[WP04] Grave + More [FIN]

[Chrystali]

The Story Goes...
The orange trees all seem to hit their peak ripeness almost overnight -- sour and sweet and delicious fruit tumbling from branches to litter the ground in a dry area of the swamp. The result is somewhat horrifying, oranges that are going to go to waste, and so an intrepid wanderer sent a notice far and wide:

Harvest the Oranges, take your fill, bring them home to the family, and win a prize for doing it!

She has set up at the outskirts of the grove and grins at every kin that approaches, nodding them inward.

"He or she who collects the most oranges will get a little help to carry them home..."


Rules

• To begin with, write a response of how your kin got to the grove, and their reaction to the sea of oranges littering the ground, the wall of oranges still on the branches.
  
• To do your harvest, starting in your second post roll 1d4 alongside a response of your kin gathering oranges. This response can be as long or as short as you'd like, each post, but you must write something to go along with your roll.
  
• You can roll a maximum of 10 times!






Oh, MotherFather. He really didn't know what to do with this information.

On the one hand, Grave believed that everything was as the MotherFather willed it to be. If someone were to pass, or fall ill, or any other manner of dire state of being, it was as it should be and he would not interfere unless asked for help. He was no hero, and he certainly had no qualms with burying fresh death. On the other...he really had no idea if his rules applied to, say, oranges.

They'd fallen from the tree - or were in peril of doing so, to the point that word had gotten around in attempt to cleanse the land of the natural mulch. As he ambled to the indicated site, he wondered if it was the way of the MotherFather sowing the land...or if perhaps it was a means to feed the children in excess. Perhaps preparing for another Flood? Maybe it was simply as benign as excess sunshine, but far be it from Grave to assume such boring things.

It wasn't until his hoof kicked one of the orange balls in his path that he realized he had arrived, so wrapped up in his self-imposed thoughts as he was. Grave blinked languidly at the sight before him, taking it in but not terribly impressed. It was bright...almost painfully so, making him squint slightly. The color didn't feel natural in the vicinity and it made the part of him that wanted everything in its place itch and rankle. So many fruits...so much orange.

Grave set his jaw. Very well, he decided inwardly. A meal is provided. We shall partake. If only to get rid of the offended blotch of color...

 

[Chrystali]

They were everywhere. What was a Kimeti to even begin? With a long suffering sigh, the bone-male plodded through the heaps of oranges, expression distant. Fragment clung to the top of Grave's mask, while Root dove in and out of the sea of fruit. While Grave decided where to start, the far more discerning Root rolled three of the fresher oranges away from the pile, beginning their own.

Oranges: 03
Roll: 01  

[Aric Val]

At first, Evenfall thought that finally the stars had fallen from the sky! Her brothers and sisters finally greeting her from above. But no -- despite the bright and intense colour of these things that covered the once earthy tone of the swamp, they were unfortunately not stars.

For a moment it disappointed the doe, but slowly realized that indeed this was the start of another rebirth. These fruity corpses of the trees were to be set aside for something new. And she would follow the will of the earth, the will of the MotherFather and would help for clearing this place for new things to be born. And this was exactly what her purpose was. Quietly she scolded herself for thinking it was the stars and being disappointed that it wasn't.

She took in the fruity scent of the citrus, perhaps she should bury them properly? But there was so many ... she would definitely need help. Distantly she remembered a recent bright kio she had met ... she had the colours of this fruit. Perhaps she was around, perhaps even she had something to do with it!

The doe started to walk to a place where she could see just a concentration of it -- there she could do more work of gathering. Perhaps another kin? -- And like the MotherFather had willed it, there was --- something in this sea of orange. Pale, grey -- a splash of colour -- was it bones? No -- it was moving!  

[Shaddaling]

Sheltered rarely left the expanse of familiar desert but his adopted tribe of kin had ventured into the swamp and he had to follow. To be left behind and alone was unthinkable. Though that ultimately had came to pass. He did not know where his fellow Acha, Rill, Frozen Sweet, Cold foam had gotten off to. Perhaps they were doing some form of family bonding.

On the other hand, he was surrounded by a myriad of bright fruit. It would be such a waste to let it rot on the ground and traveling had made him hungry and at least these were surely editable. The acha lightly prodded a orange with a hoof.  

[Chrystali]

Before he could concern himself too much with the mounds of orange, something caught his eye. Something that didn't belong amidst the offense color -- which, perhaps, meant it belonged in a normal setting.

Grave turned his head and eyed Evenfall, standing stock still as he did so. She was an interesting looking doe, one as grey as he was but with such molten lining that it offset her. He wasn't typically one for very bright colors, but she supposed she was unoffensive enough. "Come for the bounty, or to watch me sort through it?" he queried, not unawares of her stare.

But another joined them, a lithe creature of ivory and a less offensive version of orange. To the Kimeti, the Acha looked like orange-stained bone. He was pleased by this. "You seem lost. But any of us might be in this gaggle of fruit..."

Root, for the most part, ignored Grave's eccentric interest in the two, rolling another orange to the pile.

Oranges: 04
Roll: 02  

[Aric Val]

Watchful Night was at Evenfall's heels, as her father had instructed him to. These days he was mostly with her than Comet, the eaglehound taking to the doe quite easily. Like he knew what she was thinking, he started to nose the oranges already, making quick work of them in a pile that was already looking like it was going to be a big one.  

[Shaddaling]

Sheltered froze, ears flickering back and paused in mid stepped, eyes wide as he looked at the buck that spoke to him. He shook himself, giving a soft nervous sound, knowing quite well he had just acted like a spook rabbit and over such a simple thing!

"They are rather eye catching, I'm not sure quite where to start." He admitted and slowly moved some oranges with a hoof, wary of leaning down and exposing his neck.

Oranges: 2
Rolls: 1  

[Aric Val]

And she was sure he was certainly somehow made of bones -- somehow he felt familiar. But she was sure she would have remembered this interesting looking buck.

"You look a little out of place in this sea." She smiled at him, bowed her head politely in greeting. He had an air about him that comforted her more than usual, more than strangers had ever done. "I am here to help in the rebirth of this swamp," she turned to the ground again, "I am glad for others, because these fruits need a proper resting place."

She could have sworn then that she saw one huge orange move, turning her eyes to an acha who had just arrived. Eve was content then when she saw the acha prodding at the fruits as well, content there were others. "It certainly -- is hard to even move in this place.." she said, lifting her hooves up to avoid tripping on the fruits.

Roll: 2
Oranges: 3 + 4
 

[Chrystali]

Grave uttered a faint sound that could have been amusement, but it was hard to tell when no smile visibly graced his features. "You are not alone," he assured the Acha, lifting one hoof and carefully placing it down again around a mound of orange. "But there's plenty enough to find your way." Perhaps too much.

The doe's words gave him pause, a little curious. Putting fruit to rest? He supposed it did sound a little outlandish...but it was his thoughts too. Strange. "I'm no more out of place than you." It wasn't meant as an insult, but Grave couldn't be bothered to clarify, idly kicking one orange that had settled under hoof. It rolled neatly to his pile, though he was unaware of it. "You've a great task before you if you intend to put to rest all of the fallen here."

Oranges: 05
Roll: 03  

[Shaddaling]

"I guess it just seems so silly; I'm not even sure how these taste." Sheltered relaxed slightly, the doe was a bit strange, putting fruit to rest as if it was something that needed rites. Though the tree was ooh, ohh dear. "And now I'm not even sure it is proper to eat them."

"Can you eat them?" He asked quietly pushing a bit more to his pile.

Oranges:4
Rolls: 2  

[Aric Val]

She smiled when he regarded him that way, as if they were similiar -- and it surprised her because it seemed that he understood what she was saying.

"Well I'm not alone now, aren't I?" she bowed her head, pushing some oranges to the pile that Watchful Night was already gathering. And one rolled down to hit the acha's hoof lightly.

She chuckled, shaking her head. "They are the land's gift to us, of course you may eat them if you wish." With that she put one bright hoof on one of the oranges beneath her, leaning down to bite at the skin, exposing the fruity ripeness. And she turned her head as if to assure the bright acha.

Roll: 3
Oranges: 8  

[Chrystali]

The Kimeti rumbled in response to the Acha's query, lowering his skull-clad head to one of the fruits. While the doe demonstrated, he only accepted the experience for himself by parting his jagged maw and neatly cleaving a chunk out of one of the fruits. Lifting his head again, he chewed, slow and thoughtful, tasting and judging.

Swallowing, he regarded the Acha somberly. "They seem edible. The innards are sweet and wet, the shell a bit tough and bitter. I'm not sure I'd say they're good." Grave extended his long tongue in a gesture of distaste. He'd have thought them rotten if not for the fact the innards had such a crispness to them.

Fragment climbed down his head and neck, dropping off into the half eaten fruit and stuffing cheeks full of the sweet innards. The foxbun then proceeded to help Root to gather a few more of the oranges, deciding they were more than favorable. Even if Grave didn't care for them, the familiars seemed to feel otherwise.

Oranges: 08
Roll: 04  

[Shaddaling]

"Ahh, thank you." Shelter shifted back, ears flickering in embarrassment before he leaned down and took a orange in his mouth. He pressed down till the shell split and then proceeded to use his tongue and fangs to separate the shell from the segmented inside. Perhaps the shell was not truly edible.

He spat out the rather bitter shell and started to chew on the sweet insides. Ooh, this was rather good. He should gather some more, maybe take them back to his group.

Oranges: 5
Rolls: 3  

[Aric Val]

Evenfall licked at the inside of the oranges -- too sweet for her taste but it was a nice flavour anyway.

"Are you not used to this place? Are you looking for someone?" She asked the acha, who did seem to be in deep thought. She was though glad he started to eat the fruits now, she didn't mean to make it seem distasteful to the acha.

She turned to the bone-headed kin -- about to ask if those bones upon his head were his? Was it something he found -- though she did know he was special. And she rarely was surprised but what she saw was unexpected. Some kind of -- ghostly foxbun was on his skull and eating fruit and then as soon as she had seen it, it was gone. Without a word she followed it, amused at this tiny creature. Watchful was still busy gathering fruits, a little confused when he saw the doe chase another animal, pushing a few more oranges in the growing pile to join her in possessiveness.

Roll: 4
Oranges: 9  

[Chrystali]

"If you like them, perhaps you can take some of the ones my helpers are squirreling away." There was the smallest edge to his voice that was meant just for the familiars, letting them know he was savvy to their efforts. Both ignored him and continued their diligent work. They were used to Grave's displeasure with life by now.

Fragment wasn't as efficient at rolling the oranges as Root was, but that was mostly because breaks were taken to roll around with it and play more than work. When the foxbun realized there were eyes following said movements, Fragment peered over in return, ears upright. The little familiar kicked slim back legs against the dirt, curious but intending to show that there would be no making prey of the foxbun just then.

Grave arched a brow beneath his mask, ponderous. "Don't mind Fragment. She believes she is queen wherever her feet touch."

The foxbun in question chittered sharply at Grave.

The Kimeti shook his head and returned to lumbering among the oranges, still having not picked up a single one himself.

(( AFK for dinner and a game, please do continue without me if you'd like! I'll be back later. ))

Oranges: 11
Roll: 05