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 Posted: Sun May 27, 2012 1:05 am
 Mirth was getting anxious. She was usually the happy, optimistic type, but pregnancy really had a mind of its own. Her belly was rounder, but not too much so. She had been wandering around for days, hoping that she would stumble upon a legendary to bless her children. The doe's unborn young might not have grown much yet, but she still had insatiable bouts of hunger. For everything. In large amounts. Right now. Mirth’s stomach complained loudly as she stepped towards a stream. Perhaps there would be fish, or at the very least, some cold water to refresh herself. Her stomach growled again. Mm, fish.
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Posted: Sun May 27, 2012 11:26 am
Standing almost feather deep in the adjacent side of the stream was a rather colourful crane that nearly lit up the area like the stars did the sky. It remained unmoving even when a strange, rather fat toad like creature without much of a hop joined it at the stream. The crane craned his head, pondering the thought of why this toad did not leap for a good while until finally it slowly began to move forward, rather quietly. It would find out what was amiss with this toad!
"Tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaad?" A strange, drawn out sound echoed off its feathers as it spoke, its entire body lifting somewhat mystically off the stream as its wings rose and it hovered there for just a moment. Its eyes on the creature, it suddenly stopped abruptly, settling back down in the water and simply standing like any ordinary crane.
His eyes fell on the water, and slowly they slid across like a snake slithering until they fell on the streamline. Sitting next to this doe-toad was a rock, a very familiar rock. Once again the rock had followed him and inside Stargarden cursed the name Frolic. Head now high, refusing the eye of the rock he closed his eyes, holding them closed as if the world would suddenly freeze and rebuild to his desire this way.
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Posted: Sun May 27, 2012 10:22 pm
Mirth's eyes shot to the source of the alien noise. What on earth was that?!The doe stared as a crane settled down again. Oh, it was just a bird...She laughed at herself for being scared by a bird, glad that Sorrow wasn't there to bear witness. As she watched it however, you could almost hear her brain putting the pieces together. It was a beautiful crane, its feathers sprinkled with stars. Its eyes glowed with a bright light... and did it just say "toad"?! Her hunger forgotten now, Mirth watched as the crane dropped its eyes to her feet, staring angrily at... a rock? The crane closed its eyes and Mirth pushed the rock closer towards the mysterious bird. "Um, hello. Are you a legendary? Is this your Toad? I'm very sorry, I didn't mean to take him."She pushed the rock a bit closer and laughed. She was talking to a crane.
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Posted: Sun May 27, 2012 10:52 pm
Reality was a cruel thing, and as much as Stargarden wished to ignore it it battled with him fiercely. He didn't seem shocked in the least when he opened his eyes and the rock had found itself closer to him, however he didn't seem happy about it. It should have gone in the other direction but instead it seemed to be intent on following him more! Clearly this wouldn't do, and the crane leapt in a single bound, landing triumphantly on top of the rock. Task complete, Stargarden looked at Mirth.
Silence.
Awkward, uncomfortable silence.
The bird was quiet, very quiet. Had it simply ignored her question or was it simply just a normal crane? The reality of the situation was dawning closer to the latter of the two when suddenly Stargarden laughed, rather abruptly and rather loudly. There was no mistaking the laugh just as Stargarden felt there was no mistaking his victory. The rock had not fought him since he landed on it, victory was his!
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Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 12:27 am
When the crane opened its eyes again, it didn't look happy at all. Mirth peered at it. Maybe she was going mad, can birds even look unhappy?
Suddenly, the crane jumped upon the rock and looked directly at Mirth. She smiled nervously and shifted her weight, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Wow, only she could manage to have an awkward one-ended conversation with a bird.
She had just remembered why she came to the stream in the first place when the crane burst into laughter. Her eyebrows flew up and she laughed with it, both nervous and relieved that it did seem to be a legendary after all.
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Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 10:50 am
Stargarden seemed pleased when Mirth laughed with him to know that the world was laughing with him and after the laughter finally died down he simply arose off one of his legs, standing quite gracefully on just one. His head craned to the left, and then to the right before it simply froze in a sideways combination of the two. The world had been so kind to him just now, and while he stared at Mirth he wondered just what he could do for the world. Surely the world needed more toads! Who didn't like the little bumpy, hop a skip to swimming creatures.
"Toad," he said simply, his bright eyes set upon the doe. "You are fat, but I don't believe you are fat enough." He said rather bluntly, momentarily tucking his head near his wings before almost shyly looking back. Stargarden was not one to simply ask people if they wanted more children for the most part he could just feel it but surely one of these days some poor doe was going to end up with eight children because of him. He hadn't heard any complaints yet though, and even if he did he'd probably still continue to do it so it didn't seem to matter much. As far as he was concerned, the world brought him this toad for a reason!
"You have been brought to me by the world so that I may bless it with more of your wonderful species." Clearly Stargarden really liked toads and perhaps that was something Mirth should be grateful for since the last person he 'blessed' got pecked a lot by his beak and rode around on much like Frolic the Rock was currently.
Stargarden seemed pleased, spreading his wings open widely before flapping them to create a small gust of air toward Mirth. Simply put, Stargarden was just showing off now.
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 6:50 am
T-toad? SHE was the TOAD?!
Mirth opened and closed her mouth, her face changing from confusion to indignation to a pained smile all in the space of a second. He was a legendary, it was probably best to grin and bear it. She shuddered to think of the crane cursing her children.
"You are fat."
The doe's pained smile grew wider as the legendary continued, wondering if this was how blessings were meant to be, but she didn't have much time to ponder. With a flourish, he finished talking and flapped his wings, blowing wind in her face. Whatever just happened appeared to be finished. She took the time now to bend her knees and bow to the bird, dipping her head low. "Thank-you for your blessing. I am in your debt."
She lifted her head, smiling more naturally now. "May I know your name?"
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 10:25 pm
Stargarden seemed pleased that Mirth was smiling but there was only so far you could judge how pleased a crane was. Not that Stargarden would ever say that was a fault. He loved being a crane, and in fact, there wasn't too much better than being a crane that could talk. He got all the respect of the swamp, he could fly, he could stand on one leg and spin around! Seriously, Stargarden would suggest everyone become a crane, even toads.
"You should fly," he mumbled rather absentmindedly.
Wings flapping slightly at the thought, the crane cranked his head back to the doe. Stargarden didn't stay in one place long, and the thought of flying was absolutely distracting to anyone of Stargarden's caliber. His feet gripped tightly around the rock named Frolic, and soon both Stargarden and the rock were flying above Mirth. Where to go, where to go? Onward to the sky!
Well, in a minute. There was a pause, and Stargarden looked down at the doe.
"I am the garden of stars, Stargarden."
And then as strangely as he stumbled into her life, Stargarden was gone with the wind to some far off place to drop the rock.
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 7:30 am
"Stargarden," the doe murmured as the crane soared away. But at that moment, her stomach complained again, and as she tore happily away at a fish, Mirth forgot about the strange bright-eyed crane and his precious little rock. At least for now.
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