Liri's Naming Dreams

[Lirilei]

[Lirilei]

[Lirilei]

“I swear I won’t let them pick on you anymore.” The young doe's voice was solemn as she looked at the young zikwa that was sheltering with her tribe for awhile, picked on for their long spindly legs, and for their vision problems, gently brushing her head against the sharp rock near her to draw blood. The young buck could hear the sound of blood drops as they hit the ground, knowing his sturdy friend meant it due to her oath made in blood. Despite injuring herself a few weeks later defending her friend against his tormentors, it was worth it in her mind, to see him relax a little, not always worried about other Totoma picking on him anymore.

Time went on, and while her Zikwa friend eventually left her habit of making a Blood Oath with other kin did not stop. As an older doe she met a Kimeti who was afraid of fire, and was always worried about being caught in a fire. She once again made a promise, this time to the Kimeti she’d befriended that she wouldn’t leave her behind if such a thing happened, and her head was rubbed against a thorny plant, drawing blood much to her friends surprise and she swore an oath then to protect her, the blood dripping down her face and to the ground as she spoke.

Months passed, a dry summer season hit and a tree was struck by lightning catching fire and igniting the surrounding area, and she searched for her friend, finding her struck by fear and unmoving. It was easy for the sturdy doe to push and shove her friend along, getting her moving away from the fire, and to safety, more surprised by the cries of relieved thanks from her friend for being saved, than anything. She’d made an oath and she wasn’t about to break it!

It was a quirk she carried into adulthood, having made a blood oath to her siblings to keep them safe from harm when they were all younger, especially her brother, the only male born to their parents. It seemed vitally important to her to keep him safe, and she had once again drew blood from her head, letting the crimson liquid spill on the ground as she swore to always keep them safe, no matter the cost to herself. That was an oath she didn’t have to fulfill till they were nearly grown, her brother being taunted and dared by older bucks to perform a dangerous stunt that would be liable to leave him badly injured if not dead.

Recalling the oath of her childhood, she stepped up and took the challenge issued to him, unwilling to let him be goaded into a harmful act, and with a gentle touch of her forehead to his, a soft whisper of words could be heard. “I swore an oath in blood to always protect you, and I won’t break that vow.” Before she pulled away and walked along the narrow rock ledge over a high chasm that would lead to ones permanent injury if not death with one wrong step. It might not have been from a predator she was protecting him from, but his own self, and from peer pressure.

[Lirilei]

A long day come and gone, a group of young totoma lay asleep.
Save for one, who was restless and unable to keep her eyes closed.
Instead she got up and started to walk around the rest of the group.
To and fro, through the night, pausing at times and staring off into the darkness before continuing.
This lasted till day, when the others awoke and not far from them the tracks of some animal could be found.
Circling. Waiting to strike. Thwarted by her. She Protects The Sleeping! the others proclaimed in their relief.

[Lirilei]

[Lirilei]

[Lirilei]

[Lirilei]

[Lirilei]

[Lirilei]

[Lirilei]

[Lirilei]

[Lirilei]

"I want one of those ducks..." "You want a duck? You know they're just going to fly away from you as you get close." "Not if I'm really sneaky about it they're not." he grinned confidently as he slipped into the water, mouth closed tight, and nose just barely above as he slowly, carefully swam towards the ducks, stopping now and again so he didn't startle them. It felt like forever before he was finally close enough behind them to sink under the water fully and quickly opened his mouth to wrap his teeth around the ducks feet yanking it under. The thrashing of the duck was short lived and he surfaced with a gasp for air, the limp body of his prey held by it's neck between his teeth as he swam back to shore, and deposited the duck at his friends hooves with a smirk. "Well I'll be. You are a Duck Hunter, aren't you? Teach me how you did it! I want to be able to hunt ducks like you!" and that, was the beginning of how Duck Hunter started to teach other young totoma how to hunt the flighty water fowl that before that day had remained safe and untouchable.

[Lirilei]

[Lirilei]

Growing up in a herd that was constantly preyed on by predators made life terrifying. One day though, enough was enough for him. He had grown up considerably, and was tired of being the victim. He could hear others raise the alarm of the incoming danger, and he stood his ground between danger, and the rest of the herd.

This act was a surprise to the predator who had come for easy pickings. More surprising was when he lowered his head and rammed into the hungry predator, over and over uncaring of the sting of claws, or the bite of teeth until he'd driven away the danger, keeping the rest of the herd safe from harm.

It wasn't until this act occurred several more times, that his name came about, one of the young lambs looking at him in awe and whispering to a friend "Guards The Herd, that's what he does! I want to grow up to be brave like him!"