"I CAN'T PULL YOU CLOSER THAN THIS
IT'S JUST YOU AND THE MOON ON MY SKIN."

She answers so quickly! I take an involuntary step back in sheer surprise as a smile flickers across my dark lips - my silver eyes seeking Papa’s in excitement. Inwardly, I was overjoyed that she was here and coming to speak with us - away from the hustle and bustle of herd life! I was so excited to see her - to really meet her - that I found myself overwhelmed in the best possible way.  If it were possible - I glowed a little bit brighter as the shadows and stars pulled to assemble the easily recognizable shape of the Goddess.  I could do nothing but smile and literally radiate my happiness as she spoke to Papa.  And then she spoke to me, and I couldn’t help but stand up a little bit taller a something akin to a giggle escaped my lips. 

Papa saved the day when he spoke again - explaining why he had come. It was true, I did want to meet her. It’s all I wanted. Papa and the Moon were the only family that I really knew here in Helovia, even though I knew there must be more. But I wanted to know her. I wanted her to know me, even if that was the naive wish of a child.  I felt like meeting at herd meetings just...wasn’t the same, even though I would still serve the herd best I could. ”We thought it best come to see you than to wait for someone to call you at home.” I added, happily. Though I struggled not to roll my eyes at Papa’s choice of words. Chaotic. That was an understatement, if I’d ever heard one. Things had gone so well my first year, but it seemed that with each passing season, things grew more...complicated. 

I felt guilty about troubling Grandmother Moon with my own burdens. I knew there was little she could do to soothe the burn of losing Mama and Virga. But, perhaps, she could help us with some of the other burdens that we carried. The scenes of the Kaos God haunted me in my sleep.  Dreams of bones and decay and death.  I could hear the screams and smell the blood before chasing away the nightmares.  I kept hidden from Papa how much all of this had troubled me.  He knew that I hadn’t trusted Kisamoa, that I was frightened of Kaos, but I don’t think he knew how much it had rattled me to my very core. I worried that the bones that created his creature were Mama’s bones. Were Virga’s.  And I wanted to know why he’d come. Why he’d demanded the bones in the first place. And what would happen if we stripped them from him. “There’s something else too…” I began, hesitating somewhat, uncertain if Grandmama even wanted to discuss such things. 

“Do you know anything about the Kaos God? How we would defeat him?” Or if we even can? I finish, in my own head, unwilling to cast such doubt out loud.  Kaos had rattled me to my very bones.  However I’d seen Grandmama’s magic out class Kaos’ once before.  There, on the beach, when he was still masquerading as Kisamoa. I turned my silver eyes up at the goddess, the question - the hesitation - evident there, wondering what her thoughts on Kaos were.  

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