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 Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 2:19 pm
 The body of the swamp brought solace to many creatures. Cicada songs were a gentle take of breath, crickets and toads together made a steady heartbeat, and birds were a jabbering tongue. All was bright and alive this day, from the steadily growing grass to the brilliant sun overhead. Though some were not subdued by the simple, sun-kissed beauty of the swamp.
An off-step trot broke the serene heartbeat, startling the crickets into silence and urging toads to submerge. This was not the step of a Kimeti. This walk was too clumsy, too unnatural, and dragged behind it was a heavy curtain of sadness and discomfort. The buck made no sound, though his pelt was loud enough, casting strokes of blue and red across the yellow-brown landscape. As the simple creatures mourned the loss of their sound in silence, From Bloody Ashes found sanctuary in the dead of the swamp.
The buck paused, raising his blue and white head to survey the area, content in his lack of companionship - but the familiar scent of an approaching male stopped him in his tracks, pulling From Bloody Ashes onto a new path. He could not see him - though he could most certainly smell him. His usual reaction would be to bolt, but the buck was enamored by the startling presence, one as still and proper as his own. He made no attempt to advance on the stranger, remaining still and straight-legged over a patch of moss.
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Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 7:41 am
 Nettle was...dignified. If he had to choose one word to describe himself, it would almost certainly be 'dignified'. He was the picture of a proper Kimeti, calm and quiet and carefully judgmental, eyes on the world around him to pick out everything wrong and struggle to correct it. He kept his head upright and his back straight and his home nice and tidy. He introduced order into the world. He set an example for the youngsters, showing them that they could hold themselves with aplomb. The problem was, one couldn't be like that all the time without going completely insane. So maybe, yes, sometimes Nettle would find a sort of...less popular region of the swamp, somewhere not many people wandered, areas quiet with dead branches and whistling winds. Haunting places that drove the foals off, that the colts and fillies would only enter upon a dare, and that the adults avoided because they had no reason to waste their time. And there, maybe, possibly, he let his guard down. Just a little. So poor Ashes, expecting Nettle in all of his proper, upright, example-setting glory, instead stumbled upon the usually still and calm Kimeti belly-up in a puddle of particularly damp mud, spotted with the stuff and wriggling to get at some scratch at the small of his back.
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Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 11:50 am
The Buck's ears went flat with surprise; From Bloody Ashes was most definitely not expecting such a dignified air from this childish display. He felt somewhat embarrassed, retaining his prim and proper posture while his head drifted to the left and ever closer to his shoulder. Was he really seeing a creature twice his age roll about in the mud only several steps ahead? Was he mad? He was absolutely ruining his coat.
With a face made for mimicking, Ashes' expression was most likely that of an owl, wide eyed and confused. Still, despite the scene before him, he did not make a sound. Instead, he made his way closer, until he was no more than a stones throw from the mud spotted Kimeti. There he continued his scrutinizing gaze, inspecting the buck as if the events leading up to this were imprinted on his scales.
Ashes felt a wave of shame roll over his frame and settle in his belly, which he pacified by pulling his gaze away from the unusual sight, instead focusing on the droplets of mud the Buck was sending haphazardly across the way. It wasn't until a big, chunky splatter nearly stained the white of his foreleg that the blue buck withdrew, snapping a root on his way, and nearly tripping over his perfect, elegant legs.
Even as he landed flat on his rump, the Kimeti did not make a sound - save for a rather unattractive 'THUMP!' as his back end hit the dirt.
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Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:19 am
The thump was enough -- enough to make Nettle, now thoroughly encased in muck, actually blink and lift his head, seeking out the source of that noise. His breath held, the panic was clear in his expression...especially as golden eyes landed on the voyeur off to one side.
Of course, by now Ashes himself was splattered with mud. Not as much as poor Nettle, perhaps, but the glowing white of his coat was stained through with flecks of dark brown and black.
Nettle rolled and wriggled, in a frantic sort of way, to get back to his feet. Thoroughly graceless, his own eyes wide enough to match Ashes, and once he was up he looked about ready to beat it out of there.
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Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 11:46 am
Ashes would have been frightened by the manic appearance of the mud-covered Buck if he hadn't been so apathetic. Still, his owl-like eyes were wide with curiosity for reasons unknown. It was just a silly Buck, after all, why so intrigued? Ashes took a moment to survey the stranger, raising slowly from the dirty earth as he did so, stretching out his legs, though he didn't shake the dirt from his coat just yet.
Instead, he continued staring at the unusual Buck, almost intensely. Finally, long since the initial encounter, Ashes let out a huff. A trail of dust shot from his nostrils, his expression as stern as ever, though the way his brows sloped always made him appear concerned. He just couldn't take it anymore, he had to ask.
In a soft, velvet-wrapped voice, the following phrase left the buck's unusually still mouth. "What exactly is wrong with you?" It was a simple question, and delivered with good intention, not the slightest bit of venom in the blue buck's tone.
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Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 8:57 am
"Nosey Kimeti!" It exploded out of Nettle, suddenly, in a huff -- touched with an edge of indignant 'harrumph!' and with just enough poise returning to him that he could glare at Ashes instead of just gaping. And, slowly, it was getting even better, his whole expression going toward indignant and his hackles raised.
"Nosey Kimeti! Moving silently through the swamps! Spying on strangers!" Oh, this was better. Back in his element. Nettle shook himself again, sending more mud flying, and took just another moment to catch his breath.
"...and not helping someone who has clearly fallen in the mud." Fallen. Right. Good save.
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Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 12:08 pm
Ashes closed an eye as an explosion of mud and voice spattered the dirt around him. He took a step back, Ears upright as he swallowed the whole of Nettle's accusations. He was indeed moving silently, save for his unusual thumping limp, and he was watching - but nosy? Well, yes, perhaps nosy. But definitely not on purpose.
The startled Kimeti's tail was now wavering between his back legs, his head abruptly tilting to catch a view of the still-stranger's mostly clean underside. "I'm sorry, elder, but..." In another burst of genuine curiosity, the emotionless voice quietly called, "How did you fall on your back?"
This was shaping up to be an interesting feat!
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Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 8:27 am
The immediate reaction was breathless fury -- or, perhaps, worry. It was...it was an excellent question. How had Nettle fallen on his back? Ashes could almost certainly watch the ideas flit through his eyes while he fished for an appropriate response. It had to be dignified and proper and also believable. All three things wrapped up in one...
"There was a horsefly." And that certainly wasn't any of the above. Oh well. Too late now. He said it with conviction, at least, still scowling at Ashes.
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Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 8:38 am
The Blue Kimeti expelled a breath, though no laugh escaped with it. It was an empty sound, one often following complete and utter befuddlement, and this showed in the Kimeti's brows, which were now squishing against his eyes to create a flat, solid expression of perplexity. One could tell by the way Ashes lips moved without words and his eyes gazed upward that he was playing this situation out in his mind. Surely, the buck couldn't have- no, he didn't even know where to begin with this one.
His legs shifted uncomfortably; he would never doubt an elder's story...right? So, by that simple fact, he took the statement as true - regardless of the little sense it made. "Oh-" Began the Buck, intelligently. "Of...course. I'm sorry, elder." With that, he lowered his muzzle to the earth, laughter in his eyes - though he made an enormous job of hiding it. "It didn't bite you, I hope?"
The blue buck raised his head, his expression all giggled out, lightly grazing Nettle with his eyes. "Shall I check for stings?" The gentle buck offered, his feet sturdy on the earth, though his tail was now flicking idly behind his back hooves.
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Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 8:42 am
For his troubles, he got splattered again with mud as Nettle shook himself violently, trying to clean himself up some at least. He was mostly brown now, only hints of grey poking out here and there, orange at the tip of his ear -- and his stomach almost blindingly white against it, virtually unscathed. Now he needed a swim, definitely, so he limped off awkwardly to his left in search of somewhere deep enough.
Ashes could follow or not. Up to him.
"...I think I got it soon enough." If he had noticed the laughter, the teasing...well, no. If he'd noticed he would've said something, and Ashes would likely have gotten quite a tongue lashing...
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Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 8:51 am
Again the buck was pelted in mud, an unsightly chunk of the muck obscuring his red-stained chest. He shivered at the contact, failing to shake it from the awkward place. The weight of the hunk was quite obvious, and in revulsion, he followed behind the grumpity Kimeti, sure of his intentions. And, if he wasn't headed to clean off, then he could just bark at Ashes a bit more and he'd be on his way.
Ashes kept a fine distance between the two of them, his eyes settling on the drops of mud Nettle left behind with every step. It wasn't until they had been traveling for nearly a minute that Ashes picked up on the others similar walking style. It would be rude to point it out, but the buck simply couldn't resist. It wasn't very often he met a Kimeti, especially one with a gait like his own.
"Do you have a bad leg, elder?" The Kimeti called, just loud enough for the other to hear. His own awkward, hop-along back leg ushered him forward, closing the space between them until the two were shoulder to shoulder...Nettle slightly in front, of course. He suddenly buttoned up, considering that the walk was unintentional - he had half a chance of looking like quite an eager fool.
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Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 1:23 pm
Nettle's head twisted, shaking mud from his ears with twitchy little gestures, and he frowned again Ashes -- again. The most recent recipient of his displeasure. It was unending.
"No." He was just...damp. Soggy. Weighed down by the caked-on mud and perhaps a little stiff in the joints. After all, he wasn't as young as he'd once been.
Wait. Had he ever been young?
He looked back with a shiver down his spine, fur all raised. It wasn't that far to the relatively clear water, a spot where he could wade in. Cold -- but not much to be done about that.
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Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 4:32 pm
The tension flowing from the older buck was thick in the air, and Ashes slowed his trot. He remained head to shoulder with the brown-stained buck, ears flattened and eyes again round and owlish. He was somewhat self-conscious, realizing that the other was not too fond of his companionship. Still, he had not been dismissed, and he wouldn't be leaving until he was told.
Be it his solitary attitude or that intimate moment he caught of the buck's more innocent side, Ashes couldn't willingly abandon the grumpy Kimeti, whose mere presence was somehow familiar. ...What was he called, anyway? How rude, to ask so many questions and not introduce yourself.
"Elder," He began plainly. Unfortunately a butterfly caught his eye, distracting Ashes enough to pull him off trail and toward the fluttering white object. "... would look at that." Not the intended statement, but still, the buck was enamored with the pretty winged creatures, leaping toward the fluttering insect eagerly. Strangely enough, his expression was still motionless, save for those curious eyes.
Fortunately the bug hovered only a stone's throw from the cold water, and Ashes had his hooves submerged in the pool long before Nettle reached it. He stretched his snout upward, eager to touch the wavering insect.
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Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 9:09 am
The first word dissolved into a rush of water as Nettle ducked his head under, rinsing away the loosest bits of mud. It brought some of the grey of his coat into sight, patches of orange here and there, white around the edges..
When he came up, Ashes was gone. Nettle frowned and twisted, finally catching sight of him -- chasing a butterfly like a colt. One of his eyebrows went up and he just settled in to watch. This was payback, wasn't it? Embarrassing moment for embarrassing moment...
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Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 1:47 pm
Ashes did not lose interest in the fluttering white until he attempted to prod it with his snout, sending it into the sky in panic. He watched it climb, a lonesome feeling filling his chest. He had always felt so close to the tiny creatures, but they never wanted anything to do with him. The buck was far too big, and much too noisy - besides, he didn't have wings. He was some sort of freaky moving tree to them, and nothing more. "I never can get close enough..." From Bloody Ashes managed, just loud enough for the other to hear, his brows arched curiously.
The blue buck sighed, finally leaving the scene and inching toward the cold water. He wasn't the type to jump right in and get it over with. Was he relishing every moment of life, or simply a coward? Regardless, the buck was clean, and seemingly unaffected by his child-like moment. Again his voice raised, his now dripping frame standing on soggy earth, face motionless save for an eagerly moving jaw. "I'm sure you're called something wise and promising." Said the buck, ears upright and head somewhat drooping. "What name has the mother chosen for you, elder?"
He was quite chipper in the company of Nettle. Any passer-by who saw the sad looking buck trading pleasantries with an obviously flustered one could easily see where this was headed. The blue buck was better off sticking his hoof in his mouth and lopping away awkwardly before the older buck chased him off in annoyance.
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