WinterLeaf began to wake up to a heaving noise that disturbed him. Until he realized it was his heaving noise. He couldn’t breathe! ”Where am I!” He struggled to his hooves and opend his eyes, all the while struggling to catch the slightest breath. He took the deepest one he could muster and held perfectly still in hopes to gain enough vision and thought to find out where he was.

Surrounded by a field of blue, no. A bowl of blue the realization of his location became clear. ”Why here! How did I wake up here?” WinterLeaf choked. Gaining his grounds he stumbled out of his death trap and ran as far as he could until he felt like he couldn’t run any longer. Legs like a new born fawns he leaned against a tree to regain his breath. What a bad start to a sunny morning.


Chirp!chirp!

Not even flinching he saw a bird sitting next to him on the ground. Normally they didn’t get so close to him, maybe it was concerned. . . He didn’t want to think of it any longer. The Bowl wasn’t going to get him down today!
Then he sensed somebody he knew it was Dynamite! His adopted son! Nala knew him better but it was still good to sense a familiar friend in the forest!

But…

He didn’t recognize him. He didn’t really expect him to, but he still felt the familiar twinge of pain. Trying to forget the hole eating his heart as he also remembered his mate, which seemed to be missing lately, he went to sleep.

Night? No, Twilight. The sun is setting. As the cool air hit his face he sighed as he was feeling better than earlier. He dreamed of being with his little family. A slow walk in the darkening sky would make the day all the better.
But then he noticed something, there was a scent. Familiar? No it wasn’t, but it was… someone he had never met before. But he recognized the scent.

There a deer in the distance. Minding its own business. Enjoying its own company. Like WinterLeaf should have been but he couldn’t resist. He had to make an introduction to this deer.
The deer was hard to catch up to, jumping, flying, WinterLeaf only wished he could be that graceful in motion, but no. He was the Golden Deer with a breathing problem. Wonderful.
WinterLeaf expected the graceful deer to run from him, anything but give him such a heartfelt formal greeting.
No nuzzles, just sniffs, the old way. WinterLeaf gladly returned the formal greeting. Sadly they didn’t get to spend much time to get to know each other, WinterLeaf began to feel his lungs hack up again, he didn’t want to offend the other somehow familiar deer, so he said his good byes and went to sleep to get over the feeling. But not before checking he was faaaaaaarrr away from the dreaded flower bowl. he didn't need another incodent like this mornings.



Good night Familiar Stranger