FWCs: Keantha - 1,507
Andranis - 1,300
As the oppressive heat of the day began to ease, as the shadows grew long under the trees, the herd gathered once again. It was still early enough that the young hadn't been sent to find their beds and the adults had not begun their revels. It was a time of fellowship but more importantly, it was a time for stories.
Fred huffed a bit as she tossed her head with a grimace of distaste on her face. "Goddess bless, I gotta be looking like one of them sheep things! My curls all just fluff 'n freeze!" Picking her way around those gathered, she made her way to Uriel's side giving the big male a soft look. Oh, but there was something there, something growing day by day yet neither seemed ready to speak the words to name it. Instead, it was soft glances when no one was looking (ok not no one, but their caraidean both knew how to keep secrets.) and slipping away to spend time together alone.
This was not the time, however. Fred's ears perked as her mother made her way to her place of honor in the gathering. She let her green eyes trail over the gathering noting their gathering family...and those still missing. A faint grin crossed her face seeing Rowan snuggled up to his lad. So they decided to be bold hmm?
"Mam? I have a suggestion for tonight's tale." Her look was playful as she wiggled her brows at the two younger stallions, "remember the terror duo's first Mabon gatherin'?"
As Peach settled, she looked around at everybody, smiling softly. There were many happy faces here, revelries happening between both land-based and water-based. She spied some of the local kelpies, mingling happily with those who never entered the water. Even Andre, one of the more elusive kelpies, had followed Aiden out of the waters. She wondered, were they a done duo or would they expand to more? She'd heard Pepper talk of the way they both watched others while sticking close together.
She stretched her head wings, as well as her neck, then looked over at Fred. "Hmm? And which story is that?" A bit of an impish smile was on her muzzle and in her eye as she asked, "Is it a story relatin' to you and Uriel?" The way the multi-winged stallion looked nervous and was coloring under his blue fur was certainly worth the question. "Or is it a different story?"
"MAM!" Fred huffed her ears canting back, "I said about Rowan and Aod's first Mabon. Tis no Mabon now is it?" She gave her mother a disgruntal look. If she caused Uriel to run off they were going to have words about this!
Meanwhile Kel gave a hearty chuckle, "Oh by the gods! That was an evenin'! Almost made me wish I could've seen it meself!" The big stallion ruffled his wings as he came to settle by Mickey's side. Normally he would drape a wing over his mate but in this heat he knew that was the quickest way to getting nipped by the kitsune.
Ducking his head, he murmured softly to Mickey, "Is Moina here tonight?" The timid female didn't always join the gatherings, even less since Aodhfin had gone missing. He was torn between hoping she was, to share in the amusement and bittersweet memories and wanting her to be far away from the reminder of her song that they all were starting to lose hope would be found alive some day.
"It was certainly a sight to see!" If it weren't so damnably hot, Mickey would lean into Kel. The problem with the swamp, though, was that all the water made it incredibly humid. He could hear the insects singing their songs, screaming for their opportunity to create more bugs. His large ears flicked, before he looked at Kel. "No, she's with the twins right now. They weren't feelin' particularly sociable, themselves, this time. Think they kicked Hari out, too."
Then he looked over at his nephew, who looked like he didn't want his relationship the topic of discussion. "SO! Speakin' of the terror duo!" He could see the panic growing on Rowan's face. "How 'bout the time they got up to shenanigans?"
"Uncle Mickey, no..."
"Uncle Mickey yes."
"At least Mickey understood," Fred muttered under her breath as she settled in for Mickey or Kel to start the story off.
Kel chuckled softly, "A lady sometimes just needs her sisters." When Rowan spoke, Kel laughed, "Oh aye I think it's a fine story for tonight! About youthful folly. Now I didn't see it." He paused here for the laughs before continuing, "but I heard it all as it unfolded. Mick me heart would you like to start this tale off?"
"Oh... Oh no... No no no..." Ears back, Rowan hid his face in his paws, not wanting to see what look Vadin was giving him. "Can we go back to Aunt Fred and Uncle Uri instead?"
Oh the glee lighting up Mickey's face. "Of course we can't, the topic's been chosen!" Shifting, his tails dancing with delight, Mickey lifted his head. While he was still rather small next to Kel, he still held it high. "So, this happened when wee Rowan and Aodhfin were barely older than colts, and involved some crab apples..."
----- [Insert visual time wibble thing here] -----
Rowan looked in the water, watching some small critters dart about. He shifted his ears, trying to listen to see if crawdads could sing. All he heard, though, was the sound of the water, and the distant songs he recognized from the siren family. The only one he'd heard that appealed had been Aiden, but he wasn't into somebody all wet, so the song held no real sway besides 'oh what a nice song' for the young kitsune.
He looked up, then sat down, looking about for his brother. "Aodhfin, do you think crawdads actually sing?" In his peripheral, he could see a crabapple tree, fruits heavy on the branches. A few dotted the ground, enticing to young Soquili.
While Rowan may have found the water interesting, Aodfhan had other current interest that was going to make his papa groan in despair...again. The gangly kit was rolling in the muck and leaf litter trying to disguise his blindingly white coat. Aod wiggled on his back with all four feet flailing in the air as he squirmed in the mud till he was good and sure that he was covered before getting back to his feet to shake off the excess leaving him smeared and bespeckled by leaves.
"Crawdads? Ya mean those mini lobster things?" Aod cocked his head to the side as he padded over to join his brother in peering into the water. "Why would they sing? Oh, is this bout Aiden again? I thought ya didn't like him like that." He grinned teasingly at him. Following Rowan's line of sight led to something interesting. Were those crabapples?
Padding away from the waterway, Aod approached the tree before ducking his head to sniff at the fallen fruit. "Huh...they smell sweet! Aren't these those apples Bri said were bitter?"
Rowan's ears went back as he huffed, "I don't like him like that. But one of his sisters mentioned- The... The pink one - Mentioned that crawdads sing, and I was wondering if it was true." Of course, she could have just been messing with him, playful and mischievous. The one big grey kelpie had said that was just the ways of the Sirens, messing with ponies.
One ear lifted as he watched Aod wander away, then got up and followed his brother. Tails twitching and waving some, Rowan bent down to sniff them, too. "I think she did. I think Dad also said to stay away from fallen fruit. Didn't say why, though, they smell good..." He lifted his head, then looked at Aod. "It'd be a waste to leave them here, perfectly good fruit."
One ear turned towards Rowan as he listened to his brother's words even as Aod cocked his head one way, then the other all the while his nose twitched like mad as he sniffs and snuffles at the fallen fruit. "You're right. It would be a shame to just leave these here." Opening his mouth to bite down he paused pulling back with a curious little sound before casting a look at Rowan.
In the immortal word of brothers every where Aod nickered, "I dare ya to eat one!"
A slow grin spread on Rowan's muzzle. The challenge had been made! "Only if you eat one, too." If he was going to eat one, Aod was going to eat one. They were delectable, looking, but he wasn't going to do this alone. After all, why should he be the only one? "I bet you're afraid to eat one!" The grin turned mischievous. If their uncle could see them now, he'd say he looked a lot like their aunts in that moment, the way they reportedly would get up to... What was that word Uncle Mickey had used? Shenanigans! "You're not afraid to eat one, are you, Aod? If you're not, then do it on the count of three with me! One... Two..."
Aod huffed, puffing his chest up as he glared at Rowan, "Nuh huh! I ain't scare of nothin'! You're on! Bet I can eat more than you!" He barely waited for the count to end before he started chomping down on the fallen treats. For a moment he wanted to recoil, his nostrils flaring at the mushy consistency that invaded his mouth as his baby fangs sliced so easily into the thin flesh but then the sweet, tanginess explode across his tongue. Silvery-gold eyes went wide as Aod gulped down his current mouthful to gasp at Rowan, "Oh wow! Bri was so wrong! These are great! We'll have to tell her she was wrong!"
Rowan barked a laugh as his brother dug in, not even waiting for the count to finish. Get back down to the fruits, he started eating his own, tails waving in delight. Oh they were good! He didn't stop to respond, instead going all in on chasing fruits. Some were far softer than others, which was a weird feeling in his mouth, while others were still a bit firmer. The firmer ones weren't as sweet as the softer ones, but Rowan wasn't going to argue against it. He did pause after a bit, sitting down. "Ooooh... I'm gettin' full of these..." The young fox couldn't find any upset at this fact, though, tails waving pleasantly. "Hey Finny, how full're you gettin'?"
For some reason being called Finny, something that had never happened before...or had it? Well anyway, it was hilarious! Aod burst into happy giggles as he finished the fruit in his mouth, licking his lips clean of the sweet juice which frankly was the only spot on him now its natural color!
"Finny? That's not...wait..what was the question?"
The colt blinked at his brother, one lid coming down then a second later the other as his blink was out of sync."Do ya..uh..uhm..." He frowned a moment trying to think before beaming, "Oh yeah! Do ya think we should take some home?"
Aod's giggles had Rowan giggling, nearly falling over. His ears flopped forward, before he went after another crabapple. Then he stopped, blinking slow as he thought long and hard, before he looked at his brother, "I don't remember." Rowan then burst into more giggles and, this time, he did fall over.
As he lay there, he watched his brother. After a moment he stretched his neck and head out, catching and eating the crabapple he'd been after. The red colt hummed as he ate, then rolled slightly on his back as he swallowed. "Yeah, let's take some home! They're so good, we can share them with everyone!"
While the two colts giggled and blinked stupidly at each other, two larger forms were also starting to move through the woods. "Mickey love don't worry so. We'll find the boys. After all, the festival hasn't even started yet. We still have time." Kel was amused at his mates fussing. The kitsune stallion often seemed to make more of a fuss over his niblings than their own mother did! Though that thought could lead down a dark path so Kel let it cut off at the roots.
Before Mickey could respond he paused, head going up and ears perking as he swung his head from side to side to better catch the sounds just tickling the edge of his hearing. "Come, I hear them." Well, he was pretty sure it was the boys, though something sounded a bit...off about their voices.
The copper stallion huffed, large ears moving about as he looked around. "I can't help but worry! What if they've gotten into something? What if they met a gator? An actual gator, not a gator shifter!" He paused, tails flaring some, even if Kel couldn't see it. "What if they found a shifter?!" The idea gave him the willies, fur standing on end in places as his very skin crawled at the thought.
When he realized Kel had said something else, Mickey looked up, then followed the bigger stallion. His eyes narrowed as they got closer before he spotted them. "Aodhfin! Rowan!" He got closer, looking around. There were fallen crabapples everywhere... And two colts off their heads on them. "Well this is certainly a... Mess..."
Rolling ever so slightly, Rowan gave his uncles a grin. "Hiiiiii!"
In spite of his previous fears and touch of anger, Mickey found himself laughing a bit. "And what have you two been up to?"
Aod by this point had rolled onto his back showing a wee thin strip of non-muddy fur. When Mickey spoke he hiccuped and then flailed his front feet at his uncle like an excited puppy, "HIIIIIIIIII UNCLE MICKEY!! UNCLE MICKEY BRI WAS WRONG THEY ARE SUPER NUMMY!!" Apparently, all volume control was lost as well as any dignity that might have once been found.
Kel couldn't help but burst out laughing, "Are they...Mick me love. Are they drunk?!"
Of course, he couldn't see the boys but from Aod's lack of volume control and the slight slur to Rowan's tone, not to mention the sweet sour mash scent of the fallen fruit it wasn't hard to put two and two together. "Oh lads, you'll be regretting this come the morn." Still, it was a lesson all young must learn.
"Come let's get these wee soused devils home. I doubt they can walk so let's get them up on my back." Kel chuckled kneeling, then laying down so it wouldn't be so hard for the colts to scramble up onto his broad back.
Shaking his head as he continued to laugh, Mickey went and nabbed the first of the colts. When he'd finished draping one on Kel's back, he draped the other, then nipped playfully at their growing manes. "Silly lads. Oh, this'll be a lesson well learned, alright..."
Rowan only giggled.
Kel was careful as he got to his hooves, folding his wings down to keep the boys in place before starting back the way they had come.
Aod giggled too, reaching out to try and paw Mickey "Uncle Mickey! Sing ta us! That song mam sings!"
"That covers a lot of ground there lad. Yer mam has a bright singing voice." Kel hummed as he followed the sound of Mickey's paws to lead them along.
"Uh..Uh..bout the mountain plant!" Aod hiccuped then tried to paw Rowan's nose too cause it was there.
"Ah, ya mean this one?" Kel took a deep breath before he began singing in a rich baritone, "Oh, the summertime is coming,
and the trees are sweetly blooming, and the wild mountain thyme grows around the blooming heather..."
"....And so that is how the boys spent their first Mabon. Drunk as a soul can be, one of 'em coated in mud and the other tryin' and failin' to sing along with me." Kel laughed along with the rest of the herd as the story came to a close.
Once again, Rowan covered his face, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Can we talk about something else now...?"
Mickey only grinned at his nephew as everybody chuckled, tails waving in amusement. "Oh, maybe... Anybody got any other stories?" He shifted, then turned and nuzzled Kel slightly. Oh, but embarrassing the lad was fun... Maybe they'd do it again next year!
