Shinda sighed, as it seemed, in exasperation.

"When a new fawn comes to the Endless Forest, they are greeted by Mother Doe. She is a stunningly beautiful doe who is the first one you see here. She teaches the young fawn everything needed to know about the forest. She tells the fawn about the magic, about the origins, about why the fawn has arrived." Shinda explained, her steps growing in speed. Jarett soon found trouble to keep up.

"When the Mother comes, she speaks human tongue to explain. When she leaves, it's time for the fawn to lose his speech and he is then welcome in the Forest as part of it." the deer's words seemed eerily dark and frightening.

"Won't any of the fawns object to living as mutes?" Jarett asked, trying to imagine life as a mute animal, unable to properly communicate with others.

"You misunderstand. Those who come here are generally tired of the world, exhausted from speaking to those who don't care. Nobody is forced to stay here. They choose their path and most will stick to it." Shinda stated.

"What happens to those who tire of the life here?" Jarett inquired.

"If a deer feels like his time is up, he'll leave. He'll go to the edge. But, that's up to every deer himself. There is no threat, no harm, no violence in the Forest. It's somewhat like paradise for those who the world has wronged."

"The edge..." Jarett muttered to himself. The words themselves felt like something unnatural, especially in a place called the Endless Forest. He then got back to the primary subject "So, why can you talk to me?"

"Right. So, you are not a fawn."

Jarett raised an eyebrow at such a statement. "Yeah...?"

"You were not received by Mother Doe. Generally, if a deer happens to stumble upon Mother teaching a fawn, it will stay away. I happened to walk past you and you didn't have Mother tending to you, so I walked closer. Suddenly, I found that I was able to speak your tongue.

Jarett half expected the deer to give some sort of age-old saying or simply say "I don't know." yet Shinda tipped her head a little in confusion.

Then she nodded as if understanding something. "Right. You probably didn't come here out of your will. You would be a fawn if that were the case."

Jarett's curiosity perked. "A fawn?"

"Aye. You do know how the legend goes, right?" Shinda inquired, scraping her hoof against the mossy ground.

To that Jarett could answer. "When one's life is troubled so, if it is his wish, he may seek paradise in the forest where deer roam." he recited the words, feeling like a little kid all over again.

The deer nodded. "Those who come to the Forest will appear here as fawn and gradually grow into deer." she explained as if it were the most simple thing in the world.

"Okay, fa-, wait, what?" Jarett stuttered, "You mean people actually come to this forest? The world would surely know of this! How come there have not been any reported missing?"

"There are many people in the world that said world doesn't care about. They haven't been missed by anybody. Those people come here, to this sanctuary, where they can live freely and in peace." Shinda's voice grew somewhat somber.

Jarett grew silent, deeming her words to be true. His mind then floated back to the matter at hand. "Do you know how to get out of here? I'm not done with my business in the real world!" he, almost desperately, asked of the deer.

"I, unfortunately, don't know the way back..." Shinda spoke and Jarett slumped, "But! I know someone who might be able to help you." she added and the man's hopes lifted again.

"She too, can speak your tongue and will probably be of much more use than I."

"Does 'she' have a name?" Jarett queried, anticipating the same answer he had gotten from Shinda.

"She, likely as I, doesn't require a name here, yet...

Immediately as Jarett had gotten the question past his lips, he clamped his jaws shut, already regretting his words. There was no telling what the deer would be capable of if she got enraged.

The deer, however, seemed only amused, and Jarett would think he had dreamed this if he hadn't seen the beast's lips move in a slight chuckle.

"And... this would be a place only found in fairy tales?" she inquired, throwing her antlers back as if emphasizing on the whole land.

"I... I must be dreaming! This is a lucid dream!" Jarett's shoulders slumped and he desperately tried to assure himself that he would soon wake up from this.

"If this is a dream, shouldn't you wake up yet?" the deer questioned. Jarett admitted that she had a point. No Dream would feel this real... the cold reality his his mind and the man had nothing left to do but accept the fact that he was, indeed, awake and in the Endless Forest, as this deer claimed.

When the first shock passed, Jarett found himself almost... giddy, excited. Oh, well, might as well make the best of this chance. he thought to himself, before standing up again and flashing his best charming smile to the deer.

"We got off on the wrong fo- er, hoof. I'm Jarett." he introduced himself, offering a slight bow as a means of politeness.

"..." the deer remained silent. Jarett was unsure if he should continue speaking or allow her to put forth her own name. Maybe she didn't have a name?

"Do you have a name? It would be perplexing to always call you 'deer' or 'beast'." he prompted, in his mind adding If we are going to interact in the future, that is...

At his words, the deer finally showed some reaction. It was nothing short of a mild I-don't-feel-emotions kind of reaction. At least Jarett had elicited an answer form her.

"I don't have a name." she simply stated.

"Why are you here?" the mysterious beast repeated his, no, HER question. Truly, what he was looking at was a majestic deer, her hide dark brown, mixed with red, and in her antlers she carried the same indigo flowers that he had seen before.

But, the most peculiar part of the deer's appearance was her face. Where a long muzzle and large eyes would normally be, she had the most beautiful human face he had ever seen. Her eyes were almond-shaped and in the most interesting color. It was gray, mixed with blue, though, when looked at in a certain light, they shone silver.

Jarett could hardly comprehend if this was a dream or reality. Perhaps he hadn't awoken after passing out and these were just fever nightmares. The man backed away a little until his back struck a tree and he had nowhere left to go.

The deer closed in, her gait graceful, it showing in every step. It was almost as if she were a god, who had come down on earth to show herself before him.

It seemed that she wanted an answer to her question. Jarett didn't even doubt that it had been she who had asked it, since, well... this wasn't exactly logical.

"I, uh... I don't know." was all he could sputter. The answer didn't seem to satisfy the magnificent cervid, for her eyes narrowed suspiciously and she scraped her hoof against the ground, as if to emphasize her disbelief.

"You are somewhere where no human has ever tread. I'm sure that you have an explanation." her voice wafted around Jarett, its tone silky and melodic, as would fit a singer. Jarett couldn't be afraid even if he wanted to. And, the deer didn't seem hostile, only... curious.

"I don't know how I got here. First, I'd like to know WHERE I am." he spoke up again, a bit bolder this time.

The grass was soft, inviting, almost down-like. A soft breeze that whispered across the forest floor, woke Jarett. The man groaned and staggered to a sitting position, his blurry vision slowly sharpening with every moment he spent awake. His breath tasted awful and slight seeds of headache pulsed in his head, though the sweet scent that hung in the air would probably soon get rid of that.

Jarett looked around himself, his breath catching at the sight. Before him lay a mossy forest clearing, covered in deep green moss, in places covered with tiny, indigo-colored blossoms. This was not where he had passed out, unless a small shed could transform into a place so much like paradise. Jarett slowly stood up, testing his legs. When they seemed strong enough to not collapse underneath him, the man shot another look around him, finding only forest scenery every direction he looked.

The shrill birdsong above Jarett's head startled him mildly and he was forced to lean against a tree to avoid collapsing.

"Where have I gone...?" he posed himself a rhetorical question, wondering if he had been brought here by his pursuers and left for death. No, that couldn't be it. No way would he die in a place like this.

A dull pain struck his forehead and he shot his palm to it immediately, vague memories coming back to him. Right... the chase... He got hit... Though nothing more than brief flashes of memory floated back to him, but he mostly blamed that on the unconsciousness.

Quiet hoofsteps alerted Jarett of another presence approaching. His pale green gaze darted about, looking to find something to defend himself with. Unable to find even little debris, the man could only helplessly look in the direction the steps were coming from.

"... Why are you here?"



(End of chapter 1)


Chapter 2