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 Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 8:00 pm
It was like any other day on the marshes of Matope. The air was heavy, humid, and sticky; it clung to the hides of Kimeti like an unrelenting plague, dragging quite a few into the murky swamp-waters to cool themselves off. Insects hummed and buzzed incessantly as the darted to and fro, searching for warm bodies to suck blood from. Many animals remained hidden within the depths of their burrows, nests, or other types of abodes; they hid from the weather, refusing to sweat.
But, Berrybramble didn't mind. In fact, she kind of liked the heat. Then again, she wasn't your typical Kimeti. What was odd, though, was the fact that she was alone. Anyone who knew the young doe was well aware of her intense hatred for solitude. Regardless, she languidly strolled through tall rushes and tangled reeds, stopping every now and then to closely inspect a thick stalk. Why, you ask, was she inspecting them?
Well, to search for slugs, of course! Slugs were, after all, Berrybramble's most favored treat. She'd search up and down the length of a stalk, and if she so happened to spy a slug, her tongue would DART! quick from her mouth to snatch it, reeling the unknowingly-doomed snack back to it's fate.
Tasty.
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 8:18 pm
"You really are disgusting."
A voice said from behind Berrybramble, it was Whisper-of-Wind, known as Gust to his friends, he thought of Berrybramble as an odd one out. Liking the heat and humidity, eating slugs like they were a delicacy, it truly disgusted him.
"Eating slugs, YUCK!"
Although he was already a Buck, he wasn't the most mature Kimeti in the pack. He always splashed around in a water hole, jumping out in front of others to frighten them, yet he was very arrogant and greedy and always hid his feelings. Not many other Kimeti liked him because of that. He would go into bodies of water to fish more often than others and he was always trying to prove himself to others, what he wanted to prove, he didn't know.
"Can I try one?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 8:43 pm
Berrybramble had a slug hanging about halfway out of her mouth. The tail-end of the thing was wriggling and writhing, a possible attempt to escape from it's fate as Berry's next snack? Perhaps. All in all, it made for an amusing sight. The doe slurped up the slug, and audible sucking sound heard as she devoured it. She had been startled by the buck's approach, and his rather loud comment about her ... peculiar eating habits. "They taste fine," she said, her voice nigh-whimper, but it was laced with just a hint of defense. Sweet, as she was called by those dear to her heart, let her eyes roam over the near-albino buck; she drank in his ghostly-white form, then turning her head to peer over her shoulder at her own cream-and-purple[ish] coloring.
"I may eat gross things, but you look weird," Berrybramble shot back. If this buck was going to take a jab at her, she certainly was not going to just stand there and let him rip her apart. But, just by the way she made the comment, her voice quiet and weak, without a hint of acerbity, it was obvious that she didn't like or enjoy insulting the buck before her.
"You ... want to try one?" She asked, hesitant and just slightly suspicious. Didn't he just say that she was disgusting for eating slugs? Now ... he wanted to try them? "Alright," Berrybramble said with a shrug of her delicate shoulders, moseying towards a clump of thick kudzu. "Just, have a look up and down the stalks. They like to sit there," she instructed the young buck gently. "Aha! Here's two!" Sweet cried triumphantly, snatching one of the plump slugs up, pulling it away from the stalk with deft lips and then slurping it up, as a human might do with a piece of spaghetti.
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 1:51 am
Whisper-of-Wind was disgusted by the slimy creature, but he didn't want to offend the female Kimeti, she could be a possible friend. He bent his head down, eased his toungue under the slug, very slowly, he shrivelled back in disgust. He tried again, got it in his mouth and started to chew...
"Eurgh," he said, "This tastes like swamp muck."
He felt like he was going to throw up, he staggered back a bit. A light green flushed his face, it was made very visible because of his white skin and fur. "Do you think, that there could be something wrong with that slug?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 8:48 am
Berrybramble was please that the buck made an attempt to eat the slug, if only to prevent her from becoming offended at his earlier comment. She was flattered by his show of remorse, at said comment; eating the slug was, in her mind, a way for the buck to redeem himself. Watching him gently pull it from the kudzu clump, delicately tasting and then forcing himself to swallow, Berrybramble was almost tempted to laugh. But, she managed to restrain herself from doing so. Instead, her mouth pursed and eyebrows furrowed as her newfound slug-munching companion took on a rather unhealthy shade of green.
"Mine was fine, and they came from the same spot," she reassured her ghostly-white, with a hint of green, companion. But, it did worry her. She stepped closer to the buck, eyes locked on his face, searching for any sign of what could have caused this sudden change in health. Maybe... he just didn't like them? Really didn't like them? "Maybe... maybe you just shouldn't eat any more slugs?" Berrybramble quietly suggested, a frown settled on her face.
Guilt grabbed at her heart, twisting and reaching down to tie her stomach in knots. She was the one who had planted the idea of eating a slug into his head. Now, he was sick! She felt just awful. "I'm sorry," Berrybramble offered, but she wasn't sure how much her apology would heal.
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 11:09 pm
"No, it's okay."
Whisper-of-Wind said. "It's prabably just a bad slug." He bit some leaves off a nearby tree and started to chew, it would hopefully get the taste out of his mouth. He bent down towards the bush and found a grey-ish-white slug, he snuffled it up and chewed quickly before gulping it down. The green faded away.
"This one tastes better."
Whisper-of-Wind started frantically searching and munching down as much slugs as he could. He wouldn't stop, they tasted so good, he wanted more. He kept at it until he remembered Berrybramble was right next to him, who was acting like a greedy pig of a Kimeti. He looked up at her with his slime covered muzzle. He started to blush and felt embarassed.
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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 2:54 pm
"Maybe, drink some water --" Berrybramble would have finished her sentence, offering advice on how to possibly deal with Whisper-of-wind's sudden nausea. But, he decided that he was going to stuff himself full of slugs... just as she spoke. Berrybramble just stood there, her eyes fixated upon the happily-gorging buck, amazed at the quick turnaround. "Well," she said after a few moments. "You don't seem to feel sick any more." A little laugh escaped, betraying her stoic expression. She didn't feel nearly so guilty anymore, seeing as how the ghost-white buck rebounded so quickly from incapacitation.
"I think you may have eaten them all," the doe remarked as she inspected the closest reed-stalk, eying it's length before picking her head up. Berrybramble wasn't really that hungry anymore, so it didn't matter that her new found companion had stuffed himself full of slugs. "I'm glad that you like them so much," she admitted quietly, avoiding eye contact. Her eyes stared at her hooves, rather, focusing on a particular clump of mud stuck to the underside. "You're the only one who has ever even tried them, you know. Everyone else just thinks I'm weird."
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 12:35 am
"Well I though that at first, but they're just irresistable."
He continued searching for more slugs, but found out the doe was right and decided to eat some leaves off it. "Would you know where some different slugs would be?" he said with a mouthfull of leaves, which made sound more like, 'Woulyoonowhereomeifferensugswooee?"
He swallowed his leaves and repeated himself. But then burst into laughter due to his lack of manners.
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 11:05 am
Berrybramble followed the ghostly-white buck's example, stripping a stalk of reed and munching on it's leaves slowly, almost thoughtfully. "More?" She asked, her eyes dancing with delight as a gay little giggle bubbled forth. "I'm not sure. This is where I usually find the most," she admitted a tad ruefully. "Maybe we should wait a few days. We don't want to eat all the slugs in the swamp, tright?" Berrybramble pointed out smartly, taking another mouthful of leaves to satiate any remaining hunger pangs. The leaves were sweet and succulent, enough to make her stomach protest after just a few mouthfuls.
Satisfied, Berrybramble began to make her way towards and area she knew contained a small stream of freshwater. "Thirsty?" The doe asked her companion, though the question was said in a way that it was more of an invitation. Especially because Berrybramble didn't wait for the buck's response, she simply traipsed off through some brush, assuming that he would follow.
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2008 11:00 pm
The buck followed the doe to the stream. He looked at his reflection in the clear water, then drank thirstily. He looked down and found a little yabby, he observed it, before crushing it in his hooves and eating the squiched remains.
"If you look carefully, you can find a whole lot of these."
Then he leaped into the water and sloshed around, cooling down his scorching body. Then, in a childish way, he splashed a little water at Berrybramble with his hooves.
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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 10:08 pm
She was pleased to her the hoof beats of the buck, meaning that he was following her. Berrybramble was loathe to do anything alone, so his company was more than welcome. The cool, refreshing water was welcome as well, soothing her parched throat and taking some of the stickiness away from the heat that hung heavily. The doe took a moment to just stand there, her eyes closed, enjoying the refreshment the stream offered. Walking into the stream until the water lapped at her knees, Berrybramble made sure that she didn't overheat -- there wasn't any sense in passing out from heat exhaustion!
Her eyes glittered with amusement as her companion playfully splashed water at her, the cool droplets splattering against her face and neck. "That won't bother me, not with this heat," the doe remarked matter-of-factly. But, to humor him [and because it was fun to play] Berrybramble lowered her head to the surface, tossing a bit of water at Whisper-of-Wind with her nose. "See?" She said, her voice lilting and merry. "Doesn't the cold water feel just so good on your hide, especially 'cause it's so hot!"
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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 11:55 pm
"Yes, it does. Sometimes I wish I was a crocodile, being able to swim and to resist the heat."
He knealt down again to splash Berrybramble, he splashed her again, but this time it was a huge wave and he was pretty sure some reeds and mud came along with it.
"Splash fight!"
He declared and started splashing at the doe, not caring what came with the water.
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Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 2:42 pm
Berrybramble had to raise an eyebrow at the buck's remark. He wished he was a crocodile? She snorted, a giggle bubbling out from behind her lips, regardless of the fact the tried to restrain it. "I like being who I am," she said simply. She didn't wish she was anyone or anything else; being a Kimeti was fine with her! "You don't have to be a crocodile to swim and hide from being hot," Berrybramble pointed out -- but then she got a mouthful of water.
Sputtering and coughing, the doe managed too wade her way out of the stream and onto the bank. "Was that really necessary?" She demanded of Whisper-of-Wind, her eyes turning to him in a hard, unwavering glare. "I was in the middle of saying something, and you thought it would be... let me guess, funny? To splash water right in my mouth?" The doe rolled her eyes, and let out an exasperated sigh.
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Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 3:34 pm
Now Whisper-of-Wind was red, his cheeks were so flushed with embarrasment that it looked like they were slashed and bleeding. He moved around shiftily in the mud.
"Um... er, no it it waassn't," he said slowly and guiltily," I should... should have be-eeen more ma-ma-matur- Look over there a crocodile!" he yelled and galloped off into bush.
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Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 5:06 pm
Frankly, she was starting to get annoyed. As tempting as it was to not chase after the buck through the brush, Berrybramble didn't know how to just walk away. Taking a deep breath, she began to grumble under her breath, muttering dark and angry words, as she traipsed after the blushing ghostly-white Whisper-of-Wind. She wasn't too sure where she'd find him, or how, but the doe was more than sure that if she followed the trail of damaged and bruised underbrush, that she'd find hims sooner or later.
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