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Of all the things that Pride Parade had never expected to chafe at, the quietness and calmness of a day was somewhere near the top. In the mountains of her youth she'd often spent days or weeks apart from other kin, especially after her lions had found their way into her life, and earned her her name. Still, she'd had so many foals underfoot for what had felt for so long that the lack of company now was...

...well, not unsettling, quite. She snorted, turning a bit and stretching before laying her head on one of her little pride's shoulders. It's rather kind of the opposite of being unsettled. Overly-settled? she mused. Her children still visited on occasion, now, but their father and she had parted ways some time ago, and sometimes the heat of the day sizzling oppressively with an afternoon sun and steam burning off of the ground around her felt...

"It's boring, is what it is." She sighed, hauling herself up from where she'd been trying to relax and doze, and began picking her way down around the hill. Her pets stayed where they were for now, and for the moment she let them, at least until she found something-- anything, really-- to capture her interest.

[imgleft]https://matope-swamp.com/images/corn/fi ... uncert.png[/imgleft]First Night rested besides a stream, eyes focused on the water... She found it cooler here, next to the water, and also she enjoyed watching the busy-ness the fish within got up to. Sure, it wasn't the most exciting thing in the swamp, but she found it interesting. Their lives were so full, so busy, and yet so very simple.

Also the way their scales caught light was pretty, and seeing a hunter catching it's prey was always exhilarating, even if she wasn't a hunter herself.

Her head jerked up, as she heard the sound of hooves nearby, and she looked around, curiously. She did not know anyone around here, and while she was always inclined to meet new people, she was also not stupid enough to risk her hide by being unaware of the danger some strangers might represent. Finally, her eyes spied a totoma approaching, and she studied the stranger, before she carefully rose to her hooves, trying to decide if she should say anything.

Meeting new people was fun but she never had ANY clue how to start conversations. A simple 'hello' always felt so... So trite.

Walking in an ever-larger spiral around the hill her darlings were stretched out on, Pride Parade eventually heard the characteristic rushing sound of water, and elected to walk towards it. There could be good fishing, for one thing, or at least a refreshing drink in this almost oppressive heat.

She paused when she saw something moving. The first thing she noticed were the spires. Arching high off of the back of something, Pride Parade's brain refused to parse what she was looking at for a moment, at least until the doe before her began to turn, and she saw the strange lattice in profile. Bone-like struts fused in rows parallel to the Acha's-- that was an Acha--'s back, and for a moment, she could only stare, at least until the doe was fully facing her.

Someone new. "Ah-- I didn't mean to interrupt you," she started at first.

She blinked, once or twice, as she processed the comment from the other, and then gave a small smile. "'S'alright, I was just watching the fish, really." She said, her voice soft, the tone almost feeling like the velvet on new antlers. "It's a quiet day, but far too warm. Right by the water is cool, and I can watch the fish, enjoy sips of the water and not exert myself unnecessarily."

A thought passed through her mind, at the fact that maybe this unknown totoma might think this was a lazy perspective, and she wondered if her words would annoy, irritate or offend the stranger.

And then the next thought was one of does it matter if a stranger was bothered? It did not harm the other, and on days with heat like this, only a fool exerted themselves unnecessarily.

And then the thought that she had not introduced herself occurred and she chuckled, very quietly, at her own self. "I am First Night, it is a pleasure to meet you on this fine, if ridiculously hot, day."

Pride couldn't help herself but smile. "My pets seem to align with your lifestyle choices," she said, before moving to plant herself next to the water. It was a careful balance of being close enough to talk easily, but far enough away that she couldn't feel extra heat radiating off of the doe's flank. "I could do with a little of that wisdom." After all, boredom was hard to find when the doe had company, and this one seemed interested in talking, making her a far cry more interesting than her little pride.

She looked at the pool, staying quiet for a long moment while she tried to scope out any potential fish. There was a pond-skater... no, two... but the scaled, swimming denizens of the shallow, relatively clear pool had made themselves a part of the... waterscape? as she'd loomed closer.

"You'll have to forgive me for scaring away your entertainment," she offered. "Name's Pride Parade."

"Pets? Night asked, with interest, and glanced around. She didn't have any, herself, and always was curious about the animals others gathered around them. She still was unsure as to whether or not she should try to gain any for herself. It might be fun but did she want that much responsibility? She pondered the same question about children, honestly, though she was more inclined towards them. They would grow up and come to care for themselves eventually, at least. "Wisdom is, I think, knowing when one is at one's limits. I know that I find this level of heat, especially when it gets so sticky in the air, miserable and lethargic, and I know I have found my limit."

She glanced at the pond, seeing the way the fish had hidden, and simply chuckled at the other doe's words... Not insultingly, just amused and understanding.

"They'll be back if you don't move too much. They'll grow used to you, and start acting like you're part of the background. Moving carefully and deliberately is usually fine." She gave a shrug and added "If you are the sort to hunt them, I'd ask you to not do it around me, if you don't mind. I do not enjoy the sight of others in pain."

The doe tilted her head at the mention of pain. "I'm hardly hungry, there's good alternatives around, and none of the fish I imagine you'd find here are really good for much eating anyways," she supplied. "Besides, in this weather, hunting tends to be... exhausting." She wouldn't judge another for their habits, but...

She regarded the spires crowning the doe's back, and mused quietly about whether she should ask.

Curiosity, however, would always win out. "Do you eat bones or shells, then, or trade for meat?"

"Appreciated." She smiled a little, and glanced back at the water for a moment, a thoughtful expression, and then a slight shrug as if letting go of a thought. She glanced back up and nodded. "I can only image that it would be quite exhausting. Most exertion is, after all."

She tilted her head, watching the other doe with curiosity, but not commenting on anything she saw.

Everyone was different, and some differences were inside. Those were the important ones, after all.

That question, though, had her start a little and she gave an uncomfortable smile. "I avoid meat, where I can. When I feel I must have it, I trade, but I prefer to stick to fruits, vegetables and the like. I... do not like bone at all."

Boney plates exposed on her back did not incline her to feel comfortable with the idea of bone being eaten... Hers were too exposed, in her eyes.

Pride Parade nodded. She was less a fan of some things than other kin were, and sometimes it made getting a meal... difficult here. Certainly the swamp could provide for a kin who was mostly herbivorous... "Eggs, then...? Whole eggs or just their shells would provide you a good source to help keep your scales and horns hard, and you could take them only after the birds were done with them..." she mused thoughtfully...  "Or empty shells, like, the sorts you find on shores. I met a buck who had quite the set of antlers, and growing and maintaining hardness in the hooves and plates is somewhat of a concern for my folk."

She didn't need to gesture especially-- both of her forehooves bore cracks and grooves in them from the rough sort of beating a youngster with a need to prove themselves to the world. Heh, maybe that was the origin of the term 'a chip in one's shoulder'?

She shook her head slowly-- fish were starting to move around again, and she didn't want to startle them.

"What sorts of fruits and vegetables do you like?"

Night slowly settled back down onto the bank, making sure she didn't startle the fish in the process. One of the small groups of minnows was moving nearby and she did so love the way they glittered and glimmered as they darted about. She considered the issue of hoof and horn hardness, blinking a little thoughtfully. "I do occasionally eat eggs, whole ones, though I feel a little guilty about it... I don't enjoy the texture of just shell, whether from egg or shellfish. Dry, clings to the mouth, and just. A terrible taste." She gave a soft chuckle, though. "Mostly for the hooves, given how small and almost useless my horns are, and. Well, my back, I suppose. I don't know how much it needs, being bone..." Might as well address THAT elephant in the room, in the end.

She did look over the cracks and all on Pride Parade's hooves, curiously. It wasn't something she had ever considered, but it did make sense, from what she had been told of Totoma society.

"Mmmm well! It depends? If I'm looking for something sweet, I'll focus on berries. Gooseberries are nice if I only want a little bit of sweet! Otherwise, I try to enjoy whatever is in season and learn to like more foods as I experience them. I know some Kin apparently grow their own but... I don't think I'd be very good at that."

Clearly the other doe had put in some good thought about this. "Cravings will help tell you, although keeping to a routine can as well. And... I know there are birds-- they call them hens-- that will produce more eggs than they could ever raise into chicks, and I hear even without a male to fertilize them first...? At that point you'd be benefitting from an overabundance, not doing anything that could harm a life." It did seem the acha was incredibly tender-hearted, with a sense of compassion-- possibly even responsibility-- towards all walks of life.

It reminded her of her younger self.

Not one to dwell on something if it would distract from the conversation, Pride Parade watched the tiny fish dance and sparkle with her new companion, and nodded. "Berries seem nice," she agreed. "I must admit-- I've been avoiding trying to forage my own since I arrived in the Swamp. I know some can be... well, dangerous at best, and I don't know enough to identify which ones those are." Considering how easy it was to trip over someone with their own bounty-- or some kin who would trade for something hunted, it hadn't done her any harm.

Night's ears went as up as possible at the mention of these 'hens', her expression curious and a little confused... But also fascinated. "Hens? I have not heard of these. Are they a new discovery amongst the various animals Kin keep? The idea of a bird producing so very many eggs is strange indeed, but if that is so... I should try to discover them, I am interested in this!"

She wondered if they were aggressive towards others, or would flock together... Maybe, for the sake of birds, she could find a place to settle, and start to care for these 'hens'. Maybe get a male or two, and breed them even.

This was something to consider, indeed.

And then the comment about the potentially dangerous berries caught her attention again. "I do have experience in that. I could show you ones I know are safe, and that don't have any berries that look similar enough to them to be confused, if you would like? Easy enough to share such information, and at the very least, a fair thanks for the knowledge of these 'hens.'

Well, that was a question she didn't have an easy answer to, at least not yet."A new discovery...? Perhaps, though... I wouldn't know either way." She smiled gently. "I'm certain we could learn more if we sought them out, however..." And there would certainly be kin who recalled the name of the tribe better than she did.

Pride brightened at the mention of safe foraging. "That would be entirely welcome. Berries or anything else that doesn't have a deceptive twin, really."

"Ah that would be lovely! You have been most kind, and provided me a great deal of information already, really." Night beamed happily at her new companion (Friend? She rather thought that would be a good way to describe how she was feeling, even if it had been a short time...), and tossed her head a little, stretching the neck muscles. "Keeping a hen of my own sounds wonderful, honestly."

The way Pride brightened made Night's beaming expression just a bit brighter, because she did quite like the idea of being able to help her in turn... She never liked the idea of being only a burden on others. "Well then, I can certainly help with that, at least for what's in season right now."

She looked around for a moment, examining the plants along the water's edge for a long moment, considering what was there, then moved over to a large section of the water weeds that grew there. "This is watercress! It's a bit sharp in taste, to me, but it's tasty and filling. I've found it at lots of ponds, during the warmer months. I've never encountered a look alike that was poisonous... The one thing I've found that you DO have to be careful about with it is sometimes it grows in and around water hemlock. I would advise, if you see it mixing with other plants, not taking the risk. Water hemlock will kill you. Very quickly."

"Watercress." The larger doe looked closely at the plant, covering the ground near the running water. It had leaves that were a lush green, sprouting pairs of leaves at a time, and when she leaned in to give it a sniff, she found it held a subtle sharpness to the scent. When she bit, it was tender and sweet, but oh, there was a pungency to it she couldn't name... A pleasant one, however.

"Oh, well... this is... rather refreshing, really, she mused as she straightened. "I have somewhat of a familiarity with hemlocks-- they grow in the foothills, too. A strawlike stem with spiky leaves, giving way to curving clusters of tiny white flowers, isn't it?"