(Logged in-thread RP.)
Ailbhe: -grunts as he lays down to rest on the grass at the edge of the river, tired from walking. His belly was more than just a little swollen from pregnancy and all the kelpie wanted to do was eat some lunch. He looked around for his mate-of-sorts Famine, knowing the considerably larger buck would take care of him-
Famine: *had been trying rather desperately to fish up at least a small bite to eat for the carrier of his unborn foals, but fishing in clear water that was hardly even up to his belly was proving to be quite difficult for the buck. Regardless, he had somehow managed to catch a few trout and had carried them back upstream to the resting kelpie. Dropping the three fish in front of his 'mate' of sorts, the gator's stomach growled, but he refused to eat anything until the other was at least satisfied for now.* There. Those took longer t' catch than I thought they'd be... Way better suited to the swamp... *mutters to himself as he knelt and proceeded to lie at the other's side, actually exhausted by the lack of food he had been putting in his stomach as of late. The larger buck had an appetite to suit his ravenous appearance, but regardless of how cannibalistic he actually looked, the hart was pretty considerate to his partner's needs coming first. Especially in a time like this.* ... You feelin' alright..? Not hurtin' you any..?
Ailbhe: -looks up at Famine when the gator draws near, tail flicking with interest at the freshly caught fish. He didn't even answer the question until after he'd torn into one of the salmon, swallowing down large gulps of the meal until he was at least a little satisfied- No, nothing hurts. I'm just hungry... Starving, ugh! -hisses with annoyance, pretty much never completely full thanks to the fawns he was carrying. He wanted to tell Famine that this was all his fault, but instead he attempted to behave himself. Grasping a fish between his teeth he dropped it in front of Famine, beckoning the other to eat with him. It was the closest thing to a 'thank you' the other buck was going to get. And besides, if he complained too much the smaller hart probably wouldn't be getting anything else to eat and there was no way he was going into the water aside from bathing-
Famine: *Shakes his head when offered the fish, sighing slightly as he nudges it back to Ailbhe, shutting his eyes as he attempted to keep his stomach from growling again* No, I'm not gonna eat it 'till you say you're full. I'm not eatin' for three, y'know. ...An' it's gonna be plenty difficult tryin' to get more fish like that, considering they can all see me 'n what not. 'S a damn miracle that I managed to catch that many, already... *sighs a bit, though a soft smile tugged at his lips as he wrapped his long tail around Ailbhe's backside as he often did in a protective gesture.* Besides... You said you were starving, right? You'll probably still even be a little hungry after you eat all of these. I mean... I can go an' try to find some, uh, roots and berries and whatnot... But. Those probably won't fill ya up at all. *In all honesty, he felt rather bad that he couldn't properly take care of Ailbhe, but there was no way he was going to chance staying back in the swamp with the ever constant threat of stray ghavials roaming too far out of their original comfort zone. He wouldn't even think of risking it, despite how plentiful the catfish was there. Resting his head down on the ground next to the swampy buck's knees, the gator gave him a gentle nuzzle before attempting to open his eyes again without them burning from the lack of sleep he'd gotten in the past few weeks. In total, about ten hours had been slept over the course of nearly twenty days now, and while the larger hart was used to little sleep, this was getting to be a bit ridiculous.*
Ailbhe: -makes a noise of disapproval when Famine returns the fish to him, but he quiets, if only to continue eating. It wasn't long before he'd gobbled up the second salmon, and was more than ready to start on the third one. It was almost unbelievable how ravenous he'd become when the normally lanky herla didn't usually eat that much, but fawns apparently changed everything- You're the one who said we can't live in the swamp... At least not now. If you can't fish here, you'll have to do something else. Steal someone else's kill or something. -had a mostly carnivorous diet to begin with, and even now he still mostly craved meat to eat. He did sometimes crave fruit though he actually felt a bit bad about telling Famine to go all the way to the forest to get it for him- Maybe you'll just go back to get food while I wait around somewhere. -dislikes the idea of laying around all day, but there really wasn't much that he could do aside from their daily walk together without tiring himself out-
Famine: *Watches carefully as the hart wolfed down the food that had been offered to him, ultimately glad that Ailbhe had eaten every last morsel of the three fish. One for each stomach, as far as the gator was concerned. But the smaller buck had brought up a good point. He really would have to do something else for food soon. With his energy levels falling so dangerously low, he would never be able to keep up the arduous task of catching painfully intelligent fish to keep his little family's stomachs full, let alone his own. He supposed he could make those long trips back to the swamp to catch large catfish, but there were a few major flaws in that plan: One, it would take at least four hours to get back to the swamp--and that was if he ran the entire way there... It would take up a good portion of daylight hours to make that round trip. Secondly, even if he did manage to catch a surplus of fat catfish, there was no way of carrying them all back except for in his mouth, and even if he did take the time to make a net out of reeds, there was no way they were going to be any good after that long in the open air. The gator wasn't going to present spoiled goods to the one carrying his children. And finally, though it was most definitely the most important point in the flaws, There was absolutely, positively no damn way he was going to let Ailbhe be out of his sight for more than thirty minutes at a time. And thirty minutes was pushing it, even. He had to be there by the buck's side to protect him from anyone and anything that dared try to mess with him. While the kelpie was most certainly capable of defending himself from all types of danger before the pregnancy, he had to be careful now, and thus he had essentially been handicapped for the time being.* I'll figure something out, Ailbhe. Don't worry 'bout it, 'kay? *leans up for a moment to nuzzle his mate's jaw before settling back down, attempting to hide his quiet concern for their situation... But if push came to shove, the gator knew he could get things accomplished. Whether he liked the way he actually got them accomplished or not.*
Ailbhe: -leans into Famine's side, resting his head next to his partner's as he released a faint hiss of slight annoyance- Fine... You can figure it out since you're doing all the work anyway. -runs his tongue over his teeth, making sure he'd gotten every last bit of fish he could into his belly. Famine had sworn to take care of him and while the kelpie still wasn't completely okay with the idea of being so helpless he had to let the gator call the shots. He flicked his long tail so that it draped over Famine's. He wasn't completely full just yet but was already beginning to grow sleepy. That was another thing he found strange about pregnancy: his sometimes overwhelming desire to take a nap periodically- Famine... I want to sleep. Don't go anywhere.
Famine: *felt his massive heart shudder a bit when Ailbhe leans into him, just wanting to wrap himself completely around the smaller hart. It was really amazing just how sweet the kelpie could be when he gave up trying to act superior for once and it reminded the gator quite easily that, yes, okay, maybe it was alright for him to want to stay with Ail for the rest of his life. The L-word was still out of the question... Though he swore that this is what it had felt like so many years ago with Matrika. When the buck was asked to stay put while the other rested, he hummed quietly in a gentle, affirmative response.* I won't leave your side, Alibhe. Not for a second. I promise. *sending a silent 'rest well' thought to his unborn fawns, the larger buck went still, happy to just be by Ail's side in the sun again. At least for a few hours, they could put their worries behind them and just be.*
