Of all the Fauns to visit him, Nakir was most surprised to see Dolus. The fact that he showed up alone threw the stag off, and his greeting was stumbled and standoffish. For a moment, they stood in silence, but then Nakir realized he came to find a Fawn.

“Go back to where your darkness began,” he said, unyielding to the young buck’s anger. “You must confront it before you can help anyone else.” When Dolus didn’t move, Nakir thought that he might have made a mistake. Perhaps the buck came for another reason?

With a huff, Dolus quickly turned and walked off. At first, he made his way back to the village, the last minutes of light leading him away from the forest. He stopped when he saw stars just beginning to twinkle. Guilt weighed him down, and he took a deep breath. He pushed it out as something close to a snarl and turned around.

The journey through the forest was worse than he remembered it. His progress was slow because he tried to keep his train from catching on anything as he climbed over fallen trees and ducked under branches. Each hour that wore on added to his frustration, but he wouldn’t turn away.

He knew all too well what abandonment felt like.

For the most part, he ran on muscle memory. The forest had been his “home,” if something so ruthless and uncaring could be called such. He twitched at every familiar sound in the dark, feeling vulnerable without his stone knife in hand.

Having been lost in his head, he stopped short when he realized what he was looking at. Bathed in silver moonlight was the very tree he’d been found under, curled up and cold. But now, in a little nest pushed into the grass, there laid a Fawn. He froze as he saw himself in the tiny life, especially when she looked up at him.

Thankfully, she pushed herself to her hooves and wobbled over to him, stumbling straight into his legs. Instinct made him reach down to catch her, and she reached up to hold onto his wrists. She wasn’t afraid of him. In fact, she looked up at him and smiled.

@ Azzy

Bus and Lucius found themselves waiting outside of Nakir’s dwelling for a handful of hours. At first, they were sure the mysterious stag was just running late, but as the sun set, they weren’t so sure. The elk did his best to try to keep the pudu’s spirits up, assuring him that Nakir would come and they would be able to go out soon. In all his times of helping, however, he’d never been left to wait so long…

Stomping out of the forest and thick vegetation, Nakir appeared just as day turned to night. “Sorry for being so late,” he grumbled, busying himself with things strewn about his dwelling. “The Fawn you’re looking for is flighty, no pun intended. Patience and perseverance will be the way to them. Go, and good luck.”

The pair headed off in the direction Nakir came from, hoping that his appearance meant he’d found the Fawn, or at least knew where they might be. Lucius led the way, asking Bus to keep an eye out for him. His height would surely make him a good lookout, wouldn’t it?

Lucius slowed down and stopped when he came across a pile of fallen trees. As much as he wanted to simply climb over them, something told him that he was exactly where he needed to be. He shared his feelings with Bus, and they agreed to wait at the trees and see what came to them.

Sure enough, in the last couple of hours before dawn, rustling came from the shrubs around them. They remembered what Nakir said and waited to see just what was around them. The sounds grew closer and closer until a small crest of feathers peeked through one of the bushes. Then, a head with big, curious eyes.

The pair moved to sit on the ground, and eventually the Fawn slinked out of the plants, and sat down in front of them. After half an hour of quiet whispering, they stood up and made their way back to the village.

@ Bear