illustration added soon <3

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Flash.

A long tail of energy beamed through the trees. It ran faster than anything ever seen, zig-zagging through every pine, maple, and oak. Once it passed, plants and leaves seemed to follow, but were pulled back by their roots. A great wind seemed to follow this tail.

The tail of energy sped through the First Forest and straight into the Birch Forest, it seemed to be speeding up. The final sprint, almost. A doe drew her head upwards from her grazing, and examined the small light becomming bigger and bigger. She huffed irritabley. One day, she thought, I'll beat that stag, and show him who's who.

The flash came to a screeching halt, starting to slow down about twenty feet away. A flurry of dust and a few uprooted grass blades sprang up behind it. In a cloud of dust, a stag appeared, a huge smile on his face.

The doe coughed, "Can't you take it easy for once, Clock?"

Clock closed his eyes cheerily, "'Fraid not, miss Fenqua... Oop, I suppose it's Mrs. Fenqua?"

"Just Fenqua, thank you." She retorted, her round ebony mask shining in the dim sunlight.

"Right then. Well, Fenqua, I think this is the fastest I've ever gone without bumping into something!" He beamed with pride, almost too much pride.

Fenqua put one hoof down hard, "You know, Clock, you haven't yet proven that you're the fastest deer around. We still have a race."

He nodded, "I'm aware. Although, I have proven many times that I am, in fact, the fastest stag around. But you're right, the title of 'fastest deer' still remains up for grabs. Although I gotta say..." He looked behind him, noticing a small trail from where he ran. "... I think I might just take it."

Fenqua growled slightly, "We'll see about that. Count yourself lucky I have more important things to attend to." She gestured over to two sleeping fawns, cuddled up together under the slab.

"And might I say this prematurely, but... May the best deer win." He bowed his head politely with the same smile.

Fenqua smiled back, "All in good sportsmanship, eh Clock?"

"Of course." He winked at her, which really meant nothing.

While they were often competitive with their running, Fenqua and Clock did get along. Although Clock was still a teenager, he showed many signs of maturity that many deer his age didn't have, and she liked that. It seemed to remind her of Skokey in a way. He also seemed more mature than others when he was younger.

Speaking of which, the same Butterfly Stag trotted up to the Playground. He noticed Fenqua wasn't there, but soon found her talking to Clock not too far away. He approached them warmly.

"Morning Clock. Morning, love." The last sentence seemed a lot different than the first, but that was to be expected. He always stressed his love for Fenqua to anyone around. A bad habit of his. "How are we all doing today?"

"I was just about to wake the fawns and find you. It's just about that time of day." She smiled, they obviously knew what that meant.

Clock didn't. "Time of day? What do you mean?"

Fenqua looked at him a little confused, but soon remembered that he wasn't part of the family. "I usually go to pray at the Twin Gods hill every day. Once and a while I bring my family with."

"Would you like to come along?" Skokey asked, twitching an ear.

"Ehh... I, uh..." The brown stag stammered. "I don't... I really..." He couldn't think of anything to say. He wouldn't mind going, if it weren't for his fear. Ever since his encounter with the inside of the statue, he feared it. He didn't like to go anywhere near the thing, nor see the sight of deer with devout pelts.

"Well?" Fenqua asked impatiently.

"I... don't think I... can..." He managed to fumble out the words.

"Why not?"

"I just... I just can't, okay? Thanks, but no thanks. Maybe some other time." He was getting defensive, something rarely seen in Clock.

Skokey knew that. He looked at her, transferring the thought, "He's hiding something" to her. She seemed to have gotten the message.

"Well, suit yourself." Skokey shrugged. "We'll see you later, then." The two of them bowed and went to wake their children.

Clock's knees shook a little, but soon he took off. For some reason, he ran at a regular speed.

***

Clock awoke from what seemed to be a deep slumber. Man... That was the deepest sleep I ever took... Ever since... His ears shot up, and soon followed his head. You don't think I...

He looked around. He wasn't in the same place anymore. This forest seemed thicker, and more lush. He was confused. Where am I? Nothing looked the same. Everything was bright and overgrown, almost shining. Oh please don't tell me... I didn't fall into another sleep, did I?

"No, Clockwork. You are still in the present."

Clock seemed to know that voice. His entire body stiffened, the blood in his veins ran cold. With all his might, he slowly and fearfully turned his head.

Two giant deer stood before him. One gold, female. The other, red, male.

Clock shot to his feet and immediately backed away. "Please, please don't... don't hurt me... Just... st-stay away from me!"

"Relax, my child. We will not harm you. If you wish, we will not move from this very spot." The red stag spoke softly, trying to calm him down.

"How.. do I know I can trust you? How do I know you won't go and blow up in my face again?"

The golden doe coughed, "I... apologize for that..."

Clock sighed. "What do you want?"

The red stag stepped forward, making Clock step back. He stepped back to his original spot. "Clockwork, the Omniscient One. We have come to grant you one more truth that you have not yet come to find."

"Another truth? You mean like how I learned telepathy?"

"Yes." replied the golden doe, "However, this will require a little more explanation. You learned telepathy on your own."

A small gate appeared next to them. It was white, but not shining, and trimmed with green emerald branches. The branches sparkled as the two milky doors opened.

"Step inside." The stag ordered.

Clock gulped, but did what he was told. He stepped through the gleaming doors, into a strange land. It was like a stage, floating in the middle of nowhere. The platform was circular, with many other gates standing on the edge, all of them looked different. In the middle of the platform was a symbol. An eye, with a planet for it's pupil, with a circle behind it, half moon and half sun. Clock looked beyond the platform. It was like he was submerged in water, but somehow he could still breathe. The water was black in color, but a strange blue light filtered down, faint beams trailing downward until it was too dark to see. Shiny, rainbow bubbles slowly and eerily made their way to the surface, as if caught in slow motion. A strange ringing could be heard from every gate, coming together in a peaceful harmony when standing in the center.

Clock sighed and took it all in for a moment. He turned to the open gate, the two gods looking in. "What is this?"

"The intersect of different worlds." The golden doe explained. "Each gate is a doorway to a new and different life."

Clock looked at the gate he came through. The doors were made of old, worn brick. It was trimmed with oak branches, and two great antlers were mounted at the top. Well, at least I'll know which one's ours.

The red stag approached the doorway. "These gateways are new opportunities. You are allowed to learn of life completely different from our own. A new way of expanding your outlook on life."

Clock nodded, looking at all the different gates. He suddenly turned back and went back to the Forest. "I have a few questions."

"Of course."

"First of all, how the heck am I supposed to find this thing?"

"To summon it, all you must do is picture this gate in your mind, and hum it's tune of the harmony." The red stag replied, while the golden doe hummed the note.

Clock murmured, "Remember that, Edward." He cleared his throat. "And second... Does it have to be just me? Can't I bring friends or anything?"

The two gods looked at each other for several moments. They turned back to him, and the golden doe answered, "If you wish to bring friends, you may. Just know that they are your responsibility. You must keep them safe, and always bring them home."

Clock nodded, "Of course." He glanced at the closing gate. "And uh... Is time relevent everywhere else?"

The stag chuckled, "A year in one will be a day in ours. That I promise."

Clock sighed, "Good... Good, thank you..."

The red stag bowed deeply, and the golden doe bowed her head. They faded away, along with the strange forest. Clock whispered, "thank you" again to them just before their image completely left.

The striped stag awoke from his sleep, feeling well rested. He yawned. That was interesting. He saw that he had sleepwalked. Ah crap. Where am I now? He looked around, and found himself at the Twin Gods statue. "Holy crap!" He exclaimed, and scuddled down the hill, away from the statue.

He let out a sigh. "Nothing personal guys, but you know... Old habits die hard..." He got up, stretched and trotted to the Pond for a drink. Just before lowering his head, he let out a smile.

This is gonna be a fuuun weekend.