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 Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 6:04 pm
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 Wasp's-Nest was not, on the whole, a terribly social buck. He preferred his own company most of the time, and it was unusual for him to spend much time with any other kin. So it was entirely out of his realm of experience to have found out, quite recently, that the lovely, gentle doe with whom he'd kept company for several pleasant evenings had fallen pregnant from the experience.
He didn't quite know what a father did, exactly, past the initial contribution. His own father had been mostly absent. Marshlight had come to see his son all of twice, curious about his offspring in a rather disinterested sort of way, and Wasp's-Nest recalled a large nose and warm breath sniffing at him, and being pronounced adequate, and that was about it. He'd gotten the vague impression from others that not all fathers were like that, but he hadn't the slightest clue as to what else one did.
Still, he wanted to be a good father, if he could manage that, and he thought perhaps he could start now. He'd heard that one could ask for a blessing for one's offspring, and so he'd set out to look for someone who could help him. He paused now in a shallow, muddy place between a ring of trees, and tried to decide where to go next.
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Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 6:26 pm
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The stag scuffled after the caiman, attention wavering as he shifted to and fro, always one form solid, one form translucent. He itched -- well, he itched, too -- to get up out of the murky waters and yet he knew nearby was a soul in need of guidance. He rather wished for paws to scratch, even if he knew it wasn't fleas, just to reach that pesky spot too far away for his teeth to n**. And so he ambled, mind shifting from seeking the searcher to paws, claws, that could reach that frequent prickle that told him he was needed.
So lost in his thoughts, Bitter Heartbeat did not notice when the water gave way to muddy ground. He overlooked the ring of trees as he stepped into the clearing and almost seemed to start, stag form momentarily disappearing altogether as the caiman opened it jaws and emitted a low growl, and then the stag was back, chuckling at his absent-mindedness. Jovial and kind, he looked over the pale buck.
"Hello there," he greeted, voice soft and knowing. "You've been looking for me." Well, perhaps not him specifically but close enough since he was the one found.
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Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 6:37 pm
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Wasp's-Nest startled visibly as a stag stepped into the clearing and became, briefly, a caiman that growled before returning to the red-and-black stag, flowers trailing from his neck. "A-ah," he stammered, staring wide-eyed at the other. "I am? Oh, sorry -- yes. I am. Sorry," he repeated. "I've never met one like you."
He remembered his manners, and bowed his head respectfully. "Hello," he said. "I am named Wasp's-Nest, and I - I am going to be a father soon." He sounded distinctly nervous about it.
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Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 6:53 pm
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"Apologies," voice aptly apologetic, as he watched the poor buck startle. The caiman vanished leaving the far less imposing stag to deal with.
He nodded, as the buck spoke, eyes engaged, "Yes, that I gathered." And indeed he did. He'd fathered children -- goodness, it seemed ages ago -- and been positively terrified. "I, too, was terrified when I had children," he explained, every word seemingly laced in empathy. Yes, he knew for he'd been there.
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