#lachir

You mean besides the whole war-with-the-human-lands bit, for which I was a long-time glorified mercenary?

Well, there was my years-long feud with the moonstrider breeder-turned-baker. He never took well enough care of his pups, I thought, and yet he refused help in raising and training them - help I was willing to provide for free, by the way. And he categorically refused to let me raise one myself! He was having none of his precious pups tainted by my "violent, bloodstained hands," as he put it.

Every litter his moonstriders bore, I would visit them. Secretly, of course. One might even say illegally - but I felt justified. They loved me, truly, and I never felt judged by their tiny pink tongues. But he would not let me have one.

Ah, that hurt me more deeply in my soul than I cared to admit.

Over these years, I met and fell in love with Ethari, and one day he finally noticed my feud over the pups. We talked about it at length, and he offered me an interesting option, which I immediately began to put into practice.

Instead of sneaking in (quite so much) to see the breeder's pups, I stopped by on the days he made himself moonberry surprise. It is considered Silvergrove etiquette to offer a silce of moonberry surprise to any family or guests one has, and so I knew he must offer me some. I counted on it.

And it was, I begrudgingly admitted, very good moonberry surprise. So I said so to Ethari, and he may have mentioned it a time or three around the village. Soon, the breeder had so many guests stopping by his house that he began a small bakery. Then he expanded it. Then - at long last - he left his moonstriders to his niece to care for.

The very next day, I came home with a small and wiggly moonstrider pup in my arms. I named her Lachir.

Lachir was a perfect little angel baby who has never done anything wrong ever. She loves me most, as she should, and she begrudgingly puts up with everyone else.

As she should.

When she was brand new, she would nuzzle up under my hair while I was sleeping and make an absolute nest of it. And I was soft enough to let her, because she made the cutest sleep sounds right in my ear.

The trouble is, now that she's fully grown, she still assumes she can fit under my ponytail when I lie down. I have tried instructing her about physics and mass, but she's very good at pretending she does not see things that do not benefit her - I have no idea where she gets this irritable habit from!

Anyway. If she finds me catching my breath on the ground during training, she will stuff her nose under my hair and assume that she fits. And her whuffing noises are still cute.

What a lovely question. I have a few, little shadow, and I thank you for your welcoming gaze.

As you can imagine, I have been trained to tone down my external expressions of my inner feelings, especially ones that can feel strong. It's taken me some time to become comfortable with what is called stimming, and I didn't always know the word for it. I believed it was something I had to subdue, and that I just had stronger emotions than my peers. Truth be told, I do have strong emotions. And that's okay. Nobody should have to mask their true emotions, especially if it helps them process things.

At first, I didn't know that stims could be done out of joy. I'd often make myself clench my hands in distress whenever a particular sound or output stressed me before Lain caught on and told me that that could lead to more stress. He helped me learn that I can just walk away from whatever is bothering me instead of bracing myself through it. On the brighter side of things, before meeting Ethari, I still had things that have made me happy: Lachir, moonberry surprise, and rising through the ranks of assassin hood. But as I previously mentioned, I'd mask my true joy and subdue it to something smaller and more accepting. I beg of you to not follow my previous actions.

Nowadays I am more accepting of joyful things that make me stim. Lachir and moonberry surprise still do it for me, and I think Lachir can tell how happy she makes me, and she appears very proud because of it. Of course, Ethari makes me do all the stims as well. His beautiful music can make me hum softly along with it, and he always looks very accomplished when this happens. He has even been able to make a song purely based off which notes made me hum the heartiest, and it is a beautiful song indeed.

There's more than one reason why I wear gloves. Wielding a bow almost certainly requires one to wear gloves for stability and to keep one's hands free of scuffs and tears. However, I have become more comfortable navigating the world wearing my gloves because more often than not, different surfaces can begin to feel like too much, and I'd prefer to avoid them. Apart from this, I almost always have them off at home. The treehouse is safe and familiar, and I can trust it and the elves inside of it. Not only do I trust it to make me feel stable, but it can also create positive sensations. Tangling my hands in my own hair or Ethari's feels heavenly, and I could sit for hours doing so and feel perfectly content.

Dancing feels wonderful to my senses. Moving in such a fluid way with Ethari as my partner feels like utter bliss, and I enjoy every moment. The way he spins me gives me shivers and makes me feel like I'm among the stars, and I have to make sure to hold tight to him because of how engrossed I become. Sometimes he'll spin me and keep spinning until I give him the hand signal that I've had enough, and I'll nestle into the crook of his neck very appreciatively. I have the best husband.

Sometimes at night when he acts as my weighted blanket and drapes his weight across me, I can't help but let soft hums escape me, as I feel so delightfully comfortable and safe. The constant pressure feels utterly soothing, and paired with his soft voice in my ear, I quickly relax completely. On days when I'm out with Lachir, training or feeding her, sometimes she'll finally understand a tricky maneuver or do something extra endearing and I can't help but bounce on my toes in delight. She feels like a manifestation of all my hard work and my heart. It fills my soul.

Little shadow, I have many stims. I'm hardly ever comfortable displaying them in front of people who aren't my family, and I may never be. But what matters is my acceptance of the fact that I have them and that I've let a few select people see that side of me--open, emotional, and willing to take up space. I implore you to show who you truly are and what you truly feel in ways you feel comfortable, too.

Lachir loves the holidays. She absolutely loves being spoiled, especially by me. Every year she makes it her mission to sniff each and every present under the tree to ensure they're safe before anybody can open them, and nobody can disturb her without getting a quick disapproving scoff or (well-meaning) growl.

She enjoys the holidays by taking long walks through the newly snowy Moonshadow forest with me, hopping along snow banks and seeing how much snow she can avoid getting in her fur as a challenge. She steers clear of icicles, but not for reasons you might expect. One year, when she was only a young Moonstrider, she had become intrigued by the sight of a stabby icicle, and immediately attached her tongue to it without thinking. Before she knew it, she had gotten stuck. I'll never forget the humorous look she gave me, equal parts embarrassed/please help me and 'don't you dare laugh'. It only took a few warm breaths from me to help her get unstuck, and she shook her fur out with a brisk motion without making eye contact before gently pushing her shoulder into mine as a thank you. Rest assured that she got more treats than usual in her stocking as a means of resorting her spirit.

Holidays with Lachir are always very fun; I enjoy her company, and know that she enjoys mine, too.

It's a breathy H. la-HHHEER.

She also answers to "princess," though. Shhh, you did not hear this from me.

Indeed I have. Much like Rayla, I've raised Lachir since she was a small pup. I guided her through most of her primary stages, such as potty training. She was so dearly small, and still had her trademark sass, even as a pup. It was an internal struggle between holding her close and letting her traverse the world by herself. I ended up reserving cuddles only for morning, night, and after feeding times.

She definitely went through a stage where she didn't realize how big she had become. Truth be told, I could still carry her if I wanted to, although, much differently than I used to. When she began growing into her lankiness, she would still spin around and try to sit on my lap, not caring for the surprised oof! I would let out. I would have to give her the 'off' command, but then she would look at me with so much earnest confusion, wondering what she had done wrong. It took showing her a litter of Moonstrider pups with their mother and telling her that nowadays, she resembled the mother more than she did the pups, for her to fully understand. Her ears sagged sadly, but I cuddled her close and promised her we had other ways of cuddling that I knew she would enjoy.

Now apply this to "Lachir."

That's the battle my mind fights every time I see the name. I assume it's pronounced as you would in English, though?

*sassy smirk* You wish to speak with a Moonshadow accent, little shadow? Then attend: Lachir's name is pronounced with a breathy H. la-HHHEER.

Depending on how lilting I make my voice when I call her, I can tell her we're going for a run, or that it's grooming time, or that she's in trouble for chasing too many moon squirrels, or that I have a treat for her--shhh--

We have a few.

We have Yuletide, which falls on the 25th of our Winter month. We also count down the 14 days leading up to this day, and Ethari uses the opportunity to mark the occasion with shinies. He creates small trinkets that each wear a small blue gem; forming tiny pieces of a puzzle, with the complete image of a moon rune coming into view on the final day. He enjoys this very much--it's much more soothing to make beautiful creations when they're for a joyful, communal holiday.

On Yuletide, we hold a large celebration that is village wide. There's drinks, decorations, and lots of happy elves. The chill of the snow makes us dance for longer, as if that were even possible.

Tethu is bulky enough to pull a sleigh, and cheery and personable enough to perform for the elves who want to take part. After the snow has fallen, Ethari puts a homemade harness on him and attaches him to a sleigh decorated with swirlies all over, and the elves of the village know this tradition well enough to be on the lookout for the festive shadowpaw. They approach the pair and climb into the sleigh and laugh and sing as the happy shadowpaw pulls them through heaps of snow--purring happily all the while. Lachir is too delicate to pull a sleigh, so she watches from afar, secretly enjoying how happy her companion looks. If an elf leaves the sleigh without thanking Ethari and/or Tethu, Lachir trots over and nudges them back over to the pair, scoffing at the impoliteness. Some socially nervous elves get a little intimidated by her abruptness and by talking to the master craftsman of the village, but Tethu puts them at ease with a gentle head butt and purr. Ethari always gives his shadowpaw treats and extra scratches after an afternoon of sleigh rides, and he makes sure the mounts' stable is nice and warm for their wet fur. These animals are spoiled in the best way.

Tethu also uses his sturdiness to help clear out the snow on tree roots, to preserve the glowing mushrooms that get squished underneath. Ethari needn't steer him--he's one experienced kitty after years of community service--he simply tells him "okay, go" and Tethu is off to work. Extra treats for him. Yes, Tethu gains extra weight during the winter, but come spring time he burns it all off.