Chapter Text
Pearl had been wandering for… she didn’t know how long. As long as she could remember.
She knew her name, Pearlescent Moon, and if she focused long enough, she could recall dark brown eyes, short, light brown hair, and brightly colored feathers. They—he?—felt like home.
She didn’t know who he was, or where or even when she was. So, Pearl walked this strange path fate had set her on, with sunflowers in her hair, a sword at her side, and no one to accompany her.
— — —
Pearl watched the sun rise in the east—the same direction she was headed, coincidentally. Her footsteps were heavy; she had not gotten much sleep the previous night, her dreams filled with candlelight and someone murmuring her name at one moment, purple wings and covered faces the next. She didn’t like those parts of her dreams.
Pearl’s foot hit a tree root and she stumbled, just barely catching herself on the rough bark. I should rest, she thought hazily. Maybe if she rested during the day, she’d be safe. From what, exactly, she wasn’t sure, but it seemed like a good idea. She eyed her surroundings, before stepping off the path to find a good tree to sit under.
She settled at the base of a sturdy trunk, allowing herself to close her eyes.
She was instantly met with whispering voices, clashing with a vision of a boat in a sunny field, strange people that still felt like… family. The ground floating into the sky, her feet lifting off the ground, falling, then blackness. Then, a head of red hair, paired with green eyes and a finger poking her nose.
Pearl jerked away, hitting her head on the tree before scrambling to her feet, drawing her sword. The redhead giggled. “So jumpy. Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.”
Pearl eyed the blade at the girl’s side—before looking down and seeing her legs. A deer hybrid. A glance up confirmed this, as Pearl saw large, branching antlers atop the stranger’s head.
She chuckled nervously. “I, uh, I would ask for directions, but I don’t really know where I’m going. Barely know my own name,” she muttered under her breath.
The stranger’s ears perked up. “Oh! What’s your name?”
Pearl hesitated. This stranger looked harmless enough, with overalls and a soft-looking green shirt, and loosely braided ginger hair cascading down over her shoulder. Yet, that sword held a different story. It looked well-cared-for, and the way the girl held herself made it clear she knew how to fight back.
“Pearl,” she answered finally.
The girl beamed. “Nice to meet you, Pearl! I’m Gem!” Gem. Pearl turned the name over in her head. It rang… some bell, deep in her head. Purple and crystals and a cloak, dragons and a tower and… darkness, with red and purple eyes.
Gem was talking. “Anyone home?” she sang. Pearl blinked. “Yeah, sorry, uh… your name seems familiar.”
The girl tilted her head. “Huh. I have never met you in my life.”
In this life, maybe, Pearl thought, though not voicing her theory. She had no evidence.
Pearl shook her head slightly before changing the subject. “So, where were you headed? Before stopping to wake the poor soul that is me,” she teased.
Gem hummed. “East,” she said easily. “Dunno where specifically, but I like to follow the sun.”
“Mind if I join you? That’s where I was going, too,” Pearl asked, grateful for the chance of a traveling partner.
“Sure! It’s been lonely so far, anyways,” Gem said, a hint of sadness in her voice.
A short awkward pause filled the space between them, before Pearl jumped in.
“So, should we get going then?”
“Yeah! Let’s go!”
“Hey, I noticed something. You’re Gem, and I’m Pearl. We’re both named after shiny things!”
Gem gasped. “Shiny duo?!” she exclaimed.
“Yeah! Shiny duo!” Pearl cheered.