The dry summer heat rippled waves of heat off of the black tar surface.
It would have been any normal day. It would have been, but...
A trail of crimson liquid made its way much like a river down the black surface. A young fawn, stumpy-legged and bright-eyed watched the thick substance roll past her cloven hooves. She smiled unknowingly, stepping back to avoid the determined liquid's path as it slid past downhill. The bushes lining the great black river shook and trembled, and from them stepped a small doe. Her ears were too big and her legs were too short, she was completely unproportional. Despite that, she had the warmest eyes and the softest smile. She stepped up beside her fawn and twitched her ears nervously. The great black river, frozen and reeking of a sharp unpleasent smell loomed before her. Great shining beasts whipped by on rolling legs, carrying man in thier bellies on this river. The doe was disturbed at the thought.
"What's this, Pep?"
The young fawn grinned at the trail of red, as if she was pleased she'd found it. The only smell was the bitter tar cooking in the summer heat. The only sound was the screaming of determined locusts and other small forest bugs. The fawn was too young to speak properlly, her words were baby-ish and jumbled, usually difficult to make sense of.
"Red waha. Pep found red waha in bwack wiver..."
"Red water?"
The doe became nervous. The summer heat had left her pelt sweat-covered and burning with heat, but now a cold sweat beaded her skin. She stepped delicatly through the brush, weaving here and there with the small fawn bouncing excitedly behind her. Pep wasn't old enough to sense her mother's discomfort, and happiness coarsed through her veins like it should in a young fawn.
Her nose twitched, wrinkled, and she made a small gagging noise.
"Momma, wussat smell?" she whispered between gags.
Pep bumped into her mother rear's, shaking her head and reeling, trying to rid herself of the strong smell of smoke. It burned her lungs and made her eyes sting. Before the two deer was one of man's great shining beasts. It was crumpled, rammed against a tree. It must have been angry at the human-doe lying limp across the brush, for it spat flames and cracked and popped unlike anything Pep's mother or Pep had ever seen. The sight was unnerving. Even Pep slowed to a horrified stop. The forest was ablaze.
Pep's horror didn't last for long. She stepped forward, ignorant to her mother's petrified state and followed the crimson up to its source -- the lifeless human-doe. But a new trail of liquid was coming from the smashed metal beast. This one reeked like the tar, and bright colors danced in its black surface. Peppa stepped closer, sniffing curiously at the black stuff. She drew back almost immediatly, the stuff smelled horrid! Pep shook her head violently. The black liquid was sprayed onto her ears, where it clung strongly, and seeped into her ears. Pep squealed at the liquid in her ears, shaking more. The flames from the burning man-machine suddenly jumped, racing down the line of gasoline to where the fawn stood.
Her scream was what snapped her mother back into consciousness. Pep's eyes were rolled back in complete horror. Fire seared and burned it's down her head, racing into her ears and burning away her ability to hear. The fire tore at her fur and burned away the fawn's ears, leaving her awkward and wailing with pain.
Pep's mom leapt forward, but the fire burning on her wailing calf had already died down and burnt out. Pep was so mortified she stumbled blindly about, where she crashed into her mother lightly. The fire was spreading around them. Pep's mother nudged her and bolted. Pep knew the drill. She followed, her earless and soundless world only focused on her mother bright white tail. They fled for what seemed like hours to the fawn in distress.
The fawn couldn't hear her mother, but as her mother sped up she did, too. Without warning, Pep's mother crashed against a limb, wheeling and bucking madly. Pep immediatly identified the issue. Her mother had collided with a limb that dug into her eyes and blinded her. From her mother's eyes ran rivers of blood. Pep would have lowered her ears as hope burned away around them. Her mother knew it, too. She calmed almost immediatly. The two knew it was over. There was nowhere to flee. Peppa slowly came forward, bumping her head against her blinded mother.
"I'm here..." she whispered.
"I love you, Pep...I'm sorry..."
Lightning crashes, an old mother dies...
Her intentions fall to the floor...
The fire burned only feet away as Pep's mother threw herself over Pep's tiny form. They were both wailing. They cried not for thier own lives, but for each other's. Fire slowly climbed over Pep's mother's collapsed form, the tiny fawn beneath crying desperatly. Her burning mother had gone limp. She could feel the fire beginning to devour the body and come ever closer to her. She couldn't hear the thunder rolling, bringing rain. She couldn't hear her distantly dying father whispering sweet goodbyes to his child and mate. Her small form focused entirely on the fire now. Peppa gasped for breath, the hungry flames eating at her hooves and the smoke choking her. Her eyes began to close...her breathing slowed...
Forces pullin' from the center of the earth again...
I can feel it...
Peppa's breathing evened. The forest was cool, but the burning flames had subsided the a gentle warmth against her side. Rain fell around her, but the little fawn couldn't hear the thunder. She shifted against the warmth.
Lightning crashes, a new mother cries...
This moment she's been waiting for...
Peppa's bright blue eyes cracked open and she stretched against the warmth with a huge yawn.
The angel opens her eyes...
Pale blue colored iris...
Presents the circle,
Puts the glory out to hide, hide...
"Good morning, Peppa."
Lemon's unseeing eyes were focused on her daughter. Seth sat a few feet away, smiling as his two favorite girls in the world stretched and welcomed the rainy morning. Peppa smiled, digging her face into her mother's side and giggled as she refused to wake up just yet. Seth and Lemon laughed softly in unison as the little fawn curled up tightly for just a bit longer...
I'll agree with Avani in saying that was a powerful read. I never knew that Peppa lost her hearing like that, or her mother for that matter. Poor little Pep. :/ Good job with the piece, though. I liked the use of repetition and the variations of such.
Powerful, yes I'm going to have to agree. It was beautifully written and its sad to hear how everything happened. Poor Peppa.
Emotional, like Avani said, very emotional. You caught all the little details to add the awesome effects to this.
Beautiful.
This was a very powerful story, like everyone said.. I love reading character's backgrounds.. makes me feel like I know them better a little bit.
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I'm a little wolf inside a girl.
Awww.. that was very heavy
The ending was very powerful though..
To pray is to believe, to believe is to purify one's soul
To pray is to believe, to believe is to purify one's soul
I'll agree with Avani in
Powerful, yes I'm going to
Emotional, like Avani said, very emotional. You caught all the little details to add the awesome effects to this.
Beautiful.
Poor Peppa! This was a very
This was a very powerful story, like everyone said.. I love reading character's backgrounds.. makes me feel like I know them better a little bit.
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I'm a little wolf inside a girl.
Lightbringer-apprentice to Yorres