He stood paralyzed. Not by the others looks, but the way he had gotten so close without him even knowing it.

His acquaintance’s dark fur did not faze him. Toomoko had disturbed a few unruly or just curious fawns as he ran, they bleated at him to stop and play but their calls went unheeded as he ran past. Their dark colored coats blended in with the forest much more so than his pale coat and strange shapes everyone tried to pass off as markings.

Ears low in submission and large tufty tail between his legs he watched as the other moved toward him with muddy gold, alert and fearful eyes. Although he tilted his head slightly confused when the other stopped approaching. He moved his stiff and sore legs slightly, sending ripples over the clear water.

He turned his eyes away from the other fawn, thinking of the past and trying to remember. But remember what? What was there to remember but remorse? The scorn born of the others when they discovered him? The surprise and fear as the extent of his markings revealed by an elder deer. The steady sureness in that single voice, the murmured agreement and support of the others. His fate decided.

And here he stood, again paralyzed by the same fear of the unknown. He tried to relax, and turned his head back to the other fawn’s progress across the far side of the water. He thought that if the other was not careful, he would fall in. As he was deciding on wither or not to warn the fawn, the bank gave away underneath the others feet and other fawn fell into the water with a resounding splash before his eyes!

Seeing the fawn struggle to keep his head above the deep waters broke his reverie and as the darker one slipped under, he darted to help, his hooves making slight splashes in the shallower water, before jumping into the deeper area.

The water did not phase him, rather a badly hidden fascination with the flowing substance that had him enthralled gave him enough reason to wallow in the water as the time gone by, teaching himself how to swim and his limit of how long he could stay under with a single breath. Now he pushed it to the edge as he reached out for the darker fawn that was slowly sinking. Too much long fur he thought as he tried to get under the other, to place him on his back and leave his legs free to kick out as freely as possible. Also taking a clump of the others leg feathers in his mouth, he started back for the surface. Determination was plain on his face as he kicked out against the water. Finally breaking the surface with the struggle, he turned for the more shallow side of the lake.

Getting there and as his footing on the saturated soil steadied, he continued to half pull, half carry the limp deer to the side of the small lake. He moved a few paces onward from the water, before setting the other deer carefully down in the shelter of a willow that grew on the banks. He was cold, despite the rather large amount of fur Toomoko could tell but then again the water could have been while Toomoko himself never seemed to have any bother with the lakes temperature. He lay down beside the darker one, resting, tiredness overriding his instinct to flee and curiosity brimming in him.

Why do I have no problem with the water?