Tinge. Singe. The flecks of the heart antlers spin downwards, downwards unto his nose and brow, unto his sun-singed pelt and muddied hooves.

His eyes open slowly, looking outwards through the horizon, staring at nothingness, and yet...staring at everything.

Chin to the ground, pupilless eyes staring downwards at the burning soil, he lets out a stiff mumble, "Hello, mother." He looks up, head unmoving.

There stood something that could not be described. Tendrils of light seemed to surround a being of supernatural ways. A part of her that could be thought of as lips, parted, slowly moving as the air tingled with vibrations. The forest creatures retreated from the vibrations, all but Vein, who stood, eyes close, focusing on the noises.

The large, emaciated stag stood there upon shaky limbs, burnt and torn. He stared at nothingness. His eyes had rolled backwards, and he truly could not see anything, but he did not know that. And, as he fell to the ground, Taint watched from. She slowly walked towards the dillusional creature, and spoke to him.

"Vein...Vein, you are dillusional. It is time for you to awake. You can still make it, you can, brother, please..." Squinted, querying eyes stared down at him. The heat from his body made her cringe, as she lowered her head.

As her brother lay in a land of fading dreams, Taint pushed him towards the pond. It hurt her, singing her mask and ears, but she continued on. When she came to the flower-topped hill, she made a final push, and he began to roll. Dead flesh covered the ground as his burned, sticky muscles filled with dead grass and bits of soil. He stopped, and Taint came down, and pushed him more.

Several minutes later, the water of the pond was finally reached. Taint looked down at her brother, trying to ignore the ashes falling from her mask. She gave him one last nudge, and he rolled into the water. She propped his head upon the log, and panted.

"Oh Vein..." Her words were meek and afraid, as she stared down at the near breathless body below her. She stood beside him, and began to nuzzle him. As she nuzzled, she cleaned and licked his burns. For an hour, at least, she continued to do this, until he was cleaned to the fullest extent as was possible for that time.

She bit the scruff of his neck, gripping tightly, and, very slowly, very weakly, she pulled him underneath the willow tree, into the shade. Without a word, she walked off. She could not bear to see his burnt flesh, nor scent his rotted form.

A small dewdrop rolled down her cheek.

---

If none of that made any sense to you...Vein's delicate skin burned from the sunlight, for he sat in a ray of sun. The heat dehydrated him, and his flesh literally began to bubble and -burn- from the sun. He became dillusional, and Taint noticed this. She knew that he truly needed help, and so, she rolled him to the pond, cleaned his wounds, and hid him under the willow tree. In doing so, she singed (spelling?) her mask.

I know, lots of drama, but...I was bored. x3 Vein's going to be alright.