Last night, I ran into Rowan, and we decided to go matchy.



I actually quite liked the way the peacock feathers felt, laying softly against my neck. But I don’t know; I’d love to hear the opinion of you other deer. Since I obviously can’t see myself, which looks better? Oh, I’m being vain. I’m sure no one really cares which antlers I wear. Maybe I’ll just stick with the peacock feathers. I’ve been wearing them ever since running into her last night, but I still have the doe antlers available, just in case.

This morning, I awoke to find the phantom nearby. I ran to him, hoping he wouldn’t be frightened away by my, erm, new shape. Much to my relief, he was quite happy to see me. Our greeting was warm and affectionate; and I couldn’t help but marvel at how far we have come. It seems like only yesterday that I was watching him peek at me from behind a tree, not daring to get too close. Has it really been that long, since I first got close enough to touch him, tip-toeing tentatively toward him until I was close enough to reach out and nuzzle him? And now, here we are. I’m no longer a fawn, and he has come a long way from the deer I used to know.

It wasn’t long before Seth showed up, as well. I was overjoyed to see him, and he seemed surprised to see me. It took me a moment to remember my antlers; that the last time he saw me, I wasn’t quite as… colorful. Rowan was around, as well. Though she didn’t stick to our little group, I did hear her bounding by, every once in a while. She’s such a playful doe – she’s a good friend to have.

That’s when we bumped into Walter; a stag who is evidently quite fond of tormenting Seth and I, though I have never formally met him. I can’t say I know what Walter’s problem is, why he insists on getting into fights with Seth and shoving his antlers in my face every time he comes around. I don’t mind, honestly; I just do my best to stay away from him, and make sure it’s clear that I find him quite terrifying. The last time I saw him, I was still a fawn – I’ve done a pretty good job of avoiding him, since then.

Now, I’m not the kind of doe who goes ‘round picking fights, and while it may be hard to believe, I don’t enjoy stirring up drama in the forest. In fact, I’m not a big fan of drama, and I positively hate fights. But sometimes, it’s difficult to avoid getting yourself into such a situation. I’m not sure what happened, exactly. Being blind, I’m not exactly the most reliable witness. All I know is that one minute I was trying my best to stay as far away from Walter as possible, and the next, Seth was locking antlers with him, and they were both hollering their lungs out. I ‘watched’ from a distance, trembling with fear. I didn’t like where this was heading, and I was keen to turn tail and run. I stayed near Rowan, hoping the two stags would break it up after a minute. Then the phantom joined in, and I decided that enough was enough. I’m not sure what clicked in me, but before I knew it, I had joined them. We four deer stood, deadlocked – each of the two sides trying to shoo the other away. Given that I had no antlers (or experience) with which to fight, I mostly just did a lot of standing there awkwardly, adding to the mass and noise more than anything.



After a while, I gradually returned to my senses, and began to worry that someone was going to get hurt. Like I said, I’m not fond of fighting, and it’s not like me to be so bold. Normally, I wouldn’t even consider getting into a scrap with three stags. What doe would? But I guess it’s just part of my nature to stand up for my friends, when the time comes. I retreated back to Rowan’s side, who was disheartened by the sight of so many deer fighting. I shared in her sadness, feeling rather ashamed of myself for jumping into the chaos. I know Walter and Seth don’t get along well, but why do they fight every time they see each other? I wish they would settle their differences, somehow. I mean, Walter can be a nuisance, sure. But I feel obligated to apologize to him, as I do feel sorry for the guy. And maybe Walter isn’t the peachiest old buck; but there’s got to be a good side in there, somewhere. …Hasn’t there?

At any rate, Seth and Phantom soon left Walter to his own. After that, I was more careful about avoiding Walter. After today, I’ve got to say… well, it’s not like me to dislike any particular deer. I try to be friendly when I can be. But, I’m certainly not Walter’s biggest fan. Maybe I’ll try to find him, one day when I’m feeling especially brave, and try to solve whatever grudge he’s taken against the world. Maybe all he needs is a little love, and then he’d be a little less grumpy. Oh, if only I wasn’t so damned frightened of him!

Anyway, after that, I found little Dynamite. He is such a nice fawn; I owe him a lot, for being such a good friend during my childhood. I would be inclined to think of myself as his big sister, if only it wasn’t for the fact that he does more taking care of me, than the other way around!



Phantom ran off, and we followed him, for a while. He would run for a while, and then lay down and watch us. I began to get the feeling that the phantom wanted to be left alone; Every time we got near enough to him, he would get up and run off, again. So I tried to tell Dynamite and Seth that we should probably let him be, and, much to my relief, they were content to ignore him for a bit. I do get nervous when there are so many deer around the phantom. When he’s around, I like to stay close to him. It’s something left over from my childhood, I’m sure. He makes me feel… safe. But when there are lots of deer around, not only is it difficult for me to keep track of him, but the chances of him running off to be alone are much higher.

At any rate, Seth, Dynamite, and I played for a while. The phantom slowly inched back toward us, and finally laid down nearby, to watch. Then Dynamite said goodbye, and went to sleep. Seth and I were fine together; playing for a bit.



But after a while, after the mood had sunken to a slightly more serious and calm level, I realized that the phantom was gone. At first, I thought he was gone for good. Seth and I went over to where he had been laying, and wondered if he would return. Then I noticed him, running a wide circle around us. It took us quite some time, but eventually we caught up to him.

I wondered what was wrong; he didn’t seem interested in getting very close to me, and in fact, he seemed more interested in running away from me, every time I got too near. But after a minute of chasing him around, he eventually gave me a nuzzle, letting me know that everything was just fine.



Seth, the phantom, and I did have fun, after that. I was glad to see the phantom feeling a little more giddy then usual. Still, I couldn’t help but feel the tension in the air. Perhaps I was the only one who noticed it; but I wonder if our altercation with Walter had put us all on edge. I did see Walter by the pond, sometime later. I shivered in fear when I noticed him, and turned to trot the other direction. Someday I’ll try to make him my friend; but today is not that day.

The phantom left, after that. It sounds silly, but I was quite happy that he actually said goodbye to me, this time -- rather than simply running off, leaving me dazed in a cloud of dust. He gave me a nuzzle, and Seth a bow, before galloping off to wherever it is he insists on falling asleep. It’s always the same, saying goodbye to the phantom. I don’t know how he does it, but he always runs faster than I ever could, and then falls asleep before I can catch up to him. I’ve never seen the place where he falls asleep, and I’ve never seen him even so much as lay his head down. I can’t say that I mind; I’ve become quite attached to the phantom and his elusive ways.

Love,
Lemon