[FIN] Look, it's really not a competition... [Shadelight/WB]

[Tiarana]

Another day, another pregnancy. It had been a long time since the last one. Shadelight felt entirely inadequate about her membership to the Mothers' Club when she herself had not had fresh new babies since before she had joined. And oh, did she want to. Being surrounded by happy mothers and bouncy foals had awakened her competitive spirit. She would show all of those old biddies who could have the most rambunctious tykes.

Of course, in order to do that, Shadelight would need to do things right this time. She would need to see a legendary kin. She couldn't very well ask the resident legendary of the club about the matter, who, after all, was one of her competitors in the campaign of motherly one-upmanship (that only she was aware of). So, feigning some errand for some herb requiring a long trip to some forgotten corner of the Swamp, Shadelight...took herself straight to her son's home.

Well. She wasn't going to have no one looking after her, after all. Shadelight was getting on in years herself, and had grown accustomed to the cozy treatment of her clan. Besides, she often thought her son was older than she was. He was probably half-legendary himself.

-----

"Mother," groaned Murkcrow, "I have absolutely no ability to bless your pregnancy. You know very well I have never been called to service by the Swamp."

"How do you know if you don't try?" Shadelight complained.

Murkcrow rolled his eyes. "Fine. May your children be many and long-lived, and not given to petty grievances such as yourself. Feeling any different?"

"No," Shadelight admitted. "But I'm not sure there is any different feeling, when a doe is blessed."

"Look, I think you should see a known Legendary about this. Why don't you just go back to the Mother's Club and see--"

"No way," Shadelight said firmly. "Well, if you can't do it, you can at least help me find someone who can."

Murkcrow sighed. He really didn't want to be involved in this.  

[theCorniest]

Fortunately for everyone involved, Shadelight already had an appointment in Wildflower Breeze's calendar, and that appointment was right there and right then. He arrived right on schedule, though perhaps not on cue. His arrival was hailed by a woody tok, tok, tok sound as he scaled the root ball of a dead tree with surprising nimbleness. He moved down - or up? - the length of the trunk in a shuffling trot, blithely whistling the tune to one of the more lighthearted traditional sagas. He absolutely did not notice either of the other kin present.  

[Tiarana]

"Well, come on then," Shadelight said, grabbing a mouthful of hair and pulling Murkcrow in a random direction.

"Hold on, Mother, I seem to have a visitor," Murkcrow said, turning towards the source of the sound. He hoped it was some relative to hoist his nagging mother onto. "Is that you, Swamp Gas?"  

[theCorniest]

Startled out of his reverie by being addressed, the autumn-colored stag yelped and missed a step. He stumbled forward a few steps, trying to regain his balance, but to no avail, one of his forelegs slipped and he was falling, falling -

And then, in an instant, he wasn't there, and a songbird was winging into the air from a few feet above the underbrush. It chirped loudly, indignantly, as it gained its bearings, and then landed on Murkcrow's back.

"My word," the bird said in the voice of a winded, aging kimeti buck.  

[Tiarana]

"Definitely not Swamp Gas," Murkcrow replied to the bird. "Mother, it seems your quest is already at its end."

"Are you sure?" Shadelight squinted down at the bird. "It...he? Looks rather small."

"Well, he was rather larger just now. You missed it."  

[theCorniest]

The stag-bird paused, catching its breath and stilling its tiny, furiously beating heart. "I assure you, miss, I am actually rather average sized," he said at last, and lifted himself form the young buck's back. He returned to his stag form to prove it, none the worse for wear, then turned a quick little circle. "See? Haven't even got any feathers anymore. You handled that very well, by the way, young man," he said to Murkcrow. "Must be familiar with my kind, eh?

"And did I hear something about a quest?" He turned back to Shadelight, eyes all a-sparkle. "I do love a good quest, though if yours is already over, I take it that means you were looking for one of us blessed? My name," he said, proudly puffing up his chest very like the songbird he just was, "is Wildflower Breeze, and I would be glad to assist you in whatever capacity I can."  

[Tiarana]

"Ah, I see," said Shadelight.

"Well," Murkcrow admitted, "a lot of strange things have been happening to me lately."

"Oh, please," Shadelight said, rolling her eyes. She had heard these stories before. "Don't bore him with that."

"Weren't you just saying-"

"Ssh!" Shadelight kicked him lightly and bobbed her head in greeting to Wildflower Breeze. "As it happens, I was indeed looking for one such as yourself. As you probably know, I happen to be pregnant. I was hoping to find a blessed one to ensure a full, healthy litter of lovely foals."

"So she can show up the other ladies in the mothers' club," muttered Murkcrow.  

[theCorniest]

Breeze watched the mother and son banter, his head turning from one to the other as they spoke. His grin twitched at the buck's last phrase, but he tried his best to keep a serious face on. "Ah, I thought such a thing might be needed in this neck of the woods today," he said with faux mystique. "Full and healthy they shall be, and a lively lot, too. And graceful, in their movements and their manners," he added with a chuckle. "Just take this token," he said, the songbird returning as something half-solid to tuck a sprig of his minty boa behind her ear, "as a sign of my goodwill and protection."

He paused, trying to show some restraint, but he couldn't help asking, "Now, is this an official competition of some kind, or are you just looking to set a personal record of some sort? If it's the former, it's perhaps the strangest I've heard of, though I do hear sometimes about kin whose greatest desire is to bear as many children as possible..."  

[Tiarana]

"Oh, thank you, sir." Shadelight bobbed her head again, then tilted it to show Murkcrow the sprig of mint. "It looks nice, doesn't it?"

"Fetching," he said with a complete lack of enthusiasm.

"It's not...an official competition," Shadelight admitted. "But, you know, when you see kin with a whole lot of happy foals running around, doesn't it make you want to have your own foals?"  

[theCorniest]

"I can't say that I have," the stag replied with a tilt of his head. "I'm always delighted to have them, of course, but the urge to create them doesn't come around all that often. I've only sired two clutches, myself," he admitted matter-of-factly. "Good children all, but the mothers never seem to keep in touch with me afterwards," he added with a sigh. "Maybe it's about that time again..."  

[Tiarana]

"I, myself, have had three, plus this one of course," Shadelight said proudly. "And I hope to have plenty more."

Murkcrow groaned and rolled his eyes. "Well, sir, I imagine you are a busy Kimeti with lots of things to do. Don't let us keep you."  

[theCorniest]

"That's certainly impressive," Breeze said with a nod, "But your son is right - I do have someplace to be! I've been asked to recite a few tales for a local get-together, and should check in with the organizers and let them know I've arrived safely. It'll be a few days going, so if you have any questions or concerns, I'll be in the neighborhood." He turned to go, and called a few last words over his shoulder; "It was a pleasure meeting you two! Good day!"  

[Tiarana]

Murkcrow watched Wildflower Breeze go thoughtfully, then turned back to his mother. "And now you need to go home. Come on, I'll escort you."

"Heh, heh. They're going to be so jealous," Shadelight said, following him cheerfully out of his clearing.