Sunlight burned Aspen's eyes as she slowly awoke. It was heading towards noon now, with a warm breeze drifting through her little spot under the bridge. The magpie doe laid still for a moment, allowing the cool water to wash over her body. After a moment, she shifted, and discovered that she was not alone.

Pandemonium had changed. Her pelt was now the spotted Orca pattern, her antlers black and spiky, and the colorful peacock mask covering her face. The doe sighed in relief, saved from a brief moment of panic. She was back to normal; her change in appearance made it concrete. Gently, Aspen prodded her friend. "Pan?"

"Unh."

The older doe let out an enormous yawn and let her head fall from the bank into the water. After blowing a steady stream of bubbles, her eyes opened fully, and she raised her neck out of the river. "Didja have to wake me up? Had a crazy night." Aspen smiled faintly. "I saw the lightning. Kinda figured." With a quick heave of her legs, she was on her feet, and shook the water out of her pelt. Pan snorted as the droplets rained down on her. Staggering upright, she immediately careened into the side of the bridge. The magpie-pelted doe grinned, holding back laughter. Her friend's ataxia always served as a little pick-me-up. As Pandemonium righted herself, Aspen glanced around. "Come on. Let's go find Quad."

It didn't take long for the duo to reach the edge of the Pond - one on a straighter path then the other. The violet doe looked around for the familiar two-toned pelt and huge red antlers of the friendly stag. Instead, however, she spotted a huge, bone-white rack, and a swirling golden pelt. Her face paled. "Oh, no-"

"OI, MAGS!" Pan was already sprinting towards Magnet. Skidding to a halt in front of him, she lost her balance and toppled into the water. Nonplussed, she rolled on her back and grinned up at him. "I swear, I'm turning into a fish. So, where's Quad?"

Magnet raised a brow at her predicament, smiling slightly. "Good morning to you, too. I thought I saw him over with Her a few minutes ago. They were headed for the Ruins, I heard." The doe spat out some water and hopped to her feet. "Kay. Hey, Asp-" She paused. "Wait...where'd Aspen go?"

"I can only imagine."

~~~~~

Sorry, Quad, Her. XDDD I'll fit you guys into the next part. God, Pan's acting like an overgrown 8-year-old.
Surefire way of getting Asp out of my story = Magnet. 8DDD