The mild afternoon sun had to work hard to make its way through even the sparse winter branches in this here patch of swamp - only small patches made it through to the ground, not providing much in the way of extra warmth. it was fortunate, then, that the temperature was also mild, as was the wind - all around, it was a very tepid day. Nobody was up to much, and nothing was very much of anything. It was sort of like the world knew that it had to exist, but it just wasn't very enthusiastic about it, so it wasn't putting in a lot of effort.Fortunately, there were ways to escape mundane existence when things got a little too bland. At least one buck, sporting a truly impressive rack, had chosen to liven up his day with a dose of one of his favorite herbal supplements. He chewed it thoroughly, thoughtfully, with eyes closed, and hummed contentedly. It hadn't kicked in yet, but it was only a matter of time. While he waited, he turned over recent events in his mind.
It had been some time since he'd known he was to be a father - though he hadn't stopped fooling with the does since, so it was entirely possible he had been and didn't know it - but he did know it this time, and that made a bit of difference. What would be the right thing to do, he wondered, for the doe? Something nice, because she was a very nice doe, but not something that showed any desire for commitment. That just wasn't his style. Maybe send her a gift and a message by courier? Some nice dried fruit, tell her congratulations and well wishes. He was sure she'd understand.
"Slow day, isn't it?"The buck rolled his head up and scanned around for the speaker - the only other creature around seemed to be a songbird perched on a low-hanging vine, though. Wait, no - there was a kimeti there behind the vine. The antlered buck blinked firmly. He must've mistaken the other's head for a bird. That was weird.
"Mmmm, yeah," he said slowly, when he finally remembered to reply.
The other kimeti - well, the stag, to be perfectly accurate - looked down with an amused, almost fatherly smile at the supine buck. Judging by the amount of chewed herbs filling his mouth, he wasn't long for the waking world. He'd better get his business done quick.
"Listen, I don't suppose you know any expecting mothers, do you?"
The antlered buck blinked slowly in surprise. "Hey, yeah I do. I'm gonna be a father again," he confided, beaming. "Real nice doe. Pretty colors, curves in all the right places..."
The stag coughed. "I assume that, since you're here and she is not, and since you don't seem to know her name, you don't mean to raise them?"
The buck shook his head slowly. "Nahhh. I'm not really the parenting type. I'm sure they'll be fine though. Lady's got a good head on her shoulders, too. Should get her something, though. Say congratulations, y'know?"
He wasn't sure that he did. Was that what people were doing now, when they didn't want to raise their young? It was fairly polite, he supposed, if a little distant. "I think I may have just the thing."
That got the buck's attention good. He rolled upright for that, though only the front half of him. "Yeah? I'm all ears."
"I give to your children the blessing of the motherfather," the stag intoned solemnly. "May they live happily, with their mother's good sense and your good will."
The buck's smile grew and grew. "Aaaah, man! That's so nice of you to do.Oh, she's gonna love that. Loads better than dried fruit," he added somewhat cryptically. "Here, siddown with me, have some of this," he added, gesturing to a pile of un-chewed herb. "Celebrate with me."
The stag wavered for a moment.
"Come on," the buck cajoled, "you got anything else to do today?"
"Well, no."
"Now you do," the buck concluded with a grin.