[ORP] The Flood

[Jun D]

The blue kiokote sounded gruff, but his action spoke volumes. "Thank you," Dark said, soft but heartfelt. The foal on her back was bright now in company of its kind, and took little prompting to scramble onto the log. It would be safe now, this foal and the others. She fell back a little from this reunion of kin, wondering if her role in the proceedings had come to an end.

Part of her already missed the familiar weight of the foal across her back, but Far was at her side, the deep rumbling in his chest comforting against her flank as he purred in spite of the wet. She was not alone, and once she found her Light, she would be whole again.  

[Shiningamisgirl]

Giving the female a nod and half smile, Thunderstep watched with care as the eager foal gained a safer purchase. Keeping near enough to the log to watch and guide without getting in the way. "Your welcome, this one, is it your young?" What of all the others even, so many little ones to shepherd home, or at least to their own kin. Thunderstep was no nanny after all.

He was curious though, glancing at the female, and now the other at her side. A young dam and sire maybe, washed down from the plains with all their little ones...Though the one on the log did not seem to share their looks, not that that was too uncommon a thing. It could have even been a different head of her herd that'd sired the foal.
 

[Ruriska]

“Oh very much so.” Be Mine admired the feathers, her head tilted up. That blue one there was so nice. It reminded her of her brother. When Vexed disappeared into the leaves behind the tree, she looked after her curiously but rather than follow she waited patiently.

When Vexed reappeared, the foal’s ears perked up and she wrinkled her nose happily. She held her breath as the plume was pressed in behind her ear and oh she wished she could see and admire it. Be Mine held her head up proudly. “Thank you Vexed! Look Fall, look!”

The Songbird glided down and landed on Be Mine’s back; puffing his chest out and making himself happy before going claw over claw up her back so he could look curiously at the feather, head tilting this way and that. He also seemed quite pleased with her new addition; as if that made her an official member of the world of Birddom. He certainly didn’t have the brain capacity to wonder about what had happened to the original owners of the feathers.

Be Mine stepped forward and nuzzled Vexed’s chest and then tried to fight off, with great failure, a large yawn. It had been an exhausting day.  

[Tiarana]

Hollyhock straightened up when she heard nearby splashing and voices. "Stumble? My sister is nearby? This isn't my sister?!" She turned towards the buck briefly, waiting for confirmation, then flailed off in the direction of the splashing, shouting "Stumble, Stumble!" as loud as she could.  

[Herbclouds]

Peregrine stayed silent, all of a sudden losing interest in conversing with the orange and blue buck. He had strayed from his lifes mission to help out the kimeti in need, but now he was indeed tired. Peregrine no longer sought conversation, but rest rather. The two would reach higher ground, and Peregrine smiled. "Here we are, if you ever would like to know your future, come and find me..." Turning away from the chaos, Peregrine sought out a suitable place to slumber.  

[Jun D]

At first Dark was surprised by the kiokote's question, but glancing over to the log, she realised that perhaps the young foals did not look so different from their kimeti counterparts after all. Dropping back a little, she replied in a low voice that the young ones would not hear, "No, these are foals we caught in the flood. We have no inkling of who their parents may be, or if they are still alive. We'd hoped that you would be able to find more of your kind."  

[Jun D]

Yawns were contagious. All of a sudden, Vexed found her eyelids trying to close of their own will. Well! No sense trying to fight it, now that they were safe. "I'm tired too," she said, settling down and wrapping herself around the little foal, "so let's sleep. We'll find something to eat tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Be Mine!"

As she drifted off into delicious darkness, she just barely had the time to think: And I hope you have some family left for me to find and return you to before I have to go on the hunt again...oh dear.  

[hybridic]

Thoushalt watched, worried, as the doe rested her head on his back. She seemed disconcerted as well as exhausted -- a fact that was not surprising considering her near-blindness. This flood was scary enough when one could see.

"We...what? Oh!" the doe's addled comment caught him a little off guard. "You mean the pink...my eyes. I'm mostly purple, actually, but yes," he smiled at her in what he hoped was a consoling way before he remembered she probably couldn't see it, "I suppose we do." He observed her in silence for a few more moments before looking away, embarrassed at himself for staring. "Your hair is very lovely." He coughed and cast his eyes at the wreckage around him for a resting place. "Do you have any, um...family...miss?" The buck realized that she had not given him her name. Ah well, he would put it up to confusion and disorientation. Manners weren't something one could expect in this kind of situation. "Anyone who might be looking for you?"  

[hybridic]

"Brume, Bruuumee..." Stumble said, trying the unfamiliar word out in her mouth as she hung over the buck's back. "Such an interesting nickname! What does it mean?" She laughed as the snake hissed at her, hope at finding her sister not letting anything ruin her good mood. "Good watersnake," she said to him. "Don't worry, I won't steal your master's back for long." She smiled at the snake. "I'd like a snake someday, I think," she mused to herself.

Then, with a whoop of excitement, Stumble and Brume were off, the buck swimming in the direction they hoped to find the doe's sister, Stumble's front legs hanging over his back and her hind legs kicking eagerly to try and give them more speed. "Hollyhooock!" Bowlegged cried out as they swam, her eyes scanning the flooded landscape for the familiar black, white, and red. "Hollllyyy!"

From among some fallen cypresses off to the right, Stumble thought she heard a familiar voice. "That way!" she indicated to Brume, nudging the back of his head gently with her nose. "I think I heard her!" She turned her head back towards where she had heard the voice. "Holly? Holly, is that you?!"  

[fluorescein]

Look-See panted and strained to hear above the rush of the slowing, but still near, waters. The other buck was waiting for an answer, but she struggled to keep hysteria at bay. "Yes, my family is here. Somewhere. We were separated" a voice that sounded a lot like hers answered. "Purple and pink. Got it" again, the voice answered. She felt like she was there but not really. Shutting down most of the senses, she continued to lay across his backside and willed her heartbeat to a more predictable pace. She barely felt the branch that swam too close and clipped her rump, throwing her off balance temporarily. She scrambled to seek purchase and pressed closer.

Kimeti just weren't meant for the water, Doom surmised. Her heavy hair emphasized that point. Her eyes narrowed at the seen unfolding. She didn't even want to analyze the dominant emotion that had her seething. And then there was that deep blooming insecurity that theirs was a tenuous balance and that soon they might separate for good. But she had a chance to be in control now. For just a litt longer. Surging forward with speed to rival the rapids, she zeroed in on Look-See and that buck. No one ever said she was rational.

"The ties that bind" he would answer if someone asked Gloom how he knew what was on Doom's mind at that point. But since no one ever would, it was an exercise in futility to question the connection all three shared. Funny how in a time of crisis, odd thoughts came in at the most inopportune time. Turning to Lull, he looked her up an down comitting the black and white to memory. He barely spared a glance at the brown and black that was her eaglehound. "Not this time. I'm Gloom" and with a small smile he knocked the swan off of Lull's log and picked up the watersnake with his mouth and pushed off in the direction of Doom. Snare Hare had an uncanny ability to track them down. Turning around, he arched his body and turned it to fling the watersnake onto Doom's head, startling them both. He had perfect aim afterall. Or maybe just stellar observation skills.

The quiet storm that was Doom was jolted from her malicious reverie. Baring her teeth she turned her head side to side to see her assailaint. A smooth red, green and purple wedge peered down from above her eyebrows. Strawberry Hill. What. the. bloody. ********? She shook her head off, a crossed look descending her face as Strawberry Hill climbd higher around her horns, securing itself. Neither knew what was going on. It gave Gloom enough time to get to Look-See and the other buck first. The one that did not belong. "I'll be taking Look-See now" he declared, and in a deft mood, manuvered himself to be Look-See's sole support. Waddling back to his "raft" he deposited her there and pushed forward. He looked back at the pink, purple and white briefly buck briefly and nodded his thanks and farewells. Doom would come to her senses soon enough, but getting Look-See to safety was more important. Down the river they followed.  

[Tiarana]

Hollyhock paddled faster as her sister's voice grew closer, forcing her exhausted legs to keep propelling her forward, and crying her sister's name as she swam. She thought she could hear a buck, too...who was that? Oh well! Her sister was nearby, she finally found her sister, everything was going to be ok now! She kept paddling, doggedly, until she found the mass of splashing and voices, and plunged headlong into it. "Stumble! Stumble!" Hollyhock cried, nuzzling up against the nearest warm body. "You're ok! I'm ok!"  

[Amizade]

"Brume? Brume means mist or fog. It's because of my markings," (and here he twisted slightly to show the doe his misty markings) "and I don't know... the name's just stuck," he shrugged.

"That's a good choice. Snakes make great pets! Tooth's just a little... protective. We don't come in contact with many other kimeti. But yes, snakes are very useful, especially for collecting eggs from treetops. I like the yolk the best, the texture and taste is incomparible to anything else. Did you know different eggs have slightly different tastes? For example, a turtle egg is much... richer than a sparrow's egg, whilst a" -- the buck eyes darted quickly to his pet before he whispered the next word -- "snake egg has an almost bitter taste about it. Of course, they all taste quite wonderfu-- dear me, I've gone off on a tangent!!" he exclaimed, chuckling sheepishly. I'm terribly sorry. As you can probably tell, I like eggs very much..." he said, trailing off as he turned his attention back to the more important matter of finding Stumble's sister.
"HOLLYHOCK!!", he called, but now he was imagining what the perfect egg would be like.

At Stumble's instruction, the buck moved towards the cypresses. His smile broadening as a red-striped doe swam towards them, the sisters' joyful cries filling the air.
"You must be Hollyhock! How very nice to meet you! ...I'm glad you're not dead," he added.
The buck froze as the newcomer nuzzled up against him. "I...errr...," he gave a bewildered look at Stumble. "And I'm glad you're okay too..."
Around his neck, Tooth flicked her tongue.