This late in the season, it was a surprise for newcomers to show up at Nakir’s home, asking after a Fawn. He never sent them away, knowing he could always use the help. When Prissy and Quill showed up, he was on his hands and knees in his garden, reorganizing… something.

“Travel to the mountains,” he murmured when he looked up from his work. “Find an eagle’s nest, and wait until sunrise.” With that, he gave the pair a sharp nod and returned to his work.

Prissy was quick to set off for the mountains. She knew where they were, to the north of the village where they overlooked their home, and had no qualms with the quest. Quill, however, seemed far less at ease with each passing hour.

They didn’t talk about it; Quill wore it plainly in the scars on his body.

At the foothills, they stopped to rest. Quill picked at his crossbow and Prissy watched as she twirled her hair. Could she go it alone? Before she could see that thought to the end, Quill stood up and called for her to follow.

An hour into their climb up the mountain, and Prissy stopped them. She pointed to a nest, just up the slope, but Quill hesitated. A large eagle sat in the nest, feeding its chicks. They didn’t have much more time until the sun rose, but would a Fawn really appear in such a dangerous place?

Quill led the way up, never taking his eyes off of the eagle. When they were about fifty feet away, he stopped. Just peeking over the mother eagle and her nest were the first rays of daylight, pink and gold. The eagle cried out, spread her wings, and took off with one, powerful flap of her wings.

Prissy peeked around Quill and noticed several clumps of feathers in the eagle’s nest, all looking like Quill’s. Together, they inched forward, and found a Fawn fast asleep in the nest. They woke them up, and headed back to the village.

@ Morningstar

Just outside of his dwelling, Nakir sat on the ground and stared out at the horizon. The sun hung lazily in the sky, casting the clouds in shimmering shades of pink, orange, and gold. When Ruben and Eden arrived, silently to his left, he ignored them for a moment.

“Life is too short, and we too often rush through it,” he murmured without moving. “Go to the river, follow the shimmering waters. Slow down and take in the world around you. Your Fawn will be waiting on the bank by a clearing.” He raised his left hand and slowly shooed them away.

The buck and the bull shared a concerned look with each other, but it ended when Eden smiled and shrugged. He nodded in the direction of the river before he turned and headed off, Ruben right behind him.

As they walked, the pair spoke idly about anything that came to mind. Eden stopped when he saw a small piece of something sticking out of the riverbank when they arrived. Some careful digging later, and he pulled out a long piece of metal, pushed into a little scoop on the end. Thanks to being buried in the mud, it was decently preserved, and he babbled excitedly about it as Ruben led him downriver.

When the edge of the river turned steep and rocky, Ruben walked ahead and caught Eden as he hopped down slopes, or simply offered to be something the small buck could lean on as he stepped over slippery stones. All the while, Eden made sure he never dropped his “metal scooper,” as he called it, much to Ruben’s dismay. He even went so far as to put it in his mouth occasionally.

After an hour of rugged terrain, the riverbank smoothed out. Ruben suggested they stop for a rest, but Eden ignored him and hopped into the river. Across the seven foot gap was a Fawn, sitting on the opposite bank with their hooves in the water. They laughed when the pair began making their way over, kicking water at them when they got close enough. When they were almost close enough to reach, they jumped up and ran into the clearing, declaring a game of tag.

@ ronan

Nakir welcomed the seasoned pair with a small smile. It was hard to tell, but it seemed as if the stag was in on some sort of joke. He was slowly walking through his garden, finger slowly tapping, as if he was counting something or keeping time. When he got to the end, he stopped for a moment before turning around and walking back, finger still moving.

“Wander the forest for a bit,” he said, looking up from his task. “This Fawn won’t be one you find. Instead, they will find you.” With that, he made a small sound that could have been a laugh before he went back to walking and counting. Put quite simply, he dismissed them.

Laurelin and Nirvana did as they were told, going to the forest and simply wandering. This task turned out to be quite the frustrating one, due to their large antlers. Every turn seemed to tangle them in branches. Eventually, they gave up and sat down on a fallen tree.

When day turned to night, Laurelin wanted to head back and tell Nakir that he was wrong, but Nirvana insisted they stay. Deep down, they both knew the stag wouldn’t have led them astray. If they had to wait, so be it. Laurelin sat back down with a small huff, but no other complaint.

Nirvana yelped when a rock hit his face. He looked in the direction it came from with a grunt. Sitting in a bush, barely covered, was a sunny Fawn. They giggled and tossed another rock before dashing off, climbing up a tree, and perching on a branch.

Laurelin did his best not to laugh, but his mood quickly turned around when he was hit with a rock as well. He stood up too quickly, and groaned when his antlers hit a branch above him. Nirvana sighed and stood slower before he moved to the tree and asked the Fawn to come down.

They considered it for a moment, their long tail curling and flicking as it hung behind them. With a devilish grin, they dove forward, forcing Nirvana to catch them. When they were caught, rather skillfully, they wiggled their way out of the Faun’s arms and dashed off in the direction of the village. The pair took off after them, heads ducked to avoid branches.

@Cerberus