Post by Ahiga on Dec 29, 2009 2:38:46 GMT -5
Setting - Cluster of Fir Trees
Characters - Roscoe (male whitetail deer), Chanson (male whitetail deer), Aspen (female whitetail deer), Dawn (NPC female whitetail deer fawn)
The aroma of pine is beginning to cling to her coat. Aspen has no issue with this, really. It's a nice smell, if not just a tad overpowering in this particular area. Though during her foraging outings, it serves as a tangible reminder of her fawns and is a source of comfort. Maybe she should've named one of them Pine... She ponders this as she stands legs beneath the firs, as relaxed as a whitetail mother allows herself to be. Which...isn't much. Her ears swivel this way and that to catch any and every minute sound, and her eyes shift here and there, glancing to the shadows of birds and the shifting foliage above. And why is she so on edge? Even moreso than usual? Dawn is up and about. The second-born fawn has perfected the art of 'balance' and 'coordination' enough that during her wakeful hours with her watchful mother nearby, she's more than just a little active. The spotted female skitters about, scraping her hooves against the pine-littered floor and giggling before bounding away on awkwardly splayed hooves, giggling all the way.
For the first time since the fawns were born, Roscoe wanders this way in actual search of the new mother and her two newborns. On his daily journey through the forest, he had decided to linger in this area longer, and pay the doe a visit. He hadn't actually seen the fawns yet, and it'd been.. years since he actually saw a fawn. Aside from the younger does that had joined his herd, that is. The sound of giggling can be heard from where he is, not too far from the firs that the two rest beneath. The male's large ears turn forward, though one ear flicks back again, as the wind shifted and rustled some of the trees behind him. Quietly, almost predator-like, Roscoe sees the fawn up ahead on an opening in the game trail, and a small grin tugs at his muzzle. "Good morning." He calls out, not wanting to alarm Aspen with his presence. Though he didn't know much about the behavior of mothers aside from his own; which, he can hardly recall that anyway, he knew that they wouldn't want to be snuck up on.
A small white tail wriggles frantically from side to side in a waggish way as Dawn prances forward and pounces something unseen. A bug, perhaps. A wriggly worm of sorts. Or perhaps an imaginary creature of her mind that only her eyes can see. She lands with her hindquarters in the air and her front half lowered, forelegs stretched out in front of her. Grinning widely, she looks wide-eyed back at her mother, who chuckles and nods in encouragement, head lifting proudly as she watches the young one play. But her attention on her turns swiftly at a sound, and she starts a bit before settling upon spotting Roscoe. "Good morning, Roscoe," she calls out in reply, head dipping to the forest's prince. Of course, the arrival of this stranger has caught Dawn's rapt attention, and her too-large ears raise, as does her head, as she peers owlishly at the buck. Now..what manner of creature could /this/ be?? Aspen moves nearer to the fawn and towards Roscoe as well. "You haven't come to assure that I haven't disappeared, have you? I've promised not to run off."
Even from afar, Roscoe watches the fawn as a Leader would, not even bothering to hold in his light chuckle at the sight before him. Fawns were stereotypically a hyper sort, clumsy and yet graceful at the same time, which was rather odd in itself. The one ear that lagged behind perked forward, and his expression softened for just a moment as he offered the little deer a grin. Immediately, he came to his senses and cleared his throat, a kind but serious expression taking over his features once again, as usual. "No. I was in the area, and I thought I might come and see the fawns." He said, and it was the truth. Looking briefly to the left and to the right, his tail flicked, and he blinked slowly. "Though.. one seems to be missing." He moved his eyes from Aspen to Dawn, and took a short step forward. "Hello."
Dude. It's so ... /big/. Dawn has come to the conclusion that many things are larger than herself. The trees that have served as home since birth. Her mother. The sky. These things, along with her brother, are the things that make up her world so far. She has no remembrance of her father, who did lay eyes on both her and her brother on the day of their birth. But even if she did have that memory, Roscoe's image would be the larger one in comparison. Initially shy, she presses herself against her mother's forelegs as she peers up...up...up at the antlered male, eyes growing ever larger and mouth slightly agape in apparent awe.
Aspen's head lowers to graze her muzzle against the small one's back in an endearing gesture of fondness before lifting it again to regard Roscoe. "Really?" she says, sounding a bit surprised. He came just to see them? Well, that's a compliment! She smiles a little, though the look is sincere. "Well, thank you. Yes, Ridge is asleep. With this one keeping him busy, it's no wonder," she chuckles, gesturing to Dawn. "This one is Dawn, who /can/ say hello...when the mood strikes her," said with a quirked brow look to her daughter, who only continues to gawk at Roscoe, only a single blink disrupting her stare.
Truthfully, the way the little fawn was staring at him kind of made the Prince uncomfortable. It was rather easy to tell in the way that he kept averting his gaze to the trees, or in the way that he insessantly shifted weight upon his hooves for a good moment or so there. Finally, he blinked, and took in a deep breath, his chest puffing out a bit. "Hello, Dawn." This is said with a smile, and his head lowers a bit, trying to appear more friendly.. but after so long of trying to appear regal and as intimidating as one can look in the body of a prey animal, it was a bit of a challenge. Chuckling nervously, he looked back to Aspen, and kept his grin. "She's.. she looks very healthy." He said, not wanting to use the words 'cute' or 'adorable' at all. Though the fawn was cute and adorable, /he/ wouldn't be the one to say it.
"She is," agrees Aspen, sounding happy to say it. "Ridge is as well. The both of them...geeze, they keep me on my hooves! Don't let her quiet shy facade fool you," warned with a smirk and shake of her head. "The way she was before, running and in to everything...yes, that is her /usual/ self. Now you see why I am so .. hesitant to leave them. Though I will admit, they both lay very still and quiet when I am gone." She exhales a light breath, then smirks and nudges the young one away from her and towards Roscoe. "You should say hello to Roscoe. He is...er...our leader," said gently, glancing to the male with a small smile. Now this makes little difference to Dawn as she skitters forward a step or two closer to the Large Thing in front of her. Her tail swishes nervously again, though her nose wriggles as she tentatively leans forward to sniff at his lower leg. Hrm. Now he smells interesting! This is a deer that's been places. Her curiosity overpowers shyness, and she's soon very near to him, sniffing at his knees.
Chanson has arrived.
The warnings from Aspen are duly noted, and he expects the speckled fawn to break into a playful mode at any second. ...Any second.. And when she doesn't, he thinks that something is wrong with him. Apparently, she just wants to sniff his knee. A blink is given, curious as to the behavior of the fawn, as he lifts the leg that she was sniffing, and pulls it away in a step back. His ears tuck backwards, thinking that perhaps if he made his head look smaller, he wouldn't be so.. intimidating for her? The awkwardness that the Prince showed around the newborn was strange.. he wasn't this clumsy or anything with.. anything else. Another step back is given, and his tail flicks in a bit of irritation, not really knowing /what/ to do. This all confirms that he is to be the observer and protector of the herd, and that socializing only embarrasses him. Clearing his throat, his ears perk forward and he gives a stern look, unintentionally, to Dawn, and then raises his head to look back at Aspen. "I.. should be going. I'm glad to see you're all safe." He didn't leave yet though, and simply took another few steps backward, for some reason or another not wanting to turn his back on the small doe.
"Oh my word... is that them?" Chanson says from nearby, having advanced on the proceedings incognito. He pokes his head out from around a tree, staring just as awkwardly and curiously at the fawns as they would at the world around them. "Is that... /my/..." He takes a few steps forward, looking between everyone gathered like they would clear things up for him. His eyes finally come to a rest on Aspen, a hesitant smile on his snout as he tramps forward, step by cautious step. "Aspen... is that really... it happened?"
Oh yes, because once your back is turned...it's /all/ over! Dawn's ears perk up higher as the knee she's sniffing at retreats from her, and she blinks rapidly in response. How dare it run from her! Her tail wiggles in protest and she dances a step forward, nose wiggling again. And still, it retreats! And then there's that not so nice look that has the young fawn ducking her head. Oh, hey this is the perfect opportunity to practice the word she's best at saying! She inhales a deep breath, preparing herself for brilliance, and bleats out a rather forceful (yet girlish sounding) "No!" She beams at her mother, who can only chuckle in reply and gives Roscoe an amused look, then begins to prance around the buck, giggling in glee at her new game. But then, she freezes, hooves splayed and tiny tail up as her large eyes comes to rest on Chanson. Another Big Thing! Her "deer in headlights" look remains for some time before she scampers back to her mother, ducking between her legs. Bravery lasts only for so long.
Aspen chuckles as her eyes alight upon Chanson. "Yes. You haven't forgotten already, have you?" she says teasingly. "This is /your/ daughter. And your son? He favors the evening." In other words, he's asleep!
The prancing fawn around his knees /was/ amusing.. and the word that she bleated out was nothing short of comical. He wanted to laugh, he really did.. and if he wasn't the Leader of the herd with his own silly standards to live up to, he would've. Instead however, he broke eye contact with the small thing, and looked over to the rather amazed Chanson. Good. A perfect time to make his exit.. but then he saw the look that Dawn gave her own father. That scared look, the frozen-in-place fear. Only for a moment, but she'd done it. He could understand that she was simply a newborn, and had every right to be frightened of things that were bigger than her. But that freezing had come at a terrible cost to him. As Dawn grew older, Roscoe would make an effort to discourage that type of blind fear. For now though, he simply lowered his brow and let out a small sigh, before turning his back without so much as a word to the other male, or Aspen for that matter.
Chanson raises his ears when his daughter goes scampering back to the safety of mother dearest. Well... that was probably to be expected. He takes a few more halting steps forward, peering at the little fawn. "She's... beautiful," he whispers, gaze adoring and full of wonderment. It's like he's been put under a spell. That came from /him./ It's incredible to think about it. "Hi there," he says in as amicable, accomodating a tone as he can manage. Easier for him since he isn't Roscoe! "I'm your... dad," he murmurs, memories of his own father whipping through him at lightning speed. Now he's one of those big, commanding father figures to. "Aw, Aspen... I... feel weird."
Aspen's eyes follow the motions of Roscoe as he begins to move away, and she angles her head up a little as she watches him. She inhales a breath and releases it quietly. Such a busy buck, all the time. "Goodbye, Roscoe," she offers gently, eyes lingering on him for a time before they shift to Chanson as he speaks to the cowering Dawn. Her expression softens as she steps back a little, uncovering the spotted little doe. Dawn's eyes flit from one buck to the other. This new one is speaking to her, and thus it's Chanson who holds her attention in the end. Well, he sounds...not-mean. A questioning look is given to her mother, who nudges her towards her father. Her ears raise again in curiosity, and like with Roscoe, she tentatively begins to sniff. Aspen herself gives Chanson a questioning look, holding back a chuckle. "Weird? You're not going to be sick, are you? That'd make a horrible first impression.."
Time hadn't worked in his favor this time, for just as he had excused himself, Chanson had arrived. He'd been meaning to talk to the other buck about.. something. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't even remember. Plus, it wasn't as if he expected him to be here, anyway. With his face hidden from the other two, a scowl formed at his bad timing, and he let out a silent sigh. He did a fine job of pushing himself away, that was for sure. Even with little Dawn, he was sure that he'd make a lasting impression.. though, he didn't feel as if that impression was a good one. For once, he found himself wanting to be social, but that big head of his wouldn't allow it. With one final glance back at the happy Whitetail family, he felt a twinge of jealousy run through him. How they were all healthy and normal looking, whereas his fawn was disfigured. The Prince's pace quickend a bit to that of a relatively slow trot, tail flicking in anticipation to get out of the area, and back to the glade where he belonged.
Chanson allows the fawn to sniff as much as she likes, a shaky smile on his lips. "Get used to it, kiddo. I won't be going anywhere anytime soon." He smiles more fully at Aspen. "No, no... just... this is so... new." He bends his head down a bit to sniff at Dawn himself. "I mean... now that it's happened, I find that... I never expected it to, not really. I was never sure of myself until I got here. Until I met you." He sighs solemnly. "And now we have her and a son. I feel so grown up," he says with a sudden, lop-sided grin. "Not that I didn't before, just... more so now."
Ooh, big nose! Dawn's head tilts up a bit to sniff noses with the buck in front of her, mouth agape. This is interesting. And the other big one is gone, which means...congratulations Chanson, you're her new source of fun! Her nose touches his momentarily, and she giggles suddenly, jumping back playfully with a wagging tail. "No! she laughs again, ducking beneath Aspen briefly before moving the prance around the large male, pausing to sniff at each leg before jumping back as before. Aspen keeps an eye on her, though seems not worried about the young one's antics with her father. He is, besides, her father! "To be honest, I feel the same," she admits with a slight smirk. "I never thought this would be.../me/. Two fawns. You. Even Roscoe. I mean, I know he and I aren't great friends, but.. I think I'm learning to get along well enough. I'm not upsetting him as much anymore, I think."
"No?" Chanson says, greatly amused. "/That's/ the first word she learned? No!" he replies to her, in a cheerful, playful voice. "I guess since Roscoe's had a child he's begun to mellow out. Sometimes he can seem... almost nice. I think he's /trying/ to keep up that nasty facade, honestly. Nobody can be nice if they're naturally nasty." He smiles at Aspen again, seemingly in some kind of daze. "You've never looked more beautiful, you know. I can't believe how happy I am."
Aspen chuckles and nods. "I think it's my fault, really," she admits sheepishly. "I've told them...or rather, /her/ specifically, "no" a lot," she laughs as she moves to place herself next to him, keeping herself purposely close. She leans slightly against him, affectionately grazing her muzzle down his neck and back up with closed eyes and a small contented smile. "I don't think I'd ever describe him as being "mellow" but...you're right. I think he likes Dawn," she admits with a smug smirk. "Though he'll never admit it, I bet." A pause, and his compliments has her head ducking modestly, and she glances away from him briefly. "Thank you. And I hope..no, I /know/ you'll stay happy. I aim to keep you that way til fall, you know. And you'll be doing your share of fawn watching, too. Dawn already seems to be taken by you," she notes, glancing to the fawn who has now begun to inch underneath Chanson, as if searching to see if /he/ has any sources of food down there, too..
Chanson takes a couple steps backwards as his daughter gets a little too curious. "Er, no, nothing there," he says with a chuckle. What a thing to be young again and know absolutely nothing about... anything! "How /couldn't/ he like Dawn? I love her already!" And of course he'll watch her, faithfully and protectively, as any father should. "Nothing can make me unhappy with this," he declares. Not even if Roscoe yelled in his face and bonked him with a branch or something, he'd just stand there smiling beatifically like he is now. He leans back against Aspen and sighs as he nudges his cheek against her neck. "I think I'll be happy long through fall," he says quietly. "This is just too wonderful. /You're/ too wonderful."
What what? No food? Dawn scampers backwards as her father does, and she looks up at him with a stern look on her youthful face. "No no no," she chastises, scolding him for...uh, apparently for not having milk-giving teats. She shakes her head, causing her ears to flop in a donkeyish way before they stand erect again. But as quickly as her frown comes, it's replaced by a sudden grin as she scampers away, prancing around the thin trunks of nearby trees, tripping often but continuing once her footing is regained. Aspen laughs and pushes her weight against the male at her side playfully. "And I think she gets her silliness from /you/," she says, eyeing him affectionately, though a slight portion of her cheer wilts after a moment of watching him. "Til fall," she insists with a half smirk. "I know what happens in fall. You males get so silly with one another. You and Roscoe will fight. You'll be thinking of females, and I .. I understand that. But once that's over, can you promise me something?"
Of course everyone knows in the back of their minds Chanson is talking nonsense; he has to follow the seasons and do what all bucks do come fall. But he's just so darn *happy.* Talking silly is his way of showing it! He watches their daughter bouncing around manically, his mind at peace. "Hmm? Promise? Yeah. Sure, anything," he says honestly. She could ask him to promise to jump over the moon right now and he wouldn't mind in the slightest!
As he had left the family behind, Roscoe had become lost in his thoughts. This wasn't unusual for the buck, but what unusual, was that he didn't really feel up to wandering back to the glade just yet. It wasn't very far, and he had peace and quiet there.. something that he enjoyed very much. But, for whatever reason, he felt like staying here for longer. He'd left without much of a goodbye, and had felt somewhat guilty about it. Something that rather embarrassed him, since it would prove that he wasn't as cold and distant as he /wanted/ to be. Either way, he had lingered around the area for a few minutes, before he came walking slowly and quietly back to where the doe, buck, and fawn were all intermingling still. Actually, he felt out of place here. Having half a mind to turn right back around, he looked over at the little Dawn, and grinned in a genuine manner, but didn't say anything. Hopefully, they just wouldn't notice him.
Oh, her male is in a daze. Aspen can see this rather plainly. It's amusing, in an endearing way. She's never seen a male interact with fawns before, and if this is the way all fathers get when around their offspring, she can't wait to see Roscoe with his own little boy! That is...if he's feeling any better about him. That sparks a question that Aspen has been meaning to ask Chanson, but the request she has now is more important. Smirking a little, she lightly nips at his neck, as if to wake him from his fatherly stupor. "Promise me this. Promise me that when the fall things are over and you have...when you have won your females, that you will come back to us. To me. Promise that you won't forget your first born fawns, and you will see them from time to time. Teach them things. Especially Ridge."
Dawn pauses to rake her hoof against the ground once more, then stops to look around. Oh ho! If Roscoe hopes to just mosey on by without being noticed, he has another thing coming. Dawn notices, and she recognizes him. The Big Thing from before! It's not a dangerous Thing, else mother would've warned her. And thus, she half walks, half hops towards him, showing less hesitation than before, with a grin on her face. "No!"
Chanson is snapped out of his reverie by the nip, his eyes focusing very plainly on Aspen in particular. He barely even notices Roscoe coming by again. He listens to her plea in silence, considering it in his head before he takes a deep breath to answer. "I promise," he says. "I will come back. I don't think I couldn't. You're... special." And not just because she was 'the first,' either, but he doesn't have the charisma or know-how to voice such thoughts. "You stayed. It'd be horrible if I decided not to myself."
And, he's been spotted. His peripheral vision caught a glimpse of motion brought on by the miniature deer, and an amused grin forms quickly. The grin is small, but it is also noticeable, from where the fawn is, at least. Lifting one hoof in order to carry himself down to where the other adults were, he casts his eyes down at the baby doe once again, and sighs lightly. "No? No what?" He wonders out loud, his tone having a certain lightness and kindness to it that hadn't been heard by either Chanson or Aspen very often, if he could remember correctly. It wasn't as if he had tried to sound like this, either. Dawn was not his daughter, and he had no reason to act like a father toward her. In fact, he wanted to just ignore her until she was of an age capable of coherent speech, instead of just bleating out words like she was. This of course, was easier said than done.
Aspen is always aware of where both of her fawns are, and Dawn's friendly approach towards Roscoe doesn't go unnoticed by her. But...it's Roscoe. She shouldn't have any reason to be wary of her children near Roscoe. He's the protector, and thus she merely gazes in their direction with a calm expression, offering a smile towards the lead buck followed by a slight quirk of a brow. But, trusting him with Dawn, she turns her attention back to Chanson, her expression soft. "I'll keep you to your word," she says with a half smirk. "If not...well, I'm sure I can find some handsome buck to keep me company til you come to your senses," said teasingly as she ducks her head down to headbutt his chest before hopping backwards playfully.
Dawn is too preoccupied with Roscoe to care much for what her parents are up to. She focuses on the motions of his mouth one she pauses just some few feet in front of him, blinking in slow wonder. He's saying the word she knows! She beams at him, mouth open. "Nono!" she says in delight, skipping forward to bump her muzzle against the lower part of his leg...which is the highest part of him that she can reach. She tilts her head up at him, expression charmingly bright with expectation. But expecting...what?
"Buh... what?" Chanson says, taken off guard by her sudden, sarcastic response. Quickly realizing he's just been had, he scoffs in fake disdain and indignation (though some of it was real, he prided himself on meaning what he said!) "Well! Good luck with /that!/" he says with a toss of his head. His antlers-still-growing-back head. "Just be sure I haven't ruined other bucks for you!" He skips after her with a smile. "I hate to think you'd get lonely after all."
Honestly, the little fawn is far more disruptive than he would've first believed. First of all, is the inherent cuteness that all fawns carry with them throughout their infancy. Dawn is not lacking in that department. Secondly, is the amusing manner in which she yells 'no' toward him. Again, this is 'cute,' and again, he would not say this out loud. Finally is the manner in which she insists on sticking right by his legs, making it rather difficult for the long-limbed male to even get around very well. "Yes, yes.." He mutters in a tired sort of tone, before he stops completely, one hoof above the ground again. Looking down, he sees those big eyes looking up at him, and he lets out a heavier sigh of defeat. "What?" He asks in the same tone as before, and looks around, confused as to what to do. A spar? No, no.. it couldn't be that /she/ wanted to spar.. she would get hurt that way, anyway. Setting his hoof down, he blinks, looking rather dumbfounded for perhaps the first time since he's even /been/ here.
"Oh! Is /that/ the truth now?" titters Aspen with a grin to the velvety antlered male, eyes glittering with mirth as she continues to dance away from him, tail waving playfully. "What will you do? Break all of their antlers with your might? Make them cower before you? Have them fear you so much that they'll.../tremble/ just at the mentioning of your name?" She laughs merrily, the sound light-hearted and pure as she leads a flirtatious chase through the pines. It looks as if she'll be giving no assistance to Roscoe, who is still being hassled by Dawn. Her young eyes meet his, and her tail swishes again. But..this guy is not getting the message. Snorting, she turns around in a quick circle and baby-rams his leg again. If this big thing is not a thing to be feared, then it certainly must be a thing to be played with! He's like...a mega version of her brother! She bleats her insistence. Play with me!!
"No!" Chanson replies as he bounds merrily after her, his somewhat smaller size actually more of an advantage in this kind of situation. "I'm just /so/ impressive, they won't even have to tangle with me to know I'd win!" Yeah, like that'll ever happen. "Because, you know... I just have /such/ a mighty reputation already! After all you're one to talk! I see the looks you give me!" he says, as though they were only just teasing their burgeoning relationship. Yes, Dawn, go make nice with the Big Meanie over there. She'll probably have him making baby faces and saying things like 'adorable' any minute now.
Since when did he become the babysitter? The Lead Buck glares off in the direction of Aspen and Chanson, fully ignoring the fawn by now, at least for the moment. He keeps one leg held up most of the time, to discourage the youngster from ramming her head into it.. but all to no avail. Antler envy, perhaps? Looking down at her, Roscoe clears his throat and puffs out his chest, setting his idle hoof down with a certain amount of 'stomp' to it. "Dawn. No. Bad." Raising a brow and flicking his ears backward and then forward again, his head stays looking downward, but through the corners of his eyes he looks over at the two smitten adults. Rolling his red eyes, he takes a step, literally right over the fawn, and hears a bit of their conversation. Talking about fall already, it seemed. Something about other bucks. He was another buck. He was the only other buck. Lowering his brows, his tail flicked in annoyance, and once again, he rolled his eyes. This time, an exasperated sigh accompanied it, as if giving up on even bothering with talking to Chanson or Aspen. They were too.. frolicky for his tastes, anyway.
Aspen pauses behind a tree, peering at the advancing buck with wide eyes. She's seen the way she looks at him? "..You have?" Blink. Oh wait. She smirks now and inclines her chin haughtily. "Oh, you wish," said with a snort. "That must have been a dream of yours, since I hardly even notice you. Ever." Hence the fawns. *cough* She doesn't flee any longer and lingers where she is, waiting for him and allowing her eyes to flicker once towards Roscoe and Dawn to see how he's faring with the more boisterous of the two fawns. The somewhat stomped hoof has the little one's head lowering in slight confusion. Dawn. She knows that word. No = her favorite word. But..bad? This one has no meaning to her, and thus she stares blankly at him, cowering a little as he steps over her like an unimportant stone. Woe! She remains half laid on the ground, at a loss as to what to do. But indecision never lasts long with one as young as she, and soon her mind is made up to follow him. Standing, her body is given a little shake before she shadows after him. Aspen seems amused by all this and perks her ears towards the nearing buck, "Roscoe. She likes you."
Twitterpated might be a good word in place of smitten. It would certainly explain why Chanson has gotten goofier, instead of the uptight, rather whiny thing he once was. He pauses when Aspen does and regards her carefully, noting the little faux pas. He grins knowingly. "Of course. All this showing off and I hardly get more than a little sniff in my direction... woe is me." He turns about when she mentions Roscoe, only just now realizing he was there. He grins again, waiting to see what Dawn might do with their protector. "Well. When did *you* pick up a fan, Roscoe?"
An unimportant stone is what Roscoe wanted to treat Dawn as, really. She was not his fawn, and he should not be.. playing with her. Hell, the Prince wouldn't even play with his own fawns, much less the ones that were the offspring of his one and only rival. It was bad enough that they had normal colored pelts, and a good family life. Again, that twinge of jealousy ran through him, and he took it out on the sky as he lifted his gaze and /glared/ at the clouds above them for a second. The slight rumble from Dawn's shaking of her pelt results in Roscoe's ears cupping backwards, briefly looking back to .. what, make sure she was okay? And, she was. More than okay, in fact. The little snot had taken to following him around. Raising a brow, he stopped abruptly, and stared down at her with a bewildered expression. "You certainly are strange.." he said in a tone that wasn't insulting or condescending, but merely observant. Following Roscoe around /was/ strange. Again, time wasn't on his side. As he was just about ready to leave once again, both of the adults spoke up. Aspen claimed that Dawn liked him, and Chanson pretty much said the same thing, but in a more.. insulting way. Kind of. Clearing his throat, he shook his head and looked down rather nervously at the newborn. "She's just observing a newcomer, that's all." He said, and flicked his tail once more, unsure of what to do at the moment.
Aspen barely contains her snicker as she glances towards Chanson and wiggles her nose a few times, sniffing the air in his direction. "There. Three sniffs. Will that be enough?" she asks with smoothly slicked back ears and both brows raised. Her act dissolves with light laughter though, approaching him now to stand at his side as before, eyes returning to Roscoe and his..uh, fawn. Dawn stops just a little after Roscoe does, though she makes sure to side right up to him and tilt her head waaay back to look up at him. Hiiiiii! Another winning smile is granted to the lead buck, comically given after he calls her strange, and it's with a small bleat that she headbutts his leg, promptly falls backwards, then gets up without missing a beat to prance towards her parents. Aspen earns a nuzzle, and Chanson earns a curious look. She hasn't quite figured out what to make of this one yet! "Or," pipes up Aspen, offering Roscoe a grin, "she likes you. She'll want to play with you. Maybe, when we aren't all looking, you could play with her. You won't have to tell any of us about it, of course."
"She might even... horror of horrors... rub off on you," Chanson says with a smirk. "Just promise you won't start *smiling* and we should all be fine." He watches Dawn come up to him again and lowers his head down to her level, once again staring at her with those large, trusting eyes of his, as if he could really try and find a piece of himself inside of her. They do certainly seem to share the same cheerful nature. "No?" he asks her with a tilt of his head. He *will* see to it she learns more than that, but for now it's just fun to let her prattle on with that one word.
Though of course he would never admit it, he did enjoy having the fawn around to some extent. For comical relief, if nothing else. The way she looked up at him, another smile was threatened, but the voices of Aspen and Chanson cut through once more, and he looked to them slowly, ignoring the fawn until the bounded back over to her parents. Good. It was where she belonged, not trying to play with him. Why was he even here? There were places to go, thickets to scavenge for any signs of other deer that he hadn't sensed yet. His lollygagging around here would come at a price, which put him into a somewhat sour mood all the sudden, though he wouldn't take it out on any of the new family, for once. "I doubt it." He said in response to Aspen's suggestion, and rolled his shoulders in a shrug. "Play? With her?" He blinked, and shook his head. "She should play with her /parents/.. not me." He said, and then looked over at the other buck with a rather blank expression. Oh, he could come up with a witty comeback, something half-insulting.. but why? Why ruin their good mood just because he didn't have all the benefits they did? He wouldn't, today. Instead, he just shook his head, and looked toward the sky again. There were so many things he could be doing.. but at the moment, he had no will to leave.
Oooh yeah. This is the no milk guy. Ah, and that reminds her that she forgot to check the Big Thing over there! Ah well, there will be other days. For now, Dawn's eyes remain on those of her father's and the utterance of the word 'no' brings forth another charming smile. This large buck is different than the other somehow. Dawn knows not the words for it, but Chanson's acceptance of her brings a warming feeling to her chest, and she touches noses with him. "Nooo," she coos before she moves back to the area in which her brother rests. Aspen watches on until the youngster is settled. "She will play with her parents, though she will want to play with her herd, as well," she answers to Roscoe. "Though soon, you'll play. With fawns...you find you can't help yourself, and our herd has three. You can't escape them all for too much longer." A light nuzzle is offered to Chanson with a murmured request of "Stay with us," before she too heads to the chosen resting spot. "For now, Roscoe, I'll save you and keep her occupied. It's time for her to rest. Be safe, when you go."
One can practically see Chanson's heart melting when his daughter bumps noses with him. He sniffs as he raises his head to let her pass again, twisting his neck to watch her go all the way back to her bedding area. "Amazing," he whispers, and then looks affectionately at Aspen. "Of course," he says with a bow of his head, following her back like... well, like a fawn would its mother, really. Twitterpated. "Ears up and eyes open," he says to the other buck, a sort of 'official' farewell.
Something about those two made the Prince sick to his stomach. Whitetails like them were polygamous, and needed.. well, variety. That 'couple' was far too close for their own good, he thought. Though, his private time with Tix was little better. Of course, they weren't as cutesy as these two due to Roscoe's inherent standoffishness, but Tix tried to make up for it. Mostly to no avail. Staring at the fawn for a moment, he looks back to Aspen, flicking his ears forward. A scoff is given, and he shakes his head. "No. She will have the other fawn--" he paused, and forced a gruff, "..fawns.." at thinking of his piebald descendant, ".. and the does to play with. Leaders do not play with the young." Clearing his throat, he puffs his chest out as he takes in a deep breath, at seeing the two of them wander to a bedding spot, as well as Aspen's good night. However, his mood is.. strange, and he doesn't bother returning any verbal communication to any of them. Instead, his ears cup backwards, and the Prince turns on his hooves to walk in the opposite direction, disappearing quickly in the thick fir trees, heading to who-knows-where.
Characters - Roscoe (male whitetail deer), Chanson (male whitetail deer), Aspen (female whitetail deer), Dawn (NPC female whitetail deer fawn)
The aroma of pine is beginning to cling to her coat. Aspen has no issue with this, really. It's a nice smell, if not just a tad overpowering in this particular area. Though during her foraging outings, it serves as a tangible reminder of her fawns and is a source of comfort. Maybe she should've named one of them Pine... She ponders this as she stands legs beneath the firs, as relaxed as a whitetail mother allows herself to be. Which...isn't much. Her ears swivel this way and that to catch any and every minute sound, and her eyes shift here and there, glancing to the shadows of birds and the shifting foliage above. And why is she so on edge? Even moreso than usual? Dawn is up and about. The second-born fawn has perfected the art of 'balance' and 'coordination' enough that during her wakeful hours with her watchful mother nearby, she's more than just a little active. The spotted female skitters about, scraping her hooves against the pine-littered floor and giggling before bounding away on awkwardly splayed hooves, giggling all the way.
For the first time since the fawns were born, Roscoe wanders this way in actual search of the new mother and her two newborns. On his daily journey through the forest, he had decided to linger in this area longer, and pay the doe a visit. He hadn't actually seen the fawns yet, and it'd been.. years since he actually saw a fawn. Aside from the younger does that had joined his herd, that is. The sound of giggling can be heard from where he is, not too far from the firs that the two rest beneath. The male's large ears turn forward, though one ear flicks back again, as the wind shifted and rustled some of the trees behind him. Quietly, almost predator-like, Roscoe sees the fawn up ahead on an opening in the game trail, and a small grin tugs at his muzzle. "Good morning." He calls out, not wanting to alarm Aspen with his presence. Though he didn't know much about the behavior of mothers aside from his own; which, he can hardly recall that anyway, he knew that they wouldn't want to be snuck up on.
A small white tail wriggles frantically from side to side in a waggish way as Dawn prances forward and pounces something unseen. A bug, perhaps. A wriggly worm of sorts. Or perhaps an imaginary creature of her mind that only her eyes can see. She lands with her hindquarters in the air and her front half lowered, forelegs stretched out in front of her. Grinning widely, she looks wide-eyed back at her mother, who chuckles and nods in encouragement, head lifting proudly as she watches the young one play. But her attention on her turns swiftly at a sound, and she starts a bit before settling upon spotting Roscoe. "Good morning, Roscoe," she calls out in reply, head dipping to the forest's prince. Of course, the arrival of this stranger has caught Dawn's rapt attention, and her too-large ears raise, as does her head, as she peers owlishly at the buck. Now..what manner of creature could /this/ be?? Aspen moves nearer to the fawn and towards Roscoe as well. "You haven't come to assure that I haven't disappeared, have you? I've promised not to run off."
Even from afar, Roscoe watches the fawn as a Leader would, not even bothering to hold in his light chuckle at the sight before him. Fawns were stereotypically a hyper sort, clumsy and yet graceful at the same time, which was rather odd in itself. The one ear that lagged behind perked forward, and his expression softened for just a moment as he offered the little deer a grin. Immediately, he came to his senses and cleared his throat, a kind but serious expression taking over his features once again, as usual. "No. I was in the area, and I thought I might come and see the fawns." He said, and it was the truth. Looking briefly to the left and to the right, his tail flicked, and he blinked slowly. "Though.. one seems to be missing." He moved his eyes from Aspen to Dawn, and took a short step forward. "Hello."
Dude. It's so ... /big/. Dawn has come to the conclusion that many things are larger than herself. The trees that have served as home since birth. Her mother. The sky. These things, along with her brother, are the things that make up her world so far. She has no remembrance of her father, who did lay eyes on both her and her brother on the day of their birth. But even if she did have that memory, Roscoe's image would be the larger one in comparison. Initially shy, she presses herself against her mother's forelegs as she peers up...up...up at the antlered male, eyes growing ever larger and mouth slightly agape in apparent awe.
Aspen's head lowers to graze her muzzle against the small one's back in an endearing gesture of fondness before lifting it again to regard Roscoe. "Really?" she says, sounding a bit surprised. He came just to see them? Well, that's a compliment! She smiles a little, though the look is sincere. "Well, thank you. Yes, Ridge is asleep. With this one keeping him busy, it's no wonder," she chuckles, gesturing to Dawn. "This one is Dawn, who /can/ say hello...when the mood strikes her," said with a quirked brow look to her daughter, who only continues to gawk at Roscoe, only a single blink disrupting her stare.
Truthfully, the way the little fawn was staring at him kind of made the Prince uncomfortable. It was rather easy to tell in the way that he kept averting his gaze to the trees, or in the way that he insessantly shifted weight upon his hooves for a good moment or so there. Finally, he blinked, and took in a deep breath, his chest puffing out a bit. "Hello, Dawn." This is said with a smile, and his head lowers a bit, trying to appear more friendly.. but after so long of trying to appear regal and as intimidating as one can look in the body of a prey animal, it was a bit of a challenge. Chuckling nervously, he looked back to Aspen, and kept his grin. "She's.. she looks very healthy." He said, not wanting to use the words 'cute' or 'adorable' at all. Though the fawn was cute and adorable, /he/ wouldn't be the one to say it.
"She is," agrees Aspen, sounding happy to say it. "Ridge is as well. The both of them...geeze, they keep me on my hooves! Don't let her quiet shy facade fool you," warned with a smirk and shake of her head. "The way she was before, running and in to everything...yes, that is her /usual/ self. Now you see why I am so .. hesitant to leave them. Though I will admit, they both lay very still and quiet when I am gone." She exhales a light breath, then smirks and nudges the young one away from her and towards Roscoe. "You should say hello to Roscoe. He is...er...our leader," said gently, glancing to the male with a small smile. Now this makes little difference to Dawn as she skitters forward a step or two closer to the Large Thing in front of her. Her tail swishes nervously again, though her nose wriggles as she tentatively leans forward to sniff at his lower leg. Hrm. Now he smells interesting! This is a deer that's been places. Her curiosity overpowers shyness, and she's soon very near to him, sniffing at his knees.
Chanson has arrived.
The warnings from Aspen are duly noted, and he expects the speckled fawn to break into a playful mode at any second. ...Any second.. And when she doesn't, he thinks that something is wrong with him. Apparently, she just wants to sniff his knee. A blink is given, curious as to the behavior of the fawn, as he lifts the leg that she was sniffing, and pulls it away in a step back. His ears tuck backwards, thinking that perhaps if he made his head look smaller, he wouldn't be so.. intimidating for her? The awkwardness that the Prince showed around the newborn was strange.. he wasn't this clumsy or anything with.. anything else. Another step back is given, and his tail flicks in a bit of irritation, not really knowing /what/ to do. This all confirms that he is to be the observer and protector of the herd, and that socializing only embarrasses him. Clearing his throat, his ears perk forward and he gives a stern look, unintentionally, to Dawn, and then raises his head to look back at Aspen. "I.. should be going. I'm glad to see you're all safe." He didn't leave yet though, and simply took another few steps backward, for some reason or another not wanting to turn his back on the small doe.
"Oh my word... is that them?" Chanson says from nearby, having advanced on the proceedings incognito. He pokes his head out from around a tree, staring just as awkwardly and curiously at the fawns as they would at the world around them. "Is that... /my/..." He takes a few steps forward, looking between everyone gathered like they would clear things up for him. His eyes finally come to a rest on Aspen, a hesitant smile on his snout as he tramps forward, step by cautious step. "Aspen... is that really... it happened?"
Oh yes, because once your back is turned...it's /all/ over! Dawn's ears perk up higher as the knee she's sniffing at retreats from her, and she blinks rapidly in response. How dare it run from her! Her tail wiggles in protest and she dances a step forward, nose wiggling again. And still, it retreats! And then there's that not so nice look that has the young fawn ducking her head. Oh, hey this is the perfect opportunity to practice the word she's best at saying! She inhales a deep breath, preparing herself for brilliance, and bleats out a rather forceful (yet girlish sounding) "No!" She beams at her mother, who can only chuckle in reply and gives Roscoe an amused look, then begins to prance around the buck, giggling in glee at her new game. But then, she freezes, hooves splayed and tiny tail up as her large eyes comes to rest on Chanson. Another Big Thing! Her "deer in headlights" look remains for some time before she scampers back to her mother, ducking between her legs. Bravery lasts only for so long.
Aspen chuckles as her eyes alight upon Chanson. "Yes. You haven't forgotten already, have you?" she says teasingly. "This is /your/ daughter. And your son? He favors the evening." In other words, he's asleep!
The prancing fawn around his knees /was/ amusing.. and the word that she bleated out was nothing short of comical. He wanted to laugh, he really did.. and if he wasn't the Leader of the herd with his own silly standards to live up to, he would've. Instead however, he broke eye contact with the small thing, and looked over to the rather amazed Chanson. Good. A perfect time to make his exit.. but then he saw the look that Dawn gave her own father. That scared look, the frozen-in-place fear. Only for a moment, but she'd done it. He could understand that she was simply a newborn, and had every right to be frightened of things that were bigger than her. But that freezing had come at a terrible cost to him. As Dawn grew older, Roscoe would make an effort to discourage that type of blind fear. For now though, he simply lowered his brow and let out a small sigh, before turning his back without so much as a word to the other male, or Aspen for that matter.
Chanson raises his ears when his daughter goes scampering back to the safety of mother dearest. Well... that was probably to be expected. He takes a few more halting steps forward, peering at the little fawn. "She's... beautiful," he whispers, gaze adoring and full of wonderment. It's like he's been put under a spell. That came from /him./ It's incredible to think about it. "Hi there," he says in as amicable, accomodating a tone as he can manage. Easier for him since he isn't Roscoe! "I'm your... dad," he murmurs, memories of his own father whipping through him at lightning speed. Now he's one of those big, commanding father figures to. "Aw, Aspen... I... feel weird."
Aspen's eyes follow the motions of Roscoe as he begins to move away, and she angles her head up a little as she watches him. She inhales a breath and releases it quietly. Such a busy buck, all the time. "Goodbye, Roscoe," she offers gently, eyes lingering on him for a time before they shift to Chanson as he speaks to the cowering Dawn. Her expression softens as she steps back a little, uncovering the spotted little doe. Dawn's eyes flit from one buck to the other. This new one is speaking to her, and thus it's Chanson who holds her attention in the end. Well, he sounds...not-mean. A questioning look is given to her mother, who nudges her towards her father. Her ears raise again in curiosity, and like with Roscoe, she tentatively begins to sniff. Aspen herself gives Chanson a questioning look, holding back a chuckle. "Weird? You're not going to be sick, are you? That'd make a horrible first impression.."
Time hadn't worked in his favor this time, for just as he had excused himself, Chanson had arrived. He'd been meaning to talk to the other buck about.. something. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't even remember. Plus, it wasn't as if he expected him to be here, anyway. With his face hidden from the other two, a scowl formed at his bad timing, and he let out a silent sigh. He did a fine job of pushing himself away, that was for sure. Even with little Dawn, he was sure that he'd make a lasting impression.. though, he didn't feel as if that impression was a good one. For once, he found himself wanting to be social, but that big head of his wouldn't allow it. With one final glance back at the happy Whitetail family, he felt a twinge of jealousy run through him. How they were all healthy and normal looking, whereas his fawn was disfigured. The Prince's pace quickend a bit to that of a relatively slow trot, tail flicking in anticipation to get out of the area, and back to the glade where he belonged.
Chanson allows the fawn to sniff as much as she likes, a shaky smile on his lips. "Get used to it, kiddo. I won't be going anywhere anytime soon." He smiles more fully at Aspen. "No, no... just... this is so... new." He bends his head down a bit to sniff at Dawn himself. "I mean... now that it's happened, I find that... I never expected it to, not really. I was never sure of myself until I got here. Until I met you." He sighs solemnly. "And now we have her and a son. I feel so grown up," he says with a sudden, lop-sided grin. "Not that I didn't before, just... more so now."
Ooh, big nose! Dawn's head tilts up a bit to sniff noses with the buck in front of her, mouth agape. This is interesting. And the other big one is gone, which means...congratulations Chanson, you're her new source of fun! Her nose touches his momentarily, and she giggles suddenly, jumping back playfully with a wagging tail. "No! she laughs again, ducking beneath Aspen briefly before moving the prance around the large male, pausing to sniff at each leg before jumping back as before. Aspen keeps an eye on her, though seems not worried about the young one's antics with her father. He is, besides, her father! "To be honest, I feel the same," she admits with a slight smirk. "I never thought this would be.../me/. Two fawns. You. Even Roscoe. I mean, I know he and I aren't great friends, but.. I think I'm learning to get along well enough. I'm not upsetting him as much anymore, I think."
"No?" Chanson says, greatly amused. "/That's/ the first word she learned? No!" he replies to her, in a cheerful, playful voice. "I guess since Roscoe's had a child he's begun to mellow out. Sometimes he can seem... almost nice. I think he's /trying/ to keep up that nasty facade, honestly. Nobody can be nice if they're naturally nasty." He smiles at Aspen again, seemingly in some kind of daze. "You've never looked more beautiful, you know. I can't believe how happy I am."
Aspen chuckles and nods. "I think it's my fault, really," she admits sheepishly. "I've told them...or rather, /her/ specifically, "no" a lot," she laughs as she moves to place herself next to him, keeping herself purposely close. She leans slightly against him, affectionately grazing her muzzle down his neck and back up with closed eyes and a small contented smile. "I don't think I'd ever describe him as being "mellow" but...you're right. I think he likes Dawn," she admits with a smug smirk. "Though he'll never admit it, I bet." A pause, and his compliments has her head ducking modestly, and she glances away from him briefly. "Thank you. And I hope..no, I /know/ you'll stay happy. I aim to keep you that way til fall, you know. And you'll be doing your share of fawn watching, too. Dawn already seems to be taken by you," she notes, glancing to the fawn who has now begun to inch underneath Chanson, as if searching to see if /he/ has any sources of food down there, too..
Chanson takes a couple steps backwards as his daughter gets a little too curious. "Er, no, nothing there," he says with a chuckle. What a thing to be young again and know absolutely nothing about... anything! "How /couldn't/ he like Dawn? I love her already!" And of course he'll watch her, faithfully and protectively, as any father should. "Nothing can make me unhappy with this," he declares. Not even if Roscoe yelled in his face and bonked him with a branch or something, he'd just stand there smiling beatifically like he is now. He leans back against Aspen and sighs as he nudges his cheek against her neck. "I think I'll be happy long through fall," he says quietly. "This is just too wonderful. /You're/ too wonderful."
What what? No food? Dawn scampers backwards as her father does, and she looks up at him with a stern look on her youthful face. "No no no," she chastises, scolding him for...uh, apparently for not having milk-giving teats. She shakes her head, causing her ears to flop in a donkeyish way before they stand erect again. But as quickly as her frown comes, it's replaced by a sudden grin as she scampers away, prancing around the thin trunks of nearby trees, tripping often but continuing once her footing is regained. Aspen laughs and pushes her weight against the male at her side playfully. "And I think she gets her silliness from /you/," she says, eyeing him affectionately, though a slight portion of her cheer wilts after a moment of watching him. "Til fall," she insists with a half smirk. "I know what happens in fall. You males get so silly with one another. You and Roscoe will fight. You'll be thinking of females, and I .. I understand that. But once that's over, can you promise me something?"
Of course everyone knows in the back of their minds Chanson is talking nonsense; he has to follow the seasons and do what all bucks do come fall. But he's just so darn *happy.* Talking silly is his way of showing it! He watches their daughter bouncing around manically, his mind at peace. "Hmm? Promise? Yeah. Sure, anything," he says honestly. She could ask him to promise to jump over the moon right now and he wouldn't mind in the slightest!
As he had left the family behind, Roscoe had become lost in his thoughts. This wasn't unusual for the buck, but what unusual, was that he didn't really feel up to wandering back to the glade just yet. It wasn't very far, and he had peace and quiet there.. something that he enjoyed very much. But, for whatever reason, he felt like staying here for longer. He'd left without much of a goodbye, and had felt somewhat guilty about it. Something that rather embarrassed him, since it would prove that he wasn't as cold and distant as he /wanted/ to be. Either way, he had lingered around the area for a few minutes, before he came walking slowly and quietly back to where the doe, buck, and fawn were all intermingling still. Actually, he felt out of place here. Having half a mind to turn right back around, he looked over at the little Dawn, and grinned in a genuine manner, but didn't say anything. Hopefully, they just wouldn't notice him.
Oh, her male is in a daze. Aspen can see this rather plainly. It's amusing, in an endearing way. She's never seen a male interact with fawns before, and if this is the way all fathers get when around their offspring, she can't wait to see Roscoe with his own little boy! That is...if he's feeling any better about him. That sparks a question that Aspen has been meaning to ask Chanson, but the request she has now is more important. Smirking a little, she lightly nips at his neck, as if to wake him from his fatherly stupor. "Promise me this. Promise me that when the fall things are over and you have...when you have won your females, that you will come back to us. To me. Promise that you won't forget your first born fawns, and you will see them from time to time. Teach them things. Especially Ridge."
Dawn pauses to rake her hoof against the ground once more, then stops to look around. Oh ho! If Roscoe hopes to just mosey on by without being noticed, he has another thing coming. Dawn notices, and she recognizes him. The Big Thing from before! It's not a dangerous Thing, else mother would've warned her. And thus, she half walks, half hops towards him, showing less hesitation than before, with a grin on her face. "No!"
Chanson is snapped out of his reverie by the nip, his eyes focusing very plainly on Aspen in particular. He barely even notices Roscoe coming by again. He listens to her plea in silence, considering it in his head before he takes a deep breath to answer. "I promise," he says. "I will come back. I don't think I couldn't. You're... special." And not just because she was 'the first,' either, but he doesn't have the charisma or know-how to voice such thoughts. "You stayed. It'd be horrible if I decided not to myself."
And, he's been spotted. His peripheral vision caught a glimpse of motion brought on by the miniature deer, and an amused grin forms quickly. The grin is small, but it is also noticeable, from where the fawn is, at least. Lifting one hoof in order to carry himself down to where the other adults were, he casts his eyes down at the baby doe once again, and sighs lightly. "No? No what?" He wonders out loud, his tone having a certain lightness and kindness to it that hadn't been heard by either Chanson or Aspen very often, if he could remember correctly. It wasn't as if he had tried to sound like this, either. Dawn was not his daughter, and he had no reason to act like a father toward her. In fact, he wanted to just ignore her until she was of an age capable of coherent speech, instead of just bleating out words like she was. This of course, was easier said than done.
Aspen is always aware of where both of her fawns are, and Dawn's friendly approach towards Roscoe doesn't go unnoticed by her. But...it's Roscoe. She shouldn't have any reason to be wary of her children near Roscoe. He's the protector, and thus she merely gazes in their direction with a calm expression, offering a smile towards the lead buck followed by a slight quirk of a brow. But, trusting him with Dawn, she turns her attention back to Chanson, her expression soft. "I'll keep you to your word," she says with a half smirk. "If not...well, I'm sure I can find some handsome buck to keep me company til you come to your senses," said teasingly as she ducks her head down to headbutt his chest before hopping backwards playfully.
Dawn is too preoccupied with Roscoe to care much for what her parents are up to. She focuses on the motions of his mouth one she pauses just some few feet in front of him, blinking in slow wonder. He's saying the word she knows! She beams at him, mouth open. "Nono!" she says in delight, skipping forward to bump her muzzle against the lower part of his leg...which is the highest part of him that she can reach. She tilts her head up at him, expression charmingly bright with expectation. But expecting...what?
"Buh... what?" Chanson says, taken off guard by her sudden, sarcastic response. Quickly realizing he's just been had, he scoffs in fake disdain and indignation (though some of it was real, he prided himself on meaning what he said!) "Well! Good luck with /that!/" he says with a toss of his head. His antlers-still-growing-back head. "Just be sure I haven't ruined other bucks for you!" He skips after her with a smile. "I hate to think you'd get lonely after all."
Honestly, the little fawn is far more disruptive than he would've first believed. First of all, is the inherent cuteness that all fawns carry with them throughout their infancy. Dawn is not lacking in that department. Secondly, is the amusing manner in which she yells 'no' toward him. Again, this is 'cute,' and again, he would not say this out loud. Finally is the manner in which she insists on sticking right by his legs, making it rather difficult for the long-limbed male to even get around very well. "Yes, yes.." He mutters in a tired sort of tone, before he stops completely, one hoof above the ground again. Looking down, he sees those big eyes looking up at him, and he lets out a heavier sigh of defeat. "What?" He asks in the same tone as before, and looks around, confused as to what to do. A spar? No, no.. it couldn't be that /she/ wanted to spar.. she would get hurt that way, anyway. Setting his hoof down, he blinks, looking rather dumbfounded for perhaps the first time since he's even /been/ here.
"Oh! Is /that/ the truth now?" titters Aspen with a grin to the velvety antlered male, eyes glittering with mirth as she continues to dance away from him, tail waving playfully. "What will you do? Break all of their antlers with your might? Make them cower before you? Have them fear you so much that they'll.../tremble/ just at the mentioning of your name?" She laughs merrily, the sound light-hearted and pure as she leads a flirtatious chase through the pines. It looks as if she'll be giving no assistance to Roscoe, who is still being hassled by Dawn. Her young eyes meet his, and her tail swishes again. But..this guy is not getting the message. Snorting, she turns around in a quick circle and baby-rams his leg again. If this big thing is not a thing to be feared, then it certainly must be a thing to be played with! He's like...a mega version of her brother! She bleats her insistence. Play with me!!
"No!" Chanson replies as he bounds merrily after her, his somewhat smaller size actually more of an advantage in this kind of situation. "I'm just /so/ impressive, they won't even have to tangle with me to know I'd win!" Yeah, like that'll ever happen. "Because, you know... I just have /such/ a mighty reputation already! After all you're one to talk! I see the looks you give me!" he says, as though they were only just teasing their burgeoning relationship. Yes, Dawn, go make nice with the Big Meanie over there. She'll probably have him making baby faces and saying things like 'adorable' any minute now.
Since when did he become the babysitter? The Lead Buck glares off in the direction of Aspen and Chanson, fully ignoring the fawn by now, at least for the moment. He keeps one leg held up most of the time, to discourage the youngster from ramming her head into it.. but all to no avail. Antler envy, perhaps? Looking down at her, Roscoe clears his throat and puffs out his chest, setting his idle hoof down with a certain amount of 'stomp' to it. "Dawn. No. Bad." Raising a brow and flicking his ears backward and then forward again, his head stays looking downward, but through the corners of his eyes he looks over at the two smitten adults. Rolling his red eyes, he takes a step, literally right over the fawn, and hears a bit of their conversation. Talking about fall already, it seemed. Something about other bucks. He was another buck. He was the only other buck. Lowering his brows, his tail flicked in annoyance, and once again, he rolled his eyes. This time, an exasperated sigh accompanied it, as if giving up on even bothering with talking to Chanson or Aspen. They were too.. frolicky for his tastes, anyway.
Aspen pauses behind a tree, peering at the advancing buck with wide eyes. She's seen the way she looks at him? "..You have?" Blink. Oh wait. She smirks now and inclines her chin haughtily. "Oh, you wish," said with a snort. "That must have been a dream of yours, since I hardly even notice you. Ever." Hence the fawns. *cough* She doesn't flee any longer and lingers where she is, waiting for him and allowing her eyes to flicker once towards Roscoe and Dawn to see how he's faring with the more boisterous of the two fawns. The somewhat stomped hoof has the little one's head lowering in slight confusion. Dawn. She knows that word. No = her favorite word. But..bad? This one has no meaning to her, and thus she stares blankly at him, cowering a little as he steps over her like an unimportant stone. Woe! She remains half laid on the ground, at a loss as to what to do. But indecision never lasts long with one as young as she, and soon her mind is made up to follow him. Standing, her body is given a little shake before she shadows after him. Aspen seems amused by all this and perks her ears towards the nearing buck, "Roscoe. She likes you."
Twitterpated might be a good word in place of smitten. It would certainly explain why Chanson has gotten goofier, instead of the uptight, rather whiny thing he once was. He pauses when Aspen does and regards her carefully, noting the little faux pas. He grins knowingly. "Of course. All this showing off and I hardly get more than a little sniff in my direction... woe is me." He turns about when she mentions Roscoe, only just now realizing he was there. He grins again, waiting to see what Dawn might do with their protector. "Well. When did *you* pick up a fan, Roscoe?"
An unimportant stone is what Roscoe wanted to treat Dawn as, really. She was not his fawn, and he should not be.. playing with her. Hell, the Prince wouldn't even play with his own fawns, much less the ones that were the offspring of his one and only rival. It was bad enough that they had normal colored pelts, and a good family life. Again, that twinge of jealousy ran through him, and he took it out on the sky as he lifted his gaze and /glared/ at the clouds above them for a second. The slight rumble from Dawn's shaking of her pelt results in Roscoe's ears cupping backwards, briefly looking back to .. what, make sure she was okay? And, she was. More than okay, in fact. The little snot had taken to following him around. Raising a brow, he stopped abruptly, and stared down at her with a bewildered expression. "You certainly are strange.." he said in a tone that wasn't insulting or condescending, but merely observant. Following Roscoe around /was/ strange. Again, time wasn't on his side. As he was just about ready to leave once again, both of the adults spoke up. Aspen claimed that Dawn liked him, and Chanson pretty much said the same thing, but in a more.. insulting way. Kind of. Clearing his throat, he shook his head and looked down rather nervously at the newborn. "She's just observing a newcomer, that's all." He said, and flicked his tail once more, unsure of what to do at the moment.
Aspen barely contains her snicker as she glances towards Chanson and wiggles her nose a few times, sniffing the air in his direction. "There. Three sniffs. Will that be enough?" she asks with smoothly slicked back ears and both brows raised. Her act dissolves with light laughter though, approaching him now to stand at his side as before, eyes returning to Roscoe and his..uh, fawn. Dawn stops just a little after Roscoe does, though she makes sure to side right up to him and tilt her head waaay back to look up at him. Hiiiiii! Another winning smile is granted to the lead buck, comically given after he calls her strange, and it's with a small bleat that she headbutts his leg, promptly falls backwards, then gets up without missing a beat to prance towards her parents. Aspen earns a nuzzle, and Chanson earns a curious look. She hasn't quite figured out what to make of this one yet! "Or," pipes up Aspen, offering Roscoe a grin, "she likes you. She'll want to play with you. Maybe, when we aren't all looking, you could play with her. You won't have to tell any of us about it, of course."
"She might even... horror of horrors... rub off on you," Chanson says with a smirk. "Just promise you won't start *smiling* and we should all be fine." He watches Dawn come up to him again and lowers his head down to her level, once again staring at her with those large, trusting eyes of his, as if he could really try and find a piece of himself inside of her. They do certainly seem to share the same cheerful nature. "No?" he asks her with a tilt of his head. He *will* see to it she learns more than that, but for now it's just fun to let her prattle on with that one word.
Though of course he would never admit it, he did enjoy having the fawn around to some extent. For comical relief, if nothing else. The way she looked up at him, another smile was threatened, but the voices of Aspen and Chanson cut through once more, and he looked to them slowly, ignoring the fawn until the bounded back over to her parents. Good. It was where she belonged, not trying to play with him. Why was he even here? There were places to go, thickets to scavenge for any signs of other deer that he hadn't sensed yet. His lollygagging around here would come at a price, which put him into a somewhat sour mood all the sudden, though he wouldn't take it out on any of the new family, for once. "I doubt it." He said in response to Aspen's suggestion, and rolled his shoulders in a shrug. "Play? With her?" He blinked, and shook his head. "She should play with her /parents/.. not me." He said, and then looked over at the other buck with a rather blank expression. Oh, he could come up with a witty comeback, something half-insulting.. but why? Why ruin their good mood just because he didn't have all the benefits they did? He wouldn't, today. Instead, he just shook his head, and looked toward the sky again. There were so many things he could be doing.. but at the moment, he had no will to leave.
Oooh yeah. This is the no milk guy. Ah, and that reminds her that she forgot to check the Big Thing over there! Ah well, there will be other days. For now, Dawn's eyes remain on those of her father's and the utterance of the word 'no' brings forth another charming smile. This large buck is different than the other somehow. Dawn knows not the words for it, but Chanson's acceptance of her brings a warming feeling to her chest, and she touches noses with him. "Nooo," she coos before she moves back to the area in which her brother rests. Aspen watches on until the youngster is settled. "She will play with her parents, though she will want to play with her herd, as well," she answers to Roscoe. "Though soon, you'll play. With fawns...you find you can't help yourself, and our herd has three. You can't escape them all for too much longer." A light nuzzle is offered to Chanson with a murmured request of "Stay with us," before she too heads to the chosen resting spot. "For now, Roscoe, I'll save you and keep her occupied. It's time for her to rest. Be safe, when you go."
One can practically see Chanson's heart melting when his daughter bumps noses with him. He sniffs as he raises his head to let her pass again, twisting his neck to watch her go all the way back to her bedding area. "Amazing," he whispers, and then looks affectionately at Aspen. "Of course," he says with a bow of his head, following her back like... well, like a fawn would its mother, really. Twitterpated. "Ears up and eyes open," he says to the other buck, a sort of 'official' farewell.
Something about those two made the Prince sick to his stomach. Whitetails like them were polygamous, and needed.. well, variety. That 'couple' was far too close for their own good, he thought. Though, his private time with Tix was little better. Of course, they weren't as cutesy as these two due to Roscoe's inherent standoffishness, but Tix tried to make up for it. Mostly to no avail. Staring at the fawn for a moment, he looks back to Aspen, flicking his ears forward. A scoff is given, and he shakes his head. "No. She will have the other fawn--" he paused, and forced a gruff, "..fawns.." at thinking of his piebald descendant, ".. and the does to play with. Leaders do not play with the young." Clearing his throat, he puffs his chest out as he takes in a deep breath, at seeing the two of them wander to a bedding spot, as well as Aspen's good night. However, his mood is.. strange, and he doesn't bother returning any verbal communication to any of them. Instead, his ears cup backwards, and the Prince turns on his hooves to walk in the opposite direction, disappearing quickly in the thick fir trees, heading to who-knows-where.