[B] New Seeds (Willows Weep & Fish Bones)

[Delicate Rose Bud]

Willows Weep was pacing through the forest, worrying a track of hoof marks in the soft soil. She realized her middle was growing when she peered into a puddle that morning when getting water for the flowers. New leaves were growing from them, bright and green. Now Willow had to worry about her own buds growing.

She didn't know how to be a mother. Unless being a mother was like gardening. She could garden, but all plants need are water and sunlight and a nice little patch of dirt. Her father told her some plants need love to bloom, so she supposed they were a bit more like kids, but they were still two very different things. Were they?

"Gardening seems a lot easier. . ."  

[Delicate Rose Bud]

The doe didn't notice that the blessed foxbun had joined her worrying, continuing to mumble to the surrounding plant life; he quite blended in with the foliage around him. She often conversed with the growing greens, interpreting their soft swaying in the wind as thoughtful nodding, deeming them a comforting audience. "But I can't just leave them in a sunny spot next to some water . . . can I?" she rambled. "No, no . . . A flower would still be there if I came back to water it. A flower wouldn't move like a foal would . . . unless someone picked it and took it with them!"

With an exasperated exhale, Willow plopped down in the middle of her furrow, a most troubled expression hanging in her eyes. "What do I do?" She glanced around at the slightly waving plants around her, half hoping for some kind of sign.

The Cake Mage of Sheep

c:

 

[Delicate Rose Bud]

Though she had wished for a sign, she didn't think anything would actually happen. When she watched the green foxbun emerge from where it was camouflaged, her eyes widened, blinking in case the critter was just a figment of her distressed imagination.

The sweet thing went right up to her and pat her gently on the shoulder, temporarily shifting her train of thought. "Well, if I kept a close eye on them until they could care for themselves, parenting would be like caring for a garden. That doesn't seem so hard." She said slowly, working the similarities out in her mind.

"But I wouldn't want to smother them! If you give a flower too much water it drowns." she reasoned, her light yellow eyes resting on the foxbun's glowing ones. "How will I keep the balance?"

The Cake Mage of Sheep

 

[Delicate Rose Bud]

The doe thought about the wisdom the blessed critter had given to her, trying to remember when exactly she learned to garden. She supposed her father had taught her the basics, but she had grown since then, and had gotten much better over the years. Her father couldn't teach her something like this. She had to learn on her own.

"I just want to do all I can do they can blossom." she quietly concluded. Instinct made her strive for a flourishing garden, so it made sense that instinct drove her to want to help her offspring grow. "I think I can do that."

The Cake Mage of Sheep