[PRP] Distant Shore [ Distant Tidings/Distant Thunder ]

[Jun]

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... gs_jun.gif[/imgleft]Distant Tidings had had a lot of time to think about his sins.

For the first few days, he had not thought it so. It was the Swamp's fault, he had thought it – for, of course, it must be. The Swamp had sent him his dream, and sent him his mate, and the Swamp had made him all wrong for both. He cursed the Swamp – who would not? He cursed his dream, his fair-weather mate; he cursed the Motherfather, who'd mismade him so. Damn them all – he needed none of them.

The next few days, his conviction had started to erode. Still, he bargained. He argued – he was right. Wasn't he? He had to be. Certainly, he'd known; he'd kept it to himself. He'd touched upon the truth, and flitted away. But didn't he have to? He had to – certainly. He'd have lost him – at once – if he hadn't swept it under. He'd have left at once, the miserable fool. He'd left at once, after all, when he knew. Better a week or two, than scant seconds. He'd waited so long, at least he'd had a week. He'd have left at once. He had been right.

And it wasn't – it wasn't as if he wouldn't have told him, eventually. When the time was right.

Damn it all.

It wasn't until the last few days that he'd finally accepted: perhaps he was a fool, and his foolish son, Shallows, was wiser than he was. He had said it would catch up with him one day, and he would be sorry. He certainly was sorry as he'd ever been. Perhaps as sorry as he would ever be. Because he lied. Wasn't it so? Because he hid the truth.

But then – but then, deception was in his nature, wasn't it? The Motherfather had made him so.

It was only over the course of the last day, that he had started to consider: it may be so that the Motherfather had made him so, and it may be so that was what he was meant to overcome. Was there ever sweetness without struggle? If there was, he'd never known it. But hadn't he struggled enough?

Had he?

Hadn't he?

The ill fit, wherever he went – the misfit of this misfit. Companionship, camaraderie, poorly draped like an awkward pelt across his back. The momentarily knit of his teasing tale – only for the laughter to ebb, and die like a fleeting shadow. He had been everywhere, never belonged, anywhere – the desert whence he came, the cold at the mountain's foot, the Swamp, all over the Swamp, even the sea, where he was promised –

His dream had promised, hadn't it? That he would belong nowhere, till the sea, where he belonged, and then he would belong everywhere…

But he hadn't. Not even the sea. Not until he came. Just like his dream. For a week or two, he knew where he belonged.

He liked belonging. He liked teasing; he liked laughing. He liked being liked. But, in the end, everyone who liked him always went away, and so did he.

Because - the barest whisper of the Swamp hissed – he had deceived him.

He had known it, and deceived him, knowingly.

Had he suffered?

Why had he suffered?

He had deceived them all. All his riddles, hidden truths...flexible narratives, happy little surprises - all in fun, he'd always teased. It wasn't always all in fun; he'd lied to them all.

"A little trite, isn't it," he murmured, "a lesson such as that."

[Maxx]

[imgright]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... n_maxx.gif[/imgright]

"Have you been thinking again," a lazy drawl from Sideways Down, reclined near the mouth of his hovel, "won't do you much good. Still a little while yet, till I tire of you."

[Jun]

He had had a lot of time to think about his sins. Largely because, for the better part of two weeks, he had been held captive here, doing a whole lot of nothing, in this den, and he was beginning to think he was going to die here without having put his learnt lesson to any use.

Which, he supposed, would be very much in the vein of the rest of his life.

He had known that Sideways Down was trouble, which was why he had come to find him. Trouble was all one could ask for, in a rebound. But he had come looking for trouble in a big, strong buck, and trouble was what he'd found. He'd meant for nothing but a one-night stand, but his plan of leaving before sunrise had been scuppered, and every sunrise after.

Surely the kimeti had to leave him unguarded, sometime? But that brother of his - what was his name, Light Up or something of the like - who spoke poison and stared at him with icy venom in his eyes. He brought them food, and stood at the mouth, the times Down deigned to leave. He'd promised to dash his brains out against the rocks, should he come ten paces within him, and he was rather inclined to believe it - he stared at him with burning hatred in his eyes. He wasn't even sure what Down intended, keeping him here like this. Maybe when he got bored, he'd snap his spine, and then the brothers would feast upon his flesh or something. These guys were bad news bears, and he'd stirred the wrong nest.

Well, he did lead Down on a merry chase for a year or three, promising treasures he'd never delivered on till now. He'd known he was trouble, but he was a handsome buck, and dancing near the fire was fun till one got burnt.

Another learnt lesson of no use, he supposed.

What a tiresome way to die. He missed the charming fool. It made him sigh to think he would see him no more - but then, he hardly thought he'd deign to see him, even if he were free.

[Maxx]

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... r_maxx.gif[/imgleft]
[imgright]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... idings.png[/imgright] "What in the Motherfather's name -" Distant Thunder muttered, as the dog led him to a lush mouth of a cave, heralded by the contrast of prickly foliage and a delicate fall of hanging flowers. They had run for a while, into the rather danker parts of the swamp, and he had half the suspicion that the dog was simply following its stomach (but if that were the case, they would have made a stop right across the bank instead, at Rise and Shine). Besides, the swamp was vast, and given the fleeting, mercurial nature of that creature, he could not possibly fathom himself where he would run, after he had quite abandoned him where they'd stood.

At this moment, staring at all the warning signals this patch of land was giving him, Thunder did what he did best, and trampled bodily through the plants with great bravado. He made no secret of his approach to whoever he assumed was within, and he had rather hoped it was a luxurious hideout of his mate's rather than something more sinister.

Unfortunately, as soon as he saw the kimeti, rising to his feet to meet him, he knew it wouldn't be quite so easy. The look in his eye equalled his in determination, with an edge of dishonesty he wasn't particularly fond of.

"Pray," he ventured, standing his ground, "have you seen a slip of an Acha? Pelt like the sea, tongue like silver. Too clever for his own good."

He felt the dog at his heels, a tenseness in its body that told him the answer before the buck would.

[Maxx]

Down's mouth shaped briefly, and he reconsidered before a flat, airy, "no."

[Jun]

He'd felt him before he'd heard him, the thrum of his hooves into the earth...okay, he'd heard his dog before he'd heard him. Thunderings was noisy, and he had sat up with no small amount of disbelief once the distant snarls and yaps had floated through the air.

But...why? He couldn't fathom any reason he - of all Kin - would come…

"Hey, if you've come to snap my neck or something," he piped up, peering eagerly beyond the mouth, "I'm pretty sure he's got dibs on that."

[Maxx]

There was a sigh, and it came from within, even as his shoulders were still and his body ready to spring, as he regarded the little exposed muzzle of Distant Tidings, and felt equal amounts of exasperation and affection. Surely, he thought, this was sort form of love, and probably the right form of it. Realism.

"I'm sure he's been incredibly intolerable, I would be happy to take his impudent self from your wonderful little den. Very nice flowers. Really gives that confused sense of sensual danger."

[Maxx]

Down barked a laugh.

"He's just fine - the intolerable stage is over, and I'm just waiting till I tire of his presence. I suppose I'll let my plans follow my whims. He had it coming, I'm sure you know."

[Maxx]

Thunder's breathing was calm as he evaluated, the best he could, what was the best course of action here. Not that he didn't understand this villain's feelings, but he had since progressed from being as pretentious and bombastic. Besides, this buck seemed to have a more diabolical edge that he had never quite developed himself.

"I'm sure he's learnt his lesson. Hand him over, buck."

He took one warning step forward, his hooves sinking into the ground.

[Maxx]

Down was foolhardily focused on his impulsive little activities, but Down had the sense he was not at the stage of his life that he could take this kiokote on successfully.

That unfortunately angered him, to the point that he unthinkingly charged the kiokote.

[Maxx]

Thunder snorted a laugh himself, a restless aggression rising to the fore. It had been some time since he had brawled, and what better time for a brawl than this? He stood firm at the charge - daring, waiting, challenging the buck to give it his best shot.

His shoulder was poised for his following barge - he brought it squarely to the stranger's collar, and he sunk deeper into the soil at the impact.

[Maxx]

Down let out an angry gurgle at the hit, backing off briefly for his breath before raising his considerably larger hooves to strike the kiokote's face. He wasn't above playing dirty, when it was all fair to him.

[Maxx]

"You ought to learn your place as well, boy," Thunder almost hissed, letting his cheek take the blow before rearing, his knees perfectly placed for his ribcage under the raised limbs.

[Jun]

Tidings had always idly dreamt - who hadn't, really? - of having two bucks fight over him. He just didn't really think it would be two bucks fighting over who got to kill him. He realised - he did realise - he had the distinct realisation that this would be the perfect time for him to disappear into the wind. After all, his dream, his joys - they'd already had. Let them fight to the death, why not? He could run with the wind, and keep his pretty little head. Wasn't that too a lesson to be learned? No?

Dramatically, he sighed.

He supposed, at least, he could choose which one he'd rather snap his neck.

Following in the footsteps of his (erstwhile, perhaps) hound, he flew at the Kimeti's ankle (the one the hound wasn't already trying to savage), and bit down - hard, before skittering away behind the Kiokote, because he wasn't stupid.

[Maxx]

With an agitated cry, Down fell, winded from the blow to his chest, and bruised far too quickly for his taste.

"This - damned - dog!" He gasped, with an angry kick at this ridiculous hound still latched on, "dogs, all of you! You pay his ego too much service!"