He turned his eyes to the kid when he said "fell". His other two children echoed what he said and promptly asked if they could keep him. The great stag couldn't help but let out a laugh. Ah, youth, how young and naive they were. But he was here to educate them. "Oh, my dear, us herbivores are not to be 'kept'. They are our family and thus we align ourselves with and protect other herbivores. Carnivores are to be 'kept' as pets, slaves, or whathave you. Their lives are nothing." He spoke callously as if this information was just the norm and something they should know. Now he leaned down and nuzzled each of the little children. "It is good that you came to help our little friend here because, yes, he is your brother now." The stag smiled down at the trio like an indulgent father. It didn't occur to him that they might not know what herbivores and carnivores were but it was never too late to give a lesson.

---

173
Brutus, Deadnettle, Feverfew
---
5/10

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

He didn't know if he should feel scared, but he had a feeling maybe he should have. The girl rhino leaned in and nudged him with her big nose, speaking gentle reassurances. Her smile was awfully contagious, and he was already starting to feel better, but he was almost wishing that he really was scared or hurt so that she would comfort him more. Then she turned to the big stag, excitedly asking if they could keep him, make them theirs, be their... "Brother?" The child echoed, looking curiously at the boy rhino, then up at the stag, gauging his response.

When he said they weren't meant to be kept, he felt just a brief twinge of sadness. It passed as quickly as it came after the stag followed that they were family. Is that what a brother was? Is that what the two rhinos were... Family? He wanted to he family too! Excited by the prospect, the sheep scrambled up. He unfolded his legs and stood again, wobbly at first, but able to hold himself aloft ling enough to gaze hopefully up at the stag.

Then he said those words that he craved to hear. He is your brother now. The sheep's eyes lit up and he bleated, jumping up and bouncing between the two rhinos, emitting his joy in the form of happy baahs. "Brother! Brother!" He said to both of them, wriggling his little tail. They were all brothers!

@Deadnettle

She didn't know what a carnivore was, but she thought they sounded stupid! Fever disregarded their importance in favor of Papa and Nettle saying they really could keep him, and he would be their new brother! She burst out laughing, and she stood up along with him, nuzzling and kissing their new brother, bouncing up and down with them, her excitement mirrored perfectly. Oh, this would be so fun! A new playmate! A new family member!

"Brother!" She addressed him now, her eyes alight. "Name! What name?" She needed something to call him besides kid and brother! "Good name!"

Oh, she was just so happy, her spirit afflated and up high with the stars! This was the best day ever!

He watched his sister bouncing and happy and afflated like the world was handed to her on a silver platter, and he smiled quietly, rising at his own pace, his hips flaring with familiar pain. That was the way it should be, that she should be happy and wonderful. Everything was right with the world when she was happy.

But something bothered him, something Fever had clearly tossed away in favor of better news, and Nettle looked up to Papa with a questioning gaze and asked slowly, "What.....carnivore, Papa?"

Why would something be a slave or a pet? What even did that mean? He imagined 'keeping' was having someone close to you, but from how Papa reacted to the term, he wondered if there was more to it than that.

@Hasira

Well, now everyone seemed happy! The stag smiled down at his new children with a grin. They absorbed new information like a sponge and it wasn't long before they were questioning about what a carnivore was. Excellent. He would happily explain what scum was.

"There are three types of gembounds in this cave, children. Herbivores, that is what we are and you can tell by our flat teeth and our plant-like scents." He paused to open his mouth and show his flat leaf-chewing teeth and he breathed to huff out the smell of leaves, grass, and berries that he ate. "There are also insectivores and omnivores which eat what we eat, eat bugs or a combination of those and meats. Those creatures are not to be feared and not to be hated... but know that we are better than them because of our mostly pure diets. So, use them if you need to but do not get too attached... Now then, the last sort of creature in this cave is carnivores. They are to be hated... Carnivores are dangerous and evil, it is in their natures to hurt and kill because they have to kill to eat. Carnivores are not safe unless they are dead or enslaved and under our complete control. They might try to speak with you and sway you to be their friends..." Here his eyes seemed to glaze over as a memory seemed to adit into his mind but he quickly regained himself and continued. "But it is a lie... Carnivores always lie and they will always hurt you no matter what they say. Never, ever trust them." Here he snorted in finality.

"You can tell a carnivore by their teeth. They have sharp fangs for ripping into and killing prey and other gembounds, their breath also smells meaty and like blood." Because they were evil horrible scum.

---

312
Brutus, Deadnettle, Feverfew
---
5/10

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

The cute girl rhino had asked him for his name, and the sheep looked at her with some confusion. He didn't know his name - wait, did they have names? If they did, how did they get them? He was silent for a moment, thinking, before the subject of carnivores had come up. At that point, Brutus turned his attention fully to the great big stag, staring wide-eyed as he told them all about the evil carnivores. Big terrible creatures. His description of them made the sheep shudder. Sharp teeth and meat breath... Liars, and killers. He glanced at the rhinos. He didn't want anybody to hurt his new brothers!

"Imma fight them!" He declared with a nod of finality. "Ah... Imma beat them all up! Big Brutus beat them all up!" He grinned at the rhinos. Yes, that sounded like a very good name. Big Brutus!

@Deadnettle

She listened, enraptured, the mental image of these awful monsters growing in her head. Evil, bad-breath-smelling monsters with HUUUGE teeth meant for ripping and tearing! How awful! She was glad she had such tough skin and her horns for protecting herself, glad that Nettle did too. Even Papa had these absolutely amazing antlers that looked really dangerous. But their new brother, who called themselves Brutus, didn't have anything like that. They were....soft! He didn't even have horns!

"Us protect Buh-boo-bawoo....." She struggled with his name and gave up quick, instead giving them a nickname of a merging of the two. "Biggus! Us protect Biggus! Neh, Net?"

She looked at Nettle, nodding for approval.

Nettle smiled at this nickname of their new brother. "Protect Biggus." He nuzzled their new, enthusiastic brother, and he knew that he and his sister would get along perfectly. They would share their enthusiasm for hunting these monsters, he knew.

But deep down, the description of these monsters worried him. Neither he nor his sister were very old, and even though he wanted to protect his sister, he had no idea how. He was small and short and wrinkly with some really heavy horns that were still growing, and he was no more than a child. Of course their Papa would keep them safe in Orion, but what when they explored other areas by themselves? What if some monster came when Papa wasn't around?

He was worried, even if he didn't show it.

Fever startled him out of his thoughts with a peck on the cheek and a meaningful look, one that told him not to worry, and he smiled almost imperceptibly back, thanking her.

@Hasira @Brutus

The stag smiled down at the impressionable children. Ah, they were so trusting and so naive. This was why he was here to protect them all and to teach them about the carnivorous menace. "Good. I know you will! I will also help you. We will train to fight and learn more about the carnivores so we can better take them out." He swept his gaze over the children, locking each of them with a kind stare for a moement. "Until then, I will protect all of you. Do not worry about that. Just remember everything that I have told you. Never trust a carnivore and always believe and listen to your father." He smiled. "Can you promise me that, children?"

---

---
Brutus, Deadnettle, Feverfew
---
5/10

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

(TIME TO FINISH THIS THREAD)

The rhinos instead had it in their heads that they would protect him, not the other way around. The sheep gasped and gawked at them, frowning deeply. Biggus wasn't his name! And neither was it their job to protect him! No, he would protect them, other way around! They were his siblings and he loved them and he would make sure nothing hurt them! He opened his mouth to argue, but the great big stag in front of them had more to say first, so Brutus' eyes gleamed mischievously and he turned to pay attention to what their Papa was saying. "I promise!" He beamed, wriggling his little goat tail before looking at his rhino siblings. Alright, maybe it was less of a promise and more a thing to say to make him happy, because Brutus was totally sure that he was gonna protect them. He'd do everything he could to protect them, at least. "Can we play? Show me how to be big and strong too!" He clapped his hooves on the ground, dancing in place before bolting away from them in hopes of a game.

(Exit Brutus. Like seriously lets just fade out)

@Deadnettle @Hasira