A lot of the time, Thumper had no idea what was going on in Bambi’s mind. It seemed to change as readily as the seasons. Or like butterfly, flitting around from one flower to the next. Never staying in one place for longer than a moment or two.
Thumper was known to be a little fidgety from time to time. He had been accused of being unable to stay still – but even he couldn’t keep up with Bambi’s ideas on any given day.
Today their night revolved around the man laying at their feet. Or… what was once a man, laying at their feet.
Whoever he had been, Thumper had no connection to him. He didn’t know him, or know anything about his life – but as far as he knew, neither did Bambi. For whatever reason however, Bambi had felt the need to drag him out into the woods and hide him. He didn’t question it. All he knew was that he was getting tired.
Releasing an exhausted sigh, the smaller of the two slumped down slightly and brought his arm up to wipe the forming perspiration from his brow. He wiped it off, but also succeeded in smearing his forehead with the dirt that had collected on his sweater’s sleeve.
“I was lifting his legs.” He shot back with mild annoyance. Annoyance that was brought about from the strain of lifting something much heavier than anything he was used to – and for much longer. "As much as I could, anyways…“ He said, looking down at the cold and lifeless human at their feet. “You’re lifting the easy part.”
Wiping his brow again, he leaned down and took the man’s ankles in both his hands. Leaning down, he attempted to reposition the man’s legs, one under each arm, and moved forward with a grunt, shooting his accomplice a hurried look.
“How much further do we have to go?”
Bambi paused, causing Thumper’s forward shuffling to bend the man up at the waist like a fold up chair. He shot the other a level gaze before dramatically sighing and dropping his half of the arms and head onto the ground with a sound thump.
“ You act as if you’ve never done this before. “ A quiet, but sound and hypocritical observation if there ever was one – “ Just down to the water, and after that you can sit back and watch, my little trickster. So long as you aid me with a little offering. “ He didn’t explain what that might entail, further than raising a thin brow at the other.
Thumper didn’t seem to be having any fun, and Bambi didn’t like that. Everything could be fun, if you tried hard enough. Besides, the air was cool and moist, ripe with the scent of sweet blossoms and pollen and meats, the moon full and blue, what more could they ask for from mother Māra?
The thought of an elder made Bambi pause his thoughts for a second and shoot a glance this was and that, and finally upwards. She wouldn’t reprimand him, would she ? Not on such a beautiful night, one with fat stars and shining dew, surely she had provided it just for them ( thought Bambi had to admit he might’ve called upon the fireflies for added ambiance. )
No, he was being paranoid. It was in the middle of summer; they had their agreement. Fall was a ways away, let alone the deadly bite of winter.
He looked back to Thumper and smiled impishly, with a hint of an apologetic twinkle in his brown eyes. At least they had that in common; a love of mischief and quick-footedness. Thumper probably knew the same feeling well; the constant dodging of prying, all-seeing eyes. Bambi eyed Thumper for a few moments more - Siliniez had known this one for quite some time ( forever, literally ), and they were close companions, yes. But, that didn’t hold that they saw each other regularly. There was enough companionship for tolerance, but also enough rivalry and strangeness for scrutiny. He didn’t need any of that tonight, not with a blue moon about. He narrowed his gaze, holding them a second longer before breaking into a smirk and gathering the dead human back up. “ He is heavy, I know. And look at us. “ Slender, young, fast. Not … ideal for labor. “ Just a little bit further and you’ll see, I have something in mind for us. “
They were a few meters away, judging by the gentle echo of babbling water.
He didn’t quite understand the mechanics behind it. Maybe from lack of experience ? It’s not like he l i k e d doing that to people. It wasn’t for fun. ( Though … that didn’t mean it wasn’t amusing. )
But, still, it just didn’t make any sense. How a few scant electrical impulses, a beat here and there, firing neurons and flowing, writhing, warm and slick and pulsating viscera could eliminate weight. If anything, a dead body should be lighter - devoid a heavy spirit or soul, racing thoughts and fear and hate and love. All those things surely weighed something.
No, the corpse was heavy. And had to be drug. It left a trail in it’s wake, negating their bared foot prints in the soft, terra cotta earth.
That must’ve been it. Even without clunky shoes or watches ( and missing a few chunks from the whole ), the body had no will to move, resulting in a dead weight. Resulting in a pain in the ass more like it.
“ Can’t you life his legs anymore ? “
‘ Thumper ‘was smaller than him in height, always, but had more bulk in this form. It must’ve been fat rather than muscle. ‘ Bambi ‘ felt he was doing all the work.
Pointless work really, because the simple solution would’ve been to leave it where it was. But, appearing human did not allow for such misconduct; silly little social contract, the frivolities that came with man. Bambi let out a little, airy giggle at the thought, looking down to his hands. Snow white knuckles and rust brown fingers. He didn’t like the look of dried blood; it lost that vivid chroma that made his stomach turn and heart flutter. At least his hands matched his feet; the earth was staining them a nice russet, up to his ankles. Again, he didn’t do these things for fun, that was fool’s play, and Bambi – well, he w a s a bit of a fool. But he had enough wisdom to respect life. After all, he was life, and his dominion was life itself … the dilapidated and low life of moss covered rocks and maggot filled crowns, but life nonetheless.
“ We should move with more purpose if we want to finish by dawn, Thumper. “
