[ b ] A Story to Tell (Strawberry Milk & Tidal Terror)

[rexcorvus]

He had told her a story.

That was how she had come to like him, how she had decided that she was okay with his quiet, brooding persona, how she had been drawn in when she had her mother's voice in her head telling her that she was not supposed to be on her own. She had tried to not to be interested in his soft, sure voice but the more that he had spoken, the more that she had forgotten her concerns. His gentleness had washed over her like a wave, accompanied by the tale he told, so that there was no separating the two.

She was hopelessly lost to it all.

And now she was here in the forest, wondering what she had done. She had not told her mother; Strawberry did not regret anything, and if anything felt a mixture of nervous excitement that she too would be a mother, but the hesitation was still there.

She decided not to say anything. Not for now, at least, as she wandered alone among the trees, looking for answers she didn't quite know if she wanted or not.

[Gl!tch~]

There was work to be done.

Unfortunate timing, as Tidal Terror had been in the middle of some swimming lessons, but Big Splash could take over easily enough.

She left the beach, and followed that feeling deep inside through the swamp.

It didn't feel particularly desperate, but she didn't want to wait until it might get to that point.

In the distance, eventually, she came upon a cute, pink kimeti doe.

"Hail and well-met!" the totoma called.

@kuropeco

[rexcorvus]

Strawberry, who had been momentarily lost within her own musings of whether or not she was ever going to come clean about where she had been, what she had been doing, and who she had been seeing, did not immediately respond to the greeting bestowed upon her by the totoma. In fact, she very nearly walked away without noticing it at all, until, after her thoughts managed to catch up with her, she realized that there was, in fact, someone else there other than herself.

"Oh," she said, and then, "Oh."

She twisted around until she was fully facing the other doe, head tilting slightly. "Sorry," said Strawberry, "I didn't...know you were there. Who are you?"


@Gl!tch~

[Gl!tch~]

Tidal Terror needed a moment to realize that the kimeti didn't seem to care much about her presence.

Someone who didn't know they needed a blessing, maybe? Tidal Terror didn't meet kin like that very often! She chuckled, trying to remember the best way to handle this situation.

For all she knew, the other doe might not even be aware of the current situation, and it was bad form to drop too much information too quickly.

"I am Tidal Terror! A fellow traveler, making my way through. Would you like some company along the path for a bit?"

@kuropeco

[rexcorvus]

Strawberry's head tilted first one way and then the other as she considered the name. There was something distinctly different about this kin; something that she herself was not familiar with but that she had heard her mother speak of once or twice in the past. The words wouldn't quite come to her, but she could feel it nagging somewhere at the edges of her thoughts.

"I'm Strawberry," she said, and then, "Company is lovely, thank you."

She turned to begin walking again, hesitated, and then asked, slowly, "Are you...are you one of...the..."

Words failed her. She couldn't remember what they were called.


@Gl!tch~

[Gl!tch~]

She watched. She waited. She laughed.

"One of the kin of legend? It is so! You're quite observant!"

Tidal Terror then waited again, in case there were any questions or anything like that to get out of the way.

She was ready to talk if Strawberry Milk wished to talk, and she was ready to walk if that was what Strawberry Milk desired. But it wasn't the totoma's place to take the lead, in any case.

@kuropeco

[rexcorvus]

"Yes," said Strawberry, in some relief. "I'm sorry, I'm a little out of sorts at the moment. I've got quite a bit going on and I'm not sure how to handle it."

She peered over at the doe from under slightly lidded eyes, head tilted in a mixture of curiosity and something else that wasn't as easy to discern. After a another moment of contemplation, she said, "Could you help me? I don't know what I'm doing and I'm afraid that I'm...that I'm going to be..."

Strawberry tailed off once more, but it was obvious what she was referring to.


@Gl!tch~

[Gl!tch~]

Her heart melted for the poor doe.

"Yes, my friend. Of course I will. Start by breathing, long and deep! You will be all right."

Tidal Terror looked up at the canopy. She thought for a moment before speaking again.

"I did not know what I was doing when I was to be a mother. The first time, I did not have a mate. Only some kimeti sacs I found on my journeys. I could not leave them in the snow, you see. It was almost scarier than bringing young into the world myself. Your young are different from that of we totoma. It was terrifying! I may have made mistakes along the way, but I have no regrets."

She chuckled to herself.

"But that isn't here or there. I guess what I am trying to say is: I can help in whatever way you need. Advice, company, or someone to help find a nest to settle down in for the coming days. Blessings are well and good, but I often find that friendship is its own kind of blessing!

Not that I will deprive you of a legendary's blessing, if that is what you want," she added with a little wink.

[member=144]kuropeco[/member]

[rexcorvus]

Listening to the other doe (the legendary, Strawberry reminded herself, with a touch of awe) had a soothing effect that settled on Strawberry Milk's heart like a gentle breeze. She tried to remind herself that even the most impressive of kin had had their share of struggles, though she couldn't help but wonder if this totoma had a mother like she did. It was difficult not to make comparisons, and Strawberry made a fair attempt at not doing just that, but the doubt and the uncertainty gnawed at her anyway.

"That's amazing," she said, after a moment, and the slightly breathless note to her voice indicated nothing but awe. "I'm...well, we're not, you know, soulmates or anything, but he was very nice to me and he told me a lovely story and..."

She trailed off, then said in a small voice, "I'm not ashamed but I don't have a mate, either, and my mother won't approve but I would very much like a blessing."

A pause.

"And the friendship," Strawberry added, a bit shyly.

[Gl!tch~]

"You wouldn't have anything to be ashamed of anyway," Tidal Terror replied. "And, by knowing you for only a few moments, I know that you will be a very capable mother yourself! And you probably don't need to hear that, but, well, sometimes it's nice to hear anyway."

Okay, now she was rambling.

And getting a little flustered.

She had a job to do, but the doe was cute.

Tidal Terror cleared her throat.

"May your children lead lives that lend to great stories they can tell their own children someday."

Two for one special

[rexcorvus]

Strawberry Milk ducked her head in a slightly bashful way, feeling her cheeks redden a little at the praise. She didn't quite know how to accept compliments, but she felt quite certain in that moment that being told she would be a good mother by a legendary could only mean that she would, in fact, be a good mother.

At least, this was how it worked inside of her head. She felt nice and warm and happy at the blessing, which sank into her like a gentle hug as she stood very, very still (just in case).

After a moment, Strawberry whispered, "Is...that it? Can I move now?"