Warning - this chapter contains some graphic content



The rain fell much harder than normal. To some, it was only a bad storm. To others, they knew something terrible had happened in the forest. Lightning streaked the October sky, sending loud thunderclaps that shook the trees. The sounds of thunder and wind echoed into a small cavern, where a doe lay on the freezing stone floor, shivering and breathing heavily. Her body ached and she was already becoming dizzy. A small pool of blood was collecting under her belly. She glanced at it and turned away, sobbing silently.

Just a half an hour earlier, Brooke had gone out into the forest. Her mate was nowhere to be found, and she was becoming increasingly hungry. She went deeper and found a spot to graze. Noticing the dark clouds above, she hurriedly ate what she could of the edible foliage and started to go on her way when she heard a sound - a twig crack. Alarmed, she turned toward the sound. She did not locate anything, as a light drizzle began to fall. Turning back to her den, she took a few steps before hearing the sound again. She turned again, but this time was shocked to see a man standing there, rifle pointed right at her. Gasping, she ran, her hootbeats echoing through the trees. The rain picked up a little, and the ground became increasingly muddy. She darted as fast as she could, her heart racing. She lost her footing slightly and stumbled, though catching herself for a moment. She turned to look back....

POW!!

The bullet went through her body, dead in the center of her. She cringed and cried out, and falling foward to one knee, she gritted her teeth. "No...not like this...", she said to herself, and getting back on her feet, she raced out of the area. The rain was pouring now, and visibility was low, both for her and the man who shot her.

She could not find her den. She was lost in a fog of heavy rain and trees, and her wound was already beginning to bleed. Brooke hurriedly looked around, finding a small cavern on a hillside. She forced herself into the entrance and went deeper in.

A short time had passed, and the pool of blood was larger than before. Brooke knew she was dying, but she was more afraid of what she carried with her. She was pregnant, and terrified that the bullet pierced the fawn within her. She had no choice - the fawn had to be born. She winced, breathing through her teeth as she tried to push it out. Her body began to go numb, and she thought she was not going to be able to deliver the fawn when she heard a soft "sploosh" sound.

The fawn lay in the pool of blood. Brooke was heartbroken - the fawn wasn't moving. She turned away and cried much louder than before.

Slowly the fawn opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the red around him. He opened his mouth to breathe for the first time, and make a soft squeaking sound. Brooke was startled and looked back, then she became overjoyed to discover her baby was alive. But she also was deeply saddened that there was not going to be anyone to protect the fawn, once she had died. She softly spoke to the baby, "Come, my son."

The fawn's ears rose, and he looked to his mother. His vision was blurred but he could make her out - a soft brown face, slight bumps on her forehead, and a large brown-and-white body. He also noticed a small stream of red coming from her that trickled to the ground. He tried to get on his feet, but his legs were new and weak.

Brooke saw this and began to lose hope. Her fawn was not going to live. She closed her eyes, and thought of the last possible choice....

"Twin Gods, I beg for your help.", she said silently. Almost immediately, a ball of light appeared out of nowhere. Brooke's eyes widened, as she spoke, "I...I cannot protect my newborn. I don't know what to do." The ball began to move around rapidly, spinning around the two in a strange pattern, then moving to one corner of the cavern.

Instantly, the fawn stood and began to clean the blood from his fur. He stretched out his legs and walked to the front of his mother. "Why are you bleeding, mom?" he asked. Brooke was immediately overcome with joy - her fawn was already speaking! She replied, "There is no time to explain - a terrible creature hunts this forest. When the rain ends, you must go quickly or he will find you." She coughed, blood coming from her mouth. The fawn noticed this, and already knew what it meant. "Mom, I can't lose you!", the fawn cried. A tear ran down Brooke's cheek. "It's too late for me. Now it's up to you to survive."

Instantly, a sunbeam pierced the darkness of the cavern. Brooke nuzzled the fawn and immediately spoke, "Go now! You must hurry!" "Mom, I don't...", the fawn began to reply when Brooke rose and pressed him upon her chest. "I love you.", she said softly. The fawn didn't reply, his eyes watering with sadness.

The ball of light came forward again and led the fawn out of the cavern. He looked back at his mother, who was crying even more now, and he had so many questions but no answers. He immediately shielded his eyes from the sunlight. Blinded momentarily, he spoke, "Twin...Gods...I cannot see..." He slowly opened his eyes, and could not find the ball of light. Suddenly, he heard a new voice - a much deeper one - shout, "Hurry! Get the quad! The fawn is over there!" A voice entered the fawn's mind, saying, "Move quickly. They are coming."

He ran, as fast as he could. He was amazingly fast for a newborn. He didn't know where he was heading, but he ran. A loud rumbling was following him close behind. He kept running, glancing behind him for a moment to see a strange, bulky thing on his tail. Two creatures were atop the beast, one clutching it's strange horns, the other with a wierd-looking brown stick that pointed at the fawn. What is this?, the fawn thought, when POW!! - a bullet just barely missed him, kicking up dirt that got in his face. The fawn kept running, his eyes watering now, and his new legs already beginning to ache. Ahead was a fallen tree. His instincts told him to jump, as high as he could, but he feared what would happen if he couldn't make the jump. Still, he had to try - his life depended on it. When the tree neared, the fawn leapt. The world seemed to go in slow-motion, and for a moment it looked like his legs would get caught on the tree. But he had an idea for a split second - he pressed his back legs inward on his underbelly, and just avoided the tree. Behind him, he heard the two creatures yelling at each other, and then a loud CRASH!. Stopping for a second, he heard them say things like, "Aww man, look what you did to my QUAD!", and "Forget about the quad, the fawn is escaping!" He immediately darted off when he saw their faces again.

After running for quite some time, he slowed to a steady pace. Stopping to catch his breath, he heard a new sound - rushing water. The fawn found a cliffside where the forest ended, and below was a raging river. "Now what?", he questioned to himself. The cliff was too steep for him to climb down, and it seemed to go on for miles. A dove flew overhead, and he questioned himself whether he could fly or not. A voice in the back of his head kept repeating, "Move! They've almost got you!" He looked back, and was horrified to see one of the two-legged creatures - the one with the rifle - standing by a tree. The voice in his head was screaming at him now, but he was too frightened to move. His legs were trembling from exhaustion, his lungs still gasping for air. Click. His ears perked up for that moment, and...

POW!!

It was a horrible feeling, perhaps one of the worst he would ever feel. The man's bullet struck him in the spine, shattering his back. The fawn's legs gave in, he felt his body collapse inward. He got a glimpse of the man's face before falling off the cliff. The world went black for a moment, and all he could feel was the air rushing past his face...

...He regained conciousness, but could not move his body. His face was underneath the water, and he was losing oxygen. He tried desperately to raise his head, but his body was giving out. He could not move any part of himself, as he felt his limp body slosh around in the river. The water filled his lungs as he cried out in agony.

And then the world went black again...

He closed his eyes, giving up on himself, and not struggling anymore. The current became more gentle, and he felt his body halt and rest on solid ground. Gasping, he coughed up water and breathed in heavily. There was air around him - he was able to breathe. But he was also able to move again. The pain in his back had vanished, and he opened his eyes to find himself surrounded in darkness.

A voice came from the dark...

"You did well, considering what you went through. We will give you a second chance at life..."

Appearing before him were two rock statues that hovered in the air.

He realized what was going on, and bowing to them, he said to himself, "The Twin Gods..."

- To Be Continued

(Edited on 6/26/08 for more description)