"ISISS!!" yelled a fawn, no more than a few days old and already running and jumping around with the others. The young deer skidded up to Isis, one of the does who enjoyed watching the young ones play, gossiping with the other does or even participating in with the Fawn play.

At the moment she was just emerging from the cave of does, a place where only female deer attended to enhance their talents and doeish qualities.

The fawn, flying through the air towards the unaware doe, was named Sykora, and had been transfered to the Cave of Does when her mother had died while giving birth to her. Sykora was cared for by the many childrenless does there, and very much enjoyed all the attention she got.

Wam.

Sykora bombarded into Isis, creating a curiously loud sound. The two deer sat on the ground where they had fallen, dazed for a moment. But of course Sykora was quick to recover and started jumping around the confused Isis.

"Isis! Isis! Isis! Guess what?"

Isis the doe lifted her head to the eager fawn. "What on earth was that for, Sykora?" She got up slowly, and shook the twigs and dirt off her pelt, eyeing the fawn suspiciously.

"Emiva told Lacey to come and talk to you!!" The fawn jumped around Isis.

"Emiva? Oh no." Emiva was the old, elderly leader of the Cave of Does, and usually whatever she had to say wasnt that optimistic. But why would she ask Lacey to come and ask her? Hm. Isis pondered over this thought, while at that same exact moment, Lacey come out of a clump of bracken.

"ISIS." Lacey puffed, clearly exhausted and fatigued. "I was looking for you everywhere"

"What is it?" Isis asked her friend, lending a helpful nuzzle to encourage what was to be said. Lacey looked into Isis's eyes.

"You have been summoned."

"Summoned! Summoned! Isis has been summoned!" Sykora danced around the two deer, clearly off in her own world as little fawns do when they dont know that there is danger about.

"Hush Sykora, your so loud" Isis stated to the youngin sternly. Her stomach was begining to twist. Summoning? What does that mean? She looked to Lacey.

"Summoned?"

"Yes" Lacey nodded her head, "I, well... I had a dream...." She paused.

Isis encouraged Lacey onward with a flick of her ears.

"Shortly before Mio's death, actually. And well, it showed me a prophecy. The same prophecy that Mio must have seen before she died." Lacey cringed, remembering her friend in such pain and fright, "and the prophecy told me of five deer... who would save the forest from what is coming..."

"And I was one of the deer?" Lacey nodded, and Isis looked dumfounded. She was summonded in a prophecy? Herself? She didn't have any unique talents or abilities... why her? She cleared her throat. "And who are the other ones?"

"Thats the bad part. I have never seen them before. They seemed to be mostly stags, though, and I've never really seen so many stags in the same spot before. It was kind of scary actually. But, we have to find the other deer to fufil the prophecy before its too late..." Her voice trailed off into the silence of the forest.

Thats when the silent Sykora spoke up. She had been listening intently, and didn not interupt once which means she was thinking deeply about all this. "Whats coming Lacey?"

Lacey turned her head down to the little fawn. So young, so new to the world. What would happen to them all? Lacey, lost in her own thoughts, sadly shook her head at the fawn. She... couldn't say it. It would make her cry... Because...

JOLT.

Lacey froze. Froze.

"Lacey, whats wrong?" Isis turned intently to her friend.

"My... I'm..." She could not breathe. She fell, to the hard cold ground, still frozen in place. her heart... just stopped..... 'Goodbye' she thought to herself, and then Lacey was no more.



Sykora leaped over to Lacey. "Wake up! Wake up Lacey! Whats wrong?" And then she noticed Lacy's undseeing, clouded eyes, and jumped back. "She's... she's...."

"dead." Isis whispered. How? What happened? She went up to her friend, and layed her muzzle on the head of what was once Lacey. "Goodbye... my dear friend..." A tear. But she didn't want to seem weak, although her whole body inside was crying out.

Isis looked to Sykora. "Go back to the cave. Now."

Sykora looked at Isis once, and sprinted to the cave as fast as she could.

Isis followed, but before she left the clearing, she noticed one odd thing...

A red dot right under the left eye of the dead doe.

~~~