Post by Sohtoh on Dec 17, 2009 19:54:14 GMT -5
Starring:
Roscoe - Male Whitetail Deer
Tix - Female Whitetail Deer
Hotah - Male Whitetail Fawn
Setting:
Thickening Forest
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Although the ground is still wet underfoot and there is a chill breeze in the air, there are certain signs that Spring is well on its way. Greens are beginning to appear on the shrubs and trees that make up the forest, attracting the faintest hints of waking wildlife. Small birds nestle in branches, singing their song of the new season for all to hear. Listening in particular, Tix is stood amongst the vegetation and chewing on roots which she had managed to produce from the soft soil. Her winter coat isn't yet fading, but the grey pelt reveals her swollen midsection very well. The extra weight doesn't bother the doe, but on occasion she'll move her legs out wider to stand with more ease. It's obvious she's not accustomed to being pregnant, but she's not letting it stop her enjoy her meal.
It'd been a long morning, and so far, an even longer afternoon. The Prince had begun his day before dawn as usual, but had found himself to be more tired than he normally was. In fact, so tired was he that he'd stopped and bedded down in the comfort of the maple glade not too long ago. Thinking on it, the male had chuckled to himself in thinking that he was sharing Tix's pain and discomfort, but it was really just because he'd been travelling far to the south as of late. Silly of him to do so, since /that/ was predator country, and he was now without his antlers once again. From the western border of the forest, the large male made his way into the thicker surroundings, the scent of Tix lingering in the air and drawing his attention. Through her pregnancy, he'd made an effort to at least see that she was alright. Many, in fact, almost all of the times that he did check on her, he didn't go up and talk. He simply observed, and would leave before she'd noticed him. Today was somehow different, though. The buck, who was already nearly ready for the summer season to take hold judging by his thinner, reddening coat and lack of his crown crossed over the slightly wet soil carefully, and came up towards Tix from the front as not to startle her. Only a few words were offered, but they'd been the first in a while. "You look well.."
Tix seems to have let none of her senses dull in her new condition. In fact, under the knowledge that she was carrying a fawn, even the slightest sound would have caught her attention. The same applies even for Roscoe as his approach from the front is first caught by sound. As per usual, the doe's ears prop upwards and she raises her head, pausing in the chewing of the particularly tough root. She inhales the scent of the buck and almost gleefully she prances forwards to see the Prince as he appears. She hadn't spotted him since the winter they shared together and so as a result she was overjoyed to see him. Obviously she hadn't noticed him spying on her throughout the last weeks. Despite being so happy to see him though, she doesn't reply vocally, only with a smile. Her original plan had been to travel back to the thicket where she was most comfortable in preperation for the birth, but now with the fawn due to arrive at any day, Tix was also surprised to see that the Prince had come to check upon her. She
smiles at him and then lowers her head back to the ground, returning to her foraging for roots.
Roscoe glances briefly down at Tix's swollen belly, and the tiniest of grins appears. Knowing that it's his fawn that is due any day now brings some amount of joy to the otherwise apathetic buck, even though he knows he probably won't see too much of the fawn during it's first few months of life. Bucks never did care much for the young, and it was his duty to protect it, not to socialize with it. Even his own father, with whom he was so close to. Daren had nothing to do with him until he'd reached a year of age. None of that meant, though, that he couldn't offer encouragement or comfort to the mother, which was precisely what he was doing at the moment. At the doe's prance toward him, the larger, taller buck took a few steps forward, though his grin faded. She wasn't speaking, which concerned him just a bit. Clearing his throat, he looked down to the ground and shifted his weight onto a different hoof, the ground being silghtly uncomfortable where he had stopped. Awkwardly, he spoke up once again. "Any day now, h
hmm?" Motioning his head towards her, it was obvious that he was inquiring about the birth of their fawn, but he wasn't specific about it, vocally.
With a mouth full of cold wet root, Tix finally takes some time to give a reply. Chewing and swallowing down the tough vegetation, she raises her head again and gives it a firm shake, her ears flapping wildly. The cold moisture dripped from the trees overhead and whenever it landed upon her ears or nose, she would repeat the head flailing. As she steps forwards to greet the buck with a more forward approach, such as a nuzzle, she finally does speak, although her words are few and quiet. "Yes.. Soon." Her dark eyes examine the Prince's coat and his posture, judging him on some invisible standard of her own. Glad to be out from underneath the dripping branches, tilts her ears outwards, listening to the surroundings again.
The nuzzle is well received, and the male returns the affection by resting his chin on top of her head for a moment, before he takes a step back and examines her belly once more from afar. Curiosity grips him, but he doesn't want to delve into personal matters just yet. At the moment, he was actually showing more affection than he even wished to, but.. it was Tix, and he almost couldn't help it. Embarassing to the male, really. However, as long as it was just them, he didn't really have a problem with it. Giving into his whims about wanting to ask questions, he broke the silence again, becoming the talkative one for perhaps the first and only time. "Does it hurt at all?" He wonders out loud, ears flicking back just slightly, as if hearing about any pain that she was enduring hurt him as well.
Tix didn't really expect the nuzzling to last long. For once, she wasn't in much of an affectionate mood. So as he steps back, she makes no move to follow his movements. She gazes at him as he asks his question and then she shakes her head in reply. "No." She simply says before lowering her head back to the ground and pawing at the soil in order to find another root. Her moment of digging rewards her with a chewy specimen which she quietly sets to munching on, offering no spark of conversation throughout her hunt for food. It almost seemed as if Tix was giving him the cold shoulder, but in fact it was quite the opposite. She was delighted for his company, but no matter how much she tried to, she just couldn't settle or be comfortable knowing that she was due at any time now.
Was she angry with him? Thinking in her perspective, Roscoe wouldn't really blame her if she was. After all, the last time that he'd actually spoken to her was in the fall, when she first became pregnant. But, he was busy. Being the leader of a herd took away precious personal time, not that he even wanted personal time with anyone to begin with, really. Still, his ears tilted further backwards with her simple responses, and with a nod, he turned around and began to walk right on through the area as he had previously planned. She wasn't in pain, and it didn't look as if she was going to give birth right then and there.. and does gave birth away from others anyway. She didn't need him around at the moment, and he had areas to go through. With a flick of his tail and a glance backward, his expression turned apathetic once again, and he began up a small incline without any more words.
Tix raised her head as the sound of hooves grew fainter. She tilted her head at Roscoe, almost curious as to why he was leaving. She became quite aware of her lack of hospitality towards him, but it was simply instinct she had no control over. Deciding that it would perhaps be best that she was alone, she slowly turned around, unsteady with the weight and began to move back to where her first search for roots had been more fruitful. The moment her foreleg stretches forwards a jolt of pain strikes her and she snorts loudly, ears flattening backwards. With a panicked look she turned her attention to her midsection. Was it time now? Frantically she glances to Roscoe and rather than talk, she bleats out for him to stop.
Not a moment after he left; he hadn't even trudged up the entire hill yet, and the snort that Tix let out had caught his attention, the bleat reaffirming to him that something was wrong. Turning around immediately, the male practically leaped to her side, and looked toward her belly once again before he took his place at her side and started asking more questions. "What's wrong?" he asked calmly but quickly, knowing that he had to keep his composure, especially around her, and in her situation. Panicking was something he never did, but much less when there was real trouble. It never helped. Taking in a breath, he brushed his head against her neck gently, encouraging her to lay down.
Since this was Tix's first fawn, she was being led alone by instinct rather than experience. Never a good thing for a first time mother, but something to be overcome for the future. And right now, as she stood on shaking legs, she was grateful that Roscoe was present regardless of her previous desire to be alone. As the Prince moved beside her she gratefully let him support her as one leg tucked beneath other and she slid to a rest on the floor, sprawled to one side in a more comfortable position. Her ears were pressed back hard against her skull and she breathed quite quickly, her side rippling with more waves of pain. It didn't take a spoken reply to figure out what was about to happen.
Having no knowledge of how does gave birth, Roscoe was rather helpless as he sat there and watched her sprawl to the ground and look .. miserable. He couldn't imagine the pain she was going through, and didn't want to, either. Knowing that everything would be fine in a few minutes however, the Prince continued to remain almost sickeningly calm. When she had laid down, he had thought to lay down with her, but remained standing. He watched as she began to breathe quicker, but kept his distance. There wasn't much that he could do for her, was there? Nature just had to take it's course, and nothing he would say would make her hurt any less. Ears pressing back minimally as well, Roscoe's eyes went from Tix's face to her belly, then back to her face rather quickly, taking a step forward, still unsure of what to do."
Tix closed her eyes, her body rapidly heaving with the laboured breaths. By now it was painfully obvious she wasn't comfortable in the slightest, but Roscoe's thoughts were true; nature did have to take its course. For long periods Tix remained in the same position, gathering her strength before attempting to push and get through the labour. Her voice whimpered frequently, giving only a small indication of her actual pain. With the slow progress being made, who knew how long it would take for the fawn to arrive?
Honestly, he hated feeling this helpless, but there was next to nothing that he could do to help. Standing completely still and just watching Tix in all the pain that she was in, the buck narrowed his eyes and focused his attentions toward her stomach, catching something moving from even this distance away. He certainly was lucky to come across Tix today, even more lucky when she was so close to giving birth. Emotionally speaking, he wanted to lay down by her and provide some sort of comfort.. but does had been giving birth alone for ages, and he had his .. what was it, his 'dignity' to preserve. He couldn't just watch her suffer, though. He had to at least /try/ to make things better. "It's okay.." he said calmly, taking another step forward and still keeping an eye on her stomach, expecting the fawn to pop out at any minute.
The time which passed seemed so slow that each second of pain felt like an hour's worth. Not even the attack by wolves had compared to this amount of agony! Tix squirmed uncomfortably with the weight inside of her moving, knowing perfectly well that the fawn within her would be out soon. So far the birthing had taken up most of her concentration and focus, leaving her literally defenceless. All the more reason she had to be glad that the Prince was there with her if the scent of the newborn attracted predators. Minutes passed into well over an hour and only then did visible progress occur. With all her strength finally placed into pushing, the fawn finally does begin to emerge head-first. The legs and body follow and soon within another couple of minutes, the newborn is fully delivered. Almost instantly Tix's maternal instincts kick in and she shifts around to examine the fawn, cleaning off the birth mess in the process.
Hotah struggles to free himself, his head pops out at last follow by his front hoofs and arms, he wiggles around to help slide out and becomes free at last laying on the ground in his sticky mimbrane that he was born in.
The hour went by rather quickly for Roscoe, actually. He'd repeated the same few phrases of 'it's okay,' 'it's almost over,' and 'you're doing fine' many times, and finally, the fawn had sprung out from it's mother, with her instincts causing her to immediately begin cleaning up the mess. From where he stood, he didn't get a very good look at his son, and didn't really need to. This would be the last time he saw it until it could at /least/ talk, he figured, and Tix needed time to rest up, as did the newborn. Taking a step back, he gave into his curiosity once again, and was a bit shocked to see the peculiar color pattern on the infant. A strange look appeared on his face, and he let out a snort, unintentionally. Blinking, his ears sank again at the "deformed" fawn, and looking toward Tix, he nodded half-heartedly, and turned around in effort to walk away.
Tix didn't have much time to feel anything but relief regarding the fact that the birth was finally done with. The piebald colours didn't even go noticed until the doe had finally finished cleaning the fawn down and moved her head back to regard the odd appearance with forwardly-tilted ears. Were fawns.. Supposed to look like this? Tix wasn't one for seeing young on a frequent occasion, but maybe this new son of hers was just special? Yes, that had to be it. Noticing that Roscoe appeared to be leaving, the doe finally found her feet and pushed herself up to stand, taking a position beside the fawn. "Are you not staying to name him?" She inquired, glancing back down to the youngling. It would be a little while before he could stand.
Hotah has his eyes closes as his mother licks him clean, he keeps his body and head close to the ground to hind himself if anything hungy appear.
Figures that his first fawn had to be disfigured the way that it was. The entire year in these new lands, and even before then, had some how worked against him in any way possible. Not only that, but he didn't even have a hope at a 'normal' son, due to the lack of does in the area. After all of that, Roscoe was naturally upset about the outcome of the birth, and had half a mind to not even answer Tix's question about naming their.. no, /her/ son. Instead, he turned around and gave somewhat of a sneer at the fawn, and shook his head. "Name it what you like." This was said rather coldly, and after it was said, the Prince had made it entirely up the hill.
Watching the Prince act so cold towards her and especially his son, Tix stomped a hoof and snorted, apparently annoyed. Had her labour been for nothing!? "It? He's your son! What's wrong with him?!" For a new mother, the doe was certainly picking up on the aggressive and overprotective instincts fast. She had half a mind to chase after the "Prince" and kick some sense into his antlerless behind, but all she cared for now was ensuring that the fawn was safe and healthy. Ears laid back again, her eyes glaring suspiciously at Roscoe, Tix wanted answers now. What was so wrong with having a child that looked different? That didn't mean anything if the fawn turned out just as strong as his father.
Hotah keeps his head down his ear prick up as he listing to his dad disown him just as he was born, this makes him very sad and a tear runs down his newborn cheek.
Apparently, he couldn't even leave in peace after the disappointing birth of his 'son,' even to go and think about.. whatever it was that he needed to think about. However, Tix's insistant talking to him as he was walking off had resulted in a bit of frustration on Roscoe's part, and with his ears back, he turned around and walked right back up to the doe and the fawn, taking care to stay clear of the infant's resting place. Glaring down at it, he shook his head, and sighed. "But.. /look/ at it--him." he muttered, and sighed heavily. "He's not.. normal." Brows furrowed, and the upset male let out another snort in annoyance at the little Whitetail, rolling his eyes at his luck and looking back to Tix. This was the price to pay for not having many does in a herd, he assumed.
Tix couldn't understand Roscoe's lack of happiness. "He may look a little different but so what? At least he's alive and there's at least one son you can be proud of!" For Tix, this lack of enthusiasm to her first child was very degrading and upsetting. To her, it had felt like the last hours had been wasted just for Roscoe to not approve! "Is this my fault!?" She moved back to young one's side and lay herself next to him, a desire not to be near the so-called Prince filling her. "Did I fail my duties as part of your herd? If he's not acceptable than am I not acceptable either?!" Her voice was high-pitched and clearly laced with emotional pain.
A scoff was given at the concept of being proud of that particular fawn. "Proud? Of him?" Another sneer was given, and his eyes narrowed a bit more. "The only accomplishment he'll achieve.. is putting he herd in danger due to his color." Staring Tix down, he wanted to make sure that she knew that he was serious about his disappointment. Not only disappointment, but anger. "As far as I'm concerned, that is not /my/ son." Perhaps the worst thing he'd said to her since.. well, they'd met the year previous. Clearing his throat, he finished projecting his anger onto the helpless fawn, and shrugged. "I never said that you weren't acceptable.." Speaking clearly, he took in a deep breath, and glared down at the fawn again, "But he is not."
Tix is clearly not liking Roscoe's attitude towards the fawn by this point. Not one bit. It wasn't the child's fault that he was born with odd colours, and Tix wouldn't consider abandoning the youngster moments after his birth. "Not your son? I'm sure he is, but you know.." A rising fury all too unfamiliar to the doe gripped her and she pulled her legs under her to stand. Tossing her head in an irritated fashion she marches straight up to the sneering buck and glares him dead in the eye, showing how serious she is with her words. ".. Maybe if Chanson was his father he wouldn't look like this! Or even if he did, I'm sure he'd be a more suitable father and least try to accept his son!" That's right. She went there. And to make her point even clearer, the doe suddenly reared up on her hind legs and without much else to say, try and slam her hooves into Roscoe's chest. By this point she didn't even -want- this.. Monster.. Near her son.
It may not have been the child's fault that he was born the way he was, but it didn't change the fact that Roscoe was still upset by the outcome. Tix's reaction didn't help. Why couldn't she see that it was a liability? Her persistant defence was getting on his nerves, and those last words of hers actually hurt him, to some extent. Sure, Tix was his favorite doe, but there were others. Sort of. So it wasn't like he was completely heartbroken over her words. A scoff was given, and he went ahead and replied. "If Chanson was the father, I'm sure it would be much weaker than it'll already grow up to be, only adding on to the deformities that are undoubtedly /your/ fault." Letting his anger get the best of him, Roscoe spoke foolishly, but at the moment, didn't care. "A first time mother like yourself.. and not an entirely bright one at that. You probably ate something you shouldn't have.. or done something completely avoidable." The Prince had seen her rear up onto her hind legs, and had moved back before she was able to slam her hooves into his chest, but the fact that she tried didn't sit very well with him.. and he was angry. Ears pinning back against his skull, he took a backward step, and readied himself to charge right into her side. Not too harshly, but enough to get his point across.
Insult after insult only left Tix feeling that Roscoe was just trying to blame his mistakes on her. She was perfectly healthy and she'd cared for herself throughout the Fall and Winter without much trouble. To insult her only child simply was not acceptable and that was about to be made clear. The doe ceases to talk and instead, as her hooves land back on the soil she raises them once more, although on a lower level this time before slamming them into the dirt. Much like a taunt, she glared coldly at Roscoe and snorted, ears hanging back. "Well then go back to whatever place you came from! Noone asked you to come here and I'm sure the does there are more acceptable than the ones here!" She spat at him, a certain amount of hurt registering in her angry eyes. It was true; even if she was furious with Roscoe for the way he was acting, it pained her to be nasty back to him. It just wasn't her nature.
Hotah stands to rise up, first to his front knees then he moves to his back knees, he's a little shakey as he stands up on his front hoof then back, his legs are spred apart then after a few mins he falls back to the ground leting out a little call as he does.
Stopping himself before he charged into the defiant doe, Roscoe let out an angry huff of breath, and glared right back down at her. She was right; no one asked him to come here, and he wasn't doing a very good job of establishing himself. Thinking about it, he didn't get along with anyone aside from her.. and that was only on good days. Though he was a good leader, he seemed to not be such a good individual, at least, to others. Maybe he should go back? The herd back home was rightfully his as well, and there was a much /better/ selection of does. Ones that weren't so damn defiant all the time, like these Western ones seemed to be. "For once, I think you're right." He said coldly, and glared down angrily at the fawn as it stood up, wanting to push it back onto the ground where it belonged. He didn't though, and instead held his head up high and turned right back around. Maybe he would go back to the cold lands? Everything there was much more tolerable than here, that was for sure.
Tix didn't move to follow Roscoe or even bother chasing after him. Her eyes simply glared at him with the same portrayal of anger and hurt before she notices that the fawn has finally managed to find it's legs. Motherly instinct overwhelms her and she abandons all intention of badmouthing and trying to hurt the buck. Turning away, she trots back to the side of the young fawn and shields him from sight of Roscoe with her form, also giving the youngster the oppertunity to suckle now that he could reach. Her eyes linger on the newborn and she actually smiles with a considerable amount of devotion and admiration towards the strange colouration. "I think you're beautiful, little one." She sighs, wishing that the arrogant Prince would feel the same way.
Hotah tries to stand up again but his legs keep wabbling, he stay up longer this time and try walking to his mother but he looks like he could fall any min, he make it to her at last and finds her teets and starts to nurse.
The more he thought about it, the less inclined he felt to protect the Whitetails that he had single-handedly gathered. Not one of them hadn't given him problems; not one! There had to be some conspiracy out there against him, or something. And now, he had next to nothing. With the intention of abandoning the herd and leaving them to ..whatever without any regrets, Roscoe had no fawn, no companion, no home, no nothing. In a state of self-pity, though it didn't outwardly show, the Prince held his head lower than usual and walked quicker than he normally would, almost at a run. As if he was running away from all of his problems here. Months of waiting to see his newborn son or daughter had built up a certain standard that he expected to see, and to be met with a disfigured child was unreal to him. In his heart he knew the fawn was innocent and that he was overreacting.. but it wasn't /fair/. As that particular thought wafted through his anger-clouded mind, he realized just how un-Prince like he was acting. His father would be ashamed. Ears pinning back further, he waited until he was on the other side of the hill, out of sight of the doe and the fawn, and laid down on the ground in a defeated manner, his chin resting on the muddy ground. Oh, yes. /Poor/ Roscoe.
Ignoring Roscoe as he leaves with all haste, Tix becomes obsessed with the fawn now finally able to stand with her. Even if the arrogant buck wanted nothing to do with the child, Tix certainly wouldn't abandon him. "I'll name you Hotah, little one. It sounds noble and worthy of a beautiful son.." She speakly lowly to him, knowing fully that the child most likely can't use his senses properly yet. Allowing Hotah to feed for a few more minutes she then slowly moves forwards with the intention of heading into the thicker vegetation for safety. Her steps are slow and she makes sure that the fawn can follow, observing him throughout every second.
Roscoe - Male Whitetail Deer
Tix - Female Whitetail Deer
Hotah - Male Whitetail Fawn
Setting:
Thickening Forest
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Although the ground is still wet underfoot and there is a chill breeze in the air, there are certain signs that Spring is well on its way. Greens are beginning to appear on the shrubs and trees that make up the forest, attracting the faintest hints of waking wildlife. Small birds nestle in branches, singing their song of the new season for all to hear. Listening in particular, Tix is stood amongst the vegetation and chewing on roots which she had managed to produce from the soft soil. Her winter coat isn't yet fading, but the grey pelt reveals her swollen midsection very well. The extra weight doesn't bother the doe, but on occasion she'll move her legs out wider to stand with more ease. It's obvious she's not accustomed to being pregnant, but she's not letting it stop her enjoy her meal.
It'd been a long morning, and so far, an even longer afternoon. The Prince had begun his day before dawn as usual, but had found himself to be more tired than he normally was. In fact, so tired was he that he'd stopped and bedded down in the comfort of the maple glade not too long ago. Thinking on it, the male had chuckled to himself in thinking that he was sharing Tix's pain and discomfort, but it was really just because he'd been travelling far to the south as of late. Silly of him to do so, since /that/ was predator country, and he was now without his antlers once again. From the western border of the forest, the large male made his way into the thicker surroundings, the scent of Tix lingering in the air and drawing his attention. Through her pregnancy, he'd made an effort to at least see that she was alright. Many, in fact, almost all of the times that he did check on her, he didn't go up and talk. He simply observed, and would leave before she'd noticed him. Today was somehow different, though. The buck, who was already nearly ready for the summer season to take hold judging by his thinner, reddening coat and lack of his crown crossed over the slightly wet soil carefully, and came up towards Tix from the front as not to startle her. Only a few words were offered, but they'd been the first in a while. "You look well.."
Tix seems to have let none of her senses dull in her new condition. In fact, under the knowledge that she was carrying a fawn, even the slightest sound would have caught her attention. The same applies even for Roscoe as his approach from the front is first caught by sound. As per usual, the doe's ears prop upwards and she raises her head, pausing in the chewing of the particularly tough root. She inhales the scent of the buck and almost gleefully she prances forwards to see the Prince as he appears. She hadn't spotted him since the winter they shared together and so as a result she was overjoyed to see him. Obviously she hadn't noticed him spying on her throughout the last weeks. Despite being so happy to see him though, she doesn't reply vocally, only with a smile. Her original plan had been to travel back to the thicket where she was most comfortable in preperation for the birth, but now with the fawn due to arrive at any day, Tix was also surprised to see that the Prince had come to check upon her. She
smiles at him and then lowers her head back to the ground, returning to her foraging for roots.
Roscoe glances briefly down at Tix's swollen belly, and the tiniest of grins appears. Knowing that it's his fawn that is due any day now brings some amount of joy to the otherwise apathetic buck, even though he knows he probably won't see too much of the fawn during it's first few months of life. Bucks never did care much for the young, and it was his duty to protect it, not to socialize with it. Even his own father, with whom he was so close to. Daren had nothing to do with him until he'd reached a year of age. None of that meant, though, that he couldn't offer encouragement or comfort to the mother, which was precisely what he was doing at the moment. At the doe's prance toward him, the larger, taller buck took a few steps forward, though his grin faded. She wasn't speaking, which concerned him just a bit. Clearing his throat, he looked down to the ground and shifted his weight onto a different hoof, the ground being silghtly uncomfortable where he had stopped. Awkwardly, he spoke up once again. "Any day now, h
hmm?" Motioning his head towards her, it was obvious that he was inquiring about the birth of their fawn, but he wasn't specific about it, vocally.
With a mouth full of cold wet root, Tix finally takes some time to give a reply. Chewing and swallowing down the tough vegetation, she raises her head again and gives it a firm shake, her ears flapping wildly. The cold moisture dripped from the trees overhead and whenever it landed upon her ears or nose, she would repeat the head flailing. As she steps forwards to greet the buck with a more forward approach, such as a nuzzle, she finally does speak, although her words are few and quiet. "Yes.. Soon." Her dark eyes examine the Prince's coat and his posture, judging him on some invisible standard of her own. Glad to be out from underneath the dripping branches, tilts her ears outwards, listening to the surroundings again.
The nuzzle is well received, and the male returns the affection by resting his chin on top of her head for a moment, before he takes a step back and examines her belly once more from afar. Curiosity grips him, but he doesn't want to delve into personal matters just yet. At the moment, he was actually showing more affection than he even wished to, but.. it was Tix, and he almost couldn't help it. Embarassing to the male, really. However, as long as it was just them, he didn't really have a problem with it. Giving into his whims about wanting to ask questions, he broke the silence again, becoming the talkative one for perhaps the first and only time. "Does it hurt at all?" He wonders out loud, ears flicking back just slightly, as if hearing about any pain that she was enduring hurt him as well.
Tix didn't really expect the nuzzling to last long. For once, she wasn't in much of an affectionate mood. So as he steps back, she makes no move to follow his movements. She gazes at him as he asks his question and then she shakes her head in reply. "No." She simply says before lowering her head back to the ground and pawing at the soil in order to find another root. Her moment of digging rewards her with a chewy specimen which she quietly sets to munching on, offering no spark of conversation throughout her hunt for food. It almost seemed as if Tix was giving him the cold shoulder, but in fact it was quite the opposite. She was delighted for his company, but no matter how much she tried to, she just couldn't settle or be comfortable knowing that she was due at any time now.
Was she angry with him? Thinking in her perspective, Roscoe wouldn't really blame her if she was. After all, the last time that he'd actually spoken to her was in the fall, when she first became pregnant. But, he was busy. Being the leader of a herd took away precious personal time, not that he even wanted personal time with anyone to begin with, really. Still, his ears tilted further backwards with her simple responses, and with a nod, he turned around and began to walk right on through the area as he had previously planned. She wasn't in pain, and it didn't look as if she was going to give birth right then and there.. and does gave birth away from others anyway. She didn't need him around at the moment, and he had areas to go through. With a flick of his tail and a glance backward, his expression turned apathetic once again, and he began up a small incline without any more words.
Tix raised her head as the sound of hooves grew fainter. She tilted her head at Roscoe, almost curious as to why he was leaving. She became quite aware of her lack of hospitality towards him, but it was simply instinct she had no control over. Deciding that it would perhaps be best that she was alone, she slowly turned around, unsteady with the weight and began to move back to where her first search for roots had been more fruitful. The moment her foreleg stretches forwards a jolt of pain strikes her and she snorts loudly, ears flattening backwards. With a panicked look she turned her attention to her midsection. Was it time now? Frantically she glances to Roscoe and rather than talk, she bleats out for him to stop.
Not a moment after he left; he hadn't even trudged up the entire hill yet, and the snort that Tix let out had caught his attention, the bleat reaffirming to him that something was wrong. Turning around immediately, the male practically leaped to her side, and looked toward her belly once again before he took his place at her side and started asking more questions. "What's wrong?" he asked calmly but quickly, knowing that he had to keep his composure, especially around her, and in her situation. Panicking was something he never did, but much less when there was real trouble. It never helped. Taking in a breath, he brushed his head against her neck gently, encouraging her to lay down.
Since this was Tix's first fawn, she was being led alone by instinct rather than experience. Never a good thing for a first time mother, but something to be overcome for the future. And right now, as she stood on shaking legs, she was grateful that Roscoe was present regardless of her previous desire to be alone. As the Prince moved beside her she gratefully let him support her as one leg tucked beneath other and she slid to a rest on the floor, sprawled to one side in a more comfortable position. Her ears were pressed back hard against her skull and she breathed quite quickly, her side rippling with more waves of pain. It didn't take a spoken reply to figure out what was about to happen.
Having no knowledge of how does gave birth, Roscoe was rather helpless as he sat there and watched her sprawl to the ground and look .. miserable. He couldn't imagine the pain she was going through, and didn't want to, either. Knowing that everything would be fine in a few minutes however, the Prince continued to remain almost sickeningly calm. When she had laid down, he had thought to lay down with her, but remained standing. He watched as she began to breathe quicker, but kept his distance. There wasn't much that he could do for her, was there? Nature just had to take it's course, and nothing he would say would make her hurt any less. Ears pressing back minimally as well, Roscoe's eyes went from Tix's face to her belly, then back to her face rather quickly, taking a step forward, still unsure of what to do."
Tix closed her eyes, her body rapidly heaving with the laboured breaths. By now it was painfully obvious she wasn't comfortable in the slightest, but Roscoe's thoughts were true; nature did have to take its course. For long periods Tix remained in the same position, gathering her strength before attempting to push and get through the labour. Her voice whimpered frequently, giving only a small indication of her actual pain. With the slow progress being made, who knew how long it would take for the fawn to arrive?
Honestly, he hated feeling this helpless, but there was next to nothing that he could do to help. Standing completely still and just watching Tix in all the pain that she was in, the buck narrowed his eyes and focused his attentions toward her stomach, catching something moving from even this distance away. He certainly was lucky to come across Tix today, even more lucky when she was so close to giving birth. Emotionally speaking, he wanted to lay down by her and provide some sort of comfort.. but does had been giving birth alone for ages, and he had his .. what was it, his 'dignity' to preserve. He couldn't just watch her suffer, though. He had to at least /try/ to make things better. "It's okay.." he said calmly, taking another step forward and still keeping an eye on her stomach, expecting the fawn to pop out at any minute.
The time which passed seemed so slow that each second of pain felt like an hour's worth. Not even the attack by wolves had compared to this amount of agony! Tix squirmed uncomfortably with the weight inside of her moving, knowing perfectly well that the fawn within her would be out soon. So far the birthing had taken up most of her concentration and focus, leaving her literally defenceless. All the more reason she had to be glad that the Prince was there with her if the scent of the newborn attracted predators. Minutes passed into well over an hour and only then did visible progress occur. With all her strength finally placed into pushing, the fawn finally does begin to emerge head-first. The legs and body follow and soon within another couple of minutes, the newborn is fully delivered. Almost instantly Tix's maternal instincts kick in and she shifts around to examine the fawn, cleaning off the birth mess in the process.
Hotah struggles to free himself, his head pops out at last follow by his front hoofs and arms, he wiggles around to help slide out and becomes free at last laying on the ground in his sticky mimbrane that he was born in.
The hour went by rather quickly for Roscoe, actually. He'd repeated the same few phrases of 'it's okay,' 'it's almost over,' and 'you're doing fine' many times, and finally, the fawn had sprung out from it's mother, with her instincts causing her to immediately begin cleaning up the mess. From where he stood, he didn't get a very good look at his son, and didn't really need to. This would be the last time he saw it until it could at /least/ talk, he figured, and Tix needed time to rest up, as did the newborn. Taking a step back, he gave into his curiosity once again, and was a bit shocked to see the peculiar color pattern on the infant. A strange look appeared on his face, and he let out a snort, unintentionally. Blinking, his ears sank again at the "deformed" fawn, and looking toward Tix, he nodded half-heartedly, and turned around in effort to walk away.
Tix didn't have much time to feel anything but relief regarding the fact that the birth was finally done with. The piebald colours didn't even go noticed until the doe had finally finished cleaning the fawn down and moved her head back to regard the odd appearance with forwardly-tilted ears. Were fawns.. Supposed to look like this? Tix wasn't one for seeing young on a frequent occasion, but maybe this new son of hers was just special? Yes, that had to be it. Noticing that Roscoe appeared to be leaving, the doe finally found her feet and pushed herself up to stand, taking a position beside the fawn. "Are you not staying to name him?" She inquired, glancing back down to the youngling. It would be a little while before he could stand.
Hotah has his eyes closes as his mother licks him clean, he keeps his body and head close to the ground to hind himself if anything hungy appear.
Figures that his first fawn had to be disfigured the way that it was. The entire year in these new lands, and even before then, had some how worked against him in any way possible. Not only that, but he didn't even have a hope at a 'normal' son, due to the lack of does in the area. After all of that, Roscoe was naturally upset about the outcome of the birth, and had half a mind to not even answer Tix's question about naming their.. no, /her/ son. Instead, he turned around and gave somewhat of a sneer at the fawn, and shook his head. "Name it what you like." This was said rather coldly, and after it was said, the Prince had made it entirely up the hill.
Watching the Prince act so cold towards her and especially his son, Tix stomped a hoof and snorted, apparently annoyed. Had her labour been for nothing!? "It? He's your son! What's wrong with him?!" For a new mother, the doe was certainly picking up on the aggressive and overprotective instincts fast. She had half a mind to chase after the "Prince" and kick some sense into his antlerless behind, but all she cared for now was ensuring that the fawn was safe and healthy. Ears laid back again, her eyes glaring suspiciously at Roscoe, Tix wanted answers now. What was so wrong with having a child that looked different? That didn't mean anything if the fawn turned out just as strong as his father.
Hotah keeps his head down his ear prick up as he listing to his dad disown him just as he was born, this makes him very sad and a tear runs down his newborn cheek.
Apparently, he couldn't even leave in peace after the disappointing birth of his 'son,' even to go and think about.. whatever it was that he needed to think about. However, Tix's insistant talking to him as he was walking off had resulted in a bit of frustration on Roscoe's part, and with his ears back, he turned around and walked right back up to the doe and the fawn, taking care to stay clear of the infant's resting place. Glaring down at it, he shook his head, and sighed. "But.. /look/ at it--him." he muttered, and sighed heavily. "He's not.. normal." Brows furrowed, and the upset male let out another snort in annoyance at the little Whitetail, rolling his eyes at his luck and looking back to Tix. This was the price to pay for not having many does in a herd, he assumed.
Tix couldn't understand Roscoe's lack of happiness. "He may look a little different but so what? At least he's alive and there's at least one son you can be proud of!" For Tix, this lack of enthusiasm to her first child was very degrading and upsetting. To her, it had felt like the last hours had been wasted just for Roscoe to not approve! "Is this my fault!?" She moved back to young one's side and lay herself next to him, a desire not to be near the so-called Prince filling her. "Did I fail my duties as part of your herd? If he's not acceptable than am I not acceptable either?!" Her voice was high-pitched and clearly laced with emotional pain.
A scoff was given at the concept of being proud of that particular fawn. "Proud? Of him?" Another sneer was given, and his eyes narrowed a bit more. "The only accomplishment he'll achieve.. is putting he herd in danger due to his color." Staring Tix down, he wanted to make sure that she knew that he was serious about his disappointment. Not only disappointment, but anger. "As far as I'm concerned, that is not /my/ son." Perhaps the worst thing he'd said to her since.. well, they'd met the year previous. Clearing his throat, he finished projecting his anger onto the helpless fawn, and shrugged. "I never said that you weren't acceptable.." Speaking clearly, he took in a deep breath, and glared down at the fawn again, "But he is not."
Tix is clearly not liking Roscoe's attitude towards the fawn by this point. Not one bit. It wasn't the child's fault that he was born with odd colours, and Tix wouldn't consider abandoning the youngster moments after his birth. "Not your son? I'm sure he is, but you know.." A rising fury all too unfamiliar to the doe gripped her and she pulled her legs under her to stand. Tossing her head in an irritated fashion she marches straight up to the sneering buck and glares him dead in the eye, showing how serious she is with her words. ".. Maybe if Chanson was his father he wouldn't look like this! Or even if he did, I'm sure he'd be a more suitable father and least try to accept his son!" That's right. She went there. And to make her point even clearer, the doe suddenly reared up on her hind legs and without much else to say, try and slam her hooves into Roscoe's chest. By this point she didn't even -want- this.. Monster.. Near her son.
It may not have been the child's fault that he was born the way he was, but it didn't change the fact that Roscoe was still upset by the outcome. Tix's reaction didn't help. Why couldn't she see that it was a liability? Her persistant defence was getting on his nerves, and those last words of hers actually hurt him, to some extent. Sure, Tix was his favorite doe, but there were others. Sort of. So it wasn't like he was completely heartbroken over her words. A scoff was given, and he went ahead and replied. "If Chanson was the father, I'm sure it would be much weaker than it'll already grow up to be, only adding on to the deformities that are undoubtedly /your/ fault." Letting his anger get the best of him, Roscoe spoke foolishly, but at the moment, didn't care. "A first time mother like yourself.. and not an entirely bright one at that. You probably ate something you shouldn't have.. or done something completely avoidable." The Prince had seen her rear up onto her hind legs, and had moved back before she was able to slam her hooves into his chest, but the fact that she tried didn't sit very well with him.. and he was angry. Ears pinning back against his skull, he took a backward step, and readied himself to charge right into her side. Not too harshly, but enough to get his point across.
Insult after insult only left Tix feeling that Roscoe was just trying to blame his mistakes on her. She was perfectly healthy and she'd cared for herself throughout the Fall and Winter without much trouble. To insult her only child simply was not acceptable and that was about to be made clear. The doe ceases to talk and instead, as her hooves land back on the soil she raises them once more, although on a lower level this time before slamming them into the dirt. Much like a taunt, she glared coldly at Roscoe and snorted, ears hanging back. "Well then go back to whatever place you came from! Noone asked you to come here and I'm sure the does there are more acceptable than the ones here!" She spat at him, a certain amount of hurt registering in her angry eyes. It was true; even if she was furious with Roscoe for the way he was acting, it pained her to be nasty back to him. It just wasn't her nature.
Hotah stands to rise up, first to his front knees then he moves to his back knees, he's a little shakey as he stands up on his front hoof then back, his legs are spred apart then after a few mins he falls back to the ground leting out a little call as he does.
Stopping himself before he charged into the defiant doe, Roscoe let out an angry huff of breath, and glared right back down at her. She was right; no one asked him to come here, and he wasn't doing a very good job of establishing himself. Thinking about it, he didn't get along with anyone aside from her.. and that was only on good days. Though he was a good leader, he seemed to not be such a good individual, at least, to others. Maybe he should go back? The herd back home was rightfully his as well, and there was a much /better/ selection of does. Ones that weren't so damn defiant all the time, like these Western ones seemed to be. "For once, I think you're right." He said coldly, and glared down angrily at the fawn as it stood up, wanting to push it back onto the ground where it belonged. He didn't though, and instead held his head up high and turned right back around. Maybe he would go back to the cold lands? Everything there was much more tolerable than here, that was for sure.
Tix didn't move to follow Roscoe or even bother chasing after him. Her eyes simply glared at him with the same portrayal of anger and hurt before she notices that the fawn has finally managed to find it's legs. Motherly instinct overwhelms her and she abandons all intention of badmouthing and trying to hurt the buck. Turning away, she trots back to the side of the young fawn and shields him from sight of Roscoe with her form, also giving the youngster the oppertunity to suckle now that he could reach. Her eyes linger on the newborn and she actually smiles with a considerable amount of devotion and admiration towards the strange colouration. "I think you're beautiful, little one." She sighs, wishing that the arrogant Prince would feel the same way.
Hotah tries to stand up again but his legs keep wabbling, he stay up longer this time and try walking to his mother but he looks like he could fall any min, he make it to her at last and finds her teets and starts to nurse.
The more he thought about it, the less inclined he felt to protect the Whitetails that he had single-handedly gathered. Not one of them hadn't given him problems; not one! There had to be some conspiracy out there against him, or something. And now, he had next to nothing. With the intention of abandoning the herd and leaving them to ..whatever without any regrets, Roscoe had no fawn, no companion, no home, no nothing. In a state of self-pity, though it didn't outwardly show, the Prince held his head lower than usual and walked quicker than he normally would, almost at a run. As if he was running away from all of his problems here. Months of waiting to see his newborn son or daughter had built up a certain standard that he expected to see, and to be met with a disfigured child was unreal to him. In his heart he knew the fawn was innocent and that he was overreacting.. but it wasn't /fair/. As that particular thought wafted through his anger-clouded mind, he realized just how un-Prince like he was acting. His father would be ashamed. Ears pinning back further, he waited until he was on the other side of the hill, out of sight of the doe and the fawn, and laid down on the ground in a defeated manner, his chin resting on the muddy ground. Oh, yes. /Poor/ Roscoe.
Ignoring Roscoe as he leaves with all haste, Tix becomes obsessed with the fawn now finally able to stand with her. Even if the arrogant buck wanted nothing to do with the child, Tix certainly wouldn't abandon him. "I'll name you Hotah, little one. It sounds noble and worthy of a beautiful son.." She speakly lowly to him, knowing fully that the child most likely can't use his senses properly yet. Allowing Hotah to feed for a few more minutes she then slowly moves forwards with the intention of heading into the thicker vegetation for safety. Her steps are slow and she makes sure that the fawn can follow, observing him throughout every second.