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 Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 8:48 pm
Another warm afternoon in the swamp, and lazy Dangling Vines was completely at ease on his favorite log. Something about the air today made it ridiculously simple for him to relax - perhaps it was the heat and humidity pressing down on him like a blanket, or perhaps it was the way tiny dust motes and bits of pollen swirled through the air around him, begging to be watched. Either way, he was dozing off, and he loved it.
Oddly enough, Stumpy wasn't with him today. The watersnake had decided that it was a bit TOO hot of a day, and had opted for a shadier spot near some water, so that he could easily slip in and cool himself off when needed. Dangle had made a mental note of the place as soon as Stumpy had left his side, and should it get too hot to stay comfortable, he would join his faithful companion.
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 10:24 pm
Lilting Birdsong paced anxiously. She had watched the clutch frequently through it's incubation, and knew it was going to be ready soon. She wanted to be there to watch it hatch--she'd be heartbroken if she missed it--so she had to hurry. She had to gather up the courage, and she needed to go. She needed to tell him, so he could be here for it too.
Her head still swam with disbelief. It had just been a fling, a brief and crazy encounter, an act of impulse and instinct. She had hardly talked to the buck before it happened, and she'd been avoiding him completely ever since. It wasn't hard to avoid someone who wouldn't leave his favorite log, of course, but she had been doing it deliberately. She couldn't even explain to herself why she'd avoided telling him she'd gotten pregnant. He had a right to know. She supposed she did it because she didn't know him well enough to know how he'd react, but the truth was that she was just a coward.
She paced over the same patch of grass once more, then took a deep breath and steeled her nerves. She had to do this now, before it was too late. She checked over the sacs to make sure they were safe and trotted off to the spot she knew Dangling Vines would be in. An extra pang of regret shot through her as the heat of the day made the journey even more daunting, but she shook the feeling away, and made herself do it.
She could soon see the buck, right where she knew he'd be. She was approaching him from behind, and the thought entered her mind briefly that she could still run away before he'd see her. She continued, still. She stepped up closer and cleared her throat briefly before speaking, "Dangle?" She addressed him casually, hoping that was acceptable in this situation.
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 4:50 am
Dangle hadn't heard her approach, he had almost been asleep. Once she spoke, he flicked an ear back at the sound of her voice, and forced himself awake. He wasn't terribly upset that his nap was being interrupted, he took one every day after all, and visits from others were rare enough to warrant his attention. He lifted his head, yawned, and struggled to force his eyes open. They opened on their own when he saw who the doe was. Even with that worried look on her face, she was still just as pretty as when they had met.
"H'lo, Lil. Good to see ya again." And he truly meant it. A smile crossed his face, pleasant with just a hint of goofiness. In truth, he had missed her a bit. He enjoyed his quiet time, but he had worried that he scared her away after their fling.
"What brings y'to my lazy little corner of th'swamp?" His words were still covered with a drowsy fog. The green buck looked ridiculous splayed out on his log, with his head craned over his shoulder to look at her.
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Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 8:11 pm
Lilting Birdsong sat on the ground and took a deep breath. No, that didn't feel right. She stood up again, and took a few steps closer before deciding to sit down again. She felt ridiculous, like she was doing an unusual dance, but she felt fidgety and couldn't help it. She started, "Listen, um..." and suddenly realized she wasn't even sure how to put this into words. She'd never had to tell anyone something quite this important before, and wasn't really sure how one goes about such a thing. No, she thought, this would be better standing.
"Dangle, um..." she stammered again. "It's good to see you again, too," she stalled. She also meant it, though. Even now, as she stood a few paces away from him, she could feel his casual presence and his laid-back attitude infecting her--much like it did that night, calming her constantly heightened nerves and allowing her to relax a little. She took a deep breath and started, for real this time. "Dangle, you remember that night we had.... together? I... I need to tell you something. Something important."
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Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:06 am
His eyes sparkled as he watched her pace around, sitting and standing and worrying with both her body and her mind. He listened, still calm and resting, shifting only slightly to get a better position and relieve some stress on his neck.
"'Course I remember. Fab girl like you, a buck could never f'get." He beamed. Not to mention it had been his first mating, but what kind of buck would he be if he admitted to it? He certainly had a soft spot for her, that was for sure.
"Go ahead, 'm all ears. Somethin' wrong?" The pieces hadn't put themselves together in his head yet. He could only think, had she run into some trouble? Did she need his help? And what did that night have to do with it? His mind was as laid-back as the rest of him.
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Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 10:42 pm
Lil' felt warmed by his smile--that charming, charming smile. Yes, this would be ok, she could tell him. She could do it.
"Dangling Vines..." she breathed deep and closed her eyes tight and decided to be out with it. "I-got-pregnant-and-you're-the-father-and-we're-about-to-have-children-and-they're-going-to-be-born-today-I'm-sure-of-it-and-I'm-sorry-I-didn't-tell-you-but-I-was-scared-but-I'm-telling-you-now-so-would-you-like-to-come-with-me-and-watch-them-come-out-of-their-sacs?" she hurried through it, running her words together.
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 8:13 am
It took him a full minute to piece together what she had said, mouthing the words the whole time and blinking constantly. Pregnant... his kids... they were coming already? Right now?
"Now? Right now?" And it hit him. He leapt from his log, taking a moment to steady himself and nodding vigorously at her. "Yes! Now? They're coming now? By the Swampmother, 'course I want to see 'em!" He grinned at her.
He didn't usually care for kids, they were obnoxious and made him leave his log in order to chase them off. But his own kids... Well, their kids, he hadn't been the only one involved. And certainly Lilting Birdsong had done all of the work up until this point. His own progeny though, how could they be obnoxious? The two of them certainly weren't, maybe they would grow up chilled out like him, maybe even want to keep him company every now and then. Or just leave him alone and he could take pride in the fact that something looking like him was off doing things while he slept the rest of his days away.
"What're we waitin' for? Let's go!"
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 4:09 pm
She flinched when he jumped up, "I'm sorry, yes. Well, I think we have time... but soon," she inserted her replies between his realizations, "we can go right now." She turned and gestured her head in the direction of the clutch.
She smiled, quite relieved. She'd been carrying the burden--through her own fault, admittedly--for long enough now, and her whole body felt better having finally told him. It was a mistake to wait, she knew. She wished she wasn't so cowardly, especially when it came to talking to other Kimeti. She started walking quickly, but not running, as the oppressive heat was wearing her down.
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 5:15 pm
Her statements about urgency - or rather, less of it than he thought - did nothing to slow him down. He beamed as he followed her, humming a little tune to himself.
"This is fantastic, Lil! 'Ve never had kids of m'own before." Flickiing his tail to remove a pesky gnat (they did seem to love this heat, hotter beasts meant more to flock to), he sidled up next to her. "With us as parents, they'll be born w'greatness in 'em!"
Or possibly laziness. But that was great too.
"Do we need t'get food for 'em?" He asked suddenly, eyes widening.
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 8:53 pm
"No, I've taken care of that. There's plenty of grass in the area," she reassured him. She let him walk close, enjoying his humming. "These are my first, as well..." she somehow felt embarrassed by this, and lowered her head. But she was proud of herself, she had cared well for her sacs, even though it wasn't entirely neccesary.
She led him along, following in reverse the path she had taken to reach him. "Just up here," she said as they approached a small protected area surrounded by tall grass. She nodded towards it, encouraging Dangle to look inside.
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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 10:08 pm
"Oh, good." Why had he even asked? She obviously had everything under control... After all, she had taken care of them for this long, she knew what she was doing. He wasn't embarrassed though, in fact, he couldn't remember a time when he had been.
Dangle watched as she lowered her head, and nudged her shoulder in support. "Y'done good, don't let y'self feel down." Misreading her emotions, but he meant well. He certainly hadn't thought of a first mating as something to be distraught over, after all, everyone had to have a first.
He paused at the edge of the area, glancing from her to it and back a few times for some support. It almost felt wrong, intruding on a private quiet area, even if he had been invited. But after a moment he stuck his head through the grass, eyes searching for the sacks.
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Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 10:19 pm
Lilting Birdsong poked her head through the tall grass shortly after. The sacs were there, just as she had left them, but they were stirring more now. She wondered if the children had finished dreaming their names already, she wasn't sure what portion of their growth that occurred in.
She smiled as she watched them. She was proud that she would soon be a mother, and as she looked over to Dangling Vine, she was proud he would be the father, as well. She wasn't sure what she had expected of him, but she was glad this was his reaction.
She felt tired, and she knew there was waiting left still, so she laid down on the ground where she could still see anything that happened with the sacs. "They'll come out when they're ready," she informed him.
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Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 5:39 pm
"Okay." He responded softly. He didn't know why he was being quiet... Could the foals even hear them through all of that sack material and lining? But it was a solemn sort of event, he supposed.
It was a tad disappointing that they hadn't rushed upon the scene and found the children bursting forth from their sacks dramatically, he felt that would have been rather impressive. However, it was already quite wonderful, and he settled down next to the sacks' mother and flashed her a grin.
"They already got some of our colors." There was a hint of pride in his voice. He nabbed a mouthful of grass and chewed quietly, watching the bunch with wide eyes.
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Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2011 10:35 pm
"Of course," she replied softly, "they are ours, after all." She leaned her head against Dangling Vine's shoulder as he watched intently. She closed her eyes and dozed off a bit, passing the time until finally, finally, one tiny hoof started to tear through the sac lining. Following shortly was a wet green and white nose.
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 4:43 am
He had almost begun to doze off himself, but the sight of the tiny being emerging from its sack jolted him awake completely.
"Lil, look!" He whispered, excitement and panic in his voice. Should he help? Was the baby alright? Surely it was, the sacks needed to be able to hatch on their own... His whole body was tensed up, muscles trembling under his skin and fur, ready to spring into action should they need help.
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