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Posted: Sat Jun 15, 2013 5:48 pm
 Pulling a hoof free from the sticky mud made an awfully loud *SQUELCH*ing sound, the likes of which could likely be heard for some distance around. But Sharkooth wasn't exactly trying to be quiet. The grumpy doe had a less-than-pleasant appearace; usually her snaggletooth and warning growls were more than enough to keep any curious hooves moving. Self-restraint would unfortunately have to be found and employed in spades, though. The doe was on a mission, one of utmost importance and necessity. Her belly had just begun to swell, and though the gentle curve was just that- it was unmistakable. Being of the practical sort, Sharktooth was seeking out one who could provide her children with a little boost. Why wouldn't she? But her patience was not endless, and with each successively difficult step, the expectant mother found her humility waning.
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Posted: Sat Jun 15, 2013 5:59 pm
 Though she tended towards staying with Waltz now, Starburst did make daily treks through the swamp in case she was needed somewhere. She tended to make these journeys as a cheetah since she was just as swift and the smaller form let her take shortcuts that were impossible as a kiokote. She was taking a short break high in a tree, nibbling on a mongoose she had caught, when she felt that feeling that was fast growing familiar. An expectant parent was nearby. Following that feeling with the barely eaten mongoose, Starburst made her way silently through the canopy. She leaped from tree to tree with ease, not even making full use of her jump, until she was standing over the soon to be parent, though she couldn't see her. She was too far up. So she climbed down the trunk of the tree until she walked out on a middling branch and dropped to the ground in front of the doe.
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Posted: Sat Jun 15, 2013 6:07 pm
It would be a lie to say that the doe was not startled and surprised at the sudden appearance of a cheetah. Especially since it dropped so unexpectedly from a nondescript tree. Sharktooth hadn't even noticed a creature lurking in the swamp around her; this whole pregnancy thing was dulling her senses. With a subtle roll of her eyes and grumpy growl, the first-time mother hoped it all went by quickly. So far, it had not been enjoyable. Four cloven hooves came to a stop in the ankle-deep mud, and not happily at all. She shook out her short cream-colored mane and stretched out her neck while lowering her head to sniff at the cheetah. Not at all wary, the doe was very much confident to tussle with the beast if it came to it- no matter her... condition. But she was curious what the cat was doing in her path.
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Posted: Sat Jun 15, 2013 6:21 pm
Paws sunk into the mud, Starburst did her best to hold the mongoose aloft and out of the mud. Not one to care too much about getting muddy, since the swamp seemed perpetually softer than what her naming dream had led her to believe ground should be, she would still rather not have mud on her meal. If Starbust could smile around the mongoose in her mouth, she would have, but as it was, she couldn't so instead she merely tilted her head as the doe sniffed at her. Starburst wondered if the doe recognized her as a legendary and blinked her glowing eyes a few times slowly before deciding to speak. Her voice was kind, cheerful as she generally was, as she projected her thoughts at the doe, "How are you doing today?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 15, 2013 6:31 pm
And if she hadn't known it before, everything clicked into place once Sharktooth heard the cheetah speak. She hadn't ever met a mare or stag before, so she hadn't been quite sure of what to expect. But the words left little room for imagination. Not one to forget respect entirely, Sharktooth dipped her head in a polite manner and took a half-step backwards. The question presented was met with a moment of silence while the doe pondered honestly or sugar-coating- "I've seen better days." Blunt honesty it was. As if Sharktooth had lacked a verbal filter before, the hormones from pregnancy only made the doe more vulgar and uncouth. Granted, her previous comment was mild by any standards, but it certainly had a sharp edge to it which would not be missed by the legendary. "Your day seems significantly better," Sharktooth remarked, indicating the mare's catch. A meal always improved things.
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Posted: Sat Jun 15, 2013 7:04 pm
Nodding, Starburst accepted the doe's answer and the sharp edge to the doe's voice. Muddy hooves and legs along with pregnancy did not make living in the swamp easy sometimes, though Starburst could not remember minding too much. It had merely been a part of her day, to squelch through the swamp and she had never found it difficult to run even with a swollen belly, at least not until the end. As it was though, she understood that not all kin tended towards the more muddy parts of the swamp. It was only through wandering that Starburst herself ended up in those areas instead of staying near the boderlands where the ground was firmer. She hummed softly in acknowledgment of the doe's statement, the sound odd coming from a cheetah and projected her voice into the doe's mind again, "Would your day be improved if you had something to eat?"She edged up a root, pulling her paws out of the mud, at laid the mongoose down and then backed down into the mud. She nodded at it before saying, "If so, please help yourself.Khryssie Sorry about the delay! I was eating dinner! Also, I forgot in the last post that Starburst was projecting her thoughts, so sorry about the double quote as well!
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 5:46 pm
Amorpheous No no no, I am sorry for the delay! I fell asleep, then work happened- and already the day is just about gone. DDD; I also apologize in advance for the shortness. Sharktooth was a creature of habit. She liked things that were predictable, so that she could react accordingly- and win. She liked being the best. The fastest, smartest, most cunning, most ruthless; being pregnant left her feeling frustrated and lost. She never knew how she'd find herself feeling, what with all these surging hormones. It was a wholly new experience, and not one that she was enjoying thus far. For example. Under any normal circumstances, Sharktooth would be more than happy to oblige the cheetah and voraciously devour the offered mongoose. With extra vulgarity to make it a show. But for one reason or another, the doe's stomach turned at the mere mention of eating. "I'm grateful for the offer, really," don't retch, don't retch, don't retch, "but I'm not hungry at all. I snagged a songbird for a snack on my way here. The walk was long." Did obtaining a blessing always involve this much smalltalk? Sharktooth was loathe to offend the mare/cheetah, but she was also wary that her patience might wane entirely if she was forced through too many hoops.
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 6:11 pm
Starburst took the few steps forward to take up the mongoose again since she didn't need her mouth to speak. Tilting her head, she watched the doe for few quick seconds, knowing that the doe was on edge as it was. It was, however, not in Starburst's natures to bless in all cases, if not she would have never revealed herself to the doe. She cared too much for the future children to do so. Having made her decision, Starburst nodded and pressed the question into the doe's mind gently, "Tell me, what worries you most considering the future of your children and why?"She usually does not explain her reasons for asking, but suspects that the doe may be more amendable to the question if offered a reason, "I to find a measure of your heart, but also to bless your children accordingly."Khryssie Don't apologize! Sleep and work are important! And that is not short at all! xD
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 6:24 pm
Amorpheous It always seems so short as I'm writing it xD The feeling of another mind pressing into your own, albeit gently, was not a generally pleasant thing. Especially when Sharktooth had never experienced it before. Quite frankly, it made her skin crawl. Could the mare see her mind, and all her thoughts? Could she wander at will through the winding passages of Sharktooth's complicated and none-too-peaceful tendencies? "I worry that they will be incapable of defending themselves. The world is neither an easy nor a forgiving place. I worry that they might forget who they are, and sacrifice themself in a way they might come to regret later," Sharktooth was a suspicious creature and a tough doe who trusted very few and fought bitterly to gain what little was hers. Her life lacked regrets or resentment. In fact, she was quite pleased with herself and who she was- and only hoped for the same assurance and fierceness in her children. Starburst was right; the explanation behind the question made Sharktooth answer more easily.
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2013 7:39 pm
Starburst is a peaceful doe, but does not begrudge or fear those who are less peaceful than she. As it were though, she did not walk the quiet folds of other kins' minds because all creatures have their own privacy. She listened without moving, simply nodding when the doe was finished. "Certainly the swamp can be harsh place, but it is also kind in ways that we cannot begin the imagine." This was something that Starburst believed easily, perhaps through the luck of never having been confronted by anything except the actions and situations that she could accept and understand as kind or necessary. "May your children be blessed with the ability to always know themselves and to be blessed with the opportunities to make decisions that will lead them to places where they may experience both happiness and satisfaction."Starburst knew that how she meant her blessing was probably not what the doe meant in her desires, but in many ways, children must be allowed to strike out on their own because they are not, and cannot be, their parents. Satisfied that she had done her best to bless the children in a way that was both befitting of the doe and in a way that did not try to remove the hidden, wonderful, unknowable intricacies and fates of the swamp from their futures, Starburst nodded to the doe once more and took a huge bounding leap, much longer than any cheetah could normal take, up into the tops of a nearby tree, disappearing with a flick of her tail. Secretly, as she was racing away, she thought quietly, not projecting to the doe, "And may you, lovely mother, find joy in the swamp where you might otherwise think there are none."To change the living was not in her ability, and truly it was not in her ability to change the fate of those yet unborn if it is not also the will of the MotherFather, but she could make her own wishes that she hoped would be heard by the MotherFather. Khryssie Starburst is not the most obliging legendary at times... >___>
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Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 7:08 am
Amorpheous Haha, thats okay! Sharktooth isn't the easiest of does, anyway. ;] Thank you so much! They actually are kind of cute interacting with one another. xD Sharktooth ought to learn something from this! <3 All too well, Sharktooth knew that her views on the Swamp and its inhabitants were the minority. She was often met with confusion, skepticism, or anger when she chose to speak her mind. It was that reason precisely that she often just kept her mouth shut when it came to her personal opinions. And that in turn led her to often be snarky or rude when the time came to actually share something personal. There were few who were close to the doe, and even fewer who had a like mind. In any case, Starburst's words were both surprisingly and well-met. The doe had not anticipated that the mare would so readily agree to give her a blessing. In all honesty, Sharktooth had expected to share more of her personal beliefs in order to earn the gracious gift. But Starburst gave it rather easily, and her words were of very good intent. Sharktooth had reservations about the bit where her children would make decisions which would lead them to places of happiness and satisfaction- but she kept her mouth shut. It wasn't her place to argue with such a creature, so instead she opened her mouth to give thanks- -and the cheetah had leapt high into a tree and was make a quick retreat. Sharktooth once again shook out her short mane, and mused to herself- what a strange experience.
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