[WP01] Maple Milk

[theCorniest]

18: nectar snack

She's hardly expecting to be sent on errands when she at last brings the feathers that fool Vexed plucked to Never Idle. However, Maple is very understanding - a favor must be paid for with a favor, after all, and most of the list sounds easy for even a rickety old fart like her to manage, providing the materials can first be located.

The first notable thing she found, while delicious, couldn't exactly be brought to Never Idle or his hungry pets, so Maple made sure to put it to good use.  

[theCorniest]

33: bees

Maple Milk backed away from the telltale buzzing very slowly. Beeswax was on the list, but like hell would she suffer for Never Idle's gain. No, the best way to liberate the wax would be to enlist some help...



... Which was promptly procured and brought back. "The plan is relatively simple," Maple told her recruit. "Kick the hive and run, preferably fast."  

[Tiarana]

Courser nodded enthusiastically because nobody had ever told her to be suspicious of old ladies, and besides, she suspected this doe might be her grandmother. And she was pretty sure one should always help their grandmother. With a whoop she bounced up to the hive, gave it a kick firm enough to knock it over and expose...bees, and got the heck out of dodge.

Later, while her mother picked stings out of her hide, she would point out that her mother was dead.  

[theCorniest]

20: friendly banter

And easy as you please, away with the bees and hello to the wax. Well, not all the bees, of course, and Maple did get a very few stings, but she got wax enough to please Never Idle, so that came out as a net win.

With the wax delivered, however, Maple felt she had had enough for one day, and retired someplace overgrown and shady for the night.  

[Tiarana]

A Kiokote buck happened to spot the old lady while she bunked down for the night. He couldn't just leave some old fogey alone - after all, kiokote valued family above all else! Elders, Melt felt, should be respected. Thus it was that Maple Milk would find the fluffy kiokote crawling in next to her with a mumbled "hello" and a "Can I get anything for you this evening?"

Well, Melt was Melt, after all.  

[theCorniest]

"Yes, you can get away from me," Maple hissed, swelling with indignation. How dare this strange kiokote cuddle with her without so much as a by-your-leave?  

[Tiarana]

"But aren't you cold? You look cold. You feel cold!" Ignoring her indignation, Melt snuggled in all the closer. "Surely a venerable kin like yourself would rather have all the warmth you can get?"  

[theCorniest]

"Flattery won't get you anywhere," Maple growled, completely in contradiction past evidence. "I was perfectly comfortable, thank you very much," she added, suppressing a shiver - of OUTRAGE, not cold. Maple was not cold. It was a lovely spring evening and Maple definitely was NOT cold.  

[Tiarana]

"Well, if you say so," Melt said cheerfully, and completely refused to move. "But I think I'll stay right here anyway." He lay his head down, a clear sign he fully intended to sleep right there.  

[theCorniest]

15: snake skin

Maple let out a long, soft hiss of frustration, which congealed into a single word at the end;

"Fine."

She grumpily settled back down, turning away from the stranger to signal an unwillingness to converse further, which was bolstered by her determined, stony silence. Damned if he didn't make a good sleeping companion, though - all that long fur trapped heat like nothing else. The night was much cozier than it could have been.


The next morning, Maple woke early and left abruptly to continue her search. The first item of note she found was a shed snakeskin, which she disregarded. Her lovely Bleeding Heart had caught the knack of shedding tidily, and she had more snake skins than she knew what to do with, frankly.  

[theCorniest]

27: grave

Next, she wandered across the remains of a long-dead kin. She didn't bother to read the name etched on the tree, and simply walked groggily on, vaguely hoping to find more of those sweet flowers.  

[theCorniest]

19: raven

"Work faster! Work faster!"

Maple spun, fear and anger mixing in her blood, launching her headlong into wakefulness. The masked stag was nowhere to be seen - only a raven, she realized, and relaxed her muscles with an exasperated sigh. Ravens were supposedly quite smart, but as far as she could tell, the only trick they had on her Mildew was that they could mimic speech. Somewhat impressive, but almost never used constructively.

Bitterly but silently cursing, Maple moved on, relieved she didn't have to endure the wrath of another stag.  

[theCorniest]

16: lynx skull

"More bones," Maple yawned. "How dull."  

[theCorniest]

24: log rolls down the stairs, rolls over in pairs, rolls over the neighbor's dog

At last, Maple came across something useful - a shapely, but unwieldy, piece of timber. There was no way she could move it, not even with someone to help her. She really did hate to seek out others so early in the day, but there was obviously no choice in the matter.  

[Samuel Carlin]

Eating Fireflies was already up and making his usual rounds, so stopping to help the mare was no sweat off his back, skin off his nose, or anything in between. He was only too glad to help. That was what he was meant to do, after all.

Kitty Sprightt