She wandered slowly, her eyes closed, listening...the distant sound of water becoming louder. She took one step forward, sniffing with her nose - if she ever caught a strong scent of a tree, she knew she needed to adjust or else she'd run face first into one. She has before, it was never pretty.

The blind doe was patient. She could hear the water growing louder and louder with each step, until at long last she felt the ground slope downward. She cautiously put one hoof down and went into the stream, the Crying Idol roaring next to her now.

Hex bent down and lapped the cooling water. She had to make sure she drank some water each day, despite preferring to stay in the comfort and familiar area of the Playground. She luckily knew the way and direction to take, as the sound of the Crying Idol's water was easy to catch with her ears. Finding her way back was always more difficult, but she relied on her snout to guide her back to the birch trees.

Her ears perked, and she sat up. She caught a whiff of someone close by. Actually, she could sense them, it was a strange blessing she had. She saw within the darkness of her eyes a slight glimmer, a silhouette...the shape of a young one laying still...

"Little one...are you awake?", she spoke with a soft and gentle voice that was nearly drowned by the roaring water.

The doe smiled, locking onto Jupiter's voice through the sound of the water. She climbed up the side of the ravine to where the fawn now sat. She leaned in to where the little one could hear her better, "My name is Hex.", she spoke, "Come, let us find a nice, quieter place. Your voice...it sounds like you're having trouble hearing me...or...", she began to question, but her voice drifted away from finishing the sentence.

The doe took a few steps away from where the water was flowing. She turned around, "Come this way, little one..."

Hex made sure to keep a slow pace so the fawn wouldn't get lost. She stopped when she felt the soft flowers beneath her hooves. "Right here, little one. Come sit.", Hex spoke, gently resting her body in the patch. She could tell the fawn was stumbling, the sound of her hooves seemed off. Tilting her head, Hex asked, "Are you walking with your eyes closed? Are you...blind?"

"Ahh...I see now...well...to answer your question, little one...", Hex began, she moved her face so it was close to Jupiter's, at least where she had heard the voice come from. The doe opened her eyes - pale, fogged yellow orbs of what they once were. She had no pupil, her eyes were damaged a long time ago to where she could only make out occasional shapes in the ether of fog.

"'Blind' is when you cannot see much of anything anymore. I am blind. I used to see the beautiful world around me a long time ago, but someone took my sight. It sounds as if you may be heading to the same place I am...", she spoke quietly, "But you may yet still be able to see, at least part of the world around you. It's okay, little one. Be brave and open your eyes, just to look at me."

Hex's face gently nudged the tip of Jupiter's snout, so she was absolutely certain that she was face to face with the fawn. "Do not be afraid. Just open your eyes and tell me how well you can see my face..."

((Hex wants to see if Jupiter is possibly near-sighted, or if her eyes are blurry regardless of how close an object is))

"Shh...", Hex's gentle shush was more calming than commanding. She nuzzled the little one, and spoke as softly and calmly as she could, "Listen to me, Jupiter. Each and every one of us was made to be special. We each have our strengths and our weaknesses. It seems you and I share a similar disadvantage, our eyes are not the best they could be. But that does not mean that we are doomed, no little one. It only means that we are better in other ways than those who see better than us. The flowers will always be there just for you, no matter what happens. Even now, do you feel their little petals brushing upon our fur? Do you smell their lovely smells? They will always be there to comfort you, I promise.", she smiled here.

"I do not know what the Twin Gods have planned for you. You may lose your sight as I have, you may get better, or you may have blurred eyes from now on. But what you can do is be strong no matter what happens. Your body is perfect and beautiful just as it is, don't ever forget that."

Hex smiled just a little, hoping she didn't say too much or say the wrong things. "It's really quite easy to live without having to see. The first thing you need to remember is simply to stay calm. When you panic, you lose your sense of direction...well...all of your senses I suppose...but when you stay calm, you can kind of....sense...the world around you."

She placed a hoof outward and gently tapped the flower bed before finding one of Jupiter's hooves. "First, place your hoof into the ground, and dig just a little. Let the dirt surround your toes...and just relax...", she did this as well, hoping the fawn could at least feel what she was talking about, "Feel the world all around you from beneath your hooves. Do you feel them? There are deer in the distance, running...the vibrations in the ground tell us where they are..."

((totally stole that from Bambi 2 ))

"You will learn over time what vibrations belong to water and what belong to the hooves of deer. They are different enough, but it takes a bit of practice to recognize. Practice and patience, really.", Hex spoke.

"Now, as far as finding a sense of direction, you use your nose to guide you. Take a deep breath through your nose. Do you smell the water in the air? That tells you that you are close to the Pond. As you walk, you will catch different smells all around, and you can use them to tell where you are in the Endless Forest.", she nodded here, taking a whiff of the air, "We are currently close to the old Crying Idol, which is obvious, but I can also smell both birch and pine trees. We are right near the edge of the Birch Forest. If you start to smell the musty scent of oak, you are close to the Old Oak. If you catch the smell of moss, you should be near the Playground. If you smell poppies, you should be close to the Ruins. If you smell the sweetness of blueberries, then you are at the Blue Bowl. Finally, if you smell ferns, you will be at the Twin Gods' hill. The entire Forest can be distinguished by smell."

She nudges Jupiter's nose, "You will get used to the smells and find your direction easily. The land is here to help you in many ways."

Hex nodded, "You will learn the scents over time, no need to rush into it. I'd suggest simply finding a favorite place and learning what it smells like so you can always find your way back there. For me, my favorite place is the rocks at the Playground, where I can see the stars at night...", she spoke this in a way that would be confusing to a fawn. How could a blind doe see the stars?

The doe tilted her head at the question, "Of course you can still run around, remember that the Twin Gods have made the trees in such a way that we can pass through them...their magic works wonders for us in this Forest.", Hex replied

She then nuzzled one of the fawn's ears, "You also can rely on your ears to hear all around you. Listen closely, what do you hear?", she instructed the fawn.

Hex listened herself, not telling Jupiter what she heard - the gentle brush of the wind on the flowers, the roaring water from the Crying Idol, the distant chime of the Old Oak, and even the soft fluttering of butterflies over their heads. She wanted to see how much of this the fawn could hear herself.

((Hey no rush, take all the time you need! ))

"Good, good...you are doing quite well. You heard many things even I didn't pick up on. There are many sounds that can be simply ignored, such as the talking deer in the distance. Unless you hear them calling for help or speaking directly to you, it is not necessary to listen to their voices so much. The same can be said about the breeze in the grass and the trees, your ears will adapt to their sounds over time to where you will hear them but they are not necessarily important. Hoofbeats are important, if they grow louder, you know someone is approaching. As I have mentioned, much of this will be learned through experience.", Hex nodded again.

The doe did not seem to know the best way to respond to Jupiter's other questions. "You may, or you may be given your own gift. Not every deer is exactly the same. I can see starlight because the Twin Gods gave me the gift, so I could predict the future for others. You may be given your own special gift, something I do not have. From what it sounds, you may have a gift in your hearing, for you were catching many things I did not."

"The Gods? Why they sound just as kind as you and I. In fact they are often mistaken for simple deer like us, but they have a particular scent to them that will tell you who they are. The scent of the Gods is of roses, distinct and unmistakable. I will also mention that, well, in my case, I can faintly see the glow of pictograms as if they were starlight. I can read your pictogram quite well, actually. You may still be able to see the names of those around with the sight you still have.

In any event, they are kind and polite, their voices are gentle and wonderful. You should never fear them, for they brought each of us here for a purpose. If you ask them, they may tell you what gifts you have and what they would like you to do with them. It was what I did to understand that I am to tell the future to my fellow deer."

Hex's body shifted just a little, she took in the scent of lavender and exhaled in a peaceful manner. The doe gave off a strong presence of harmony, and for good reason. Being tormented and imprisoned within darkness for so many years, her freedom was a great blessing, and she is thankful for every day she lives and breathes in the world around her.

The doe nuzzled back, "The Gods are mysterious like that, they don't always talk when we need them, but they have their reasons. Just ask them at their hill one day - remember, it smells like ferns - and maybe they will have the time to talk.", she assured the fawn.

She smiled here, "Blindness isn't all that scary. It's not the end of the world. Rather, it's just an inconvenience, a minor flaw in our growth. But what we do with it is what makes all the difference. Remember, we are all special and have a purpose in this Forest. And with that hearing, I bet you will be amazing in the future...", the doe raised her eyes to the sky, "The stars are not out at the moment, but maybe when the night comes, I'd be happy to read your future and see what may happen."