(Read part one here:
http://www.endlessforest.org/community/beginning .)
It was midday and two fawns frolicked through the violets on the path that led to the playground. The larger fawn went first, head held high, drinking in the fresh forest air, his tail twitching with excitement. Where the violet thinned out into yellow grass, he spun around and let out a playful roar. The lighter fawn, who had paused to soak in the sunlight as it filtered through the branches, pricked her ears at his roar and skipped over to him.
"What's the rush?" she asked.
"There's never any rush, according to you. If I wasn't around, you probably wouldn't make it to the playground until sundown, and then it'd be time to go home." He shook his body head to tail and spun around again, looking over his shoulder. "Come on. I'll race you!"
Without giving her a chance to protest, he bounded away through the grass. The young doe only hesitated a moment. Then, with a small hop, she was racing lightly after him.
The two friends skidded to a halt as the half-buried boulders loomed before them. A brief silence fell upon them as they gazed up in awe at the highest peak. The doe walked forward and pressed her cheek gently against the base of the rock. It was cool, as if the sun's rays did not reach this far down its stony mass. She guessed the top would be warmer. A scraping sound made her look to her right, and she saw her friend scrambling up one of the smaller boulders. A smile slowly spread across her face. She trotted over to join him, leaping nimbly onto the small rock and widening her stance to steady herself as she landed. She laughed when she saw her friend's surprised expression and leaped easily away onto the next rock and the next, making her way up to the peak.