[Bless] Random Encounter! [Dog trio/Tidal Terror]

[Ruriska]

They were, all three of them, standing in the tall grass, barely visible.

“I met a doe,” said the first.

There was a rustle of what turned out to be laughter. “Bullshit,” said the second.

“You don’t even know how to talk to does,” said a third.

The first bared his teeth and sunk further down into the grass. “Yes, I do... besides... this one was different. She was really lovely. Like a really fancy goldfish.”

The silence that followed was full of scepticism.

"It's the truth!" The first buck protested into the silence.

There had to be some way to prove it!

[Gl!tch~]

As the bucks conversed, something started to push through the grasses nearby. If one looked close enough, a sizeable blue turtle seemed to be passing through. A mouse decided to pass between the turtle's legs. In response, turtle opened its fanged jaws and swooped down and chomped it down in one go.

If Tidal Terror could hear the conversation, she did not show it. She slowly continued to to meander about, as if looking for something.

@Ruriska

[Ruriska]

The roasting was not over.

“Sooo... is your goldfish girlfriend an actual fish?”

“Oh, that would make sense!”

“W-what?” The poor buck spluttered. “She’s real! A real doe! A Kiokote doe! I’ll take you-” His protesting came to a halt when something rustled in the grass near his hooves.

He poked his head through the blades just in time to see the turtle snap up a poor unfortunate mouse. Ew.

“There’s a turtle here,” he said.

The other two heads pushed through the grass until the trio were staring down at the meandering arrival.

The blue one arched a brow. “Is this your girlfriend as well?”

@Gl!tch~

[Gl!tch~]

She looked up at the kiokote who noticed her first, the one generous enough to announce her presence. Tidal Terror wobbled her head amiably his way.

Two more kiokote appeared, and she found it to be quite a quaint thing to be so small that others looked down at her at full height. Still, it was nice to be noticed once in a while.

The turtle seemed to laugh in a non-turtle-like fashion at the commentary, showing off her teeth as she did so.

Without really checking if she had the space for it, Tidal Terror returned to her totoma form. As she did, she let out loud, booming, mirthful laughter that she couldn't in animal form.

"It is kind of you, kiokote friends, to play matchmaker for me! But I can very well make those decisions for myself."

Not that the buck the others appeared to be ribbing was unattractive. She just wasn't the type to bully like that.

"So. Are you lot out hunting? There is someone who needs the extra food, yes? That's why I'm here..." she trailed off and looked at Thunder Fang, appraising him, but not unkindly. "Is it not?"

@Ruriska

[Ruriska]

To say they were surprised by the transformation was an understatement. Thunder Fang, who had been the closest, fell over entirely. He tumbled back into the grass, legs splayed and could only stare up at the Totoma in ever increasing terror.

She had been a bloodthirsty turtle and now she was a very large Totoma with a very loud voice.

And as was typical of the trio, she was only given one turn to do anything before they did what they always did: flee.

Sheer Cold and Sacred Fire unlocked their surprise frozen limbs and both raced away in different directions as fast as their Kiokote legs could carry them, presumably to find another patch of tall grass to hide in. Leaving Thunder Fang behind still tied up by his own limbs.

Spoiler

His dalliance hadn’t been doubted for no small reason.

He, and his brothers, had absolutely no social skills at all.

"Uh," he said, very eloquently, having processed none of her words. "You were a turtle."

@Gl!tch~

[Gl!tch~]

Tidal Terror burst out laughing at the nonsense happening before her. "I see kiokote are still very good at running!" she called after the fleeing bucks.

But the two who ran off were not who she was here to see; and so, she did not feel the need to give chase.

She looked down at the remaining buck. A little pity bloomed in her chest for the position she put him in. But also, it was very, very funny. The humor stayed in her voice as she spoke further. "I was indeed a turtle! It was a nice change of pace. And now I am a totoma! I cannot congratulate you on fatherhood as a turtle, after all."

@Ruriska

[Ruriska]

The fact that she had been a turtle and now wasn’t made him wonder if there were other seemingly normal animals wandering around who would also turn into kin without warning and if his conversations with the occasional critter about his dismal love life were being listened on.

“... uh... what?”

The awkwardly placed Kiokote no longer seemed panicked, just confused and embarrassed. He’d also only been kind of listening because he’d been worrying about the whole animal into kin thing and her words settled into his brain like oozing tree sap.

“I  fathered... a turtle?”

No wait, that made no sense.

“I am your father?”

No that wasn’t it either.

He thought of the doe.

Oh, oh! Father??? Foals???

“I DID IT RIGHT?”

Honestly, he hadn’t been quite sure. It had all been rather overwhelming at the time. 

@Gl!tch~

[Gl!tch~]

Tidal Terror waited, and waited, and waited, until the buck finally made the connection.

As he did, she let out a big, jolly laugh at all the ridiculous comments he just made leading up to the revelation.

"Yes, you silly thing! You did indeed do it right. Congratulations! I believe in looking for validation, you found me as well! Before you run off to whoever you want to tell first, is there any way I can help you with this? I know how exciting and scary it is to be a parent! You must want the best for your foals, no?"

@Ruriska

[Ruriska]

When her loud laughter rang out, his ears pressed flat against his head from embarrassment. It had been his first time and he just hadn’t been sure. At least now he knew.

“Ugh,” he answered slowly, puzzling over her words. It was exciting, yeah. Scary.. not really? It wasn’t as if he had to do anything now. Maybe when they were grown he’d go visit. Was he allowed to do that? He’d never met his parents. He’d only ever had his brothers.

“Sure?”

He finally managed to unpuzzle his legs and rise to his hooves. “I hope they can run really fast! Faster than even me!” And he was the fastest of the trio, so that was really fast.

@Gl!tch~ <3

[Gl!tch~]

"Fast..." she echoed. "A useful skill indeed! May they think fast enough to keep out of trouble the best they can, and outrun danger that still manages to come their way," Tidal Terror boomed. She then nodded. It was decided.

"Anything further can only come from your efforts in raising them, if you wish to do so. It is a worthy cause! I highly recommend it."

@Ruriska huff puff

[Ruriska]

Raising them? Oh no. That seemed... stifling. Thunder Fang wasn’t ready to be tied down to something so permanent. What would he even say to them? No, he’d just find them one day, challenge them to a race or two.

“That sounds good enough,” he responded cheerfully. “Thanks,  I guess. I’m sure they’ll find that very useful.”

He gave her an awkward grin and in the blink of an eye he was gone like a flash, racing away to find his brothers.

@Gl!tch~
bless u <3