A young girl is dancing under the shade of a great tree. She is Chitter; the youngest child of Strongbow and Moonshade.
Chitter had always loved singing and dancing; she knew it was a joke that the never speaking Strongbow should get a daughter like her.
"I have to speak for the two of us." she sometimes joked.
And not even turning sixteen had made her any more silent.
Not playing attention to the world around her she suddenly hit someone a tumbled to the ground with whoever it was. Opening her eyes, which she, of old habit always kept closed when she danced, she found herself staring into a pair of dark blue eyes.
*Neehr!* the sending hit her with full force. No, it couldn't be. Not him. Not Dart's lovemate and soulbrother.
Quickly getting to her feet she stormed off to find her brother. He was busy learning Leyla, the oldest of Shuna and Bee's daughters, how to use the arrow whip.
"Dart!" with no other warning she raced out and flung her arms around his neck. "I'm so sorry I didn't mean to and it just happened and I know I shouldn't be dancing with closed eyes but really he knew I do that so he should be watching where he walked…"
She would've gone on if Dart hadn't sent to her:
*What do you mean?*
"I… recognized…"
*Who? Send. Even though you don't like it…*
No. she didn't like sending. But she knew she had to try anyway.
*Kimo…*
To her great regret that simply made Dart laugh.
"Ooh you silly little one. Why do you apologise to me?"
"You're lovemates."
Carefully freeing himself from her grip he sat down on the ground, making her sit too.
"Listen, I suppose it should've been our parents telling you about recognition, but since you choose to turn to me…" for a moment he sat without saying anything.
"Recognition can't be chosen. It happens to everyone. It happened to me. And the one I recognized already had a lifemate."
"You've already told me that story. And you three-mated with Serrin and Talmah for the time it took Bowki to grow up. But I can't three with you and Kimo."
"Why not?"
"Because you're my brother. Silly."
"Maybe it's I who can't three with you and Kimo."
She didn't know what to say. And for a moment they just sat there; sister and brother, theirs souls forever locked to the same person.
After a while Chitter smiling rose and went out to find her newly found soulmate, she couldn't yet begin to consider him her lifemate.
*Kimo.* she lock sent.
*Here, Neehr.*
Despite her best efforts she couldn't help finding it nice to hear her soulname that way.
She followed his thoughts down to the river, at first she couldn't find him but then she noticed a black wolf lying on the ground.
*Not like that, silly.*
In an instant he changed back into elf form and took a step forward; wrapping his arms around her.
The joining was more wonderful that she could ever have imagined. No one disturbed them as they answered the oldest urge known to elves; recognition. At first she wondered why, and then it stroke her.
*You were lock sending with Dart all the time!* playfully she poked him in the side.
*Yeah…*
After a long blissful joining they fell asleep in each others arms.
It was the sound of movements that made her wake up. At first she was too filled up with the excitement of last night's events to realize what was going on. But when she opened her eyes she got a shock: the entire tripe were gathered around them.
*Good morning.*
The teasing undertone in Dart's sending left no doubt it was him who had told everyone what was going on.
"Thank you very much for keeping the secret so long." She mumbled, unable to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.
"Why would you want to keep it a secret?" Newstar asked smiling. "There's nothing wrong with recognition."
"We aren't ashamed. If that's what you think mother. We just would've liked to tell ourselves."
With those words Kimo got up and reached a hand down to pull Chitter up too. Then he reached his other arm out to Dart.
*Neehr. Dyrr.*
At first she was a little shocked to hear her own soulname mentioned together with her brother. But of course; they'd always known each others soulname.
*I guess what Skywise was right. 'Ooh how it knows!'*