[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... uncert.png[/imgleft]

It was a heady thing, the knowledge that he was going to be a father.  That he and Bang were going to be parents.  It was a big thing, he knew that, a big responsibility. They'd started keeping company because they'd enjoyed each other, and then things had progressed from there, and now...now babies.  It was wild.

It was the natural way of things, he knew that, but it was still wild.

And because it was his first, and because he wanted to make sure everything went perfectly, he was heading out to find someone that could give them their blessing.

He just wasn't really sure...how to find them.

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

Today Stargarden was relaxing in a tree. Well, sort of. Stargarden was sitting on a tree branch as a crane. He wasn't sitting like a bird might nest. No. Stargarden was sitting with his long crane legs dangling over the edge of the branch. He seemed excited about something as he flapped his wings up and down, squawking loudly toward the sky in such a precarious position that it seemed as though he might fall off the branch any second.

Everything was rustling under him and he drawing a lot of attention to himself as he seemed to be yelling toward the sky with the extremely intelligent words of a crane. Absolutely nothing strange about this folks, absolutely nothing.

@Beejoux

Night found his thoughts and his hunt thoroughly interrupted by a very loud commotion up in a nearby tree.  It'd made him stiffen when the noise rang out through the swamp, but as it persisted the young buck couldn't help a bit of wary curiosity.  It pulled him in closer, his head tilting as he looked up through the branches to the crane perched quite precariously on a bough over his head.

@Appeal

As the young buck looked up into the canopy above him, the crane looked down and their eyes met. The bird's glowing eyes stared vibrantly, his mouth opening as if to speak but, of course, no words came out. Oddly enough, no sound came out. The action repeated several times until eventually, the bird glided down from its perch and stood in front of the buck with interest. It balanced on one leg, switched to the other leg, and then moved a little closer to the buck.

@Beejoux

Curiouser and curiouser.  Night's brows arched high as he watched the bird's beak part, not once but many times, but not a single sound escaped.  "I'm sorry. If you're speaking, I can't hear you." Was it speaking?

He glided down, finally, to land in front of him, legs switching before it leaned in to look up at him.  "Hello?"

@Appeal

Suddenly, and without much warning, the crane's form shifted into the form of a stag. Immediately following, the stag began to clear his throat. He made a few bird sounds among the other throat-clearing noises.

"Excuse me," he said. "Sometimes I forget."

@Beejoux

Night stepped back as the crane shifted, changing from the long limbed bird into another buck.  Sunset colors with stars on his pelt, the monochromatic buck looked him over curiously.  "If you can do that you can bless babies getting ready to enter the world, yes?"

@Appeal

Stargarden looked on curiously as he processed the question. Like the sun rising, a smile came across his face. Oh, oh, oh! How he loved big families!

"Oh, most certainly. Is that something you want?" There was definitely excitement in his tone, his eyes bright and eager.

@Beejoux

The young buck nodded eagerly, taking a step forward before he stopped himself from crowding the other. "Yes.  Yes I would very much like that.  I want to give them the best chance at a good life as I can." And this, he'd been told, was a wonderful first step. 

@Appeal

"A very fine desire," he said, nodding his head along as if to a rhythm.

Stargarden leaned over and picked up a twig with his mouth. His eyes drew up toward the sky, and he looked back and forth with concentration. He was thinking deeply but it looked like he was just twirling the twig around. Eventually, his eyes settled on the buck. Shining and blue, the glow around his eyes sparkled brightly as he took in the visage of the buck.

Releasing the twig out of his mouth and dropping it back onto the ground, the stag stepped closer to the buck as he examined him. Something piqued his interest.

"You shine bright," he said. "I'm happy to help you. Perhaps in exchange, you could help me. I'm looking for a cherry tree branch that's been hiding from me. Oak, oak, maple, pine, but no cherry."

@Beejoux