The buck had been following him for days, it seemed. He was hard to miss with his stripes of pink and orange against black hair. And he took no means to hide his presence, merely watched and waited and followed. Bitter Heartbeat had wondered at first if he thought him prey but the thought had quickly turned to expectation after the second hour. He knew what it was the buck sought; he wasn't yet sure if the buck knew it, though.
Dangerous was as his name implied. He had taken the meaning of "predator or prey" to the extreme and refused to ever be the latter. It wasn't that he didn't like other kin, honestly, he thought he liked them too much. He simply never wanted to be the tortoise that could not upright itself or the cocky hare that lost a race to a slug. There was a balance in predator and prey; there was a balance within himself. And so, while he had pursued the doe--she was beautiful and something about her haunted him--he had yet to decide whether he would stay. There was no right or wrong in either choice; it was more if he saw any merit to his presence in their lives and hers. He didn't believe in lifemates; love and sex were a natural part of life to be celebrated not restricted.Nonetheless, he learned of the pregnancy and he wanted his progeny to survive. To thrive. There was only one type of soul that could manage that promise because living was not a given. He wondered, sometimes, how many of them forgot that. And so he'd hunted for a Legendary and found one. Yet for the life of him he couldn't seem to speak. Instead he watched the caiman; it was a predator resplendent in flowers that never seemed to wilt due to age or water or heat. He knew it to be special, to be beautiful and terrifying and--
"Not that I don't enjoy the company," Bitter Heartbeat began as the fourth day neared its end, "because I do but I fear your children will be expecting their own children by the time you speak first." The jovial kindness was impossible to miss. It drenched him and made the buck smile, dip his head in apology.
"I don't know what to want for them," Dangerous spoke at last. "I don't wish them to be what they aren't nor do I wish them to be what I foresee they need be. It seems too easy to ask for health and strength..." It was clear he'd been thinking about this for a long while.
"What is it you lack?" the stag asked, the ghostly presence looming behind the caiman's stoic visage.
"My enemies would say heart; my allies would say strength," he voiced. "I would say I don't let myself dwell too long on anything to reflect on meanings and ideas. I fulfill the role that I see is needed, no guilt or upset."
"You consider yourself a tool, then, to act as a balancing force for the swamp." Bitter Heartbeat defined the role the buck played easily. "Then may your children define their own roles and not be bound by your decision to follow the normal. They shall be healthy and strong of will and show their father and mother what other types of lives there are to lead."
Dangerous nodded, pleased with the stag's blessing, and contented himself to stay awhile in his presence before finding the doe to share the news with her.