Rite and Ritual wasn't often the sort to seek out meat. She had, on occasion, nibbled at the grubs growing fat on the bones she prepared for herself and others, and once she had tried to sniff at some flesh that was still attached to something in a bog, but meats were usually a treat that came from her grandmothers when they visited, and nobody hunted better game than Real Big Fish. However, finding her when she was otherwise occupied could be... difficult. The mare was often busy following the rhythms of nature, and additionally seeking out kin on the path of becoming parents to bless their clutches.

Her great uncle, Small Game, was another matter. He lived close to where Oath had raised him and his clutch, and he was always incredibly enthusiastic about sharing space with family. It was less than half a day's walk, and she was fairly certain that if she let him know where she was staying, he'd come to visit with gifts in tow-- often gifts prepared with the help of a very storied tribe. Her stomach growled at her as she mused on the flavour of flame-heated fish and sun-dried hunks of meat, or the eggs that had been left in hotsprings until they were firm and pale on the inside, or even biting into something freshly-killed, redness running down her muzzle as she tore deeper....

Yes. She'd have time for a short trip. She quickly scratched a message out to Bite on an angled slab of clay, indicating the space she'd been sharing with the somber, peculiar doe as a place that she would return to, before starting off towards the east.

There was something about flying that Dusk Wave would never get tired of. His crane form, something that felt just as natural to him as his stag form, had become something of a comfort to him lately. He liked the mobility he gained, the ability to finish his patrols for the Cres and then take the time to visit some other part of the swamp when he wanted. It helped in his duties, that much was true - it was convenient to be able to travel to find those to bless, and certainly had advantages above just traveling by foot - but truthfully, Dusk just liked being in the air.

With another patrol finished and the boundaries clear, Dusk had taken to the sky once more. He had no particular destination in mind, or real reason to be up, just simple satisfaction and joy. For awhile he enjoyed simply riding the currents and looking upon the swamp, but after some time his mind drifted to turning back to the Cres. He could fish perhaps or maybe -

He blinked, his thought interrupted by the pull that he had come to associate with being needed. The fishing would have to wait, and he started his flight downwards, taking care to land himself neatly in a nearby clearing to where he felt the pull. Dusk took a moment to shake himself out and then started walking, keeping himself in crane form as he looked for whomever he had felt the pull.

He blinked as he spotted a doe, then turned a glowing eye upon them - perhaps it was this one? He cocked his head and considered it, the shadow of his stag form behind him as her peered at her.

Anhelisk wrote:

Ever since the events of last autumn, there had been anomalous animals showing up with glow where they hadn't before. And sometimes, there were kin who glowed that never had, or zikwa that didn't that should have, at least by older knowledge. As such, the doe paid little notice to the crane at first glance-- it, after all, wasn't doing anything unpredictable, merely ambling on long, spindly legs and tilting its head towards her.

It took her several moments to process the ghostly figure behind that glowing crane. Gasping softly, she stopped with a suddenness that almost had her rearing slightly, hooves digging into the leaf litter beneath her as she caught them.

She was never certain which eyes to focus on when she saw her grandmother like this. They could see through both, and both of their forms, she understood, were as natural to them as the flesh and blood body she was born to. The crane was in front, though. She settled on his bird form after a short moment, before finally speaking.

"Um... hello," she called out gently, in acknowledgment. Her grandmother had never been one to stand on ceremony, but this was a stranger, and as such, the succinctness of her greeting felt... insufficient. "I hope you've been having a good evening," she added.

It was always a bit of a surprise, and pleasure, to be addressed in his crane form. It was easy for him to be mistaken as just one of the many in the swamp, or for them to never even see the form for times when he shifted before finding the one he needed to bless. Then again, Dusk had left his kin form in his shadow for once, and it would be easier to spot him as a something more with that looming over him.

Still, it was appreciated. He nodded his head in an affirmative bob, and then realized it would be more productive for him to perhaps shed his feathers.

"Hello," He echoed, the crane gone and his stag form now far more corporeal. "I would say it's been quite lovely. What about yours?"

The acknowledgment from the... elder? -- it was always hard to tell, they had this paradoxical glow of youth and ancient, ancient eyes -- before her put Rite at ease, and she moved to approach as he shifted his form to speak with her. "I just set out to visit some family, but my day was very... unproductive, to say the least." There were a lot of things that Rite liked to do with her days, but she'd struggled to pin down exactly what she'd wanted, at least until she'd put together the notion of finding a relative to beg into sharing a hunt with her.

"It took most of the day just to decide on a course of action. At least beetles don't eat bones if you leave them too long...."

Ah, Dusk was familiar with days like those. While the Cres had built structure into his days (which he was extremely thankful for), there were still moments both past and present where he had spent much time dithering over what to do. Before long the entire day would be gone and he would have little to show for it, which had always made for a frustrating moment.

At least the doe seemed to be in better spirits over it than he would be, and he nodded at her explanation, amused by the turn of phrase she used. "I've definitely had those days myself," He agreed, falling silent for a moment as he considered his next words. It felt rude, to be so blunt, but Dusk was not inclined to beat around the bush and if the doe was already behind on her day, he didn't want to delay her any further in visiting family.

"Are you in need of a blessing?"

Rite's mouth sometimes moved faster than her mind. "You would know better than I would, wouldn't you?" she asked.

Ah. Too late.

She'd have to stick with that response.

Dusk blinked for a moment, stunned by the reply, and then laughed. Oh to be as witty as her! Maybe some day he'd be able to provide such a quick response.

When he was done he shot her a smile, deeply amused. "You make a fair point, and in turn I'll try to make this quick to not further delay your travels. Tell me, what do you wish for your children?"

Rite was a little mortified despite herself, and despite the buck's laughter. She... she was in a position where she'd benefit from a blessing. She could have just said that instead. "Well, health has to be there. Illness, hunger... there's a lot of things which can scar a body or mind for life..." she started, then turned to pace a little, keeping herself turning as she began to weave in a figure eight.

The bones she'd worked with, so many, many skeletons, had taught her much about the realities of life. Between that and the blessing that her grandmother tended to give, she was certain of that much at least. But as her thoughts turned to her morose, beautiful mate-- and the way the other doe's disposition plagued her, she began to have a rough idea of what else it is she'd hope for.

"Health and happiness," she started, then, abruptly-- "No. Health and... positivity, I think... or the ability to tell the difference between what a mind tries to convince you of and the truth as others see it. I'd say knowing the truth, but it can't be that easy, can it...? And..."

This was a lot, this was entirely too much for one blessing, and she knew it-- stop with this last one. You can stop now, "...I'd want them to have good names, ones that didn't predispose them to suffering."

Dusk had heard many a thing an expectant parent had wanted in his time for blessings. Some were common, expected almost - things that every parent wished for their children, and those that he was used to weaving into his blessing. But there was always something else that they added that was unique to each parent, and Dusk enjoyed hearing those requests the most.

He watched and listened carefully to her wishes, taking his time to set the words in the right order in his mind. He knew it could be anything but if for no one but himself, he cared about how he did these. There was a pleasure in making it sound proper, and he couldn't help but smile at the doe's last request. It was lovely and thoughtful - she would make a great parent, even if he had caught her by surprise. When he finally had everything right in his mind, he took a breath and began.

"May your children be healthy and happy, with keen senses to separate friend from foe within the swamp, both seen and unseen. May their names lead them to paths in life that they find joy in," He paused, giving a considering look to the doe, and then added, "And may you have safe travels to your family, and a day with productivity in your future."

Dusk smiled once more and gave the doe a polite nod, before shifting back to his crane form. With a quick beat of his wings he was back up in the sky, the undersides of his wings giving off a golden glow as he made his way back to the Cres. He was having quite the lovely evening indeed.

Rite smiled and nodded at the stag before her, ruminating quietly on the blessing. She had this one chance to commit it to memory, and she knew that her family... and maybe her mate, if she was also interested... would want to know exactly what he'd said.

"Healthy, happy... keen senses..." she mumbled, eyes closed with focus, before feeling the wind buffeting her from a large bird taking off immediately next to her, and realizing he'd shifted and wheeled away.

She'd have to catch up to him in the future if she could, to make sure he got proper thanks. Until then, however... how had it gone?

"Health, happiness, keen senses for friend and foe... and names with joyful paths. Health, happiness, keen senses... names with joyful paths. Health, happiness...."