ORP - Strange finding

[[.Lady of Shalott.]]

He watched the spitting...thing (for it was too fast for him to see)...run up and strike at the white doe, and then race back towards the swamp. The doe seemed alright, if not a little shaken.

And then, one of the grandbucks of Dusk (where else would that crust come from?) whisked into the forest, with only a whisper to his brother. His grandmother would kill him if anything happened to her grandbaby, so there was really only one option.

With a sigh of regret, Rabbit started to lope after the young buck. Children could be such a pain.  

[elufae]

Nightmare-of-Roses was cranky now. Not only had another buck joined the party, but the scratch stung like an annoying wasp. And the other sandy buck was spewing nonsense. She rolled her eyes..but at least three bucks left. Now they were even. She hoped the doe wouldn't leave as well, leaving her with these ...bucks. She curled her lip at the duney one and said:

"And what could she have stolen? Do you see anything here that could possibly belong to the cat, little buck? What if she stole his animal eyes, oh dear! Or maybe, haha, maybe that little lynx-thing is trying to protect the dead thing? Like a mother and her cub.." she said, her voice low. mocking. sarcastic. But with all that has happened, she wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. Instead, she looked to the kimeti that remained, and sat down, licking her would.  

[theCorniest]

Assailed by the varying reports and regards of the outlands company, Breeze halted a few lengths short of the company, just on the crest of a small rise - or, rather, the lip of the ditch - with his mongoose clinging to his back. He tilted his head to regard the other Kimeti - more bucks than does, counting him, but all strong and able, even if the dusty tan one seemed apt to jump to conclusions, and the patterned white doe gave him the evil eye.

Turning his gaze from the living to the deceased, Breeze had an awful start, almost rearing with fright at the sight of the strange... not-kimeti caked with drying mud, strange dead and unintelligent eyes staring out into the long dry border of mother swamp. "This... this is the creature at the source of the commotion?" The differences between the healthy, normal creatures present and the dead thing were purely abhorrent to the older buck, but curiosity drew him closer. He began observing the deceased, taking several long minutes of silence to observe its condition and surroundings.

At last returning his attention to the living, he postulated, "Eyes aside for now, perhaps this... doe... kept that lynx-like creature as a pet?" Gazing into the swamp after his fled son and the strange green buck, he continued "An incredibly loyal creature, if that be the case. I'm not certain Shadow-Stripe here," jerking his head back to indicate his pet, "would return to me after I passed."  

[Darkmoon Dancer]

Memory was lost. The others around him spoke, and gave their bits of the story, their theories on the situation, but all he could focus on was the dead thing lying in the ditch. It was the only being here that could hold his attention. It wasn't changing, and therefore became the easiest thing for him to remember. He glared at the deceased, cursing it in his mind, for somehow he felt that it was responsible for everything that was happening. Wait... what was happening...?

His head jerked up, to find himself staring straight at a mongoose. The startled buck, flailed his limbs against the ground, pushing himself backwards, trying to put a bit of distance between himself and the creature that sat... upon... another kimeti's back.... Brow furrowed once more, Memory opened his mouth to say something, to ask a question, but no words came out as he scanned the group once more. He didn't know anyone here... where was... the kimeti whipped about in a tight circle, looking fervently for his brother. Where was Immortal?

Memory's heartrate went up, as he tried to calm himself and remember what had happened. His eyes fell upon the dead once more, and he urged himself to remember...
 

[elufae]

Nightmare continued to lick her wound until it was no longer stinging. Her furrowed brow eyed the new buck and the fidgity sandy buck with disgust. Her eyes softened at the sight of the mongoose. Curious, furry thing. She had always envied those who had pets and familiars. She listened to what the new buck said and nodded. "But how are we to find out? Dead does tell no tales, or do they? Last time I checked, they do not..Where do we go from here? Tell me that, buck." she said, the last word emphasized with hate.  

[theCorniest]

Breeze drew back his head from the sting of the white and red doe's insulting emphasis. Sadly, he made note of another complication among the present company.

And then, the other doe's suggestion gave him another start. Surprises were unending today! Full of doubt and worry, he shook his head as he cautioned, "Leaving the swamp is an action that is highly discouraged by all but the very oldest of stories. There may be terrible things lying beyond those hills..." he paused, staring thoughtfully out to the horizon, his sense of adventure stirring. The few stories he had heard of the lands beyond the swamp were contradictory and enigmatic. He had long wished to set those tales to rights...

Wish sudden resolve, he spoke again. "There is no way to tell but to go there, I suppose. It would be quite something else, I think, to bring back a new story instead of looking for old ones." Quite something else indeed! Hearing about other Kimeti's adventures can only take one so far in life, after all. Perhaps it was time for a little excitement!

Turning his mind to the practical side of this new endeavor, he thought aloud, "It looks mighty dry out there. Carrying water would be an important consideration, if it stays dry. And, I'd like to at least wait for my son. He will return near nightfall. Perhaps he will bring the others back with him," he added, nodding sympathetically to the confused tan buck.  

[Darkmoon Dancer]

Staring intently at the corpse on the ground merely provided Memory with a headache, one that rang inside of his mind and made his thoughts run away from his ever-desperately grasping brain. At the mention of the dunes, though, his ears perked up and his gaze was drawn to just that. The horizon seemed to go on forever and it almost sang to him, much like the pulse of the swamp can almost physically be felt when a kimeti found himself in the deepest darkest parts of her heart. So, trying very hard to commit these faces to his faulty memory, the tan buck looked around at the party and nodded once to the muddy buck's encouraging words. "Immortal will come back, and he would lose me if I stray too far from where he last saw me." He could only assume it was here that they had parted, but he knew that his brother would come back for him, and there was no way that he would leave without him. So once more, the buck sat down rather heavily and looked out onto the dunes, where he knew they were to travel, probably at sunrise.
 

[elufae]

Nightmare-of-Roses narrowed her eyes at the bucks. Great. Those other bucks were coming back. She sighed and lowered her head to get some shut-eye. Her wound started to tickle, and though she knew better than to scratch it, the itch escalated to a point of sheer annoyance. She lifted her head and hind leg and scratched at the wound, but dirtied it in the process. Sighing again, she proceeded to lick it clean. When that was done, she returned to laying down to rest for the moment. Perhaps later on she would wake to keep watch.

As she napped, she wondered what they would find beyond the horizon? Would it be fantastic? Horrid? Dangerous? Would they lose their lives? Their sanity? Would they end up like this doe? Mutated? Or would they find a Utopia? A small smile cracked at the thought of paradise as the bitter doe drifted in sleep.  

[Matope]

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The group's nap would not last too long, as while they were debating and arguing, the few that had split off were eagerly running down the creature that had so rudely interrupted the interrogation. And skilled as they were with the terrain here in the muddy, wet, dragging swamp, the three bucks eventually caught up with their prey, to whom the Motherfather was so different, so foreign, so unnatural. But all would be told in time.

The three bucks, as promised, made their way back to the group now, to tell of their events and discoveries.

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[theCorniest]

While some of the others rested, Wildflower Breeze began to make preparations for their traveling. He found, not too far from their encampment, ripe and juicy fruit dangling from vines among the trees. He made note of where they were so that, when it came time to leave, they load up with these sources of moisture and nutrition. Not exactly a terrific source of either, but it would help. He returned to the mudflats to wait.

As the day wore on into afternoon, he grew expectant of his son's return. As afternoon dragged on into evening, he began to grow worried. Motes had said he's be back before nightfall, and sunset was fast approaching and, arriving, would be fast gone. Breeze was unused to being without his son so long, though he had been fine with being alone before begetting and finding him.


As the sun sank down and down, riotous color sweeping over the barren grounds, a stir and commotion was heard approaching from the south. emerging from the treeline, one by one, came the three bucks that had chased the not-lynx. Motes was in the fore, and, almost before he got past the thickened mud, was running to rejoin his father. There was something strange on his back, though - the creature that had attacked before!

It had draped itself lazily across his back, though it stirred uncomfortably as he approached the place where the not-kimeti lied. Fortunately, Breeze had not wished to remain too close to it. As Motes came to a stop before his father, the cat dropped down to the dirt beside him, yawned, stretched, and sat, eying the company warily. Aria, who had been following close behind, took the opportunity to resume her typical perch on Motes' shoulder.  

[[.Lady of Shalott.]]

Rabbit followed the younger buck back to the group that had found the not-kimeti. He carefully tried to observe the cat-like creature draped across the other's back, but it was difficult when loping through the swamp. As far as he could tell it was some sort of lithe, spotted cat - presumably it would be impossible to catch over flatlands. Not in the swamp, however. This was the home of the kimeti, and no strange creature could exist here without the Motherfather's blessing.

He would need to find Comet later to discuss these findings, but for now the not-kimeti was waiting.  

[elufae]

Hoofsteps rudely awoke the slumbering doe, who was having an interesting dream of what they could stumble across. Brow furrowed at not having a full rest, she sat up and scowled at the bucks who returned. Lovely. Her eyes caught an unfamiliar sight. Dear Motherfather, they brought that thing back.

Her lip curled in disgust. Not only was it filthy, but the overgrown vermin wounded her. Remembering her scratch, she looked at it again. The skin around it had darkened to a deep crimson. That can't be good. She shifted her position so the wound faced away from the rest of the group, but kept her eye on the beast. If that creature so much as stepped towards her...