[Continued from Summer's Song ORP]

Dusk blinked, mentally mapping the area the buck described to his own personal understanding of the Cres. He did know that area, vaguely, but he knew it from a few sightings as he had come to and from patrol (and once, when he had decided to try and commit most of the Cres to memory and had lingered near it for a minute). He had seen the buck there a few times too and - Fierce, that was his name. He smiled privately, pleased that he wouldn't have to fall back on his old trick of never once actually addressing the other.

It usually went quite badly.

With that covered he tilted his head, considering the beast on the sands before them. He had traveled quite far in the swamps before he had settled at the Cres, yet he had never seen anything like this before. Some of the other kin around seemed familiar with the beast, and the beast itself hadn't done anything, yet he felt unnerved all the same.

"It's strange," He replied, still turning over the thoughts in his head. "I've never seen it, yet others seem quite familiar with it. Have you?"

@kuropeco two dads, chillin on a beach, 30 feet apart from a giant tar beast because they don't wanna be eaten
and maybe theyre gay

The buck seemed a little on edge - or perhaps he was just an anxious sort, the kind who didn't do well around others, even if he knew them. Fierce himself was used to having to make small talk, even if he didn't always know what to say (in fact, he was fairly certain that he didn't know what to say a good portion of the time; eternal hoof-in-mouth disease, as one of his daughters might deem it), so he wasn't too bothered. One had to learn patience if one was to get anywhere, really (especially if one was dealing with two very, very stubborn shuppies at all hours of the day).

Fierce shook his head. "Not this, at least. Nothing of the sort. It's not exactly something that I would forget if it was making its way through the forest or the swamp, though I can't help but think it's probably nothing good, either."

He gave the...whatever it was - a sidelong glance, full of suspicion. "Perhaps we shouldn't get so close to it. I'm sure it would only go badly."


@peanutbutter /fingerguns

Dusk nodded at Fierce's answer - he'd expected something of the same, after all there was a good chance if the buck had seen it in the past, word would've gotten around in The Cres. Then again, Dusk didn't really talk to many others either, so quiet that he'd barely learned anyone's name in his time spent. He really was not very good company, and he already felt kind of awkward for trapping Fierce in what was going to probably be a one-sided convo.

But the company itself, it was very nice, at least.

"We're in agreement then," He said, also eyeing the beast, "Although I can say I'm glad my daughter isn't here - motherfather knows she'd go straight up to it."

@kuropeco

A breath escaped Fierce, almost a laugh, but more air than anything else. He said, with a touch of dryness in his tone, "You have a reckless child too, I see. I'm quite sure at least one of mine is headstrong enough to go running into every situation I think would be too dangerous for her. And a son as well, who would not see the benefit in waiting and watching."

Contrary to his name, Waiting to Drown was neither patient nor particularly fond of waiting for anything. Fierce could still remember the last argument they had had, the two of them spitting out angry words before Strength had come to separate them, her expression quite unlike her mother's and quite like her father's.

He was trying not to think about that. Fierce let out a sigh.

"Do you have more than one child? Are they all reckless?"


@peanutbutter #ptsd (particularly troublesome second daughter)

"Ah, so you know my pain," Dusk said, his own wry chuckle coming out. "Clearly, they know better than us, despite our years of wisdom, and run headfirst into the danger, all warnings ignored."

Breaking Free had always been particularly rebellious, headstrong and always chasing after some whim or another in the swamp. She had led him on many adventures - and unfortunately quite a few scares as well. It had been a little sad to part from her, even if it was for the better, and he was still worried for her to this day.

"Just my daughter, but she got into enough trouble to keep me busy," He sighed, mind casting back to the chaos he had formerly found himself in. "What about you?"

@kuropeco can u imagine if their kids met. dad trauma, dad trauma everywhere.

There was something to be said about the pair of them both having unruly daughters; something that made Fierce feel a bit more relaxed and much more as though he could speak freely (not that anything in the past had stopped him before, but he had learned to hold his tongue when the situation seemed less than pleasant). "I've tried to speak to her about said danger," said Fierce now, wryness in his tone. "But, as you said, she's taken it upon herself to believe herself the more intelligent of the two of us."

He couldn't help but let out a laugh at the question. "Just one," said Fierce, repeating Dusk's words. "Just one would be a thing, wouldn't it? I wonder what that must be like. I have..."

There was a pause as he counted, the number continuing to rise.

"...twenty-nine," he said at length, wincing slightly. "Twelve sons and seventeen daughters. And now that I've said it out loud, it seems a ludicrous amount."

He was not entirely certain about the judgment he was going to possibly receive on this front, but Dusk did seem like the nicer sort. Still, Fierce braced himself for any sort of mocking, tensing a little, jaw setting a bit more tightly without being fully aware of his own actions.


@peanutbutter someone help him

Dusk grinned, pleased to have found someone to commiserate with. He had never really managed to converse with anyone about his daughter - either out of lack of anyone actually being around, or simply feeling like he had perhaps done something wrong while raising her. But this felt nice, validating even, to know that someone else had the same worries. "Does yours also fail to learn from their actions, or do they at least posses that virtue?"

Dusk blinked in surprise, trying to twist his mind around that many. He couldn't imagine having that many of his own, and yet at the same time... "That sounds nice," He said, surprising even himself. "I mean, a large family. I love my daughter, and she was a handful but..."

He trailed off, considering his next words. It wasn't that he was ungrateful for his small family, and he had lived much of a solitary life, but he still craved companionship. Family. For Fierce to have that many, and to still know have them in his life -

"I imagine you're a wonderful father," Dusk said, and then firmly clamped his mouth shut, slightly embarrassed.

@kuropeco :3c

He winced ever so slightly. "One of them, at least," said Fierce, and there was a note of mingled exasperation and just the barest hint of frustration to his voice. "No matter what I say or do, she'll do the opposite. Or perhaps the worst version of any advice that I give her. I suppose that's also a strength, though; getting up again when she fails."

It was part of why she had been named that, after all. Still, she was ignoring the second half of her name, the in numbers part that he had thought would be about her family, but she was not the sort to stick around their home (his home) for very long, so he supposed in that regard he had been mistaken.

(He was mistaken about a lot of things, if he was being entirely honest with himself.)

Fierce had been expecting judgement, at least of a sort, from his familial declaration, but to his surprise it was not that all. Instead, the tone of Dusk's voice was something smaller, gentler, lacking any heat or derisiveness to it. It took Fierce aback, though he tried to hide this from his expression, schooling it quickly into something else (he had never been good at that, either). He opened his mouth to say something - he wasn't sure what - but the compliment that escaped stopped him from whatever it was going to be.

For a moment, he was silent, letting the words sink in, startled at how much they had hit so deeply. Then he said, in a quiet voice, "Thank you. That's very kind of you to say."

He wasn't sure that he even believed it, but it was a nice sentiment all the same. It had been said with sincerity, at the very least, and that was something. Fierce gave Dusk a small smile. "As to a large family, well...yes, they are quite a handful. They don't all live with me; many have their own separate lives, but some still remain at the Cres. And some are more...stubborn."


@peanutbutter emotional damage

For a minute, Dusk considered the possibility - luxury, even - of having a child who learned from their mistakes. He savored the concept, held it close - and then let it go because it wasn't happening and probably wouldn't in the future. But at least he could commiserate about it with Fierce. "Oh I'm familiar with that logic," Dusk said, wincing in sympathy. "I'll at least give her getting up after the failure though - that's a good trait."

He wasn't sure if Breaking Free had ever had that moment to pick herself up, to try again - most of the danger she had caught herself in didn't allow a retry in the moment, just another encounter in the future that she once again threw herself into. Maddening, and frustrating, and well, worrying now that he wasn't around but that had been part of the point of them separating. Allowing them each to grow, rather than continuing in the same cycle they repeated in.

He wondered if he had managed to change even a little in the time they were apart.

(Would she care? Would she be mad at him? He both wanted to know and was terrified of the answer.)

Fierce's reply jolted him out of his own thoughts, quiet as it was but still kind. Not a rebuff, like Dusk might've expected, still embarrassed by his unexpectedly bold statement, but an acceptance. There was still some heat to his cheeks, a blush he hadn't realized he had (not that it was likely to show, against his dark coloring), but at least he could move on gracefully.

So some were at the Cres still then... he may have met them already then, or would have the chance. That would be something to keep in mind though. However, he was curious - "Stubborn? How so?"

@kuropeco SWEATS

He had more daughters than he had sons, but it was always the daughters who were more headstrong than the sons. Fierce wasn't entirely certain why; perhaps they took more after their mothers than he had thought, but then again, the does he had been with in the past (and the one buck) had not all been of the same mindset. Perhaps having reckless daughters and faithful sons was just his lot in life.

Well. Mostly. Waiting to Drown was not exactly like the others, and Petal Touched still shied away at even the most tentative of greetings, but they were both still loyal, in their own way, even if it wasn't the way that Fierce had hoped for.

"I hope it's a good trait," said Fierce, and there was a note of something in his voice; perhaps tiredness, perhaps weariness, it was a little unclear, but it was there nonetheless. He pushed a hoof idly into the dirty sand, his gaze on nothing. "I wonder sometimes if I put too much pressure on her, or did, and that's why she feels the need to prove herself to me now."

It occurred to him that he was telling a lot more to Dusk than he had intended; these were things that Fierce rarely spoke of, especially to anyone else, not the least someone he knew fairly little about, even if they were from the same tribe. But something about Dusk's quiet presence was calming, the kind to invite confidence and relaxation; it was a trait Fierce knew he didn't have, and a part of him longed for.

He shook that thought away and let out a laugh that was not quite humorous. "My son, Waiting," said Fierce, giving Dusk a rueful half smile; that, too, was lacking in amusement, more of a grimace than anything else. "We butt heads quite often. I think he wants to show himself in some way, to prove himself to me, but he goes about it with all the stubbornness of a shuppy. I've tried talking to him but he dislikes it when I intervene in his life."

A sigh escaped, long and weary. "I'm not quite sure I should keep trying, to be honest."


@peanutbutter ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

Dusk hummed as he considered Fierce's words - Fierce was more experienced than him with kids, his many to Dusk's singular daughter, but it was still clear that he had his own worries and concerns even after so much time. It felt nice to feel trusted to hear about them, and even if he wasn't sure if what he said would be helpful, he had the sense that Fierce wouldn't shame him for it.

He was rather glad he had met Fierce now.

"I'll admit I don't have as much experience as you," He said, "But I can't help but think that if she's still trying, and still coming to you time after time - well doesn't that mean she trusts you, rather than feeling pressured by you?"

He couldn't imagine a daughter pressured by her father, then or now, would continue to come back time after time if she wanted to prove something. There would be some point where she would leave, or perhaps give up - or at least certainly Dusk would. Then again, it was hard to even imagine Fierce being much of an overbearing presence to be pressuring in the first place. He seemed more warm and concerned, rather than a figure who demanded anything, or at least Dusk had gathered that from their conversation. He couldn't have imagined sticking around much if Fierce was anything otherwise.

Then again, two stubborn children was quite interesting, seeing as his son was similar. "I wonder," Dusk replied, "Perhaps you two are a bit more alike than you think, which is why you butt heads?" He had rarely argued with Breaking but when they had argued, it had almost always been because they were both a little bit too alike.

"Giving him some space might help, I know it did with me and Breaking," He offered, but then gave Fierce his own rueful, slightly worried grin, "But if it doesn't you could always blame it on me."

@kuropeco emotionally bleeds out

He wondered, not for the first time, why this was easy to talk to with a kin who, for all intents and purposes, was a stranger. They shared many commonalities, from their parenthood to their tribe, but that didn't immediately indicate a deeper connection. And yet, here Fierce was, talking about his children as though this was something he did every day.

It felt simultaneously strange and warming and made Fierce slightly off kilter. But Dusk was just as continuously gentle as he had been, and the lack of judgement was not something that Fierce dealt with often; he was surprised to find that a small part of him was irritated by the continued disregard of respect from other kin who had not been so kind. He was quite used to brushing it off, because it did not matter what other kin said or thought but unexpectedly he was irritated.

He tamped down on it, because it wasn't directed towards Dusk. Instead, he offered the other buck a slightly weary smile and said, "Perhaps. I'd like to think that I can be a good influence on her, at least sometimes. Perhaps she does trust me, but only in some respects." Then, with a self-mocking little laugh, "I can be quite stubborn, I know that. So there is at least a reason why she is as she is, she's only emulating me."

The mildly anxious grin that Dusk gave him sent some sort of strange feeling through Fierce. He wondered if he was putting too much out there; a sudden pressure on someone who likely did not deserve that much emotional weight on them. "Forgive me," said Fierce, exhaling a breath. "I didn't mean to put all of that on you." Another smile was offered, slightly less mocking and more warm. "I find you easy to speak to, and you're a father as well, so shared experiences and all that. But it seems I might have overstepped some boundaries."


@peanutbutter eyoooooooooooooooooo

Dusk had to admit, he was surprised at how much he enjoyed the conversation he was having with Fierce. It had been a long time since he had anything besides somewhat stilted, awkward conversation - mostly on his part, always worried he'd steer it wrong or say something rude, always worried about what other kin was thinking. But with Fierce it was easy, the conversation having moved to something he could handle, to the point that it felt like they had been friends for a long time rather than two strangers with a small thread of commonality who met on a beach.

He wondered if it was something in Fierce's nature, the ease of how he talked and the way he accepted Dusk and his thoughtfulness and quiet responses. He knew he wasn't the quickest talker and had measured replies, but it never felt like he was being hurried. It was easy and simple and he wondered - hoped - that Fierce would want to continue it another time, since this couldn't last forever. Maybe he could make a friend even.

He let the thought go for the moment though to instead focus on the buck in front of him, who was a little weary, a little mocking. Dusk wanted to smooth those edges out, make him see perhaps the good side of things - but that would be stepping too far. Maybe another day, another time. Instead, he just offered a smile back, and said, "Well, at least you're aware of it. I certainly was blind, and probably still am, to my own faults."

He shook his head at what Fierce said next, a bit of a panic rising up. "No, no you're fine I just - " Dusk hesitated, trying to find the right words. "I... quite like talking to you and I would hate if any advice I gave you was bad and that you wouldn't want to speak again. I would hate to inadvertently end something before it started." He shuffled, unable to quite look Fierce in the eye. It was the most vulnerable he had been in awhile, and the way he felt after spoke as to why he tended to keep to himself. Much easier to not feel anything, really.

@kuropeco smiles in agony bc i couldnt end it here im so sorry

peanutbutter wrote:who am I