Ooc; bleh, this is long and rather boring. But I wanted to write something, so I did. C: Verdy, if I butchered Walter, I’m sorry.
---

When I awoke, I found myself curled up against the warmth of one of the larger playground rocks. I lay for a moment, my legs entangled, listening carefully to my surroundings. Nearby, I could hear two deer engaged in a sort of fight. Carefully, I rose to my feet, and there I remained for a moment, listening intently to the sounds of battle. There are moments when, I fear, a sort of morbid delight overtakes me, whenever I hear the sound of two stags engaged in some trivial conflict. I like to think that it is an instinct which I acquired in the womb, listening to my feral and highly uncultured father duke it out with competing males; rather than some sort of sociopathic flaw in my mental status. It isn’t, after all, as if I desire blood and carnage. I rather hate it when fights break out, in fact. Yet there is always a twinge of dreadful glee, whenever the sound of clashing antlers happens to strike my ears. And so it was, in this moment, that I listened quietly for a moment while the two stags fought – though it was evident from the very start that the battle was piteously one-sided.

It came about, then, that I was approached by a little fawn. My heart skipped a beat as I felt the young one draw near, curious about me and carefully attempting to decipher my nature. Already, I could tell that this youngster was a brave heart, coming so close to two fighting grown stags. Yet, fawns in the forest needed to be careful – whether they be skittish, or whether they be brave. There were more than a few unsavory characters roaming the forest, and one could not be too careful, at such a delicate size. I nestled my muzzle gently against the nape of the fawn’s neck, giving him a friendly nudge. To my surprise, the fawn responded by thrusting his little head forward and casting a spell onto me! I felt my body begin to tingle and fold into itself as I shrunk down to a miniscule size, and glided up into the air. From where I floated in my new avian form, I could hear the little fawn giggling in glee from ground level, and I had to smile at his sweet naivety.

The fawn, being of short attention span, aptly trotted in another direction. I was now alerted to the fact that the two stags were still engaged in battle – and now, it was becoming quite clear that the war was unfairly fought. No longer were there sounds of clashing antlers – but now, I could hear nothing but Walter’s angry grunts and snarls, accompanied by the fearful whimpers of his foe. My heart sunk when I realized what was happening. These were no ordinary rutting males – this was Walter, warring against a deer I knew faintly as an acquaintance, named Enigma. Walter – oh, angry, perilous Walter! Though his hatred was sometimes just, more often than not his victims were entirely innocent. I feared that today was no exception. I beat my avian wings, hurrying over to where the two stags had positioned themselves. I wasn’t angry, but agitated. Another confrontation with Walter would surely not help our current status – but at this point, I was merely hoping to distract the older stag from his current chosen victim, allowing him a chance to escape. With a ruffle of my silky white feathers, I shook off the spell and resumed my usual deer figure.

As it happened, I stood between the two stags, lifting my head proudly as Walter grunted and snarled impatiently at me for a moment. I lifted myself up onto my hind legs, letting him know that I was ready to fight if need be – but I did not strike him. And then, for a long moment, I waited. I expected to feel him shoving past me, or even striking at me with his hooves. Yet, he remained absolutely motionless, as if mulling over the situation in his mind. We – two blind, scarred, bloodied deer – stood facing each other for some time. Then he turned and walked away, slowly – a most unexpected reaction. I felt myself tremble, and I realized how terrified I had been, in that moment. I turned to see if Enigma was alright, but he had fled – a wise choice.

Hesitantly, I trailed along behind Walter. Now that I had freed his victim from the demon’s wrath, I found myself worrying for Walter’s health. Though I could not see him, I could smell the blood leaking from him, could hear the pained weight of his breath. I followed him, my brows wrinkled with concern. He walked for some time, and then settled down in a patch of long grass. I leaned against a tree, listening carefully as he lay some distance ahead. I stayed there for quite some time, until finally finding the courage to approach him. He stood, and I wondered if he was uncomfortable with my presence. I waited for a moment, breath baited, wondering whether to stay or go. My maternal side urged me to stay, to nestle up to the demon and soothe his wounds – but my logical side warned me to get away from him, when he was in such unstable spirits. I dipped my body down into a bow, and tilted my head to listen for his reaction. He merely stood, watching me carefully. I took a step back, and then another, until I had made up my mind to leave the poor old stag alone.

I trotted quite a distance away, finding a comfortable place in the shade. Just at the moment I felt the cool grass against my belly, I heard Walter calling for me. I stood a little too quickly, and was overcome by dizziness. I smiled in his direction – pleased, but a little confused. He moved toward me and I toward him. Evidently, he had had a change of heart – and I couldn’t have been happier. He pressed his head against mine and I gladly returned his half-embrace. After a moment, I stepped back and nudged his chin encouragingly with my muzzle, smiling to myself.

“Don’t worry so much, dear Walter. It will all be okay. I promise.”

Exhausted, Walter pressed his head against the nape of my neck, and I could feel the wetness of his cheeks. Whether blood or tears, I could not tell. Either way, I felt my heart sink with misery and worry, and my own eyes began to sting with unwelcomed tears.

I would spend the entire night praying continuously that my words would come true.