I may add images later, but I don't have time at the moment. <3 Sorry it's so long!

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Today was the first relatively normal day I’ve had in a long while. Seth and I have decided to adopt the little fawn known as Peppa. Peppa, is entirely deaf. I understand exactly what it’s like to be debilitated, how scary everything can be. Of course, I went blind gradually – as a young fawn, my eyesight was perfect. As I grew nearer and nearer to my first birthday, however, things went awry. My vision became blurred, and quite dim. This continued to get worse, until one day, I was utterly and completely blind. No fawn should have to live like I do. I hope I can help Peppa become a slightly more well-adjusted doe then I am. Perhaps her childhood will be a little less lonely, a little less sad. I can only hope…

I also feel that it’s important to note the fact that, though Peppa is not my biological daughter, I still refer to her as such. I hate to say that she isn’t related to me – it almost seems as if I’m almost ashamed to say that she belongs to me, that way. I’m proud to call her my daughter, proud to deliberately leave off that dampening clause to her title. For a long time, I’ve longed to have a daughter or son of my own, knowing that I will never have the chance to know what it’s like, to feel another living being grow within my belly. Peppa is my little girl. She is not my adopted daughter; she is my daughter, plain and simple. And I wouldn’t be have it any other way.

I found Peppa, this morning, near the playground. Though I love the lower rocks, I’m quite wary about the taller ones. It took a moment, as I trotted merrily toward my newly-acquired daughter, to recognize the scent of my friend, Seed. Seed has always been like a brother, to me; so I was glad to see that he had already made friends with my little deaf girl. We bounced around for quite some time – I was surprised to see Peppa so full of energy!

After quite some time, I noticed Cheneniah’s scent on the wind, and heard timid footsteps tentatively moving toward us. I turned, startled. Seed, Peppa, and I all tried to get Cheneniah to come closer. At first, he hung back. Then, after a while, he did come and say hello. It wasn’t long before he had taken off once again, however. We were left tilting our heads in confusion, drowning in the dust left by his frantic hooves.


Seed, Peppa, and I ventured down to the pond. I was nervous about Peppa getting to close to the water; a fawn as skittish as her would be traumatized, accidentally falling into the pond. Then again, I remembered Peppa’s obsession with frogs – reminiscent of my own adoration for winged creatures – and I thought that, perhaps, she might actually enjoy it. Thankfully, Peppa stayed well away from the water’s edge. Seed, however, slipped and fell right in. I tried to stifle my giggles, finding the irony in the situation rather funny. I had been so busy worrying about the fawn, and the fully grown stag had been the one to tumble into the water!

After a while of trying (and failing) to get Seed’s set back, we three decided to curl up for a little nap. I tried to stay awake, keeping an ear out for little Peppa – but I must have dozed off for a bit, because the next thing I remember, Seed had vanished.

Peppa and I wandered a little ways away. We ran into two little fawns – one of which, I recognized as being Dovev. I smiled, wondering if the two fawns would get along. They seemed to be very similar in personality, and I thought they might make good friends. Suddenly, one of the fawns cast a spell on me! I jumped, startled – and then remembered that Peppa was terrified of spells. Again, another spell was cast – this time, on Peppa! She stumbled off, and I turned to the little mischievous fawn, shaking my head at him. He didn’t get the idea. I hurried after Peppa, hoping she was okay, and tried to comfort her. As I reached out to nuzzle her, my mask bumped into hers, and I realized that we had both been granted the same mask. I giggled, and Peppa seemed to relax a little bit.

Then I heard tiny footsteps, coming straight for us. I carefully sniffed the air, and discovered that Dovev had followed us. I smiled, giving him a curtsy, and nodded for Peppa to say hello.

”Go on, I’m right here,” I murmured softly. Though Peppa is deaf, she is quite adept at reading lips; but she cannot understand what other deer are trying to tell her, if she is turned away. This doesn’t make for a good mixture, between the two of us – as I can never tell when she’s looking at me, and when her attention is directed elsewhere. I felt Peppa tremble and lean against me for comfort, and I smiled. I twisted my neck around to comfort the little fawn, nuzzling her lovingly. Then I gave her a little nudge, encouraging her to say hello. This time, Peppa managed to gather enough courage to give the other fawn a polite bow. I nodded and smiled in approval, rewarding her with a comforting nuzzle. ”That wasn’t so hard, was it, now?” I murmured, more to myself, than anything. Sometimes it’s even difficult for me to meet fawns. Though I had met Dovev previously, I was still feeling a little flustered from interacting with the little trouble-making fawn, earlier.

Dovev and Peppa seemed to make fast friends, much to my relief and joy. I kept a careful ear out while the fawns played, making sure all was well. Eventually, I became quite drowsy, and had to say goodbye. I told Peppa to be safe, to be careful around strangers, and to stick with Dovev, if she could. Then I gave her a loving kiss on the top of her head, nuzzled little Dovev, and went to sleep.

When I awoke, I found Peppa and Dovev curled up next to each other, beside an old tree. I smiled and curled up with them, listening for any sign of danger. After a while, Peppa faded out of the forest, and Dovev woke up.

I’ve grown quite fond of Dovev, lately. He’s such a playful little spirit, with such a vivid imagination. He reminds me of a little bird, hopping around and flitting about. Uno joined us for a while, masqued as a squirrel. A nameless deer also joined us – and I was surprised to find that he was very playful. I have met more than my share of nameless deer, and most either seem to be preoccupied with trying out each and every possible action; while the remainder of them are very sluggish and clumsy in their social skills. This nameless, however, was a smooth talker, and seemed very collected about himself. He seemed to be searching for someone, as well. Every few minutes, he would fall deathly silent, listening intently. Then he would slouch over, disappointed, and shake his head. After a while, he said goodbye, and trotted off. I turned to Dovev and tilted my head. What a curious creature…

I fell asleep for a little bit, after that. When I awoke, I was startled to discover that there were quite a few deer, nearby. I didn’t notice them, at first – they were awfully quiet, and I wasn’t fully awake yet. But as the drowsiness slowly began to ebb away, I came to realize that I was not alone. I felt ten eyes burning into the back of my head, and I whirled around, suddenly a bit nervous. Suddenly, the whole herd was moving toward me – running! I took a step back, my nervousness taking a turn toward fear. But as the leader of the group drew nearer, I recognized his scent. It was Walter! Zerg and Scape were there, as well – along with two other deer I didn’t recognize. I laughed, greeting each of my friends affectionately, and bowing politely to the two strangers.

We split into two groups and had a little ‘dance war’. I’m not sure what that was all about, but it was fun! A nameless and a fawn joined us, after a bit. Suddenly, I was alerted to the scent of little Peppa, and froze, turning my attention to my surroundings. I pinpointed the sound of her little hooves tiptoeing cautiously around, nearby, and I found her hiding behind a tree.

She seemed excited to see me, but I knew that she was nervous about the other deer. I nuzzled her lovingly, and she hid beneath me. After a moment, she laid down, and I stood over her protectively, as my friends wandered over to investigate. I nodded for them to come closer, excited to introduce them to the newest addition to my little family.

Suddenly, I could hear that tell-tale ringing in my ears, that shrill, piercing howl. Someone had cast a spell! I jumped, shaking my head blindly, as I listened to my daughter’s frantic footsteps fade into the distance. I raced after her, calling in vein. Fortunately, the little fawn hadn’t gone far. I took my place beside her, and nudged her back to the little group. ”It’s okay,” I said. ”It was just an accident.” Little Peppa moved cautiously back toward the other deer, and I smiled. She was such a brave little fawn; far braver then I had been, as a young one.

And then – oh, then! The air was suddenly filled with piercing noises, making my ears ache. Spells -- three or four of them! – carelessly being thrown around. I tried to call for little Peppa – ”Stay close!” I cried – but I knew it was no use. I knew she was already halfway across the forest, crying out in terror. And because that damned shrill sound of the spells still filled my ears, I had no way of tracking her down. When the noise finally died down, I could hear the faint sound of tiny hooves, racing away. Wasting no time, I raced after little Peppa, praying that no harm would come to her.

It isn’t easy for me to track deer who are moving quickly – especially little fawns. And given the little fawn’s unfortunate head-start, it probably wouldn’t be easy to find her. Thankfully, the Gods were smiling on me. I found her before anyone else did, and pulled her in close to me. I was torn between scolding her for running off, and comforting her, telling her that some deer simply weren’t nice.

”It’s okay,” I said softly, holding my head lovingly against hers. Walter approached then, and I offered him a shaky smile. Motherhood was going to be the death of me. I tried to tell him to approach, that it would be alright if he just moved slowly. But, of course, I should have been more careful. Once again, that irritating chime screamed in my ears. I jumped, my heart pounding violently against my ribcage. Damnit! Not again! I felt Peppa leave my side, and I knew she was gone, again. I reared up and slammed my hooves into the ground, infuriated.

”What the hell, Walter?” No words could describe my anger, at that moment. ”Pick on someone your own size, you old jerk!” I whirled around, and galloped after Peppa, moving as quickly as I possibly could. When I finally caught up with the little one, my shoulders slumped a bit. I had been trying to protect little Peppa, and I’d failed. What if Walter had truly meant to do some damage? What if it had been one of those dreaded zombie deer, looking to make Peppa into a nice snack? I was a fool to think I’d ever make a decent mother…

Peppa and I stuck together, after that. I kept an ear out for Walter, feeling sorry for what I’d said. I knew that Walter had a heart – I’d seen his good side plenty of times. Perhaps the spell had been a gift to little Peppa; most fawns enjoyed that sort of thing. How was he supposed to know that the blinding light of the spells terrified little Peppa? It wasn’t until after my daughter had gone to sleep, however, that he dared approach. I gave him a friendly nuzzle and nodded. ”I’m sorry, Walter,” I said, sincerely. He seemed a little sulky, but I think my apology made him feel a bit better.

Lemon