ooc; sorry for the bump! Just changing a few minor things. <3

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Deep within the forest, a little silver doe lay, curled up with her nose tucked against the warmth of her belly. Three little white birds perched on a branch just above her, peering nervously down at the young miss below. Suddenly, a hush fell over the forest. A blue-white mist settled over the three birds, and their eyes turned a ghostly shade of white. One by one, the three birds fluttered down to the sleeping doe, and perched on her soft, peacock-feather head dress. ”Gilda,” they called in unison. The little doe stirred, but did not rise. Gilda!” The birds called again, their voices sweet and serene. The silver doe lifted her head, and the birds fluttered to the ground before her, tilting their heads to peer up at her.

”Gilda, we must act quickly. We are incarnates of the great forest spirits; it has taken us a very long time to find you.”

The doe, known by most as Lemon, shifted her weight with surprise. She began to speak, but was interrupted by the voices of the three little birds.

”There was once a deer named Agrona, who lived akin to the wolf. She lusted for power, and was a greedy spirit. Yet, she accomplished many good deeds during her lifetime, and was permitted to join us as one of the great forest spirits, after she died. However, Agrona longed for power, even as a free soul. She became violent, and grew very powerful. We had no choice but to banish her. We did not know of the existence of the Endless Forest, then; but Agrona did. She discovered the Endless Forest in her banishment, and realized that this was her opportunity to gain the power which she lusted for. She returned to Earth, disguising herself expertly, and stole you from the womb of your mother. She knew that you were destined for great things, as a mortal – and she also knew that she would never be able to gain power in the Endless Forest, without a mortal to speak and act through. So she stole you, and returned with you to the Endless Forest. She raised you, having you believe that she alone was the entire congregation of spirits; when in actuality, she is but one lonely soul. Now she tries to gain power through you, by having you slay the most widely-feared member of this forest. She wishes that all other deer fear you, so that she may control the forest through you.”

Lemon slowly rose to her feet, her mouth fallen slightly agape, shocked at what she had heard. Her ears flattened against her head, the little doe took a nervous step back. For a moment, she merely let the information sink in. Then, on the brink of tears, the young deer tilted her head at the little birds. ”Wh... Why did it take you so long to find me?”

The little birds nodded in unison. ”We thought you might ask. We did not know where you were, for a long time. We knew that Agrona had taken you; but we did not know where. Over the years, we have sent out spirits into many different realms, searching diligently. We finally found you here, just a few moments ago. We three will be returning to Earth, to report your location. You must prepare yourself, Gilda, for we will need to confront Agrona soon. For now, we must take leave – before Agrona knows that we have discovered her hiding place. Keep your strength up, and keep alert. Do not tell Agrona that we have found you. Goodbye, Gilda.”

The three birds collapsed in unison, their eyes returning to a stony grey color. Lemon whimpered, gently nudging the little birds, attempting to awaken them – but soon realized that it was to no avail. The birds had died.

Lemon fell to her knees, suddenly racked with tears.

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Lemon roused from her slumber, woken by the whispers of a familiar voice. ”Lemon?” The little doe lifted her head, blinking away the sleep from her eyes, and flicked her ears into an alert position. ”Lemon?” the whisper came again, and Lemon recognized the voice as belonging to a doe named Kailani. She smiled. Forgetting her wounds, little Lemon struggled to her feet. She winced as she felt a trickle of fresh blood slide down her side, remembering that she had not quite fully healed, yet. ”K-Kailani?” Lemon called, trying to locate the other doe. She heard Kailani stir, and the yellow-eyed doe moved cautiously toward her. By the time she reached the doe, she became aware of the fact that there were two other deer sleeping nearby. One, she recognized as Uio. The other, she recognized to be her mate, Seth. ”It's Seth... he's hurt,” Kailani said, and Lemon froze. She didn't like the strain of fear in Kailani's voice.

It was then, that Lemon became aware of an ominous scent. It was morbid and terrifying, metallic and stale, bringing back unwanted and horrifying memories -- it was the scent of blood. She felt tears sting her eyes as she lurched toward her mate, her heart pounding furiously in her chest. ”Seth!” The little doe cried, nudging against her lover's feathery pelt. She heard the skull-faced dear groan, and stir. Her twiggy legs folded as she lay down beside Seth, resting her head upon his broad shoulders, and attempting to keep the tears from sliding down her cheeks. ”Sweetheart, what happened?”

Seth grunted, twisting his head around to give his mate a gentle, comforting nuzzle. ”Walter,” he muttered. ”We... had a fight. I'm fine.” Lemon tensed at the sound of the elderly deer's name, and her jaw clenched. ”Uio and I are not faring so well, either,” Kailani remarked, her voice grim and quiet. Lemon felt her heart fall. Uio and Kailani were wounded, as well – victims of an old stag's egotistical rampage. Why was Walter so angry? What caused his sudden turmoil? She had never seen a deer so needlessly evil; a deer who had seemed so kind and likable, only days before.

The four deer lay together, wounded by the same evil force. Lemon lay nestled against her mate, while Kailani comforted Uio, who remained in a deep sleep. For quite a while, the deer all remained silent. The only sound between them was Uio's labored breath, and the occasional uncomfortable shift from Seth, as he attempted to keep the pain at bay. Finally, little Lemon broke the silence with a frustrated sigh. ”I just don't understand,” she remarked. ”I thought he was... I just never thought... Everyone always said he was a jerk; but I never really believed them.” Lemon felt Seth nestle a little closer, and realized that he had fallen asleep. The little doe sighed. She had had so much hope for Walter. Now, she wasn't sure what she thought of him...

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The sun was high when Lemon finally moved away from the gathering of wounded deer. Seth had fallen into a deep slumber, and the doe knew that he would not awaken again for some time. So she moved through the forest, her aching legs carrying her slowly through a forest which had suddenly lost its heavenly glow. The forest had always seemed so wonderful and safe, to her. Now, it seemed that every shadow threatened her; every sound was a call of alarm, in her mind. It had been a long time since she had feared the forest, this way. She hated to lurk between the trees like a ghost, unable to join the other deer in their ignorant bliss. Yet, Walter's attack had wounded her deeply – and not merely in a physical way.


Suddenly, Lemon became aware of an ominous sound. She froze, her eyes widening with fear. That familiar snarl, that heavy stomping of large hooves. It had to be Walter. Evidently, the old demon had roused from his slumber, and he now wandered the forest, several hundred yards away from where Lemon stood. And all of the sudden, she felt as if she was drowning in the open air. She could hardly breathe – it was as if her lungs had closed up entirely. Lemon felt her knees buckle, and she hit the ground with a sickening thud. She had been hoping to see Walter in the forest, again – but she hadn't counted on having a panic attack, as soon as she sensed him. Now she lay on the ground, her sides heaving as she tried desperately to pull enough oxygen into her panicking body.

A voice startled her; entering her mind uninvited. The deer froze, surprised. ”Gilda, don't act like a newborn fawn. You know that we will give you the strength you need to confront the demon who haunts this forest. Now get up. And follow your destiny.” Lemon realized, now, that Agrona's voice was much louder, much less comforting, than the voices of the true spirits. How could she have fallen for such a mindless trick? How could she have let Agrona fool her, for so long? Still, Lemon knew that she had to continue pretending to be under Agrona's deceitful spell. Without the spirits to back her up, she would be useless. Wrinkling her pale brow, Lemon took in a deep breath. She slowly lifted herself to her feet, just as Walter let out a threatening roar. Agrona – however much she hated to admit it – was right. Lemon needed to forgive Walter, and to beg his forgiveness in return. If she did not confront him now, she would never have the courage.

Suddenly, Lemon was startled to hear the sound of hooves thundering toward her. She turned, taken aback, and recognized the scent of her dear friend, Raunun. Lemon smiled, lowering her head meekly as the stag approached. ”Raunun,” she sighed, accepting his offered embrace. Raunun immediately picked up on the little doe's discomfort, and he frowned. ”What is it, Lemon?” Lemon felt her lip tremble. ”W-Walter. He's there; can you hear him? I need to speak with him.” She hesitated, closing her yellow eyes. ”He's going to rip me to pieces, isn't he?” Raunun chuckled. He had always found Lemon's dramatic ways to be quite amusing. ”Lemon, you don't need to bother with that old jerk. Let's just stay away for a while, huh?” Lemon shook her head. ”No, I... I just can't seem to wrap my head around this. Something's wrong, I just know it. He liked me, before. We were friends. I don't care what others say; this isn't just a bad mood. Something's wrong with Walter, and I can't just let it go...” Raunun sighed, giving the smaller doe a gentle nudge. By now, he knew that there was no changing Lemon's mind. She was a stubborn deer, when she wanted to be.

”It isn't your job to take care of him, Lemon,” Raunun said. ”And after what he did to you, I hardly think he deserves so much as a second glance.” Raunun's wise words fell on deaf ears; Lemon had already made up her mind. She turned to her good friend, pressing her cheek briefly against his in a half-embrace, before turning to face her fate. The young doe moved quickly away from where Raunun stood, toward the demon who plagued her life.

Raunun watched little Lemon go, his ears flattened against his head. He didn't like where this was headed – Lemon had a tendency to keep her head in the clouds, sometimes. She was on an impossible mission, trying to find good where she would never find it. And though it hurt to think of, Raunun knew that it would probably be the death of her, in the end. The trumpet-antlered stag moved slowly after Lemon, taking it upon himself to ensure that the silly girl didn't get herself into too much trouble.

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ooc; I'll end it here, for now. <3 I hope I didn't butcher anyone's characters too badly. x_____x