The Pure Child grows in confidence, but her fear of others will never leave, as will I. Against my will, she now knows others by name, others by touch. And so they know of me -- her guardian, her protector, her watchful eye -- her reason for living.

Rest assured that I will never be forgotten, no matter how hard anyone tries to lead her away from the birch forest and away from me. The Sparrow will always sing to me, and I will sing back. Kiyoko, my love, I am here.





I'm watching my stomach rise and fall with my breathing... When I inhale, I can't see my ribs. I-I feel... healthier. B-But I can't remember what I looked like before... My coat, i-it's all bumpy since I started to not m-molt properly. Rokujou says that it is good, it helps me hide. I don't think it will ever go away..
I'll a-always be like this... w-won't I.
There is a great benefit to being thin and coloured the way you are, Kiyoko. We can hide. Abilities are beautiful.
I-I didn't know if she was being nice or not.

"Virgil! Y-Your antlers look..."
I-I smiled sheepishly as I nuzzled him... H-He looked... B-Braver, s... stronger, with them. It made me feel strange, and I could hear Rokujou growling.
He was more tolerable when they were puny... We'll have to be more careful around him now.
H-He'd never hurt me with them.
You once thought the same of Akane...
He's different to Akane, I-I know he is. He's not... He's not anything like him.
We'll see who he is when others come sniffing around you. You're weak willed and weak minded, and so are an easy prize. He's certainly made short work of you that's for sure.
W-What are you saying? He helps me, b-brings me f-food, no other stag would ever do that, i-it's not right for them to do that, I-I... T-The weak in the herd are left behind, t-that's how it is! V-Virgil is different, b-better.
... Don't raise your voice to me.

...
Maybe I'm desperate.
Maybe I...
I want to matter. J-Just once.

We start walking to the side where the poppies are... There are a few others there, c-close b-but far enough.
"..."
I wanted to go to the poppies to spite her, show her I can matter. B-But... Not today. We stand there for a while, until a stag approached from the hill behind us.
We're at the edge... stand behind this tree for now. If he rounds us, we can bolt past him, understand?
Yes.

Virgil stops him for a while, g-greets him, distracts him... h-he's good at that. B-But then it looks at me, t-ties to get to me-
I-I can't run backwards, away, I-I have to go past.
Run.

Ah-h...hnR-Rokujou!
H-He's chasingmewhere... I-I don't know where I am!
Keep going, when you see the rock you'll know where you are.
I skid behind it and look back, he was still coming. I p-panic and call Virgil.
"Virgil! V-Virg--"
Don't stop and be stupid, keep going and lose him in the grass! Nothing can out-run us together.
I keep running and eventually he leaves me alone... I-I'm shivering, waiting for Virgil to come to me. H-He does a-a... a-and calms me down.

"I-I'm okay..."
I keep very close to him, so we're touching even when walking. It's nice...
Safe...
Warm...
We stop, and Virgil's looking at something. There are these really huge trees, in a circle, and I can see blue things in the middle.
"B... B-Blueberries?"
He smiles, and we start to walk there...

Stop this, right now. We're out in the open.
N... N-No. L-Look, there's no-one here at all. V-Virgil wouldn't take me out here if there was.

We get there, and it's... a-amazing. There's so many, a-and the plants are d-deep, I-I can disappear in them.
I... submit to the urge to jump in them.
Virgil joins me, I-I think he likes it too.
"?"
... What on earth is he doing now?"
I-I've seen others do it before... I-It's called dancing. I-I can't do it though.

I try, and, it feels funny, s-so I stop... then start... t-then stop... Virgil's nodding his head and encouraging me until I finally do it! It's... Fun, I-I think, I-I'm smiling.
The he rears and does a circle... l-looking really... p-powerful...

I-I find myself staring at him so I look away.

"L-Like this?"
I-I bounced my front legs a little... I felt s-silly, but also, a little bigger. I'm not strong enough to go right on my back legs, l-like him. But the leg I limp on hasn't been hurting much at all recently.

C-Can we... rest... a-a bit? I-I've done a lot today..."
We both disappear in the blueberries together... J-Just us...

"Good morning," The stag greets politely. "I think it is time you new my name. It's Esll."

... I-It was Poppies, h-he found Virgil and I sleeping.
"H-Hello E... Esll.
I w-wanted to ask if I could call him Poppies... B-But i-it was silly... M-Maybe I'll j-just call him that in my h-head. I-It's comfortable, i-it's how I know who he is...
E-Esll seems... Different...
"M-My names Kiy--"
Get out!
I-I couldn't, I-I... T-This place, I-I felt trapped, by the trees, s-so I hid behind one. P-Poppies played with them until they went away.
"T-Thank you, Esll."
I-I nuzzled him, but... he didn't... h-he... h-he stayed still. Virgil thanked him as well, a-and nuzzled him to, and he nuzzled back. I-I tried again, but he d-didn't se-s... s-seem to want to do it back.
... D-Did I do something wrong, R-Rokujou?
Well, you've done nothing right today so far. Look at where you are! You're in a tiny place, hardly any room to run at all. Ha, maybe he just doesn't like to be touched by you. I wouldn't blame him. It's a wonder how Virgil is so affectionate, you must feel horrible.

S-S... S-She's going to make me cry.
"I-I want to go h-home, n-now..."

There's a good girl.



Oh dear, your stag appears to not be in the forest today... Are we sad, Kiyoko?
N... No, because look, he left me things. A-and a poppy... This is the most beautiful one yet.
A parting gift, perhaps? Surely you knew he wouldn't be here forever.
I wasn't going to let her hurt me, not like last time.
It is a safeguard for his return, and it's a good... thing...
Puh, you have such confidence in him. All I see is a liability... well, we shall see what today brings. How nice it is for me to be your sole guardian once again...
It's not just confidence in him, I-I don't think. I feel like I can be by myself, h-he's not gone, he's just not here, r-right now.

I... miss... him...

Wake up, we have company already... Hmph. It is the pregnant one.
H-Her name is-
"P-Poltergeist..."
I'm not scared, I-I know who she is, s-she has a name. And even though she is... fawn...
S-She's very happy, a-and jumping around. I copy her, but in the grass... I-It's safer.
I laugh a little...
It is fun...

There are two either side... staring... with skulls on their faces. Don't move from your grass.
Y-Yes Rokujou.
We don't like skulls, do we darling.
N-No Rokujou.
We keep away, skulls are death, aren't they. Akane wore a skull, didn't he Kiyoko.
Y-Y... Ye... Yes R-R...

One leaves, and the other creeps closer while my back is turned... their coat is blue, green, bright... A contradiction to their face. I d-don't like it, don't understand it.

A crow? L-Look Rokujou.
Thank it for its presence without warning cries...
I do so, and I feel calmer.
Birds have always been my friends, I can trust them more than anything.

"Nn... ah..."
That fawn, s-she's called Amazon... s-she's learned to keep her distance from me...
I-I can stand to be around her, now. J-Just...
Never t... touching...
I-I'm too scared to smell her.

Rrrr. Bumbling fool, even his chase is lazy.
A-A red stag runs into us, w-well... i-intrudes... I-I hide, but,
h-he's chasing me, b-but...
It is not worth our energy. Fool. Look, he lost his precious coat in the bewitched circle of mushrooms.

"P-Poppies!"
I-I can see him coming towards us, I-I'm really happy to see him... H-He has antlers, h-he can stop... anything bad...
Sa-Safer, now, w-we are. Virgil likes that he h-helps me.
But he wears a skull.
I-It's different, with Poppies... H-He-
Wears a skull.

S-She always does this...
M-Makes me feel bad, f-for going against her wishes...
It's different. Why is she telling me n-now...

... It's because Virgil isn't here.
S-She thinks I'm weak without him...
A-And without P-... E-Esll...

N-No-one can reverse trust, o-only if they do something bad to you. Y-You can't... poison... me.
My Kiyoko's voice is stronger... I may not have the power to sway you anymore, sweetheart, but I can plant the seeds and let them hurt you by themselves.

All it takes is time.

Run run run as fast as you can...
I-I'm very uncomfortable, t-that stag... t-the one with the colourful coat... h-he's stalking... r-rounding m... A-Anywhere we go...
He bows, w-when he's close, a-and retreats when I back away, b-but...
I-I can't understand, w-why he f-follows.

Esll walks Amazon and I away on the hill... P-Poltergeist had to go.
S-Something's wrong, t-there's that shy doe that was with Esll before, b-but he's... sad.
Run run run as fast as you can!
"-!"
I-It came, and I-I hide behind a tree... I-I could see the shy doe, hiding t-too. B-But the deer runs away and I go back to Esll.

N...
W-Wait, i-it runs towards her.

"R-Run!"
I alarm call, E-Esll too, b-but he just stands there and i-is... a-angry...

W-Why aren't we going t-to her? I-I know they're f-friends, have been close before. W-Why is it different?

I don't know what to... I-I mean... I-Is she like me? D-Does she have a R-Rokujou too? She's agitated... T-That's when you're mad, i-isn't it Rokujou, t-that's when you-
-What do you take me for? I only exist for you, there isn't anything else like me, especially not in that. You needn't be afraid.
But... But Esll is... He's not... H-He's keeping his distance. S-Should I? Ye-Yes...
You know... I wonder how long Virgil will be away. Yes... You'll smell of Esll if you keep sticking to him as close as you were...
S-Stop it.
Do you remember, hm? The sound of clashing antlers, all in a bid to win your heart... Akane was very good, wasn't he-
G-Go away!

He was my friend, Akane...
Y-You killed my friend...
You killed him...





Food... A poppy... is he home?
Wait, he-
"O-Oh!"
He's already here, sitting beside me.
"H-Hi... Virgil..."
'Absence makes the heart grow fonder.'

How I despise its correctness.

We nuzzle each other, I-... I-I hope he's glad to see me.
We rest out heads on each other, t-touch cheeks... I-It's nice, to smell him again.
I-I like this.
Rokujou is quiet.
Lest I vomit when commenting on your embarrassing flirtatiousness.
He wants us to walk now, I missed that... Maybe he'll take me to that place where I can see the poppies from.
Oh won't that be wonderful

I don't seem to be so scared of deer running by, now... I-I've learnt to tell the difference between deer passing through and deer aiming for me, I-I think. I still... I-I like to be close to others, cling to them... t-they're much more confident than I am, k-know the place, better.

Virgil stops... W-We're on the edge of the birch forest.
"A-Are we going... to..."
He nuzzles me to show everything is okay. I-I'm scared... but... but I want to go where the poppies are.

Nng, stop! This is too dangerous, there's no cover!
Virgil says its okay.
Rrr, but look, there are two others, one small the other big -- skulls, Kiyoko! They are danger!
He knows them, t-they keep to themselves... I-I'm sure he wouldn't lead me here if they were dangero-
How can you ever be sure. You cannot start taking his word over mine!

No.
I can believe him. I-I want to trust him to take me there.


W-Wait... I'm...


I... I did it.


I'm here, i-in the poppies.


"I... I did it. I actually did it... V-Virgil! They're so pretty!"

I stand close to him and look around... h-he even puts some in his antlers, l-like P-... E-Esll does. I-It's all..
I'm... I-It took a lot of energy, I-I think...

I-Ignoring Ro...kujou...

Sleep for a while... Then you'll see what happens to exist here so blatantly.



Mmn... W-Wait, I fell asleep...
"A-AH!"
Sk... S-S-Skull, d-dark, sitting close behind, I-I-
Well then, you should get up and run.

I-I don't run, n-not really, just... just away, far enough... I-It wasn't getting up... A-And then it leaves...

T-Then Spyrre and Poltergeist, t-they come to see us. I-I-I'm happy to see them, because it's like... I-I know them, and this is... i-it feels like we're a herd, a-and it's safer.

"H-Hi..."

I'm still shy, but, it's okay because they understand. Spyrre is nice, s-she jumps around and makes Virgil do it too, s-so I copy. T-they're happy because there's no danger, right?
I wouldn't be so sure, jumping around like that. Idiots, they'll attract others, you'll see, others who will scare you away and I'll have to pick up the pieces.
It's like you forget who I am.
W-We're okay, it's safe, they won't let anything hap-
Move.

I-It's not her fault...
B-But then... A-Another...
I-I don'tknowthem
A-And there's nowhere to hide,
T-T... Th... N-NocoverI-Ineedg-g-grass--
"N..N-N... T-Toomany,I..."
I start pacing, I-I don't know what to do, my heart is in my head,
I can't see where the grass is, I-I don't know where I am, t-the grass I know, a-always know, c-can run and find cover e-e-asy-
R-Rokujou h-help... I-I can't see the grass, t-too many, don't want here... be here...

I can hear Rokujou growling, a-and before I hear her voice, a part of her is on my head. H-Her antlers... I-I'm feeling safer, b-but the grass, before she... I-I don't want her here, n-not really, I just want... help... t-to get home, don't want to hurt anyone p-please-

"V-Virgilp..-please--"
He catches my attention and juts back and forth.. h-he's showing me where to go, t-the grass, he... I-I can see it now, I-I can see home.
Run and don't look back on that place.

My headache... gone... I-I can hear myself...
How? Oh... I-I'm back home, in my grass... sad...
Virgil followed?

"I-I'm sorry Ro--... Virgil, I-I couldn't... there was no-where for me to h-hide...
You are forgiven, as long as you never go there again.





The rain... this smell... I love nothing more.
In this flurry of water, Rokujou is quiet, and when she speaks I can choose not to hear her, and I can quench my thirst.
It has been a long time since we have seen him... The one who reminds us oh so much of Akane. Why aren't you running?
Because he is not the only one who tries to look like fire.
Yes... Akane touched and burned us, didn't he.

I saw him too at me and just walk away. There is another in red, on the hill above me. I don't move to get away from him, either. I feel... brave. Even though Virgil is not here...

I-I am frightened of something, though... this... longing for him. I felt it for Akane once, a-at the beginning... I-I
-Drawn to power. We are alone today, let us be honest; you cannot ignore instinct. Part of you wants to see him one day to fight for his right to have you.
...
It's not l-like that... t-this forest is different, t-there's no herd, t-there's no.. harems... there's just me, a-and then there's just him. I-I want him to see it like that too, t-that there is him, and there is just me... w-with him...I want him to protect and look after me for... me, n-not just because he should. A-And I want him because I choose to, n-not because he simply... won the right to... t-to...
My heart hurts.
Then eat something. You probably drank too fast.
Maybe.

Mn... I fell asleep sitting up. W-W-
"Ah-nn, n-n!"
S-Standingoverme... A-Ak... P-Pos...
Despicable creature. No-one stands over her but Me.
W-Wait... P-Poltergeist is here... s-she's come to make him g-go away.
He cowers, shaking his head. Pretense! Nothing good ever came from the red, nothing. I may have failed to take notice of his approach, my Kiyoko, but mark my words; he will never stand so close again.

"T-Thank you. Will you... W-Will you sit with me?"
I-I feel sick... I was brave, b-before, a-and it's all gone. Poltergeist... I-I wish I could be like her, so strong, yet, gentle and...
Amazon is here... And I am okay.

Wake up Kiyoko...
I-It-s her...
I st... stare. It's all I can do, she-sh... she blends with the rain. A-and when she bows, I... cower, and bow back.
She answers to the red one.
... T-Then I'll never be able to touch her. Why... Why must something so pretty answer to an inferno...

They used to whisper just the same about you.
No... N-No, I was never... She...
I swallow hard... T-This is why I adore her image... A-A memory of flaunting the fire that held me... B-Before he burned me.
Ow... Roku, y... you're giving me a headache. Vvv... N-Not safe, there is another red... A-Another one too many... Rokujou?!

I run... b-but the other side of my home isn't safe, either, a-another skull. B-But without thinking I... run out of the grass, because I can see him. P-Poppies has come, with f-flames in his antlers... R-Real flames... Warm, a-always warm... I have nothing to fear when I'm with him.
R-Rokujou, you are being lazy, w-why won't you help, drive them away? I-I felt you... B-Brief, I-I knew you were there when they-
It's difficult to hear me in the rain, isn't it.





The rain has stopped... We must move quickly, there are others close to you.
I can smell him... He's close, I-I think... I will go to him.

The arrogance of sleeping on bare earth...
...
He's asleep, but... nn, I want to talk to him. Maybe I can... I-I get nervous, speaking, when I know they can answer. So I... whisper.
"I could see myself, i-in a puddle... I don't look so... so... ill, a-anymore. I can-"
-He woke up.

We nuzzle, as we normally... do...
Then he takes me for a walk as he normally... does...
It's all so routine for me.

He takes me to eat blueberries, I-I've been here before, but I'm still nervous.
Rokujou?
It's so quiet out here... there is no-one close, so he sees if I can go further.
I don't like it at first... A-And I know Rokujou will have something to say about it, but... I can't hear her.
Rokujou... I'm so confused, do you want me not to go?
But I get nothing in return. Virgil is trying to make me feel better, and eventually I follow him. We walk towards these huge rocks covered in moss, and he takes me to the top of the biggest one.

I can see so far from up here...

"T-Those are the God statues, aren't they?"
I ask, even though I know the answer. He's so patient... waiting for me to look around before inviting me to sit with him-
-I can see a big Oak tree...

I let my head fall and rest comfortably in his strong neck, and if I look up it... it looks like he's holding the sky above my head for me.

I love this, this... quiet...

"You look more beautiful every time we meet, too."

My heart thunders in my chest, d-did he hear me before?
"T-Thank.. you... I-"
The-There's a l-l... lump in my throat I can't seem to sh-shift.
"You-You've done so much for me... I-If it weren't for you-"
I stop, not sure of what I want to say.

The sun is so warm on my back... I start to drift off, feeling so safe at his side.
"Mn..."
But I feel him move, hear him bellow. There's a white deer, standing over us, g-ghostly white. I just up and run straight down and off the rock, hiding in the overhang.
Virgil displays at him... Telling him to go away... But he doesn't, he just stand there. A-And when Virgil jumps down to see him, t-the white one walks towards us.
"V-Virgil I-I don't know wheretogo-"
I bolt to a tree, a-any tree... I-I can't tell where the grass is from here...
But Virgil knows, h-he knows how to get anywhere, and I'm soon home. But... the w-white one... I could see him, from the hill, a-and I cried out. He went away, though...
Rokujou, where are you?
I am here as more gather... run down the other side, that is where our home is.
I do as she says, and I've found my thick grass again.

"T-The white one was scary..."
I've done a lot today, a lot w-without Rokujou... I'm so tired...





Such noise the grass makes. It is dry today, hot.
Mnhm.
Does my love not feel well?
I look at the food Virgil had left for me. For some reason I just... don't feel like eating. I'm not hungry, and I'm not full, and there's this strange feeling of anxiety and excitement. I-I normally feel something similar, to do with fear, to do with Rokujou, but this is somehow good.
Eat the water weeds.
Rokujou doesn't seem to fight against Virgil anymore.
You'll need all the moisture you can get in this weather.
I will.
And I do, before I go to find some shade. I carry the poppy with me, though.

The child has found you. Poppies close behind.
Amazon... S-She still knows not to come cl-close.
Yes. Clever girl learned so as not to be punished.
P... Esll, h-he's so diligent, h-happier since I saw him last, maybe. B-Because there isn't the red one, or h-her.
This tree is nice and cool... a-and it's on a hill, so-
-So I can see if anything is coming.

I suddenly hear wing-beats and a soft black shadow.
"It's the Raven..."
I've seen it, t-this same one before. I am always happen when it comes. R-Raven's - all birds - call when there's danger. I've never been afraid of them, e-even... vultures. Rokujou said so many times that I was never fit for a vulture, so I think I came to believe her.
I invite it to sit with us, m-me and Pop... N, I mean Esll. The fawn, s-she went away.

... What... What is that, that thing glistening and fracturing in the rays of the sun.
If I squint, I-I can see it. I-It's a deer, but, it's not a Bylah.
I-Idon't... I don't know. It looks...-
Cold. I want to see it.

"E-Esll!"
W-Where did he come from? H-He's huge, a-and that scar... Wait... Wait, I-I know him... Eh... fire? E...r, E-Ephiré, y-yes, one of Virgil's friends, h-he helped once with the...
I watch him curiously from behind the tree... e-every time he looks, I-I hide. How did he appear so quickly?
I-I soon find out.
"R... Raven? Y-You're a Raven?"
Bewitched! He is a lie! A wingéd lie! We were foolish to trust a bird that so willingly crept at our hooves.
... H-He knew I could trust him that way, didn't he.
I stared at him... suddenly his scar wasn't so scary, and Esll's trust in him boosted my confidence. We sit, for a while.

The cold... I want see it, closer. It's coming closer. Nn, are we afraid? I wish to see it, touch it in this heat. How is it alive?
N-No Rokujou, w-we won't let it, i-it's danger.
Precisely. The closer it gets, the closer I am to ridding you of it. Do you think it leaves wet hoof-prints when it runs? Will its antlers shatter if I-
S-Stop Rokujou, you're s-scaring m... me-ah! T-t-t... w-we need to run.
No! We must stay near the ice, tis nothing but a blithering fool, stop running! Ah... Who is this?
This... This... I-I know I know her, I-I have seen her before, small, I-I was... n, I-I'm too scared, I-I don't remember, but I remember she... s-she's a Virgil... friend...
Back home we go, the creature watching us from on high like he is the sun.
Is that... a fawn... with... fire? On its head?
M-Maybe I got up too quickly, blood rushing and making me see things that aren't really there.
"A-Ow, something... m-my head."
A pang of pain above my eyes... I-It is her, I know it is.
S-Stop it!
I want to see it.

She forces me to stare at it... e-even turn to face it, t-take a step forward. But there is this white deer, on the hill the other side, it ca-alls and frightens me... I-I race back to Esll's side... I-I have nothing to fear when I'm with him. H-He stood over me when I was lying in the grass...
This heat... I-I shouldn't run...
That throbbing is not me... it is not me, it is our head. Should have stayed in the shade... Shade... They always make us...
Run.
Heat exhaustion... Perhaps running is what will end you after all.

No... Virgil wouldn't like that, i-it would ruin his hard work.
It would indeed.
You're delirious. Go to sleep.





A poppy and... this is new? A... lily.
I think I'll call him Flower from now on if you are so easily pleased by such an item.
I see him trotting towards me over the brow of the hill... I am so glad to see him.
But there is this other sat not too far away.
Grey, o-ominous face.
"..."
He didn't bow, even though Virgil was trying to get us to meet each other... I-I don't like it... I-I can't understand whether he's good or bad. Virgil distracts me with his touch, though... His caress... We always do this, a-and I always never want them to stop, even though sometimes it's like I feel I can't breath, but... I feel warm.

Rokujou growls at this feeling...
But there is silence when a deer sends me to b-bolt, quickly.
"S-Sorry..."
My voice is weak... part of me was glad the deer scared me, i-it meant not having to be around the grey one. Virgil leads me around near him, though, but I'm okay because he's behind a tree like he's frightened of me... too...
I sit down on the hill, making sure that when Virgil sits next to me, I'm touching him...
Stop it.

"... There's..."
Suddenly I notice something near us. I'm not sure what it is, but... somehow... s-somehow I know it's dangero-
"V-V-Virgil, Virgil!"
I call to get him on his hooves, and a-as soon as he stands the danger runs away.
I-It all happensqucikly,
It circles,
It jumps,
A-And s-s... t-there's... s-so many deer, wait, Poppies?

"V-Virgil I'm scared... I-I'm scared, w-what do I-"
I then realize Virgil has lead me between three trees, I-I pace, b-back around him so h-he can protect me from i-
"N-Ah-hn, V... V-Virgil it's coming!"
M-My breathing is short, h-hardand-a-a-and I cough--
C-C-Can't breath-
I'll kill them all if they let it hurt you.

... I watch as Virgil fights...
H-He's magnificent...
It runs away, chased by all those who were attacking.
I-I stare, I-I have to say something.
"... Y-You were so brave..."
He was what?

I nuzzle him repeatedly...
He's breathing hard, and I can feel every tense muscle as he stands firm and listens... my protector.
I walk around him, my body close so its brushing. I decide to walk under and past his chin, making sure all everything right down to my tail moved against his heaving chest.
...
I don't understand what I'm doing.
I understand perfectly well. You want a protector?

I shall give you one.

W-What? N-No! No, Virgil, e-everyone is knows what it is, t-they're driving it around the forest!
Nn-GAH, you cannot deny me! I am almost here, your head is feeling heavier?
No! P-Please, th-there are too many d-
Too many! Exactly, too many, too many thinking they can come within reach of you.
Nm...N... no... p-please... I-I can't...

"Virgil... Virgil I'm sorry, I-I can't... she-"
The creature comes back again, and I am gone.

"Hmmm, hello Virgil. Trying to impress her, are we? It's a shame you haven't learnt that there is no room for you here."
Shuttup! D-Don't say such things! Y-You're just... just... JEALOUS!
She hisses and charges the air.
I'm sorry my darling, but it appears you have forgotten your place. I'll remind you of who your protector is. I'm not afraid of that creature.

I'll tear it to shreds for making you doubt me.






No... N-No, this hurts...





I-I can hear antlers, smell blood...





E-Exhaustion...




W-What has she done... What is she doing... S-She's -- we -- are limping, I-I can hear her cackle...

M-Mad eyes...



"Hah! You see, Flowers? Poppies? She doesn't need you, she doesn't need any of you- nng--"
Stop it, stop it now! Y-You've done enough, y-you've...
I start to cry, and it shows on our face. For a moment, I break through and force her to retreat to Virgil.

I'm hurt...
Stop... s-stop... stop...


We fall asleep, Rokujou fades along with... w-with her wounds?
... Why are they not mine as well...

"Nn... V... Virgil?"
I wake up and there's... t-there's so many deer... Are they... here because...

...
I don't feel scared, this seems... okay... t-they're okay... they-re all together... f-friends... l-like a herd...





For those not in the loop, my computer up and died 8D so until I get a new one, I'm raping Dag's computer on weekends X'3

Mn... I've missed him.
Somehow, I'm more confident around him... R-Rokujou isn't -- I haven't heard her for a while, a-at least.

This game is so fun... I-I like hiding from him, and being found.
Makes me... Giggle. How we pretend to be shocked when we see each other again.

The touching... All the time I want to be close enough to feel him.
I like making him chase me ~~

This is strange, but I love it.

"Is this... the Pond?"
I follow him without hesitation now... I trust him. I could hear the sound of water, and then I could see the waterfalls. He walked over and tore up poppies to put in his antlers... he looks so wonderful, and his coat is... I-It's different, I like it.
Handsome.

Excited, I took a drink and splashed in the water. It's so clear, and it tastes so... so... N-Not like rain water, clean, better, so delicious I think I can feel tears in my eyes. I can't remember the last time I had a drink like this.
What is he...?
R-Red! It changed him! A-And I alarm call as a reaction... Stupid, stupid, I-I know it's him.
"P-Please change it back..."
And he does, so it's o-okay. It's okay.

We walk further uphill, and he shows me the actual Pond. It's so big... a-and there's lots of deer around, but they're with their own friends and don't come. I-I think I feel... safe here... strangely... Especially under these willows. They're like curtains, shelter...

There's a stag and a doe near us.
Hn, I get Virgil's attention on me, not them.

This feeling makes me so tired...





S-Something's different about him today... I-It's like he's thinking about other things.
He did square up to a stag that frightened me from far away, which... I-I liked, that he did that rather then wait for them to get closer to me.
But then later on, he tried to introduce me to them, a-a friend, he was. But... He kept staring... a-and I didn't know what to do, a-and the more he stared, the more frighted I became of him... h-he didn't seem to want to meet me after all, I-I don't think.

"... I-I'm going to sit down, h-here..."
We're sat in poppies, now, and the large scary stag opposite us.
I-I want to go back home... I feel sick... B-But I tried, didn't I? I didn't run... I-I want to run...
R-Rokujou normally makes that feeling go away.

No... I-I thought I was better.

I fell asleep, and I woke up to see another doe coming near us. The big stag went to her... and I feel a lot better. P-Perhaps it's the rut, but... but I'm more wary of stags now than I was before, e-even if they're nice.
Virgil seems more relaxed too...
We walk around for a while, playing...

Touching...



Mnh-... -



♥




I'm his now.








"There is something I would like to ask you."

I look back at him, w-worried, somehow.
"... Y-Yes, Virgil?"

The Hart turned to face her.

There was a quiet hesitation, like he wanted to say something else, but eventually came to ask something he thinks should be known first.
"Who are you...?" he asked.

... I don't like this question. W-Why is he asking me that... H-He knows who I am, I'm not a stranger! I'm not...
Suddenly I'm on my feet walking to the nearest tree, half-hiding behind it.
"... N-Nobody."
I rest my head low against the tree, my shoulders trembling slightly. I s-suddenly feel cold.
"A-Am I... Am I somebody, t... to you?"

He rises, head low at first until he takes a few steps closer. He didn't mean to cause unease.

"Yes, you are somebody to me.
"Please do not be frightened."

He stood close to the tree and exposed his side. Trying to reassure that it's okay.

Another short silence. He hated talking.

"Kiyoko..."

...

""I want to be your protector.
"Your best friend.
"I want to be yours, as you be mine."

As a deer, he is of a more blunt type. But for this occasion, Virgil is unusually nervous. Perhaps it shows, even just a little bit.

... T-There's a lump in my throat, not because I was frightened, though. A-And it felt like my heart stopped, or... or was it just too loud that it blended with all the other sounds around me?
I'm... I'm smiling as I turn to him, and I'm not afraid to answer when I bury the side of my face into his neck.
"I've always been yours, as you've been mine."
My voice had never sounded so steady.

There wasn't as much fur on her neck; his maw found it's way there easily to offer the most tender touches he could give.
To groom,
or maybe kiss?
Whichever, his affections followed upwards and settled not far from her ears. And there he whispered

"I love you, Kiyoko."


There's a great chill running through me as he moves upwards... B-But it is what he said that has caused me to fall silent, wide-eyed and stiff as if facing a predator.
It is because... b-because... I am happy, and I don't quite believe it. I-I was sure I would die here, was sure Rokujou would make me slip away with no-one. B... But ins-stead, Virgil... V-Virgil is... he...

He is my homeland, now.

"... I love you, too."

I'm smiling, but I can't help but cry.
A little.