. Despite the clear weather along with the beautiful song of the birds, it was a dark day for Kamaya. She was alone, at her home. The fear became stronger; her nightmares were taking over the reality. The claw marks all over her body were burning once again, making her suffer. Her hair wasn’t as beautiful as the other days. Her pelt was dirty; she didn’t dare wash it as the marks were more burning in water.
. She couldn’t take it anymore.
. She had to do something.
. She had to go.
. Yes, she had to.
. She wrote a letter for her friends and asked Nutai, her twin brother, to put it on her severed trunk along with a stone for Mandel. The stone seemed crystal, it was a green triangle with some darker spots, the angles were rounded and there was a hole in it. It was given to Kamaya by her grandmother who got it with a book of a dark tale called Doll Phobia*. In the book, it was said that the stone allowed to protect yourself from evil beings and to find what you’re seeking. The red doe didn’t know if it would be useful for the blue stag but she didn’t know what else to give him as a reminder of her.
. With no farewell nor goodbye, she created a portal and went through it, leaving her beloved ones behind but not without a tear.
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*Doll Phobia: It's the title as the tale is known in Marity. In the human world, it's called "Coraline". The maritic version is different from the original though.

. I found myself into a world I didn’t know. I was in a huge and beautiful garden with a manor in front of me a little far away. As I walked to the building, I felt something stalking me, probably my demon again. I tried to ignore it, I used to that, after all. My mind was full of thoughts, regrets and worries.
. First, I let my best friend down. Before I left, I heard about L-5, that he was gone. I was sad for Mandel, they were like brothers. I wasn’t there for him anymore; I wasn’t there for him when he needed. I felt…so guilty. But, I had no choice, if I would stay any longer in the Forest, it would get worse.
. Then, I had a quarrel with my little sister, Amika. She wanted to eat some poisoned berries but when I prevented her from doing it, she yelled at me, saying that she hated me and that I should go die. I was shocked, it was the first time she did that to me. Her reaction was so childish, she didn’t know they were poisoned though. I went to cry alone. We were so close to each other.
. I was now at the entrance of the manor. There were a gargoyle at each side of the stairs which were leading to the doors. I then realized that it was almost dusk and decided to enter in the big house. The hall was huge with a long red carpet from the entrance to the top of the stairs, perhaps even further through the hallways upstairs. A huge chandelier was hanging almost above my head, the ceiling was very high. There were also some armors against the walls. I looked around, so many doors.

. After I looked in all the rooms, always scared because of the dark atmosphere the manor was exuding, I finally found the kitchen and the dinning room. On the table of the dinning room, there was a plate full of peas with a chicken leg, a glass of whine and cutlery with a soft napkin. Does somebody live here?, I wondered, a little surprised as I saw nobody around since I came in here, maybe the inhabitant went outside for a walk or something like this? The food made me realize I was starving, I didn't eat anything since some days. I knew I shouldn't eat it, but my hunger got back on top and I sat on the chair. I didn't eat peas for a long time. I was about to take the cutlery, because of my maritic habits, but remembered about the Forest.
. "No animal eat with cutlery", I said before eating the meal like any deer would do: with only the mouth.
. I sniffed the chicken leg, it had a good smell and tempted me. But I was herbivore. My stomach didn't want to hear anything though.

. Upstairs, there were a lot of bedrooms. In the first one, the bed was ready, the sheets were red and the blanket red and pink. I couldn't think at the time, I was too tired, especially after having thrown up in the toilets because of the chicken. I shouldn't have ate that, the stomach of a herbivore couldn't digest that kind of food.
. I opened the window, another habit I had in Marity, so I could have fresh air for the whole night, except that my mother always came to close it ten minutes after, when I fell asleep. This time, it could still be opened all the night. I then went into the bed and closed my eyes.

. I suddenly woke up, the clock on the wall indicated it was midnight. I heard something downstairs; it was footsteps. I shivered, my head under the blanket, was the person who lived here back? I was too frightened to stand up, the fear confined me. What do I do? what do I do?, I panicked. I closed my eyes, praying for who ever it was to leave. The footsteps went upstairs, passed near the room where I was and went away, towards the bottom of the hallway. I didn't hear them from the rest of the night since.

.The morning, I ate some grapes I found in the kitchen, I couldn't help myself to look at the door in the bottom of the hallway, where the footsteps stopped but in spite of my curiosity, the voice in my head told me to not look further. I simply left the manor.
. I walked through a forest, some cars passed by, on a road. It didn't take so long for me to get out of the forest. I then saw a city distantly, at the other side of a some kind of valley. Where was I? I couldn't be in Marity, it has been devasted because of the invasion. Perhaps the human world? Who knows?

. The city was huge with many skyscrapers. It was beautiful with many paintings on some facades of some buildings. Humans were walking on the pavements, some with dogs or even cats. I felt bad, surrounded by only humans and simple animals, I became confused and disoriented. Where was I? This question kept running in my mind as I was visiting these streets.
. I arrived in a park for children, it was big, with slides, swings and such. I noticed there were game stands at some spots of the park. A little girl and her mother were at one of them, it was a game where you had to throw a ball to make cans fall. The child tried to do it, but she failed. No can fell. She cried loudly, her mother tried to calm her down and cheer her up but didn't succeed. When the little girl asked for another try, the mother accepted and paid the man who was running the stand. He gave her another ball but a phone rang and the mother got it out of the pocket of her coat before answering the call, walking away from her daughter.
. Feeling the child's sadness, I came closer to her and spoke softly:
. "I can help you if you want."
. First, the little child seemed surprised and looked at me with big eyes, probably because I was a deer and not a human, but then, she accepted and gave me the ball. I stood on my two hind legs, which I wasn't used to anymore so I almost fell down, and focused on the cans. When I was ready, I threw the ball and almost all the cans fell. The little girl yelled of joy and the man asked which plush I wanted, I asked the child who didn't hesitate to point a huge pink teddy bear which was on a table, against the wall. The man gave it to me and I gave it to her. She hugged me and I hugged her back.
. "I have to go, I said. I can't stay, I don't think your mother would be cheerful to see a strange animal with you, especially a human-faced one."
. I went a little far away before turning around and looking at the child who cried, dropping the teddy bear. When her mother came back, she saw that her daughter won and took the plush to give it back to her which made her stop crying. She held it in her arms with a smile on her face before her mother took her by the hand and went away with her.
. As I watched them walking away, I had a lump in my throat. I knew that she would totally forgot me for the rest of her whole life, she was surely about four or five years old, the memory isn't always big at this age and I would never see her again. Having my own child came back running in my mind; it was something I always dreamed for, but I was too afraid to not be able to enjoy the life anymore. Being a mother was such an enormous responsability, it was like a full-time job with no rest. This decision was hard; I had to choose between enjoying my life, doing whatever I want, and having a child, something to love but which would prevent me from being free, from traveling whenever I want and wherever I want.

. As I was walking quietly in a street, I saw a snack bar, ran by a big woman and, being hungry, I decided to buy some food and drinks. There wasn't many customers so it would be quick. But when I gave maritic money, the woman was angry and I didn't know what to do. Yes, it was obvious that they used a different money here.
. "Wait! I can pay!" a female voice came from behind me.
. I turned around and saw a young teenager girl with blond and curly hair, her eyes were blue and she was wearing what looked like diamonds as earrings and a blue dress.
. "How much is it?" she asked.
. The woman told her the price and she gave her the money. I thanked her before taking the carry bag and walked out.
. "Wait!, the girl said, catching me up. You come from Marity, don't you?
. I didn't say anything, I just stared at her.
. "Your family name is Draginïa, right?
. - How do you know that?, I asked, surprised.
. - Your father worked for my parents long time ago, don't you remember me?"
. I remained silent during some minutes before finally remembering.
. "Eleonor?
. - Kamaya!"
. We cuddled each other. She was the daughter of a nice human couple who helped my family for a while, my father helped them back by scaring animals which where eating their gatherings.
. "I thought you were dead! Did the whole family survived?
. - Yes! We're living over there now, she said, pointing her finger at a big house between two skyscrapers. Do you want to come after the lunch?
- Of course!

. After eating on a bench in a park, Eleonor took me to her house. The hall was nice, with purple walls and there were wooden stairs leading to the first floor.
. Two human adults walked out of a room, at the left. One of them was a woman with long straight blond hair, her eyes were brown and she looked at me with a smile. The other was a man with dark hair and blue eyes, he was also smiling at me. They were her parents. They both greeted me with opened arms and I did the same. Then, two old people, an old man and an old woman came too. The old man had grey hair and glasses, he seemed younger, though. The old woman also had long straight greyish hair and glasses, but she was on a wheelchair. I guessed it was Eleonor's grandparents, it was so pleasant to see the family.

. They invited me for the tea in the dinning room and I listened to the mother telling how they escaped the Invasion.
. "And you?, asked me the father once she had finished. How did you survive?"
. I told them my story and when I had finished, they all looked sadly at me.
. "We are sorry for your parents, said Eleonor's mother. Though, we all hope your mother is still alive.
. I stared at the floor without a word.
. "Say, said Eleonor. Why are you here? Are you looking for a new home?
. My eyes went from her to the rest of the family. Should I tell them about my demon? Perhaps it was better for them not knowing about it.
. "Actually, I already found a new home, in another world, I said with a smile.
. - Really?, asked the grandmother. "Where?
. - In the Endless Forest!"
. They looked at me with big eyes. I wasn't surprised, to be honest. The Endless Forest was considered as a myth in Marity. I told them about all the places there, the Twin Gods... They listened to me, without saying a word.
. "You sound like your mother a long time ago, said the old woman with a soft laugh. She had this kind of voice too. We all thought she simply made a dream."
. The old man next to her nodded.

. After talking about the Forest and I answered their questions, Eleonor suddenly stood up.
"Oh! I just remembered something! I'll be right back!"
. She went upstairs for not even one minute and came back with a pair of red feathers with clippers and a mirror. She gave me the feathers.
"This is for you, it's been a while I wanted to give you them but I couldn't. I kept them preciously with the hope I would see you again.
. - Oh! Thank you, Ellie!" I replied.
. I put the feathers to my ears and the blond-haired teenager girl showed me the mirror.
. Everybody said that I was beautiful and I blushed a little with a shy "thank you".

. After the tea time, the grandfather led me into a dark room, under the stairs, with candles in the middle. I wanted to talk to him in private. My father told me about his profession and I thought he could help me.
. "So, he said. What is it?
. - Well, I heard from my father that you were an exorcist and...
. - You've got a problem with a demon, haven't you?"
. I nodded, uneasy.
. "How long does it follow you?
. - Since fifteen years now. But... What is weird is that it helps me sometimes without any reason.
. - Some demons are cruel and want to make you suffer, he said after a silence. But some other have a heart and can feel emotions that often make them help someone. Did it try to hurt you?
. I did not say anything, head down. He sighed.
. " Listen, I have a friend which could help me find a solution. Why don't you stay with us for now? I'll tell you when I found something.