This story picks up right where Walks with memory shards ends.
If you have just stumbled upon this story by chance then head over to the Story hub to get caught up.
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Seshi pawed at the ground impatiently and smiled as she approached. He was quite taken with this female. Sure she huffed and sighed around him, but he knew underneath he was irresistible. The doe took her time approaching him and he could tell she was purposefully dragging her hooves and dawdling to avoid meeting him. Poor babe. She was still completely broken up over her dead boyfriend. Well he’d make her forget all about that guy soon enough. He just had to break down that cold outer sh-
“Stop.”
He froze staring in confusion and looked around. They were alone. The only other group was snoozing farther away. Where had that voice come from? He gave the fireflies a suspicious look before snapping his attention back to his companion for the night. She was giving him a peculiar look and had her head tilted at an angle. ”What are you looking for? Look can you just show me whatever you wanted to so I can go?”.
Her voice was hushed and he could sense the faint tone of exasperation.
He felt shameful. She was still grieving and here he was trying to sweep her off her feet without a thought of her feelings. He backed away to give her some distance and peered through the swarm of fireflies with a softer expression. ”I..ah..” What was wrong with him!? He never stumbled over his words to a doe before. It was just..those eyes. He trembled slightly and took a deep breath. ” Dych chi'n moyn dawnsio gyda fi?” He glanced up giving her a hopeful look and smiled weakly at her perplexed expression. He gave a soft chuckle and pawed a flower absent mindedly as he spoke. ”I thought I might impress you with a foreign tongue. I suppose Welsh is too harsh a tone to be romantic. If I had known I were going to be spending the day with such a lovely female I might have consulted another deer on how to express myself in a beautiful language like French. But..forgive me I am rambling. Will you dance with me?” He locked eyes with her and only saw compassion and confusion staring back at him.
Kita frowned faintly and gave him a conflicting look. She did not want to be rude and turn him down, but she did not know how long she could keep this up. She knew him. He was her Furfur. She knew it in her heart and could not deny that he was handsome and powerful. She looked into his embarrassed reluctant eyes at asking her and saw His gentle eyes staring back.
She looked into his questioning gaze and knew the expression well. She had seen it months before when that trembling wispy buck removed his pasted on smile and reluctantly showed her a face scarred with pain and sadness. She had accepted him then, but should she extend the same compassion when faced with a face of perfection? She raised her head and lightly nuzzled the side of his face in acceptance. ”Y-yes of course. I would love to.” She tried to keep up a hard exterior, but she knew in her heart that she wanted to dance with Him. She knew that this was her stag, even if he did not look it. She could touch him. They could have a life together..he was different but..her Furfur was in there somewhere. She shook her head briskly. Why was she having such thoughts? He was a show off! A nuisance! Why she bet he ran around scaring other deer for fun just lik-. Her heart dropped as she recalled when she witnessed Furfur tormenting Jene-paul only a few days ago. No. That was not how she wanted to remember her friend.
They circled each other and rhythmically kicked off the ground and moved their bodies in synch with the hypnotic sounds of the forest. Seshi took charge laying down the steps but in turn followed Kita when she took made alterations to the set pattern of dictated style. The fireflies parted as the two wound around each other and waltzed through the night.
Kita could not help herself as she watched the proud stag somersaulting in front of her and effortlessly leaping into the air. He looked exactly as Furfur did when he would take to the sky during their dancing. She held her breath each time his hooves left the ground and silently offered the prayer that he would leave the ground and become her free spirit again.
No, it was never that easy was it? He was alive now and a different person. She stopped in her dancing and lay down on the ground panting silently. Her heart was fluttering and she watched the stag playfully chasing after the fireflies and a passing dove. The similarities were uncanny. She could not stop the feelings bubbling up. It started as a very soft giggle but extended to full laughter as she watched the mighty stag attempting to climb into the branches of the nearby pine to retrieve the small white bird.
Seshi froze in his attempts and leaned back to look at the snowy female. Her eyes were closed, her smile broad, and her voice filled with pure mirth. He felt his heart melt and he untangled himself from the branches to rest by her side. He leaned over and rested his head across her back comfortingly. ”You are so much more beautiful when you laugh.”
Her eyes snapped open in an instant and she recoiled in shame. This was wrong. He had to know. She couldn’t keep this from him. It was cruel and unfair. ”I-I need to tell you something important. P-Please don’t talk j-just listen and don’t you dare dismiss me!” Her voice and body equally trembled. She took in a rattled breath and froze as a twig snapped behind and a silvery head poked out from behind the trees.
The large monarch stag was on his feet in an instant and between her and the new intruder. Kita peered curiously around Seshi’s back end and examined the newcomer. At first she thought it a stag, but the butterflies delicately painted on the beings soft features acknowledged her as a doe. This doe had large antlers to rival her companions in height and held herself with an air of self-confidence. Her heart skipped a beat. Kalpita. Her gaze immediately shifted downwards towards the two candles twinkling brightly behind the doe’s back leg. It was..it couldn’t be. She bit her lip and shivered. Finata. Furfur’s son. Would Seshi recognize him?
Seshi took a step forward and kept his gaze locked on the large cow before him. ”Can I help you?”
The doe took a step in return and kept her head held high. “No. But my friend might have something to say to you.” She broke eye contact to lean down and nudge the small trembling creature towards the stag. At first he thought it were some sort of woodland creature, but as it slowly straightened up and approached him he realized it was the smallest fawn he had ever set eyes on. It’s eyes were red with crying and it’s side was covered in a large gash that was slowly beginning to heal. The most noticeable feature was the pair of lit candles slowly dripping wax down on the small child’s head. The fawn stared up at him in confusion and spoke in a quiet soft voice. “D-Dad? I-is that really you?”
Seshi’s head pounded. What was this? He didn’t have a mate let alone a child! How could this be? He took a few nervous steps backwards and pawed the ground shaking his head. It was so confusing. His shoulders slumped and he looked desperately between the three deer for an explanation. Something was wrong here. It just..what was going on? He continued his slow retreat until the voice spoke again.
“It is true.”
He froze and he looked to the side where the dove sat perched on one of his polished mahogany points. It stared back with a knowing look and gave a short affirming nod before taking off for the sky. He did not understand. Everything…It was so confusing. He took a hesitant step towards the fawn and lowered his head to take in its scent. A wave of emotion came over him. It was true. The child shared his scent. He flashed it an uncertain look and his voice quivered when he spoke. He did not understand it, but he was no monster to deny the truth. His eyes welled with a single tear as he spoke. ”Y-Yes. I’m here s-son. I..”.
The elder doe nodded her head and stepped back away to give the family reunion space. ”You do not need to explain to him. Though I am sure you have so many questions as we do also.” She turned her attention to Kita and stared knowingly towards the smaller doe giving a terse nod of affirmation.
Seshi gently picked up the tiny fawn in his mouth and laid down, setting the trembling creature by his side. How could he have abandoned a child and have no knowledge of it? He laid his head comfortingly across the child’s side and whispered sweet nothings in its ear. He was here for him now.
Kita watched them in silence and then raised her head hesitantly to meet the eyes of Kalpita. She could not avoid telling him now. He had to know. If he knew..then maybe he could bring back her friend.
=x=
Furfur’s mouth was dry and his stomach cried out to be filled. He weakly climbed to his feet and with a tremble collapsed again. He felt so helpless and weak. He closed his eyes and laid his head down on the ground feeling wetness. Water? Here? He opened his eyes and stared at the dark as he greedily lapped up the liquid from the ground. He felt a comforting weight on his back and snapped his head to stare in vain at the vague shape resting by his side. ”I..who is there? Where are we? What are you!” The shape lifted its head and three white eyes stared back compassionately. Atvana. It had to be. He tried to weakly stand and the other stag pushed him down again. “You will need to conserve your energy for what is to come.”
Furfur felt only anger. He knew what the being was capable of. It had repaired his antlers in the past. It could intervene. It could bring him back to the forest in an instant if it wanted. The question had barely escaped his mouth when Atvana turned to face him with a knowing smile. “It is forbidden. For your next question…because it would not be good story telling if the moral of the story were ‘someone else will save you’." The stag gave him another comforting nuzzle before the beating of wings heralded it’s departure.
Good..storytelling?
How confusing that being was at times. It seemed that he was on his own. He laid his head back down obediently and saved his energy for the coming events.
YAYAYAYAYAYAYYAYAYAYAYAY!!
MUAHAHAHAHA jk ^^ -will hopefully have up the next segment before the end of the night but no promises T-T
-flaps around like a chicken
*watching with popcorn* This
Lovely! ^^
I see that doves are more
Man, seeing my baby in here fills me with glee and honor. ;A; <333
I'm torn now. Fran is so cute. And Furfur. And Kita. And the baby shouldn't have to lose a father. And Kita shouldn't have to lose a close friend and possibly lover. And Fran shouldn't have to lose Kita.
*Sob.*
Seshi's material time-unabiding-manifestation could stay and the Forest Spirit could make a body for the current Furfur and he and Kita could have babies. > >
...but that wouldn't be good story-telling either. xD <3