Tiptoe walked quietly amongst the little saplings that were his to tend, careful with where he placed his hooves and even more careful of where his weight was placed because he would not want to indirectly damage the roots. Planter walked behind him with long, crane steps, following without a sound behind his quiet, careful master. They often spent their days like this, their understanding coming in silence rather than spoken commands, or even those given by a toss of the head or a flick of a tail. They both knew their duty to the tribe and they performed it well, content with their place in life, proud of the work they accomplished.They rarely left the plots of land that they tended to, only leaving when they needed to find seedlings and plants to supplement what they had on tribe grounds. It was during one of these expeditions that they had met Epiphany and her stargazing ways. She was never meant to be with The Vale, too in love with her stars to tend or destroy as needed, but she had been quiet and rather beautiful in the moonlight and when he left her sleeping the next day, he returned to tribe lands with his cuttings and continued his work.
Perhaps that is why he was surprised when he sees a cheetah with glowing eyes lurking at the edge of his plot, studying him with a small smile stretched across its sharp teeth. Though he didn't show it, he would have injured the saplings otherwise, he was surprised when her voice echoed into his head, "Congratulations."
He did not reply right away, but finally he asks, "I am to be a father?"
"You are! Again, congratulations!"
He pauses, and speaks quietly with a dip of his head, "Thank you."
If he had known that Epiphany was with child, he would have gone to Woodspider for a blessing, but here he was with a cheetah staring at him intently. "If it is your will, I would be honored if you were to bless my children for I would not have known about them otherwise."
"Answer this question first: Why do you stand amongst these saplings instead of other kin?" She looked at him and he knew that she thought him lonely and sad.
"They are my children as much as those that grow within Epiphany. They are my charges and the Swamp needs them. I am happy to live out my days amongst them because when I am long dead, they will survive beyond me and bring life to the Swamp all around us. I do not value other kin any less because of this, but this is my place in the life of the Swamp."
"Very well," she sighed, soft and affectionate even though she did not know him. "May your children be as dedicated as their father is to whatever it is they choose to value and let them find contentment, peace, and happiness with their their choice."
With that, the cheetah leaped away and Tiptoe spent the rest of his day, gently pruning the saplings. He would seek out Epiphany when the time came for he to travel for his tribe once more.
