Note from Author: Anything in italics is a flashback.

Night was approaching. The sky was now a deep purple dotted with small white stars that popped out of the darkness one by one as if they were blooming flowers. The last bit of sunlight slowly departed, leaving the forest in shadows. The air grew colder as it rose from the river. Castor walked in circles with his nose to the ground while Serenity stood beside the other doe, comforting her.

"I don't believe we were properly introduced," Serenity calmly said, trying to get both her mind and the doe's onto another topic other than their missing fawns. "I wish we could have met under better circumstances, but my name is Serenity and that is my mate, Castor."

"I'm Maia..." the doe responded with a sorrowful tone.

"I don't believe I've seen you around here before."

"Well, we're not from around here. We lived farther east but the humans have moved deeper into the forest. We've only been here for a few days," Maia closed her eyes. She then gave a small smile which quickly faded. "And to think Rainer thought we'd be safer here..."

"Rainer...Was he...?"

Maia stood silently for a moment before speaking, "Yes, he was my mate."

Serenity looked over at Castor who continued to sniff the ground in search of Kumiko's scent. "I'm sorry to hear about him. I can only imagine how hard it must be for you and your son. I know that I would be lost if anything happened to Castor, and I'm sorry for bringing this up."

Maia shook her head, "No, it's ok. I've been holding this in for so long, it's nice...in a way... to talk about it."

"If you don't mind, may I ask what happened?"

Maia sighed, "It still hurts to talk but, I can't keep this bottled up in me." She looked up at the sky, watching as more stars appeared. "We were a happy, new family. Rainer was so thrilled to have son but one day, he came home saying he didn't feel safe. He said that humans were moving closer to where we lived and he wanted what was best for us. So we moved...We started out one morning and moved west. We were crossing one of the roads that the humans had just built when it happened." A tear came to her eye, "It happened so far...That machine the humans were in, it was so big...So fast..."

The air was thick and heavy from smoke from the passing cars. Rainer stood beside Maia with Constant between them. They waited for the cars to pass by before stepping out onto the street.

"Quickly," Rainer said. "Before another one comes." He stood in the middle of the street to keep watch.

First Constant stepped onto the street, then Maia. The road was new and much different than anything Constant had ever been on. It was hard like rock but not jagged. There was a strange smell to it; it didn't smell like the earth. He took his time crossing. He wanted to examine it and learn more about it. Maia allowed him to take his time, but his study was interrupted.

Down from around the corner, a roaring noise could be heard. Out of the darkness of early dawn, two bright lights appeared. They ran down the road like a furious bull. Surprised by their appearance, Constant stopped in the middle of the road. Maia tried to hurry him along. She lowered her head and bumped her nose against him, telling him to hurry.

The nudge worked. Constant ran as fast as he could to the other side, but now Maia was standing in his place. She was in the path way of the car.

"Maia! Get out of the way!" Rainer yelled from where he stood. The car did not slow down, it seemed to grow closer faster than it did before. A loud horn filled the air as it approached with each second.

Maia tried to move, but she couldn't. She tried to move her legs, but they felt like they were made of stone. Shaking, she stood there. She closed her eyes, waiting for the worst to happen. That is when she felt it, a stabbing sensation in her side. As her eyes opened and she cringed in pain, she saw Rainer pushing her out of the way. His antlers bruising her side, but saving her life.

Time seemed to slow down as everything happened. It all flashed before her eyes. The car speeding pass her, Rainer yelling out in pain as he collapsed to the ground, and Constant stunned with fear in the grass.

"He saved me..."Maia's voice trailed off and the tears came. Her eyes burned as she slowly began to sob. "He saved me..."

Serenity stepped up closer to her and nuzzled her. "I'm so sorry..."

Castor was now standing in front of them with compassion in his eyes. He waited for a minute before speaking, "I picked up Kumiko's scent and I could smell another deer with her. I didn't recognize the scent, so maybe it is Constant."

Maia looked at him with misty eyes. She wanted to thank him but her voice was too weak. She only nodded and smiled. Castor lead the way with Serenity and Maia following close behind. None of them spoke.

Night had finally come to the forest. The sky was a black void yet the sparkling stars and full moon gave the shivering fawns some comfort. The moonlight lit up the forest enough to where Constant and Kumiko could see, but fear and hunger kept them from moving. Instead, they huddled close together for warmth. Kumiko had her head resting Constant's shoulder while Constant had his chin rested on her head.

A giant owl sat in a tree branch above their heads. Its yellow eyes did not move, just its whole head. A tiny field mouse hurried in the grass trying to escape the owl's sight, but it was too late. Without making a sound, the owl opened its wings and sailed through the air. It picked up the mouse and disappeared into the distance.

"I'm hungry..." mourned Constant. "And I'm cold."

"I am too," Kumiko agreed as she shifted her feet beneath her. She sniffled a bit, "I want to go home."

"I do too. I miss my mom," Constant looked up at the sky. "Daddy, can you please help Mommy find us?"

Kumiko moved her head out from under Constant's and cocked her head to the side, "Who are you talking to?"

"My dad, duh!" He made a face at her.

"But...No one is here. It's just us."

"Mommy says Daddy is always with me even if I can't see him."

"Is he a ghost?"

"No, he's an angel."

Kumiko looked confused, "An angel?"

Constant got to his feet while still looking up at the sky, "Yeah, don't you see that really bright star right there?"

Kumiko got up and stood beside him, "I think so. What about it?"

"That's Daddy's star," Constant smiled and wagged his tail. "That's where he sits while he watches over Mommy and me from heaven."

"Oh..." Kumiko seemed amazed. "My dad lives us my mom and I."

Constant lowered his head, "He use to live with us but then something bad happened to him. All I remember is there being a loud noise and bright lights. Then Mommy was standing over him crying. We stayed by Daddy until humans came. They took him away as Mommy and I hid..."

Constant grew quiet once again and lowered his head. Kumiko could sense sadness, so she nuzzled him. He glanced at her and smiled, silently thanking her. They stood there for awhile when they heard heavy footsteps behind them. They both looked back to find their parents standing behind them.

"Kumiko!" Serenity cried out with joy as she ran over to the fawn. She nuzzled her gently while sighing with relief. Castor walked up behind Serenity with a mix of happiness and anger in his eyes.

"Constantine!" Maia darted over to her son and did the same. "I was so worried that I'd lose you."

"I'm sorry, Mommy," he said as he nuzzled her back. "Kumiko was just going to show me where she lived and we got lost."

Kumiko lowered her head and pulled her ears back in regret. Serenity and Castor stood side by side looking down at her with disappointment.

"Why didn't you just ask me take you two?" Serenity asked.

"I thought I knew the way..." Kumiko looked away.

"Well," Castor sighed, "We're glad that you two are ok, but you can't walk off like that. Especially when it is getting this late."

"I'm sorry..."

"I know you are. We'll talk about your punishment tomorrow. For now, let's just go home." Castor turned to Maia and Constant. "I'm very sorry for what Kumiko did, Maia."

Maia smiled, "It's ok. Constant is fine and thank you so much for helping me to find him."

Castor nodded, "You're welcome." Castor then turned to lead Serenity and Kumiko home.

Morning came. The sun light made its way through the hole in the ceiling of the cave, casting light into it. Castor was the first to wake up. He stood and stretched out his long legs. Serenity and Kumiko were still sleeping. Slowly and carefully, making sure he did not disturb them, he walked outside.

The forest was slowly coming to life. The morning dew sparkled in the sunlight and the sky was a beautiful mixture of orange, yellow, pink, and purple. Birds hopped around on the branches singing songs as they searched for worms. He rolled his shoulders and shook his head, trying to wake himself up.

He walked through the waking forest to the creek. He lowered his to take a drink. The fresh water tasted delightful. After quenching his thirst, he turned to head back home when Maia was standing behind him. "Morning, Maia," he said.

"Morning, Castor," Maia stepped up to the creek to take a drink. After she did, she looked at him, "Thank you so much for helping me find Constant."

Castor grinned, "It wasn't a problem. I needed to find Kumiko and finding her friend wasn't a big deal. I like to help out in any way I can."

"You know, Constant couldn't stop talking about you."
He cocked his head to the side, "Really?"

Maia blushed a bit, "It's been awhile since he's had another stag in his life. Ever sine Rainer's death, he's been in the need of a father figure but I haven't managed to find the right stag. No one could replace Rainer."

"I'd be happy to teach him a thing or two. I know I can't replace his father, but maybe I could help him a bit."

Maia smiled, "Thank you, Castor."

"Don't worry though. You're a pretty doe. I'm sure that you'll find someone soon."

"There is this one stag...I might settle for him, just so Constant doesn't have to grow up without a father..."

"Don't you think you should find yourself a mate? One you actually love? I understand wanting him to have a father figure but just to pick a stag for the purpose alone doesn't seem right."

"I know..." She closed her eyes to think. "But there's something about this stag that I somewhat like. That maybe as much as I feel for anyone. I don't think I could love again and I'm not getting any younger. This might the closest I get to finding another mate."

Castor was silent. He wasn't sure as to what he should say. While they were talking, an unknown stag emerged from the thicket. He was a muscular stag with a dark brown coat. Castor had never seen him before in the area but something struck him to be odd. Something told him that he knew this stag from somewhere and he had a feeling it wasn't a good memory.