"I'm not the easiest doe to get along with," Sand Witch started, shaking back the feathers of her crest, "I should know, I've had plenty of complaints - plenty of enemies. But I don't care. I know who I am.
"But I'm not unreasonable," she continued, and from this point she stared resolutely into no one's eye, "I can acknowledge a peer. A kin as worthy as I. And this doe - certainly she is. Exquisite. Such magnificent horns. And wonderful eyes. All four of them."
"I can," she sighed, "still feel them on me."
"I won't go into details. You can well imagine the - things. That happen between incredible kin. It was quite the night. One that I'll never forget.
"And then, not long later…I could feel them.
"I'm not afraid," she tossed her head again, "I'm not afraid of anything. Of course, our offspring would also be magnificent. They could only be exquisite. How not? We are sublime."
"Even so…I thought it might be best to - extract a guarantee."
With those pompous words, she looked down.
"Have you been listening to a thing I've said? And stop snuffling at my tail."
She twitched it away irritably. A tight plume burst upon the surface of the mire.
"I'm sorry," Sleepless finally raised her head, straightening to her hooves, "I'm sorry, it's just so fascinating. It looks and feels just like bone - there must be a muscular system somewhere in there. A form of mimicry?"
"I don't know how it works," she snapped, "I got it from my father."
"And your partner - four eyes, you said?"
"Are you going to bless me or not?"
"Oh, yes," Sleepless lifted her shoulders listlessly, "a blessing."
Sleepless walked a thoughtful circle round the doe, "There is no such thing as a guarantee, you do know. Nature does not work that way, nor medicine, nor science, nor the Motherfather.
"One can only be sure of themselves, and what follows, follows.
"And you seem quite sure."
"Of course I am," she snapped.
"Then what need have you of one like me?" Sleepless smiled.
"Drop the witch act," Sand Witch said, "we both know there's no such thing."
"Yet the Motherfather's magic is real."
"But not enough for a guarantee?"
"Only enough for probabilities," Sleepless shrugged again, "and the overwhelming odds are that your children will be as magnificent as you…and just fine."
Was it the quiver of her jaw? The slant of the light in her eyes? This witch had seen her fear, and she was ashamed.
Yet relieved.
"I wasn't worried about that," she lied, as nonchalantly as her haughty voice could eke.
"Four eyes, you said…" Sleepless continued as if she hadn't heard, "you should have brought your partner with you. Perhaps next time - oh, with your children? They might be fascinating - those are the odds."
"So where's the blessing?"
"It was in there somewhere," Sleepless said, "so you can leave if that's all you want. But if you stay, I could take a scraping of your tail and -"
Sand Witch chose to leave.
END