[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... linded.gif[/imgleft]**Trigger Warning: This RP discusses the topic of death and suicide, do not read if this makes you uncomfortable**

Mirage dragged herself through the swamp on hooves so heavy she could hardly lift them. Her once beautiful silken fur was no longer that perfectly clean white, but a dull and dirty grey. Like murk water. The myriad of colors that had once made her dazzling and hypnotic to watch had faded and muddied. Once she was a doe one could hardly look away from. Now, as she plodded along through the bone marshes looking like a drowned pelt, most looked away. Her head hung heavy, laden by the large skull she wore. Her back ached from the rough baskets she had slung over her sinking back. Each step stuttered and lagged, but was slowly met by another.

One by one, she would get there. She had to. For him.

It had taken her... well, she wasn't entirely sure how long. Many things fell from that old head of hers nowadays, and time was definitely one of them. So much had changed for her in that time. Once she had been beautiful, but broken. Then she had been broken but still beautiful. Only once in her life had she ever felt whole... She winced and shifted her shoulders to adjust her baggage.

"I'm sorry it has taken this long, my love. Do not worry. All will be well, forgive me, please..." She spoke more to herself than to anyone real anymore.

Finding the MothBorn had proven difficult. Her mind was loose and her body worn. Often, she would forget what she was doing and would wonder, lost, reliving those beautiful days long since past. Back when she was whole. Before her spawn shattered her world. Before her son stole her name.

Who was she? She had been asked this by some buck whose face was painful to look at. But his wounds were nothing compared to those she had inflicted, so she looked on. There was no mask anymore. No longer did she hide behind a bright eyed doe with wiles and charm. There was only ache, rattling around in her empty husk. She didn't know who she was. Only what she had done.

She placed the offerings of bone, seed and wing at the feet of this buck and with a rattling sigh, begged entrance. Forgiveness. Rest.

She didn't remember her being let in, but here she was.

@Lirilei

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft] Guardian had been busy in one of the Groves, tending to the trees there when word began to circulate about the visitor to the Mothborn, the weary, travel wear doe, who seemed to come bearing interesting things. "Find Pestilence." her words were soft, kind. As part of the tribunal, and with Rot momentarily busy with other things, she wanted to ensure their visitor was welcomed properly, her needs tended to, and if the whispered words were true, her mate would be a necessity she was sure.

Having heard how travel worn the doe was, she took a small detour to the healers, mostly to have them on standby and she came away with a small wrapped leaf of dried herbs that could help any pains the doe might be experiencing, until something more specialized could be made. Guardian had already asked for her to be given food and water and she was finally making her way there.

Guardian went to the place newcomers were taken, and spoke to the few scouts around before she stepped inside. "Welcome to the Mothborn. I'm sorry Rot is unable to greet you herself, our leader is always happy to meet newcomers, but unfortunately she's unavailable." she came closer to the doe, noting she was in need of a good soak in water. "I'm Guardian of Life, but you can call me Guardian. I hope you've been brought food and water. Can I offer you a place to bathe and wash up? A place to rest and sleep awhile?" she tipped her head a little, watching the other doe curiously, waiting for the dark buck to join her. Not that he would say much she was sure, but that was okay. He'd been here longer than her, so this was more his place than hers in a way but she knew she'd more than likely end up the mouthpiece out of the two of them and that was okay with her. Her mate was a buck of few words most of the time.

@Blinded By Silence

[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... linded.gif[/imgleft]Mirage did not look around as she was ushered into this new place. She knew it was a tree and that was all she cared to know. She shuddered, remembering a time long ago spent in similar trees. Happy times stained with blood. There were so many kin here. She hadn't spoken to anyone in quite some time by this point, how long, however, she did not know. Shadows and slips of kin came a went. There was food. She ate but tasted nothing but ash. She drank, but she did not feel refreshed. The skull mask she wore weighed heavily on her. Always, he whispered. Why was he silent now?

Mumbling, she calmed him out of habit, "Hush now, you needn't worry, Haze. We can rest soon. Soon. Soon."

Once she would have seen the eyes that watched her. She would have hidden from their judgment with a mask of feigned politeness. Forced smiles. Small talk. But it is hard to see through the eyes of her mate. Behind the empty sockets that once held his poor blind eyes. Maybe that was why.

She lifted her head. She was being spoken to again. By a doe as stunningly white as she had once been. Long time ago. This time, their eyes met and she held them there. "No. Him first." She said simply in a voice that was rough and weak with misuse.

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft]When word reached Pestilence of the newcomer, he set down his bones and made his way to the central part of the tribe lands. It did not take him long, he was not one to dawdle. Not when bones awaited him. As he approached, he saw a few kin whispering, watching the hallow where he had been told to meet the visitor. He narrowed his eyes at them and the whispers fell silent. There was no need for such gossip. This was a kin who sought them out.

He ducked past the furred skin that hung covering the doorway and blinked slowly at what he saw. The doe, he had thought it a buck at first, based on the shape of the horns, ah but that had been a skull, he saw, was a wisp of a kin. Her hip bones and spine were stark against her matted and dirty pelt. A myriad of old wounds were present, most healed, some not. He swallowed a shudder as memories of the time Guardian had returned to him in a similar state. Poor thing. She smelled of gravedirt and rot. Old rot. But his attention was drawn back to the skull she wore and the heavy baskets she carried. It was the skull of a Kimeti. The lower jaw was missing, perhaps somewhere in those baskets, he hoped. Teeth had been lost or broken, as had one of the horns. A fracture ran down the left eye socket.

His eyes flickered to his mate as he tried to get a read on the situation.

@Lirilei

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft] Guardian had been caught off guard by the doe wearing the broken skull, but, she'd seen plenty of unusual things in her time traveling the swamp so she'd managed to mostly hide her surprise. Heard the doe addressing someone unseen. The buck who's skull that was, she guessed. A friend? No...the way she behaved, it was either a child or mate, and she leaned towards mate because of how well developed the skull was. A child wouldn't have been as large.

"Of course."

Seeing her mate stepping in she quietly excused herself, and with what had become her usual pace (a slow steady limp, that didn't hinder her in any way) moved to his side. "Our guest comes bearing bones. I don't know much more than that, but she'd like him to be seen to first, which is where you come in." her voice was low as she explained, before she was moving back towards the other doe. "This is my mate, Pestilence. He's a Piecemaker, and he can help him."

@Blinded By Silence

[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... linded.gif[/imgleft]"Pestilence, yes..." She murmured. The name meant nothing to her, but his aid did, "Please. I broke him... I..." Her voice caught as she forced a sob painfully down her throat. The disheveled doe shook for a moment before letting out a sigh that betrayed just how worn she was, "Please..." She spoke softly as she shrugged the baskets from her shoulders and set them down as gently as she could, mumbling assurances under her breath. Without the weight of the bones on her back, there was relief. But it was small, smothered by the fear and anxiety that filled her. Her eyes never left the baskets. Was this really what he wanted? Could this buck even do it? She didn't know him, what if he ruined him even more than she had. Her fur bristled.

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft]While Pestilence was far better at reading bones than kin, it was not difficult to see the emotion in this poor doe. Hesitation, relief, the guilt of feeling that relief, all of it radiated from her body as if it were a feverish heat. He was not the best at consoling others, but as unsure as he felt about that, he did know that he could help her. That in of itself was something, was it not?

And so, Pestilence shook his head gently, "No, he is not broken. Only in pieces. But I will return him to his proper state, I assure you." He gave the doe a rare smile, "You did the right thing."

His eyes flickered to the skull she still wore and wondered how best to get it from her. It was necessary, of course.

@Lirilei

"Pestilence can make him whole again." her words spoken softly, but with assurance. She believed in her mates ability to set the unknown bucks bones back together. Though she could see that while the bones she carried on her back had been laid out, she had seemingly forgotten the skull she wore. He might not have said anything about it, but she could read his body language well enough. Her tail brushed lightly along his own before she was moving back to the other doe.

The cause of her limp, now long healed and scarred bite marks from a caiman on her leg were visible as she turned back to Mirage, and in a low tone began to talk to her. "To be able to put him to rest, Pestilence will need all of him. Let me help you take that off, so he can begin okay?" she didn't make a move to start removing the skull, she was sure such an action would upset the doe who already seemed to be on edge. Guardian wasn't about to push it, and make it all worse. Little by little. Patience. It's all there was to it.

She was hoping she could help remove the skull so 'stil could get to work, and so she could try helping the doe a little while the bones were being pieced back together.

@Blinded By Silence

[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... linded.gif[/imgleft]'You did the right thing,' Those words sent her into a stillness she couldn't describe. For a moment, she swore she could feel his warmth, pressed against her reassuringly. She hesitated, but only for a moment. Yes. This was the right thing. What he would have wanted. Yes.

"All will be well," She murmured as silent tears trickled into her fur. And while the thought of being apart from his broke her poor heart further, she lowered her head towards the white doe so that the skull could be removed.

@Lirilei

As she lowered her head down, Guardian turned to look over her shoulder at Pestilence, so he could help her carefully remove the skull from the other does head. She didn't want to risk dropping it, and damaging it. The poor doe was already so fragile, Guardian wouldn't risk making it worse.

Once the unknown bucks skull was free of her head, and settled with the rest of his bones, she looked to 'stil again, lightly pressing her head to his neck. "Go do your job, Piecemaker." her words full of warm affection. "I will do what I can for her in the meantime." it was an admission that it was possible she wouldn't be able to do as much as she would like for the poor kimeti, but she would do what she could. What would be allowed, and accepted. It was all she could do, really. To do her best to help.


@Blinded By Silence

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft]He was gentle as he helped Guardian remove the skull from the doe, not just for the doe's sake. The Kimeti's skull was battle-worn and had not been properly cared for. There was a way to do such things, wearing bones. Once he had the skull, he shifted the basket onto his own back and, with a look of appreciation back at his mate, left them to go do what he did best.

[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... linded.gif[/imgleft]As Haze's skull was gently pulled from her own, the sudden coolness on her face made her shiver. She felt oddly naked without it. Mirage lifted her head. Her neck ached, but not as badly as her heart did as she watched the black buck leave with the remains of her mate. She started to follow him, then stopped and shifted uncomfortably. What was she to do without him? She felt aimless. Lost. But at least she wasn't alone. For the first time in forever, she did not want to be.

@Lirilei

"Now that he's being taken care of, will you allow me to tend to you? Something to eat? Or drink? Somewhere to rest awhile? Or to clean up?" she was sure the doe could use any number of the offered things, but the question was, would she accept any of them? Guardian wasn't sure but she couldn't not offer. Pestilence was handling the bones of the dead. Now it was up to her to help the living to the best of her ability.

@Blinded By Silence

[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... linded.gif[/imgleft]Long ago, she would have loved all of those things. Being pampered and cared for had been pastimes of her. Things that had been owed to her. She didn't feel as if she even deserved them now.

'You did the right thing,' It echoed in her mind, but no longer in the quiet voice of the dark buck named Pestilence. It was Haze who spoke to her now.

Tears stung her eyes. Even without him here physically, she could still hear him. Maybe there really was a MotherFather. She let out another shakey sigh and nodded.

@Lirilei

Guardian breathed a soft note of relief as the other doe agreed to both things. "Please settle and rest. I'll get food and water brought into you right away." it would be easy enough to step out and either get the items herself, or ask other nearby kin to get things to bring them.

Once she rests a little, and eats I can show her where we go to bathe, so she can clean up. That might help her feel a little more refreshed as well.

Her thoughts were bouncing around some as she moved past the hide and out to the slightly diminished group of kin. "I need water brought for our guest, as well as some foods. Something easy to eat but nourishing, please." she seemed tired so, something easy seemed the best best in her opinion.

@Blinded By Silence