The rodent was weak now, from falling into depression for the past month but seeing the lord again gave her a spark of energy. Not in the way a lover gains strength from seeing their other half, no, she saw him and knew what had to be done. We need to leave this place. It was the only way her son would be safe and would grow up around love and not fear. He would be useful, to help others and better himself. Not to be a tool. That was what she hoped, but Carrie would be patient. She could do that, just a little bit longer. "I think he will grow up just fine, my lord. I'm sure of it." Looking down to him as the child cling to her chest with those tiny hands. Oh how beautiful he was. It warmed her heart. "It's alright . ." Glancing to the white child. He was a splitting image to the Lord and his 'goddess'. Assuming he was speaking of the white doe, but she would make sure her child would never see that gembound. The white doe's jewel was blackened and her words cut. Not someone she wants to see her son. As soon as possible. --------- "Speech" Thoughts OOC: words words

@Hasira

Weak. That's what it was. The little brat was hiding in his mother's fur like some sort of simpering idiot. His God of a son didn't do that, the little white fawn was up and about and greeting the world with bravery. Hmph. It annoyed him that his own genes could produce a coward. Then again, hadn't he been a coward long ago? In a way he was still a weak coward and this son was the embodiment of that... It made him hate the sickly thing all the more.

Truthfully he wanted to forget the thing existed but since it was in his lands he couldn't. The stag's head lifted as he gazed down his nose at the thing. If Carrie was so insistent on claiming this one as her child then fine. She could name it and care for it. Hasira would step in every once in a while but for the most part he'd leave the thing alone until it proved to be of some use.

His legs began to shake ever so lightly and he could feel a few coughs wanting to escape his lungs. It was time that he went. "Well, my dear, I will make my leave. I only wanted to see what our child looked like. My child, Kingsfoil, will certainly want to play with him when he is ready." That was what Belladonna had wanted to name him right? Such a name indited power. With that the stag turned away, his tail flicking as he made his way back to the throne.

The white fawn took one last look at his brown brother and then at Carrie, his cold golden eyes narrowing before he took off after Hasira. "I will be checking up on you to mark any progress he has made. No one lies useless in my kingdom." She had only avoided training because it was obvious she was only good for helping to continue on the kingdom's line but even that she did poorly.

The stag pulled moisture from the air as he tried to keep his body strong. He would be damned if he showed weakness in front of the capybara. Yes, his wounds showed his previous ordeal at the hands of the carnivores but she didn't know how badly it hurt or how badly he wanted to just lie down and sleep.

______________________________________

"This is how I talk!"
This is how I think!

394
@Carrie @Yarrowfeld @Ashtoreth
-exit-
5/10

Ashtoreth could hear the nervousness of the mother. She could feel the anxiety swell in the air, and quietly she reached out with her magic towards the strange herbivore creatures, softly ploying for their ears. "Don't cry," a motherly voice would tweet, gentle and kind. The sound of rustling feathers being preened, of a cooing, loving mom that she distantly remembered in her dreams.

She waited for Hasira to turn away, hoping that his son would also turn away from her-- and she scampered closer to the child and the mother, beaten and bruised, stinking of blood and sickness. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Her mother would peep to her, soft and giving, and now she echoed it back to them from her memory, a weak, broken smile on her face as her feathers twitched.

She couldn't say exactly what she wanted to say, no, she simply didn't have enough words in her heart. She could try, though, to give them something. To tell them that she was a friend, somehow, that she cared... And the child would hope, beyond hope, that they weren't as cruel as Hasira and his awful white son.

@Carrie @Yarrowfeld

their son, not just mama's, left with the awful white fawn, and he looked up to see them leave hesitantly. He was partly relieved they were going away so he wouldn't have to feel this way, and partly felt horrible for thinking so. They were....his...family....weren't they? The concept was hard to wrap his head around, since they were so different from his mother, and they didn't fit the idea he had of the words at all. They didn't act like a ...father...or a brother at all. They acted like vultures.

A voice startled him, and he looked towards the source that came near them - a smaller gem, just like them, with a soft, soothing voice, and instantly, instinctively, he reached out to the new one with his tiny little hands, till she came up close and his hands touched soft fur and feathers. She was nice, asking if he was okay, and he looked up at her with very very wide, trusting, childlike eyes. Softly, he nodded to answer her question, and he looked askance at his mother, then back at Ash.

He reached up and touched Ash's face very very gently, exploring it with a tentative touch, his mouth slightly open. This was a face he could he should memorize, a kind face that offered him support when he needed it.

"N....nice..." he murmured softly.

Once they were gone, the capybara let out a sigh of relief, finally. Tho, she knew this wasn't going to be easy at all. Now that the lord has deemed the child of some use, even as a pawn, she would have to make sure her escape wasn't a failure or she might never get another chance. All was quite until a motherly voice cooed. What? Glancing about until she made eyes with the small creature that was on the white son earlier. Slowly she smiled to the gembound, "We will be alright soon, thank you." Watching as the little hybrid touched the other so gently, it warmed her heart. He was already so kind, thank goodness. Laying a gentle kiss on top of her son's little head, right between the nubs of to-be antlers. "Can you tell me your name, little one?" Asking the child softly, curious if his name would be in his head like hers was when she was first woken. --------- "Speech" Thoughts OOC: c:

@Ashtoreth

Exhaustion washed over Ashtoreth after using her magic. It was just too much... She was pushing herself too much. She smiled weakly as the strange gembound hybrid reached out and pet her, nuzzling into his strangely soft hand. It was so much nicer than a hoof to the face. She just wanted to stay there...

But quietly, the child knew that she should probably get going. Reluctantly, she looked after Kings, knowing that if she lingered behind for too long there would be repercussions. Gently, she licked at the boy's fingers, before shying back. He was nice too, she thought, but before she ran completely out of energy and passed out, she better go.

Carrie asked for the child's name, though, and she found herself lingering, if only to steal the word to call for him later.

@Carrie @Yarrowfeld

The nice gembound turned into his hand, and he just beamed with the brightest, happiest smile, and in a whim, he scritched behind her ears, thinking she would enjoy it, and she did, she smiled at him and licked his fingers and he laughed a little, a light, bubbling sound.

She turned to look away, back towards the awful tall gems, and she sighed a little. Oh- did she have to go? His expression dimmed a little, and his mouth closed. But she just got here-!

But before he could ask her to stay, his mother asked him a soft question, and he blinked at her, thinking. What was a name? Something...you called someone by? Was Mama's name Mama? Or was it something else? What was his name?

He looked down at his hands now, pondering. And all of a sudden, it came to him at once, like something coming out of the shadows into the light.

"....Ya-yarrow." He said, looking up at his mama and his new friend.

She gazed down at the child with warm brown eyes as he spoke. Ya . . . yarrow. Yarrow? Such a simple name, but she liked it and was pleased that it came to him so quickly. Leaning over, another kiss was planted upon his head. "it is nice to meet you Yarrow, others call me Carrie . . . but you can still call me Mama if you like." Not sure how this whole mother thing worked, but she hoped it was going well. A tad nervous as she watched him, remembering how confused she was when she was his age. At least then, she had Ky to help her. Oh Ky . . . Missing the lioness's kindness, and hoping to see her again soon and tell her she was so sorry about everything. Focus returned to little Yarrow. "I've been waiting for you . . ." And now that he was here, she could smile again. --------- "Speech" Thoughts OOC: words words

@Ashtoreth @Yarrowfeld

Ashtoreth nodded, wings twitching as she caught Yarrow's name and put it away safely into her memories. The boy was an adventitious member of the Hasira family, and it was clear that he was nothing like his father. Softly, her heart felt a warmth it hadn't felt in a long time.

She didn't know how to say goodbye, so she simply bowed her head and let the air ruffle around her. The air turned sharp, abruptly, catching a voice of a feline that was telling her sister not to eat little Ashtoreth. "... remember... my friend now," the voices spoke around the hybrid, changing pitch as it spoke the names of the two nicest herbivores she had met in this hellscape. "it is nice to meet you, Carrie... Mama, " "....Ya-yarrow." The fractured echos turned into wind once more and the child scooted away a bit more, her tail twitching, before she finally turned and bolted after Kingsfoil. She ignored the shooting pain in her leg, the way her chest ached as she gasped and forced herself to hurry. It hurt... But failing to appear before the bucks noticed her missing would save her a lot more pain.

;; ash exit

Oh...so Mama had a name besides Mama, like he thought. Not everyone could call her Mama, after all, she had to be called something else by other people. Just like he wouldn't be called 'son' by everyone. It was...what was it- a title, not a name, not really.

That made sense! And he liked his mama's name! It was nice and sweet like her! She told him that she'd been waiting for him, and he grinned at her and hugged her around the neck with a happy little laugh. She had been patient and had spoken to him all the time he was sleeping and growing, and he loved her for it.

Voices came from the new gem, and not from her at the same time, and he blinked and smiled at her, wondering how she did it! How was she making sounds that weren't coming from her! But, oh, she was saying that she would remember him, and she copied his tentative, shy, breathy voice when he said his name for the first time, and he grinned and tilted his head against his mama.

He wanted to ask what her name was- but before he could ask, she was up and away.

He pouted just a tiny little bit, but he told himself he would ask next time.

Then he looked back up at Mama, grinning. "Lo-love...you....mama."