[PRP] A Girl, A Gift (Oath & Peep)

[Anhelisk]

[imgright]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgright] Oath had it bad. It was as plain as the skull on her face, plain for any kin to see that the skeletal doe was hopelessly in love with Real Big Fish.

They'd met when she was with foal, early enough that she couldn't have known for certain, but far enough along that the hunger had taken her. She'd gotten a night of company with the doe, talking late into the night about the world around them, and then was guided to a river where the flow had begun to cut it off from its tributary and its path to the sea. She'd feasted there for weeks, met a bear, and tracked the doe down to show her said bear... stuck around with her to lay her clutch, and somehow persuaded the mare to stay around and help raise her foals. She'd been selfish, so selfish, but the totoma seemed to see no harm in her wanting. Fish had been a second mother to that clutch, and had given them all love-- even the buck who'd become a steadfast friend.

Of course, Fish's heart was fuller than a single doe could fill, and she had a higher calling that sometimes saw her heading out at odd times. The clearing they'd spent so much time together on had become an impromptu meeting spot to wait for the mare at if they were ever separated for long, though usually Fish was able to tell her before she'd been off. Still. It was enough that Oath wanted more, wanted to be more to the doe, to offer her something meaningful, something that would go beyond the tangible tokens of affection that were consumed, or admired and left behind.

She wanted to give Fish something special, but for that? She'd need help. And there was no better help she could think of than another mare or stag's.

[Ruriska]

There were very few legendaries easier to find than Peep. The Mother’s Club wasn’t shy in spreading the word that they had not just one but two resident legendaries. Even if one wasn’t currently present, Peep returned regularly to check up and was never too far away that she wouldn’t get that peculiar little tingle that let her know somebody in need of her assistance.

So if Oath was seeking a Legendary, all she needed to do was step on The Mother’s Club tribelands, where she would greeted by one of the many Watchers who were on guard at the borders. 

[Anhelisk]

The Mother's Club may have been tucked away someplace safe for foals and recovering mothers, but the tribelands were well-known and talked about. From the road east of the clearing she met up with Fish at, it was nearly a straight shot to them. If she kept walking, either she'd find them, or she'd find someone else who would probably kindly redirect her. Probably. She kept walking, musing for a moment about what would happen if somebody decided, out of a whim or malice, to misdirect her.

First off, she'd take longer to get back to Fish. She wouldn't lose her, because that would involve getting lost in the swamp, and Oath knew the central lands and guiding stars well enough to tell how to get back to the familiarity of the lands she considered home. Secondly, the travel itself would be likely to put her in contact with someone else as she ranged further away from her target, and chances were that two kin in a row would not choose to misdirect her-- and even if they did, they would be unlikely to happen to choose the same misdirection as the first one.

Thirdly, given that this task of hers was to find something in particular, there was a chance that her ranging could put her somewhere that she found the final goal of finding the gift entirely without needing to track down the tribe, and the mares that lived there. This was a fairly foolproof course of action, all told.

[Ruriska]

[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... uncert.png[/imgleft]The doe walked and eventually she was close enough to the tribelands for someone to notice. That someone turned out to be an older Kiokote who was the unofficial head of the watchers, on guard at one of the main trails, well-worn by the many hooves that had passed through.

For anyone coming from the west, all the smaller trails eventually led into this one. She had already stopped and spoken to a young family earlier that morning and they’d been directed onwards into the Mothers expert care.

Fierce Love sniffed the air, catching the new unfamiliar scent and stepped out onto the path to wait, her rounded ears perked and brow furrowed. When a figure appeared, her voice was crisp and authoritative, "you are entering The Mothers Club lands, please approach and introduce yourself!"

[Anhelisk]

Ah! There she was-- a stranger asking her to introduce herself, and indicating she was exactly where she'd wanted to come up.

It was best, in situations like this, to stick to instructions and to keep things brief. She stepped forward, stopping a short distance from the very furry-looking kiokote before her so as not to crowd them. "Yes, hello. I'm Oath," she said, nodding her head in greeting. "I'm looking to find clarity on a rumor I've heard circulating, about a certain special flower."

[Ruriska]

“Ah.” Fierce Love voiced her understanding with the soft sound. This wasn't the first kin to arrive in search of such information. Ever since that particular flower had been discovered the tribe had been abuzz with the possibilities.

“Very well. I will show you the way.”

Fierce Love nodded and turned, expecting the other doe to follow as she set a brisk pace down path, through the trees and over a few lazy streams until the area opened up into a green field, dotted with trees and shrubs.

The tribe was as busy as ever, with figures dotted ever the eye could see. Kin busy at work and foals playing in the tall grass, small groups of parents chatting idly, Watchers, Mothers and Providers all at their various duties.

“I need to return to my watch but go ahead. Peep should be nearby.”

Then her duty completed, Fierce Love turned around and left the way they had come.

[Anhelisk]

And here she was, following this kiokote at a brisk pace, not so fast that she couldn't easily follow, but so much that she had to focus on following instead of taking in the scenery.

It wasn't a long time past-- just a quick hop over few streams tracking relaxedly along the rich, fairly curated land around her, before the ground began to rise slightly into an elevated field. And oh, there were so many foals! Oath's heart squeezed treacherously as she saw them-- she'd have to stay a little longer than she'd planned if they determined she was welcome.

As abruptly as they'd started their interaction, the terse guard announced her need to go back to her station. "Of course. Thank you," she responded, calling the latter out just a little louder, so as to carry easily to the doe's retreating form, before turning to look at the milling buzz around her.

There were kin here. Lots of kin. Enough that she could just smile, and pause, and ask. "I'm looking for Peep?" she said, voice tilted up like a question, until someone nodded or responded. The kin she was looking for was somewhere that way.

If only she knew what they looked like.

[Ruriska]

[imgright]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... ncert3.png[/imgright]It would never have occurred to anyone the stranger asked to describe what Peep looked like. Peep was simply Peep. Instantly recognizable to everyone in the tribe and a lot who weren’t.

But luckily for the doe who was being slowly guided from one side of the tribe to the other, word had spread far faster than uncertain hooves could travel. A breathless foal slid to a halt in front of Peep, having bolted over to relay the news.

‘A bone lady is looking for you,’ she was told, the youngster glowing with the delight of being helpful after she gave him an affectionate nuzzle of thanks.

And so Peep left her task and ambled towards the approaching doe.

Bone lady indeed, she thought as she got closer.

“Good day,” she called. “Are you looking for me?”

Peep had a small stature but she approached the newcomer with the warm all-encompassing aura of a matriarch. There was no mistaking her for anyone else.

@Anhelisk

[Anhelisk]

Ah! A tiny doe-- no. A tiny mare stood before her, with fireflies bright in her eyes and an aura that commanded calm. She was safe here, she could relax here... there was something maternal about this legendary the way that Fish stank of adventure.

"Near as I can figure, yes," she said. "I'm looking for information, and I can't imagine you wouldn't be one of the best-informed kin here. I'm Oath, and-- oh, tufts." The package of honeycomb she'd carefully remembered to seal for travel had been left behind. "-- and I have nothing to give you but my company."

[Ruriska]

“Luck for you, your company is all I require,” Peep responded with a playful wrinkle of her nose. Gifts were lovely but often wasted on someone who had everything she could ever need. A friendly conversation was enough to keep this mare happy.

“I know a few things.” Her head tilted slightly with her curiosity. “What information were you seeking?”

@Anhelisk

[Anhelisk]

Oath smiled, tucking her head as she followed the doe's lead. "I'm looking for information on a certain... flower. I've heard the wildest stories about it-- that it could help two does, or two bucks, either way, and it can help them... clutch. Together. And I was wondering if you could confirm or dispel them."

[Ruriska]

“Oh, that flower.” Peep chuckled. “It does sound impossible but it’s very real. I’ve heard quite a few stories about it, right from the source, and very recently tracked down the flower, just to take a look.” When it came to babies and breeding, she was always keen to have all the knowledge a potential parent might need.

“It’s a shame,” she said, her expression wistful. “My foal-bearing days are over now but I would have loved to try it. Be on the other side of things for once.

@Anhelisk

[Anhelisk]

Oath's eyes softened as she saw the small, matronly mare's wistfulness. No matter that she was younger than her, seeing someone else in disappointed always drew a sympathetic twinge from Oath's own stomach.

"You never know... though-- I do suppose-- you would know better than most... but I'd heard that bucks can often sire far later in life than a doe can carry... she trailed off.

"Still. It's real. Really real. Which means... I can find some? Or trade for one?"

[Ruriska]

“You’re correct.” Peep made a soft, thoughtful sound. A gentle ‘hmm’. “But I have many children. I have added to the Swamp enough and now my time is dedicated to this tribe and those foals who have entered the world with no one to care for them.”

She’d made that decision after her last clutch and she did not regret it.

“I can take you to where I found the last one, and if that one has wilted or been eaten, there will be others around. If this is your desire, it will come to pass. The Swamp will help you.”

@Anhelisk

[Anhelisk]

Ah. A sense of compassion for others was what had guided the determination that her last foals were her last ones. Oath smiled. She listened to the doe's promise, and nodded emphatically. "Please," she started, too suddenly-- wait, stop, she was interrupting. Peep hadn't even finished speaking!

She quieted instantly, and nodded again at the end of the mare's promise, smoothing away her momentary embarrassment with a toss of her head to rearrange the hair trying to engulf her eyes. "It would mean so much."