[PRP] Our Story Continues… [My Journey]

[Ruriska]

This was familiar ground. Journey halted and lifted his head, seeking the sky through the interlocking branches above. It had not been intentional. He had simply let his hooves guide him, letting the pull that was inside keep him going in whatever direction it wished. He began moving forward, slowly this time. Yes, he remembered and it brought a smile to his handsome face. Memories of a pale doe and stories that wove from his past to the present dominated his mind. It made sense for him to have come back now and he hoped she would still be there. There! Up ahead it was revealed, its colourful ornaments blowing in the wind.

Journey had returned to the feather tree.

[Journey and Vexed first, yes? Then surprise, kids!]  

[Jun D]

Vexed had been fixing a few new feathers between the leaves, rather high in the branches, when the sound of light hooves reached her ears.

"Jff a momnd!" she called as best she could, jaws tight around the vine she was winding, "'m up h're!" A twist, a pull, a critical inspection, then she was hopping from mangrove limb to limb, back down to the ground. "Sorry, I was just - OH."

It wasn't anyone she had been expecting. It was not any of her regular companions. It was a face she hadn't been sure she'd ever see again.

It was Journey.

(Yes~ Will all of the kids drop by? (Maybe if they were supposed to meet up with their mom today or something...) I'm wondering in which order Journey should meet them - Bitten first would either be the worst, the funniest, or both, I can't decide. XD)  

[Ruriska]

He had reached the base of the tree and was waiting as she made her way down to the ground. Their last meeting had been forever ingrained on his heart; a bright memory to be called upon when his limbs were trembling with exhaustion and he was beaten down by the constant strain of travel.

Journey showed no sign of those tribulations this day as he dipped his head in greeting, warm gaze never leaving her face. "An unexpected return for us both, but I hope you don’t mind… I would be glad to share your company again." He flashed a charming grin. "There are many more tales to share."


((Let’s make it Bitten first! xD I always imagine Keep True following Story around because she is an over-protective sistah. So, if that’s okay, maybe they can arrive together? And then Journey leaves and Nomad arrives right after, so he can shed more emo tears and run after daddy. Haha. ))  

[Jun D]

He looked just as she remembered, free and agile, lithe and winsome, the warmest eyes she had ever known. And his voice - mesmerising as it had been that day of stories...and that night. Truth be told, she had daydreamed of a reunion often, wistfully and glad: their time together had brought her a peace she had never before had the luxury of knowing; many gifts, many joys. Unfortunately, some of those gifts...um. He probably had not known about.

"There is nothing I would love more than your company, and more of your tales," she said, and she meant it with all of her heart, "I now also have some tales to share...but, uh. I'm not sure if you'd like them." This, she also meant. |:

(Alright! One more back-and-forth and Bitten can come and shock his dad with his...unusual condition, then the girls can rehabilitate his notion of fatherhood. XD I love the thought of Keep True being all protective of Story! Let's do! And...oh man. Nomad. XD)  

[Ruriska]

A brilliant smile followed by a curious tilt of his head. "I would love to hear them… and I am sure I will enjoy any tale you have to tell." He had no inkling of what their time together had produced and he waited patiently, gaze thoughtful.  

[Jun D]

"Uhm...uh...well," she squirmed, "you know, that night when...well. It's kind of a hard story to tell -"

Yet one couldn't really say whether the very apt interruption could be considered in any way a blessing:  

[Maxx D]

"Mother!" A vibrant voice sang through the foliage, piercing in its clarity. The source followed soon after - an acha light on his feet, mock-stumbling through the bushes. "Mother, it's been such a terrible day. You know that doe I told you about? We were doing so well, chatting and flirting and oh Swamp I got up close, and found her dapples to be..." He shuddered visibly, and sighed. "asymmetrical! And one of them is shaped like a mango. It's dismal. Once I saw it I couldn't keep my eyes off it, and once I couldn't keep my eyes off it, I couldn't bring myself to stay. Ugh."  

[Jun D]

"...that's one of them," she concluded, lamely. It was not, she considered, the best of introductions.  

[Ruriska]

There was a brief moment where Journey simply stared at the younger buck that was unquestionably his offspring. It had been bound to happen sooner or later. Perhaps it already had somewhere along a trail he would never walk again.

Questions flittered through Journey’s mind, each one vying for attention. “How many?” He eventually asked Vexed. Taking the revelation in stride, the surprise had become a calm curiosity.

“Mangoes,” he mused as he watched his son, “are one of my favourite fruits.”

[[ one of them is shaped like a mango. I may or may not have just buried my face in my hands to stop from laughing out loud and freaking every in the office out. ]]  

[Maxx D]

Bitten ceased his skittering and regarded the only other acha present at the moment - his eyes flickered up and down, and he grinned.

"Why, hello Father!"

He followed up dismissively. "Mangoes are alright, but still simply a freakish marking especially when the rest of them are smooth, like pebbles..." Another shudder at the recollection of the poor doe. "Not all though, and not enough. Ugh."

He trotted up to him, peered closer, looked down at himself and nodded approvingly. "I must thank you Father, for being so impeccably symmetrical and complementary with Mother's pristine whiteness - why, if I were like those poor creatures out there cursed with so many imperfections, I wouldn't be able to bear it. I would simply kill myself." His emphases were heavy-handed with Acha-esque flourish, but his glazed-over gaze was dead serious.  

[Jun D]

”Four,” she said, weighing up whether this was a fortunate development or otherwise. Otherwise, she decided, adding a little primly, ”forgive him, this one’s not right in the head.”  

[Maxx D]

"Mother!" He started on his hooves again, shaking his head dramatically - and did a little about-turn to his father once more, adding chattily: "it's just that obsessive compulsiveness, you know! It can't be helped, like Mother and her feathers, and numbers, and all those things. I'm only bothered by one," he said chipperly, "markings, is all! Just one thing, but alas, it plagues me so! I've had to give up on so many does."  

[Ruriska]

“That is unfortunate.” Journey said smoothly, though as to whether it was meant for the mango marked doe or his son’s odd compulsion was uncertain

He offered Vexed a quick reassuring smile. “I hope to meet the others very soon.” The buck eyed his son thoughtfully. “What is your name?”  

[Maxx D]

"Oh indeed!" He exclaimed, immediately assuming that it was in sympathy and liking his father much better already. "The Motherfather deemed me 'Bitten By the Tailfly' - 'Bitten', Father," he said informatively. "The does think it's funny."

[Bring in the girls anytime you’re comfortable, Ruri!]  

[Ruriska]

“We’re back.” A voice called, its owner hidden by the brush. There was a rustle of bushes and a strong body began to push itself into view, only to stop, alert to potential danger. The Kimeti doe shifted instinctively to hide whoever was behind her, until with a soft gasp, she realized who the newcomer is. Vexed had spoken of him so often it seemed like any day he would come waltzing into their life, and here he was.

“Story", she said quietly as she looked back behind her with a smile, "our father has returned.”

[Hideous post fixed! Go Story. <3 Journey will react after.]