A few more months passed. Skokey was slowly entering into his adolescence. His antlers were just starting to bud, and his spots were disappearing. But his spots were not only disappearing, new markings were starting to show up. His pelt was getting darker, and some reddish and orange markings were just starting to sliver in certain areas.

Skokey wasn't quite sure what was going on, but before he remembered what was happening, Fenqua came up to him. Even in early adolescence, they were still very playful. Who said you couldn't be playful when you grew up? Though Fenqua was a little older than Skokey, her antlers were smaller.

One day, Skokey and Fenqua were at the playground. Everyone else was gone, possibly under the Old Oak, because of the heavy rain. Very large drops were pounding against the leaves and ground, making everything both crisp and mushy at the same time. The two fawns didn't care, this was still new to them, they wanted to have fun with it.

After a while, they both stopped playing around and went under the slab to dry off a little. They were both sopping wet, their chins and ears dripping with excess water. Fenqua gave a little shake, spraying water all over Skokey. He laid his head down, slightly tired from all the running and jumping. For several minutes they just sat there, listening to the rain beat down as it became thicker. The towering birch trees shook in the onslaught of water, the grass wavered and bent. The ground was becoming a little flooded, the plants couldn't take in any more water.

Fenqua turned to look at Skokey, his soaked pelt shining in the dull light. It had just now occured to her that something was odd about it. "Hey, Skokey, what's with your pelt? It doesn't look right."

Skokey raised his head almost sleepily. He thought a moment, then remembered, "I think my dad told me about that once... He said, 'Sometimes, if you wear your pelt for long enough without changing it, your children could inherit it and they wouldn't need pelt spells unless they wanted a different one.' I'm thinking that's what's going on with my pelt."

Fenqua nodded, "I didn't know that. What do you think your pelt will look like?"

"Who knows? I think it's gonna be ugly."

Fenqua giggled, "You're so sure it's gonna be ugly. It might be the one you've always wanted."

Skokey nodded, then paused. "What pelt do you want? Maybe I can help you get it."

Fenqua sighed, putting her lips together to make a bubbly noise, "Oh, I don't know... There was one I liked..."

Skokey rolled his eyes, "Well, when you get old enough, I'll try to find it for you."

Fenqua smiled, "And when you're old enough, I'll try and find a good mask for you."

"Oh come on, I don't even want a mask."

She giggled, "I know." They looked on for a while, the rain was still pouring. Her smile slowly went away, "Its.. it's probably your mother's pelt."

Skokey didn't turn his head, but only said, "I know."

***

The rain soon thinned away into a slight drizzle. By then it was already dusk. Fenqua had said her goodbyes, and ran off to do who knows what. Being reminded of his mother, Skokey went to the pond. Barely anyone was there since it was so late. Little ripples tore at the glossy surface of the water, all the little fish scattering away from wherever they started. The willows seemed to be sobbing with shining drops of water falling from their drooping branches. It was dead silent. Not even a frog managed to make himself known. The only noise was the slight "plip" of the tiny droplets hitting the water.

Skokey found a little spot in the shallows, under the protection of a large willow hanging over the edge. He set himself down and looked at the greying area. He propped his head on the ground just above the water, to make sure he could breathe. He fell into a deep, restful sleep, the sounds of the rain relaxing his body. It was cold, but he didn't care.



(I know, extra short. The next chapter shall surely be longer!

Fenqua: I think I got Fenqua right in this chapter, so I didn't feel the need to send it to you before hand. )