Late Autumn, Year 758 of the New Age
Outskirts of the main herd, Glenmore

Alize
Mother had left her here with Aytan and Elysia since she was going to see her brother that wasn't here anymore, one that had been before Garrick but now was with Óganach. She and Eila had been at this special place mother said his spirit sometimes came back to visit them...or it was at least a place where he could hear them, mother said. He never talked back but sometimes you could find a special item around there, or dream something special...and to that mother said was his way of answering. The second time she had been there she had found a feather that shimmered in blue. It was very pretty and she had proudly brought it back home. Eila had also found a thing that she had taken back. Maybe, one day when she was older she could as someone that was good at it to fasten it to her mane. Mother said it was still too short. Today Eila was with daddy by herself and she couldn't help to be a little jealous. Alonetime with daddy often meant fun times. It was fun with mother too of course...but...it wasn't the same. Mother was always  bit more firm than daddy.

Aytan had told them to rest, and they had...but now it was becoming boring. Aytan stood not far from them, but she had no clue what he was doing. He just stood there. Perhaps he was pretending to be a tree? It felt like her legs wanted to move a little. A race perhaps would be good? She glanced at Elysias direction, she seemed to be awake too. Perhaps Elysia knew why Aytan was pretending to be a tree?

Elysia
The sky was bright and blue, with barely a cloud in the sky, but there was a chill in the air - one of the first signs that winter was on its way. Elysia lay with Alize at the edge of the main glade of Glenmore, her tail flicking wearily as she sighed. Casting her gaze over towards Aytan, she saw that he was still stood, only his head moving imperceptibly as he watched over the fawnlings around them. He was on Guard duty, as always, and though Elysia was used to remaining in the same place for hours on end, she still found it boring.

Still, Alize was with her today. The other fawn had been left with her and Aytan by Elita, who had vanished into the forest with barely another word. So now both fawns were lying in the grass with little to do besides watch the other fawnlings go about their business.

Elysia’s gaze slid over to Alize, who was watching her as well, seeming to be thinking something. Elysia cocked her head expectantly.

Alize
It was rather her sister than her that could be seen as the bold one, however with Elysia who was in personality more like her than her twin, she was bolder. Not always of course, but more often than not. Elysia tilted her head slightly as she looked at her. She lifted her head and looked at the red stag who was bigger than her father. Earlier she had wondered if it was possible that he had more hair than daddy. Her friend Hui-sha didn't have that much of a mane, but it was soft and smelled like herbs. She liked herbs because they made owie things go away...and then she liked sweetberries of course, those that Hui-sha called blueberries. They made your muzzle colored, almost looking like blood.

She thought back to her and Elysias first meeting. It had been rather short after the introduction. Mother said they needed to go because it took them awhile to walk home. Daddy had been worried when they came to their thicket, but he always worried a lot. It was because he loved them so much, he had said when she asked. She turned her head and looked at Elysia. That must mean Aytan loved Elysia very much too because he doted on her like daddy did on them. She wondered what happened to Elysias mother. She hadn't asked. Eila said she didn't know either. When she had asked mother, mother had simply said that she wasn't around. She must have walked away very very far because it had been a long time she had been away. It must be very silly to walk away if you had a baby like that.

“I'm bored...you want to do something?” she finally asked.


Elysia
Alize was watching Aytan, lost in contemplation of the red stag. If he noticed her gaze, he did not reveal anything. It was after several minutes that Alize turned back to Elysia, saying quietly: “I’m bored...you want to do something?”

Elysia nodded, pausing for a second before asking. “Like what?” She turned her head as the squeal of another fawn pierced the peaceful air, and watched as a small herd of youngsters galloped across the field, leaping and laughing. Aytan had called it a ‘race’, or something, when she’d asked before, but she had never felt any inclination to join in - she knew none of the other fawns and didn’t have any idea of how she might approach them.

The palomino turned back to Alize. “We could have a...a race?” She asked hesitantly, then glanced at Aytan, who had one ear fixed on the two youngsters. The stag glanced to meet Elysia’s gaze for a brief moment, but it was enough to show he had overheard and wasn’t comfortable with the idea. “Once I ask Aytan, though.” She added hurriedly, unfolding her long limbs and rising to her feet, stretching.

Alize
Hazel eyes glittered and she nodded. A race! Yes, that would be fun. She and Eila raced a lot. However when she raced against Eila she hardly ever won...or well, sometimes but then Alize was sure that it was just because Eila let her. A race could be different, Eila had taught her that.
Sometimes you just ran because it was fun...and it was even more fun if you had someone to run with, therefore it became a chase. Those was the ‘run and run and run til you just can't run anymore’ races. They didn't really have a end, or well sort of because you couldn't run if you were all out of energy and giggling at the same time.

Then there were the races where you had decided where to start from and where you should stop running. The one that get to that place first have won the race. Those were the ‘start-and-finish’ races. Sometimes you could race and getting an award , like laying the closest to daddy, if you won...or getting the milk first...but most of the time...it's was just to see who is the fastest. Alize remembered that daddys brother had said that sometimes you needed to be really, really, really fast and then it's good to have practiced racing. However, if you raced you had to be careful though, especially if one was running in the forest...the strange legs the trees had, the ones that they hide underground, sometimes they popped up and it was easy to trip over them. It wasn't that many days ago she had fallen and scraped her knee again. She had told her grandmother to put ‘ello plant’ gel on it because that was what Hui-sha had done. When her grandmother had wondered what plant she meant she had described it as good as she could. Apparently it wasn't ello plant it was called but aloe plant. Either way she had gotten some praise for remembering, both the plant and what it was used for.

She got up at the same time as her golden friend and watched in hope as the other approached the red guard. Alize hoped that he would allow them to race. They didn't even had to go over there where the other were. They could race right here...behind those trees, behind the shrubs...and then to those bigger trees over there and then back to where Aytan was standing.

Elysia
“...Alright,” Aytan relented, his eyes softening as his gaze met Elysia’s. He turned his head to look into the trees, pausing for a moment. “You can race from here to that pine, and then back again, but no further. And for Óganach’s sake, be careful Elysia; you know what happens when you push yourself too hard.”

Elysia nodded then spun back to her friend. “We-we can race, but only to the pine and back. It is not far, but far enough to see who is fastest!”

The two fawns stood side by side, facing the forest. Unsure of what to do, Elysia glanced at the older fawn, her ears slightly back, but she got nothing but a smirk in response.

Then, suddenly, the fawn had vanished from beside her, and was instead vanishing into the undergrowth at a gallop. Elysia scrambled after her, struggling to get her legs to move in an even rhythm. Soon, though, she was moving as fast as Alize, but still not fast enough to catch up. She pushed herself faster, determined to be quicker than her new friend. There, she was catching up, slowly but surely, her tail billowing out behind her like a river. Thankfully, the grassy glade was clear of any obstructions - no rocks or hidden roots to trip her up.

But, that was not Elysia’s problem. When they had started she had felt like she could win, but now, so close to catching Alize, her chest tightened, and she faltered slightly. Trying to ignore it, she pushed herself faster, but the discomfort persisted, dragging her down like someone had put a rock into her chest. Her breathing was becoming shallow and ragged, and her throat burned like fire.

She stopped, gasping for air before calling after Alize, who turned to look back at her curiously. The fierce ache in Elysia’s chest lingered, and her legs trembled slightly as she struggled to slow and deepen her breathing.

She folded herself up - painfully slowly - and sank to the ground, collapsing onto her side and stretching her legs out as she gasped for breath. The pain was easing, but only slightly, and Alize wandered back towards her, confused as to why the race had stopped.

Alize
Eila had learned her some tricks when it came to racing. Many times a race could be determined in the start but you needed to be quick. They had even practiced this a little bit, but most of the time Eila was the winner anyway. She and Elysia would race to the pine and back, a set distance. It seemed like a good race to her. She tossed a smile back at her new friend that had kept even pace with her so far, but her smile faded as she saw the other flagging and stumbling. It was like someone had grabbed the others tail, and then moved and held her so she couldn't breathe, she just coughed, gasping for air. Not just once but more, sounding like she would cough up something.

Unsure of what to do - or say - she stood and watched the other for a moment. Why did she sound like that? Her own breath was a bit winded but it didn't sound as Elysias did. The other fawn had lied down on her side. Alize swallowed. Hui-sha had shown her what to do with the Aloe plant but...Elysia hadn't scraped anything.

Elysia was still wheezing. She had to do something, but what? Perhaps her breath was just scared? It would need to calm down a little bit. Perhaps it would help if she sang to it. Softly she began to hum a soothing tune while thinking about the words. Her voice was thin but clear, and like it was meant to be, a black bird near by seemed to sing along with her.

That soft whisper in the trees
is a sweet autumn breeze
If you listen closely
it tell stories of lands far away,
about olden times
when Glenmore heros the enemy slay
Find your courage in the flowing wind
let it find you peace in body and mind
Close your eyes, and breathe slow
find the strength that lies underneath
Nothing good come from fright
keep faith in the breeze
breathe
and it will be alright

It seemed to help a little bit but...perhaps she could do more. What had Fara said about red clover...it was something with chewing on them but not swallowing it, just the almost water that came out. Hadn't she seen some clover near by?


Elysia
Elysia’s lungs refused the air offered to them, closing her airways off, forcing adrenaline to surge round her tiny body, which shook and shivered in protest, struggling to function properly without the necessary fuel.

Alize was stood not far away, evidently confused and unsure of what she could do. Then, unexpectedly, she began to sing, her voice thin and wavering, but there. A nearby bird seemed to echo the tune, and Elysia felt herself relax, as she raised her head slightly to watch the fawn, the bird perched on a low branch above her head. She smiled for a split-second, before another couch shook her tiny frame, forcing her to sit up and arch her back in an attempt to clear the blockage to her airways.

By the time she had regained some composure, and was once again laying uncomfortably on her side, wheezing painfully. The song had gone; presumably Alize had run out of words while she had been coughing, but when she raised her head, she saw that the other fawn was also gone, as was the bird. Though she knew Aytan was only a short distance away, being by herself still unnerved Elysia, and she couldn’t help but suddenly feel very alone.

Alize
Her mother always raised her nose and scented the wind before she left them alone, even if she was within sight. It was strange to her. Even if mother had said that where they lived was the safest place she still checked everything. Sometimes she even checked shrubs that looked funny. When she had asked mother had simply said there could be things hiding...both themselves and their scent. Garrick had told her a story about when he and their mother had met a Blackwood. It sounded very scary. At least they would have the big red stag here to help them if something was lurking, she could see his red hide from where she stood. But what if he thought all this was her fault and got angry with her?

She sniffed the wind, inhaled big and closed her eyes so she would be able to focus. It was just the forest, the smell of dirt and moss...and the herd. Nothing she hadn't scented before. Perhaps she could fix this on her own. Elysia had her cough for awhile. Mother had said it was because it was still smoke inside that hadn't found it's way out yet. Good herbs, milk and rest would cure her mother claimed. Mother wasn't a healer though even if she had picked up some things from Farasha, her grandmother. Alize tried to soak in as much as she could. Since the little mishap with the trail that ran away daddy had been worried with them going on their own so she hadn't seen Hui-sha for awhile. She hoped that when she was a little older and daddy would let them go a bit more on their own...she could go and visit him...and he could tell her more about herbs and the magic that he could do.

What was it Fara had said...about red clover...Alize tried to think back and remember.

Clover red and tasting sweet
don't let it's simple nature fool you off
clears the passage and helps the cough
chew to a paste but it's not a treat
Drink the juice
then spit out the paste before your feet
it have no use

It was good to have water to drink to this...but that was mostly if it was something you would take every day. Then it was...one good mouthful of water to every flower you took...but how was it without... What if she made a mistake? Clovers wasn't at least bad flowers. Smaller fawns was always to have less than a grown...so if...if a normal dose would be four, just as many as your legs, then half would be two. After she found a patch of the flower she sought she picked the two best ones. It was autumn after all and many flowers had started to die. Thankfully clover was quite hardy...mom said that you could even eat their roots if you were hungry enough. One just had to make the dirt go away first.

She trotted back to her friend that was lying down on her side. “Elysia..” she said after dropping the flowers before her “...you must eat these, chew so you get like a paste but don't swallow anything but the juice you get from it...my grandmother helped a doe with a cough once...and she gave her this...it helped...”

Elysia
The worst of the coughing had subsided by the time Alize returned, holding two small red flowers in her mouth. The fawn dropped them onto the ground in front of her, giving her instructions on how to eat them. Chew them… but only swallow the juice? She was wary of the offering - Alize was her friend, but Aytan had warned her against taking anything from anyone but him and Eldhara. Alize said her grandmother had used to it to help another who had had a cough, and Elysia found herself beginning to trust that the small blooms would help.

She coughed once to try and clear her throat, before gingerly picking one of the flowers up, chewing it slowly. Almost immediately a sickly-sweet juice oozed from the plant, and she screwed up her nose in disgust. Still, Alize was watching her, waiting for her response, so she continued chewing, breaking the flower down into a thick paste. Then, with some difficulty, she swallowed the juice that filled her mouth, before bending her head low and spitting the ball of mush onto the path. The other flower still lay untouched, and it was after pulling another face that she picked that up as well, repeating the process.

After another ball of pink goop joined the first, Elysia sat up a little, licking her lips and waiting to see what effect the flowers had on her. The tightness in her chest eased slightly, but whether that was because she wasn’t moving as much, or because of the flowers, she couldn’t be sure. However, as she waited, and as Alize watched, something seemed to lift from her chest, and she sucked in a huge lungful of air with a smile - she hadn’t been able to breathe so deeply since she’d met Aytan. She grinned up at Alize, her fatigue lifting as the air flooded through her body. Standing up - albeit a little shakily - she took a few steps towards Alize and bowed her head.

“It worked!” She exclaimed happily, bouncing slightly, before dropping her head to sniff at the paste still laying on the forest floor. “What flowers are these?”

Alize
Relief filled her as she saw her friend getting better...seemed to be anyway. Sometime it was just the first reaction. She had after all just given her two flowers. Even if the flower was mild...herbs was not to be played with. Perhaps she shouldn’t have done this. Then again...clover was a kind flower. She glanced at the bits of the flower that her friend had chewed and spit out. “It's clover...red clover...it comes in white too...and those flowers are smaller...but the red...Farasha...thats my grandmother...she knows a lot about herbs...she said that red clover is good to loosen slimey things that is stuck in your chest, things that make you cough...and also to make coughing easier...I don't know how much to give...but...always take half if you are little...just to be sure it is safe I took a little...” She wiggled her nose and smiled a little.

“But clover isn't a bad flower...you can eat it as food too, it's not filled with poison like some plants...Grandma told me about plants others herds use...it can make you see things that isn't there...it can even make you think it's real. Then there are plants that can make a doe lose her baby...and one that even can make her not have a baby in the first place.”

The last wasn't something she was suppose to know. Grandma had been talking to mother and they had stopped talking when they saw she was up.


Elysia
“It's clover...red clover...it comes in white too...and those flowers are smaller...but the red…” Alize explained, recalling knowledge given to her by her grandmother. Perhaps Farasha was like Eldhara - maybe they knew each other? Alize continued to talk: “I don't know how much to give...but...always take half if you are little...just to be sure it is safe I took a little...” Elysia’s ears flicked back slightly at the use of ‘little’, but there was little use in denying that she was small, even if she was growing taller with each day.

She stared with wide eyes at Alize at the mention of the plants that made does lose their babies. Of course she didn’t understand that Alize meant a miscarriage, and instead thought the does simply misplaced their young once they were born. Did the plant make them forget they had a little fawn following them, so they just ran off and left their baby behind? Were there lots of tiny fawns lost in the forest somewhere? Alize didn’t look too concerned, though, so Elysia pushed the thought to one side, saving her questions to ask Aytan later.

Speaking of the stag, they had been gone for much longer than the race would have taken them, and though she could see his chestnut coat through the trees, she wanted to return to his side. A nap was in order, she thought, after the excitement that had passed since they’d left the stag. Standing taller and flicking her tail a little, she smiled at her friend and took a few unsure steps back towards the glade, before realising she could move steadily.

She grinned back at Alize, a mischievous look in her eyes. “Race back to Aytan!” She cried, leaping forwards into a run and racing towards the stag.