[B] Soon [Distant Thunder x Pale Rook ]

[Maxx]

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft] Having a particular sense that his Motherfather-given duty would be calling today, Distant Thunder had gently nuzzled his mate a tender goodbye at dawn, travelling inwards from the sea, past sand and the prickly brush to arrive in the thick of the swamp by late morning. He had taken it easy for the first few hours, ambling about with trust in his instincts that would guide him to whoever it was he sought, and had even taken a few fruiting berry sprigs along the way in his wait.

Now it was late afternoon, and the sprigs in his mouth were decidedly somewhat more wilted than before after having been carried around in the hot midday sun. Distant Thunder, in all of his self-assured confidence, was starting to feel somewhat concerned about the lack of appropriate kin he had encountered thus far. He had intended to start on his journey back to the seaside by sunset, but his day turned out to be scheduled in a far less convenient way than he had hoped.

Perhaps he had been enjoying his journey too much, picking up bits and bobs while assuming his goal would be fulfilled soon enough. Perhaps he had been meandering too much for his unknown target to find him. If wandering around hadn't worked out, perhaps it was time for him to sit and stay.

Somewhat consterned, Distant Thunder plonked down heavily on some mossy ground, and morosely started on the deflated berry twigs. He would just have to find something else to bring to Distant Tidings later.

[Jun]

[imgright]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgright]Perhaps the reason why wandering around hadn't worked out for Thunder was that his unknown target had also spent all day wandering around - though Pale Rook hadn't been enjoying himself at all. He was nonplussed, flummoxed, discombobulated - confused, and none of these were feelings he enjoyed. He was used to being two steps ahead, and now it felt he was a lifetime behind. He remembered little of the night, and hadn't really had the best of times in what he did - which made what was to come even less worth it, he rather suspected, than it usually was.

But the move had been made, and, as always, there were consequences that had to be dealt with. He wasn't the sort to shirk his mistakes, after all.

Still, he didn't like this.

[Maxx]

Distant Thunder paused mid-twig, his chewing slowing as he squinted off into the distance. There it was, that intimation, that pull within him. Somekin was there. They were the one he'd been looking for all day, and at this moment, he was grateful it had only been all day, and not longer. As much as he was mid-twig, the Motherfather was, ultimately, good.

Noisily, Thunder got to his hooves and hurriedly retrieved the remaining springs, before galloping, eyes closed into that feeling.

"HUWWO" he called, mouth full, idealistically thundering about the muddy mangrove ground, "HUWWO!!"

[Jun]

Pale Rook looked over his shoulder to see...a large Kiokote buck blindly barrelling right towards him with a mouth full of sticks.

He - well, he was about to make like any reasonable Kin and run away, but the Kiokote seemed to be trying to say something past the sprigs, so he stepped aside to let the fellow barrel through, and asked:

"What?

What's that you said??"

[Maxx]

Distant Thunder came to a - well, screeching would have been ideal, but really it was a more shuddering halt as his hooves dug into a muddy patch of the swamp and finally ceased as he hit a rock.

"Mmph," he said eloquently, turning back with a mouth full of twigs with berries tiredly clinging on, "mmph?"

And the rock proved useful once more as he looked around frantically and placed his somewhat wilted harvest upon its comforting surface.

"Baby! You! Yes!" He bellowed in triumph.

[Jun]

Not that the buck wasn't handsome, but this just wasn't the time.

"Not interested," he grumped, and trudged away.

[Maxx]

Even though that was not what he was getting at, Distant Thunder definitely felt a little more than slightly aggrieved. He was here to do his Swamp-given duty but damn -

"What does that mean?!"

He whined, but loudly.

...then shook his head at himself, and got back to work.

"You have babies on the way. Somewhere, somehow. They're generally all made the same way, however, so you might have an idea where."

[Jun]

Even though he was the one who'd said he wasn't interested, Pale Rook also definitely felt a little more than slightly aggrieved.

But there were more important things at hand here, like consequences that had to be dealt with.

"Oh, I suppose," he sighed.

[Maxx]

"Aha, hm," he looked the buck up and down, his mouth drawn taut.

"Not the...best of news for you then?"

He suggested awkwardly, but also kindly mentioned with sympathetic glowing eyes, "would you like me to bless them with something in particular? Perhaps to take off the sting...somewhat..."

[Jun]

Pale Rook looked up wearily at the stag's glowing eyes.

"Blessings are a placebo designed to lull you into a false sense of security," he said, "they don't really make a difference as to how your children turn out."

[Maxx]

"So..." and the end of it trailed off as he broke eye contact, and idly scratched at the ground below his hoof, "...er.....health and happiness it is."

"WE BEG THEE, MOTHERFATHER," he started without warning, his head raised high to the sky, "LET HIS CHILDREN BE HEALTHY AND HAPPY, er..."

And the yell trailed off, before he decided, "THAT WILL DO, IMMENSELY. THANK YOU, BASED MOTHERFATHER."

He smiled at him. It was an awkward smile. In that moment, Distant Thunder doubted the use of his teeth in that smile, but it was happening, nevertheless.

"Well, good luck and travels," he mentioned airily, quickly picking up his sprigs and galumphing away.

[Jun]

Health and happiness.

Inwardly, he scoffed, as the stag galloped off, how trite.

Fat lot of good a blessing would do, but at least he hadn't lost anything but time in that exchange.

...And if it were so that a blessing may help -

- NO.

Nothing would help.

There was nothing he would ever possibly enjoy about these consequences at all.

Ever.

Pale Rook was sure of it.

END

(Dear Reader.)