a sand dollar. Paris smiled and looked back up at Tempest, “Yea that sounds great!” She replied, looking around her, seeing if there were any shells around her.

She wanted to look behind her to see if her parents were still there, but the grey doe kept telling herself not to do that, and just move on, so she did.