[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft]Withered Fungus had been walking for most of the day, His den was on the outskirts of the tribes land. He needed to meet with the tribe leader, Rot, for some clarification on something that had happened to him a few days past. He felt he had done the right thing, and even if Rot said otherwise, he was not sure it would change the way he felt.

As he approached Her den, he called out, so as to not frighten the leader with his sudden presence. "Rot, I seek an answer to  question. Are you here?"

He stopped a few yards from her Den, laying down to rest his legs. He sat there, waiting for any kind of reply.

@MennyDeer

"There we are," She breathes softly with a satisfied smile, the vine knotted tight enough on a low hanging branch to support the bunches of herbs, fruits, and flowers she'd hung to dry. It was the fourth one she'd hung in the small garden she kept behind her hollow, all in preparation for the Spring births and celebrations.

He ears perked as she heard someone call for her, her work momentarily paused as she rounded the large roots that surrounded her den. " Ah, Withered. " She hummed, approaching Pestilence's son. He and his siblings had grown so quickly, flourishing within the clan.

"I'll do my best to give you counsel. Tell me, what troubles you?" She asks with a slight inquisitive tilt of her head.

@WargazmMonkey

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft]As he lay there, He saw the majesty that was Rot, come gliding around and over the roots in her grove. She was a dark and shadowy Kin with the markings of animal skulls. He stared in wonder at this creature, so perfect for her roll in the world.

"Hello Rot, my dilemma involves something i found a few days ago."

He looked around at the distant call of a bird in the woods. "My sister and I disturbed a burial the other day. We were wandering and found a rotten log. I thought it might contain hidden treasures, and went to bust it open."

He paused at this point to think of his wording for the next part of his story.

He continued after several minutes,"Inside was a magnificent mushroom, Black and green and purple. It was almost the size of my head. It had been growing out of the remains of a group of raccoons. I had disturbed the resting place of a family of souls." A tear started to well in his eyes at the thought of having potentially disrupting the reincarnation of these creatures. "I buried them together, as i had found them, I could not guarantee i would have successfully separated their remains. And I am tormented by the thought that I made the wrong choice. What does your wisdom tell in this matter?"

He looked up at her, curious to what she would say.

@MennyDeer

She listened attentively, touched by the concern he displayed. He was so much like his Father. When he finished, she was silent for a moment as she formulated her response.

A gentle wind blows, swaying the feathers in her hair and the branches overhead. She lifts her face into it, eyes closing briefly as if listening to something that cannot be heard. When they open again, they land on Withered with a soft, patient smile to accompany her green glowing gaze.

"Caring for the dead is far from a perfect art. Often, we do not know where they rest, where their bones have laid forgotten to time. We can only try to do our best to honor them when they are found. However, it seems they were not truly gone,"

With a tilt of her head, she motions for the buck to follow, leading him away from her den and towards the Grove of Rebirth. "Our home is built upon bones we cannot see, could not even dream of reaching. But where the Motherfather takes, They also give," They enter the grove of lush, young saplings, Grovetenders greeting them as they pass, moving to the more matured trees. Rot cranes her head down to a bit of skull, poking out from the flourishing roots. "We return as earth, as trees, flowers, grass...mushrooms." She says, righting herself and meeting his eyes with a little smile.

"Honor them by cultivating your discovery, share your knowledge. Perhaps even name it after them. Death is not the end; merely a different beginning."

@WargazmMonkey

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft]He walked with her, listening to what she was saying, taking in every piece of what it meant. He had the same feeling and was glad she had the same thought process. He looked down at the skull as she pointed at it, curious as to who didnt bury this creature well enough.

"The mushroom, as glorious and large as it is, must be the embodiment of the collective souls moving on. My grove is a mushroom grove, as you know, and finding such a beautiful specimen brought such joy to my heart. I felt i had done right with burying them all together, and it enlightens me to hear you say you agree."

He padded the ground nervously, not entirely sure what to say next. He had buried the family in his grove with the neon mushroom, and in the few days it had been, several others had started to sprout from the mound. He had brought one that had fallen off the mound with him and he laid it out on the ground between him and Rot.

It was jet black, one of the darkest shades he had ever seen. the gills underneath were a neon green, brighter than his fur, and seemed to glow with a dull intensity. The stem was a deep purple that reflected the light and twinkled like the night sky on a cloud-less night.

"Im not sure what to call this mushroom, for I have never seen such a specimen before. What name do you think would please the MotherFather?", he asked with a hint of reverence in his voice.

@MennyDeer

Rot watched as he placed the fungus on the ground, instantly curious. She craned her head down to it, taking in its color. " How lovely. It resembles you, and your father. It reminds me of the mushrooms we have in the caves, the Glow Caps, and it even has a glow." She muses.

"Typically, when naming, we take into account what its capabilities are. However,  it is quite new, so we cant expect that so quickly."

She lifted her head, thinking of what he'd told her. "What about 'Scavengers Gift'? Or maybe even 'Raccoon Surprise'," She chuckles, eyes light and playful. " Its your discovery, Withered. You and Hard Truths would probably do a far better job than I,"

@WargazmMonkey

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft] He looked down at the mushroom, for the first time seeing the resemblance between his father, himself, and this little mycoloid spore. It glistened in the sun as it lay there, captivating him for a second, before he regained his thought.

He looked back up at Rot, still smiling at him patiently, and smiled back. She seemed to know what he needed to hear and believed it herself. With a slight nod, he bid her farewell, "Thank you for your knowledge Rot. It eased my heart to hear your words of comfort. I will ponder on this spore until i find a suitable name for it." He leaned down and picked up the little black cap, and with one last smile, turned to depart the glade for the walk home. As he drew near he turned one final time and looked at Rot, with three stomps of the earth, he bid her one last farewell, at least until their paths crossed again.

@MennyDeer

She watched him go,  giving him a little nod of farewell as he disappeared into the mangroves and cypress. Spring brought so many changes, she wondered what other new discoveries would appear. She inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of her home before turning back towards her den.

There was still much work to be done!