New Friends

berkshire's picture

You can scarcely breath here...
It's not the air, it's all the colors and all the trees and all the deerfolk that seize me. Sometimes, I hold my breath and just watch, afraid to breathe lest the sound disturb the forest's song. Other fawns pranced gayly through the meadow and called out to me. I would join them soon enough, but right then a butterfly was beckoning.

She was a very small thing, fluttering quietly in shades of teal and white. No matter how hard I strained my ears, I couldn't understand her words. The forest was constantly whispering in a language just beyond my understanding. So right there in the flower patch, I resolved the learn it.

Despite my attempts to speak butterfly, my new friend flew off, perhaps I offended her. No matter, I would give her some time, and come back later to try again. Shaking flowers free from my pelt, I rose, looking around for something to catch my interest.

Eventually, I had made my way back to the lake and gingerly stepped in. The water was cold today, its nearly frozen surface collecting the white flakes from the sky. Despite the change in weather and inevitable passage of time, the sun never moved from it's position in the sky. But then I wondered "Should it?" and found I didn't know.

Declining a bath today, I made my way toward a group of older deer. They're pelts dazzled my eyes and their masks shifted around as they cast spells upon each other. Excited, I joined in, spending countless time trying out new voices. Strangely enough, I found I preferred to go without a mask... And I might as well, because mine kept slipping off after a while. Bored with the mask game, I followed a nearby deer, wondering where they were going.

The white deer greeted me warmly, seemingly glad to have a tag-along. I was overjoyed to find the older creature was perfectly happy dancing and jumping along with my young energy. For hours, we explored the forest together, seeing new pelts, antlers and more in our travels. A squirrel caught my attention then, ad I rushed off to follow it.

When I looked up, I was in an unfamiliar patch of forest, surrounded by red grass and humming insects. My guide was no where in sight. Crying out, I ran in circles, unable to reorient myself and find my way back. Suddenly, a familiar bugle rang out to the left, and I responded with a desperate bleat.

Eventually, we found each other again, and my friend led me back to the lake and bade me to run off with others my age. I agreed, but not before learning more about this first deer. They said their name was Amaranyx. As I wheeled around to greet the other fawns, I wondered what my name was...