Part one




Yurei had been hovering on the edge between the present world of the Forest and the ever-changing mists of unconsciousness when he heard it. A strained cry had torn through the warm noon peace. It was difficult to physically manifest himself into the Forest, but he had been startled enough by the noise and felt curious by it.
A little concerned, as well.
With a quavering nose and rotating ears he sought out the disturbance without moving from where he was resting.


Muffling silence had returned. The sound of clomping of hooves not too far off broke the monotony for a brief moment when a small herd of deer went past. Yurei exhaled and was about to return to his nap when he heard it again, and this time there was no mistaking the cry: it was hers.



He was up on his hooves and tearing through the Forest like a small atomic bomb. The ethereal stag bellowed and heard a faint reply from his mate, alerting him to the fact that he was going in the wrong direction. Yurei twisted his body toward where he’d heard her voice and continued on at his rapid pace. A low hanging branch knocked off of his ram horns. Grass whipped over his legs. Air whistled past his ears, but his mind was solely focused on locating Emm.


The ground underneath him shook all of the sudden as he continued running and he heard the roaring breath of another nearby stag. With what information (the ground shaking beneath his hooves and the heavy breathing) he was able to understand that this was a stag of the particularly massive variety.


“Please, leave me alone!” Yurei’s spirit fire alerted him to a fallen log in his path and he was barely able to clear it in time. Although his eyes no longer worked as they should, he was far from helpless. The other stag did not relent.


“Do you go by the name of Yurei?” His voice was like the ringing of church bells. Yurei replied quickly that yes, his name was Yurei and he had no time for chatting, but then a strange breeze ruffled his fur and a mountainous THUD threatened to knock him over in fright. The sound of his own hooves trying for purchase as he came to a halt bounced off a solid structure. It would seem that the other stag was blocking his progress.


Yurei tossed his horns and barked “Out of the way!” when he was blocked a second time. This was a desperate matter and so he did not care that his foe was much larger. Like a great machine the other stag was panting heavily: Yurei could hear the massive lungs chugging away even over the raucous breathing that poured out of the beast.


“Emele--.. has asked me.. to aid you,” the stranger explained as rapidly as he could allow given the heavy breathing. Yurei’s mane stood on end and he pricked his ears anxiously toward the other.


“What? Then.. is she alright? I heard her calling..”




The smile that warmed the other’s features was audible to the blind stag.


“She is alright,” Warlander replied. “She will be giving birth to a newborn fawn soon.”








Part two




It was maddening for Yurei to keep himself from bolting ahead and leaving the hulking, striped bull to follow. Being so large, he took large but slow steps and Yurei wanted to go go go—he was worried and much too excited for this slow pace. Warlander had explained that Emm had asked him to find her mate and bring him back to her hiding place. His fetching duties included making sure Yurei didn’t drown himself in the creek leading to the pond or break his neck falling off of something in his frenzy to reach her.


“I don’t need your help,” Yurei stated for the third time in an increasingly impatient tone that was borderline hysterical.


Warlander sighed and said nothing but continued keeping the younger stag updated on where they were and alerting him to dangers that he was too preoccupied to notice for himself.




It seemed as if it took them hours to get to the Playground, but upon their arrival Yurei surged forward without warning and threw himself up onto the rocks with his nostrils flaring for her scent. He caught it there on the breeze: lemongrass with a hint of cigar smoke, so familiar to him.

And there was fear.



Yurei knew the sharp and musky odor very well. He called out for her quietly and received a gentle reply. He scrambled off the rocks (Warlander hissed in worry at the stag’s clumsy antics) and went around the entire perimeter of the Playground until he caught her scent again.


“Emm!” Cool shade kissed his back when he stepped underneath the leaning rock and lay down beside his trembling mate. Her forehead was hot and slightly damp when they exchanged a nuzzle. “How are you feeling? Is—are—..is the fawn here yet?”


Emm’s responding chuckle was nearly reassuring enough for his heart to stop skipping so quickly against his chest. “I feel a little strange, but I am okay. You’re going to have to be patient; the fawn will tell us when it is ready to come and say hello.” Her lips pressed against his momentarily and Yurei felt comfortable enough to rest with her until that time came. Warlander had been watching them for a while and now began to quietly slip away as soon as he saw that they wanted to be alone to share these precious moments with one another before the arrival of their child.

Or.. so he thought.



“Where are you going?” He hunched his shoulders in surprise and froze with a forehoof raised in the air. “I need you to be here to guard me in case other deer get too close. You can’t leave, Warlander.” Her voice was as commanding as a slap to the face. Warlander unfroze and turned to face the determined cream doe. “I want you present for the birth, too. Do you understand what I’m saying?”


He turned away, champing in frustration and unease; just because she wanted him there didn’t mean he had to watch the whole proceeding. Sure, the emergence of new life was a wonderful thing, but Warlander didn’t see how so many residents of the Forest thought that it was proper to stare avidly at such an event as if it was a public spectacle.


Once hearing the soon-to-be parents talking to one another in low voices, he lay down and started his watch.











Part three




Emm woke from her nap and sat up with her eyes round and shining. Her mouth was slightly parted and a small noise like the wailing of a tiny siren came from it. It was loud enough to catch Warlander’s attention but not enough to wake Yurei. She was whimpering.


Warlander roused himself and came lumbering over. “Are you hurt, Emele?” Dirt and a few pebbles were jostled from his undercarriage as he crouched awkwardly so as to peer in at the panic-stricken doe staring off into space.


She looked at him and croaked, “I feel funny so suddenly. Something has changed, but I don’t know what it is. I think—“ But he was never able to hear what she thought was happening because at that moment she yelped and shut her eyes tightly against a wave of pain that Warlander did not want to imagine. Yurei snapped awake at the sound.


“Emmy! Emmy! What’s going on?” His blind head gently swayed side to side as he sought to touch her neck with his.


Still wincing from the pain, she replied in a voice that was much too steady. “I’m fine, Yurei. Don’t worry. Don’t worry.” She hastily nuzzled her face against his neck.



Warlander turned away from the two of them and went back to his spot.

Don't worry



Don't worry...

Part four




That was several hours ago.


Emm was pacing rapidly back and forth stopping only once in a while to strain and then groan at her fruitless efforts.


Yurei had tried walking with her as she paced but was deterred by a long string of harsh French profanity. He now stood nearby and listened to his restless mate helplessly.


Meanwhile, Warlander remained where he was. The day remained warm and quiet despite the shuffling and pained noises behind him: had it not been for those two disturbances, he would have loved to take a nap there in the sunbeams, watching the dust and bugs fly by. Since nothing was going on here maybe he could just sneak away—


An ear-splitting shriek changed his mind.


By the time he’d gotten up and turned around, Emm had collapsed near the leaning stones and Yurei was lying down next to her and murmuring words of encouragement. A wild cry ripped from her throat and Warlander thought he saw something protruding from her. He politely turned away.


“Something came out! Warlander! Tell me what just came out!”


“Emm—“ His uneasy protest was cut off by the laboring doe describing to him in excruciating detail the condition his face would be in if he didn’t look and tell her what he saw. The brindled stag highly doubted that she would ever be able to do such a cruel thing to him, but he obliged all the same, thinking to himself that it was best not to evoke the wrath of a woman in labor.


The scene wasn’t nearly disgusting enough to make him vomit everywhere as he’d expected, but it was still gross all the same: he looked past all the unpleasantness and saw a pair of impossibly small, dark hooves attached to a pair of equally tiny grey legs that could clearly be seen. He reported this to the excited couple and couldn’t help but smile at their shared enthusiasm. The celebration was cut short when Emm began pushing. Her face went a vivid red and her eyes were shut tightly. More of the front legs could be seen. Sweat beaded and then dripped from her chin when she stood up with the hope that gravity would help in her struggle.


Minutes later her work finally paid off when a small face attached to a head with floppy ears and a tuft of dark hair came into the world, then a small grey body with light grey spots and a dark, juvenile mane leading to a tail full of bristly hair slipped out. Before Warlander, Emm, or the newborn could react, Yurei trotted towards the fawn and bent over the little thing to clean it. The bull and the doe exchanged a look when they both realized how grateful they were that he was doing it and not themselves.


“A male,” Warlander offered in the silence that followed as they all stared transfixed with the small fawn when he raised his wobbly head and squeaked. Yurei’s mouth trembled and then he broke down crying as he leaned forward to touch the son he could not truly see. The fawn shook at first when his father touched him, then inhaled his scent and awkwardly prodded and nibbled at his beard.


Emm’s face was blank as she looked down at her mate and newborn son. She had time enough to blink before her eyes bulged. “Aie.. it hurts! Warlander, do you know what’s going on?”


Why did she have to ask him? He shrugged anyways. “It’s probably the afterbirth, Emele.” She recoiled and made a face behind the mask of pain that contorted her features.


“Gross.. I want this over with.” Emm wandered a few paces away and went out of sight of all of them. Neither of the three paid any mind as her grunting and moaning floated to their ears from behind the rock where she hid until there came her sudden cry of “THAT’S NOT WHAT YOU SAID IT WAS, YOU IDIOT!” followed by a squeak and then a tiny bleat-like cry. Warlander stumped over to see what the fuss was about and nearly tripped over himself when he saw another fawn crumpled on the ground.


This one was pale with cream spots and orange legs. The fawn had the same hair and tail as its brother with the same ridge of longer fur running along its spine from between the shoulder blades down to the base of the tail. Emm stared at it, amazed that she’d been carrying two fawns, and then abruptly called Yurei over for his cleaning duties. The stag nearly faceplanted in his excitement.






Another boy.



Once the new family was cleaned, fed, and safe, Warlander finally was able to take his leave. He paused and turned back to see them laying together: Yurei with his face wet again with joyful tears, a tired Emm leaning against him and smiling, and their two sons settling down for a well-deserved nap after their journey into the world.

They looked very happy.

It made him chuckle to think how busy they would be with not one, but two sons to take care of. Warlander was prepared to help if it was needed and if she asked, but for now..



he too deserved a nice, long nap.