Little warning (for Echo, mainly); Lemon's being emo. <'3 x___x Sorryyyy. -kicks her-
Also, no pictures this time. It's too much of a hassel.

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Today wasn't such a good day, though it was at least a little better than yesterday. I spent much of the day skulking around the forest, avoiding contact with other deer at all costs. Though everything had been, for the most part, worked out between the phantom and I, my emotions were still strong. Seed told me that love is the most unselfish thing there is. To some degree, I suppose I agree with that. But then, I still feel as if I've caused more than my share of trouble, just to make myself a little happier. My actions, in retrospect... it just... doesn't seem like something an unselfish deer would do. Still, what's done is done. And somewhere deep inside, I knew that sulking around wasn't going to solve anything. Yet, how could I do anything else, when even the birds did little to cheer me up?

I wandered over to the ruins; the last place I had truly felt happy. It's ironic, isn't it -- how something so terrifying can be so beautiful. A lot of things are that way, when you think about it. I remember when I wouldn't dare take a step in the direction of the ruins. It was Seth who finally helped me overcome my fear.

I made a wide circle around the ruins, remembering the last time I'd been here. I was with Seth; it was one of the best days of my life. Right before we had our little talk. It had been a wonderful day; unusually warm in the forest, but not uncomfortably so. Seth and I spent hours together, exploring the ruins, acting like our usual deliriously-happy selves. Mystress joined us for a while, indulging in our peculiar antics for some time, before trotting off to find, no doubt, more sane companions. Just remembering that day makes me smile. And that's not an easy thing to do.

As I wandered around the ancient ruins, drowning my sorrows in sweeter memories, I stumbled across a most familiar and comforting scent. I quickened my pace, my grin growing. Seth! How fortunate my timing was! I approached, already feeling a thousand times better than I had. I did a little dance, trying to stifle my giggles -- but he remained silent. I tilted my head, curious, and reached forward to nuzzle him. I was surprised to feel the bony coldness of his antler against my muzzle, and my shoulders slumped. He was asleep. Resigned, but hopeful, I curled up beside him. The next thing I remember, is waking up to the piercing whistle of a spell. I yawned, fumbling clumsily for my newly-acquired beau -- only to find that he was missing. Shaking the sleep from my head, I rose delicately to my feet. I twisted my head around to feel my pelt, trying to see what had been cast on me. I was startled to feel the familiar smooth, feathery texture of the Secretary pelt, and I grinned. I almost considered keeping it until I bumped into Seth, next (sort of like wearing your boyfriend's sweatshirt around, eh?). But I eventually decided that this would probably be a rather cheesy thing to do.

There were some other deer nearby, and I joined them for a while. Raunun was there; and we played for a little while. But in the end, I was still feeling exhausted and a little unwell, as a result of yesterday's unfortunate events. It wasn't long before I said goodbye, and fell asleep.

I awoke several hours later, and was surprised to find myself surrounded by quite a large amount of deer. Most of them, as I discovered, were fast asleep. But there were a few deer who loomed over me, including Walter and who I thought to be 21. They seemed excited about something, and they kept bellowing in my ear. I scrunched my nose at them, blinking away the sleep from my eyes. That's when I realized, with a grin, that they were trying to get Seth's attention -- who was standing nearby. He was surprised to see me, but didn't make a move toward me. At first, I wondered why -- but as I approached him, I discovered that he was in the company of a little fawn. A fawn who, as it seemed, was especially timid.

The little fawn, named Peppa, reminds me so much of myself, when I was a fawn. I think that's part of the reason I felt a little.... nevermind. It took quite a while for Peppa to get the hang of me. She was quite fearful of me for a long time; I tried to give her space, and allow her to play with Seth while I waited nearby, behind a tree. I didn't want to spook her away, but I was still longing to feel the comfort of Seth beside me, after such a long day, yesterday. And aside from that, I wanted to join in the fun, as well. But I was careful to remain respectful of the little fawn's space, and, eventually, it paid off.

We three ventured down to the pond, where we played for quite a while. When exhaustion finally overtook me, I said goodbye to be darling Seth, kissed the little fawn on the top of her sweet little head, and went to sleep.

When I awoke, I could immediately sense a startling shift in the atmosphere. I shivered, suddenly overcome by fear and cold. As I rose to my feet, I could hear that distant, chilling howl -- the howl that had sent me into a wild panic, only a few days ago. This time, the fear I felt wasn't nearly as severe. I think I've become a much braver doe, lately.

I turned my nose heaven-ward, searching for any familiar scents. That's when I noticed Peppa, nearby. I turned and trotted for her, hoping I wouldn't startle her. I found her asleep, alone, in the forest. I curled up next to her, laying my head protectively over hers, until Kaoori arrived.

After she arrived, we took turns fending off the wolves, keeping little Peppa safe. After quite some time, I heard Seth's voice ringing through the forest. My heart skipped a beat! I reared, calling back to him. I wanted to run to him and shower him with nuzzles -- finally able to, without having to worry about scaring off any sweet little fawns, in the process. But I couldn't leave Kaoori and Peppa alone, to fend off the wolves.

So I waited. And he left. I tried to act like it didn't bother me, though my eyes stung with tears. I turned away, biting my lip so hard, I thought it might bleed. Sometimes you just can't avoid having a bad day, can you? I tried to stick around for a while, but I began to realize that there really was no use. If Peppa woke up, she was only going to run away from me, and the wolves were scaring the living shit out of me, anyway. I said goodbye to Kaoori, carefully nuzzled the sleeping fawn, and went to sleep.

It's not that I want Seth around me every minute of the day. But I guess it was rather disappointing that he knew I was nearby, and yet deliberately chose to ignore me. It isn't his fault, and ordinarily, I wouldn't think anything of it. But after yesterday, my feelings are still a little tender. Perhaps I should have stayed out of the forest for a few days, after all...