January 27, 2009
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The fawn giggled as blue smoke tickled his ears. He was white! What a pretty color! Maybe now the other deer would play with him. He began to run and jump, trying out his beautiful pelt, when suddenly…

The white was gone.

He was caught mid-jump and tumbled to the ground. Had the statues taken the white back? He returned to the statues and bowed again.

Soon he realized that the statues would only give him the white for a while. It was a gift and they could decide what to do with it. He wondered. What else could the statues do…?

He became white over and over again. As far as he knew, it was the only way to change his pelt. And when he did it, he looked like a dove. And he liked doves.

Suddenly, there was a large deer beside him. The fawn froze.

It was a beautiful dappled stag. Like nothing the fawn had ever seen. The stag bent down his head and suddenly everything was on fire! His whole world was filled with light and a high-pitched tingling noise.

When the light cleared he noticed his legs. They were blue! The stag had painted him!

The stag bowed and ran off while the fawn stood there frozen in wonder.

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Chenaniah sighed. Maybe this dream was a sign. When he was a fawn, he had longed for those pretty pelts. The only way to get them was other deer. He needed other deer.

No.

Not after what they did.

But…

But that had been so long ago.



Chenaniah stood on the edge of the Birch Forest, looking out into the green and black shadows of the rest of the forest. The white doves. The purple flowers. The pond.

It was all out there. Mocking him. Or… calling him.

No… not today, dark forest. Not today.

He turned and burrowed deeper into the Birch Forest. Deeper into the dappled, sunlit hills and the chirping birds and the dancing trees. It was happy here. He could escape here.

What to do today? There was always something to do. Sing. Play with the birds. Run. Jump.

Why did it all seem so boring suddenly?

He walked through a thick tree. The dust rose as the tree muttered a quick, tingling song. Chenaniah stopped. He backed through the tree. It sang again.

He laughed. Why was it so amusing?

He began to walk back and forth through the tree. Sometimes only with his tail sticking out, sometimes his head, sometimes only the tips of his curled antlers. He laughed. Oh, if only Grimmer…

A DEER.

Chenaniah’s heart stopped. There was a doe on the hill! Watching him! Watching him laugh and play in the tree. No, no. How long had she been watching?

Chenaniah turned and sprinted away. The doe gave chase.







Chenan ran as if for his life. Over boulders, around trees. Ducking under low flying birds. Skidding on the ground and swerving. The doe was still in pursuit. My, she knew how to run. But so did he.

Chenan began to climb up the hill near the edge of the Birch Forest. Hooves dug into dirt. He was up the hill in a flash and then careening down the other side. He was off again. Tearing through the air. The dull thud of hooves behind him was getting fainter…

He glanced back and saw the doe standing on the hill, sadly watching him run. For a minute, the stag stopped and stared back at her. But then he surged forward and continued his cowardly flight.

As he came to the tall grasses he slowed to a trot, then a walk… and then he was still. He slumped.

“What am I doing?”



He had run from a doe. Again. All these years of hiding… had they really made him so fearful?

That was it. No more running. No more hiding. He was... he was going to greet her. Maybe fix the bad impression he had already made.

He turned, and noticed a beaked mask peeking from behind a tree. The mask quickly disappeared.



“I know you're there,” He whispered to himself, knowing she wouldn’t be able to hear him anyway.

He took a few tentative steps towards the tree, “No use hiding now.”

He was still whispering.

The doe stepped out from the tree and stared at him.

There was really nothing scary about her. Simply the fact that she was a deer. And had been watching him.

But then again, hadn’t he met Grimmer the same way?



The two began to walk slowly forward, and soon came to the point where they were both hugging a tree, and looking warily at each other.



Well, the doe didn’t seem to be looking. She was listening. Feeling. Chenaniah could tell… and there was something very familiar about her.

He knew he had seen her somewhere before. But he also felt a sort of kindred spirit in the doe. They both wore the bird mask, and they both seemed to take refuge in the trees. There was just something about her…

From her spot by the tree, the doe bowed. Chenaniah instinctively jerked back a few inches but then, remembering his resolution, bowed in return.

She left her tree.



Chenaniah took a few steps forward. No more backing up. Progress. Progress.

The doe sniffed him in greeting. Chenaniah attempted to sniff back, but overshot and their masks collided.



Chenan grimaced. He blushed, backed up, and gave a small bow…



...then he turned in shame and backed behind the tree, putting it between them. He couldn’t help it. She stared at him for a while, either lost in thought or not quite knowing what to do about the odd stag.

"I-I... sorry," She whispered, then she turned away…



And ran.

Oh no. Oh no. “I’ve hurt her feelings…”

He watched as she ran a short distance away, slowed, and lay by a tree. What did she want him to do? Did she want him to follow? Maybe they would both be better off if he just left and forgot about her.

He began to turn away.

No, Chenaniah. Remember? No more running. No more hiding. You’ve retreated inside yourself long enough.

He ran to her.

She stood and waited. He was annoying wasn’t he? She was annoyed. He just knew it. They exchanged bows and sniffs, and then, before he could help himself, he was off running again.

And again, she pursued.



They ran for a while. He soon found himself at the Blue Bowl and lay down among the flowers. There was no use hiding; his antlers were huge. The doe followed slowly, picking her way around the trees and down the hill. She sidled up next to him.




And she lay down.

The two bird masks peeked above the sea of blue. For a minute, only a minute, he was uncomfortable. Another doe he knew nothing about. Should he let another deer into his heart? Another… friend?

Then, it hit him.

She was the doe who had watched him that morning a few days ago. She had followed him to the ruins where he had hid. And she was back. Back in the Blue Bowl, among the sweet-smelling flowers.

And laying beside him.
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Will add more later. I'm getting back on in a few minutes and, if anything interesting happens, I'll write it up. *shrug* (EDIT:NEVERMIND I don't feel like writing. :[ )

And, uh, I'm not sure how many people are actually reading/keeping up with these, but, in case you haven't noticed, the dreams at the beginning are a chronological telling of his fawnhood. They're meant to fit together to make a story of their own, and will pretty soon explain what Chenaniah's problem is. Stay tuned. D8

OH AND LEMON YOU STILL SMELL GOOD. 8D