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 Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 8:50 am
 It was definitely about that time and Hallowfell was giddy with the prospects of marli and fatherhood. The small, yet agile buck was ready to strut his stuff and have tussles with the other males to win the affections of a pretty, little doe.
Of course, a few he had had his eye on had already been claimed. Especially the lovely Zoysia, but he would have her eventually, one day.
Still, the fact that she had been claimed by another had not deterred him any and he kept a sharp eye out for any females that did catch his interest. The buck was outside of the warren, resting in the warm glow the sun cast down that late morning. It was comfortable and he felt at ease as he nibbled a dew laden shoot here and there.
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Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 10:04 am
 Foxglove could smell the fresh, crisp spring air as she made her way out of the warren. However, instead of lifting her spirits, as it usually did, she found that this morning it conjured thoughts of loneliness and disgust. Already she saw bucks courting does, and the swollen bellies of females heading into motherhood. The entire idea of courtship and pregnancy did not appeal to her in the slightest, and she found herself rather annoyed by persistant bucks that came to her seeking exactly that.
It wasn't that she didn't like kittens. In fact, she loved them: loved watching them play or happily chasing them through the tall grass. But the process of getting them had always bothered her. It seemed to her that with lapine couples, a buck left the doe once her litter arrived. Sometimes he didn't even wait that long. She found herself thinking about it as she headed toward a small bush, nibbling idly at the berries and leaves she found on the ground. Perhaps if she found a nice buck who wasn't purely set on either mating or having a litter, someone who wanted at least a little more... then the idea of her entering marli-hood was a possibility.
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Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 10:14 am
A forever mate was not something that Hallowfell had ever taken seriously. The buck was no longer considered young, but he certainly wasn't old. He was in his prime and the urge to reproduce ruled his thoughts and actions, as it did with all creatures around breeding season.
A fling was neither above or below him and he was perfectly fine if he didn't have a forever mate, unless someone changed his mind about the entire situation. Chances were he would still spread his seed to other does in the future.
As he sat and mulled over the situation int he warming sun, he couldn't help but to notice the rather dour doe that had emerged from the warren. Her unhappiness was what stirred him to move from his spot and hop slowly towards her, after checking for Elil in the area. Mating season or not, he hated to see a doe upset.
"Y'alright, miss?" He asked as he nipped a fresh grass shoot from between his paws.
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Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 10:28 am
Lost in her own thoughts, Foxglove hadn't noticed the approaching buck. She jumped slightly as he spoke to her but worked to regain her composure, settling onto her hind legs to making herself feel taller. His unusual fur pattern and battered body piqued her intrest greatly, and she politely avoided staring at the tag on his ear. She'd have to ask him about that later, after a proper introduction.
"Hello there," she said softly, pausing for a moment to clean the berry juice from her face. "Alright? Well, yes, I suppose. Just a bit annoyed with and jealous of all the couples I've been seeing."
Foxglove eyed the male, surprised that she found his scars almost attractive. Offhandedly, she wondered how many does he'd made into mothers already, and whether he was aiming to do the same with her. Still, she wouldn't bring herself to be rude or disrespectful to the buck if it turned out he was; she couldn't be upset with anyone for following their natural instincts. The urge to breed for a rabbit came just as strongly as the urge to hunt them for a fox.
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Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 10:37 am
He backed a few pawsteps away, feeling a bit annoyed with himself for startling her, but she seemed to settle down quite quickly and he shoved his self chastising comments away into the back of his mind and offered her a sheepish grin.
"I 'ear ya, miss. Ain't a nice feelin', what wi'bein' on the sidelines an' whatnot." He leaned back onto his haunches and peered around them and, indeed, many bucks and does were pairing off and "what not," as he had put it. His half ear swiveled to the side, while his full one stood erect and listening. He wasn't a massive buck by any means, but he was swift and quick thinking.
"Though life, it goes on, aye." He added softly and winked his brown eye at her. She certainly was a pretty one, so he didn't understand exactly why she was mateless. He didn't smell any illness or detect any defects. Her coat was beautiful. What was it, then?
"An' I cain't 'elp but t'be wonderin' what yer alone for, anywhoo. Yer certainly a pretty one. Bucks ought t'be all over you."
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Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 2:36 pm
Foxglove couldn't hide her smile as the male winked at her, finding herself caught up in his flattery. Ignoring the forboding little voice in the back of her mind, she moved a bit closer to the charming buck.
"Thank you. I must admit, I've been avoiding venturing out too often since spring arrived. I'm not too fond of one-night stands, and it seems that's all most bucks are after." She frowned then, embarassed at her wording. "Oh, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to imply that... that you were..." She tripped over her words and eventually gave up, hoping her apologetic smile would be enough for...
... What was his name? She realized, sheepishly, that they hadn't yet exchanged names. "I'm Foxglove, by the way," she added, a larger smile creeping over her lips again.
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Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 2:52 pm
"Who c'n blame ya? Or them f'that matter. S'just na'tral and all." He replied, but still wore a grin. He appeared almost sheepish, but wasn't bothered by her words and folded a paw over his full ear, cleaning it briefly. The situation clearly bothered her and although he couldn't despise the other bucks, or himself, for wanting to mate, he could understand where she came from. There was a sense of duty within himself to help raise the kittens he fathered. He wanted to keep them from making similar mistakes as he had done when he was younger.
"They ought t' atleast care for th'marli an' their kittens, though, y'know? An' anywhoo, s'alright. I don't take offense or anythin.' R'gardless, m'name is Hallowfell. S'a pleasure t'meet you, Foxglove."
He made a point of tucking her scent and name away into his memory, in the off chance that he met her again, unaware that she would play a more prominent role in his very near future.
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Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 9:07 pm
"Yeah... natural," she agreed absentmindedly, warming up to the idea a bit. She felt herself growing more and more fond of Hallowfell, a buck she hardly knew. And yet a small voice nagged her in the back of her mind. It's too good to be true. Don't get caught up in his lies. He'll just use you. Do you want to end up like your mother? She shifted her weight from one side to another, doing her best to hide her feeling of uneasiness at the thought. Her mother...
Shaking her head as if to literally clear her thoughts, she began to smile once more at Hallowfell. "The pleasure is all mine. Now that we're aquainted, why don't we do something together if you didn't have any plans?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 10:59 am
He leaned back on his haunches for a moment, taking view of their surroundings once more, then plopped back down on all fours and scratched swiftly at another itch that had surfaced on his side.
"I've really no plans f'th'day, miss." He replied with a broad grin and a small nod of his splotched, scarred head. "I'd love 't 'ave somethin' t'do. What say we look fer somethin' tasty down yonder? Usually some good flay down there." He asked as he finished pawing at the itch and sat still, waiting on a reply from the lovely doe.
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Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 5:50 pm
"Mm, that sounds nice," she agreed, gazing intently at the male with a gentle smile. "Lead the way." Foxglove watched the buck, waiting patiently for him to show her to the flay he'd spoken of. It would be nice to have something to eat other than rotten berries.
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