(Read part one here: http://www.endlessforest.org/community/beginning .)

It was midday and two fawns frolicked through the violets on the path that led to the playground. The larger fawn went first, head held high, drinking in the fresh forest air, his tail twitching with excitement. Where the violet thinned out into yellow grass, he spun around and let out a playful roar. The lighter fawn, who had paused to soak in the sunlight as it filtered through the branches, pricked her ears at his roar and skipped over to him.

"What's the rush?" she asked.

"There's never any rush, according to you. If I wasn't around, you probably wouldn't make it to the playground until sundown, and then it'd be time to go home." He shook his body head to tail and spun around again, looking over his shoulder. "Come on. I'll race you!"

Without giving her a chance to protest, he bounded away through the grass. The young doe only hesitated a moment. Then, with a small hop, she was racing lightly after him.

The two friends skidded to a halt as the half-buried boulders loomed before them. A brief silence fell upon them as they gazed up in awe at the highest peak. The doe walked forward and pressed her cheek gently against the base of the rock. It was cool, as if the sun's rays did not reach this far down its stony mass. She guessed the top would be warmer. A scraping sound made her look to her right, and she saw her friend scrambling up one of the smaller boulders. A smile slowly spread across her face. She trotted over to join him, leaping nimbly onto the small rock and widening her stance to steady herself as she landed. She laughed when she saw her friend's surprised expression and leaped easily away onto the next rock and the next, making her way up to the peak. The other struggled to keep up.

The two fawns chased each other up and down the stony steps, laughing and dodging each other's charges, until at last they tumbled together at the base of the highest boulder again. Finally, panting for breath, they lay side by side and were still. The young buck lifted his chin as a cool breeze suddenly swept uphill from the forest path. He closed his eyes to focus on drinking in the familiar, comforting scent. His eyes sprang open again. There was something else in the breeze, a strange scent, much sharper than the earthy smells to which he was accustomed. At his side, his friend was already on her feet, her ears and eyes focused on the patch of violets they had raced across earlier. He could feel the tension in her body spreading across his fur, and his heart began to pound more quickly. "Follow me. We'll take the long way back," he whispered, hoping he sounded calm for his friend's sake. He eased himself up, and walked casually around a boulder. The two fawns wove their way between the rocks until they came to the edge of the yellow grass far away from the path they had taken to get to the playground. Then, without a word, they broke into a sprint.

Karma stiffened as she watched the fawns race out of sight. She had been watching them play from her nest in the tall grass at the base of a large rock. Their noisy laughter had woken her from a brief nap, but she had found their romp quite entertaining. Why had they disappeared so suddenly? Had something spooked them? She squinted to gaze across the clearing to the patch of violets that had seemed to unnerve the young doe, but she saw nothing unusual there. She twisted her large ears in that direction, then raised her chin to sniff. Nothing.

Oh well, that's fawns for you. Probably spooked by their own shadows. She shrugged off her unease, and stood up, stretching. She had far too much on her mind as it was. The months since their reunion had passed peacefully for the Elmheart siblings, but Karma felt a restlessness growing inside her. Her siblings were grown again now. It was time to get down to business. When they met this evening, she would make sure they discussed their plans for rebuilding the herd. Her spirits soared as she imagined them once again surrounded by strong and brave deer, dancing together on the highest boulder, their roars raised as one into the moonlit sky. Yes, it was time to get down to business...

(Read part three here: http://www.endlessforest.org/community/planning-herd .)