<=To chapter 6 * To chapter 8=>

Author's Notes: After a one-day break due to not getting on the computer early enough to start, I have this up now. Though I'm surprised I'm posting this, cuz I had to type stuff earlier not for fun and started this late...
Anyway, I'm rambling.
Can't believe it's chapter 7 already. o.o And we're still in the fawnhood part! Gah. Too long. I hope I get it done soon...
Ok, I now present

Origins
Chapter 7

~*~
The grin on the fawn’s face threatened to split his face in half as he ran through the Forest.

It wasn’t just from the completion of his “set” thanks to the pelt he had decided on.

It was because of the shining “sun” that now floated above his head, between goat-like antlers, known as Orca antlers.

A pictogram that looked a bit like a landscape.

A picto that read “Scape”.

“Woo-hoo!” He leapt into the air, sprinting along towards the pond.

When he reached the shallow water – being careful not to go too deep and wash away his look – the young deer now officially known as Scape gazed at his reflection.

He saw the same dark mask and antlers that helped in determining his name, but now with a different pelt – a dark blue with gold star markings and lines. The Nightfall pelt. A fitting name, as it looked like he could hide in the dark if not for the glowing gold. The blue seemed to shine in the sunlight.

He’d gotten this pelt while hanging out with a fawn and stag last night. They’d formed a temporary herd, travelling together around the Forest for hours. At some point, the Nightfall pelt had been cast on Scape. Seeming to like it, the stag decided to get it for the other fawn, and then asked to have it cast on himself. It was like their herd’s “colors”. Any other deer that joined them – whether for a long time or temporarily – was given the same pelt. When it was becoming late, the young deer had bid his farewell, going to his newly decided on sleeping spot next to the Crying Idol, the statue that was the cause for the stream thanks to its twin waterfalls of tears. Something about it had drawn him right away, giving him a sense of peace and comfort.

He hoped to see those two deer again, even if he couldn’t read their pictograms.

He continued to stare at his reflection, now noticing that while the picto glowed brightly, it did not have a reflection of its own. His brow creased. ‘Weird…’

A buzzing sound caught his attention, causing gray eyes to shift to the side. There he saw a swarm of pink insects flitting around a spot above the shallow water, never venturing too far from it.

One was sitting on a stalk, almost looking like it was staring at him.

It was a bit unnerving, but somehow comforting.

So familiar…

A call in the distance ripped his gaze away from the dragonfly. One of his friends was calling out. Answering, he glanced at the insects one more time, before running off.

Insect-like blue eyes stuck in his mind.



The next days were full of fun, including cage-dancing, rock pillar-dancing, dancing in a jumble, dancing in the Crying Idol, dancing in pillars at the Ruins, dancing in trees, and even regular dancing.

But there was also the contemplation of water-walking, being turned into a frog by a squirrel-ified deer for a fun game of hide-and-seek, being turned into a dove later that day by the same deer who was now sporting the full zombie set, and wondering just how the heck he was able to hang off the rocks at the Playground.

More fun was had the next day when the same deer turned Scape into a mini-fawn. There was also another game of hide-and-seek while in small animal form.

Unfortunately, the worst thing that could happen occurred.

When the fawn was searching for the stag he was sure was hiding in the bridge, the young deer got too close to the edge of the bank, slipped…

…and lost all his spells.

Scape was devastated.

In an attempt to cheer him up, the stag had jumped in himself, reemerging as naked as the fawn.

It helped some, but while the fawn went off to ask for help getting his set back, the stag came back after getting back his own look, and started to help Scape regain his spells.

The fawn definitely considered that stag one of his close friends.



There was a strange but mystical phenomenon in the Forest when Scape awoke.

Colors were falling from the sky!

It was like someone had tossed an infinite supply of petals in the air and they were slowly coming back to earth.

Or maybe a rainbow had been scrambled up…

It was both a blessing and a curse, for not long after waking up, a blue puff of smoke engulfed the fawn, disappearing a second later.

The young buck stood there dumbfounded.

What had just happened? Something seemed off, and not just his head feeling lighter…

He turned to gaze at himself in the pool just beneath the Idol’s tears.

His spells were gone!

And right after he’d gotten them back just the other day too!

His ears drooped.

Scape gritted his teeth.

He would not cry.

It seemed the time for celebration was over, leading into another type of celebration; only this time, it was back to the normal way of the Forest – only named adult deer could keep their looks.

Slumping, the fawn decided to go back to sleep for a few hours. He didn’t feel like playing right now.

When he awoke, he felt better, but his spirits remained somewhat low. The lack of spells just made him wish to grow up faster, but Scape had been told that wouldn’t happen until his “stag-day”, the day he would grow up and awake a fully-grown deer with a head of antlers.

Most importantly, he’d be able to keep magic.

Judging by when he was “born” in the Forest, it would only be in a few more weeks.

He could handle that.

Nodding to himself, and feeling more cheerful, the fawn went to find a flower patch. One thing he hadn’t been able to do while wearing the Orca antlers was wear flowers on his head…