[B] Well-Met (Abyss & Real Big Fish)

[Scaramouche Fandango]

The doe’s pragmatism settled it. “I’m blessing your children with patience. If they’re anything like you, they won’t have to worry about resourcefulness. That’ll come naturally. But you need more than just resourcefulness. The way you hunt, the way you speak, even- you’ve learned the fine art of waiting. Your children will have that too. They’ll all have the patience to wait and make the best decision, to decide the best course of action. They’ll be comfortable sitting and waiting for the opportune moment, and then they’ll strike. Whether they strike true or not, that’s up to fate, not me. But-“ and her glowing eyes surged brighter for a moment- “they’ll always know when to wait and when to act.” She snapped up the snake. She had zero doubts as to this doe’s ability to feed herself and her children, although…

“One more thing. The buck- what’s he like? Zikwa? Kimeti? Totoma? It’s an important question. It determines how your offspring get here.”

[Anhelisk]

That... was a thing, wasn't it? "Hᴇ ɪs sᴡᴀᴍᴘ-ʙᴏʀɴ. Kɪᴍᴇᴛɪ," she responded.

[Scaramouche Fandango]

“Perfect. That means shell-less eggs and no lambs, like Totoma have. Sacs are always easier. That means less work for your body, which means less reliance on anyone else.” She got the feeling that her independence was important to this stranger- whose name she still did not know.

That wasn’t really important though, was it? What mattered was that they’d come together and in this brief moment, Fish had learned something of the other. Enough about her to know how best she could serve her future children.

“I have a feeling that you’ll find sacs much easier than a period of confinement from hard eggs or live birth. Not just physically- there’s a certain mental ease that comes with knowing you’ll recover more quickly. At least, that what I’ve found. Might not be true universally!”

[Anhelisk]

Abyss nodded along as the mare gave her advice, making quick work of the skin to get her way to the flesh inside. This here was clearly her realm of expertise, and there was merit in knowing what to expect. Even if she'd grown up with the knowledge of how sacs worked, this was her first time.

[Scaramouche Fandango]

Another non-universal was the concept of a good mother. Some does were warm, gregarious- and completely useless when it came to feeding and caring for their offspring. Some does were chillier, but knew how to care when it counted. Fish looked the Zikwa up and down, and knew instinctively that this was the second type. She had no worries for the fate of these future children, whether they were Zikwa or Kimeti, or whether or not they had their mother’s most useful feature.

“I think everything’s going to turn out just fine for you and your children. You’re a creature of the Swamp, whether you started that way or not, and this land- it’s been good to you, hasn’t it. You’ve built up the skills you need to survive, and your children will be lucky to learn from you.” Fish moved deeper into the water herself, preparing to turn. She had a hankering to hunt in her shuppy shape. “If you ever need anything, though, seek out Real Big Fish- that’s me- and I’ll do what I can for you. Good luck, Stranger, though I don’t think you’ll need it.” Fur compressed down into scales, as the Totoma’s outline faded, to be replaced with a shark’s face and dorsal fin sticking out above the water.