This is a story I randomly thought of about how my female fawn came to live in the Endless Forest, and how she got her name. (Yes, I finally found a name for her! But you'll have to read to see what it is and why she's named that.) It's lengthy, but I like it for a short story type of thing. Well, enjoy! ^^ and critisism is welcomed!



Dawn on a winter morning in the forest. The ground was frozen, grass and dead leaves covered in a fine layer of frost. Heavy clouds looked as if they were touching the tree tops as they blocked out the sun’s warming rays and further froze the land as a steady snow fell silently. Everything was tranquil and peaceful, not a creature stirred in the silent morning. Not a sound could be heard, until…

"Thief! Thief!" The call rang out again and again, shattering the serene picture splayed out before a cozy little town.

Bare feet pounded against the hard packed ground, a young human ran from the name callers with all her might. In her still child-like hands gripped a small bag full of coins that clinked with each step she took. The girl being chased by authorities had no name and no known family. She had lived her life the same, day in and day out, stealing wallets and loose change from the pockets of passer-by’s with quick and nimble fingers. But her luck had run out today, and she had finally been caught with her hand in the pocket of a rather wealthy business man. It had only taken a shout from him to get the system in charge to dispatch men after her, and so the chase began.

Shaking her head to bring herself back to the present, the human flicked a hand up to move a chunk of golden brown hair out of her face. Muscles bunched and tightened as the youngling cleared a fallen log in a single bound and slowed to risk a glance behind her. What she saw made her heart jump to her throat and her odd, yellow-orange eyes widen in terror.

They had dogs.

Quickening her pace yet again as her breaths came in visible puffs when they hit the cold, dry air, the nameless individual could hear the canines growling and barking, excited at the chase set out for them. They saw it as a game, not a life or death situation.

Panic starting to set in, the child looked around in a frenzy to try and find a way to escape. Seeing a thick area of the forest up ahead, the thief made a mad dash for it, small frame and nimble body ducking and weaving through the tree trunks and bushes as if she were built for that sort of thing. But that all ended when the young one found herself unable to go any farther, her path blocked on all sides but impenetrable brambles and thickets.

Spinning around as she crouched to the ground as if it would swallow her whole, she waited for the pack leader to close in as she screwed her eyes shut…

Yet the final attack never came. Cracking one eye, then the other, what the girl saw made her nearly faint with joy. The route she had picked had been too thick for the large, muscular dogs to handle, and they were being called back by their handlers.

”What do we do? Just let her go?” Asked one, staring at the area everyone knew the girl was hidden in.

”For now. The thief dropped the money purse back a ways, so we have what the man asked us to get. We’ll get her if she shows up in town again.” Answered another.

Though they were obviously enraged that their target had avoided capture, they knew it was only a matter of time before she returned for food and more money. Everyone, including the girl, knew it was only a matter of time.

Huddled where she was, the human could just make out the figures of the authorities retreating, their foot falls soon swallowed up by the forest, all being casted in to silence once more. The only sound was the ragged breathing of the lost and alone being, who was both grateful for her escape and devastated by her predicament.

But before she could decide what to do next, her eye lids grew heavy and drifted shut against the better judgment of their owner, whose mind knew that sleeping on frozen ground was just asking for trouble.

Moments later however, those golden eyes fluttered back open, ears on high alert. She could have sworn someone had spoken to her. Rising stiffly to her feet, the nameless being wondered how long she had slept, for the forest now seemed to be cast in darkness, not a star or tree to be seen in any direction. Hands out before her, though she couldn’t see them, the human pressed and fumbled her way through the thicket, branches seeming to come out of nowhere to try and trip her up or slap her across the face.

Though the girl could still not see a centimeter in front of her own face, she could still feel the cold ground, the bare leaves, bushes, thorns, and the dirt that now coated her from head to foot from her many plunges in to the trail she currently traversed.

Feeling her ankle get caught on what must have been a fallen tree, the youngling was unable to get a cry of surprise out before her body connected harshly with the hard winter earth. Fresh new tears spilled from her eyes, following the tracks old tears had left behind from the earlier falls taken.

Despair finally took its hold on the small being, and it seemed to mock her as she gave in, curling up in to a tight ball as the silent sobs wracked her frame.

A howling wind kicked up just then, making the non visible forest moan and groan. Trees creaked and their bark seemed to turn in to a single word: thief. And it only seemed to get louder in the girl’s mind, and then the bushes and shrubs started to laugh. It was a hateful laugh, one that makes you feel lonelier than ever before. Clapping her hands over her ears, the being screamed, trying to shut out the noise. But to no avail. The sound ringed around in her head, and the blistering wind ripped her scream to shreds the moment it left her mouth. She would never see the sun again, never feel warm, never! They tormented her, the wind whipping her hair left and right as the world continued to cackle on an endless loop.

Child…

That single word cut through all the chaos like a knife. Instantly, everything seemed to die down, as if the oppressors knew what they were dealing with, and hated that they were so easily beaten.
Blinking open tear stained eyes, the thief looked around to try and locate the owner of the voice. Though who ever had spoken had only said one word, it carried with it the image of someone who was gentle but stern, though for the life of her, she couldn’t discern if the voice belonged to a male or female. The tone had also somehow managed to warm her, and though she could still feel the earth and taste the wind, neither longer penetrated her body nor sapped her of her needed heat.

Child, come to me. The genderless voice came again, sounding rather close as it pushed back the last of the wind as it once more warmed the girl inside and out.

Giving a hesitant nod, the human slowly shuffled forward, quickly realizing the voice was leading her to the top of a hill. Dropping to all fours as shrubbery seemed to close over her head, she continued the uphill trek on her hands and knees. Though the hill seemed to go on forever, the nameless being never grew tired or cold, as the voice continued to call to her in her moments of doubt, always renewing her strength and body heat.

”Tell me.” She asked when she could bear it no longer. ”What magic are you casting that keeps me going?”

Friendship and love, young one. Was the soft answer.

Unsure how to respond to that, the golden eyed girl didn’t reply and simply kept on climbing and crawling upwards.

Something else must have been in the magic, (and now she really did know it was magic for she could feel it tingling throughout her corpse) because after more endless crawling, she no longer felt the rough ground pinching and scratching at her hands and knees. Instead, she thought it felt smooth, and that her thin body felt rounder, and much more nimble than before.

Giving a cry of elation at feeling the hill flatten out to signal she had reached the top, the being looked around for the owner of the voice. It was then that a warm and welcoming glow flared on her right. Narrowing her eyes against the sudden light after what felt like eons in the pitch dark, it took a while for them to adjust before she could see clearly what was before her and what it was shocked her to the core.

It was a symbol. A floating symbol was radiating a golden glow that made the one looking at it feel so at peace. It was like seeing that one ray of sun piercing a thick layer of clouds after a thunder storm and you couldn’t help but smile at how powerful and peaceful it looked.

Unable to find her voice at the sudden appearance of this…figure, she felt her jaw drop as it spoke to her. It was no doubt the voice that kept her going through all of this.

You have found me at last, child. It spoke, the glowing ring around it pulsing as its tone rose and fell. I am a pictogram, the signs of those who dwell in the Endless Forest. And I have chosen you. For we along with the Idols know it is us who do the picking of our deer, not the other way around.

Here, the nameless one tilted her head in confusion. Deer? What was this…pictogram…talking about? She was no deer, she was a human being!

I see you are confused, youngling. The symbol said in a tone that implied it was laughing in a friendly way, a far cry from the cackling the girl had heard when the wind had howled in her ears. Take a look at yourself, and you will see you are no longer who you think you are.

Doing as the floating figure directed, she quickly found out it was true. The reason she had stopped feeling the ground bite at her hands and knees is because they were no longer there. In their place were four perfectly hardened hooves. Continuing to cast her gaze over her body, she noticed four thin legs that would grow more powerful with practice, which were attached to a oval body that consisted of a white underbelly and a light brown top coat with white flecks on her rear. All of this was topped off by a short but fluffy tail, curved neck and two large ears that she would have to grow in to. Crossing her eyes, the former biped saw that she still had a human nose, which implied that her face was still human.

Now you see. You are indeed a deer now, or fawn I should say. You are too young to go forth in to your new home as a full fledged deer. Bef-ah! It suddenly sighed, its glow growing brighter with what could only be described as excitement. I sense they are ready to meet you. There’s nothing to worry about. They are nice for the most part, just mind your manners and try not to trip over your own hooves.

And before you could say ‘doe’ the pictogram had grown to a tremendous brilliance, once again blinding the human-turned-fawn.

When the dots that flashed across her vision cleared, the young one looked around and was upset to notice that the world around her was still as dark as ever. Only the sudden and steady golden glow coming from between her ears told her that she was not dreaming (or still dreaming if anything). It was here that something told her to cast her gaze up, and so she did.

What stood before her were two statues carved from what could only be described as a white marble. Though there were obviously faces on these statues, the new fawn couldn’t say how they exactly looked. Either that, or she didn’t want to for fear of describing it wrong and angering the Twin Gods. Anyone could at least tell they were Twin Gods, for they were a perfect reflection of one another, though the only parts that touched were that the inside arms of the idols were overlapping, almost as if their arms were looped together in friendship.

”Welcome, young fawn.” Two voices spoke in such harmony and power that the former human instantly bent her front legs at the knees and dropped in to a low bow before ever realizing what she was doing.

Climbing back to her fe-hooves, the girl watched the Idols rise up off their pedestal and float a few feet off the ground.

”We are the Twin Gods of the Endless Forest. We reside and protect this land and its inhabitants. You are now part of those who dwell here.”

Joy coursed through the girl’s new body at the words. She would no longer be mocked and hunted because of what she had done. But her delight was short lived as the Idols continued.

”We know what you have done in your former life and form, and do not think that has been forgiven or forgotten. Though we understand why you stole from others, it was still wrong. That is why your name will forever remind you of your old deeds, and so it can make you strive to change for the better…”

It felt as though someone had pierced her heart with an arrow with how hard it plummeted. They were going to name her something that meant thief? So even now, she would continued to be picked on.

”Calm, young one. None but you will know what your name means, unless you share it with others.” They soothed.

Wanting to know what her new name was going to be, the fawn opened her mouth to ask, but all that came out was a moo of sorts. Cheeks flushing crimson with embarrassment, the girl looked down at her hooves, but the Twin Gods seemed to understand her question all the same.
”Neria.”


Eye lids slowly opening, the fawn woke to a tranquil forest. The sun was shining like always, and a calm, warm breeze drifted lazily through the grass, causing it to ripple. Hearing the calls of other deer living in the forest, and seeing some fawns as well as stags and does, a small smile made its way across her face. Neria went over to meet them. She had a name, and a new start.
And best of all, she had a home.