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 Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 10:10 pm
 -----Just another sleepless night. Same as the one the night before and the one before that. Between her own restlessness and the occasional jab of a tiny hoof in the ribs as her fawns squirmed and jostled for comfort within the soft bedding of the thicket Galatea couldn't sleep. Even the warmth shed from their little bodies couldn't settle her enough to close her eyes for more than a few moments. In her wakeful state it was difficult not to fuss over her children. Their children. Nuzzling tiny faces and licking the sprouting tufts of fur between their ears until they attempted to worm out of reach.
It was for the sake of their undisturbed sleep that their mother had finally begun to stroll when slumber couldn't reach her. A pale shape gliding through the gardens made ghostly by the glow of the moonlight which seemed to reflect off Galatea's stark white coat and clusters of glossy, pastel scales.
Tonight she folded herself neatly on a shelf of marsh grass which overlooked a lochan at the southern end of her garden. A silken flood of tail hair creating ripples on the otherwise placid surface as it gracefully stirred the water in gentle, sweeping motions. Reflected in the glassy surface along with the baleful, chalky white moon 'Tea stared at herself with eyes she didn't quite recognize. How long had it been since she'd last seen herself? And where was the naive child that had once stared back at her? The one with bright eyes vacant of the trouble that now shadowed her refined face? And when did you become so morbid?
Laughing ruefully at herself, Galatea slapped the water's surface, causing her image to distort as the ripples chopped at an otherwise perfect mirror. Exposing the column of her elegant neck as a longing gaze lifted in surrender to the endless velvet night. At least the warmth of the air and beauty of such a perfectly clear evening wasn't lost on her.
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Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 10:45 am
 As young and frail as she was, sleep still seemed to stray from her. Somehow, she found the courage to leave the pretty lady's side and let herself wander. Had she stayed...she could have woken her. Mother had told her never to be rude..and she couldn't let herself be rude to the pretty lady. Nope. She was helping her wait for mama.
Tiny hooves barely breaking the silence of the cool, late night, she almost cringed at the sound the teddy made as he dragged in the tall grass beneath her. Her body was too weak to carry him over it...and so he was sadly dragged along. Vivi making sure to scan the ground before her and not drag him through anything unpleasant. She had to watch over him after all. The the fawn...she'd want teddy back.
Flowers soon blossomed around her, but Vivi was so focused on her task at hand that she hardly noticed she'd entered the garden. Of course...that was only until she heard the slap. Eyes wide and ears perked, she stood stiffly. Every pathetic muscle in her body tensing at the possibility of danger. Only there wasn't danger...but flowers. Flowers all around her. She looked at them as if she'd walked into a parallel world. They reminded her of...of home. Before mama took her on this trip and left with the other fawn.
"Momma?" Vivi called out softly, her voice trembling. Had she found her way home? It hadn't seemed that close? But...it had to be it. The fawn began to half trot through. Her eyes darting to every corner as she called out for her mother softly. Hooves digging into the ground as she came upon another pretty lady...Vivi froze and tried not to cough or wheeze too bad from the effort. This...this wasn't..."not momma.."
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 10:30 am
-----Glad for, if not also startled by, the distraction which intruded upon her silent reverie Galatea found her frosted blue gaze drifting, seeking the source of the sudden interruption until they stilled upon the tiniest body she had ever seen. A fawn, but immediately the mother recognized it not as one of her own. Rather, this one's pale coloring seemed to make the little thing seem all the more fragile when in comparison to her own robustly pelted children, even if they were still too small yet to do more than sleep and nurse.
Even in knowing that its flesh wasn't of her own body something instinctually maternal still drew Galatea, watching thread thin legs carry the child towards her in a hurry. A glow of hope and perhaps longing in the fawn's eyes as she bleated a word that the new mother understood on a level that was basic as survival. She thought Galatea was the one had given her life and for some puzzling reason the rose maiden wished it were so. Curiosity causing the sheltered hind's stare to drift to the battered, lifeless shape that the fawn carried with her feeling an abject sense of horror at the idea that she was dragging around the corpse of a small animal. What a strange mesh of emotions.
Under normal circumstances--or more familiar ones anyhow--'Tea's first question would have likely been how the little one had found her forgotten garden. Now as she rose and carefully breached what little space remained between them the doe speculated how difficult it might be to wrestle away the peculiar looking beast. Something like that couldn't have been healthy for her to be carrying around. Commanding her very poor verbal skills to work miracles for her now as she attempted to sort her words with care, fighting to recall all that her beloved had taught her. "Hello fawn, what thing is that..?"
A small nod of interest towards the fuzzy green creature far more intelligently expressed Galatea's desires, but she tried not to show whatever embarrassment she felt towards her own ignorance.
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 11:44 am
She was coming towards her. The pretty lady. Only this wasn't the pretty lady she knew and this definitely wasn't momma. Not momma at all. A stranger. She didn't talk to to strangers...and she would be a stranger until she learned her name. Names just...felt so important.
Stumbling a few steps back, she winced as her legs began to become painful. How far had she walked? Eyes focused on the pretty lady before her, Visuevio tried to hold the teddy closer to her if possible. Why was she so interested in the teddy?
Vivi shook her head as she coughed over the poor Teddy's ear. Maybe a walk was a bad idea.
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 8:20 pm
-----Having never encountered young ones outside her own--and even they were very much a mystery to her--Galatea watched the fawn recoil from her. Pausing in her leggy strides immediately she couldn't quite conceal the hurt that crept into her face. She was afraid? Were all fawns so cautious? Maybe Galatea's approach had been threatening, though she found that hard to imagine.
Hard but not impossible. Slowly settling her leggy frame back to the ground to half her size and provide a less intimidating pose Galatea tried again sheepishly. Ears falling against her neck, nestling into the wavy fall of silk to mimic the passiveness of her tone. "Not be scared... Galatea not hurting. Mine fawns sleep now. Why not sleep too..?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 12:41 pm
As the coughs wracked her body, she tried to keep her eyes on the the new pretty lady as she moved but it was hard. Vivi's eyes tried to stay open but they mostly squinted as she let the weakness take control. Her legs giving out, Vivi laid a feet from the hind and took deep shaky breaths.
It was several minutes before she managed to bring her head back up; the teddy left in the protection of her front legs. Her ears perked gently on the word that sounded like a name. It should be a name...it felt like one. "Momma might come...at night. And teddy, needs protection."
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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 8:22 pm
-----Fragile. Fragile had been the first thought that had assailed Galatea when she gazed at the fawn and now, as she watched with growing uncertainty, the difficulty with which she attempted to breathe made the doe strain towards her desperately. I just want to help. Please let me help. Let me do something. Despite the frustration that threatened to gloss placid blue eyes with tears, Gala fought to maintain her composure. Drawing in a slow, steadying breath as much to calm herself as to subconsciously quiet the ragged sound of the fawn's own harsh huffing--as if she could breath for her--she tried to speak without panic.
"Aah, yes, Galatea knows. Smart little fawn, but...," pausing with the consideration of how best to proceed the pale doe continued carefully. Upon closer inspection of the creature between her forelegs Galatea realized she couldn't smell the scent of rot off the odd beast. Nor did it appear to be decaying despite that it wore the stillness of death. No. It was as if it had never lived. Curious. It was a mystery she would have to solve later though.
"But even smart fawns need their sleeping times." A silken tone appealed to the youth hopefully, "Galatea will watch. If you have trust."
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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 8:58 pm
Vivi was tired, so tired. Yawning, she tried to keep her eyes open and focused on looking about. "M-Mamma says I'm not smart...and..." she yawned again, ears falling back into the waves of her hair. "And...trust? Mamma says...says not to trust anyone. But...I has name? Pretty lady...Pretty lady not anyone. Gale...Geale...Tea? Pretty lady Tea?" Pulling the teddy closer, she laid her head on it. The fawn instinctively inching closer to the hind. "Tea not tired, I'll be like Tea."
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