[Where Have You All Gone?]

Revtheyr wandered quietly through the great expanse of the forest. His mind was soothed, for the time being, from the terrible encounter with his past lover, and current ghostly haunt, Tyerk. If he saw him again, his likeness, it was going to be in a much calmer light, now that he knew the ghostly stag could not hear or see him. Or so he had surmised.

But he'd been doing a lot of thinking since that time, and most of this centered around his family. Since they were born, his fawns had been a closely guarded blanket of security. But when they had emerged, full adults, they had gone separate ways. He still saw Hope from time to time. Crash was unknown to him - as were Charity and Seth. He couldn't help wonder what had happened to them.

Sure, he had searched for the boys that shared Tyerk's blood and his own - but so far nothing met with anything but frustration. Chasing after unknown calls, and questioning others had led to nothing. Asking the Gods returned only silence. It was starting to play on his mind that his fawns - adults though they were, they'd always be his babies - were out of contact on purpose. Perhaps they were ashamed to have a father such as he? Whatever was the case, his family had dissipated as clearly as the ripples ebb to nothing in the pond's reflected surface. He could not find them, and apparently, neither could anyone else.

Hope also had no idea where his brothers were. Though he had whiled away a few hours with his father, there was a break there where once had formed a bond. Connection wasn't impossible, but it was strained. Revtheyr could not help but wonder if he had somehow neglected his children. It would not surprise him. After all, his father before him had neglected all his siblings and himself - even past the princely training he had received. Could it be that Rev had done the same?

The thought of it sickened him, made him regret not keeping them closer as they were growing up. There HAD to be a way to find them, and to apologize. But so far, nothing was forthcoming. He never saw them in the forest, he never heard them calling - and he was sure he'd recognize their voices, so similar to his own.

And the darkness that tugged at his mind, minus the guilt of neglect, had been Seth. He had always been close to him as a child. Always been the weak one, the frail one. As he had grown during fawnhood, he had brought up disturbing and dark ideas to his father, and talked of things such as the end of the Forest, and defying the Gods. It was Seth that frightened him.. no... What had BECOME of Seth that frightened him the most. The not knowing. Where was he? Was he well?

Charity, also, was a concern. Always a touch feminine, that one. And in this Forest where the males were heavy and oftentimes brash with the weak, Revtheyr felt responsible for putting Charity in such a position to be taken advantage of.

Crash... he, too, was a concern. What if he had grown to be a bully such as Ren? What if he had matured with a violent streak? Would he even recognize his energetic little hard-headed fawn in whatever adult guise sheltered him now? And what of his morals?

All of them worried him. Hope, he knew, had grown to a fine young stag. A beautiful boy. But all of them, Seth included, had human forms. Had they learned to use them? And for what purpose? Worry gnawed at him like a disease. He would have to bring his concerns to Tally, Dag, and Cell. Perhaps they would help him find his lost fawns... If there were any left alive to be found...