[B] A Sacrifice Must be Made (Remake the World x Bitter Heartbeat)

[fluo]

Remake the World was a fastidious, thorough doe. As she surveyed the fruits of her labor, she noted with pride the selection- ripe peaches, succulent hairless peaches, fantastic plums, smooth apricots, and a curious mixture of the latter two. For a journey, adequate preparation was required. For an ambling search with no clear directions, paths, or landmarks, it was tantamount that one be prepared! And of course, when this certain kimeti doe met a Legendary, it was important to show proper gratitude. And that was why Remake the World took off into the early morning with a staggering amount of stonefruit. She wasn't the one expecting and could make the journey. She whistled a jaunty tune and stayed close to the shaded trees among the river bank.

[anemosagkelos]

It felt rare to roam the swamp in his caiman form, thought it wasn't, not really. It was just that he was often seen in his minibear form. It had it's advantages when it came to naps and cuddles and not terrifying most creatures. Although every now and then he would meet a creature that would notice he was less likely to chomp them into a meal. Today, it was simply that minibears tended to be less inclined for the swampy, muddy landscape he found himself traversing.

He had originally set off to try and meet up with his descendent, but then the feeling had started to scratch behind his scales. He took a left and slipped into a wide stream that he could lazily propel himself up towards the kin in question.

[fluo]

Remake the World heard a splash nearby and decided to investigate. Was a kin washing some fruits or vegetables nearby? Did a honey hive fall into the waters? Was it a calculated effort or by chance? Not that she was the type to be distracted easily, but the splash did sound interesting.

The Kimeti doe found herself eyeing what looked like two bruised apples swimming through the waters. Except fruits didn't swim, nor did they have shiny orbs affixed to them. She peered too close to the ledge that she toppled forward and so did all of her fruit. Splash, into the water they went along with a mortified, clumsy doe.

"OH NO. MY FRUITS"

[anemosagkelos]

He would have tutted, if caimans could have done so, but instead he let out a low grumble. He hadn't meant to alarm the doe.

"We'll gather them once we get you steady," Bitter Heartbeat reassured as he shifted from caiman form into stag form to brace her flailing form. "Take a breath, find your footing; it's not so deep for a full grown kimeti," he smiled and straightened his legs to show that it was not going to drown either of them.

[fluo]

Several things could be true at once: Remake the World was beyond ecstatic to be expecting with a lovely doe. And Remake the World wished immensely with all her might that a fissure would open up and swallow her whole. This day wasn't going at all how she expected. Though, if she were fair and not embarrassed beyond belief, she would find humor in the situation and nothing about what transpired with the doe and leading up to now was anything calculated or even possible up until recently. She was thrown for a loop and it was one happy surprise after the other. She tried to latch on the gratitude. It could have gone a lot worse! The caiman could have bitten her. Instead, she found what she sought: a legendary.

She peered closer as discreetly as she could. Thankfully, this form's teeth were less sharp and threatening. It had to be a legendary because what else could shift from caiman to kin so quickly!?

She caught her breath while her thoughts raced. As the buck before her was right- she caught her footing and the water was warm and pleasant after all. She gently shook her face to dispel the droplets on her face. There. She was almost as presentable as one could be in such a situation.

"Hello, fancy meeting you here today. I'm Remake the World. I am going to start collecting the fruit now. Hopefully they aren't too bruised."

[anemosagkelos]

"Will a bruise ruin these fruits?" he asked as he turned and waded easily through the waters. He let his tail sit against water's surface and curled it as he went by fruits to pull them into the curve that acted as a basket.

It was a bit over the top, her concern for the fruit, but then he often found that kin had an idea of how they would meet a Legendary. He didn't often find out their vision until after he had met them which meant that few ever had that ideal meeting come true. If it included, for this doe, a mass amount of fruits, he was willing to help.