[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... r_maxx.gif[/imgleft]Distant Thunder had been seeking this seafoam figure for so very long. He had high hopes when The Ache drove him to the swamp, closer than ever to the waters that promised that someone, but after so very long in the swamp, he was still lost.

It was twice now, that he had hopes. Two beautiful, intriguing seafoam does, one so tender, one so headstrong. He had felt warmth, affection, and so much hope. The young buck in the plains had expected a lightning moment, a notion that he would know, when it happened. The older buck had hoped he would come to find it was her, when he found her. The first time, he felt for her dearly, yet understood, after a while of hope, she was not from his dream. The second time, he understood she might be just like the sea's tides - here and gone, in a wave of passion. Still, it was not to be. He felt regret, guilt, and gratitude towards them. He had told them as much.

He felt shame.

He had hoped to go together, to the sea, with his own seafoam silhouette. Thunder had put off this precious landscape, but he thought perhaps it was time to see the sea for himself. After all, in the dream he was always chasing. Thunder, strong and hardy, would chase again.

His sturdy body pushed through the prickly bramble without care, and far stretches of land would never dissuade him, a kin of the plains. He ran, and ran, and at some point, he stopped, because he felt the sand at his hooves, and the stretching horizon of the sea beyond.

It looked so calm, it was almost wrong, considering the way he was panting and stamping towards the wide, quiet shore.

He had hoped, again, that something would happen -  but he was here, and it was quiet, and it was beautiful, and the beauty of it angered him.

He approached the sea, dipped his hooves in the salt water, pleasantly lapping, and bellowed at it for being so damnably calm.

He heard it.

Whatever it was.

His ears swivelled up, the faint sound of - his name? It floated along and vanished at the ends, and he called out, urgent, like a fool, because he only knew to call his own name.

"Thunder! It's Distant Thunder, I'm here!"

"GREAT MOTHERFATHER IS THIS YOUR - "

- and he looked up to see the bounding figure, a figure that he recognised instantly, the beautiful arc of back and nimble limbs, a swift and graceful gait, except in the opposite direction of his dream: towards him. Also, screaming. Yet, no less charming. It struck him like lightning, as his Thundering heralded. He could almost ignore the gnawing hound on his ankle in this very moment.

He gawped, half-heartedly shaking said ankle in a vague effort to throw the hound off.

"What?"

He asked tenderly but loudly, just loud enough to be heard over the waves and the growling dog, for he so desired to hear what sweet speech slipped from such beautiful lips.

"I'm afraid I can't hear you, the dog," he waved it with the limb, "but I...I felt it.

"Is it you? It is you, isn't it?"

Motherfather knew he had hoped that the figure would stop, and all he had to do was come to the sea for that.

He looked down, at the keen face, so fine, the slope of muzzle so delicate to the soft lay of ears, sleek and beautiful.

"For so long," he sighed, too content, "cheeky creature."

"You've been running from me, you should know," and he reached down to touch noses, making sure this was real.

With that, his face contorted - regret came upon his face and remained. It was guilt.

"I was hoping to come here with you," head lowered, but he couldn't turn his eyes away, "after I had found you.

"I thought - once I'd come to the Swamp, from the plains, it would be all right. I would find you first, then we would come to the sea, and have a family. What a fool I've been, keeping myself away from our home.

...I'm sorry to have left you lonely."

His cheek pressed against her forehead, soft, firm and tender.

"You really have been running everywhere," an astonished reply, impressed even, "just like water. So it is you; of course you would have lovely children. I too, have had lovely children, I would like to think."

He lifted his head, and slid against her, neck to neck.

"Now we will have children of our own, and what lovely children they will be."

Everything had fallen into place, so quickly. Of course he should have sought the sea.

"Oh yes," he gave one final rub and drew back with a big smile, "I came with the Ache, after I had helped who I could back in the plains after the Flood. It was a tumultuous time, I was young then - swamp life has been less challenging, but it has never been quite right without you."

He prattled on with some joy, "and you, the desert! Ah, how the Motherfather has kept us apart, dreaming of each other in a place we had never seen."