[B] Fast Food (Stone Sentry & Real Big Fish)

[Anhelisk]

Stone Sentry was not a pursuit predator. The doe had been born with a name of holding herself so still she was mistaken for part of a mountain, at least until something caught the puff of her breath, the glisten on her eye.

But preferences were one thing when the doe had a craving, and all the fat, indolent creatures of spring and early summer were thinning out. While it was true that some of the squirrels and smaller bears were of the right sort of stature to be getting to their fattest soon, it was also true that Sentry was no climber, and knew better than to try to hunt a bear.

She'd tried, once. The thing had turned out to be an unusually small adult, not a cub-- and then she'd found it to be someone's companion, and that had soured her on trying them altogether. She'd hardly be able to forgive herself if she hunted down someone's beloved pet.

She stopped on occasion as she tried to make sense of animal tracks-- poking at scat, listening for noises, and making sure to get her fill of the plants she was sure were good eating as she continued along. There was no point, after all, in starving herself out in pursuit of her cravings, not when she was so far along with a belly full of lamb and... some sort of leathery eggs? She wasn't entirely certain of that. It was the kiokote and acha that laid eggs, she knew that for sure... but which had the hard-shelled ones, and which had the softer, she couldn't say. It wasn't as if she'd stuck around the stallion long enough to learn from him-- she'd had no reason to believe she had any reason to stick around. She'd never had to before, after all... and the whole idea of it had never been particularly daunting enough to hover just on the off-chance of that changing.

She sighed as she tore more leaves off the elderberry bush, working in narrow sections to prune notches into the shape of the bush. In future years, such efforts would mean the berries were easier to get to, as long as others kept the work up too.

[Scaramouche Fandango]

When Fish came back from fishing, she noticed a few things simultaneously. First, there was a loud crashing in the distance, the kind of crashing one head when a bush was in a violent struggle. Second, her bears, her griffon, and her wolf were all missing. Now, this could mean anything– her companions weren't kept on any kind of a tight leash, and they had the freedom to come and go as they would. But it did sound like her friends were off attacking a shrub for its berries, and that, frankly, sounded pretty good to her. She trundled off, water dripping in a trail behind her, towards the sound of struggling shrubbery.

But when she came across the source of the noise, it wasn't her furry friends at all. Instead, it was another Totoma- a doe, from the look of things. The stranger was desperately trying to impose order on a large elderberry shrub. It had the beginnings of something functional, not just topiary embellishment- and with an experienced eye, Fish could see how the pruning could take shape over years. It was a smart thing to do- but a challenging undertaking nonetheless. She approached the doe, not wanting to remain just a watcher any longer. Sure, if this lady didn't want help then she'd wander off. But Fish wouldn't be Fish if she didn't offer.

"Elderberries, huh? Not a bad choice, but if you're trying to do anything permanent, they're tenacious little bastards. Want some help?"

[Anhelisk]

"Nnnmf." Fish had found Sentry with her mouth full, teeth halfway through chewing through a particularly stubborn branch to allow easier access into one part of the plant. The doe gently let the tension go on the branch, letting it sag as she freed her mouth.

"I wouldn't mind it," she said, perhaps noncommitally. It wasn't as if this doe would prevent her from getting her fill of the leaves and branches-- they could both go wild stripping this particular monster, and it would still barely be worse for the wear afterwards.

[Scaramouche Fandango]

She took care to follow the doe's lead, watching her as she pruned away. They mostly worked in silence; their mouths were their tools, after all. But after a while, Fish dropped the branches she was holding and spoke. "So, any particular reason you're shaping this shrub, as opposed to just devouring it?"

Fish knew that there was an underlying concern- this wasn't just eating because winter was on the way. She could sense these things, just as she could sense the cooling of the air or the rippling motion of fish in the water. She didn't know if the doe knew, so this was a way to probe at it.

[Anhelisk]

It was a companionable silence-- one shared between two kin used to getting down to work. When she found deep-buried clusters of berries, the doe paused to snack on them, but mostly she was focused on shaping the bush-- at least, until her counterpart asked her a question.

She snorted gently, taking her time before answering. "Mmm. Needed something to take my frustrations out on, mostly," the doe admitted. "I've been feeding myself plenty, but I keep thinking of this one food I had last winter. It was this... bird, roasted with fire on flat stones until the skin split and the meat sizzled. And I have no way of being able to get the bird anytime soon. Let alone the cooking stones, or the fire."

[Scaramouche Fandango]

There was a tribe that cooked- through the coercion, or cooperation, of a fire salamander, they did amazing things with poultry and fish and really, anything you gave them.  She had to be talking about their incredible winter market offerings. Shame how far away that was- she would definitely have her clutch by the time it rolled around. "Yeah, pregnancy will do that. Cravings are just a part of it. Not a fun part, mind." Fish thought back to her own clutches. Was there anything worse than wanting something out of season? Maybe the sheer confusion of having a sac when your body had previously only known lambs. That was kind of a nightmare. Her Kimeti child had looked so small and vulnerable, with only that thin membrane for protection against the world.

"Sometimes you have to just take what you can get. We both know that. And hey, there's worse things in the world than elderberries. I might be able to help you with a little more than just shaping this shrub. I can't cook you a bird, but I might be able to do something else for you. And for them. What would you want for your offspring, if you could have anything for them?"

Fish hoped the doe realized what was going on, because it wasn't like she'd told her. Part of her communion with the Motherfather was that knowlege. Fish just knew things sometimes, and when somebody was pregnant was something she always just... knew.

[Anhelisk]

The smaller totoma nodded at her companion as she spoke, munching politely on a cluster of berries here, some springy twigs there as the genial stranger made her offer.

The intensity, the talk about her offspring... the glowing eyes.... Sentry wasn't a fool. She'd been born in the swamp, the same as any other kin, and may have had a mare or stag's blessing put upon her mother when she'd been in the womb. She looked down, then back at the other doe.

"Wouldn't you know better than I would, as to what I should be hoping for? You're the expert in this, aren't you? If I wish for health, what if they're miserable? Would it not be a better thing to wish for them to never feel pain, even if it meant a short or sickly life? But then... they could be callous, and not care about those around them... cause pain to others that they could never fathom..."

This. This was why she didn't talk to other kin. She always turned into a rambling fool, going on about whatever it was that struck her fancy. There was no stopping her heart from saying what it would, once it had purchase on her words.

[Scaramouche Fandango]

"Resilience is what I always ask for my own kids. I've got... nine of them." Damn. When did she have nine kids? HOW had she had nine kids? Motherhood had snuck up on her and pounced, hadn't it? She'd hardly noticed the change in her own life- bringing new life into the world was just part of the cycle of things. "Resilience and good judgment. Things like that are what I typically like to promise new parents. There's some things, like personality, that I've never really been all that keen on blessing for- you can't determine somebody's personality. That's on them, not on the Motherfather. It's up to us- not even necessarily as parents, but as a society, as kin working together- to show the next generation that love and cooperation will get you a lot farther than wanton cruelty. That's kind of what we do, when we bless- we give them a fighting chance to make their lives easy enough that hardship doesn't gut them. It's hard not to worry, but it'll be ok." She looked at the elderberry, noticed how it had been trimmed. "It's like what you're doing to this tree- in the years to come, if the pruning sticks and other kin realize what it is, it'll be easier for them to get at the food it holds. You don't know them, you'll probably never see them- and yet, here you are, blessing that future. Which, funnily enough, freedom from hunger is the other thing I like to bless for. That doesn't necessarily mean they'll be living off the fat of the land- it goes horn in hoof with resilience and good judgement. It means they'll be able to persevere, to find food where it's hiding, and to have the inner strength to never give up. And-" she laughed a little, a deep rolling chuckle - "And maybe there's just a pinch of magic to it. So what do you think?"

[Anhelisk]

There were too many ideas-- being asked to choose was opening up a whole world to muse on, and... that was interfering with the notion of the other totoma's promise to help her with something other than elderberries. While it wouldn't be a cooked bird, she had a feeling that fat and sinew would be on the menu in some form or another... as long as she could keep it curt.

"Well. The ability to feed themselves and those around them is admirable," Sentry mused. "So is resilience. I would be comfortable accepting whatever blessing you wished to give us?"