3 ❂ Video

[elvenking]

[The feed turns on to show the Elvenking sitting in the gardens in a chair, a blanket over his lap and one leg propped up. Most notable about this picture is the cat-sized fawn sitting on his good leg, sucking and lapping milk from a rag. The little critter has been freshly bathed and it shows.]

This little one turned up in my locker. I have enough of his mother's milk to feed him twice, but no more. [And if you ask where that came from, prepare to be depressed and probably grossed out.] I understand some of you know how to make blood. If any of you might do the same with a doe's milk, you will save his life.

Merlin, I would speak with you in the gardens.

[The fawn's lapping tongue ventures past the rag and starts licking the Elf's hand. It stops a moment later and lifts its head to sniff at Thranduil's face. It gets a thumb stroking over the top of its head in return. The other hand moves to cut the feed.]

Comments

voice;

[wolfchild]

[ here's a rare non-private, non-voice from paranoid child. ]

What happened to its mother?

voice;

[elvenking]

She also arrived in the locker. In pieces. [He knows she can handle it. Maybe better than he did at the very beginning. Killing a doe with a fawn is a hunter's taboo and kind of disturbing when the fawn is keening...]

voice;

[wolfchild]

[ what. ]

What? How'd she—?

[ and where the pieces at carnivores want to know ]

voice;

[elvenking]

We do not know. Legolas has her now.

[No use letting a good deer carcass go to waste, after all.]

I can do naught to bring her b--

[Thranduil is interrupted when Bambi lifts his head to lick him straight over his lips. He holds a wince for a moment before delicately wiping deer spit from his face as the fawn turns back to its liquid diet.]

voice;

[wolfchild]

[ a laugh. ]

You're its mother now. Did you give it a name?

voice;

[elvenking]

I haven't. [He's pleased she's laughing, at least.]

voice;

[wolfchild]

You have to give it a name.

voice;

[elvenking]

That, I shan't argue. What do you think his name should be?

video;

[cons]

[ this place is, 98%, seriously awful. but then there are things like this and Wichita's insides turn to goo and- ]

-- You have a pet fawn?

[ her tone: OH MY GOD THAT IS PRETTY MUCH THE CUTEST THING AND I'M TRYING REALLY HARD TO BE COOL ABOUT THIS BUT TINY LITTLE FAWN ]

video;

[elvenking]

[Thranduil doesn't really like the word pet. It implies restriction, imprisonment, control, and for no useful reason. That's not quite the relationship that's being formed here, anyway.]

It would be better to think of me as his... [he considers if there's a better word for it, and there really isn't] ...mother.

[bloodplay]

[ that... sure is a baby deer in space. that is definitely what he's looking at. ]

It's not so much make as duplicate. We'll need a sample of what you've already got to start -- doesn't have to be a lot -- but after that's in the system the synthesizers should do the rest.

[elvenking]

And it will nourish him the same as if it came from his mother? [The thing is now squirming to sneak a lick at Thranduil's chin. He needs to set it down and let it play after this.]

voice;

[wolfchild]

[ give her a minute THIS IS SRS BSNS ]

How do you say "spring" in Sindarin?

voice;

[elvenking]

Ethuil.

voice;

[wolfchild]

Ethuil. [ she repeats it slowly to get the pronunciation right. ] I like it. We can say it's spring. Ethuil came to us in spring.

voice;

[elvenking]

[The fawn sneezes twice.]

Then let him be Ethuil. He will grow into it, I daresay. Merry enough for a fawn, grand enough for a stag.

voice;

[wolfchild]

[ unseen, she grins. it sneaks onto her voice. ]

When can we go see him?

voice;

[elvenking]

You may come see him now, if you like. It will be his time to play in a moment.

[Well, after Thranduil gets him to poop, anyway. Arya should. Probably miss that part.]

...Half an hour, perhaps?

voice;

[leaps]

Good thing it wasn't any bigger.

[ there's a pause, then. ]

Can he survive without his mother?

voice;

[wolfchild]

All right. Do you want anything?

voice;

[elvenking]

Nothing for myself, no.

voice;

[elvenking]

It is not what is best for him, but he can very much survive without her. This will not be the first fawn I have raised.

[leaps]

It might be different up here.

[elvenking]

Why do you think that?

[wolfchild]

[ she shows up about an hour later without nymeria. arya is almost bouncing in place in her excitement. ]

Can I pick him up?