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 Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 10:10 am
 It is a sunny morning in the swamp -- sunny and bright, and cheerful enough -- birdsong is everywhere -- that Wintershadow cannot help but hum along with it. Though is humming is nearly inaudible, a private sort of sound meant only for himself, it is rather good. The buck has a gift for music and song, which would be truly nice, were anyone to ever hear it. The only company he has, and the one who has heard most of his singing, is his son -- though Ends-the-Chase, across the clearing and up to his knees in the tall grasses, seems to ignore it. Whether Chase likes or loathes his father's singing is an unknown; he's never made a comment about it, and perhaps that's a blessing. Not much that comes out of Chase's mouth is as dulcet. A twig snapping somewhere in the ring of mangroves around the clearing makes Shadow's head jerk up; pale hair patters over his neck and back as he shakes it out of his face. This sudden kneejerk reaction makes Chase snort: who cares if anyone hears him hum? It's humming. It isn't important. Wintershadow himself tends to jump at shadows. The pale-haired buck frowns. "I thought I heard something." Even his speaking voice is nice, a well-modulated sort of tenor. If he were more childish he'd roll his eyes at his son, but soon the humming begins again.
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 10:31 am
 She discovered the pair by listening, a past-time the silent doe partook in often. She was quite good at it by now, able to determine gender and number by the fall of the steps. She was able to determine the mood by the frequency of the steps as well, though she wasn't always correct on this. She watched them from her shadow, though her pale coat wouldn't hide her very well and her abundance of hair kept getting tangled in the growth around her. Her ears twitched as she heard the noise they made from their throats. Her stare intensified and she leaned forward, utterly fascinated by the power and difference of voice. This action, however, made a twig snapped and she winced at the loud sound. It may have sounded like a twig simply snapping to them, but to her it sounded as if a tree fell just beside her. She had to check to make sure she really wasn't in any danger. Looking out once more, at the ever closer older buck, his humming reached her ears, making the muscles under her coat shiver. She liked the sound very much, and her gaze locked on the male. She didn't forget the other, she was always aware of the sounds he was making. Curiosity got the better of her and she wandered from her hiding place, heading straight for the subject of her fascination. Her steps were slow, calculating, and they didn't stop until her nose was only a hair's breath from his mouth. She stood like that for a small while, just blinking and wondering. She knew she was probably being too forward and invading space, so she stepped back a few paces and stood as she had before: simply staring.
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 11:16 am
This hauls Wintershadow up short: the humming abruptly stops, choked off. He is suddenly staring down the doe, blinking mildly at her, and does not quite know what to do. From behind him he hears an amused snort come from his son: it is not often that Ends-the-Chase gets to watch all of the steps unfold, ones that end in Wintershadow nearly jumping out of his own skin.
The older buck's voice is mild: cautious, soft, but there is something solid in it, a core of iron. "--can I help you?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 9:40 pm
Her pale eyes continue to stare at him, to take him in. She took her time in responding, and even then it was a simple shake of her head. She let her gaze fall to the other, his son as she guessed by their resemblance. She tilted her head at the darker other, her gaze seeming to burn into the other. Her look was quizzical, but it didn't linger long.
She turned back to the buck standing before her, her head tilted slightly to the side. She strained her neck forward, pointing to his mouth with her nose. She repeated this gesture a few more times before standing back once more, shuffling her hooves and watching him expectantly.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 8:11 pm
"He wants you to sing," Ends-the-Chase supplied helpfully -- he refrained from snorting at his father. Anything that might be misconstrued as negative might send the situation crashing into the mud. And, on some level, Chase did want to see something interesting happen. Life was probably very dull for Wintershadow, as he didn't hunt, or fight, or kill. Or do anything, Chase thought, except sing. And hum. Wintershadow stepped forward, half a pace, ignoring his son -- focusing the entirety of his attention on the doe. "--you want me to sing?" Even his speaking voice was fairly musical. "I will, but first, you have to tell me your name." One side of his mouth had curled up; a smile, for a gentle tease.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:06 pm
Her ears perked forward and a smile lit up her face as she heard the dark one speak her desire. Her tail swept the grass behind her, light, long strands melding with the blades. She liked hearing others talk, but never before has she heard another sing, and she wasn't going to pass up this fascinating opportunity to hear such sounds. She began to nod as the pale one repeated her request, but the smile fell from her lips when he demand her voice be heard. Her brow furrowed as she thought of a way to answer him without making sound. Her smile returned once she'd had a clever idea, nodding to the buck before her. She thought to make it into a guessing game, wondering if he was clever enough to guess. She opened her mouth to speak, and then shook her head, repeating this a few times before once again looking to the buck expectantly.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:58 pm
"Speak .." Wintershadow was horribly self conscious, and for a moment stood in silence, trying to figure out the answer to her guessing game on the first try. He did not want to sit and guess endlessly, especially not in front of Ends-the-Chase (who he just knew, without having to look, was watching with interest). "Speaks Not?"
Close enough, perhaps.
"I'm Wintershadow," he said, ears fanned forward and eyes alight, watching. "That's Ends-the-Chase. And maybe I'll sing," he added, in a singsong fashion.
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 10:30 am
Silence was fairly laughing with excitement, though the sound never uttered forth. He'd guessed close enough to her name, though it was simple enough to figure out. She nodded in greeting and understanding at each of the bucks as their names were revealed. She held herself high, entirely pleased that the 'conversation' was going so well.
The slight lilt to his last bit of speech made her shiver. She danced in her hooves, wanting more. She pleaded him with her eyes, her head ducking down and ears drooping pathetically. She hoped to beseech him, while still being as polite as possible.
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