The fawn awoke to a steady, calming hum, one they could almost say mimicked their mother's heartbeat. As they blinked away sleep, however, the world around them came into view - a vibrant forest, already alive with insects, birds, and sunlight. Tale's ears flicked down as the sounds became overwhelming, shakily getting up on spindly, short legs. Light filtered through the opening in the old oak's trunk, and Tale slowly padded towards the entrance, poking their head outside carefully. At the sight of Tamas, they jumped, hastily backing up into the oak again. Taking a moment to compose themselves, Tale slowly stepped out again, taking a few steps towards the stag before cocking their head. "H-hello?"

[OOC: it's so hard to find androgynous terms bfsgireg /melts]

Tale's ears flicked in wonder as ne took in the sight of the stag, milky-white eyes widening in wonder. Ne took a few more steps forward, stopping a few feet away and sitting down, eyes still locked on the other deer. The stag was much smaller than the other deers of the forest, and, consequently, much less terrifying, giving the fawn the courage to speak up. Not wanting to startle him, Tale lowered nir voice, almost whispering. "Hello! I-I'm Tale. What's your name?" The miniscule fawn smiled encouragingly, tail wagging as ne waited.

[ooh! :0 I tried it out, hopefully it reads a touch better~ <3 oh, and reference: tale generally keeps nir eyes closed, but when they're open they're a white that resembles someone blind. ne has bad vision, similar to having cataracts. c:]

Tale grinned back at the exclamations, pleased to meet a deer that didn't attack nem. Ne spoke up, noticing through nir cloudy vision that one of his ears seemed hurt. "Hello!" Ne bleated back, giggling in elation. "I'm Tale," ne repeated, this time dragging out the pronunciation.

"What's your name? A-and what're you doin'?" Ne tilted nir head, the movement causing the flowers wrapped around nir head and neck to shift, a few dried petals and leaves floating down to the forest floor. Struck with an idea, Tale carefully bent nir head, plucking a freshly blossomed hyacinth from nir coat. Ne got up and gently placed it behind the stag's unharmed ear, smiling warmly one ne was done.

"There! Now you've got a bit of the forest with you!"

[omg he's so cUTE BABY!! ;v; /snuggles him!!/ yeah, it gets repetitive really quickly. x) hehe, now I gotta doodle ne with big fisheye glasses. :'D oh oh, I'm workin' on a fullbody ref, but for now Tale has flowering vines wrapped around nir forehead, neck and midriff. c:]

Tale's eyes widened at the face, before ne giggled again, tail wagging happily. Ne leaned forward and gave Tamas a quick, soft kiss, before blushing tomato red and grinning. "The flower compliments you! You should wear them often," ne added with a cheerful flick of the ears. Taking a chance, Tale scooted forward, before gently nuzzling the stag's healthy cheek.

"You're very friendly! My family would've liked you," the fawn continued with a slightly muted tone and a droop of the ears, before perking back up. "Do you live in the forest too?"

[hehe, glad you like the ref! <33 and aaaaa thank you wwah! ;v; I LOVE Tamas goshshshs. <3]

Tale cocked nir head at the stag's sudden excitement, taking a moment to translate the movements into words. Nir ears went up when a light bulb clicked on, and ne grinned in excitement, jumping up off the dew-misted forest floor after the male. "Do you... want to show me something?" The fawn tried, trotting up to Tamas' side.

"You can lead the way. I trust you," Tale added with a genuine smile, blank eyes closing and crinkling into half-moons. "After all, you probably know your way around here better than I do. I only got here a few days ago," ne admitted with an uneasy flick of nir tail. "It's beautiful here, certainly, but it's... bigger than what I'm used to." Shaking off the mood, Tale turned nir head to Tamas with a contemplative pout.

"By the way, what's your- no, I suppose you can't tell me. Hm. Can you try to tell me what you'd like me to call you?" Tale tried, with an encouraging grin. "In case we get seperated," ne added with a quick glance around the ever-brightening forest.

[<3 u//v//u hehe~~ and omg yES BABIES aaaaa ;;;v;;; I'm developing shipping feels uwaa!! I can't wait until ne's full-grown ahahahaaaa /would draw them but nOPE DUMB EYE]

Tale giggled at the stag's antics, bowing back and doing a tight spin before landing back on nir hindquarters. A few purple petals fluttered to the ground from the sudden burst of movement, and the fawn was so focused on them that ne didn't notice Tamas' closeness until ne looked back up. Ne's eyes widened at the stag's proximity, but the opportunity to get a better look at nir companion was tempting to say the least. Tale stayed put, not flinching as ne cocked nir head to one side, attempting to memorize the stag's features. "So cool," the fawn whispered, before being broken from nir trance by the sudden attempt at nir name. Ne grinned, nodding in encouragement.

"You got it!" Ne followed him as he got up, easily keeping up with the small deer as he danced along. Ne was only a few steps behind, humming to nemself when the trees cleared on a hilltop. Ne stopped, in awe of the surroundings, when ne heard a distressed cry. Ne turned, only to see the tip of the stag's tale disappear out of sight. Tale let out a shriek, darting forward to look over the edge of the hill. Panicking now, the fawn charged to the side of the hill, skidding and sliding down fast enough that nir flower's petals flew away from nir body, creating a small cloud of purple.

It would've been comical if ne wasn't so frightened. Darting towards the base of the hill, Tale let out another cry, turning in circles with nir ears perked to catch any reply.

[bABIES. ;v; it'll be a shipfest when ne's an adult omg. /melts/ thanks for the good vibes, haha. <33]

Tale jumped at the first sound, hurrying towards the stag as he got up and began to stumble. "You scared me," the fawn scolded, nuzzling the deer's good cheek in an attempt to reassure nemself. "Are you alright?" Tale's blank eyes roved over the stag's body as ne circled around him, checking for any wounds. "That looked like a bad fall," ne murmured, relaxing as ne spotted no obvious injuries.

"Hehe, you've got to be more careful! You could have hurt yourself," Tale added with a relieved smile and a twitch of her tail. "Oh, dear, your flower," ne hummed, taking in the sight of the poor crushed thing. "Here," ne said, picking out a vine from around nir neck and looping it around the stag's forehead. "That should hold a bit better!"

[short post b/c I have to drive back home!! I'll be back in 15 minutes, haha. <33 and thank you!! it's feeling a lot better. *v * I just wish my pills didn't taste so bad!]

Tale giggled at the stag's reaction, taking off after him with leaps and bounds - well, as much as a fawn of ne size could manage. Ne hopped over the fallen pillars and rubble, small and light enough to purvey them much like a cat. Ne surveyed the area with wide eyes, taking in the ruined foundation of whatever had stood here. "Wow. What is this place...?" The fawn had never seen anything like it; the multitude of graves and statues, the bits of forgotten stone littering the grass, it was as if ne had stepped into another world.

"This is beautiful," Tale murmured, eyes darting from one phenomenon to the next. "Creepy, but beautiful." Giving in to curiosity, the fawn stepped over one of the ruined walls, trotting through where the inside of the place surely had been.

[got home safely, sorry for the late reply! @v@ and haha, I never text, so. xD lol, go ahead, I love that song. <3]

At the stag's shout, Tale quickly trotted to his side, staring down into the ominous pit. "You wanna go down there?" The fawn murmured incredulously, ears flicking back uneasily. "But it's so... dark!" Tale wrinkled ne nose, shifting nir hooves anxiously before straightening up and puffing out nir chest.

"Alright! Let's go!" Abandoning all fear, the fawn jumped down onto the first step, causing it to wobble ominously. Taking nir's chances, Tale jumped to the next, and then the next, and soon enough ne had reached the bottom of the pit, completely enshrouded in darkness. "Come on!"

Nir voice echoed from the pit. "No turning back now!"

[hehe, good~ <3 wiggidy whack attack! >;3 omg I'm being serenaded~ hehe. c: I do feel a lot better, so the pills definitely work, they just taste like pee smells. uv u;; OH YEAH NOTE: Tale hasn't referred to him as Tamas because ne doesn't know his name. x') everything holy the booty sONG CAME ON WHILE I WAS WRITING THIS CRIES]

Tale let out an "oof!" at the sudden weight of nir friend, giggling in the darkness as ne returned the nuzzling. "Told you it's not so bad! Kinda cold and super dark, but not completely bad. C'mon, let's go explore!" The little fawn trotted deeper into the cave, slowly enough that nir friend couldn't get lost. Ne made nir footsteps extra forceful, as well, to give the stag a sound to pinpoint.

Suddenly, a pinpoint of light caught Tale's attention, landing on something that seemed to sparkle. Taking a few more steps, Tale let out a shriek when nir front half landed not on stone, but in feet of water. Spluttering, the tiny fawn struggled to get back on dry land, staring in awe at the hidden place. "Woah! It's an underwater lake!"

Tale grinned, shaking nir fur dry. "Look, look! A lake!" Ne shouted to nir companion, sitting down by the lake-shore.

[alright! :3 I'm sure Tale will think of something. x) and oMG I CHOKED ON MY WATER BLUH. listening to the violin version of carry on my wayward son now. *v *]

Tale let out a short laugh at nir friend's obvious confusion, snuggling closer to the stag for warmth. "It's to pretty! I've never seen a lake underground before," ne murmured, cocking nir head down at the water and tapping on it with a hoof. Ripples spread from the contact sight and traveled out, the ridges catching light and sparkling like tiny jewels. Suddenly, a small school of pure white fish darted out in front of the fawn's hoof, causing nir to jump in shock. The sudden disturbance sent the school swimming away as fast as they could, leaving Tale to gape at where they'd been.

"There are fish here too? What do they eat?" The fawn shivered, trying to push that thought out of nir mind. After all, there was no such thing as deer-eating fish. "I wonder if there's a way past it?" Tale said, nir voice echoing throughout the cave.

The fawn scooted even closer to nir companion, ears flattening in unease at the ominous sound.

[LOL no now I want to hAH. *v * hm. what should ne nickname him??? aAAAH HELP /melts/ oh and I might fall asleep soon wwah /melts even more]

The humming seemed to travel through Tale, making the fawn visibly relax at the comforting noise. The fawn hummed back, leaning hard against the stag before puffing up nir chest and rising slowly, pacing back and forth along the lake shore. "There's got to be a a way across it," ne muttered, nose wrinkled in thought. "Aha!" With an idea sparked, Tale started to scan the surface of the lake, tail twitching in excitement.

"There's gotta be something... there!" The single shaft of light suddenly lit up a broken pathway of columns across the water, each more degraded than the last. Some were on their sides in the water, others still standing upright, worn smooth by years in the water. Turning back to nir companion, Tale grinned, eyes sparkling at the challenge. "You wanna try goin' across? I bet there's a way out on the other side!"

[TALE HAS THE BEST IDEAS... I think ne might nickname him something like Guard/Guardian hehe. x) Considering ne's never had one before~ sorry for the late reply bluh bluh. D;]

Tale blinked at nir companion, one ear up and the other down in confusion. "Are you alright?" Following his trail of sight, the fawn hurried to reassure him with a nuzzle and a wag of nir tail. "It'll be fine! It's not like the lake's that deep," ne offered with a grin.

"So even if we fall in, we can always swin for it! C'mon, it'll be fun! Do you really wanna try getting back up the steps?" With a waggle of nir eyebrows, ne butted heads with the stag gently, leaping in a circle and charging towards the first platform. With a loud call, the fawn practically flew through the air, landing rather ungracefully on the soggy pillar.

Tale let out an "oof!" on impact, scrabbling at the stone's relatively smooth sides until ne finally managed to get back up, turning nir head carefully back over nir shoulder to wink at nir friend. "See? Told ya! Now c'mon, Guard, don't keep me waitin'!" With a giggle, the fawn leaped ahead, into the darkness.

[GOONIES WOO. and yay, hehe~ I gotta go to bed, so I shall reply on the morrow! <3]

Tale jumped at the crash, turning slowly and carefully to squint at Guard from the darkness. "You alright?" Ne called out, ears twitching wildly to catch any sound not made by nir own voice. "I'm just ahead of you! I can see the other side! Just follow my lead," Tale reassured, before turning and hopping to the next pillar.

Ne landed messily, skidding out and just barely managing to catch nemself before ne dropped into the water. The fawn let out a shaky sigh in relief, getting up and turning nir head back to watch for nir companion. "Come on! Just a few more to go!" With that bleat of encouragement, Tale steadied nemself before taking off for the second to last pillar - and completely missed it, landing to the right of the downed ebony structure.

Ne spluttered, shrieking as the first wave of icy cold water enveloped nir body. Struggling to keep nemself afloat, ne kicked blindly towards the other side of the lake, trying desperately to feel out the embankment.

[poor babies ;v; ehehe, luckily I didn't dream about Slendy, but I did wake up with horrible pain in my left arm. l'D wweh]

Tale flailed as ne suddenly slammed into a warm mass of fur, coughing up lungfuls of water as ne breached the surface of the water. Ne desperately hooked a leg with one of the stag's, using nir other three limbs to make a break for the shore. Harshly panting, the fawn finally hit the opposite bank, scrabbling up onto the cold, damp rock. Ne took a few moments to breathe, hacking up saltwater, before turning back desperately, blinking burning liquid out of nir cloudy eyes. "Guard!"

The fawn darted back to the bank, moving around to the back of the stag and pushing the front half of his body out of the water. "Are you alright?! Are you hurt?" Nir voice was frantic, breaching on bleating, and nir frail limbs shook, already beginning to feel bruises forming from crashing against the columns and the lake's bottom. "You could've gotten killed!"

Tale shrieked, running in circles around the stag, squinting viciously to try and scope out any injuries.

[WATER RESCUEEEEEE~ I hope not!! ;v; It still hurts tho wwah. D; /melts]

Tale immediately quieted at Guard's obvious distress, instead shuffling closer and nuzzling the stag's unscarred cheek. With a sigh, ne laid down next to the deer, snuggling close in an effort to warm the larger animal up. "So, in retrospect, this was kind of a bad idea," the fawn murmured, voice gravelly from coughing. Still, ne giggled a bit, even if it sounded a bit tired. "Are you alright?" Ne whispered, trying not to scare the stag again.

[omg no now I need to draw them with water wings l'D bABIES...]

Tale slowly started relaxing next to nir guardian, smiling at the stag's return to calm. At the nuzzle, ne hummed a giggle, blinking nir eyes back open and looking over at the other deer curiously. "I wonder what this place used to be," ne wondered, turning nir head a bit to stare out at the now calm water. "It's so similar to the ruins, but there aren't any carvings. It's like everything's been worn... away..."

Ears flicking up in shock, the fawn gasped, grinning. "That's it! This place must be connected to the ruins, and it must've gotten flooded! Probably! Maybe!" Blinking, the fawn settled back down sheepishly, nuzzling nir companion. "Possibly?"

[PFFFT NO YOU MADE ME DRAW IT BUT IT'S NOT DONE I'LL POST IT TOMORROW AAAAAA]

Tale froze for a moment at the sudden all-encompassing warmth, before relaxing completely, practically purring from the attention. The little fawn finally felt safe enough to sleep - and slip into a doze ne did, thankfully sniffling in nir sleep rather than snoring. And this was how ne found nemself dreaming. Ne always found dreams easy to tell apart from reality - mainly because all of nir dreams were absolutely smothered in fog. This dream was the same ne'd had for weeks now, and it was a bit like a nightmare.

Okay.

A lot like a nightmare.

Fog surrounded nir at every turn, concealing downed trees and upturned roots until the last moment, the last step. Tale stumbled and tripped every other minute, it seemed, always constantly running. Ne couldn't figure out if ne was running from something or after something, as it almost seemed like... both. Horrible howls and chanting followed nir from behind, while the distant, familiar sound of pounding hooves called nir on. It was quite a vicious cycle, and it always ended the same way: ne would trip over a jutting piece of stone, tumble down a hill and crash into a lake - and wake up.

And wake up ne did, with a jolt, burying nir face in Guard's side with chattering teeth and eyes clenched shut.

[omfgtamas.png]

Tale started from the nudge, the movement enough to break nir out of the last vestiges of nir nightmare. Sighing in relief, the fawn nuzzled nir guard back, before shaking nir head clear of the dream's fog. "We should probably find a way out," ne suggested with a small smile, milky eyes blinking sleepily in the darkness. "Although... I'm not sure how easy that's going to be," the fawn admitted uneasily. The cave around them was as pitch black as the night, and it looked just as uninviting.

The only sounds ne could hear was there own breathing, echoed back at them. Shivering, Tale frowned, squinting out at the black.