Warning, this one contains a little graphic scenery and violence.

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You are channel flipping on your television, holding onto the now almost lifesize plush animal of Vito as you watch. It is late at night and you can't sleep, the light from the television illuminating your room.

You stop on a channel that is talking about meat processing plants. You quickly turn your eyes away and change to the next channel. You can't see something like that right now, not since you've started seeing your deer and Vito. You keep flipping channels, finding a different show about construction. You catch a glimpse of a deer who is walking around a construction site.

Slowly you drift to sleep, awaking and finding yourself laying on cold pavement. You sit up and look around, expecting rolling hills, a thick forest, or a lovely meadow, but instead, you find yourself sitting in an old warehouse.

The place is musty, and you can even see specks of dust hovering around in the sunbeams that penetrate through the walls. You stand and watch as dust and dirt lifts off the ground and floats down. This place must not have been used for quite some time, as you see weeds growing through cracks in the floor.

You call out, actually hearing your own voice echo back. Are you the only one here?

Then you hear footsteps approach nearby, and see both your deer and Vito appear from a separate room. You were glad to see them, but you don't understand why you are here of all places. "There are some things animals will never understand.", your deer says, "This place for example. Do you know what it was used for?"

You shake your head. You have no idea. Your deer lowers their head, and letting out a sigh, they say, "I will warn you, this is not the place for Vito to see...but, he needs to know the truth about humans and what they do."

You notice Vito looking at you, his eyes as wide and bright as usual. You then notice the top of his head - he has grown antlers! They're not very big, but they are impressive to you. You want to compliment him on them, but your deer's words concern you more. You then notice that there is faint words on the old walls of the warehouse.

'Burnett Meats' is what you read, with a faded picture of a cow that seems to look right at you. Your blood goes cold for a moment when you realize you are in a meat processing plant. You look to your deer in shock, "Why would you bring us here?", you question.

Your deer gives you a nuzzle, but while Vito is there standing next to you two, they whisper into your ear, "It is your next test, and besides, it would be better to get this over with now than later. You'd be in danger if Vito didn't know the truth about life and death."

As your deer backs up, you look to the deeper part of the warehouse. There is a door there that you are to go through. You let out a soft sigh, and then say, "Come on, Vito."

The young stag comes with you. As you approach the door, he says, "I don't like this place already. It seems so sad." You shake your head. It is sad, but it's part of human nature. You press the door open, and Vito walks right in.

"Mother?", he asks immediately, "Why are those animals hanging upside down like that?"

You look in complete shock. This place was supposed to be abandoned, but there are still cow bodies hanging in the place. You look in disgust as flies swarm them, and their bodies have rotted and become disfigured. You want to look away, but Vito is staring at the bodies, his mind already becoming filled with the images of death.

"Why? Why are they...?", he keeps asking. You can't answer. The deer runs off, disappearing into the network of machinery and bodies. "Vito!", you call out, but he doesn't stop.

Your deer appears at the door. "How can I explain something like this to him?", you immediately ask. Your deer shakes their head, "Go to him. Go be with him. That's all I can tell you.", your deer replies.

You nod and go into the slaughterhouse, holding your nose as you pass the hanging bodies of cows. The rank smell fills the building, and you just can't look at the bodies. You soon see an open door, and going to it, you see that dust has freshly floated into the air. Vito must have run that way.

You enter the room and see him curled in a corner. "Vito, listen...", you begin, and approaching, you reach out to caress his frightened body. The deer retaliates as soon as you touch him, his head rushing at you. His newly grown antlers pierce your shoulder. You cry and jerk back, holding your shoulder in pain. The deer stares at you, confused and terrified, but he then realizes that he has hurt you, and then starts to walk toward you in concern. "Mom, I hurt you. I'm sorry, but...", he begins to say.

To be finished soon...