In the morning, when the sun had barely risen above the horizon, and the grass was still dotted with beads of dew that glittered like tiny stars, Sleepy Time nestled against the roots of a tree, his head resting on his legs. He was scrunched up so small that, were it not for his bright blue coat, he might have been mistaken for nothing more than a pile of leaves on the ground. As it was, he somewhat resembled a questionable mushroom - one that would probably have been too dangerous to eat.
He was trying to sleep. It wasn't working. Mostly because there was someone jabbering in his ear.
"You can't run away from this, Sleepy Time," the jabber-er said, his long tail swishing in the wet grass, sharp spikes catching glints of orangey-red sunlight. They looked like they were going to poke his eye out if he wasn't careful. "You have to face it. Or, at the very least, acknowledge it."
Sleepy Time burrowed more into himself, sticking his nose into his folded legs. He made a huffing sound, blowing out a breath, and his ears flattened back against his skull in a clear indication that he very much did not want to face this. Or acknowledge it. Or even be awake.
"It'll be all right. I promise."
The jabber-er was, of course, the kimeti stag that Sleepy Time had had the misfortune of running into. Or rather, he hadn't run into anyone, more he'd awkwardly lolled sideways and knocked into him while out trying to find the perfect nesting spot. The kimeti had said something about fatherhood and blessings and something about children, but all of that sounded like a very great deal of work to Sleepy Time, so he'd curled up at the bottom of a nearby tree and pretended not to hear anything.
Except that the kimeti had not left him alone, as he was supposed to have done. Instead, he was standing over him imposingly, though Sleepy Time was pretty sure he wasn't intentionally trying to be imposing - it was just sort of in his nature. Either way, no amount of Sleepy Time trying to burrow into the ground and let it swallow him up was working, so he had to resign himself to the fact that maybe, just maybe, the kimeti was right and Sleepy Time was going to be...a father.
It was a weird thought. Very weird.
"What if they don't like sleeping?" Sleepy Time asked, cracking open one eye to stare meaningfully at the kimeti stag. "I can't have children who aren't going to respect the sanctity of naptime."
"Uh," said the stag, "well. I suppose that could be a possibility. But I'm sure they'll love sleeping; my children did, especially when they were young, and I have quite a lot of children."
That was somewhat reassuring, though Sleepy Time was still a little unconvinced. He sighed.
"At any rate," the stag went on, "Your children will be blessed with gentle hearts and kindness and the knowledge that they'll be loved and appreciated. They'll be strong hearted and you'll be quite pleased with them, I think. You don't have to be afraid; I know it's all very overwhelming, but you can do this."
Sleepy Time exhaled another breath, more of a huff than anything else, but he did feel more at ease now. He opened his other eye to squint up at the stag, outlined on shadows against the bright sun, and then sighed once more.
"All right," he said, sounding resigned even to his own ears. "Thank you."
There was a long, semi-awkward pause.
"Oh," said the stag, "did you want me to leave now?"
Sleepy Time stared at him some more.
"Right," said the stag, "I'll leave you to nap, then."
And off he went. Sleepy Time closed his eyes, snuggled down into the grass, and went back to sleep.
It was probably the last uninterrupted sleep he was going to get for a long time.
He was trying to sleep. It wasn't working. Mostly because there was someone jabbering in his ear.
"You can't run away from this, Sleepy Time," the jabber-er said, his long tail swishing in the wet grass, sharp spikes catching glints of orangey-red sunlight. They looked like they were going to poke his eye out if he wasn't careful. "You have to face it. Or, at the very least, acknowledge it."
Sleepy Time burrowed more into himself, sticking his nose into his folded legs. He made a huffing sound, blowing out a breath, and his ears flattened back against his skull in a clear indication that he very much did not want to face this. Or acknowledge it. Or even be awake.
"It'll be all right. I promise."
The jabber-er was, of course, the kimeti stag that Sleepy Time had had the misfortune of running into. Or rather, he hadn't run into anyone, more he'd awkwardly lolled sideways and knocked into him while out trying to find the perfect nesting spot. The kimeti had said something about fatherhood and blessings and something about children, but all of that sounded like a very great deal of work to Sleepy Time, so he'd curled up at the bottom of a nearby tree and pretended not to hear anything.
Except that the kimeti had not left him alone, as he was supposed to have done. Instead, he was standing over him imposingly, though Sleepy Time was pretty sure he wasn't intentionally trying to be imposing - it was just sort of in his nature. Either way, no amount of Sleepy Time trying to burrow into the ground and let it swallow him up was working, so he had to resign himself to the fact that maybe, just maybe, the kimeti was right and Sleepy Time was going to be...a father.
It was a weird thought. Very weird.
"What if they don't like sleeping?" Sleepy Time asked, cracking open one eye to stare meaningfully at the kimeti stag. "I can't have children who aren't going to respect the sanctity of naptime."
"Uh," said the stag, "well. I suppose that could be a possibility. But I'm sure they'll love sleeping; my children did, especially when they were young, and I have quite a lot of children."
That was somewhat reassuring, though Sleepy Time was still a little unconvinced. He sighed.
"At any rate," the stag went on, "Your children will be blessed with gentle hearts and kindness and the knowledge that they'll be loved and appreciated. They'll be strong hearted and you'll be quite pleased with them, I think. You don't have to be afraid; I know it's all very overwhelming, but you can do this."
Sleepy Time exhaled another breath, more of a huff than anything else, but he did feel more at ease now. He opened his other eye to squint up at the stag, outlined on shadows against the bright sun, and then sighed once more.
"All right," he said, sounding resigned even to his own ears. "Thank you."
There was a long, semi-awkward pause.
"Oh," said the stag, "did you want me to leave now?"
Sleepy Time stared at him some more.
"Right," said the stag, "I'll leave you to nap, then."
And off he went. Sleepy Time closed his eyes, snuggled down into the grass, and went back to sleep.
It was probably the last uninterrupted sleep he was going to get for a long time.