[b] Third Time's the Charm [Honey Trap x Peep ]

[phoe]

[imgright]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... p_phoe.gif[/imgright]So -- it had happened again.

While not exactly a surprise, Honey Trap was still, nonetheless, pleased with the outcome. It had been a passing fancy, as all of her clutches had tended to be. She'd never actually seen any of the fathers again, except for Catsear, in passing. But that was fine. She had the Vale. And wasn't the Vale really responsible for this, since she'd been on patrols twice, and then at the festival of abundance the third time, when blessed with a clutch?

It didn't matter. She would love the clutch as she did any other -- the Vale was no stranger to foals, anyway -- but this time, she hoped it was easier on her than her other pregnancies. She couldn't go find her mother, again, to ask for a blessing, either. Wood Spider might have said something adorable about how the third time for any pregnancy was the charm, but it was sort of embarrassing to ask every time.

So she took a slightly longer patrol, one that spanned days, and hoped she'd run into someone who could help.

@Ruriska

[Ruriska]

[imgright]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... ncert5.png[/imgright] The patrolling doe was being stalked by a creature with glowing eyes and silent paws, strong muscles sliding beneath the skin, always ready to pounce. It slunk after its prey, near silent in the brush, belly low to the ground, claws ready.

It leapt.

But not at the doe, an unwary ground bird that had been pecking through the underbrush nearby suddenly found itself pinned down, wide jaws clamping shut around its body, feathers flying in every direction and its terrified squawks cut off mid cry.

The lioness trotted out onto Honey Trap’s path, red on her nose, and sneezed when a feather tickled her nose.

@phoe

[phoe]

"--gah!"

Honey Trap nearly kicked the lion in the face, dancing back on her hooves to stand a respectful distance away. She wasn't exactly scared of it, because it was obvious that the lion now had a meal (the poor, unfortunate bird... Wintershadow might've been upset to see it, if it'd been one of his birds). But it was more just because it had appeared out of nowhere.

Seeing the glowing eyes of the lioness sparked some mote of recognition in her, and after taking a steadying breath, she said (feeling ridiculous), "I'm sorry. You startled me." She winced at a particularly gnarly 'crunch.'

[Ruriska]

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... ncert3.png[/imgleft]

The lion blinked and something cleared in her glowing gaze, the creature slowly looking more and more concerned.

She dipped her head and opened her jaws to drop the bird carefully to the ground, simultaneously coughing out a rain of feathers.

“I am so sorry,” Peep said, very suddenly no longer a lion but instead a petite Acha, ears back and expression worried. “I didn’t mean to - did I startle you? That’s a new form and sometimes the instincts are hard to control...”

[phoe]

This made her expression go from wincing to shock -- and then she attempted to rein it all in and present something like the respect the doe earned.

It was a little wide-eyed, but Honey Trap managed well enough. She resisted the urge to look down at the little bird, and instead bowed her head in a respectful nod. "So I've heard. My mother is a legendary, but her spirit is a foxbun, and berries don't seem to mind being eaten." She paused, decided best not to explain, and then tipped her head. "I'm Honey Trap."

[Ruriska]

“No, they don’t.” Peep said, nose wrinkling slightly with mirth. Her form shifted again, to a small foxbun, just for a second, before flowing back into the Acha. “The foxbun was my first form, though the MotherFather allows us to grow even further.”

She regarded the little bird, a life taken, though it would not go to waste. “I usually eat a diet of only fruits and plants but the foals I care for also need the nutrients meat provides. For the lion, hunting and providing for her pride is as natural as breathing. That is a part of me now, as much as anything else.”

Peep dipped her head respectfully to her kill and then smiled at Honey Trap. “It’s lovely to meet you. My name is Peep.” Her head tilted, regarding the doe thoughtfully. “I sense you need my assistance.”