Shinda sighed, as it seemed, in exasperation.

"When a new fawn comes to the Endless Forest, they are greeted by Mother Doe. She is a stunningly beautiful doe who is the first one you see here. She teaches the young fawn everything needed to know about the forest. She tells the fawn about the magic, about the origins, about why the fawn has arrived." Shinda explained, her steps growing in speed. Jarett soon found trouble to keep up.

"When the Mother comes, she speaks human tongue to explain. When she leaves, it's time for the fawn to lose his speech and he is then welcome in the Forest as part of it." the deer's words seemed eerily dark and frightening.

"Won't any of the fawns object to living as mutes?" Jarett asked, trying to imagine life as a mute animal, unable to properly communicate with others.

"You misunderstand. Those who come here are generally tired of the world, exhausted from speaking to those who don't care. Nobody is forced to stay here. They choose their path and most will stick to it." Shinda stated.

"What happens to those who tire of the life here?" Jarett inquired.

"If a deer feels like his time is up, he'll leave. He'll go to the edge. But, that's up to every deer himself. There is no threat, no harm, no violence in the Forest. It's somewhat like paradise for those who the world has wronged."

"The edge..." Jarett muttered to himself. The words themselves felt like something unnatural, especially in a place called the Endless Forest. He then got back to the primary subject "So, why can you talk to me?"

"Right. So, you are not a fawn."

Jarett raised an eyebrow at such a statement. "Yeah...?"

"You were not received by Mother Doe. Generally, if a deer happens to stumble upon Mother teaching a fawn, it will stay away. I happened to walk past you and you didn't have Mother tending to you, so I walked closer. Suddenly, I found that I was able to speak your tongue. The magic must have deemed me as something of a replacement to her, since... I'm teaching you all this."

Jarett chuckled "Aren't you the least bit suspicious that I might tell other humans about the place?"

A smirk appeared on Shinda's face. "In the case somebody did believe all you said, they would never find or access this place. It is not located on the material plane as your world."

"So, are there several worlds?" he couldn't keep himself from asking the question.

A good-natured know-it-all expression was set upon her face "That isn't for you to know. Maybe there are, maybe there aren't." It seemed like she was really enjoying teasing him. Jarett couldn't help but feel a fuzzy feeling spread in his chest. He hadn't made a friend in such a long time.

The crack of a branch alerted Jarett. Shinda seemed to have already noticed this, probably due to her sharper hearing. She was a deer, after all.

Two yellow eyes glowed in the shadows. Twilight was creeping in. While Jarett, used to the human world time, it was nothing, to Shinda it seemed fairly surprising. The deer reared up and with long strides she galloped away. Jarett found himself scrabbling to keep up with her.

"What is that thing?!"




(End of chapter 5)

Hey, Royal here! About time to introduce a couple of deer from the forest. I may sound cocky, but in case you have a deer, whether OC or not you'd like to see featured, write the deer's appearance and the way he/she would act in the situation of seeing a human in the Forest. I'll pick some of those who write in the comments and you'll soon see your deer in the fanfiction (possibly chapter 7 or 8 ).


Chapter 4
Chapter 3
Chapter 2
Chapter 1