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You've daydreamed all day today. Your little fawn, Vito, has filled your imagination. You wonder what he will look like when he's older, how he will behave, what his personality will be like...

You come home and find the little plush fawn sitting on your chair, as if he was awaiting your arrival. You smile and pick him up, sitting in the chair and resting the little fawn on your lap. You stare deeply into his plastic eyes, and almost in a trance, you feel yourself grow tired. Sitting back, you fall asleep.

"Good morning, Mother.", you hear a voice say. You awake to see both Vito and your deer waiting for you. Vito has grown a little since the last time you saw him.

"Mother?", you ask. Your deer nods, "You were the first person Vito saw when he was born, so he sees you as his mother. Don't worry about it.", they reply. You tilt your head at the little one, who eagerly smiles at you. He is quite handsome for a little fawn.

You soon discover your surroundings - a gradual slope rising up, grass everywhere with boulders that seem to litter the place, and a trail that goes up the side of the hill. "We are at the base of a mountain, and today we will be climbing to the top to meet an oracle.", your deer says to you.

You want to ask what they mean by 'oracle', but you see Vito start to make his way up the trail, and look back at you. "Are you coming, Mother?", he asks. You smile and nod. You trust your deer and know it will be explained later. Following the fawn, you watch him as he frolics and bounds on the trail. Your deer stays behind you, who seems to be enjoying the walk as well.

The three of you go up the slope, none speaking but all finding the climb to be a little more difficult with each step. At one point Vito, who has found himself to be more tired than you or your deer, sits on the trail. "This is hard!", he says at once. You approach him and say, "Here, I'll carry you."

The little one lets you pick him up, and you rest his body around your neck like a shepard would carry a lamb. He wraps around you, his warm belly softly breathing as he rests. You look back to your deer, "How much farther is the peak?", you ask.

"Not too far. We're almost there.", they reply. You continue on, holding onto Vito, who has fallen asleep on your shoulders.

You finally make it to the top of the mountain, and look back surprised at how far you had climbed. The air is a little colder than you remember, and a light breeze brushes past you and your friends. You then see someone standing by a lone tree on the top.

You and your deer approach a wise old stag. His antlers are chipped and his fur is a silver color. He looks at you with stern but kind eyes. Your deer nudges you, "The words he will speak are for you and Vito. Listen to them closely.", they say.

You approach as Vito opens his eyes and sees the old one there. You lift the little fawn from your shoulders and place him on the ground so he can look up to the stag. "Are you the Oracle?", Vito asks them.

The old one nods, "I am.", he replies, then looks to you, "And you must be the one seeking to return to Nature.", he says. You nod in reply. "Let me ask you about your kind, if you don't mind listening to my words.", the stag then begins.

"Why is it that the right and left wings oppose one another, flapping randomly and not in unison? Why do they argue with each other, leading the bird who owns them spiraling down to their death?", he asks.

You don't know how to answer, but your face shows him that you are pondering the question. He continues, "These are odd times, the world is run by the humans, yet they never seem to agree on anything. I have seen proposed solutions to many problems they have created, but their constant squabbling over who is right and who is wrong leads to little ever getting done. I have seen these self-appointed kings and leaders who believe to be of noble history, but all they really are concerned about is their fame, wealth, and power over those who follow them. They fight against each other over petty things like land and man-made possessions, which leads to nothing more but death, hatred, bickering, and damage to themselves and the world."

You continue to listen. His words are wise and told by one who does not know about human politics but rather sees it from the outside. The old stag continues, "Humans need to have a leader who will do everything in their power to help save the world, rather than try to oppose others by destroying it, or neglecting the needs of Nature by greedily squandering their powers for themselves. Humans need someone to guide them on the right path, to learn the virtues of compassion, generosity, humility, and kindness."

He looks to you intently, "Humans need you."

You are a little surprised by the words, but you slowly nod, "I understand. I know I am just one person, but I will do everything I can to make the world right again."

The Oracle smiles, "That's all I need to hear.", he says. Then he turns his attention to little Vito, "Now to you, I want you to do me a favor.", he speaks to the fawn. Vito nods, "Anything, sir!", he replies.

"Take care of your mother.", he says.

The little fawn looks up to you happily. He is young but you can tell that he is brave, and will grow up to be a strong buck. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you.", he says to you.

You smile at them, "Thank you, I know you'll protect me.", you reply.

The old stag sits under his tree. "Don't forget my words.", he says to the both of you. You and Vito nod in unison, and turn to rejoin the watching deer nearby.

Your deer looks to you with a little concern, "So what do you think about the Oracle's words?", they ask.

"Well...", you start to say, "I made him a promise. I don't know how I'm going to fix the world..."

The deer nuzzles you, "You've got Vito and me to help you get started.", they say. The words are spoken kindly, and you feel that the sudden burden from the Oracle's words are lifted with the support of your friends.

You suddenly wake up, back in your chair. The little plush animal is sitting in your lap, though you've noticed that it's gotten a little bigger than you remember.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you.", Vito's words echo in your mind. The little fawn is already protecting you.