New years bump. *kitten eyes*

The other one appeared so suddenly.

It was a strange, female being that was now located a few centimetres away from the dream-eater, shaking the last bits of her dream from her green-ish eyes. How elegant and yet childlike were its movements as the little female stepped to peer from one of the gaps. Stop! Can't you hear the tree screaming at you?
The demoness could smell the leftovers from its dream flowing in the air, the giant tree making sure she couldn't have any of it. The Forest was against her and in favor of the small female in this situation - obviously. The demoness didn't belong here.

How restless seemed the female's dreams, though. Maybe it had witnessed something it had not looked well upon. A fight? The dream-eater could see tiny flashes from her recent past. It seemed like a blur - the young one had definitely been shocked by the experience. The demoness grinned, as her giant hoof took one step towards the doe, her blue-tinted pelt illuminated by the light that was coming from the outside. She liked the dreams and thoughts of children and the young in general. Free of worry, free of troubles and ready to see all the excitement in the world. There was always the danger to it, though. The little female could lose her life if she hadn't the willpower to stand up to the demoness's attack.
Please. Turn around and stop me.

Her mind tore her into two directions. One was an instinct - a deep rumble in her stomach, a desire to pleasure herself in the taste of the other one's thoughts and what she saw when she fell asleep. The other one was telling her to look for a more mature prey, one that would live through it without a scratch. Gathering all her willpower in order to form the hollow words from her dark lips, the doe could only let out a whisper: "You really shouldn't be here." She said this as the Third eye on her forehead began to open slowly, hungering for another meal.

(He certainly may! I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of a character he is.)

The voice startled Abby.

Soon, that voice was two. One threatened, one insulted. The female didn't want to turn around. "I am plenty capable." Harsh words tore through her delicate mouth, poised like vipers to bite. Carefully, the four golden-soled hooves began to spin the young female to face her attacker. Threats first.

Through the dark, the dream-eater became visible. Her third eye was opening slowly. The view was sickening: a slick orb, oozing with protective fluids and rolling like the eye of a madman from between two unnaturally-placed lids. "Ew." The word slipped from her lips as Abby's face crinkled in disgust and horror. A strange sensation tugged at the doe's mind as she watched the dream-eater taste what allowed it to thrive. It was a greedy beast that needed to be stopped now so that she would survive. Luckily, the thing had eyes. She could work with that.

Slowly, the doe's pelt began to glimmer. Constellations of tiny lights appeared. First they twinkled, then they pulsed, then they moved. Gently pulsing pinpricks moved over the fur, swirling in ever-changing patterns. One couldn't look anywhere on the doe without either seeing the golden bits pulsing or moving across her body hypnotically. It was her only defense, and the last one before she would attempt to gore her attacker with the long, twisted, hollow horns atop her head. "Stop yourself." An icy, calm command slipped toward her attacker, accompanied by the pulsing light and gentle movement of the 'stars' on her fur. The lights seemed to reflect off of every surface inside the well-worn tree, as if the tree itself were lit with strobes. "Do not harm me." Another cold command. The pulsing and swirling continued, attempting to draw the attention of her attacker and subdue it. The other female would not win. She either had to look at the pelt or the greenish, stationary eyes. Either would press their will against what was attempted on her. "It's shameful to try and hurt someone." Each statement was spoken with conviction, held as highly as fact.

The doe had just begun to satisfy herself with the taste of the female's thoughts, enjoying it like an insect sucking the pollen from a flower. It revitalised her, it made her body quiver with new strength and her mind was starting to find the balance one again. She moaned in a deep voice. The taste of it was wonderful, so sweet and delicate. It reminded her of the night sky and twinkling stars, a sight she herself enjoyed looking at. A muffled voice was heard from outside, but the blood that was finally flowing through her head had made her ears ring. Was someone there? It looked like it was enough to alert the young female.

The demoness hated light. She hated the light that suddenly illuminated the female's fur, moving in flowing patterns that shielded the female from harm in an unique way. It made the doe sick and disgusted, her stomach filling up with its power. Her Third eye shut tight to protect the demoness from internal damage, but it still started bleeding a dark, thick substance as she backed up to face the tree again. She was cornered like a little rat, and she hissed in frustration. Her feathers spread around her like a peacock's. She couldn't run anywhere. Ever since she had landed on this realm, her powers had been taking a longer time to recover than usual, and the doe was still frail. She would have no hope of fighting back in this state, and she could just forget running. She was now at the mercy of this female and the one who still stood outside, but there was one thing she refused to do. The demoness would never be afraid of another. She could admit that she was terrified of this place, but never another being. They were all meaningless. One could boast about their power as much as they liked, but in the end that power would die with them. Still, she wanted nothing more but to escape this light and those harsh words. They made her head burn with desire to give up. Everything was against her.

"It's shameful to try and hurt someone"
The doe knew it to be the truth. No matter the time or the dimension, that was a basis for any interaction with others. The demoness just couldn't help herself. Her throat was dry and her stomach cried for nutrition. Was she supposed to starve and die? The other one spoke again from the outside, but the demoness was hypnotized by the light. She wanted to stare at it forever, even when it made her whole being burn with pain. Light was her worst enemy, and this one was strong. The dream-eater wanted to defend herself with words if nothing else, but she could only ask with a little hiss: "And what about you? Are you going to hurt me now?"

Fibonacci smirked at her reply, watching her trying to concentrate. So the stars are powered by will, he thought meditatively. "Well, I am usually described as eager," he explained before wincing at the horrid, black blood-like substance seeping from the demoness' eye. That eye widened and slammed shut like a door. She seemed to recoil from light like the stag did from that eye. He'd never studied a demon that reactive to light.

That voice was poisonous, but doused in deceiving sugar. She's persuasive, Nacci thought, and watched her seamless control over those beautiful stars neatly arranged in her cerulean-violet coat. "I hate to disturb you," he began, softly, "But those stars fascinate me. I can see you're busy so I'll shut up again." That last sentence was followed by a classic smile of the stag's, raised eyebrow, relaxed eyes and an arrogant smirk.

He could see the demon was panicking a little. "Chill out," he said with a stare like a mix between a glass shard and a goose-feather pillow, if that was possible. "No-one's doing any killing today. And you won't starve, not unless you cooperate."

The doe listened to each spoken word, soaking them up like a sponge and analyzing each bit. One could call her paranoid if they saw what was in her mind. Each word and thought was examined to its very letters. The male's words... they needed addressing first. "'Fascinating' is the perfect word for them." Her words contained warning as well as laughter. Be careful, buck. Staring isn't going to help you. Now, to run through the dream-eater's words again.

So... she had guidelines? Well, if she had them and was willing to outline them for the pair of captors, it wasn't as if she did not follow them, right? "So... do you stalk your prey to decide on that... when you aren't starving?" As was common in the Endless Forest culture, Abby tilted her head to the right as she questioned. Long, golden locks all fell over her neck and to the same direction in a river of hair and daisies. The doe probably appeared very fey-like in this moment in time, gently glowing and with flowers in her hair. In all reality, she did behave as if she were an innocent child when she wasn't defending herself. Head properly righted, the doe continued to analyze as she awaited a response.

These two creatures were the first complete interactions Abby had encountered in this place. If everything were so exciting, it was likely that the doe would need to eat more and more of the fairy ring mushrooms to be able to keep up with her body's defenses. There was absolutely no telling quite how the mushrooms in this place would effect her, but she would find out.

((Oh mi god long post ahead))

The doe grunted, her head pounding with all the questions directed at her. She wasn't too eager to speak about her contract or terms as a demon - it contained her whole existence. Her masters would certainly make quick work of her entire being if she spoke too much. She didn't trust these two.

Still, she feared what the two of them could do to her if they combined their power. They didn't seem like they got along at all, but if they saw the demoness as a threat, they could work together to banish her. The dream-eater shifted her legs anxiously, thinking about how much she could tell without posing a threat to herself. She was still facing the shadows, breathing in the familiar, comforting sense of darkness. It helped to clear her head and focus on this moment.

"It's difficult to put it into words that - beings like you - understand." She started, glaring at them with suspicion, her feathers still widely spread around her. "It's all about the aura that surrounds you. I can see it clearly when I am full and focused. When I am hungry, the lines become incomprehensible and I can't tell if my victim is able to stand the attack or not." The demoness sighed as she peered from one of the cracks. Snow was falling thick from the sky which was spotted with gray clouds, the cold wind making her black hair flow around her. "I try to find suitable prey when I can, but those with enough willpower in this world are not easily found. I rarely find one in time." She sighed again. If she was a stronger being, she could have easily lived for months or even years without nutrition - but even demons had their own hierarchy and she wasn't exactly in the highest ranks. She had a master, whose wishes and orders she followed when He would ask.

The demoness heard the stag's question, and let out a malicious chuckle. It really was that obvious? "Yes, I am new, if that's what you want to know. It's interesting, how much the inhabitants of a certain dimension want to find out if someone is "new". What does that information mean for you? " The dream-eater's answer was quiet, but she was smiling, remembering all the times she had been asked if she was new. It was a gesture the doe couldn't understand.

The next question made the doe hiss in displeasure. "Names hold incredible power, boy. There's a lot that a being like me could do with your name. But if you can trust a demoness to keep your name safe - then be my quest. You can call me Veleda." The doe smirked at the end of her sentence, wondering about the couple's answers. She'd know if they were lying, but wanted to know how intelligent they were. She was obviously lying about her name as it wasn't her true name, but it was a name she'd taken a liking for.

The stag laughed a little, amused by the demon. She seemed so stressed about the Forest - but she did say she needed nutrition as quick as possible. He answered the doe's question after some thought. "I suppose it shows how much experience you've had here," he began. "The more time you spend here, the more you learn. Perhaps such a demon like you could learn a few things from here." The young stag adjusted the swordstrap on his shoulder, and carried on. "I assume you've been to other worlds?"

Fibonacci listened to the two does' names with heightened interest - a lot could be learned from both a spoken name and a written one. Written names were also useful to mark territory or possessions, for instance, his written name was carved on both his sword and its holder. The stag then bowed, like Abby did, to the doe and the demon. "Fibonacci, at your service," he declared, then accepted Abby's request, walking into the hollowed tree further. It was less windy in here, he noticed, but still cold. He heard the demon's words slither to his ear, and whipped around to reply. "I trust you will keep our names safe, both of them. We have let you live, after all.."

The dream-eater, Veleda, moved to look out at this world that she had only 'stopped' in. Abby found this a curious thing. Maybe she would one day find out what world she was originally from. This place seemed to hold similar characteristics, if she was able to survive here. Where were they?

"Welcome home, Veleda." Even her words smiled as they bubbled from behind those dandelion-hued lips. The doe's dark face no longer even shimmered with unnatural light, signifying that she was comfortable enough to like the female's answers. "You're in the Endless Forest." At least, that is what she had heard this place called, by both god and deer. It seemed that this was an echo of something she heard the first moment she awoke days ago. That was just one of the bits of information planted in her mind that day, in order to allow her to live a good life in this world.

"Fibonacci, do you think that birds and squirrels have any desire other than wanting to live and procreate?" The thought was something she had been secretly mulling on since the doe had spoken on what she could and couldn't eat from. Squirrels and birds in this place seemed to be able to flit in and out of view, making them more difficult to catch, yet all they wanted was to gather food and mate. They ran for their lives if you got too close. Abby wasn't sure if they held complex thought or not. Just maybe they might be a good alternative? Never mind the strangeness of her questions...

"The Endless Forest, huh."
The demoness made a flawless gesture to sit down by the entrance, fascinated by the falling snow. She was a little surprised why the other two were not taking their time to honor the sight. Ah well, perhaps they had gotten used to it by now. The doe had never witnessed snow - only had she heard countless stories from her familiars by how it sparkled in sunlight and was cold to the touch.

She wanted to scavenge the area with her inner Sight, and started to breathe in and out slowly in order to concentrate. Her eyes closed slowly as she entered the state where only auras and sources of power could be seen. The Third eye seemed reluctant to open after being exposed to the light moments earlier, but it had to obey it's master's wishes. Slowly it opened like a hidden passageway to the mind, and the doe was now more aware about her surroundings. At first the eye only focused on the tree. There was power in it, pulsating from the roots with a visible colorless line. She saw the auras of the two beings there with her - the yellow, powerful light that Abby had emitted and the currently quiet essence of Fibonacci. Maybe the stag was thinking?

The doe sharpened her hearing, quickly turning her left ear to listen what the two of them were speaking of. Birds and squirrels... the doe had once feasted on a bird's thoughts and dreams. She knew they were simple beings, but they had their own thoughts which were much different from theirs. As her Third sight flew over the Forest like an invisible breath, she hummed quietly as to not disturb her concentration : "Birds have small brains - not much information can be stored there besides mating and eating. But they do know how to learn, how to seek information and they know the value of companionship. They're happy to live like that." The doe thought about the memories of the bird she had killed. It's last moments consisted of fear and agony, but there had been something behind it. A memory of joy when the eggs had hatched, a sorrow when a fox had eaten its mate - and a feeling of pride as its hatchlings had left home. It was simple - but they remembered and valued those moments.

As she was inspecting the Forest with her inner Sight, she had to admit that the name of the place sure fit. It truly was an endless loop, and the view was same everywhere - only the trees changed. There was one place that her Third eye had taken an interest for, though. Two, white statues that adorned the top of a grassy hill. The power that they seemed to give off was drastically powerful, even equal to those of the demon royalty. Huh - truly a place of great interest. The doe certainly wouldn't mind calling this place home.

Fibonacci, too, decided to follow the two does and rest by the snow's edge. He noticed how the demoness surveyed her surroundings not with her eyes, but with her mind. "Yes, this forest is endless," he said. "Currently, we are in the Old Oak, in the Old Forest. The New Forest is to the north of here."

The stag found his attention brought to the luminescent doe on his left. He sneaked a glance at her, then frowned. "I think that if a bird cannot survive, a squirrel won't have much luck." The stag gazed out at the blanket of snow, then at the brooding clouds that his appearance mildly resembled. He hoisted his swordstrap up his shoulder - it needed to be adjusted when he had the time - and dived out into the white blizzard, laughing all the way. He spun on his heels and caught a snowflake on his tongue, and went cross-eyed attempting to watch it melt. He was a stag of maturity, but also of playfulness, and due to his relatively youthful age, he thought he'd better not waste the opportunity.

As the male frolicked like a fawn in the white, Abby watched. Her eyes sparkled with happiness at the sight of another having fun, which ignited her inner-fawn and had her almost dancing to her hooves again. But, before she could rise to go join him, a question had to be answered first.

"I don't have one. I only woke up here a few days ago, and I was alone. The Gods gave me knowledge of what this 'family' thing is, but I don't have a family."

That finished, the doe rose to her hooves and placed the front two in the freezing white powder. "Would you like to give it a try? Snow is something that even fawns enjoy, while it lasts. Spring will come sometime, and the snow will disappear until the warmer seasons pass again. Besides, not much is more enjoyable than playing in snow. All of your basic senses get involved." Abby's hair blew in front of her face, obscuring everything but her smile. The perpetually-beautiful dandelions entwined there were dappled with frozen flakes as the icy air tried to decorate her with them. Another step forward and the doe was springing across the white ground. Large dents in the snow signaled where her stotting had brought her in contact with the earth, and made a pretty regular path should the dream-eater choose to take it.

Abby spun in place, kicking up snow at Fib. She grinned madly and bounced away a few paces, before looking back to see if the dream-eater was feeling like joining the pair of Endless Forest residents in the dim, white world. The sun was too hidden behind thick, gray clouds to cause her damage, hopefully.

The demoness stayed quietly in place as she heard the answers. Fibonacci's was a lie, obviously. Having been specifically trained in terms of lies and deceivers, the doe's ears twitched immediately with satisfaction. This was a feature she enjoyed in mortals - their ability to speak a lie and leave so many traces of it for other's to find.

However, this was not the moment to start using the lie to her advantage. The stag had been kind to her despite knowing what she was. He was allowed to keep secrets just like everyone else and be distrustful of strangers. Instead, the dream-eater tried to focus on Abby's answer, find something she could cling to - something she could logically explain. The gods? The demoness knew gods existed, but she had never heard of ones capable of spawning life out of nothing. Even the demon royalty wasn't capable of that. It frightened the doe slightly - what would happen once they found out about her existence in their realm? As she stood up again, the doe moved her gaze to the direction of the statues she had investigated with her inner Sight. The amount of power flowing through them had been drastically high. Maybe they were connected with the deities of this realm? Definitely a place to stay away of.

"Hm. You're lucky. Families are a burden." Ignoring Fibonacci's lie, the doe decided to accept Abby's offer. She had to try this out sooner or later. Watching as the two them surprisingly got along, now connected by the snow, the dream-eater quickly glanced at the sky. Gray clouds, white powder that fell slowly and no beam of sunlight to be seen. Perfect.
She was already shivering with fearful excitement as she experienced the cold fully now. The body heat of the other two were no longer there to give her warmth, and she was left to face the cold breeze with her thin pelt. As all of her feet touched the snow, her hair began to flow around her as her senses picked up the feeling of absolute cold. She must have looked silly, treating the white powder as if it was an unknown enemy. In many ways, the demoness resembled a newborn fawn, experiencing the wonders of winter for the first time. She was surprised and shock of how the two of them could touch it like that, as if it was something to be cherished. "You - you really think this is fun? It's really cold. " She complained with suspicion as she took big, long steps to reach the two of them as fast as possible. Even though her words were trying to insult the two for being crazy, her lips formed a visible smile. It was always so thrilling to discover something new, and she wanted to see it all.

In a quick flash, the demoness kicked a nearby tree with her hooves, causing it to shake violently from the power of her muscles. The shaking continued all the way to the top, making the snowpile that was resting calmly on the tree's branch to begin dropping down towards Abby and Fibonacci. The demoness grinned - maybe she wasn't too old to play around.

The stag laughed at the demon's reaction to the snow. He watched eagerly as she stepped into it, and he felt like cheering her, just to tease. He then heard a thud, a snap and a high-pitched creak. Looking up, he felt himself completely submerged in layers of soft, icy snow.

Fibonacci dug upwards with his antlers and turned to see Abby covered in the white powder a few feet from him. He chuckled again, following her out of the snow. Once he was free he saw how much snow there was, and glanced back up at the branch, wondering how the tree contained it all. "Wow," he whispered with a shudder of cold.

The playful stag heard Abby's words and kicked up more snow, the wind carrying it in her direction. "Is this colder?" he chided with a grin.

"Brr!" Abby replied, giggling at Fib's mini-blizzard. She shook off again for added effect. Starting to tire, the doe let out huge puffs of steamy breath, hotter than the air around her. The dream-eater had laughed too, and it was a sound she'd never thought she would hear from the female. Abby only smiled more. Her world was so bright and full of good feelings at the moment.

Veleda's voice got a grip in the doe's mind, who was obviously fascinated with this creature from another world. "There are all kinds. Some who are demons and some who are not, there are inhabitants from here and inhabitants from other places. Since I woke up I have seen creatures as tall as trees and grown deer the size of fawns. Some here eat just plants, and some eat just about anything. There are even predators here that eat others if they aren't careful." The doe's smile turned into a flat line. "My first day here I witnessed a group of deer fighting, even, beating up one of the Endless Forest deer that couldn't keep magic. They are the dimmer of us, and are often treated with care, so I don't know what those others were thinking. So there are all kinds here." By the end of her answer, Abby had her face pointed toward the ground, kicking a little snow chunk and watching it roll over the disturbed snow in front of her.

Abby smiled slightly again, looking back up at her new friends. "And then there are deer like us, who started off scared and confused, yet now we're friends and can talk openly." For this the doe was grateful. She didn't want to hurt anyone. All she wanted was a happy peace among those around her. It was wonderful to feel so at peace with others.

The doe found herself completely lost in their voices, so deeply was she immersed in these two that her hunger had been almost completely forgotten. What was even more strange, she found herself enjoying it. Just chatting like this with beings she had thought to be lower than her.
She had been wrong - these beings were intelligent, strong and merciful, even willing to spend their time with a demon and call her a friend. The doe was not quite sure about the word's meaning, tilting her head to mimic the act of confusion Abby had done earlier. Nobody had called her that before. In most places she had been to, others would judge, attack her or fear her based on her race. Yet how is it that these two can be at peace with me?

"Friends, huh..." She whispered the word out loud as if to taste it in her mouth. Surprised by the warm wave of happiness flowing through her body, the demoness smiled in her own awkward way. "Yes, I believe you're right." She looked at Abby, the female who she had tried to kill a few moments ago. Oh, how would she have regretted it.

The demoness enjoyed listening to their views on the inhabitants of this Forest. It sounded like quite a mess. Demons, deer, predators.. they just wouldn't mix together. "How is it possible to maintain peace and balance with all those things in here?" She couldn't help asking the question, although she had just heard about the fighting case. From the way that Abby had explained it, it sounded as if situations like that were rare. So how was it that all those beings could live and flourish together? What a strange place indeed. It just continued to surprise her.

Fibonacci's question surprised her even further. Yes.. the dream-eater had smelled a whiff of a familiar's blood on the tips of his blades. The doe found it incredibly odd that the stag was willing to speak to her like this. He knew she was a killer, a taker of life, yet he chose to speak - and listen. And the doe respected him for that reason, he was wise to listen even to his enemies. There was much he could learn from the demoness. And he was in luck. Veleda loved answering questions, would the answers benefit those who would wish to harm her or not. At first, she stayed silent for a while, just enjoying the faint scent of fresh air that the wind was constantly carrying towards their direction. The question was a difficult one. Revenge was such a strong word, one the demoness didn't prefer to use. One word was so full of hatred, sorrow, pain and madness that even speaking it out loud could attract misfortune. "No, I would not." She concluded, looking at Fibonacci's eyes. She wanted to show him she was being honest. "If they make the decision to step out of line and begin to kill for the fun of it, they have deserved all the hatred and hostility coming their way. We are never ordered to kill for sport by our masters, yet it is our nature to do misfortune. Some just can't live with the thought of never getting to show off their power and their selfish mind craving for more than they need." She stopped to take a breath, returning to the demon realm in her memories. "Most of them have chosen to take the path of a demon, and they give us all a bad reputation by murdering others for their own advantage. Our masters command us to deliver misfortune upon others, but it should never be mindless murdering. Those who go too far deserve no love from others, not even their own kind." She inspected Fibonacci's face, curious to see how he would react. Feeling talkative, the doe asked with great interest: "I assume you've met many of such individuals? Your blades may be clean, but the remains of a demon's aura never leaves the object that slaughtered it."

The stag eagerly listened to the demon's words - yet again, he still couldn't quite believe he was talking to a creature of the species he had slaughtered. Yet, she was not a murderer and he forgave her for killing those many creatures. Life must move forward, he thought. Forgetting is often the best answer. The stag was curious about what the doe-demon had said about masters. "None of the demons I met have had masters," he said. He paused, a slight crease forming between his silvery eyebrows. "But perhaps they killed them, to earn freedom."

At the mention of his beloved sword and the demons he had killed with it, Fibonacci's eyes fluttered closed. He breathed slowly, a lump forming in the back of his throat and a knot in his stomach. His head lowered a little, hair falling and framing his young face. All that ran through his mind was... "Fire," he mumbled out loud, then realised Veleda and Abby were still there and listening. "I'm sorry," he muttered at the demon. "Yes, I have killed demons. Ones who step out of line, as you say. Kind of like demon police." The stag forced a smile, but it came out crooked and strange, and felt wooden. Smiling was supposed to make you feel happier - he'd heard it somewhere. But it didn't seem to work. "Yes, demon police... I have tried talking with the nicer ones, but they didn't really seem the chatty type. Neither did you, a little while ago. Maybe I just needed to try and kill them, then show them some type of weather." The stag did smile a little then, but it was a ghost of a smile, a flicker of hidden amusement. Maybe smiling did make you happier.

Just forget. You are Fibonacci now, not Lovan.
Just forget.

The conversation was getting dangerous. Abby didn't like it. Veleda wanted her to be a part of it. The doe had to give some sort of answer to her. Maybe the second half of the question would be enough. "I try to protect myself without hurting others." The female's ears were pinned in displeasure, though her voice was firm. Her fur had begun to illuminate a bit again, but it wasn't enough to be completely visible in the dim winter's day yet.

Her first words sparked a fear within herself. "Those kinds of questions are not answerable by anyone that can't create souls." Something gnawed at the back of her brain in an unpleasant way, and all Abby wanted was to get rid of the feeling, therefore the conversation had to stop. "It isn't meant for us to ponder that. These thoughts are only meant to punish." The words were finite, cold, commanding, factual. The midnight blue tail behind her had puffed, threatening to raise in warning but she held it down. She held everything down.

The wind was starting to pick up a little, luckily they were safe on the other side of the Oak. Clouds moved more quickly overhead, threatening either a blizzard or sunlight. At least the snow was beautiful. Abby just focused on that. She didn't want to see anyone's face reacting to her words.

(Would you mind a fourth? I have a deer, Elliot. He needs some development. Old character, new environment.)

The stag could sense her frustration. She could see he didn't want to talk, so why was she still reminding him? He wasn't about to tell a lie, as she seemed the kind of person.who would be suspicious if he did. He remained in the same position, his head aching because he'd screwed his eyes too tightly - but he didn't care. He could focus on the throbbing pain instead of his memories. As he spoke, he had trouble keeping his voice normal, resulting in a strained, choked tone. "I kill because who else will? We all killed, when... A while back. And do demons really ever die? I'm not sure. The demons I saw were different from you. Maybe they weren't demons at all. Maybe that was just a word for the things we couldn't describe."

The stag then finally lifted his head, his face pale, eyes glassy. He glared at her with some ferocity, warning her not to try and search for answers where he didn't want anyone, not even himself, to go. "A demon who kills freely and without reason deserves to be killed in much the same way. Did you lie? Don't try and avenge them, Veleda. They're already dead and they deserved it." He then realised what he had just said, and to a demon that was quite strong and didn't need justice brought upon her. She could kill him now, or Abby, just as much as they could kill the demon. But they weren't, and that was what amazed the young stag.
However, angering a demon is never a good idea, and that's why Nacci had never talked to one before.

The stag continued to talk. Foul, hurtful words that threatened the demoness' very being. Why did he continue? Didn't he see what he was doing?

The doe couldn't hear Abby's quiet words, but saw her dart off into the tree. Even the giant tree seemed angry. The doe couldn't blame it. She tried her best to ignore the foolish words the stag were spitting at her direction, now glad that Abby had run off. It wouldn't have been safe for her to see this.

With a quick motion, the demoness stepped closer and closer to Fibonacci, so close that her face almost touched his own. This time her voice was low, echoing through the trees around her like lightning. It was not the voice she had been using earlier. It was almost as low as a man's.

"I.. NEVER... LIE. They deserved to die. But it is not your right to do it." The demoness struggled to keep her voice as calm as she could. She tried to explain the best she could, but if one wasn't willing to listen.. there was little she could do. "Do you understand what killing does to you? It brings you closer to the demon realm. It brings you closer to becoming one. You may think that those who you kill are much different from yourself - yet to me, you're no better than an assassin. Those who you have killed may have deserved their death, but not by your hands. It was your choice to make. Do you really want to taint your soul with their filth? A responsibility which does not belong to you?" She was shaking at this point, her words becoming confusing and almost imcomprehensible. She wanted Fibonacci to understand her thoughts, yet she knew it to be impossible. The wind had now become colder, as if to punish them for their words.

She looked at the direction Abby had gone, pointing the direction to Fibonacci with her heavy hoof. "If you're happy now, go to her and apologise. You must have noticed what this did to her." The demoness spurted in the opposite direction, laying down next to a tree, now facing the wind on her own. Her ears flopped down in sorrow. She wanted to go in there to comfort the female herself, but couldn't. Demons can only cause misfortune.

I know, I KNOW. She tried to shush the voice in her head which was now mocking her. She got exactly what her master had promised her - she always did. She was just utterly surprised she cared so much. In fact, if she had been able to shed a tear, she would've. But no. She was different, strapped from the privileges of these beings. Yet they decided to dwell on their troubles instead of enjoying everything they had been given as a birthright. The demoness wasn't able to understand that.

The stag was quiet - yet again, he had gone to far. The stag's neck curved and he shook his head, eyes closed, in his absence of words. What had he done? Was it his fault, or the demon's? Probably both. "I'm a fool," he said loudly, his eyes now locked with the doe's. "I'm a fool, and I realise that. But I try to forget. Don't go digging where the dirt is diamond, Veleda. I don't want to remember." That phrase, he realised, might not make sense to her. But he didn't care.

"If you kill, does it bring you closer to your own realm? And I might not become like your species of demon. I might become like another, like one that is free, and travels around worlds to learn and teach. Yes, I'm an assassin. Yes, I'm also an idiot. But don't bring it up, because when you do, it just makes things worse. Remembering makes things worse." The stag was struggling to keep his voice calm. He wanted to shout, to yell and screech at her until she understood. But that wouldn't do any of them good.

Fibonacci heard the demoness' last words, and his heart sunk. The same, echoed quote kept ringing in his head - Remembering makes things worse. He would forget this conversation - the bad bits, anyway - and forgiveaand apologise, because he had been a fool. He had always been a fool, and now was the time to apologise for some of his mistakes. He walked over to the demon, and laid something next to her - a seaglass bead impaled on a driftwood ring. He didn't have anything else besides his sword. Then, he walked into the Old Oak, and sat beside the blue and gold doe. "I'm a fool," he whispered.

With those words, the stag left to join the female. She didn't say a word after him. She wanted the conversation to end. She didn't bother to look at the object placed beside her, objects meant little to her. Yet she found herself appreciating the gesture and accepting it as a way of apology.

The demoness was irritated by his last sentences. Remembering.. did he think he was the only one? Memories were unforgettable and there was no escaping the past, so the doe did not understand why Fibonacci even tried. He'd never be able to do it.
The doe had tried it for years, but she had learnt to face the facts. The demoness was a woman of sense and science, unwilling to give too much ground for the actions based on emotion. Control and balance were the key words, the only truth she needed to follow. That's what she had always believed since she first acquired her powers, at least. Yet she couldn't forget about her daughter, she just chose not to think about it. Not because it caused pain - just because the moments with her had already been lived through, now they were gone and that was it. Why dwell on the past? You couldn't change it, not even the demon royalty was capable of that. What do memories mean for these beings? What is it that I can't seem to understand?

Even her hunger was completely gone, she didn't feel like eating. A grim, lonely feeling was gnawing through her brains, distracting her from even feeling the emptiness of the bottomless pit of her stomach. Why didn't you just kill him, Veleda? Kindness, maybe a feeling of pity. It had stopped her. A little sign of the compassion she thought she had lost. She liked the feeling, another feeling that caught her by surprise. She liked the thought of her having a part of her that was still on the same moral level that the other beings liked.

She wanted to learn so much more what it was all about, what all these feelings were and why she was feeling them now of all times. Even though it was cold, the memory of them playing together a while back made a warm wave run through her again, making her feel excited to know more. Maybe feelings and emotions weren't just a waste of time. The demoness wanted to go back to them - to learn more and gain their trust. But maybe she had been the one who brought about this mess. She didn't dare to go back.

The presence of another being barely registered in her conscious. Had it been there for a while or did it just arrive? She didn't know - she had been too immersed in the previous conversation to notice. "If it is warmth or company you seek, head into the tree. There's nothing for you here." Her voice was low and tired, as if she hadn't slept for days. The stranger was in luck, the doe wasn't looking for a meal and neither did she have the strength to attack. Her thoughts were in disarray.

Elliot had begun to move down from his hill fairly slowly. He had caught just the ending words and pity stirred in him, despite his incredible reluctance to interact. He could see the deer that were not within the tree were fairly upset. Neither seemed to be attacking the other, but yet each replied with words that caused the other to become distraught. Heavy hooves carried his great mass a little faster now, though his body language was still slightly fearful. The stag went within the tree and he saw there was something within. While the tree looked welcoming, he would have to have lowered his head so that his antlers scraped the ground to fit through the opening. He was about twice the height of most, and his antlers spanned longer than he was tall. As magnificent a crown they made, they were a burden when he was trying to enter enclosed spaces.

He looked at the blue doe. Or he assumed she was a doe, given there were no antlers. The human face was alien to him, but he was able to discern some emotion from it. As he approached her, she spoke and his head lifted high, rattling the pine branches and scattering needles as his tines caught among them. It took him a few moments, but he soon found his voice. She seemed very tired, or maybe even hurt. Elliot was far too compassionate a stag to leave someone who seemed like they may be in need of assistance. He stood still but tilted his head toward the tree mentioned, scattering more needles before gazing down upon her. Another fro within the tree spoke and he picked up on the name. Veleda. "I am in no need of warmth," he replied slowly, voice incredibly deep with an accent not of this region. It was quite true. His pelt was more than thick enough to block out the winters here. He could survive eternal winter, though a hot summer would leave him with heat stroke. "Nor am I seeking company necessarily..." He spoke quite slowly, proving he was not usually loquacious, or may that was reserved for a certain few. "You seemed distressed, so I came."