She was sulking.

It wouldn't be obvious to most, her flinty obsidian eyes hard to read, and the permanent skeletal grin making it difficult to interpret her expressions. But she was. Her newest project was testing her patience, the bones having to go for another round of cleaning. Tiny bones were always the most complicated, and this snake was proving just that. A request from an acha who'd travelled all this way from the sands, to have his precious companion put back together with the utmost care.

She huffed a sigh and moved away from low flat stone she used as a workspace, needing a breath of air away from this tedious assignment. She stepped out of the hollow, taking a deep breath and exhaling it with all her stress. Marrow was never one to let anything weigh her down; she'd even mothered foals simply because she had wanted the experience. Motherhood had been wonderful of course, but she'd never quite found anything that settled her restless soul.

When she found herself like this, unfocused, an energy humming just beneath her skin that she could not name, she would wander the Mothborn territory. Leech always protested, of course, but seeing as he had Scouting duty at the other end of the lands this week, she was free to explore without him lecturing her.

A walk in the dusk light sounded like exactly what she needed as she strolled onwards, through a grove of cypress and to the east.

[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... uncert.png[/imgleft]A gentle wordless song drifted along like wisps of smoke on the cooling air of evening. It carried a note of thanks and gratitude. The hymn hung on the first stars that winked down upon the swamp as the sun made its way to its nest deep within the sea, ages away, swathed in its blanket of deep purple clouds. In the dimming light of dusk, a buck could be seen with his eyes closed and his heart open, a beautiful lament falling from his lips as his lifted his head to the sky.

He was a young buck, his pelt the thick grey-green of moss, his tail spread behind him like a curtain of lichen. Along his side, a huge scale in the shape of a dragon's wing marked him as Pestilence's son. Perish Song sat on a small ledge that overlooked a spread of mangroves, looking over the rounded roots of the trees that reached upward from the murky waters of the Swamp. Before him was a wide and shallow basket containing today's offering to the MotherFather. A collection of beautiful flowers that he planned on taking back to the fires once he was finished.

Even before coming to the Mothborn, Perish Song always ended his days thanking the MotherFather. He was happy to at last have others to be thankful with, but he found being alone with the Swamp brought him just a little bit closer to the MotherFather. Just as his song was coming to an end, he heard the snap of a twig behind him. His earthy eyes opened and scanned the treeline, more curious than worried.

"Hello?" He called gently to the shadows.

@MennyDeer

She hadn't meant to eavesdrop-- or even really hang around..

She recognized him by voice first, knew those tones that joined the other Singers of their tribe in joy and in grief. Perish Song had grown up with her through the awkward coltish years of adolescence, Marrow herself being quite young when Rot had stumbled upon her and her older brother. Even so, they had never really been close. He was an enigma as much as his brother Scourge.

Sure, they'd been civil, maybe had a conversation or two but...something about him always made her feel like she couldn't get close. Or shouldn't.

'Damaged.' Her mind supplied unhelpfully, making her frown. Scoffing lightly, and turning to leave. A twig snapped beneath her hoof and she quietly cursed her horrid luck. When he called gently to coax her from the shadows, she seriously considered just running off. The thought was bizarre and sudden.

Marrow didn't run away from anything.

She emerged slowly so as not to startle him, skeletal and bathed in the white wash of full moonlight.

"Sorry- I didn't mean to intrude," she said quietly in her smokey, whispery tones.

@Blinded By Silence

[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... uncert.png[/imgleft]He recognized her immediately. When Marrow stepped out into the moonlight, Perish found himself smiling, despite the interruption. The grey-green buck had always been on the sidelines of the tribe's daily life, watching kin far more interesting than himself lead and put forth efforts that molded their community. It filled his heart, watching every kin live their life, serving the MotherFather in their own, unique ways.

Marrow had always been a point of interest. He wasn't sure why, maybe it was her appearance or the scent of death that clung to her, but he held her in the same regards as his father. Her work was important, for without the piecemakers, surely the souls of the dearly departed would be stuck here, trapped within their bones, never to be reborn. But there was more to it than that. He couldn't pinpoint what exactly it was, but throughout his life he remembered that if she was speaking, he had been listening.

He realized now, however, that the doe had more than likely heard him singing. He felt heat rise to his face, turning his cheeks a ruddy color. It was silly, he knew, singing was his duty, his part in the tribe. It was one thing, when he was alone, just him and his voice. He knew that the MotherFather did not judge him, not on how well he could sing, at least. But kin were different. He never was quite sure what they were thinking when he sang, and that unknowing made him uneasy.

"Ah, no, you haven't intruded at all, miss Marrow," He gave Marrow a shy smile, "I was just sending my thanks to the MotherFather before I headed back to the pyres." Perish tilted his head, pushing the conversation away from his song, "What brings you out here this late?"

@MennyDeer

Marrow stood there, feeling a little awkward and embarrassed. If her tail could move, itd give an anxious little flick. Like an unsure feline. She was confused at her own emotions, the clarity and sureness she usually had poofing away like puffs of smoke. Her bravado held up, however, her head giving a little tilt as she watched him.

Was he...

She watched the play of emotions on his face, eyes widening slightly in a sort of wonder as his cheeks darkened.

He was.

Perish Song in full blush was, admittedly, painfully charming. Even more so when he called her 'miss'. So proper. A carefree little laugh bubbled up, and out of her, and she couldn't resist.

"Miss?" She teased lightly, a smile on her lips making the skull pattern on her face seem almost Cheshire. Her eyes caught the moonlight, warm and amused. "You're making me feel old,"

@Blinded By Silence

[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... uncert.png[/imgleft]That smile had him done in. His heartbeat quickened and suddenly, he found himself unsure of what to do with his hooves. They pawed at the ground nervously, tearing at the grass beneath them. He tried to hold them still but to no avail. Flustered, he found himself a stuttering mess.

"A-Ah, my a-apologies, miss-- I-I mean, Marrow." He swallowed and lowered his eyes, fighting to maintain any form of composure, "I promise you, y-you're not old! Older than me, ye-- But I mean! I think you look great..."

His ears flared upward, realizing what he had just said. Heat burned through his fur and he held his tongue in place with his teeth, lest he embarrass himself further. If any kin ever wondered why the buck was so soft-spoken, this was why.

@MennyDeer